I'm glad that you guys liked the last chapter! Here's Chapter 40. You guys have probably been wondering what's gonna' happen with Seth. So, here's a chapter for that.
Oh, and don't worry. There's gonna' be a lot of vampire-werewolf-phoenix drama coming up soon, so stay tuned!
~SashaFierce12.0
Chapter 40
Seth's P.o.V.
"Seth has a doctor's appointment this morning, and I completely forgot! Esme and I have a thing to do today. Do you think that you can take him, Leah?" Mom asked into the phone, at the same time making me some breakfast. I had forgotten about the meeting with Doctor Raymond today.
I had more important things on my mind...
I sighed and rested my head in my hands. "...Okay. I'll send him over. See you later, Sweetie. Love you, too!" Mom hung up and set down a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. I took the bacon and ate it, then pushed the plate away. "Shoot...I forgot, you're not Charlie." She laughed at herself and made me a glass of milk.
"What do you mean I'm 'not like Charlie?'" I asked, then took a sip of the white liquid.
"Eh, sometimes I make him breakfast and drop it off at the station. He has a liking for scrambled eggs. You, sorry. Kind of forgot..." She gave me an apologetic grin. I rolled my eyes and finished off the milk. "Hurry and get going to Leah's house. You're going to be with her at the hospital until your appointment at ten, then she'll drive you back to school."
"Tell Jazz I won't be at school 'till lunch, 'kay?" I said, grabbing my back pack. I kissed Mom's cheeks. "See you later."
"Bye, Sethy!" she called back. I walked out the door and towards Leah's house. I walked slowly, keeping my eyes trained to the ground. It was going to be a long day. First, the pull to Jazmyn has been bothering me since my outburst on Sunday. Every time I was away from her, I could feel something tugging on my chest. Like...Like somebody had attached a rubber band to it and wouldn't stop pulling. I tried to ignore it sometimes, but it was getting harder and harder. It actually hurt to be away from her most of the time.
Another reason why today's gonna' be long...A year ago today Dad died. Mom had acted like nothing was wrong, and Leah sounded fine on the phone from what I picked up. It seemed like the only one who cared was...Was me. Even though I tried hard not to - and trust me, it's really hard not to - I remembered that day so vividly...
"Mom!" I yelled, running into the hospital. "Sam told me to get over here. Is it Dad?" Mom bit her lip and nodded. She took my hand and clutched it tightly in hers. I swallowed hard, bracing myself for what was to come. With a nod, she led me down the long hallway. The closer we got to Room 304, the tighter the knots in my stomach got. I could already hear Leah talking to him, and then she started crying. Mom and I stood in the doorway, not wanting to break up their little moment.
Mom was crying silently, and big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't bother wiping them away. I kept my face emotionless. I didn't want to give in and cry; I had to be strong for Leah and Mom.
"I'm going to miss you," Leah was whispering.
"Me, too..." Dad whispered back. The beep of the heart monitor started to get slower.
"No. No! Dad? Daddy! Stay...No!" Leah was saying. I hurried over to the other side of the bed, and felt a couple of tears slide down my cheeks. Mom came over a couple of seconds later and laid face down on the bed, crying loudly. "I need you! No, Daddy, please! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Don't leave me! Stay. With. ME!" Leah was crying openly, a thing that she rarely did. Seeing her cry made me cry more, and I looked down.
"L...eah..."
Those were his last words. I had stopped listening after that, and sprinted out of the room and through the door. After that I phased and took off running.
"Seth, what's happening?" asked Jacob. He was still running patrol. Paul was there, too.
"Dad...He's...Dad's...He's dead," I finally choked out. I kept running. My lungs were on fire and big tears rolled down my cheeks. I stopped and looked at the ground, panting and gasping for air. I could feel my blood pounding in my ears, and my heart was beating at an abnormally fast rate.
"Bro, you need to calm down," Jacob said soothingly.
"I can't! Didn't you hear me? My freaking dad just died! He's dead. Stopped breathing. No pulse. Cold. Lifeless. Wiped-from-the-face-of-this-earth-DEAD!" They had found me by now, and sat on their haunches, watching as I cried like a baby in front of them. It was kind of embarrassing, having the older guys see me cry. But as of now, I didn't care. I flopped down onto my stomach and buried my face into my paws, letting more tears flow down my cheeks. Paul phased back, undoubtedly to go spread the news. I felt something like a weight placed onto my back and I looked up to see the russet fur that was Jacob's.
"It'll be fine. You'll get through this, Kid," he thought quietly. I saw briefly as they flashed to Leah, but I ignored it. I had laid there all night, and didn't bother to go back home until I was sure that I was done crying. Jake had sat with me that whole time, facing the other way, pretending that he didn't notice that I was crying. I was thankful for that, and took full advantage of it. When I had finally gone home, Leah welcomed me with a tight hug. We stayed like that for a while. I didn't trust her enough to let her go. She just might leave me again.
I sighed again and looked up, Leah's house coming into full view. I could instantly hear Baby Jay screaming, and Kyle milling about somewhere. I smirked and opened the door. The noise got louder, and I could see Jacob was wrestling Baby Jay into a beanie.
"C'mon, Jayah..." Jacob finally got the hat onto her and Baby Jay's bottom lip poked out. Her dad just chuckled and kissed her cheek. I shut the door, making my presence known. Jake looked up. "Hey," he said. Jayah reached her arms out to me and I picked her up, kissing her cheek. "Okay, don't say 'hi' to me."
"Oh. Hey, Jake." Said wolf laughed and stood up, grabbing his wallet and keys.
"See ya' later, Bud." He said this kind of sympathetically and quiet. I gave him a grim smile, knowing that at least he hadn't forgotten what today was.
"Hi, Seth!" Syanne called happily, bouncing down the stairs. Kyle crawled towards her and Syanne grinned at him.
"You sure you're gonna' be okay with the Tenacious Duo?" my sister asked, coming downstairs. She was wearing her scrubs. The pants were kind of baggy and swept the floor with every step she took. The shirt, however, fit her fine and she had on a longer shirt under it. She looked so much like she actually worked at the hospital, even though she wasn't actually working there. At least not yet.
"For the millionth time: yes!" Syanne replied. "Emmy's coming over, anyway. So I'll be double the fine!" My eyes wandered to her missing arm, but I quickly looked up again when I saw Leah. She held her arms out for Baby Jay. I kissed the baby's cheek and handed her to her mom.
"I'll see you later, my little Jewel! You be good for Sy and Aunty Emily, okay?" She looked pointedly at Kyle who just gave her a one-toothed grin. "That goes for you, too, Mister Man!" She winked at him and gave Jayah one more peck on her cheek before grabbing her keys and purse. "Ready, Baby Bro?" She didn't wait for an answer and started heading out the door.
"Again with the nickname..." I moaned, but followed her anyway.
"So you can hang out with me in Pediatrics until your meeting with the doc, okay?" Leah explained when we were in the car. I nodded. "I know for a fact that you have some homework, so I expect you to be working on that while you wait."
"Gee, since when did you become Mom?" I asked with a smirk.
"Gee, since when did you get smart?" she laughed once, then hit me playfully on my shoulder. "She left me in charge of you, and that's what I'm gonna' do."
"Wonderful." I hope she heard the sarcasm in my voice. We pulled up to the hospital then, and Leah stopped the car. I started to get out, but she grabbed my arm. "What?" She smiled at me, then pulled my head towards her and kissed my cheekbone, near my ear. She pulled away and rubbed my cheek, then got out of the car without another word. I frowned and stared after her before getting out myself.
"Hey, Taylor," Leah greeted a woman as we walked down a long hallway. The girl, Taylor, waved.
"Hi, Leah! This your little brother?" she gestured towards me. I nodded with a small grin on my face.
"I'm Seth."
"Hi, Seth. Well, I gotta' run. See you later, Lee. Bye, Seth." She kept walking down the hallway. The same routine was repeated for a couple of other people, and then we finally made it to the Pediatrics part of the hospital.
"You can sit here," Leah pointed to a small couch. "You're appointment doesn't start for a while so you can just hang out, or do whatever it is Seth Clearwater does when he's bored. But you better do your homework. I don't want any zeroes!" She winked at me and then disappeared behind a corner.
I sat there for a few minutes, drumming the palms of my hands on my thighs and humming No Air. It may sound girly, but I love that song. I don't know why. I had listened to it countless times before when it had first come out. And then, like most songs, it got kind of old. But for some reason, it came back, and hit some kind of nerve in me. I was practically addicted to that song, and I sang it pretty much all the time. So much, even, that Mom knew all the words.
Just to be on Lee's good side, I did my Spanish and Physics homework. I breezed right through Spanish, but Physics was kind of hard. I chewed the eraser of my pencil, trying to remember the formula for calculating Joules.
"Power divided by time...? ...Multiplied by..." I huffed out a breath then reached into my bag for my iPod. Music helped me think. Go figure. I put it on shuffle, and then - finally! - remembered the formula. I finished the work and looked up to the clock on the wall. It was 9:00. An hour to go...Don't I still have some Spanish work to make up...? I reached into my bag for my binder and justified my question.
And all I care about is money and the city where I'm from
I'ma sip until I feel it, I'ma smoke until it's done...
I changed the song, not really in the mood for rap. Or, really annoying poems, as Mom calls them.
"Rafael y Ana se despiden," I said aloud as I wrote it down. Spanish was pretty easy, and I was in the second level. I needed two credits of a language to graduate, and I could be done this year. But I wanted to take it all four years of high school. It's becoming a big language here; what if I met someone that didn't speak English, only Spanish? At least I'd be able to talk to them.
When my work was done, I put it away and leaned back, listening to the music flowing from my iPod. I stared blankly at the television screen on the wall, watching uninterested as the Yankees struck out.
So what we get drunk
So what we smoke weed
We're just havin' fun
We don't care who sees
So what we go out
That's how it's supposed to be
Livin' young and wild and free...
Again, I changed the song.
Isn't Rebecca supposed to be coming in today? She's all Leah's been talking about...
I looked up at the clock. 9:30.
I stood up, fishing a couple of dollars out of my backpack. There was a vending machine a couple of feet from here, and I was pretty hungry. Bacon and milk does not satisfy.
Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter
Than the sun...
Ha! We Are Young. Jazz's the one that got me addicted to this song. It's actually kind of catchy...I hummed it on the way back to my seat and munched on my second breakfast of Skittles until I decided to head over to the Psychiatric ward.
Golly, I hate that name. It made me feel like I had some kind of mental condition. The kind that makes you bash your head into walls and stuff. The kind that makes you slice and dice yourself until you look like a slab of roast beef. The kind that gives you the urge to jump off buildings and cliffs...
Oh, wait. I did have that kind of a mental condition.
Ugh...Again with the freaking pull! I need to get close to Jazz, or I'd go crazy with rage. I walked down the hallway, one hand in my pocket and the other holding my backpack on my shoulder.
Turning into the ward, I walked up to the counter and gave the lady behind it a lopsided grin.
"Hey, Ms. Hoff." She looked up and smiled. Ms. Hoffman - or Ms. Hoff, as I called her - was my next door neighbor. She was the cool lady that brought my family pie after Dad died.
"Good morning, Seth. Are you the 10:00?" she cocked her head, her silvery curls still stiffly in place. I nodded. She pressed a button on the phone next to her and picked it up. "Carmine, your 10:00's here." She waited a couple of seconds before saying, "Okay." She hung up and smiled at me. "You can go right in."
"Thanks."
Doctor Raymond's room wasn't like most doctor's boring and depressing offices. It was cheery and bright; painted orange. Garfield was everywhere...Blankets, curtains...Even a plush toy resting next to her computer.
"Hi, Seth!" she greeted me. I smiled and set my bag down before sitting in the comfortable orange couch. I liked Doctor Raymond. She was nice, and was always smiling. She was fair skinned and had long, fiery red hair set off by bright blue eyes. She didn't seem like the type of person to be counseling 'troubled teens.'
She kicked off her shoes and slid on her slippers. Then she took a seat on her desk, sitting cross-legged. She rested her face in the palms of her hands, staring at me intently.
"Let's hear it. What's going on the mind of Seth T. Clearwater?" I just shrugged. "I gave you an assignment the last time you visited me. 'Seth's Place', you remember?"
"Yeah..."
"Did you find it?"
"Yeah..."
"'Yeah...' Is not the type of answers I was looking for, Mr. Clearwater! How often do you spend time over there?"
"Not much before, but now a couple of times a day."
"Have you told anyone about it...? Mom? Sister? Friends?"
"No...But I can tell they're worried. Everyone is. My sis thinks I'm suicidal again."
"Which you aren't...?"
"No. At least, I don't think so."
"You have a girlfriend, right?" Doctor Raymond asked. She did that a lot; starting off with one topic then switching suddenly without warning. I nodded with a small smile. I didn't mind her bringing up Jazz, it's just that it reminded me of the pull. The pull that was still bugging me, by the way. "Of course you do! What girl wouldn't want a cute little guy like you? Bet you're driving them all wild, huh?" I chuckled and shrugged. "What's her name?"
"Jazmyn."
"Jazmyn...Pretty. She sounds pretty. So, how do you feel when you're around her?"
Oh, the dreaded 'feelings' part.
"...Like...Like a million bucks, if that's the best way to put it. It's like I forget everything, and it's just me and her."
"So you're basically riding on cloud nine with her, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Did you tell her about your meds?"
I was silent.
"Did you tell anyone about your meds?"
Again, silence.
"The only person that knew was Mom," I finally answered. But I was quiet, my voice just above a whisper.
"I already knew that she knew. Moms know everything." Doctor Raymond giggled a little. "So nobody knows, huh?"
"Actually...They all know now. But they had to find out the hard way." Doctor Raymond nodded, knowing exactly what I meant. "I just...I just didn't want them to worry, y'know?" The doctor nodded again, slowly this time; comprehending what I had just said.
"How'd they react?"
"Leah...She just wanted to know why I didn't tell her. And Jazz...Jazz was just devastated. I hated keeping things from them, but I just didn't want them to start treating me different because of it. But now it doesn't matter because they know. The guys, they always saw me as their kid brother, and it just made them all want to protect me more."
"By 'the guys' you mean all your cousins and older friends, right?" I nodded in response. I forgot that she didn't know about the wolf thing, and that answer was as good as any other excuse. "So, when I prescribe you your new meds, will you tell them? You know, just come clean with it. Get it over with?"
I was silent. (This is becoming quite a habit.)
"I...Dunno."
"But you know they'll find out eventually."
"...Yeah."
"So in the meantime, what do you do?"
"What do you mean 'what do you do?'"
"Like, what do you do that keeps your mind off all the bad stuff? Besides hanging out with your girlfriend, of course."
"Well..."
"'Well...'" Doctor Raymond giggled.
"I sing...?"
"Ooh, really? Ha! You learn something new every day, Carmine," she said. "Do you write any music?"
"I wrote one...But it's kind of old, and I forgot most of the lyrics."
"Aww...But at least you still have a voice. That makes up for it. You're gonna' have to give me a concert sometime."
"Maybe."
Doctor Raymond and I talked some more, about pointless things and stuff like that. Then she dropped the bomb on me.
"A year ago today, your father died. Am I correct?"
Whoa. Didn't see that coming.
That switching topics thing really has to stop.
"Y-yeah," I finally answered. I looked down, my vision suddenly becoming blurry. I blinked; not really in the mood for crying.
"Devastating, right? I lost my dad when I was young...I was eight when he died. Plane crash." I looked up at her.
"I'm sorry." She shrugged.
"S'okay. When you look back on that day, and the days after that when your depression started getting a hold of you, would you say that you're better now?"
I was quiet. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock (it was 10:52) and the water in her fish tank. With my hearing, I could even catch the sound of the fish breathing out their little air bubbles and the swish of the water as they swam around.
I looked down at the long sleeves of Dad's favorite flannel shirt (remember, the one that I'd saved from the beast that is Mom). Even though I didn't have x-ray vision, I could picture the scars on my arms. Had I gotten better?
"Are you going to answer me?" Doctor Raymond cocked her head and leaned forward. Her voice sliced into the room like a butcher knife. I had become so in tune with the almost silence of the room before, that I jumped a little.
"I...I guess. I don't have that urge to jump off cliffs anymore."
"That's good," she said slowly.
"But it's replaced with something else..."
"What do you mean?"
"Like...I just feel like hurting myself sometimes. Like...Seeing my own blood. Or having the feeling of air being taken away from me." I clamped my mouth shut after I said that, not knowing exactly why I said it. I decided to put on my 'face,' and gave her a vacant stare. I stared past her, at the picture of a Garfield cartoon behind her. I read it over and over again. The chubby cat had some books tied to his head and a wicked smile on his face. The caption below him said: I'm learning through osmosis. I read it over and over again, not sure I really got it.
Now it was Doctor Raymond's turn to be silent. She pursed her lips together and stared at me. Then she hopped off her desk and wrote something down on a notepad.
"I have a new medicine for you. On your way out, go pick it up at the pharmacy. Two caplets a day, no more, no less. It's a new one, and it may take a while for your body to get used to it." She ripped the paper off and handed it to me. She placed a hand on my shoulder as I stood up and I gave her a blank stare.
I still can't believe I'd just told that to her.
"Seth...I usually don't do this...If you need anyone to talk to, come by and see me. Really. Anything at all." I kept my face emotionless. She squeezed my shoulder and opened the door for me. "Just stop by, okay?" she called out again. I kept walking down the hall and didn't even look at Miss Hoff.
"How was your appointment?" Leah asked when we were driving back towards my school. We had picked up the medicine that Doctor Raymond had left for me and now...Now I was leaning on the door, about to give in to the pull. I felt bad for Jazz. She was probably feeling it, too. Leah snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Earth to Seth!"
"Drive faster. Please?" I whispered.
"...What?"
"Just do it, please," I said through my teeth. I didn't want to growl at her, but I'd do it if it'd make her drive faster. The pull was getting stronger, and I rubbed my chest. I felt like I was trying to restrain from a giant pulling on my chest. He kept on pulling harder and harder, and the middle of my chest ached. It hurt so bad. I dug my fingers into the side of the seat.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked, but she was speeding up anyway. Seeing the school building, I started to relax a little, but not enough to remove my fingers. Leah seemed to realize something and sat up. "It's the pull, isn't it?"
"Yes," I answered through my teeth. My chest hurt so much...We pulled into the parking lot. Leah didn't even have a chance to stop before I jumped out the door.
"Seth, wait!" she called after me. I heard her groan and then continue driving to find a parking space. I ran past the office and then into the gym building. Jazz had gym before lunch, and the bell was going to be ringing soon. I waited outside the double doors, trying to ignore my pain.
Today's not my day.
Leah finally ran up to me, handed me my backpack and a white slip then left. I felt bad that I'd been so mean to her, but I was getting kind of restless.
Finally the bell rang and some kids started flooding out of the gym. I was still waiting, and I didn't see Jazz. I slapped my face, feeling helpless. Finally, I went inside and started looking for her. I heard quiet sobs, and then one of the girls ran out of the girls' locker room.
"Seth!" she said. She was Jordan. One of Jazz's 'hallway buddies', as she calls the kids that she doesn't hang out with that much. "Hallelujah! Jazmyn is in there, bawling her eyes out about some kind of chest ache. I told her to go to the nurse, but she was all 'I need Seth!' And here you are!" She ran back inside, then came back out with Jazmyn hooked onto her. The pain in my chest disappeared and Jazz jumped onto me, kissing my face all over. "My work here is done." Jordan skipped out of the gym.
"Oh, my gosh!" She kissed my cheeks. "My chest hurt so bad! And I knew it was the imprint." She kissed my forehead. "I felt like I was gonna' die!" She finally crashed her lips onto mine. "Don't ever leave me for this long again! I mean, it hasn't been a problem before; you've left me for longer! But this just hit me like a loaded bus! I mean, first I run into school late, wearing only a tank top and your basketball shorts. I still had on my monster feet, and my hair wasn't cooperating so I had to throw on my dad's hideous hat -" she pointed to the black skull cap on her head. "And then Ms. Jones was all 'Jazmyn Young, to the principal's office! You're straps aren't three fingers' length!' So I had to run to Mr. Barr's, then to my locker for a jacket, then back to my classroom. Where I had to present my PowerPoint. I got through that, no trouble, but then when I went to the bathroom, I totally forgot about you know what and had to call Mom about you know WHAT ELSE what and then I had to wait in the nurse's office for her to drop off the you know what. Then I had to high-tail it to gym before roll, which isn't easy mind you, and I didn't have any gym clothes! And to make matters worse -" she finally took the moment to take in a huge gulp of air. "YOU were gone the WHOLE entire time! When I was running, I felt like I was going to pass out! I was so scared! This has never happened before!" By now, we were almost at the lunch room. I pulled Jazmyn closer.
"I felt the same way. I thought I had the pull under control, but it's only gotten worse."
"So we're back to square one," Jazmyn huffed out a breath, making her bangs fly up and out of her face. I nodded, remembering what it was like when I'd first imprinted. "On top of that, I haven't been feeling well. My whole body hurts; I think I might be getting the flu, or something." I placed my hand to her head, noting that she felt a little warmer than usual. Okay, re-phrase that: MUCH warmer than usual. We walked into the cafeteria at that moment and to our usual table by the windows.
"Look who decided to show up," Brady laughed. I shrugged. "Jazz was practically falling out her chair in Chem."
"It's not my fault the imprint pull is so strong," Jazmyn retorted. She rubbed her legs. It was then that I noticed bruises forming and then disappearing at lightning speed on her arms.
Weird...
"Jazz, you sure you're feeling okay?" I asked.
"Just a little crampy, but fine," Jazmyn shrugged and stole a couple of fries from Teasha's plate. She suddenly looked up and cocked her head, a smile formed on her face. "You guys hear that?"
"Hear what?" Athena asked.
"...Oh, Mrs. Guame sings so beautifully," she sighed. I listened, and heard our music teacher singing, too. But you'd need to have a wolf's hearing to hear her. She was way at the end of the hall. Plus, the lunchroom was really loud; you almost had to yell just to talk to someone sitting next to you.
I looked at the guys, who were still staring at Jazmyn, who was still cocking her head to the side with a smile.
"I wonder if she had voice lessons?" Jazmyn suddenly asked. She looked around at all of us. "What? Quit staring, you'll burn holes."
"...Do you feel any different, Jazz?" Quil asked.
"No...Well, a little. I grew taller over the past month! Oh, my gosh, three whole inches!" She giggled, obviously happy with the new development.
"Yea! Now you're my height," Teasha giggled with her. Jazmyn rolled her eyes and leaned on my shoulder. "Hey, did you see The Voice last night?"
"Yeah!"
"Me, too!" Athena added. The three launched into a conversation about who was wearing what, who sang what, and who got voted off. "...Adam Levine is so cute!"
"Yeah..." Teasha and Jazmyn sighed together.
"Hello! Sitting right here!" Collin waved his hand in front of his imprint's face.
"Aww...I'm sorry," Teasha sat up and gave Collin a kiss. "Better?"
"Yes." Jazmyn leaned up and kissed me, too.
"Sorry," she gave me a puppy-dog pout so I forgave her.
I was a sucker for that face.
I noticed Brady staring at Athena as we did this. Even though Athena knew about wolves and Brady's imprint on her, they weren't together yet. I could tell that he wanted to, and it must've been hard waiting for her.
When lunch was over, Jazmyn and I made our ways to our lockers to get our things for the next class. Before she left down the hall, she gave me a long kiss.
"See you later," she whispered. I squeezed her hand and watched her disappear down the hallway. I sighed and took the pills out of my backpack. Taking out two, I swallowed them. Then I closed my locker.
"Hey," Aecia said. She was leaned against a locker next to me, smiling flirtatiously. I rolled my eyes.
"Hi, Aecia."
"You were gone this morning. Mr. Bennett said that when you got back we could be partners," she said, twirling some hair in her fingers.
"Okay..."
"So I'm going to give you the assignment. I already did some of it, so you have to do the rest." She handed me some papers, and I tried to take it from her. Her hand was like a vice, and she held on to it. "Need any help?"
"I'm fine, Aecia." She raised her eyebrows and smiled. What she did next caught me totally off guard. She grabbed my collar and yanked me towards her. Then she crashed her lips onto mine. I stood there kissing her for a few seconds, because my mind was still registering what was happening. I pushed her off, but not with a lot of force. I didn't want to hurt her, no matter how much I hated her right now.
"Seth..." I whipped my head to the right and saw Jazmyn standing there, her eyes glossy and her nose scrunched up. I pushed Aecia away and wiped my lips. I started walking towards Jazz, but she backed away with every step I took.
"Jazz, let me explain-"
"Yes, explain! Explain please! Explain why you were standing there openly cheating on me with her!" Jazmyn was shaking.
I recognized those tremors.
Oh, crap.
"Jazz, calm down," Malachi came out of nowhere and touched my imprint's shoulder. Jazmyn yanked it away. That's when Brandon and Teasha came and started pulling her.
"I hate you," she hissed. "I hate you! I hate you!" Each time she got louder until she was screaming it at the top of her lungs. She started shaking harder until she was almost a blur.
"Brandon, take her!" Teasha commanded. Brandon threw Jazmyn over his shoulder and started running out of the building.
"I HATE YOU!"
The phrase cut me like a knife.
She hated me, she hated me.
She's about to phase because of me. Brandon had to pull her out of the freaking building because of me.
"So I guess since you and Jazz aren't a thing anymore..." Aecia touched my shoulder. It took all of my will power not to strangle her right then and there. Without a word, I turned and walked down the hallway.
Even though I was really torn up about this, I couldn't help but feel mad. Furious, even. Why wouldn't she believe me? She knew me! She knows me! The ache started up in my chest again, but I ignored it this time.
I floated around through the rest of the day like a ghost. I walked to Leah's house alone. I wasn't sad or torn anymore. On the contrary. I was heated.
About-to-kill-the-next-person-that-crosses-my-path heated.
When Lee's house came into view, almost everything was red. That's how mad I was. I could hear voices, and knew that the Cullens were there. Along with everyone else. Even Quil and the rest of the guys from school was already here. And I could pick out one voice in particular: Jazz's.
I walked through the door and stood there. I stared at her. She shook a little. But then stopped when Brandon whispered roughly in her ear. Leah walked forward with a frown but then Alice stopped her. I crossed my arms and kept staring at my imprint.
"Let's talk." It wasn't a suggestion, but more of a command. She started walking out the back door and I followed her, growling along the way.
"What?" she hissed when we were outside.
"Why wouldn't you let me speak?" I yelled. Wow. Five seconds outside and I'm already yelling.
"Why would I?" she yelled back.
"Because if you just would of let me maybe you would understand! But now I know that nothing can get through that thick skull of yours!" I was seriously about to punch her, but then I thought about it and held back. My hand shook at my side.
Wait. She's one of us now.
Nothing can hurt her. Nothing.
She'd heal fast. Super fast.
I went against the 'don't hit girls' rule.
I went against the imprint.
I went against everything that I stood for and slapped her. Someone from the house yelped. I'd hit her so hard that she fell to the ground. I had no regrets and stared at her angrily as she looked up at me slowly. She didn't look hurt or sad. She was more angry than before.
"You stupid bastard!" she screeched. In a second she was up and then she slapped me, digging her nails into it. I felt something warm trickle down my face and then I felt a sting. It went away a couple of seconds later, though. She punched me, and I staggered back before kicking her. I heard a screech, but ignored it. She came towards me with her fist raised but I grabbed it and started kicking her back. She was shaking. Quivering.
"Go ahead and phase," I spat. "I can do more damage that way. Maybe then I'll get into your head."
"No." She kneed my stomach then, but not hard enough to hurt me. I picked her up and threw her to the ground. Hard. She yelped in pain.
"Seth, stop!" someone yelled. Ignoring them, I jumped on top of her and raised my hand in the air for a punch. Just as I was bringing it down, Jazz grabbed it and then flipped me over so that she was on top of me. She threw punch after punch in my face. My eye, my nose, my jaw.
"You fucking ass-hole! Bastard!" she was screaming. She was shaking as well. She punched me hard in my nose and I heard a crack. I reached out and grabbed her cheeks in fingers then used my other hand to grab her arms. I rolled her over so that I was on top of her now. Blood dripped from my lip and nose, I licked it away and leaned into her face.
"She came onto me." I shook her face so that she'd get the idea. She wiggled her cheeks out of my grasp. "I was caught by surprise!"
"Fuck you," she hissed. Then she spit into my face. That made me let go of her.
"BITCH!" I yelled. She jumped on me and landed a hard blow to my head. I fell and she flipped me over, starting to punch me again. Then she wrapped her hands around my neck and started to squeeze. I gasped for air but that only made her squeeze harder. She was like a boa constrictor and the more I struggled the more she constricted. I started to get lightheaded and I stopped struggling.
"Jazmyn!" Suddenly she was torn away from me and I gasped in precious air.
"Don't touch me!" she hissed to the person pulling her away. She kicked around and struggled. I stood up and our blazing eyes locked. I flashed her my middle finger and she kept kicking.
She wasn't gonna' listen to me?
Fine!
I didn't care about her anyway...
But deep down, I knew I did. This was a fluke. A mistake. I wasn't supposed to fight against the imprint. But I did. Now the imprint gods were attacking me with an army of a thousand soldiers. My chest feels like someone is stabbing it multiple times with the sharpest of knives, and I started to regret everything that I'd just done.
My eyes widened.
What did I just do?
I brought my hands up to my head and yanked on my cropped hair.
"Stupid! Stupid! I'm such an ass-hole!" I scolded myself. I'd just abused my girlfriend. My imprint. I covered my head with my hands and crouched down, crying silently.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
I shook with sobs, ignoring the pouring rain.
"What'd I do?" I clutched my throat. "Just kill me now, please!"
I said this with a lot of meaning, even though I didn't mean it; no matter how hard I wanted to.
My new meds must have been working better than expected.
I felt someone touch my shoulder and then the smell of something sweet rushed into my nose. But I was used to it now, and new it was one of the Cullens or Evangeline or Mom.
Oh, please don't let it be Mom.
"Seth, you need to come inside so Carlisle can treat your wounds," Evangeline said quietly. She tugged on my arm but I stayed crouched with my hands on my head. Finally she pulled me so I was standing up and led me inside. I didn't want to face everyone, even though I knew I was gonna' have to. But to my relief, just the Cullens, Leah, and Jacob were here. The Pack and the Imprints were gone.
But Sam was here.
And...So was Mom.
Evangeline sat me down and I kept my eyes trained straight ahead. Carlisle wiped the blood off my face and repositioned my nose. Then Sam lectured me.
"What. Was. That?" he asked. Though it was more a commandment. I knew it was rhetorical, though. I kept my eyes on the wall. "You don't go around just hitting girls, Seth!"
"It's not like she was hurt. One, she's a werewolf, like us. Phased today. She'd heal quicker. And two, she got more punches on me than I did to her. So, really, I'm the victim in this situation."
"It's no excuse!" Sam bellowed. "You-"
"You should be ashamed of yourself for this mess!" Mom finished for him.
"You don't think I-"
"What would your father think?" she screeched. That made me shut up. What would he think? Would he yell at me, too? Hit me; see how I like it? Disown me? "ANSWER me when I'm TALKING to you!"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?" I yelled back.
I could be loud, too.
"She just...Made me so mad. And...I considered not doing it. But then I remembered about her phasing, and the thought took over me and...You know what happened after that."
"How do you think I felt when the rest of the guys are calling me at work, practically begging for help? I ran over here as fast as I could! Do you know how many times I called your name?" Sam leaned forward.
"Dunno. Jazz and I were calling each other's names at that moment. We were kind of busy," I answered back smartly.
"Then he had to finally yank her off you," Leah said. She stood up from her seat on the easy chair. "But you flashing her the bird didn't help matters at all. She practically mauled Sam afterwards. You know she's not in control of her phasing yet. And then you were actually trying to get her to phase, too! Seth, what is wrong with you? I mean, first you're jumping out of cars just to be close to her. Then you're slapping her, hitting her, punching, kicking, throwing her on the ground like some kind of rag doll! And calling her names, too!"
"Hey, she said some stuff."
"Well we're not in first grade, now are we?" Leah retorted.
"At least she didn't look as bad as you. Her parents would of had a fit," Emmett said.
"You're grounded," Mom stated. I smirked.
"Really? That's the best you can do?" She growled at me, showing off her fangs.
"You're lucky I don't tear you a part right now!" She stormed out the door. Sam leaned into my face.
"You're going to fix this. I don't how long it takes you or how you do it. But you will." He walked out after that, the Cullens following him. Leah rubbed her temples and walked upstairs, muttering something about Tylenol. Jacob gave me a look of pure pity, then followed her. I sat there for a few seconds before leaving. As I walked down the path towards the forest, I thought back on all that had just happened. My jaw ached as I remembered how she'd laid a good punch there.
"You fucking ass-hole! Bastard...!"
Her words rang through my head like someone had programmed her into my iPod and put her on endless replay. Then I remembered Sam leaning into my face; the smell of his ice-cold-mint breath as he barked out an alpha command.
"You're going to fix this. I don't care how long it takes you or how you do it. But you will."
"You will..."
But how will I?
Wow. I sure can write a tragic story. Review, please. The fate of Seth and Jazmyn's relationship depends on you!
~SashaFierce12.0