Disclaimer: I do not own the amazing characters or marvelous places from Stephanie Meyer's the Twilight Saga however I do own my characters and plot line of this story such as Zoe, Liam, their mom, and what other character you peoples don't recognize.
Chapter 18
"Jake." I said breathlessly. I felt the heat return from my toes up to my rosy red cheeks as our eyes met for the first time in months. I want to run over to him and kiss him but I also want him to know that just because he's back doesn't mean he's going to get off that easily. I pulled the guy's arms around me and continued to dance with him to the sound of the booming noise coming from the large speakers at the sides of the stage. "Who is that?" Alex, the guy I was dancing with, asked.
"Nobody, just dance." I said before jumping around to the music with him. We danced until the song was over then he pulled me away from the crowd and back to his table. Now that I really look at him, he's pretty cute. He's got to be a few inches taller than me with brown skater boy hair and blue eyes. I sat across from him as he took a large gulp of water and looked around. When I looked back, I nearly had a heart attack. Jake was suddenly standing behind Alex and glaring at me. Alex noticed that I wasn't looking at him anymore and turned around to face Jake.
"Whoa man. Personal space." He said standing up.
"Shut up and back off my Zoe." He snarled.
"Jacob, you have no right…" I began angrily.
"Sorry man. I didn't know she was your girl." He said putting his hands up in defense.
"I'm not...your girl." I said glaring back at Jake.
"Well then she's fair game. Zoe, shall we?" Alex said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the dance floor but Jake stopped me.
"Move." I ordered trying to push past him.
"No. We need to talk."
"See, here's the thing, we may need to talk but I don't want to. I want to go dance with Alex."
"Let me rephrase that, we need to talk soon or I'll leave again since I'm not as needed as I thought I was." I let out a big, unattractive huff of air and walked past him back to Alex. He's so over-dramatic sometimes.
"I have to deal with this. It was nice meeting you." I leant up and kissed his cheek and stormed back to Jake who was grinning victoriously. The smile that had once graced his tired face disappeared and was now filled with confusion as I charged over to him.
"You want to talk, well than let's talk." I said crossing my arms.
"Okay…aren't you going to yell at me?"
"That's not very productive but it's a great idea…WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK! LITERATELY!" I yelled beating on his chest viciously.
"It's nice to see you too." He said nonchalantly while I continued pounding on him. I also kicked his shin and other parts of his legs but he didn't collapse.
"You…are…an…asshole! Where were you? Explain yourself you stupid, self-centered, retarded, idiotic, annoyingly gorgeous, no good, manchild!" I continued.
"Are you done yet? People are starting to stare." He asked looking down at me.
"Not yet." I punched him harder and faster until my arms hurt. I let them fall to my sides for a second before I decided to hit him one more time.
"Okay, now I'm done." I said out of breath.
"Good." He said before pulling me into a tight hug.
"You are never, EVER allowed to do that to me again. Do you understand? NE-VER." I said with my face pressed up against his chest.
"I promise I won't." Jake said back intertwining his fingers through my hair.
"Good. Actually no, that doesn't cut it. You have to prove to me that you are."
"I'm scared." He said.
"You should be. Speaking of which, does your dad even know you're here?" I asked.
"Maybe…" He said guiltily pulling away. I hit him once again.
"Hey, what was that for?" He said rubbing his sore chest.
"He's been just as worried as I was. Wait…that means the pack doesn't know either. You moron! Screw my punishment, Sam's going to kill you!" I said hitting him one more time.
"Number one, stop hitting me. Number two, how do you know that?" Jake questioned.
"I've been spending a lot of time at Emily's house lately and I've learned a few things about Sam and all that's going on there by with the bonding with the pack...especially Leah."
"You bonded with it? How the hell did you do that? I mean, I could see you bonding with Emily, Seth, maybe even Sam but Leah…she doesn't bond. She bitches, she complains, she does everything except bond." He said flailing his arms in the air.
"We kinda bonded over the hatred of the men of the pack. Well, all the men except for Seth. He doesn't count because he's too cute…" I said biting my lower lip.
"And which men would you be talking about then?" He said quirking an eyebrow and folding his arms angrily.
"Hmm, I think it was the guy who strung me along for MONTHS and screwed me over big time. Or maybe it was the annoying jackass who left me here, all by myself, half dead. Wait, that was the same guy, wasn't it? OMG! I think it was! But that doesn't matter now because if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to enjoy that I was so graciously invited to by the bride herself." I said walking off and maneuvering back through the curious crowd.
"Bella invited you? Hey, wait. I'm talking to you." He called after me.
"The only thing you got out of that was 'Bella'? You truly are a jackass." I scowled.
"No, I got what you said to me and you're right. Just talk to me for five more seconds. I'm begging you."
"Go talk to the bride."
"Come on, I've waited two long months to hear your voice again, not her's." I spun around to face him.
"Bullshit. I am not talking to you anymore." I spat. He smiled and wrapped one arm around my waist and grabbed the other.
"Now that I've got you captive, we can have a pleasant discussion." Jake grinned.
"You…you…I'm running out of names to call you." I glared.
"Sucks to be you doesn't it?"
"Shut up. Just tell me what you want now?"
"I want to enjoy your lovely company."
"Mhm." I said looking away from him. My Sacrifice by Creed began blasting through the giant speakers.
"This is a weird song to be playing at a wedding." I said.
"Yeah, well, it's perfect for the occasion."
"I highly doubt that."
"I meant for us." Jake said as he spun us around the dance floor.
Hello my friend, we meet again
It's been a while, where should we begin?
Feels like forever
Within my heart are memories
Of perfect love that you gave to me
Oh I remember
When you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others, we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes
My sacrifice
We've seen our share of ups and downs
Oh, how quickly life can turn around
In an instant
It feels so good to reunite
Within yourself and within your mind
Let's find peace there
'Cause when you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others, we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes
My sacrifice
I just want to say hello again
I just want to say hello again
'Cause when you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others, we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes
'Cause when you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others, we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes
My sacrifice
My sacrifice
(I just want to say hello again)
I just want to say hello again
My sacrifice
"Understand yet?" He asked.
"Jake, I…" I started before Edward placed a hand on his shoulder. I felt him wince while his grip tightened around me.
"Hello Jacob." Edward smiled.
"Edward." Jake said through his teeth.
"It's time." Jake looked down at me and kissed my cheek.
"I'll be right back."
"Promise?" I asked.
"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled his most Jacob smile before walking off with the leech. I waited in the same spot for about ten more minutes before giving up and stepping off the dance floor back to the table. There I found Billy and Seth, chowing down on some food while Sue sat quietly and watched people sway on the dance floor.
"Hey guys." I smiled. Seth whipped his head around and stared at me.
"Where is he?" He asked.
"Who?" I asked sitting down.
"The president of the United States. Who do you think I'm talking about?" Seth said sarcastically.
"Oh, you mean Jake? He went off with Edward." Billy nearly choked on his drink.
"My son…is home?" He said with his eyes watering. Billy pushed his plate away and just stared at the table. I got up from my seat and hugged him as he cried.
"I'm good now sweetheart. Do me a favor and make sure my boy gets home and stays there for more than one night, okay?" He asked.
"Will do." I said getting off his lap. Seth's head popped up again but this time something was different. He stood up and bolted far off away from the party.
"Seth!" I yelled taking off my heels and chasing after him. I was taken back as I saw the sight before me. Jake had his has gripping Bella's shoulders firmly as he shook her.
"Jake, bro, back away," Seth urged. "You're losing it."
"Please Jake, stop." I yelled without thinking. I saw his grip loosen a bit but he remained still.
"You'll hurt her." Seth whispered to him. "Let her go."
"Honey, drop your hands and back away from Bella." I said sweetly but pressingly.
"Now!" Edward snarled. Jake finally dropped his hands to his sides, freeing Bella. She was suddenly whisked away by her husband and I pulled away by Seth. He then wrapped his arms around Jake's shaking body.
"C'mon Jake. Let's go" He yelled.
"I'll kill you," Jake yelled at Edward with such rage I felt a shiver go down my spine. "I'll kill you myself! I'll do it now!" He said shuddering even more violently.
"Seth, get out of the way." Edward hissed but Seth only held on tighter, pulling his back a few feet.
"Don't do it, Jake. Walk away. C'mon." He said. There was a growl from behind as Sam walked past me and started to shove Jake with his head, which had little effect. That's it. I ran up to him, placed to hands on the side of his face and stared him in his golden irises.
"Back off." I said sternly. I pressed against him and he started to move finally. We pushed him all the way back into the forest.
Once far enough, we stopped. Sam went behind a tree and phased back.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He growled emerging from behind the tree.
"Sam, don't. Please, just…let him be." I plead still holding on to Jake.
"He doesn't understand how much strain he…" Sam started.
"He does Sam. Lecture him later. I'll take him home. You should go alert the rest of the pack of his return." Sam sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Fine but we will discuss this later. Seth, Quil, make sure she gets him to the car safe." They nodded and helped me drag Jake to my car.
"Make sure Billy and Sue get home." I said from the driver's seat. Once again they nodded and went back to the party. I put my car in reverse and drove off.
Jake breathed heavily with his hands balled into fists on his lap while I drove uncomfortably. I tried playing music but it still didn't drown out the silence and the anger filled aura that was taking up the air in my closed car.
"What happened back there?" I asked confused.
"Nothing. Just get me away from here." He said through his teeth. I nodded and pressed on the pedal. We sped towards his house but when we got there, he leapt out of the car and stalked away.
"Jake!" I called after him but he had already disappeared out into the dark forest behind his house.
"Crap, not again." I grumbled to myself as I climbed back into the car. I sat and waited for fifteen minutes before turning the car on and driving away wondering where the furball was. As I was driving around La Push, I saw a blur of brown rush past my car headed for First Beach. Well, that clears that mystery up.
I pulled into a parking space pretty much in the cool sand and got out of the car. I searched around for Jake but he was nowhere to be found. Being as stubborn as I am, I continued to search for him. I took off my shoes and left them behind as I trekked through the wet sand to the ocean line. I squished the sand in between my toes while I waited for Jake to return, if he ever was going to.
"What are you doing here? Go home. Now." I heard him order from behind me. Ha, I knew he'd be here.
"Like I've never heard that demand before." I said not turning to face him.
"It's not safe for you to be around me right now." I could hear the pain and the strain in his voice.
"I don't care." I watched the waves crash against the shore as he came closer.
"You saw what happened to me earlier. Aren't you scared of me?"
"Honey, my bunny slippers are scarier than you." I laughed. All of a sudden I felt his warm breath brush up against the back of my neck causing goose bumps to rise.
"How about now?" He snarled as he pressed his chest against my back.
"N-No." I gulped. It was true that he didn't scare me, not anymore at least. This was kind of…hot.
"That doesn't sound very convincing to me." I turned around to look at him.
"Well neither does your 'scary creeper' voice." I said placing my hands on my hips and looking up at him.
"Zoe, seriously, what's your problem?" He asked causing rage to course through my veins.
"Do you really want to know what my problem is? My problem is that you left with nothing but a note! You didn't call or visit or do anything to try to contact me or your father after you left. We were so worried Jake. I was so scared that something bad had happened to you. Hell, I can't remember one night in the past two months where I haven't cried myself to sleep just thinking about all the horrible possibilities. I didn't know if you were dead or anything like that. I hate feeling that way and never want to again but you are Jacob and you are completely unpredictable and you don't care if I have mental breakdowns every time I hear your name. That's my problem." I yelled.
"You think I don't care? Why else would I have left? I want you to be safe away from me damnit! But you and your pretty little stubborn ass won't give up and you continue to love me and deal with me no matter what I do."
"You sound like such an idiot right now."
"Yeah, I feel like one too so stop reminding me of how stupid I am because now it's my turn to talk. I understand how much I hurt you and everybody else and I'm sorry for that. I still left, and I still broke your heart and the thing is that no matter how much I apologize or try to take it back, I know won't change what I did but that doesn't mean that I will ever stop. I'm going to continue to apologize and I'm still going to try to beg for your forgiveness because I want to prove you wrong. I want to prove that I care." He said.
"Oh really? And how are you going to do that?" I said.
"By doing this." He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me up to him until our lips were just centimeters away when my phone rang, breaking us apart.
"Damn it! Hold on." I yelled falling back on the balls of my feet into the sand and reaching for my cell phone.
"Hello?" I asked into it.
"You need to come back to Emily's immediately Catherine has a problem." Xena said frantically into the phone. There was screaming in the background and I think I heard something about a bastard, apocalypse, and hell.
"I'm at First Beach with Jake. I'll…we'll be there soon." I smiled up at him.
"Well hurry the hell up! She's throwing things! Gotta go! ...Hey! Put that down!" She yelled into the phone before hanging up.
"Um, I think we should go. Like, now." I said grabbing his hand and sprinting to the car. I climbed in and put the key in the ignition.
Pulling into the drive was the beginning of one of the most insanely confusing nights of my sister's life while it was the beginning of something else in mine.
"WHAT THE HELL? IT LIES! THIS IS ALL JUST A LIE!" I heard Cat scream from indoors followed by the sound of glass breaking.
"Shit." I said running to the door.
"Catherine, calm down. It's not good for the…" Xena said trying to calm my sister down.
"DON'T EVEN SAY THAT WORD!" She growled. I scanned the room quickly and saw that she had only thrown a few pillows and three plates so the damage wasn't all that bad.
"What word?" I asked. Suddenly a plastic stick was thrown towards my direction. I jumped up to get it but Jake caught it before my hand even made it over my head. I heard him gasp and I leapt up and pulled his arm down. In his hand was a pregnancy test with two clear pink lines.
"You can't be serious." I gasped.
"I HAVE A PARASITE FEEDING ON MY LIFE SOURCE VIA MY VAGINA! OF COURSE I'M SERIOUS!" She yelled with tears forming in her eyes.
"Well, technically the fetus is in your womb…" Xena said.
"SHUT UP! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I GOT PREGNANT!"
"I'm going to tell you what my dad told me the day Zo…never mind that. Anyway, when a man and a woman love each other very much…" I cut Jake off by elbowing him in the stomach.
"What?" He asked rubbing his chest.
"Shh!"
"Fine." He pouted.
"Immaculate conception?" Z offered.
"No offense Cat, but Satan choosing you're womb to breed his demonic spawn is more plausible than 'immaculate conception'. But it's okay. When the baby is born we will get it an exorcism and life will be good. Sound like a plan?"
"Sure, why not? Thanks Zo." She said sarcastically.
"You're welcome. But seriously, what are you going to do about it? Did you tell the father?"
"I don't know yet but it will not be up to him. The last time I saw him he told me he never wanted to see me again. I know for certain he wouldn't be a good father but I don't know if I can be a mother. I can't even change a diaper." She said flailing her arms in the air before clasping them over her eyes. I walked over to her and held her tightly.
"It's going to be okay. No matter what you choose, I'll be here for you, we all will. Hell, we'll help you change the dirty diapers too if you'd like." I said as Xena joined the hug.
"Thanks guys." She sniffled in our arms.
"No problem." I said.
"What else are sisters for?" Z laughed.
"Um, to go the store and buy their preggo sister chocolate in the middle of the night?" She said smiling. Z and I sighed.
"Let me get changed really quick and then Jake will drive us to the store." I said turning to him.
"What? Why me? I haven't driven in months. I could drive us into a ditch." He said.
"Honey, you may not be a lot of things like responsible, smart or short like me but you are a mechanic. If you don't know how to maneuver a car to the drugstore than I think we have a problem." I said causing him to glare at me.
"Love you." I smiled.
"Mhm. Hurry up." He said leaning up against the wall. We rejoiced and ran to the backroom to get me out of this dress. I changed into a pair of skinny jeans and baggy tee shirt with a pair of converse and ran back out to find that Jake had also changed into a dark tee shirt and a pair of cutoff jean shorts.
"Ready to go?" He sighed.
"Stop being so bleh. This is only the beginning of the punishment I will be putting you through." I said wrapping my arms around his torso.
"You beating the crap out of me wasn't?"
"Nope. Not even close. Two words. Glee. Marathon." I smiled evilly and his eyes widened.
"No. Please, anything else."
"Hey, don't start or else I'll kick your butt, which reminds me. Don't go in your room until I give you the okay."
"Why?" He asked.
"Well, I'm going to tell you something that might possible cause you to question your return..."
"And what would that be?" I stood up on my tippy toes and whispered in his ear.
"I took over your room."
"That's it?" He laughed.
"And there are shirtless Zac Efron posters all over the walls. Not to mention the Hannah Montana posters Claire-Bear put up with a special side of the Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber." I giggled. His eye twitched and his hands balled into fists.
"You're eye okay? It looks like you've got a little twitch... Yeah, I dont think that's normal…" I said poking beneath his eye.
"I'll give you a five second start and because you're cute, I'll give you two additional seconds."
"You're kidding me right?" I laughed. He glared down at me.
"Seven….six…" My eyes widened and I jumped down out of his grasp and ran out the door. I counted down in my head as I sprinted down the street and soon enough he was on my trail.
"You'll never catch me for I am…" I started until I got tackled by the huge monster that is Jake.
"You were saying?" He asked quirking an eyebrow as he pinned me to the cold pavement street. We laughed and laughed until it died down into soft giggle. I glanced up at him and couldn't help but get lost in his chocolate brown orbs. The way the light emitting from the moon dances in them makes my heart skip a beat…which isn't healthy and neither is the feeling of wanting to jump him right here, right now on the side of the road. I reached up and tucked the loose strands that once dangled in his face behind his ear and let my hand linger on his cheek.
"What?" He asked still smiling.
"I missed you." I said blushing. He leant down and kissed my cheek.
"I missed you too." He whispered in my ear. He then kissed my cheek again and looked down at me with the same hungry look in his eyes that I'm feeling. He leant down and inched closer and closer to my lips until I stopped him.
"Why won't you kiss me?" He asked half humored and half serious.
"I just…I want to make sure you're here to stay before I let myself open up like that again."
"You know I won't leave again." He said in all sincerity.
"I wish I did but I don't, nobody does but I'll make you a deal. If you deal with me for the rest of the week, Glee and other events included, I'll let you take me out on a date but if you leave, I'll never talk to you again.
"Zoe, if dealing with you is what you call it, I want to deal with you for the rest of our lives, odd quirks and all but I'm going to take you up of your offer. I bet you five bucks that you are going to fold by Friday."
"You're on." I smiled.
"Alright but for now I think we should get off this cold pavement and go back home." He rolled off of me skillfully and jumped to his feet. He then grabbed my hands and pulled me up to him. We walked back to the house hand in hand, and at the very least, we walked extremely slowly. I would occasionally look up at him and he would smile down at me, giving me the outstanding feeling that I'm going to fold.