CHAPTER 8

When the new day dawned, there was a slight drizzle falling, but I was rested and refreshed after another dreamless night. Perhaps the nightmares were gone for good, just like the hole in my heart.

I wasn't necessarily ready to face the day though. School… ugh; and then work. I normally didn't mind school at all, but lately there were so many other things going on in my life the priority level of school had fallen a few notches. Not to mention how I still felt more out of place after my self-inflicted alienation when the Cullens left. And I wouldn't even get to see Jake today. At least Alice would be staying again tonight. It was going to be such a long day. It may not do a lot to help with that out of place feeling, but I planned on making a couple of key apologies today, after my revelations over the weekend. I sighed and hopped out of bed. Might as well get it started.

"Good morning, Bella," Alice sang joyfully as she came into the room, fully dressed and looking perfect.

"Hey," I grumbled.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just thinking about how long this day is going to feel." I needed to snap out of it… I could hear the pout in my voice.

"Well, the day has potential for improvement." She winked at me with a twinkle in her eye.

My mood instantly lifted. "Really? Did you see something?"

"Sort of. I don't want to say anything more and get your hopes too high in case it doesn't work out. Nothing seems to be firm at the moment."

I sighed. "Okay. I guess the chance of something good is better than nothing."

When Alice dropped me off at school it seemed as if every eye were on us as I stepped out of the car. I ducked my head and walked as quickly as possible into the building.

The morning went by just as expected, long and tiring. At least the drizzle had stopped, though the sky remained overcast and gray. I made sure to get to Calculus early so I could hopefully speak with Jessica. It was kinda hit or miss whether she spoke to me willingly on any given day. She had never fully forgiven me for that night in Port Angeles, so I had multiple things to apologize to her for.

Today, however, she started talking to me before she even reached her seat.

"Bella! Was that Alice Cullen that I saw drop you off today?"

Leave it to a bit of gossip to put Jess in a friendly and talkative mood. This probably would work in my favor… soften her up with a snippet of gossip before apologizing.

"Yeah, it was.

"I knew it! Lauren said I was wrong, but I knew that was her behind those dark tinted windows. Plus, who else has ever driven a car like that in town?" She settled herself in her seat and leaned in toward me, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "So, what's she doing here? Are they all back? Will they be returning to school?"

Just a couple days ago, questions like those would have sent pain ripping through my heart.

"No, Alice just came to visit for a few days. No one else is here."

Jessica looked decidedly disappointed at this news. I don't know why she would care one way or the other, so it probably would just make for juicier gossip if it was more than just a visit.

"I bet you're relieved Edward isn't coming back."

I shrugged. "A little, I guess." It definitely was best that it was Alice and not Edward that had showed up unannounced, but I don't think it would make a difference anymore if he were to show up. I had finally been able to move on, and I couldn't be happier about it!

"You guess?" She dug through her bag as she continued. "After the way you were when they left, him coming back would probably be totally awkward, at best."

"You're probably right." It may not hurt, but I was ready to move off of this topic and get my apology out of the way. "Hey, I had something I wanted to say to you." She turned her attention fully back to me. "I just wanted to apologize to you for the way I was back then, after the Cullens left… and for that night in Port Angeles. I know it's long overdue, but I've had some revelations recently into just how messed up I was, and I sort of pushed everyone away and shut everyone out of my life. So, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for doing that to you."

"Oh." A look of surprise was quickly replaced by one of smug reproach. "Well, yeah, you were pretty messed up. I could understand it for a while, especially since they just left out of the blue, but you didn't have to just shut us all out. I mean, it's not like they died. He broke your heart, sure, but you didn't need to go all tragic on us. And that night in Port Angeles? Well, you really scared the hell outta me! I mean, who does that! It's like you had a death wish, or something."

I was internally rolling my eyes and cringing because, though I may have deserved a little of it, I didn't see an end to her barrage, so I put my hand on Jessica's arm and she stopped midstream to look at me.

"I know, Jess. I wasn't behaving rationally, and that's why I'm apologizing to you… because I realize that now."

"Oh," she said again. "Well, that's good… I mean, that's good that you realize. And nothing bad actually happened, right? So, it's all good Bella. I'm just glad you're through all of that and doing better."

She finally smiled at me as the final bell rang, and Mr. Varner started class immediately, so I was saved from having to continue with the conversation. After class her attention had gone back to Alice visiting and all seemed to be good between us.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was dragging and just ready for the day to be over. I had considered apologizing to the table as a whole, but that stressed me out too much… especially since that would include Lauren. So, that just left one more person who I wanted to make a point to apologize to.

Angela gave me a wide smile as I sat down next to her.

"Hi Bella. How was your Spring Break?" she asked.

Well, let's see; I have a killer vampire hunting me, I jumped off a cliff and nearly drowned, my best friend, who is a werewolf and is now my boyfriend, saved me from drowning, he and his other werewolf friends are trying to get the killer vampire before she gets me, and Alice Cullen came unannounced for a visit. There was almost nothing in that list that I could tell Angela… or anyone else, for that matter.

"Not too exciting. I spent a lot of time down at La Push with my friend, Jacob Black. Then, Alice Cullen showed up for a surprise visit on Friday and is staying for at least a couple more days. It's been really great to catch up with her."

"Oh wow!" Angela's eyebrows raised as she took that in. She hesitated for a few moments, looking unsure, before gently asking, "Did any of the other Cullens come?"

I gave her a small smile. "No, just Alice." I suddenly realized what a good friend Angela had always been. Jessica was somewhat of a fair-weather friend and had asked about the other Cullens out of a desire to get all the good gossip, but Angela was asking out of her concern for me. Her gentle, knowing question reminded me of how much she saw and understood without me having to say anything. Why have I never gotten closer to her? Spent more time with her? Probably because of all the vampires and other crazy in my life, I guessed. Well, that and the fact that we are both shy, but it bothered me that it was just another thing I hadn't been consciously aware of before. I decided right then that I wanted to try to get to know Angela better and maybe grow our friendship more. Starting with my apology… and sharing my biggest news, that I had avoided mentioning to Jessica. But I didn't want to do it here in front of everyone.

I lowered my voice and leaned in closer to Angela to ask if she'd walk with me after lunch so I could tell her without the other listening ears. She smiled and nodded, understanding my desire to not share everything with the whole table.

We moved on and I asked both Angela and Mike, who had seated himself on the other side of me, how their Spring Breaks had gone. Angela's family had gone on vacation, so she shared some of the places they visited and things she saw. Mike just worked and played video games with Eric and Tyler. I caught snippets of stories others at the table were telling of their week as well. Suffice it to say, everyone had a much different week from the one I had!

When lunch was just about over, I caught Angela's eye and inclined my head toward the door, signaling her to leave with me. She leaned over to say something to Ben, who nodded and stayed behind as she got up to follow me out into the mostly empty hall.

Never one to be pushy, Angela waited for me to speak first. I started off with my apology, basically the same as the one I'd given Jessica.

"Bella, you don't need to apologize to me. I understand that you were hurting. They all left so suddenly, it had to be hard to deal with. I'm just relieved to see you doing so much better. In fact, if you don't mind me saying, you look better than ever today. I don't ever recall you looking so… I don't know, relaxed maybe, or happy. I can't put my finger on it, but you look great."

I shouldn't have been surprised that Angela noticed my improved spirits, even if I was feeling a bit mopey about not getting to see Jake today. I let an excited smile spread across my face as I answered.

"Well, there's kind of a reason for it. So, do you remember my friend Jacob Black?"

"The guy from La Push? Wasn't he the one who showed up at prom last year?"

I let out a little laugh at the memory. I had kinda forgotten about that.

"Yeah, that's him. We've been spending a lot of time together over the past few months and he's really been my best friend for a while now. He's helped me so much to finally move on after what happened last year and how I didn't deal with it very well." My cheeks began to warm as I continued. "Well, we sorta kissed yesterday. He's liked me for a while, but I only just realized that I like him too. And now we're officially a couple." Saying it out loud was kind of a rush.

Angela's eyes went wide, "Really Bella? That's great! I knew something was different about you today. I would love to hear the story sometime… if you don't mind sharing."

"I don't mind sharing, but it's kind of a long story."

"I understand. Maybe we can hang out sometime soon and you can tell me about it. And hey, maybe we can go on a double date."

"I would really like that."

The hall was starting to fill up and we both still needed to get our books for our next classes.

"I guess we better get to class now," I said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, later." We both waved as we went our separate ways.

The rest of the day went much like the morning and just seemed to drag on. Relief hit me when the dismissal bell finally rang. I still had to suffer through a few hours of work, but I'd get to see Alice for a little bit first. I realized though, as much as I was excited about seeing Alice and having her spend the night again, the thing I was really looking forward to was seeing Jacob again tomorrow. I was struck by just how intensely I missed him.

Lost in thought as I reached the edge of the parking lot, I absently began looking around for Alice's car. What I saw instead, just a short distance away, was Jake, leaning against his motorcycle! Everyone was giving him a wide berth and curious, wary glances.

He had already spotted me and was watching me with a playful smirk. I suddenly forgot about all the curious watching eyes and a broad smile crinkled his face as I called out his name, dropped my bag, and ran to him, throwing myself into his arms.

Jacob caught me easily and held me tight as I clung to his neck.

"Miss me?" he asked as I dangled from his arms.

I laughed and pressed my face into his neck. "I think my answer is pretty obvious."

"Yes, well, you're lucky I have good reflexes." He breathed in deeply then set me down, keeping his arms around me.

"What are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining in the slightest, but you do know I have to go straight to work, right?"

"I know but I missed you too much. I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you. I spoke with Alice earlier and she was cool with staying home so I could come give you a ride to work. I know it's not a lot of time together, but I figured it was better than nothing."

"It's definitely better than nothing, but that's a long way to come just to give me a ride."

"You're worth it." He caressed my cheek as he gazed down at me, and I felt myself blush. I ducked my head and snuggled my face into his chest, hugging him tight and breathing deep. I enjoyed the smell of him, musky and woodsy with a hint of the brine of the ocean. Interesting… I don't remember ever noticing his scent so much before.

He rested his cheek on top of my head, and we just held each other for a bit longer.

I finally sighed as I reluctantly left Jacob's embrace. "I do need to get going so I'm not late."

When I turned around to retrieve my backpack, I saw Angela standing with Ben a little way off, smiling brightly and holding my bag for me. She started walking over to me. It was then I also noticed emeveryone else/em staring at us! Some had even stopped and were literally gawking with their mouths wide open. I could tell from the heat that crept into my cheeks my face probably looked like a tomato.

I met Angela's eyes as she reached me.

"Well, I guess everyone knows now," I said.

She nodded, smiling, and handed me my backpack. "That was definitely a quick way to 'announce' it to the whole school. Good thing you didn't want to keep it a secret."

"Yeah, good thing." I let out a small nervous laugh and shrugged. There was nothing I could do about it now. Actually, I didn't really mind the fact that everyone knew… maybe even enjoyed it a little. I could do without all the staring, though.

I turned back to Jake, standing right behind me. "Jake, this is my friend Angela and her boyfriend Ben," I said gesturing to them, "guys, this is my boyfriend, Jake." I liked calling him my boyfriend… and I could tell by the look on his face he did too. "We want to try to do a double date sometime."

Jake smiled, "Sure, sure… sounds like fun."

I turned back to Angela. "Well, I need to get going. I have to get to work. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, have a good night, Bella."

I slung my backpack onto my back and waited for Jake to kick-start the bike, then climbed on, wrapped my arms around him, and lay my head against his back. He took off out of the parking lot, weaving effortlessly through the cars. I quite enjoyed the heat from his body, as well as the feel of the defined muscles under his shirt as I held on tight.

The drive to Newton's was far too short. Jake parked and killed the bike's engine so he could get off to embrace me again. As he wound his arms around my waist, I looked up at his face and noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"Have you slept at all?" I gently touched the dark area under one eye.

"No, not yet. That's where I'm headed now, but I just had to see you first."

"Well, be careful driving home then."

"I'm always careful. Careful is my middle name."

"Pfft, yeah, sure it is." I laid my head on his chest again. "And I'm the Queen of England who never trips over her own feet."

A chuckle rumbled in the ear I had pressed against him. I wished I didn't have to work today. I was sure this overwhelming need to be with Jake would fade after we'd been together for a while, but for the time being, it was still so new.

"Sam, Paul, and Quil will be on patrol for the rest of today, then I'll be back on with Embry and Jared late tonight. I should be able to be at Emily's when you arrive tomorrow though."

"That'll be nice." I looked up at him once more and sighed. "Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

He bent down to kiss me, letting it linger for just a little while. I couldn't resist pressing a little closer to him, soaking up as much of his heat as I could before heading into the store.

There were enough customers coming and going to make the time at work go by fairly quickly… much faster than the school day. When I came out of the building at the end of my shift, Alice was waiting for me in the parking lot. I was in much better spirits after seeing Jake, even if it had been brief.

"You look like you're in a better mood than you were this morning. Anything interesting happen today?" Alice asked, with an innocent look.

"Yes, but I know you're fully aware." I smiled at her. "Seeing Jake after school was definitely the highlight of my day! But I want to know about this conversation you apparently had with him."

"Well, I kept getting visions of your afternoon pick-up, and they kept changing. Sometimes I was picking you up and sometimes I couldn't see anything. At first, I thought he just wasn't sure if he'd be available, but then I realized he was probably struggling with whether or not he wanted to call me, so I took matters into my own hands and called Emily's house—she is super sweet, by the way, I can see why you like her so much. Anyway, she was able to get a message to him and he finally called to arrange to pick you up instead of me."

"Thank you so much Alice. It was a nice surprise. It also ended up being some good entertainment for the student body." I grimaced a little, as I told her about my reaction when I saw Jake and she laughed, her bell-tone ringing pleasantly in my ears. "The only person I had told before then was Angela. It's also weird to me how everyone looks at Jake, though. They won't go near him and look super intimidated by him. Almost scared."

"Well, firstly, your welcome. I love surprises, as you know, and even though I know you have adverse feelings for them, I figured you wouldn't mind this one.

"And, secondly, to someone who doesn't know Jacob like you do, he looks really intimidating or even dangerous. He's sort of meant to look that way by nature. No one else can see his heart like you can… at least not until they get to know him."

"Yeah, I guess. It's hard for me to see… to me he's just my Jacob."

We had a quiet evening at my house, just hanging out and chatting after I finished my homework. Jake called just before bed to let me know it would be fine if I drove myself the next day and to make sure I knew not to make any stops on my way to La Push after school. It had been longer than usual since Victoria had made an appearance and the guys were getting kinda edgy.

I had a little more trouble falling asleep that night, my mind busy thinking over what Jake had said about a visit from Victoria being due. My dreams were full of hair like fire and blood-red eyes. I never felt scared though. Whenever the red showed up, there was also russet fur, dark brown eyes, and sharp wolf fangs, keeping me safe.