Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, just my own characters.
Leah Clearwater
I had been on the bus for Washington to California all day and all night!
For what was supposed to be a 15 hour drive turned into 22 hours.
I kick myself because I had the option of driving the way here but my old Mazda 2 can only take me so far. I didn't want the pressure of straining it even more.
I was visiting the rest of the pack for roughly less than a week. I was looking forward to it. I was also looking forward to seeing my little brother.
Yes. I know! Shocker! Leah Clearwater is excited about something.
I'm not a coldhearted fish you know, contrary to popular belief.
Well that's not entirely true.
I'm not coldhearted…anymore.
These past couple of years has made me self-reflect on my life. I shouldn't spend my life being angry at everything and everyone all the time. Maybe it was a coping mechanism for me to always be angry and moody, maybe it was the effects of my early menopausal but I knew it wasn't healthy for me.
So I took up yoga, met with a shaman and now I'm a new and improved Leah.
Kind of.
The pack still annoys me every single day to the point of insanity. But that has more to do with the fact that they're all a bunch of immature little boys who almost always think about sex, food, sex, fart jokes, sex, gaming and more sex.
Ugh.
It's good that I don't have to be in their heads for longer than 10 minutes. I usually just tell them what to do before shifting back to human form anyway.
I was a Stand-In Alpha to 15 wolves whilst Jacob was away. The wolves from Sam's pack all joined Jake's pack when Sam stopped phasing. Jared or Paul would've then been second-in-command but they weren't realistically going to be wolves for long though since they've all married off and started their mundane lives of breeding like dogs.
So they left the only female wolf in the pack who will likely end up being a lonely spinster on a ranch forever to lead a pack of testosterone filled, misogynistic, immature kids.
Lucky me, huh.
It didn't help that I watched Embry and Seth follow Jake to sunny California to live as partying bachelors while I was left to do all the heavy work.
Calm down, Leah. Remember what your shaman said. It is okay to let go and just live. I appeased my mind before I screamed.
Anyway, I was excited to see the guys again. Especially my little brother.
I haven't seen my baby brother since Thanksgiving which was almost two months ago. It wasn't long ago but I missed that little bugger. My mother has had it rougher than me though.
Ever since Seth moved out of the house, my mother has been visiting me a lot more than usual. She has found it really hard to let go of her favorite child, Seth. She always turns her visits to my house into a "Have you heard from your brother?" visit.
Who can blame her though? Seth doesn't always call in. He only calls to check in once a week to appease my mom by ensuring that he's indeed still alive. He always had a problem either not calling us or answering his phone even when he was a teenager but I get that he's hyper busy nowadays with his career as a teacher and his relationship.
I'm glad Seth went to college to pursue something he's passionate about. And because he was such a genius kid he went to a pretty good college at that.
Straight out of high school, Seth got into Washington State University. The first in our family to get into a good college.
Sure, I went to college too but I went to a community college in Washington. Nothing like Washington State.
He and Rachel both graduated from Washington State so both my mom and Billy were thrilled to say they had kids who attended a good college.
Now in regards to his new relationship, I have mixed feelings about that.
I'm happy my brother found his imprint and the person he'll mate with for life, sure. But I don't particularly like the idea that he is dating a student as a teacher in the same school she attends.
He could've held off dating her until she at least graduated. Come on!
I just hope he's careful. I don't want to be part of a documentary/reality show about how my brother knocked up his teenage girlfriend and they're both living miserably taking care of a kid whilst he is in jail.
He usually just laughs at me when I bring it up.
I would say Seth and I have a pretty good relationship. Even though he doesn't always call in, we do always video chat and text each other pretty regularly which is always great.
My trip to California wasn't purely just to tell my brother off for being an idiot though, I was also going to spend time with Mr. Mike.
Mike was…
Mike is…
Who is Mike to me anyways? I don't know.
I don't think we've defined the relationship yet but he seems eager to make something official and put a label on it.
Was I ready to DTR?
That's a different question.
We met at Jared and Kim's wedding after Jake introduced us. I would say we hit it off straight off the bat.
He was a really nice guy, at times cheesy, but still very nice. It was rare to find genuine nice guys nowadays.
We text and call each other almost every day and we often find ourselves texting each other for hours or talking over the phone till the early hours of the morning.
It was fun and he was a very funny guy. Very goofy but he was still somehow mature about it. Like he knows the right amount of goofiness to make me laugh and not slit his throat.
He's also very kind to me which is something I'm not used to. It isn't easy for me to accept help but he somehow knows when I'm in a rough patch.
The other day I had a bad day at work and he called in to see how I was doing, I didn't tell him about it but he sensed in my voice that I wasn't doing okay so he ordered flowers and sent them to my work the next day.
Now, I told you he was cheesy but…
It was still very sweet.
Also when I was in a rough spot financially last month, I couldn't even afford gas for my car. He helped me out with cash without even me asking for it.
Me, being me I offered to pay him back but he refused and said "It's not like I gave you my kidney" which I found to be the most hilarious thing oddly enough.
You might wonder what the problem is. Why can't I seem to figure out my relationship and feelings for this guy? What is holding me back?
The answer is: I don't know.
Well, that's lie. I do know what I think is the problem. All signs point to me. There was clearly something wrong with me.
I feel like I like him but I'm not sure.
I've known him for only 3 months though. Isn't it fair that I don't quite have us figured out yet?
I reached the San Diego Bus Station at around noon.
I guess this was my stop.
I was seated next to an overweight man who was sleeping with a packet of Cheetos and box of ribs on his big gut.
Ew!
I had to ride with that all night long.
My level of patience is unmatched I tell you.
I grabbed my luggage and handbag and got up. I nudged the man to wake up. He unhurriedly –and I mean really slowly – got up to make way for me.
"Thanks," I uttered through my teeth.
I got off the bus and took a seat on tone of the benches.
San Diego was really sunny. Glad I wore ripped jean shorts and a striped blue and white V-neck tee.
Seth tells me Oakland Woods was the colder part of California which is why the Cullens chose to live there because the sun almost regularly gets hidden in the clouds.
I was waiting for Mike to arrive.
I would've been happy traveling to the Oakland Woods Bus Station and finding my way from there but Mike was insistent on picking me up all across California.
"Well he sounds like a real gentleman." My mother told me as I called her to let her know I arrived safely.
I rolled my eyes. "Mom…"
"What? If a man takes a half day off his work just to pick you up across town then that sounds like a man worth keeping."
Here we go…
"Mom. Don't…"
"I'm just saying, sweetie." She teased. "I wish I was able to meet him at the wedding."
"I'm glad you didn't. You would've scared him off." I joked.
"Well, Leah I have you know I am a very lovable woman!"
"Sure you are, mom." I laughed. "Anyway, I think I better get going. I'm losing my minutes."
"Okay, sweetie." She said. "Oh! Please don't forget to tell your brother to call me when you see him. Also cook him a few meals while you're there. Constant takeout food isn't good for him or the boys."
"I'm sure they're fine, mom. Stop worrying about him." I said.
"I'm a parent. I always worry. You and Seth will understand –" She stopped herself the second she realized what she said.
I won't lie. It hurt.
I've known I wasn't able to have children for 10 years now. It was due to my weird biology but I've grown to accept it is what it is.
It still hurts a lot whenever someone mentions it. It hurts even more if my mom slips up by mentioning it. She is getting older so she might forget a few things so I know she doesn't have any ill intent but it still pangs me.
It was only going to be awkward if I made it awkward.
"I will definitely pass your concerns along," I told her. "I gotta go. Send my love to Charlie. I love you,"
"I love you too, baby." She told me.
"Bye," I said with a smile as I hung up the call.
I sighed as I stared into the horizon in thought.
Imagining how my life would be if I hadn't been given the curse of being a shapeshifting wolf from my ancestors. Would I be married by now? Probably living in a house with a few kids?
I will never know.
Sure, it sucks but it is something I've grown to accept.
But I still cry at night thinking about the 'what ifs'…
I watched as a blue Jeep Wrangler pulled up in front of me. I looked to see Mike jump out of his car dressed in his greasy mechanic overalls.
"Hey!" He greeted with the widest smile I have ever seen. "Sorry, I thought I would make it here on time. I hope you didn't wait too long."
"Oh –No I've been waiting for like 5 minutes." I told him.
I got up to bend down and retrieve my luggage from the ground.
"Let me get that for you," He quickly offered as he went down to reach for my duffel bag and suitcase.
"Thanks," I replied with a smile.
"No problem," He said with the cutest twisted smile that would turn any girl into jelly.
Our eyes locked and I found myself getting lost in his blue eyes.
Wow. His eyes were really blue. I hadn't noticed how they reminded me so much of the ocean with flecks of green in it. I then began analyzing his face.
I hadn't realized how handsome he was.
He wasn't the conventionally handsome man you see on Armani cologne or Calvin Klein billboards, but he was still very handsome once you saw his most prominent features.
He had an impeccable jawline. A beautiful smile. Gorgeous eyes. And even his semi-buzzcut suited him really well.
I breathed a heavy breath.
"We should probably –" I began awkwardly as I looked away from him.
He nodded. "Oh! Yeah, of course." He said.
He turned around with the luggage in his grasp and walked to the back of his Jeep to put my luggage in the trunk.
As I went to open the door, he called me to stop.
"Don't." He said, making his way to open the door.
I chuckled. "I do remember how to open a door, Mike."
He looked nervous. "Yes. I know, I just thought…" He said. "Can you just let me open the door for you, Leah?"
I laughed and he laughed with me.
"Okay! Sure, why not?" I replied.
He smirked as he opened the door and I jumped in. He closed the door with a light bang before jumping in the drivers' seat.
"How was your bus ride?" He asked as he drove.
I sighed. "Long. I sat next to a sweaty overweight guy who smelled like a dried up rotten sack of potatoes." I told him.
He laughed. "That must've been fun."
I scoffed. "You don't even know." I said, watching him grip on the steering wheel. "You know you didn't have to pick me up. I could've found my way around."
"Are you crazy? And let some rando kidnap you? It ain't that safe in some parts here."
I smiled. It was so sweet that he didn't think I could protect myself.
To be fair, he didn't know about my secret.
"So, how was work? I feel bad that I took you away from your job." I said.
"Don't feel bad. It was a pretty slow day anyway. Jacob and Embry have the whole thing wired. They know their work, probably a lot more than I do I regretfully have to admit."
I sniggered. "Jake and Embry used to work on cars and bikes every single weekend together on the reservation. Sometimes they even helped people from the city. A lot of the guys back home love working on cars."
"Do you?"
I shrugged. "Not really, but I do know my way around an engine."
He nodded with a pleased smile. "I like that. I like that."
Something about what I said got him excited because I could hear his heart rate pick up.
"I miss you," He said out of the blue as he took a glance at me.
I turned to meet his eyes and smiled.
"I, uh, I miss you too." I said back lowly. "It has been over 2 weeks since we last saw each other though."
"I know, but I miss seeing that smile of yours."
I blushed.
It isn't easy to get me to blush but Mike did.
It was also pretty hard for me to accept compliments from anyone.
"There you go again with the corny pickup lines."
He groaned. "All right, fine! Whatever!" He rolled his eyes. I laughed. "Listen, if you're gonna be around me you're gonna have to accept me as I am. The Corny King."
"My brother is The Corny Prince. I think I can handle you."
"Oh, really? You think you can handle all of this awesomeness?" He cocked an eyebrow and made a silly, goofy face at me that had me laughing hard.
"You are so dorky!" I giggled.
He smiled widely at me. "Are you hungry? We can probably go get a few burgers at Burger Bistro?"
"Sure! That sounds great." I told him. "How far is Oakland Woods from San Diego?"
"About 45 minutes minus traffic. Thankfully there isn't any at this time."
I stared at him. "You really traveled 45 minutes from work to come get me?
"Well, more like 55 minutes. My work is kinda out of town. It's pretty close to the harbor and let me tell you, it smells awful down there. Fish is great but raw fish doesn't smell great at all."
Wow. He really drove for almost an hour just to pick me up? An hour to spare on me?
After grabbing food for the two of us, we drove over to his apartment complex.
"Embry and I couldn't get around to cleaning earlier so, don't mind all the mess." He told me as we ascended the stairs.
"It's okay. I know how messy Seth can be."
"He actually gets the most annoyed at how messy everything is so he usually cleans up for us." Mike told me as he gripped onto my bags.
I stared at him in horror.
My brother is the cleanest of them all?
"Okay. Now I'm scared."
He chuckled as we reached his door. He pulled out his keys and opened the door to his apartment.
"Ladies first," He gestured for me.
I scoffed as I entered, expecting to see pizza boxes and boxer briefs lying around but it was oddly tame. Tame for an apartment for men.
There were a few beer bottles, sports (and Sports Illustrated) magazines, gaming controllers cluttered all over the coffee table and couches not properly done but it was nothing crazy.
"It isn't so bad."
He looked at me in defeat. "Okay, I lied. I cleared up a bit in the morning."
I laughed. "Oh, Mike."
"So uh…the Sports Illustrated and Playboy magazines aren't mine. They're –"
"Embry's, I figured." I nodded. "I wouldn't be mad if they were yours, y'know."
He looked back at me before disappearing into what I assumed was his room to drop the bags.
His room.
Oh boy.
That meant I would probably have to share it with him.
I haven't been with a man for over 2 years.
Yes. Two years. I know that's crazy.
I don't have meaningless hookups like half of the wolves do.
I had a very drunk night (which is rare considering it would take 20 shots to get a shapeshifter to even get a little tipsy due to our quick healing ability) and I met a guy at a club and one thing led to another and I found a naked guy in my bed the next day.
But that was one time after a massive dry spell.
Of course I wasn't expecting anything to happen between Mike and me. But I don't know if he was expecting anything to happen with us.
Mike came back, this time with a throw and a pillow which he placed on the side table next to the couch.
"Um…You can take my bed. It's much more comfortable than the couch."
"You know, you really don't need to do that."
"Nah, don't worry about it." He told me, waving me off. "I've woken up plenty times on this thing. 'Sides, I doubt Embry would like me spooning him at night in his bed,"
"You spoon?" I laughed.
He looked embarrassed. "I sleep everywhere."
I chuckled.
"I'm gonna take a shower. Uh, you can go right ahead and eat without me. Jake and Embry will be back in 2 hours but Seth should be back from school in about 30 minutes." He told me.
I nodded. "I'll wait until you're done showering." I told him.
"You sure?"
I nodded.
He smiled and then he disappeared into the bathroom.
So he offered to sleep on the couch without even hesitation?
Why did he have to be so different from other guys?
Why does he have to be such a gentleman?
Why am I even complaining?
I sighed as I began walking around the apartment. It was a nice open yet cozy apartment. Perfect for two guys.
And perfect for a couple too.
As I made my way into the small kitchen, I looked at the refrigerator door to see a few magnetized photos on it. Many of them were of Embry, Mike, Jake and Seth in them but others were of Embry and his mom or of Mike and his family.
He looked to have a stable household with two parents and I think he had two siblings.
Although there was one picture of a young man in his early 20s with a young boy who looked eerily similar to Mike himself.
Possibly an old picture?
Whilst Mike had his shower, I took the initiative to prepare the food while I waited for him. I found two plates and took the burgers and chips out of the boxes before heating them up in the microwave at 2 minutes each.
Mike ended his shower about a minute later as I looked at my phone.
"Ooh! It smells good in here."
I looked up to see Mike entering the room, flipping the collar of his plaid shirt before buttoning it up.
I got a brief glimpse at his physique.
He was no bodybuilder type but he certainly wasn't lacking anything. He had an attractive and attainable body type. A protruding pectoral chest and undefined abs. Very natural.
It was pretty clear that he got a lot of his exercise from working on cars all day.
I shook my head and placed my phone on the kitchen counter before bringing the two plates to the living room where I cleared up all the clutter. I placed the plates on the coffee table.
"What do you drink? There's water, orange juice, Pepsi and beer?" He asked, looking into the refrigerator.
I chuckled. "I'll have beer."
He closed the refrigerator door after retrieving two Corona Extra bottles.
"So…who's the guy in that picture over there?" I asked.
He followed my gaze to the photo in question.
He breathed heavily and was quiet for a few seconds.
"Uh…That's my older brother Riley." He told me as he set the bottles on the coffee table next to the food before coming to me.
"Oh, where is he now?"
"He died." He told me.
I turned to him.
He looked broken.
Well damn.
Why did you have to bring it up Leah?
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"
He put his hand on my shoulder.
"It's okay. It was a long time ago anyway. Riley, uh…He died serving in Afghanistan in 2001, a week after 9/11. I was probably eleven at the time. He was my best friend for the longest time. He was 9 years older than me but we were as thick as thieves." He told me with a chuckle as he reminisced.
"Mike…" I began.
"He was one of the reasons why I decided to join the army right out of high school. To be a hero like him. To carry on his legacy." He said, folding his arms as he cleared his throat.
He was clearly holding back tears.
"Much to my parents' dismay of course. My mom cried for a week straight before my first deployment." He sniggered non-humorously. "I miss him every day. My youngest sister didn't get to know him as my mom was only pregnant with her when he died but he was truly a great brother. I don't think I could ever measure up."
I gave him a closed-lip sympathetic smile.
"He sounds amazing,"
"He was." He replied.
"Mike," I simply said before throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace.
He exhaled a heavy breath into my hair as he returned the embrace by tossing his arms around my waist and pulling me close.
I held him tightly.
I could feel him calm down in my arms. A hug is sometimes the only thing one can offer. I know from experience.
As I pulled away from what felt like forever, my eyes locked with his again. This time with intensity and passion. I saw the pain in his eyes and he suddenly felt very vulnerable.
Mike and I only kissed each other twice. Our first kiss was in December at a public ice rink after Christmas and the second time was on New Year's Day at a party we went to.
He was a good kisser.
I don't know about me.
Were we about to have our third right now?
As soon as he leaned in to barely brush his lips on mine, the door opening stopped us both in our tracks.
"Oh! Leah, you're here," Seth greeted.
I gasped as I moved away from Mike awkwardly to greet my brother.
"Did I interrupt something?" He questioned in confusion as he felt the tension in the room.
"Uh –" Mike began.
"Not at all!" I quickly said. "Oh, baby brother!" I smiled as I ran over to give him a hug.
He moaned and laughed. "Hi, Leah. Yeah, I miss you too," He replied to me.
I pulled away to hold his face in my hands before punching his gut.
"You ass! Why don't you call mom?"
"C'mon, Leah! You know I don't use my phone all the time."
I laughed. "That's a lie, and you know it!"
He rolled his eyes.
"When did you guys get here?" He asked.
"About 45 minutes ago." Mike told him.
Seth nodded. "You guys ready to party tonight?" He asked.
"Ugh. We're still gonna do that? I just got here from a long, uncomfortable bus ride."
"Embry said no going back." He said.
"Although I might have to sit this one out though. I've got papers to grade. But you kids have fun," He winked at me and nodded at Mike before he laughed and walked out of the apartment and straight into the apartment across.
Seriously? He just left! He didn't wanna play catchup with me or anything?
I sighed, awkwardly turning to Mike who looked at me with an open-mouthed smile.
"So…wanna eat?" He asked after a long awkward pause.
I nodded. "Yeah," I laughed.
We ran to the couches and began eating our food whilst making small talk here and there.
… …
Renesmee Cullen
The school bus dropped Alex and I off somewhere in my neighborhood where many other students lived close by. We decided to walk the rest of the way up the hill to my house.
My parents and I lived right at the edge of the outskirts with our fellow human neighbors while the main Cullen mansion was located five minutes away from here, up the mountainous woods region away from too much human contact although my family did have neighbors not too far from the mansion as well. My grandmother usually does her small interior designing business around here too.
It felt normal.
The good thing about living in this affluent part of Oakland Woods was that my friends were close by as well. Felicity and Rea lived three minutes away from me whilst Alex lived about ten or fifteen minutes away.
I haven't hung out with Rea in a while. She's always off on her own.
Felicity doesn't look to be my friend anymore.
I guess it was just Alex and I.
"Your parents aren't home?" Alex asked me as we entered my room.
I tossed my tote bag onto my bed and sighed.
"Uh, I think my dad is giving a therapy session in his little cottage/office out back and my mom is probably somewhere with my aunts or something."
She nodded as she took a seat on one of my couches.
"Interesting that your dad is a mind reader and also a therapist." She laughed.
I smiled.
"Okay." I began. "So what are we gonna do about Felicity?"
"I think all we can do is give her some space, really." Alex replied.
"Alex, she knows about vampires! And if Jennifer told her then who knows what else she knows about us." I sighed, pacing around the room with my hand through my hair.
"We don't know that for sure." She told me. "Felicity could've found out some other way."
"Who else would tell her, Alex?" I began. "Couldn't have been Justin or Luke because they value our secret just as much as they value theirs. I doubt it was Rea."
"Didn't you say something about how weird her grandmother was when you visited Felicity the other day?"
I thought. "Yeah, but I don't think she'd know. She seems too human and oblivious."
"You would be surprised." Alex said as my cat entered the room and lurched himself onto her lap where he curled into a comfortable ball.
"Okay, we'll add her to the list." I said. "Who else?"
Alex thought. "Maybe she figured it out on her own. Felicity isn't dumb you know."
I was afraid of something like that happening and it wasn't out of the realms of possibility.
"Maybe," I sighed.
But then again…
Maybe it isn't someone we know that told her.
"What if it's Cassia?" I probed.
Alex cocked her eyebrow. "Cassia?"
"Think about it. We don't know her but she clearly seems to know a lot about us and she's clearly here for something. It definitely has a lot to do with Ray Parker but us too. I think it's maybe part of her devious plan."
"The question is: what is her devious plan?"
"And why does it involve my family?" I questioned with a frown.
I sighed as I collapsed onto my bed with my head dangling at the edge of the bed and my feet pulled up together with my hands placed on top of each other on my stomach.
"This is so frustrating!" I moaned.
We don't know what Cassia is here for and we don't know whether she's far or literally very close because of her unique ability. So basically we are going in blind trying to find out what she wants. We could have already met her without realizing it.
"Maybe we should look into the archives at the Town Council." I suggested.
I looked at her at the corner of my eyes.
"How do we do that?" She asked.
"Well…There is a Debutante Ball coming up." I said. "Maybe we could figure out how to get in?"
"Oh, no. I don't think so." She shot me down quickly.
"C'mon, Alex. It will not only allow us the time to dig up dirt on any traces of Cassia in the past, but it will also be kinda fun to dress up for a ball."
"Nessie. You wanna attend some elaborately kitschy, narcissistic, elitist, pretentious event where trust fund babies prance around in princess gowns? You can't be serious."
"Ouch! I'm one of those trust fund babies too, y'know." I said, sitting up.
"Yeah but you're humble about it. You were raised well."
I sighed. "Well, how else will we find out more about Cassia?"
Alex thought and deliberated before exhaling a sigh.
"I know the Town Council family members." She told us.
I gasped. "Okay, who are they?"
She bit her lip. "There's obviously the Parker family but they've all died and Ray is the only one left. Ray doesn't attend all the conferences and meetings regularly but he does pitch up when it's super important. Then there's Felicity Stone's dad who became a member like five years ago. There's the St. Clair family, Melissa St. Clair's dad's one of the most elitist of them all as he's also the Mayor Subordinate/Deputy Mayor of Oakland Wood…"
"Wait! Melissa St. Clair's father is the Deputy Mayor?" I questioned.
Alex nodded. "Yep!"
"Atticus St. Clair is Melissa's father?" I asked again just to make sure I got it right.
"Yes, Nessie. Shocker, right?" She chuckled.
I nodded.
"Ever wondered why she was so bitter that Felicity was more popular than her in school all throughout middle school and high school? The deputy mayor's daughter is bested by the daughter of the inventor and CEO of Stone Enterprises." She added.
"Wow. Okay, who else?"
"…There's the Fitzpatrick family although they aren't exactly part of the council family because they are not of any wealthy/aristocratic lineage but they are rather what they call The Lighthouse. It is always good to have a member of the law enforcement overseeing any proceedings that happen in this town to ensure there is no corruption taking place and of course, Luke's dad has been Commissioner/Captain of this town for more than 12 years.
There's also the Reed family, Rea's dad was the Vice Chairman of the Town Council but after the plane crash and her brother, Oliver's disappearance, Rea's mom took his place. I guess now that Oliver's back in town, he'll start taking over from his dad. He's already taking over the family business operations."
I nodded. Reed Industries was a big corporate company that dealt with the trading of coal, oil minerals and diamonds of the town. After the death of Rea's dad, his business partner Wren administered and handled a lot of the work but the company was essentially owned by Oliver as the will stipulated that the he'd carry on the family business whilst the government handled all the other town operations. The Reeds and the government worked together.
"Is that it?" I asked.
Alex looked at me before sighing and running her hand over my cat's fur.
"And then there's my family." She stated.
I gasped. "Your family is part of the Town Council of Oakland Woods?"
"Don't look at me like that!"
I scoffed. "So, you were all about making fun of trust fund kids being part of the elite and you've been part of that crowd all this time and you didn't say anything?"
"It's not something I'm proud of, Nessie!" She told me.
I laughed.
"And no, we aren't part of the elite. We are a middle-class family at best. But my family has somehow been a part of it for years. It has something to do with my ancestors."
"I thought you all originated from Italy and migrated to New York and Chicago?"
"We did, but my great-grandfather was part of the International Council in Italy and so we're quite connected. When my family moved down here we were sort of forcibly acclimated to the high society. I don't know why that came to be or even how since we're as common as common folk can be."
I chuckled. "Don't you think it has something to do with the fact that you're hunters?"
"C'mon, Nessie. Do you honestly think people like the Deputy Mayor knows about vampire hunters?"
I thought about it. Maybe it was silly.
"Yeah, that does sounds silly."
"It probably has a lot to do with our mafia type public persona." She joked. "Everyone says my dad's scary."
"Your dad is scary for a human, though." I agreed. "Hey, I heard my family met your uncle in the woods last night. I think he was patrolling or something?"
"They do that often." She said.
I nodded. "I remember meeting your uncle briefly at the prom. He's very good looking."
"First of all, ew and second of all, I don't think Jake would appreciate that very much."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm just trying to say, I know someone who's looking for a boyfriend. She doesn't have a preference for human or vampire."
I remembered Tanya mentioning to me that she was on the prowl to find her mate after watching all her sisters fall in love –even Irina, before she died, found love with a vampire named Laurent who I never knew but heard many stories about. She told me that she might even consider going for a human like my father did because it seemed to work for him.
"I don't think my vampire hunter uncle's interested in dating vampires." She laughed.
I laughed along. "Ah! Bummer." I joked.
"Well, I guess it's settled then. We're going to the Debutante Ball, right?" I said.
She sighed. "Fine! But I'm not wearing no puffy dress."
I snorted.
"You excited for the senior camping trip?" I asked her.
"Not really but I guess it would be fun to get out of town for the weekend." She replied.
"I guess. I still need to let my parents know about it. I doubt they'll let me go." I said.
"They let you go to New York on your own, Nessie." She reminded me.
I chuckked. "It's not that simple. My dad's protective and a control freak."
"So is mine." She laughed.
I smiled.
"Anyway, you figured out what you're planning to do for Jake's birthday?" She changed the topic.
I frowned. "Not exactly. There's just so many things I've already done for Jake's birthday before. It is hard to think of something I haven't already thought about."
"You mentioned something about cooking dinner for him. I think that's very sweet."
I shrugged. "I guess but I feel like that's not enough, y'know."
"You could also get him a gift? What about a watch? Seth told me that Jake's only expensive watch broke a few months ago."
"I already bought him a new watch for our anniversary." I told her.
"Hmm." She hummed as she went into deep thought. "You could always do some arts and crafts and make him something? I don't know. Maybe a mug?"
I furrowed my eyebrows.
That wasn't a half bad idea.
"That's actually not a bad idea, Alex." I told him. "I've made gifts for him before but they were always small things. He's always made the gifts he gives me on my birthday so maybe in addition to making him dinner, I can craft something for him as a meaningful gift and I could also get him a practical gift. Something he's always wanted."
"There you go. Oh wow…okay now I feel like I need to do more for Seth's birthday now." She furrowed her eyebrows.
I laughed as I jumped off my bed to give her and kiss on the cheek and a hug.
"Thank you! Thank you!" I told her.
I had already began brainstorming a lot of things I plan to do before Wednesday. I better get started.
… …
Jacob Black
The guys, Leah and I all got ready for tonight and we hopped into Mike's Jeep Wrangler and made our way to this fairly new semi-Mexican bar that opened downtown called País Cóctel which translated to the Cocktail Country bar. It was pretty trendy and they served the best tacos in town and they also had a mechanical bull which Embry and Mike couldn't wait to try out.
There was a crazy long line the second we got there.
"You would think people wouldn't be out partying on Monday," Leah mentioned as we stood in line for over 20 minutes.
"We're almost in," Mike smiled, staring at her with eyes of awe. "Good thing you still look pretty."
Leah glanced at him and smiled before staring at the sidewalk fretfully.
I frowned.
"Ooh! I am so pumped!" Embry shrieked quietly, looking like he's about to jump off the walls. "Tell me, Jake. Isn't this a better way to spend your birthday than just sitting at home doing nothing?"
I scoffed. "I guess," I gave it to him.
I had a rough day at work. I guess I needed a release and have a bit of fun with the guys.
"It's just like old times." Seth muttered. "Sucks that I can't stay all night,"
We managed to convince Seth to tag along with us for part of the evening and then he'd leave to continue grading papers. It meant a lot to Leah because she doesn't always get the opportunity to spend time with her brother and it meant a lot to me to see the kid let loose once in a while and not be a bloody good guy all the time.
This night would be better if I had Nessie with me though.
"You better not be thinking about Nessie, Jacob. I swear to god, if you are…" Embry warned me.
I growled. "Shut up! I'm not. Why does it matter if I do anyway?"
"You're lying," He laughed. "Whatever. Your moping around won't fly tonight okay? You're gonna drink and have fun like the rest of us and you're gonna be my wingman. You got that?"
"Sure, sure." I sighed.
When did he become so profoundly annoying?
I can't blame the guy though. He was the only guy in our group that wasn't tied down to a girl. We've kinda been cramping his style. I'm sure he pines for the days we were partying down at the rez years ago.
"It's gonna be fun," Mike nudged me on the arm. "It's a good thing that we got the day off because I planned to get hammered tonight."
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Embry applauded, high-fiving Mike.
"Who's gonna be designated driver?" Leah asked.
"I guess you, if you're not planning on getting drunk. Or laid." Embry stated.
Leah slammed his toes and Embry shrieked.
"Ow!"
Seth and I laughed at his idiocy.
"I'm not gonna be the mom of the group this week. I plan to have fun too."
I frowned. That was uncharacteristic of Leah to say. She never has fun.
"Leah, having fun? I've never heard that before." Seth commented.
Leah cleared her throat. "Seth, what are you talking about? I always have fun."
I immediately knew what she was doing. She was trying to impress Mike. To let him know she wasn't an absolute bore.
"No, I'm pretty sure I'm right – Ow! Leah!" Seth squeaked as Leah pinched his arm hard.
Mike furrowed his eyebrows and then looked at me.
I shrugged. I don't know anything dude!
"Next!" The huge bouncer announced.
"Ooh!" Embry expressed excitement.
"ID." The bouncer asked.
We all showed him our IDs and he let us through. The advantages of being trapped as 16-20 year old shapeshifters was that we didn't look like teenagers at all. Our very tall heights and our large builds made us all look around 25-30. Seth was the only one with more of a baby face but his height at 6ft1 made up for it. I was the tallest at 6ft7 obviously, Embry was around 6ft4 and Leah was the shortest at 5ft10 which matched perfectly with Mike's 6ft0.
"Oh, dude! This place looks so sick!" Mike commented as we arrived at the bar buzzing bar and examined our surroundings.
It was pretty huge. It looked like a combination of a lot of things. There was a bar side with tables and booths where plenty people were either eating, drinking or laughing together. Then there was a big dancefloor party area upstairs that Embry looked to be eager to get to. There was a downstairs area where it looked like a casino/arcade hub.
It was loud!
But not too rowdy. I guess Mondays weren't ultra-popular.
"I think we've found our hangout hotspot." Embry told us.
I chuckled. "Wanna eat first?" I brought up.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Seth told.
We then walked over to the open booth in the corner of the room that screamed out to us.
"Ladies first," Mike smiled as he paved the way for Leah to sit before him.
Leah smiled politely. "Thanks," She said, sliding into the booth. "Oh! Seth! Come sit with me!"
Seth stared at Leah with a frown then stared back at me with a look that said 'That's weird, right?'
Was Leah trying to avoid sitting with Mike? If so, why?
He then turned back to his sister with blank eyes.
"All right," He said, moving past Mike to sit next to his sister. "Sorry, buddy."
Mike looked confused and slightly bummed out but he played good sport and smiled about it.
"Nah, it's alright. I'll sit with the birthday boy over here!" He uttered, tossing his arm around my neck and pulling me down to ruffle my hair.
I chuckled. "Dude! This is conditioner!" I reminded him as I pulled out of his grasp to redo the spikes on my hair.
Leah awkwardly looked down.
I sighed as we took our seats and the waitress approached our booth.
"Welcome, to País Cóctel! I hope you're all ready for a fun night," The brunette Latina waitress told us.
"We plan to, fancy face." Embry flirted with a wink.
The brunette Latina blushed as her eyes skirted over all the guys, including me but she oddly kept her eyes on me the longest.
"Oh, he's taken!" Embry told her. "Married with a baby on the way, the whole enchilada." He lied.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him.
But I guess he saved me from being gawked at the whole night.
"Dammit! That's a shame." She muttered, under her breath, thinking we couldn't hear her.
But we all heard her pretty well, with the exception of Mike.
"But I'm free to be of service. I can be your shoulder to cry on." Embry suggested with a flirtatious grin.
The girl chuckled. "I'll think about it." She replied to him.
"Okay," He bit his bottom lip as he sat back and checked her out.
Leah playfully gagged, causing all of us to chuckle.
"Oh well! Since you all look like first timers, you get the first 3 rounds of tequila shots on the house." She told us.
"That sounds awesome!" Mike retorted.
"Don't you also have a special for birthdays? Our friend Jacob over here is twenty-five in 2 days."
"Eh. We only serve our 20% birthday discount special on the customer's actual birthday."
"Oh, come on foxy face. What's your name…?" He said, looking at her nametag but hoping she'd reply.
"Paloma,"
"Sexy Paloma," Embry repeated, straining the name in what I thought was his attempt at ASMR. "You would be doing me a kindness if you make this guy's day happy." He said smoothly.
The waitress, Paloma deliberated before succumbing.
"Fine. But just this once," She whispered flirtatiously back to Embry.
Embry gnawed his bottom lip.
"Awesome! So what's the birthday special, babe?" Embry asked.
We watched as Embry worked his charm and magic on the girl. He managed to convince the waitress to do something that was way above her pay grade.
"We offer a round of tacos and nachos on the house in addition to the tequilas and you get a celebratory sombrero." Paloma stated, grabbing one hat from the nearest rack and went to place it on my head.
"No! No! I'm good with the hat. Thank you," I protested.
"C'mon! Boo!" Mike echoed.
"Wear the damn hat!" Leah laughed.
"Wear the hat! Wear the hat! Wear the hat!" The gang all encouraged in unison.
I sighed in defeat. "Screw you guys. Fine!"
"Yes!" Embry exclaimed.
Paloma then placed the colorful hat firmly on my head.
Everyone laughed.
"Oh, that is classic!" Seth laughed, taking a picture of me in this stupid big hat.
"Nessie's gonna love this." Embry teased, taking a picture on his phone as well.
I growled. "You better delete those pictures."
They all laughed at me.
"You also get to smash the piñata and get a surprise in it." She stated.
She then whistled and two other waiters appeared with a piñata and a baseball bat which they hung under a hook.
I sighed as I got up and grabbed the baseball bat.
"No! I think we need to make a shot for this. Sexy Paloma, run by us your best tequilas." Embry called.
"Ah!" I groaned.
Paloma laughed. "I like you guys! Okay we have Blanco Tequila, Reposado Tequila, and Mezcal Tequila."
"Give us your strongest one!" Embry called.
The crowd watched us and applauded.
The drinks came and the waiter handed us each a tiny glass of Mezcal tequila.
"On the count of three. One, two, three…" Embry counted down before we all drowned the tequila down our throats.
Damn! It stung!
It was very spicy and the alcohol left a weird after taste but it was still pretty good.
Then the waiters began singing some Mexican-Spanish 'Happy Birthday' song, clapping their hands which involuntarily made the people in the bar join in too.
"Okay! Now smash that piñata!" Seth called, taping it on video.
I smashed the piñata with one smooth swing and it shattered to reveal tons of small goodies like a 1-pack keychain and bottle opener, some Mexican hot sauce, plastic nips of booze, hot chocolate discs, condoms, socks, all types of spicy candy and even a G-string which I cringed at.
Yep. This is definitely not a party for kids.
The crowd applauded as the waiters kindly scooped everything up for me in a bucket and handed it to me.
"I call dibs on the candy!" Seth retorted.
I shrugged. "Suit yourself out." I said, then I grabbed the G-string and hurled it at Embry's face.
We all laughed.
"It matches your eyes," Mike teased, glancing at Leah to see if she's laughing.
"Funny! But I have you know I can rock it." He replied.
"You guys are idiots. We should order food! I'm starving." Leah expressed.
We all agreed.
After eating food and talking and laughing together, Seth announced his departure and left the bar to grab a cab back home. Embry then suggested that we started partying and we moved up the stairs to the blue light club side of the bar where everyone was dancing and buzzing with the electronic music played by the DJ.
Mike and I were grooving to the music, holding a bottle of beer each whilst Embry was somewhere grinding on a girl.
"You enjoying the party?" Mike shouted.
I nodded. "Yeah! It's great! I really needed this." I replied.
Mike nodded.
His eyes then wandered off to Leah who was sat on one of the bar stools. He was longing for her.
He sighed.
"Does Leah like me, dude?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. She's been giving me mixed signals ever since we met. One minute I think we're going somewhere and then next she takes ten steps back and acts like I'm nothing more than a friend. I don't wanna push her, y'know. She told me about how badly her last relationship ended and I know a thing or two about it but…I at least gotta know where her head is at about me, y'know?"
I glanced back at Leah who was skimming through the room and analyzing everybody.
I understood why Leah was reluctant to pursue this relationship. I can tell she totally likes him but there was a problem.
Mike wasn't her imprint.
Mike wasn't her soul mate like Nessie was mine.
It probably frustrated her to no end because although she liked this guy a lot, she knew he wasn't meant to be with her because she would never feel the pull the wolves feel with their imprints.
On the other hand, I knew and understand exactly how Mike felt too. He clearly has the hots for her and dare I say he's even falling hard for her but he doesn't seem to be one to be strung along forever. He wants to know if there is a future for them.
It is only up to Leah to decide if there will be.
I turned back to Mike. "She likes you, dude. That's one thing you don't have to worry about."
He sighed. "She has a weird way of showing it," He scoffed.
I gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Crap! I'm all out of beer. Lemme go grab a drink."
"Don't worry, I'll go. I need a top up as well anyways." I said.
He nodded and handed me his bottle before tapping my shoulder and resuming to dancing with the rest of the drunk people.
I walked up to the bar where Leah was and positioned the bottles on the glowing counter.
"Can I get two refills please?" I asked the bartender.
"You got it!" He replied back.
I sighed and turned to Leah.
"What are you drinking there?" He asked.
"Hmm?" She hummed, pulling out of her train of thought.
I cocked an eyebrow and gestured to the glass in her hand.
"Uh, it's a spicy margarita. I think it's my 3rd drink." She told me.
"Wow. Three drinks? Slow down, horsey or else you'll fall on your heels."
She rolled her eyes at my corny joke.
I guffawed.
"Sorry, if I'm bumming you out on your birthday night out." Leah said to me.
"Nah, you're not." I told her.
She turned to me. "I heard your conversation with Mike."
I sighed. I figured.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" I probed, leaning against the counter on my elbow.
She shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Do you like him?" I asked. "And I don't mean a superficial liking as in you like the way he looks or smells. Be honest with me, do you like him?"
She thought. "I mean, I think I do."
"You think?"
"I do. Yes, I do, Jake. What do you want? Do you want me to profess it off the rooftops?"
"No. I just think – And I don't wanna overstep but I think you need to figure out if you're really ready for a relationship, Leah because it isn't right stringing the man along."
"I'm not trying to do that." She answered.
"I know you aren't but that's how he feels." I said.
"Look, I have firsthand experience of pining for someone who never reciprocated the same feelings back. I wasted so much time and energy going after a girl who didn't want me back."
"And it still worked out perfectly for you. You got your soul mate in the end." She reminded me.
"You and I aren't the same, Leah." I reminded her.
She sighed. "It would be so much easier if I just imprinted on Mike."
"Don't think about that. That's your problem. You're overthinking this whole thing." I told her. "Look, I know dating someone is something very serious to you after your heartbreak with Sam. I get that it's hard to open up after that. But it's been 10 years."
"How you love to remind me." She scoffed. "I'm over Sam. I'm aware of that."
"So…?"
She shook her head. "I just don't wanna get hurt or hurt someone else."
"But you're different than us, Leah. Sure we imprint but nobody even thought of the possibility of a female wolf existing in the tribe and you're living proof that it can happen. Do you think all of our ancestors met their soul mates by some magical force? Imprinting is selective."
"But common,"
"Yeah, only now it's common but it's always rare before our time. Maybe imprinting isn't on the cards for you and that is okay. You get to fall in love the old fashion way. Nothing is rushed. You can take your time." I assured her.
She looked at me with eyes welling up.
"Easy for you to say,"
"It isn't easy, I know that. But it's worth it in the end." I nudged her arm. "C'mon. Have fun! Live a little. That guy is crazy about you."
She smiled slightly. "I know."
"Who knows what the future holds. But don't concentrate on that. Focus on the now."
"Okay. You made your point." She laughed.
I smiled.
"What about you? How's your relationship peril? Oh wait! You don't have any because you're living blissfully with your half-leech." She joked.
I eyed her.
She raised her hands in submission.
"Harmless joke." She quipped.
"Jeez, throw a girl a bone for trying to be funny." She stated as we turned around to face the array of alcohol.
I snorted.
"It's been great between Nessie and me." I updated her. "Beyond amazing, actually."
She grinned. "I'm glad to see you finally happy." She replied, taking a sip of her margarita.
I smiled back. "I went ring shopping the other day." I told her.
She almost choked on her drink.
"You what?" She demanded.
I nodded.
The bartender then brought the two drinks in front me.
"Thanks," I replied to him.
"Wait. You went ring shopping? As in engagement ring shopping?"
I shrugged. "I wouldn't call it ring shopping exactly. I saw a ring at a pawnshop and I don't know. I just felt something." I said, twirling my drink.
She gasped. "Wow! That's a big step."
I nodded in agreement.
"I even got Edward and Bella's blessing."
She widened her eyebrows.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my gallery and showed her a picture of the ring I was interested in.
"It's a pretty ring," She remarked.
I smirked.
"But I hope you don't feel the pressure to get hitched just because everyone else is getting married."
I laughed. "I thought maybe that's it but I don't think that's the case. I think I'm ready."
"But is she ready?"
I stared at her with furrowed brows.
"What do you mean?"
But I knew exactly what she meant. It was something that was at the back of my mind too.
"I mean, she's still in high school and she's about to go off to college soon. Does she wanna get married before she starts her life?"
"Bella and Edward did it," I told her.
"Yeah, but that's Bella and Edward. You are Jacob and Nessie. A totally different couple. She's almost nine years old and you're 25 in 2 days. I get that she's some freaky mature and smart hybrid but she is still very much an inexperienced child. Don't you think she needs to experience life first before being tied down to a life of marriage and kids?"
These were the same exact words Edward told me and these were the same words I've deliberated for the longest time.
But like Leah said. Nessie and I were different.
Nessie was smart and mature beyond her years and even the years of her peers. I loved her with everything I have and so did she with me. It didn't matter when Nessie and I got married. After she graduates, after college or whenever. She and I would follow each other wherever we chose to go and we would be together all throughout our changing lives.
"I understand your concern and you make some great points, points I've even considered myself but Nessie and I are gonna go through life together no matter what we are, lovers, boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, however you wanna label it. It didn't matter when we get married. I could propose tomorrow and we could probably get married in 5 years who knows but…" I paused.
"This ring… An engagement ring would be the symbol of my allegiance and devotion to her. I don't wanna go around introducing Nessie as my girlfriend in public all the time because she's much more than my girlfriend. She's my mate. And a wife is the closest thing to a symbol of that kinda love I have for her."
Leah looked deep into my eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation but she found nothing I suppose.
"Well, you sound determined." She said.
"I am." I smiled.
"Okay, when are you looking at proposing then?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Our anniversary maybe. Maybe after graduation to appease her father from losing his head. Who knows?"
She chuckled. "All right. Well, congratulations in advanced." She said, patting my shoulder.
I laughed. "You're the only one that knows so could you keep this a secret before I'm ready to tell everyone else? I still gotta call my dad."
She nodded. "Of course,"
"Anyway, I think I should probably go dance with my…man." Leah stated, cringing at the word.
I laughed as I watched her walk away in her blue cocktail dress, dark leather jacket and heeled boots, over to Mike who she tapped on the shoulder and pulled into a hug before they began dancing together.
I smiled.
I hope this was it for Leah.
A/N: I'm back! Bet you didn't think I'd come back so soon right? Thank you for the reviews.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you enjoy where I'm taking this story. Do you have any theories and desires for this story? Let me know
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