Chapter 14

After being absent for several days, Jacob finally returned to school on Monday after the weekend. He had missed more school to tutor Embry than he had when he himself first transformed. Sam explained that some had a harder time controlling the wolf, and Jacob's quick grasp of this new life was nothing short of a miracle. Though he was eager to take the credit, he knew the stranger in the forest was the reason that the first transformation was manageable. Even now, when he was overwhelmed by his dual nature, the stranger's sweet lullaby echoed in his ears, and everything would click into place.

He couldn't admit to Sam that he was not the prodigy they all seemed to think. He kept it carefully sealed away when their minds were linked telepathically.

As Jacob prepared to leave for school that morning, Billy alerted him to interesting news. "By the way, Bella came by on Sunday," He informed him.

"Bella?" He asked.

"Told her you were out with friends." He said nonchalantly.

"Oh. I wonder what she wanted."

Billy shrugged.

As he walked into the classroom, he noticed that his classmates were looking at him curiously.

Despite his absence, he had managed to keep up with the classwork. He had spent long hours studying and completing assignments at home, and it showed. When the physics teacher called on him to solve a problem on the board, he did so with ease and accuracy.

When the bell rang, he stood up and gathered his books. As he walked towards the door, a sophomore girl he didn't recognize approached him, nervously playing with her hair.

"Uh, hey, Jacob," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Hey." He looked down at the girl. She was cute, with curly blonde hair and endearing dimples.

She seemed to have trouble vocalizing her next words and hesitated. "I was wondering if you were going to the dance on Saturday?"

He blinked in surprise. "What dance?"

"The girl's choice dance," the girl replied, her cheeks turning pink. "It's this Saturday, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

Jacob felt a little awkward. He hadn't realized there was a dance coming up, and he didn't really know this girl. But he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Um, sorry, I didn't know about dance," he said, smiling at her warmly yet regretfully. "I think I have family obligation this weekend."

The girl's face fell, and she looked away. She handed him a flyer with the details of the dance. "It's alright. Keep this in case your schedule changes."

Jacob nodded and watched as she walked away. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He wondered if Bella was going too. He stuffed the flyer into his backpack.

After he entered the hall, Bella caught up with him.

"Hey Jacob, how are you feeling?" Bella walked next to him, her dark brown hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders. Her brown eyes were filled with concern as she looked up at him, trying to gauge how he was feeling. She wore a simple outfit of jeans and a plain white t-shirt, covered by a blue coat, but somehow managed to look effortlessly beautiful.

Jacob turned to face her, trying to look surprised to see her, though he had picked up her scent from many yards away. "Oh hey, Bella, yeah, I'm feeling much better now. Thanks for asking."

Her brow furrowed, and he knew that she could tell that there was something more to his story, but didn't want to pry. "That's good to hear. I was really worried about you. Can you tell me what happened?"

He hesitated for a moment before responding. "Just something going around on the reservation. Embry got sick too."

Bella nodded, but something flickered behind her eyes. "I see..." She paused, but somehow, she didn't seem done talking, so Jacob waited.

"So you made up with Embry?" She asked.

"Yeah," He shrugged, "Guess we settled our differences."

"And Quil? Did you two make up as well?"

Jacob couldn't help but flinch at the mention of Quil. The last time they spoke, he had left him torn and confused on his driveway. Quil had tried to find him again, but he always had Billy tell him he wasn't home. Bella watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. He hoped she didn't catch him falter, but knew there was little chance of that.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Quil didn't get sick, too, did he?"

"No." He shook his head, watching her warily.

"I see." She said, her expression unreadable.

Jacob got the distinct feeling that she was up to something, and it made him nervous.

Just then, the bell rang, and he was forced to move in the direction of American History.

He shook his head to clear it. He was investigating Bella, not the other way around. So why did her knowing stare make him feel so unsettled?

Jacob entered the American History class and took a seat at his desk.

Mr. Tarwin, the teacher, announced that they would be continuing to work on the group project for the next few weeks.

"Please find your assigned partner and sit together." Mr. Tarwin instructed.

His project partner, Alice Cullen, cheerfully walked over to his desk. Jacob couldn't help but feel a little uneasy around her, especially Edward, whose captivating aura was hard to ignore.

He tore his eyes away from the beautiful male vampire. He couldn't afford a distraction right now, not when there was so much to catch up on.

"Hey, Jake! Glad you're back," Alice said with a smile.

Jacob's eyes narrowed at her beautiful pixie-like face. She seemed to be genuinely glad to see him, though he knew that couldn't be possible. He forced a smile, "Yeah, me too. What did I miss?"

Alice dove into the details of their project with her tinkling voice. It had turned into the 'Alice Cullen' project. Though he couldn't fault her for that, he was gone for half a week.

He tried to focus on the project, but he couldn't help but glance over at Edward, who was deep in thought, staring out the window. He wondered what he was thinking about.

Alice noticed his distraction, "Don't mind Edward. His partner is absent today."

A tinge of heat rushed through him with the shame of getting caught. He nodded, "Right, sorry."

As they worked on the project, Jacob couldn't help but think about Bella's earlier demeanor. She seemed to know something that he didn't, and it made him uneasy.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?" Alice asked.

Jacob hesitated before deciding to voice his concerns. "I can't shake off the feeling that Bella knows about not just—err, you folks—but me too." He said in a quiet whisper that he knew only the vampires could hear.

Alice's expression darkened, becoming guarded, "What did she say that made you feel that way?"

He took in her guarded expression. The Cullens should be easily assuring him that, like all humans in this town, she knew nothing of the supernatural creatures that resided here. But instead, she was dancing around the observation.

"She didn't say anything. It's the way she looked at me today."

She raised a perfectly sculpted brow at him. "I don't think a funny look means she knows you are a werewolf."

"It can." He said quietly.

Her eyes were cold now. "Now, if you're trying to prove we broke the treaty by telling your leader that Bella looked at you funny, then—"

He shook his head, "This isn't about the treaty."

"No?" She sang the word.

"No." Was all he said.

The air between Jacob and Alice grew tense, a palpable silence settling over the space they occupied.

Alice smiled again, but it did not reach her eyes, "Are we going to finish this project?"

As they worked, Jacob couldn't help but feel like there was still something she wasn't telling him. But for now, he decided to focus on the project and deal with his suspicions later.