Layla's Pov
"Looks like it." Jacob's impish smile was contagious. "I'm such a bad influence," I muttered reigniting the car and the windshield wipers before pulling off the lot.
"Hardly." He scoffed. "It's the second time I've made you skip." I pointed out. "I don't remember it being against my will."
Instead of turning left towards the neighborhoods, I made a right for the town of Forks. "Wrong way," Jacob commented.
"I know. There's hardly any food at my house. I was planning on grabbing something before I went home." I confessed.
"Is that all? Is that why you were trying to get rid of me?" He spoke disapprovingly. I nodded once in confirmation.
"You can hardly walk." "Syd hates going into town and he won't be back until later so he won't want to go."
It felt like we were an old married couple bantering like this.
"Well, it's a good thing you have me." He spoke encouragingly. I faintly smiled to myself at his thoughtfulness.
"So does this make you my accomplice?" I questioned. "Sure." Jacob's grin widened making my heart skip a beat.
I quickly turned my focus back toward the road so that I wouldn't accidentally run into something or go off-road. Since when did Jacob get so distracting?
There was a rain-filled stoplight between us. I turned on the radio low to eat up the auditory space.
"Even if you abducted me I'd be fine with that too," Jacob noted allowed. I laughed at that.
Physically that would be impossible, but it was still funny to try to imagine.
"I couldn't imagine that." I shook my head humorously.
"Why, do I bother you?" He asked self-consciously. "What? No."
The light turned green and I lurched us both forward jarringly with the sensitive gas pedal.
I realized what I said was true. Jacob didn't bother me. I enjoyed his presence a lot and he seemed like a good person.
Maybe I was letting the rumors at school taint my outlook on things. What should matter is my own experience with him right?
I wondered if it was all a mere misunderstanding. Small-town gossip goes a long way.
Would it be safe to ask Jacob if he really was part of a gang? More importantly, would he be honest? I glanced back over at him.
"Then what's wrong with hanging out to get to know each other?" He asked.
The closest parking spot I could find was near a cart collection slot. I paused collecting my keys from the ignition.
I chickened out about the question. If the rumors were true we'd have an awkward drive back.
"Um, Nothing's wrong with that," I assured him. "Good. Wait there." Jacob hopped out into the rain first. Where was he going?
I leaned down to break the elastic in my tube sock suffocating my ankle.
He opened my driver's side wide with a shopping cart pulled up towards me.
"Get in." "You can't be serious." I stood up collecting my purse.
"Come on. It'll be faster." Jacob and the heavy rain made me cave. "Fine."
He hoisted me into the basket of the cart.
It felt silly at first, but as he gained speed I couldn't help but giggle. I couldn't think of the last time I did something this ridiculous.
Despite Jacob's efforts and speedy pace my hair was drenched and beginning to curl. "You got a list?" He asked pushing us through the double doors.
I pulled a piece of damp paper from my pocket. My swerved half cursive script bled over the faint blue notebook lines.
"I'm not sure if it's legible, but it's mostly produce and some snacks. Maybe freezer section too."
"Fancy," He mumbled carefully studying my handwriting to decipher it.
I knelt in the cart and leaned over picking out some honey crisp apples. Jacob covered more ground for things I couldn't easily reach with what he could read.
"I think that's it." He came back dumping his findings behind me.
Before the produce manager could yell at us Jacob wheeled us around to the cold section where I stacked bags of frozen vegetables, pizza, and frozen dinners for Syd around me like a fort.
"Best for last!" I pointed to the ice cream section. The water was seeping through my clothes causing me to shiver. Jacob pushed me close enough to open the freezer doors myself.
"What's your favorite flavor?" I asked him hoping to pay him off. "Don't worry about it."
"I'm warning you now. I won't share my carton when we get back... Or cartons." I whispered, giggling as I grabbed three more into my arms.
Then I paused collecting one more for Syd in a coffee flavor. Jacob chuckled seemingly enjoying my antics.
"Moose tracks." He tossed it in from the highest shelf. "Pizza?" I questioned. "Pepperoni."
The cashier shot me a disapproving look as we approached to check out. Jacob loaded up the belt while I pulled out my debit card.
"Please refrain from misusing our carts in the future. There is a weight limit." She informed us. I heard Jacob jeer at her as if that was funny.
"I'd walk if I could." I handed her my card. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." The cashier didn't know what to say. "Don't worry about it," Jacob answered for me.
Soon enough we braved the rain again. Something I wasn't looking forward to, seeing that I was already shivering so hard it rattled the squeaking metal frame.
I was thankful for Jacob. Without him, this trip would have been near impossible. My left ankle was so swollen that I couldn't bend it now.
He ran us to my car just as he did before. The pelts of rain were still coming down in heavy sheets despite the noiselessness from inside the establishment.
The cold penetrated my skin as if there was no barrier. Jacob unloaded the cart and I did my best to help.
"I-I c-can help." My teeth chattered. "I'm almost done. Go start the car." He instructed.
I hopped around the side and slid in behind the wheel. My numb fingers shook as I thrust the key toward the ignition slot.
I missed several times making it on the third try. Jacob's hand beat me to the heater's dial turning it up all the way.
"S-seat warmer?" I asked him. "Nah, I'm good." I nodded. My hoodie caked to my scalp dripped over my face.
It was strange. The more time spent with Jacob the more natural it felt, and the harder it was to imagine him as some big scary gang member.
Hanging out with him, I felt like I didn't have to try to fit in, and the desire to replicate my normalcy in LA waned.
I looked over to Jacob. He was humming to the radio, an old alternative song. The cold didn't seem to bother him and the wet looked like it was evaporating off his clothes. As if his body heat had that effect.
I pulled out of the lot. I was sure any guy in their right mind back home wouldn't ditch school for a mundane task like this without provocation.
Would Jacob do this for just anybody? I pulled up to an intersection looking both ways before I made a turn.
Either way, I was happy he didn't treat me like an alien. Even when I felt like one here, with everything so unfamiliar.
"What is it?" He asked catching my gaze. We approached the school's road. "Last chance to make it back to class." I offered knowing he might pass on that.
"Who's going to believe me if I don't watch you down four cartons of ice cream?" He teased. "Hey, one's for Syd. Only three are for me." I grinned.
"How generous of you." He snickered.
Minutes later we wound up the long winding pathway to Moon Ranch.
The pouring rain lessened a fraction under the canopy of trees. Once up at the house, I popped the trunk preparing to take a load into the house.
"Nope. You head inside." Jacob ordered blocking me out from the back.
I grumbled thanks and shuffled off to find something dry to change into while he finished up.
The stairs looked too intimidating to climb like this so I decided to check the laundry room first. Most of my stuff was upstairs so it was a long shot to find something clean and dry.
To my luck, I found a few dry items. I peeled off my layers quickly and let them flop to the floor. It was a balancing act to slip on my stretchy cotton Capri leggings and a baggy band T-shirt that smelled good enough to wear. When I was done I used the wall to hop back towards the kitchen.
"All set. I'm not sure where you want these..." "Don't worry about the dry items. I'll get to them later." I went to slip around him to grab an ice pack but he beat me to it.
"Maybe you should take it easy. Mind if I pop in a pizza?" Jacob was entitled to whatever he wanted after all his help.
"Sure." I shuffled for the remaining pain meds on the counter, from my fall last Saturday, and a glass of water by the sink.
"How's the leg?" "I'll be happy to ice it," I confessed, traveling toward the long leather couch in the sunken living room.
He met me there as I propped up my leg on the coffee table and gently lowered the pack of frozen peas onto my tender flesh. It felt like a heavy bag of marbles.
I grimaced to myself. He sat next to me on the couch making it dip. The movement almost made the bag fall off.
"Shoot. Sorry, Layla." His hand covered mine to catch it. "It's okay." I re-adjusted it.
"Can I see?" He asked. "I think it needs more time to ice," I spoke with a defensive edge.
He lifted it anyway. The pink lines that wrapped around it previously were now a deep angry purple, and my ankle was twice the size it was supposed to be.
"I knew I should've made you drive to the hospital. Where are your keys?" Jacob chided standing up.
"I'm not going anywhere. The nurse said the swelling had to go down first. They can't do a thing right now." I countered.
Replacing the ice forcefully myself I winced. Jacob shot me a stern look I willfully evaded.
It was silent for a measurable moment as he considered what to do. The trickling of rain and the gargle from the gutter outside suddenly felt loud.
"If you're mad at me for being difficult you don't have to stay. I think my car keys are on the counter. Just, promise me you'll pick me up for school tomorrow." I spoke a soft apology in a low whisper.
Jacob groaned sitting back down next to me. He pushed back my wet strands of hair to view my profile.
"I'm only frustrated that you keep getting hurt. That and I wish you would stop pushing me away... so I can help." Jacob continued. His husky voice was so soft and sweet that I turned my face towards him.
"Why-" The oven beeped and Jacob's stomach growled loudly. I instinctively went to stand up. His hand on my shoulder kept me from doing so.
"I'll get it." He got up instead to serve the pizza. "Plates are up high. Left of the sink," I noted.
He came back balancing a pile on one plate and two slices on another. It was easy to tell which was his.
"Thanks." I wanted to thank him for more than that, but I didn't know how or what to do. "No problem." He dug in.
I began peeling off the pepperoni and set them one by one on his plate. He looked at me questioningly. "Vegetarian," I mumbled lifting a cheese slice to my face.
"You've been wondering why I've kept my distance," I started out.
Jacob glanced up from his plate a long stretch of cheese dripping from his mouth. He cursed slurping it up. I giggled in response.
"Yeah." He coughed embarrassed. I waited for him to collect himself.
"Um. How do I put this? Please, don't take offense. I'm honestly just curious." "Okay?" He seemed hesitant, bracing himself for whatever I was about to say.
"Everyone- Okay, maybe not everyone. But a lot of kids have mentioned that you and your friends are some sort of gang." I confessed in a fumble.
Jacob unexpectantly burst into laughter. His response aided in my relief, but I was still nervously waiting for confirmation.
"Is that it?" He asked wiping a tear from his eyes. "Yes?" "Well, kind of." Jacob shrugged.
"What do you mean?" My smile faded. "It's nothing like that." I could tell he was holding back another bout of laughter, but the seriousness on my face held him at bay.
"Look, we're just a group of guys... appointed by the tribal elders to look after the La Push lands." He explained in a measured way.
I pressed my mouth into a thin line contemplating if he was telling the truth. "That still sounds like a gang Jacob." "I don't know what else to tell you." He grinned.
"So you guys don't sell or do drugs?" I asked interrogating him now. "No." He stifled another laugh. "And there's no violence?" I continued.
"No. Sometimes we rough house with each other, but that's a different story. Sam's only had to kick out that one big guy from Maca off our turf. He was trying to sell meth to middle schoolers," Jacob explained.
"Honest?" My suspicion was lifting exponentially. "Honest." His grin was spread wide like the natural happy face on the flyer upstairs. It was more beautiful in person.
"And the only one close to joining me on a motorcycle might be Quil. Hm, His mom is being a kinda way about it though." Jacob kicked his feet up on the coffee table and draped an arm behind the couch where I sat.
"Oh." I didn't have much to say now. Of course, I'd keep an eye open for anything fishy, but it seemed Jacob was telling the truth.
"I guess that's okay then." "Are we allowed to hang out now?" He reached over to grab the remote.
Jacob clicked on the tv and started scanning for something we could watch.
"Sure." In the meantime, I pulled the throw blanket on me to make up for the frozen pack chilling my leg. He settled on some action movie.
"Do you have a question for me?" I inquired curiously about our agreement.
"I have a lot of questions." He answered.
My brows furrowed in confusion. I knew this was a small town, but I couldn't be that exciting to him.
"What would you want to know?" I subconsciously leaned into his warmth. He was like a furnace.
"Everything." The smile in his voice made the corners of my mouth instinctively pull up too.
"You're silly, Jacob." I sighed. I was the one who wanted to know more about him.
With a full stomach, his warm body heat, and the sound of mulled rain behind the backdrop of the tv, my eyelids grew heavier.
Jacob's Pov
"Why's that?" I draped my arm around her and shook her shoulder a moment later for a response. Her head dropped against my shoulder.
"Layla?" Soft snores erupted next to me. She leaned deeper into my side in her sleep.
Layla was out cold. I readjusted us on the couch so I could discreetly hold her.
The tension I've been feeling these past couple of days lifted as she rested in my arms.
Layla was so soft and fit into my side perfectly. Like a missing puzzle piece slid into place, it made me feel whole.
She sighed contently in her sleep wrapping an arm around my core. I held my grip tighter not wanting to move.
A loud commercial break with neon light emitting from the screen woke me. The room was darker than before.
"Shoot." I had fallen asleep. I sat up carefully with Layla in my arms who was still asleep.
The clock in the kitchen read 7 pm.
Syd had to be home soon, and I had homework to do. He wouldn't like catching us on the couch like this either.
Not that I would mind, but I knew Layla might not want to hear it from him. I hoisted her up and decided to put Layla in her own bed.
No doubt she'd be out the rest of the night, and it eliminated her having to climb the stairs later.
I took the steps three at a time and headed toward where I thought it was.
Her bedroom door was already cracked open so all I had to do was push it with my foot. The room was cluttered with a few cardboard boxes on the floor.
I stepped around them carefully to lower Layla onto the bed.
She made a face and locked her arms around my neck when I tried to pull away. The subconscious gesture made me happy.
"You need your rest," I whispered. I unhooked myself from her grasp, she wasn't strong at all. "Cold." She murmured reaching blindly in the sheets.
I pulled the quilt up over her and watched Layla for a moment until her breathing returned steadily indicating a deep slumber.
"Goodnight Layla." I leaned over kissing her forehead.
Passing her desk to leave I stopped when my eye caught something. Photographs laid out on her desk. It looked like she was organizing them.
I leaned over curiously speculating. There were several pictures of a younger Layla sandwiched between two blond girls. One had long bleached stringy straight hair with pale eyes wearing skimpy outfits, while the other had medium-length sandy beach waves, warm brown eyes, and a wide commercial smile.
Being nosy I flipped through the other photos from her life back in LA. The same group at different venues ranging from the mall, school, houses, and someone's pool. What was starting to bug me wasn't the fancy parties or houses. It was two of the guys in some of these pictures. One model-looking golden-haired kid with ocean-blue eyes leered in the corner of most party pictures, while another older kid with longer hair and darker features always seemed to be by Layla's side.
I flipped over images for names or a date. From this past May and further back... Ashely Gonzales, Liam Hemmingway, Brianna King, Logan King, Layla Moon, Cassandra Raines... I went to flip over a dual-sided frame that was flipped upside down.
My hand froze and trembled at what I found.
It was of Layla and one of the boys. The pictures were taken in dim lighting, so I couldn't tell if it was that Liam guy or the good-looking Logan kid. Whoever it was, his hand was draped around her bare waist. Their feet dangled into the pool beneath them. She looked so beautiful sun-kissed in her coral bathing suit. Her skin was almost as russet as mine here, and her eyes sparkled under the reflection of the waters with a smile I hadn't seen since we walked down the beach that night at the bonfire.
But she doesn't even remember that.
I shifted my eyes to study the next picture. My breath caught in my throat in the worst way. It was a candid picture of them kissing on a yacht with fireworks going off at night behind them. Jealousy twisted in my stomach.
"Jake?" Layla's voice startled me. I dropped the frame. The glass cracked as it slammed against the table.
"Sorry, I-" "Don't worry about it." Layla yawned rubbing her eye. She propped herself up on her elbows.
I lifted the frame to inspect the damage, but I ended up ripping the last photo in half tearing the couple apart.
I looked over at Layla again hoping she would forgive me. "Damn." She cursed. I winced. "I wanted to save the frame."
"You're not mad?" I asked. "Of course not. Most of those pictures belong in the trash anyway." Layla waved her hand nonchalantly.
I guess she was really over this guy. My leg bumped the desk again to avoid stepping on another box. Stupid small room.
The frame along with several loose photos slipped off the desk and into the bin next to it.
"Has Syd come home yet?" Layla sat up more. "Not yet," I answered.
Her brows creased in worry. "Would you mind helping me with one more thing?" She asked.
"Sure." I'd look for any excuse to stay a little longer. "Could you grab my phone? I think it's in my purse downstairs."
Layla's Pov
The sound of Syd's truck crawling up the path let me know he was almost home. I peeked out my window just to confirm what I heard.
Jacob had come back nearly as quickly as he left to grab what I needed. "Thanks, Jake." "No problem, guess I'll get going." He looked hesitant to leave.
"Wait." Jacob turned back around for me. "Do you think, if you want to hang out again, that I could have your number?" I held my cell phone back up to him.
"I don't have a cell phone right now, but I can give you the house phone," Jacob admitted. I retracted my hand. "Oh okay. I already have it then."
"What's your number?" He asked. "Didn't you just say-"
"I can memorize it for when I want to call you." I gave him my number, and he repeated it to himself committing it to memory.
"You might want to hurry if you don't want to run into Syd." He grinned at that.
"Oh, he won't. See you." Jacob smirked humorously and ducked out soundlessly.
Moments later Syd opened the door asking for me. He wasn't happy to be called by the school, but I assured him everything was fine.
I crept out of bed to remove my contact before heading back to bed. It was only 9 pm and the nap earlier gave me enough energy to scribble in my diary. A necessary tool was suggested by a therapist back in LA. There nearly every kid had one when their parents separated, but my mom thought they were ridiculous wastes of time. Mr. Bernard, Ashely's stepdad, is a psychotherapist specializing in family functions and would sometimes give me tips, tricks, or tools whenever I did encounter him at her house. I've kept the habit of journaling whenever possible whenever I've felt the need.
I took a break from writing and flexed my hand. I turned to pick up my phone and balanced it in my palm, debating whether to call my mom.
I had left voicemails since my first day, but Lily had never gotten back to me. I didn't want the disappointment if Bethany, her assistant, picked up for her.
I had even bit the bullet and wrote Beth an email at school the other day. An update she didn't deserve, but I gave it anyway hoping that I'd hear something.
My phone lit up to Ashley's name, saving me from my concerns.
"Hey, Ash!" I answered with gratitude. "Has Brianna gotten a hold of you yet?" Ashely gasped as if winded from running.
"No, why?" "Okay, I have some not-so-good news, but you need to hear it." I heard Ashely lower her voice.
"Did Brianna move in with you yet?" I asked with a chuckle.
"That's not the news." "Oh, okay?" I asked wary now. "I don't know how to start-" "Ash are you telling her without me?!" I could hear Brianna in the background.
"Get those chips out of my bed!" Ashely called after her. I heard a soft thunk and something tumble over like a lamp.
"It's sensitive information." Ashley hushed her.
"Huh, I would like to know right away if my dill hole of a boyfriend was cheating on me with my friend." "What?" I asked confused.
Ashely wasn't dating anyone right now and, well, Brianna dated around. I wasn't sure which guy B was talking about, or if she had become serious with one of them.
"It's Cassandra," Ashely answered. "What? Poor girl. Tell me you guys are going over to comfort her." I asked them.
"No way. Like we would ever!" Brianna's shouts became clearer as she came closer to Ashely's phone.
"Layla, we have reason to believe Cassie and Liam have been seeing each other since May." Ashely informed me attempting to be gentle.
"They've definitely done it." Brianna's voice was muffled now. "Not helpful B." Ashely scolded her unfiltered friend.
It took a moment for the words to sink in. That was the beginning of our relationship though. May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. We were on Liam's mom's yacht when he asked me out and kissed me for the first time. Cassie even took the picture...why would she do that to me?
"You okay?" Brianna followed up to assess the damage. "I'm fine." I choked out. "As if you needed any more closure right?" Ashely asked.
"But she was my friend." My throat felt tight. Ashely gave Brianna the phone knowing I'd want to know some of the gruesome details.
I bit the inside of my cheek and pulled my legs up towards me as I listened.
"So, I picked up Cassandra's phone at lunch. We had just taken group pictures, and of course, I wanted to delete any pics of myself that I didn't like when I found-" The evidence. Pictures of them together, and messages, dating back to Memorial Day weekend at his dad's pool house.
"I don't know what to say." This was a new low. Even for him. Especially for Cassie. "Layla? Are you alright?" I didn't know which one of them was talking.
"I got to go to bed. Dance tryouts are still going on." Excusing myself I hung up and tossed my phone across the bed.
Careful not to chuck my phone against the wall like I did to my old one.
"She was my friend." I began to cry, mourning the loss of the friendship that meant more to me than a dumb boy.
I didn't take Cassandra to be the boyfriend poacher type. She took the last shred of fond memories from the part I thought was decent. The part I thought was untainted by the rest of the crap he pulled. I guess my little crush meant nothing, and he had just intended to use me. Good thing I was 'such a prude' according to Brianna, and never gave in.
Ashely tried calling me back several times. I wasn't in a place to pick back up. Sure, I had loads to tell them about moving here, and I wanted to know if they were still able to meet me in Seattle this weekend when I visited my dad, but I just wanted to lick my own wounds for a while.
Once my crying jag was over I clicked my lamp off and turned toward the window. Everything was pitch black and the rain had ceased when I wished it to lull me to sleep.
My phone lit up one more time. I answered it thinking it was my friends. They shouldn't have to wrestle with a sleepless night over my problems.
"Layla?" It was Jacob. "Jake?" My voice cracked. "I just wanted to make sure I remembered the right number. It's late so I didn't think you'd pick up."
"It's me. You got it right." I wiped my puffy wet eyes. "Everything, okay?" He asked. It was comforting, to hear from him.
There wasn't much I could say to keep him on the phone. Besides the sooner I slept the sooner I could see him tomorrow.
"Yeah, I just think I need to get back to sleep." My tired voice cut out at the end. "Okay... Good night Layla."
My goodnight was a mere whisper since I couldn't get my voice to work right.
After I hung up I stared back into the night waiting for sleep or fatigue to take me to a place I didn't have to think.
Author's Note:
Hey guys,
This is just a PSA. This fanfic story was meant to be a slow-burn action thriller. In order for that to happen, tension and misunderstandings between the main characters within the story are inevitable. Otherwise, it would be a boring one-shot dopamine hit of instantaneous love at first sight. Imprinting is partially that, but I would like there to be some build-up and more substance to Jacob and Layla's relationship. A fated mate scenario is also arguably harder to write than Friends to lovers, which was what Bella was.
Maybe my hopes are higher than my actual writing capability, but hopefully, I can try to convey things better for the reader's understanding and satisfaction.
For those worried about Jacob's love appearing one-sided and unreciprocated... please be patient. I assure you Layla does care for him and will come to love him equally. (Just because we as the readers of Twilight know Jacob Black doesn't mean this new character does.)
Layla's external dilemmas are circumstantial (Possibly moving back to LA after the fall semester/There will also be future vampire interference). Any internal dilemmas will/are due to misunderstandings or misconceptions, not because Layla doesn't like Jacob or isn't attracted to him.
Remember our main character has only been in La Push for about two weeks at this point. It's insinuated a week before moving she was almost SA'd at her own sweet sixteen party and had just come out of a crappy relationship. It's safe to say Layla has some recent betrayal trauma to work through when it comes to relationships, so she may be rightly hesitant.
For imprinting comparison's sake, It did take weeks for Sam and Emily to get together, given the messier situation with Leah. Quil still has to wait years for his relationship for Clare to be appropriate (in this story she'll be in middle school and not 2 years old), and the only immediate imprints to pair up I think were Jared and Kim/ Paul and Rachel?
I hope my over-explaining of things shows how much I do care, and that I'm not trying to unnecessarily torture a beloved character.
Again, if you are enjoying the story, please be kind if you choose to leave a review. Someone else might like this story even if you don't.
I'm not fully aware of how my writing is perceived or received. So If you do have criticism or even better useful feedback for me, I'd appreciate a private message. That way I could attempt to better the story.
I hope you'll stick around for the wild ride. Have a good day or night wherever you are.