Chapter One

Sealing the Deal

I sighed. This was it. This was the day when I would call my dad and tell him I was going home. After this there was no way I could escape it. I picked up the phone and sat down in my almost empty dorm room. I was a complete chicken. I had everything packed and was planning on leaving in the morning, but still I refused to call him and tell him I was coming.

Why? So if I decided not to go through with it I wouldn't let my dad down.

I dialed the familiar number and waited. And waited some more. On the one-hundredth ring someone finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey daddy." I smiled to myself. I hadn't talked to him lately. He was dealing with some stuff with Jacob. He never really said what it was, just teenage boy drama.

"Rachel! Wait … is something wrong?" he asked.

"No everything is fine, why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Your voice is shaking." He stated concerned.

"Sorry...I'm just kind of nervous. Tomorrows a big day." I smiled to myself.

"Why, what's tomorrow?" he asked, perplexed.

"I'm coming home." I laughed a shaky breath.

"Really? That's fantastic! Why didn't you tell me earlier! I would have put together a welcome home party!" he exclaimed, his voice animated.

"I was a little busy sorry." I lied. I wasn't going to tell him that the only reason I didn't tell him beforehand was because I still wanted an escape plan.

"What time should we expect you?" he asked.

"Well I'm leaving around six in the morning so I should be there at like four or five in the afternoon." I calculated. For about the millionth time. Going home was all I had been thinking of for the past month.

"Well, I've got to get cleaning this pigsty if I don't want you to leave running." He laughed.

"Bye dad."

"Bye sweetheart."

Looking around my empty dorm realized as scared as I was to go back, I was just as eager.

... ... ...

My back was sticky and sweaty from the long five hours I had already been in the car, and my stomach was angrily screaming for me to feed it.

"Stupid gasoline prices." I grumbled angrily filling up the tank to my Old Nissan Skyline 2000gts.

Who am I kidding? I love my car. Though I should probably get Jacob to fix up the paint job a bit. Stuffing the passenger side with junk food I was on the move again.

When I was about an hour away from La Push I was startled when something ran right in front of my car. Ashamedly I screamed like a baby. Looking out the window I searched to see what had just trued to kill it self.

It was a dog!

"Oh crap!" I screamed jumping out of the car. "Oh god, oh god, stupid mutt you better be okay."

I came to see a tiny white and brown dog scratching its ear. Thank god it was okay!

"You mangy mutt! I almost killed you! What are you suicidal? Jumping in front of cars?" I shrieked, putting my hands on my hips.

It just cocked its little head to the side as if asking what I meant by that.

"You know, your really cute." I smiled. I tentatively took a step toward it to see if it was friendly I bent down allowing it to come to me instead of the other way around. It jumped up and ran toward me, burrowing its face in my hand.

"Aww, your adorable!" I squealed. So what? I have a soft spot for dogs, okay?

"I see you've meet Frodo." I heard a friendly voice behind me. I quickly got up and turned to see an old woman wearing a pink dress and white apron.

"Sorry," I blushed embarrassed to be caught in such a state.

"No its fine. He needs the attention. I never have the time for him. Its not like I asked for a dog. My best friend, Lauren? We met in college, she was the sweetest thing… anyway she died about three months ago and left me her dog." She shrugged. That was one thing I love about old people, they tell you things that no one really cares about, but to them you have to know or else the story wont make sense.

"What type of dog is he?" I asked curiously.

"He's a Westie, " she stated.

"Wait, I thought Westie's only came in white?" I furrowed my brows.

"They do, he just likes to get down and dirty." She laughed.

"Well he is absolutely adorable, I wish I had a dog like him." I smiled heading toward my car door.

"Take him! I most definitely don't want him." she exclaimed eagerly.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Well... as much as I enjoy his company… I'm an old woman and I don't have time to take car of that mutt. I feel horrible for not having enough time to play with him either. You like him don't you? I'm sure he wouldn't be much of a bother?" she said almost pleading.

"Well I don't know I mean… my dad he umm" and as much as I thought about it there really wasn't a reason to why not. My dad loved dogs and he would be home all day to take care of him. What the heck?

"Sure. I'll take him." I smiled, positively.

I wasn't very strong willed either so a little more convincing and I would have taken two dogs! I'm not a wimp or anything it's just that if someone needs my help I'm not one to say no.

"You're an angel! Here come inside I'll get all his stuff!" she ushered me inside her small house that was on the side of the road.

"So is he uh... trained?" I asked not to confidently.

"Well… kind of. He knows sit, roll over, stay, fetch, and release. Oh and he is potty trained." She said grabbing toy after toy from around the house and putting them in a little blue bag that said 'Frodo'.

"What do you mean kind of? That's all he needs to know right?" I asked, suspicious.

"He is a friendly enough dog, but he doesn't like to share. Once he brands you as his you're just that, his. Say another dog comes along and seems to step over the boundary? He gets furious. It's like a dog not letting other dogs eat his food. Its his." She said laughing.

"Well I guess that's okay, I mean I don't have any other dogs so it wouldn't really be a problem." I smiled. Great so the dog was planning on being my owner.

"Oh and don't be frightened if he runs off on his own for a while he always comes back." She smiled.

"Well, that should be it. My number is in the bag if he turns out to be too much work. Call me if you have any questions." She smiled warmly, handing over the blue bag and leash.

She gave him a quick pet and picked him up handing him to me a well. I smiled at him and walked over to my car setting him in the passenger seat. By the time I got my seat belt on and had looked up, the mutt was already digging through my Cheetos bag.

What had I just done?