XXXVII. Our Furry Little Problem

I leaned back against the trunk of the driftwood tree, eyeing Jacob's pensive features with a look of exasperation. "Telling you the truth was always part of the plan," I said. "You don't need to hold me hostage for that."

"We thought it'd be more fun this way," Quil grinned.

Leah rolled her eyes. "Now that you idiots have had your fun, are you ready to listen or not?"

"This ought to be good," Embry muttered, and was unable to dodge the punch Leah shot his way. "Ouch!"

Quil snickered.

"We're listening," Jacob insisted, shoulders dropping from their tense line.

I met Leah's eyes and arched an eyebrow in question.

"You do it," she said. "You explain it better."

I huffed. "It's pretty straightforward."

"Then go on."

"Fine," I agreed, and eyed the boys' curious faces surrounding me. "You all know Sam Uley?"

Almost immediately, their expressions twisted with varying levels of distaste. "Yeah, he's all buddy-buddy with mine and Leah's dads, and Quil's grandpa," Jacob said, lips twisting into a frown. "He's kind of a freak."

"Kind of?" Quil scoffed. "Try more like, total freak. Not to mention all the drama he caused last year! Remember when he went missing last fall? And then he comes back and suddenly dumps Leah for her cousin―"

Quil screeched to a stop and eyed Leah's glower with trepidation. "S-sorry Leah, I forgot―ouch!"

"Not so funny now, is it?" Embry grumbled, still rubbing his sore shoulder.

"Alright, knock it off," I said with a glare. "The reason you all think Sam Uley is a freak, is because he's not exactly human anymore."

"What the hell?" Jacob scoffed. "We may not like the guy, but you expect us to believe he's some kind of monster?"

"Ooh, I know this one!" Quil shot his hand up, like he was in class. "I heard from some of the freshmen that they swore they saw a beast roaming the woods. I thought they were full of shit, but then grandpa started giving me all these spooky warnings. I thought he was trying to scare the shit out of me, but then―"

"He was," Embry snorted. "Don't be a dumbass, Quil! Bigfoot isn't real!"

"Is so!" Quil scowled. "You saw it too!"

"I didn't see shit."

"Then why did you run?!"

"What?! Where was I when this happened?!" Jacob demanded.

"Would you boneheads shut up?" Leah glared at them. "No, Bigfoot isn't real. And yes, Uley is a monster now. Just not that kind of monster."

Jacob swiveled his eyes to her, mouth curling into a sneer. "Ooh, I'm sorry Buffy, I should've thought to bring my monster encyclopedia!"

I rolled my eyes, shifting my legs beneath me before they could fall asleep. "Look. You guys are the ones who ambushed me. If you don't actually want to know, I can leave."

"Wait, no! I want to know!" Quil pouted.

When Embry and Jacob said nothing to contradict him, I sighed and relented. "Sam is a wolf shifter―like from your legends."

"He's a what?!"

"That's fucking sick!"

"…I don't believe it…"

Leah and I exchanged a look of exasperation.

"Was I this bad?" she wondered.

I snorted. "No. You were worse―ouch!" I rubbed my bicep, where she'd slugged me, shooting her a disgruntled scowl.

Once the boys were able to get past their shock, they began bombarding us with questions.

"It's your turn," I said to Leah.

She grumbled, but began the arduous process of explaining everything we knew about Sam and his pack―the symptoms leading up to the wolf shift, their heightened senses, their telepathic abilities, etc.

Fortunately, they were so enthralled with the idea of becoming real life werewolves, that they didn't focus too much on how I played a part in this.

It was the grumbling of our stomachs that finally brought their little Q&A to a halt.

"Let's get some grub," Jacob suggested, and we all pushed ourselves to our feet, dusting off sand and stretching our stiff limbs.

"I'm starving," Quil sighed in agreement, and then wondered, "Isn't that a symptom? Am I going to sprout fur?!"

Leah smacked him upside the head. "Don't be an idiot, Quil."

Jacob snickered. "No man, you're just a pig. Maybe you'll sprout a curly tail," he said as we began trekking through the pebbled sand.

"Hey!" Quil protested and Leah laughed.

I tuned out their bickering, when I noticed Embry's subdued presence at my side.

I frowned. "You okay there, Embry?"

He startled slightly. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Totally."

"Feeling a little left out?" I asked gently.

He flushed, appearing embarrassed. "No! Well…maybe a little," he confessed quietly, as the three walked ahead of us.

I smiled sympathetically. "Your mom or dad would have to be of the Uley, Black, or Ateara line in order for you to inherit those abilities."

"Leah said as much," Embry agreed, appearing a little bummed at the reminder.

"So," I continued, "If you did happen to become a werewolf, you know what that would mean, right?"

Embry's face twisted into a strange expression. "Well, my mom isn't. So, my dad, whoever he was, would have to be…" He abruptly trailed off and looked ahead towards where Leah and Jacob were still ragging on Quil. "That would mean…"

"Yeah," I agreed, when he was unable to put the dreaded epiphany into words.

He blew out a sudden sigh. "That would be fucked up."

I nodded, but kept my silence. There had been enough bombs dropped for one afternoon. Leah and I would tell him soon, but not today.

I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice when Leah stumbled to an unexpected halt. Luckily, Embry steadied me before I could fall on my ass.

"What the hell, Leah?" Jacob demanded when she cut off whatever insult she'd been about to spew, her expression suddenly twisting with dismay.

It didn't take long for us to catch on.

Up ahead, amongst the gaggle of my classmates and the rez kids, a couple of older teens towered above everyone, sticking out like sore thumbs with their bulging muscles and cropped hair.

Quil and Embry shifted uncomfortably, while I tried to come up with a solution that wouldn't make Leah feel so vulnerable.

"Leah―"

I cut off when Jacob abruptly slugged Leah across the arm.

Leah stumbled back from the force, and then swiveled blazing eyes in Jacob's direction. "What the fuck?!" she shouted.

"What'cha gonna do about it?" Jacob taunted her with a smirk.

Leah snarled, "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

With a shout of laughter and a spray of sand, Jacob spun around and raced across the beach, right past the group of teens, amongst which included Sam's stunned expression as Leah raced past him.

"You're gonna pay for that!" she shouted, before they disappeared.

When I noticed Quil and Embry remained at my side, I nudged them forward, "Go on. I doubt Leah will want to come back, taking present company into account."

"Aww, what about food?" Quil complained.

"You can eat somewhere else."

Embry shot me a look of disappointment. "You're not coming?"

I shook my head. "No. I think we're leaving soon anyway. But I'm sure you guys have more questions for Leah."

"Promise to visit soon?" Quil insisted.

"I promise," I grinned.

Quil enveloped me into a brief hug and Embry waved, before the two raced across the sand, their long hair fluttering like streaks of black ribbons.

I turned and hiked up to the bonfire, where I could see Jess huddled with some of the others along the driftwood logs. But before I could make it too far, someone blocked my path.

I staggered to a halt before I could crash into the mammoth of a man.

"You're friends with Leah," Sam stated in a deep baritone.

I frowned. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Instead of taking a hint, he stuck his hand out. "I'm Sam Uley."

I eyed his hand and then glanced back up, my expression pointedly flat. "I know who you are," I said. "And I'm not interested in talking to you."

Sam frowned and lowered his hand back to his side. "I just want to know if she's okay."

I couldn't quite contain a laugh of disbelief. "Who? Leah? You're unbelievable."

"Excuse me?"

My laughter twisted into a heated glare. "After all the shit you pulled, you have zero rights to be concerned, Sam Uley. You lied to her. You cut her off. You're shacking up with her cousin. And you still think you reserve the right to be concerned for her, when all you've ever done is cause her pain? Don't you think you've humiliated her enough?!"

My tongue lashing appeared to have attracted some attention. Ignoring the stares, I sidestepped Sam, but before I could walk away, his hot, heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

"I didn't have a choice," he whispered, eyes pleading.

My features softened into one of pity. "That's the tragedy, Sam. You did have a choice. Plenty of choices, in fact. And you chose wrong every single time."

"What was I supposed to do?!" he insisted.

I frowned. "You could have been honest."

Sam's expression instantly closed off and he dropped his hand. "No. I couldn't have been."

I shrugged and turned away. "I know a thing or two about lying," I whispered. "And I only have myself to blame."

I hurried away, ducking around the milling teens, until I reached Jessica's side. I squatted down, squeezing beside her on the edge of the log.

"Hey, you okay? What was that about?" she asked.

But Jessica was the only one who was genuinely concerned. Everyone else within earshot appeared hungry for a new bit of gossip. I was suddenly exhausted.

I leaned my head against her shoulder. "I'll tell you later," I mumbled.

By now, she understood my need for privacy, and didn't needle me. "Alright," she agreed instead. "Do you want a sandwich?"

I perked up. "Yes, please."

I accepted her offering, content to ignore my rowdy classmates for the time being. Even with the salty air clogging up my lungs, it wasn't so bad.

The following morning, I was up bright and early, rumbling along in Bella's monstrously loud truck. With the sun out in full view, dim as it was, the risk of the Cullens venturing into town was too great, so it was one of the rare times I drove out to their place instead.

As soon as I parked the car, Edward ventured outside, waiting within the shade of the porch.

I pushed the driver door open and called out with a grin, "Hey!" Jumping down, I slammed the door shut, bounding across the lawn and hurrying up the porch steps.

"Good morning," he smiled, tugging me into his cool embrace before pulling back and briefly looking me over. "How was the beach?"

"It was a doozy," I laughed as we strolled towards the front door. "With a heaping side of drama and plenty of nonsense to go around."

Edward shot me a look of exasperation. "That's not what I meant," he said pointedly, pausing before we made our way inside.

"Oh," I smiled sheepishly, when I realized he was more concerned with my mental health. "I'm fine. It was a little rough at first, but Jess talked me through it."

His features softened with relief. "Good," he murmured, gently squeezing my hand. "Alice is ready to steal you away, but you can tell me all about it later tonight."

I arched an eyebrow. "It's still morning. Why does she need me now?"

It was then that the front door was jerked wide open, Alice's petite figure standing on the other side. "You're not the only one I need to get ready! There is plenty of work to be done! Edward, quit stalling and go help Jasper out."

"Yes, ma'am," Edward said with mock seriousness, before shooting me a wink and disappearing from sight.

I turned to Alice. "Lead the way."

Alice beamed and skipped ahead. "You and the girls are getting ready in my bathroom," she explained as we trekked up the staircase. "After that, I'm kicking you all out so I can get Kate ready. I don't want anyone to see her until it's time!"

I grinned. "I can't wait!"

Once we reached the second landing, I followed Alice into the small bedroom she shared with Jasper. Unlike her studio, the colors were more subdued, but the decor was tasteful all the same. To the right, we ducked inside her massive bathroom, where the marble counters overflowed with colorful arrays of makeup pallets, jewelry, and hair products.

Sitting on a long ottoman were Tanya and Irina, a pile of flowers and ribbons arranged between the two.

"Morning," I greeted them absentmindedly, my eyes trying and failing to absorb the amount of color in the room.

"Isabella! Come, take a look," Irina called, gesturing to the flower crown she was braiding on her lap. "These are the wreaths we will wear!"

I plodded across the tiled floor until I was kneeling at their side, observing the interlaced stems of bright red flowers dotted with smaller yellow ones and interspersed with holly.

"Wow, these are perfect!"

"Pay close attention," Tanya suggested. "So you will know how to make yours."

I pouted. "Can't one of you make it for me? I'd rather not mess it up."

"That is no fun," Irina tutted. "You should learn!"

"It is a simple pattern," Tanya added, tilting her half-finished wreath in my direction and slowly demonstrating the pattern as she added more flowers.

"I guess so," I agreed reluctantly, despairing at the thought of wearing a lopsided crown.

Irina laughed. "Do not worry so much, Isabella. We will help."

I nodded. "Where do I start?"

"Not so fast," Alice called from where she stood near the counter, a row of hair tools plugged in and neatly arranged by the sink. "I'm going to do your hair and makeup first, and then you can get started."

Offering the sisters a helpless shrug, I jumped back to my feet and made my way over to sit in the chair facing the mirror.

As Alice began to rake my hair with her fingers, I took a quick glance back towards Tanya and Irina's already styled hair, which mine would soon resemble.

In anticipation of donning the flower crowns, their hair at the top was smoothly brushed back, with only a couple of curled strands artfully arranged to frame their faces. The rest of their hair was gathered at the nape of their necks, elegantly styled in twists of braids and cascading curls.

I could only assume Irina's updo must've involved plenty of extensions, seeing as it gave no hint to her normally chin-length hair.

With Alice's gentle prodding, I twisted back until I was facing forward once more. With nothing else to occupy my attention, I eyed the array of makeup products on the counter, relaxing back into my chair as Alice's cool fingers brushed against my scalp, parting my hair to her liking.

"Those aren't for you," Alice suddenly piped up, when I picked up one of the more brightly colored eyeshadow pallets.

I quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

In the mirror, I saw the reflection of Alice's impish grin. "Rosalie and I created a lot of these products specifically to adhere to our stone-like skin. Human products are meant to blend into porous skin, which we don't have. It took us a while to get the chemistry down and you need to be careful. It's toxic for humans."

I gingerly set the pallet back down. "Will do."

"Don't worry, I have some stuff set aside specifically for you," she winked.

"Thanks," I laughed. "That's very considerate of you."

"No, thank you! Rosalie isn't so nearly as generous. It's not often our styles clash, but―" Alice suddenly cut herself off and straightened up with a gleeful grin. "They're here!"

My eyebrows shot up at the non sequitur. "Who?"

Alice met my gaze through the mirror, her eyes glittering with delight. "Jasper's family! Peter and Charlotte."

A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry for the late update. I got sick with COVID for the first time, which lasted about a month and a half. Literally, I've never been sick for so long in my life, so that was tough :(

As always, reviews are appreciated! :)