Erin walked across the school parking lot toward where the pack was hanging out just outside the front door.
"Hey guys." she grinned, coming to a stop between Embry and Jake. Her boyfriend instantly grinned down at her, lifting his arm over her head to drape it over her shoulders and pulling her into his side.
"Morning." he greeted her, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.
"Mm. You taste like maple syrup." she announced quietly when she pulled away, making Jake laugh and hug her closer to him. The group hung out for a few minutes before heading inside and going their separate ways.
A couple hours later, Erin was at her locker switching her books out for her next class when a couple obnoxiously loud voices reached her ears.
"I don't know what he sees in her. I mean, look at her! His father would never approve of him being with her when he becomes Chief."
Erin barely paused before closing her locker and turning to head down the hall. Unfortunately, her path was cut off by a few girls stopping in her path and casually surrounding her.
"Don't worry, it won't get that far." one of the girls answered, smirking at Erin before turning back to her friends, "He's probably just pity dating her so he can get some easy lays before he has to settle down."
Erin tried to keep her expression blank and not glare at the girls.
"Do you honestly think this petty little relationship will amount to anything?" the third girl addressed Erin with a mocking laugh. "There's no way it'll go anywhere. I mean, you're a half-breed! Chief Black won't want grandchildren who're half white! They could end up being blonde, and our tribe can't have a blonde chief, we'd be laughing stocks." she scoffed.
Erin felt her resolve start cracking, a lump forming in her throat as she stared at them.
"Plus, lets not forget that Jacob could do so much better than you." the first girl added as she looked Erin over, her eyes lingering on Erin's forearms that were left bare by her T-shirt, leaving her scars visible.
A throat cleared from behind Erin, and the girls immediately dropped their smirks as Embry came up on Erin's other side.
"Ladies, is there a problem?" he asked politely.
"No, not at all. We were just talking." the second girl was quick to say, glancing smugly in Erin's direction.
"Well, I'm sure none of you want to be tardy to your next class, so I suggest you cut it short." Embry suggested, a little less polite than before as he gently lead Erin down the hall with his hand on her back. As soon as they were out of earshot, he looked down at Erin as they walked. Her face was blank and he wasn't sure what was going through her head. "Hey, are you okay?"
It took a few moments before she blinked rapidly and glanced up at him. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." she answered quietly before turning into her classroom.
Erin sat in her usual spot in class, trying and failing to focus on the teacher's lesson. Her depression had improved since she started taking her antidepressants, but now it seemed the voices had started up in her mind. They were repeating the girls' words from earlier, as well as the many doubts she'd had ever since she even heard the word 'imprint'.
She was slowly pulled from her thoughts by a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Erin? Erin, are you okay?" She blinked and looked up at her teacher.
"Um, yeah, I'm fine." she answered quietly, even though she could tell the teacher didn't believe her.
"Are you sure?" the teacher asked doubtfully. "You look a bit pale."
Erin swallowed, glancing down at her hands atop her desk. "Um, actually could I go to the restroom?"
"Of course. Take your time. If you decide you need to go to the nurse, go straight there. She'll call me later."
Erin nodded silently, standing and leaving the room. She wandered somewhat aimlessly down the hall in the general direction of the bathroom. She didn't realize she wasn't alone until a familiar hand took hold of hers, gently pulling her to a stop. Her eyes were dragged sluggishly up to find a familiar pair of brown eyes staring worriedly down at her.
"Erin, what are you doing? Why aren't you in class?" he asked gently.
Erin swallowed, looking around almost lost. "Um, I…nothing. I just needed to go to the restroom." she answered quietly.
Jake eyed her closely. "Erin, talk to me. There's more to it than that. What's the matter?"
"Nothing." she insisted, her eyes fixed on his chest instead of his eyes.
Jake stayed silent and still for a few moments before he started pulling her down the hall.
"What are you doing?" Erin asked. Before she knew it, Jake opened a door and gently pushed her through first before following her into a dark space. Jake closed the door and pulled a string to turn on a swinging, overhead light, which illuminated the janitors closet.
Erin looked around the small space, taking in the shelf of cleaning supplies against the wall, mop sink, a few brooms and mops, and a black garbage can. "The janitors closet? Seriously, Jake?" she asked quietly.
Jake didn't answer, simply took her arms in his hands and turned her to face him. "Don't change the subject. You were fine this morning, hell you were fine half an hour ago. What happened?"
"I don't know what you're-"
"Damn it, Erin!" Jake snapped, "Don't do that. You were perfectly fine this morning, and then…something changed. I felt it in my gut, Erin. It was like…darker, slower,…like you felt lost or…something. I can't really describe it with words, but I know it didn't feel right." His eyes stared right into hers, straight into her very soul. "Erin, please, what happened?"
She bit her lip, her arms crossed over her stomach. "Well,…I was at my locker when some girls came up and were talking…they were talking about us." Jake stiffened a bit, his grip tightening just enough on Erin's arms that it made her look up. He looked expectantly at her, and she continued, "They were saying that our relationship probably won't last long…that you're probably just pity dating me to get an easy lay," Jake snarled, "and Billy wouldn't want grandchildren who're half-white."
Jake's whole body was trembling. "Who were they?"
Erin shook her head, looking down at her feet. "I don't know their names."
Jake noticed her tone and stopped trembling. He removed one hand from her arm, using his knuckle to tilt her chin up. "Erin, you're not taking their words seriously, are you?" when she didn't answer, he sighed exasperatedly. "Erin, you've gotta be kidding me."
"They made some good points." she defended quietly, her eyes burning. "You could do a lot better than me." she muttered, looking angrily down at the scars marring her arms. Jake followed her eyes and sighed sadly, deflating. He gently took her wrists in his hands, turning her arms so the insides faced upward. He placed a gentle kiss on her forearm, right over the crisscrossed scars.
"Erin, these scars prove how strong you are, what you overcame. I thought you'd gotten past feeling like this. You should've told me you were feeling like I could do better." Jake told her gently, stepping closer to her.
"I thought I got over it, but then all those voices started up again. Maybe…maybe the imprint really was wrong."
"No!" Jake answered a little louder than he intended. "No, Erin, don't let them get to you." He ran a hand through his hair roughly. "Forget what those bitches said, Erin! They don't know me. They don't know me like you do. You know my interests, fears, my past. You know me. You've helped me more than you realize. Don't let them make you doubt us. Please."
Erin struggled to swallow for a moment before forcing words out. "I just-"
Jake swooped down and pressed his lips firmly over hers, stopping her words from escaping. He brought his hands up and brushed his fingers over her cheeks, pressing her back into the wall with his body against hers. Her hands moved to his waist, resting over his loose shirt while his fingers crept around to the back of her head, threading through her long, dirty blonde hair and keeping her head from hitting the wall.
Erin whispered his name against his lips, her breath hot against his face. A low growl rumbled in Jake's chest as he pressed his whole body flush to hers, feeling her heartbeat pound against his stomach. He released her head with one hand, placing his palm flat against the wall above her head. One of Erin's hands slid around to Jake's lower back, fisting his T-shirt while her other hand went up to grip the short, black hair at the nape of his neck. Jake groaned, moving his lips across her cheek and down her jaw to her neck, nipping at the skin. Erin tilted her head back into his hand, baring her neck to him.
Jake was contemplating moving his hands to her waist to lift her up, since his back and neck were starting to ache from bending over, when the door to the janitors closet suddenly swung open.
Erin jumped and Jake lurched away from her, stepping a couple feet back as his eyes swung to the open door. His tense body relaxed even as he glared at the man smirking back at him.
Jared had his arm rested casually against the wooden doorway, smirking between the couple while Kim was peaking around his arm, an amused smile pulling at her lips.
"Having fun?" he joked.
Jake glared at him, stepping enough to the side to shield Erin from their eyes while she composed herself. "Shut up, Jared."
Jared laughed in response. "What? I heard strange sounds coming from in here, I was just being a concerned classmate." he teased.
Jake glared before a thought occurred to him, making a smirk pull at his lips. "Shouldn't you two be in class?" he asked casually. "It seems a bit odd that you two are on this side of the school, when your class is on the opposite side of the building. And ironically, this is the only janitors closet in the school."
Kim's eyes widened and she ducked behind Jared's shoulder, who simply smirked at his girlfriend before shrugging at Jake.
"So we had the same idea as you, you got a problem with it?"
"I do when it interrupts me and my girlfriend." Jake answered, crossing his arms and fighting a grin.
Erin grumbled something under her breath before stepping out from behind him. "Okay, I'm leaving now. Goodbye."
Both boys laughed, Jared stepping out of the way so she could slip out the doorway past him. Jake followed after her, bumping shoulders with Jared as he passed. He took Erin's hand as the pair walked down the hall.
"So, are you okay, now? No more listening to crazy, jealous snobs and no more doubting us being together?" Jake questioned.
Erin smiled up at him. "Yeah, I think I'm okay now."
XXX
I'm still open to any ideas, if there's any specific moments you guys want to see, either with friends, the pack, or relationship stuff. Let me know, I only have one brain! I can only think of so many good ideas alone!