Leah Clearwater Pov
….
*Fall of Junior High*
…
"I wasn't saying it wasn't impossible, I was only saying that I wish she could be more passionate about the arts and theater, like I was. All she does is shop. It's not healthy that the only friends she has are the children of our friends. She's too satirical when it comes to other children her age. She puts them down and worries too much about the clothes everyone wears. Not to mention whenever she does stay inside, she is constantly up in that room doing -heavens knows what. You have to guide her, not enable her bad habits or she'll be alone for the rest of her life or worse- she becomes Mrs. Sam Uley. I don't trust that child, his spirit hasn't been safe since his father abandoned him."
... My mother has this idea that I'm too much of a teenager who she does not know or is able to control, which scars her deeply. She blabs on and on about what she hates most then tries to disguise it with worry. She hates my best friend Sam and believes I'm lost in life.
My father sees through it all … I know..
The last thing I remember him doing the other day was to chuckle, then reply to her nonsense…
"There are things that most aren't handled to control, Sue. There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls. Let her be. In her own time, she will find what's important to her. Not all cubs are alike, allow her to grow, and she will surprise you."
My father is like no other. He is more supportive and actually values my feelings. Not to mention he sees the truth of things instead of trying to bend them as he wants.
I rather sit in my room, alone by myself and breathe easier than be suffocated by my mother.
My room is the only place I can draw my clothing designs, and fantasize of having my own fashion line -all the while listening to music alone at any volume.
I am nothing like my mother, she may have given birth to me but my little brother Seth is her cardboard copy- not me. He's into artist stuff, old films and video game landscapes. He'll just maybe grow up to direct video-game-movies then act in them. I'm happy about that fact. I would never want to be an actress, even though I like music- all it would be for me is a hobby.
If I was like my mother- I would be miserable too, living a life I never truly wanted. She always wanted to move to California to start a career as a film star. Since her young childhood of school theater she had a passion for acting.
Too bad her parents forced her into nursing, then pressured her to marry my father.
As a result of never living her dream, my mother became a mildly bitter semi-housewife who suffers in silence.. I refuse to be anything of the sort.
The first time my parents ever disagreed on something outside of school, was the day Sam Uley asked me to go to the movies with him.
Sam has a consequential 'honest man' personality even though he's just a boy. All his life he's been very polite about everything, even on his bad days. I preferably call him butt-head whenever he says anything remotely idiotic, how I'll one day get so bored with lacrosse and become some boring housewife.
Some days I would climb out my window, down a ladder to catch fireflies with Sam. We haven't done that in years, and if i'm being truthful, ever since he joined the junior football team he's been quiet on our phone calls.
He always joked that we would go on a road trip to remember simpler times, before we entered high school just in case we one day felt the shift of peer-pressure from our peers.
Safe to say, it will never happen.
Sam turned sixteen seven months ago, and for his born-day I painted a picture of him fishing at the first beach alongside Steven Tyler.
'Aerosmith' is Sam's favorite band, while 'The Cure' is mine.
I can only hope to go see both bands live with Sam one day, we talk about it all the time.
Sam is almost in all of my classes at school.
When I got my school schedule two months ago, Mom was upset.
"She's too young for boys. School is more important. Theater class will take her far." She always tried not to raise her voice, though she was embarrassed to even think about it. Fifteen is not too young to date. My father was more open-minded about anything I wanted to do.
Fifteen is too old to be going along with everything your mother says, even when reality makes it clear that it's overprotective to isolate your child from everything in the world.
Everything except for whatever it is that she wants me to do. Like taking up acting instead of hanging out with Sam or going to parties and dances.
My mother believes families around the reservation would think I was becoming too adult or grown up. Not a respectable way to think of a young gal so sophisticated as me.
My father always made sure to tell my mother that… "Everything will be fine. Not to worry. Sam is a smart kid. It's only puppy love. Leah will never forget what is truly important, and that is getting into a great college."
My parents are great friends with Sam's family.
At first Sam and I were only friends… until he decided to take it upon himself to kiss me.
I never saw him as a kissing friend, but he's the only one who has stepped forward to do so.
To that surprise, he wasn't my first ideal choice.
Paul Lahote was just a slight thought when I was younger.
During a sleepover at my classmate Kim's house, she secretly told me that Paul had a crush on me and I couldn't tell anyone that she told me.
So I asked Rebecca Black's advice and she decided we all play truth or dare, in which she dared Paul to kiss me.
It was surprisingly not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was almost better than Sam's first kiss. It was better than Sam's first kiss.
Sam was upset to hear about the dare Rebecca made Paul do.
That sleepover was life changing like most, so much more happened to everyone individually that night.
As we all grew older and started worrying about more important things, the kiss was never brought up again.
In my opinion Paul was just a mean jerk that lived a few houses down the road, who secretly had a good heart. He never showed any interest in me other than only being his best friend's girlfriend.
Paul's loyalty even at our age is admirable.
Even so, nothing more ever happened between Paul and I than a walk home in the rain to help Sam catch fish by the river.
At that same river, Rebecca and her twin sister Rachel also went fishing with their younger brother Jacob. Their parents, Sarah and Billy Black was always with them.
Rewinding to the day I accidentally spilled pink paint across Rachel's overdue sea water blue aquarium project that she happened to be turning in late to our teacher. I apologized five times and clearly to her, it wasn't enough.
Of course she never got off it.
When the time came Rachel loudly and proudly announced that she thought Paul was cute, staking her claim for everyone to see.
No one really cared.
It was during my fourth grade student play, where I acted as Cinderella's mean step sister alongside the actual mean girl Rachel who made it clear she wasn't a fan of mine.
Rachel had wanted me to quit so she could have the spotlight. She even hid my costume one hour before the curtains opened. Did I care? Not one bit. Yet, I loved hating her guts. I made sure to put honey in the shampoo bottle she kept in her bag, and put flour inside her blonde wig she had to wear as the other evil stepsister.
Even though Rachel's best friend Kim played Cinderella, Sam decided to lay a big-one on me in front of the entire school and their parents… in that moment Rachel mumbled 'You're aching sucks Clearwater' and too her surprise- so did her lumbering waltz down Cinderella's fake wooden staircase that her father Billy built by hand himself.
He must also hate his daughter.
"Oh my goodness!" A parent exclaimed as Rachel's thin, bony butt crashed face first into the most synthetic bush that Embry Call's mother could get her shopaholic hands on. It was the prickly and ugliest too. She did a fantastic job with its placement.
'Job well done , job well done.' I smiled to myself.
I laughed so hard I snorted like a pig.
"Leah?!" Both my parents said loudly as I couldn't keep my laughter at bay.
Yes, I literally fell down laughing hysterically when Rachel tumbled to the floor.
My parents were so embarrassed, while I was elated.
Rachel Black finally got what she deserved.
Paul glared down at me, shaking his head. Even in the school play he played Sam's prince charming best man.
Just as the lights in the school gymnasium switched on, I pulled myself together.
Rachel ran to her father's arms and standing beside him was Jacob Black- Rachel's brother- surprisingly smirking at me.
It was as if he was telepathy saying 'job well done'.
Just as he turned to leave with his family, a twist in my wrist ached and I ignored it with a smile on my face.
"Can we go home now?" I ask, picking myself off my knees then Seth, my kid brother, offers a hand.
I took it. "Thanks, bud."
"No problem. You were good."
"Thanks."
"Good change. We'll be in the car." Mom says in her very judgy high horse tone.
I watched my family leave.
"Wow, I hate to see what Rachel is going to do to you now." Jared Cameron's says to me, giving Paul a playful shove off the stage.
"Hopefully canceling all the other plays for the rest of the year, it certainly would be nice." I stated.
I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't hurt my wrist a week ago at my Lacrosse game. The team had won the game, but I still felt like the loser who had to sit on the sidelines.
"Hey?" Sam said proudly and I turned around to see his clip on tie hanging sideways.
"Sorry I pushed you." I say, mentioning the kiss he gave me earlier.
"No, no, it's okay. I should have asked for your permission first." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, it's alright. I probably would have done it anyway."
"Really? You would have kissed me first?" He asked.
No, but let's not hurt his feelings too much.
"Sure. I still remember that day you knocked Paul chocolate chip cookies out of his hand, just for calling me a prima-donna." I say.
Sam smiled. "He was being mean, and I don't even know what that is." He narrowed his eyes confused for a second.
"My dad says it is like another word for diva." I noted.
"Oh." He nods slowly making it clear he had no idea what the heck that is either.
"Well, I should go. These clothes are itchy." I told him.
"Oh, alright. Have a goodnight." Sam said and I faked a smile.
Pretty sure a goodnight is what I wasn't going to have.
My mother is team Rachel when it comes to our miniature cat-fights.
Sam then tried to kiss my lips and I turned my cheek to catch them.
"Call you tomorrow." I say fast, patting his shoulder, then turning away.
He actually acted better than he kissed.
"Wow, Leah." Quil Ateara says, jumping down from the pretend balcony onto the stage.
"Yes…" I say.
"Pretty alien, even for you."
"You don't say?"
"Anyway, you did good tonight. Bette Davis would sing praises."
"Who?" Sam mumbles from a far.
Quil giggled. "Some old actress my mother is obsessed with."
"I hate acting." I made it clear. "If I never do it again- I'll die a happy old woman in her bed.
"Yeah, but you're sorta good at it. Even my best bud Jacob came to see you, and he never leaves the house for these types of things."
"You don't say…" I smiled again re-picturing Jacob's smile. "All I know is that I hate acting, but I'm glad to have an audience."
He smiles weirdly at me. "Still, you were funny before Rachel's fall. Afterwards was kinda mean."
I sighed. "Look, If I'm miserable doing this imagine what the kids who need the credits feel. I'm doing everyone a favor."
"My mom once said if you do something with pain- it's going to be beyond great. If you do something out of love- you're bound to mess it up."
"Sounds dumb." I say back.
"No. It's just how the milky way works. You're in pain from not being able to play lacrosse. Rachel fell because she was worrying too much about everything being perfect."
"Talk about billions of emotions that I go through each time the drama team posts a form or flyer."
"High school is only four years. Four years mean a dozen more plays." Quills says.
"Nice. Lucky your mother doesn't force you into the theater."
"Of course not. I like it on my own." Quil smiles.
"Well, Do you think I wear tan tights just to look thin? This all is hideous." I say taking my hair out of the ponytail it was in.
"QUIL?!"
We both jumped out of the conversation to see Embry Call jog from behind the backstage curtain.
"Do you need a ride, man? My moms is out front." Embry asked him.
For as long as I can remember, Embry, Quil and Jacob have been best pals.
Quill's grandfather calls them 'the three musketeers'.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Catch you later Leah."
"See-ya."
…..
*Twenty Minutes Later*
…
"You embarrassed Rachel and us tonight." Mom glanced back at me from the front seat.
Dad, like always, was driving.
"I'm very pleased with myself. You should be as well. I knew all of my lines." I noted with a sarcastic grin.
"Leah, you will apologize." She demanded.
I scrunched up my face in the worst possible stink face I could master.
"On this planet? Very unlikely." I replied.
"Leah?" Mom threatened a warning.
She clearly lost her mind. Perhaps Dad will help her find it.
"How does it feel to be one of many to believe that earth is the only planet that can sustain life?" I say look dad in his eyes through the rear-view mirror.
"I'm sure the good book doesn't mention any other great balls of gas and liquid." Dad responded.
The good-book included the 'Torah, 'the Quran, and 'the Bible. None I truly ever read.
"No mention of dinosaurs either." My little brother Seth noted.
I laughed. "Good golly, we have to crack that thing open."
"So, the others are made up..?" Seth asked, I nod.
"It's a possibility." Dad shrugged nonchalantly.
"Possibly no space either, huh?" I suggested.
"I'm not touching that." Seth turned to look out his window.
"Stop it." Mom practiced snapped in a low whisper. "What you did was shameful. Shameful." She says to me, I rolled my eyes,
"Hmm, and how does it feel to have such a disgrace as a daughter. You must be ashamed of yourself, now. Huh?" I mocked her.
"Ah a bit too close to the edge there, little cub." Dad smiles with a warning to not to be disrespectful.
"Did you not hear what she just said to me?" I whispered to him.
"Leah." Mom stated. "You are going to apologize. It's the right thing to do. Right, Harry?"
"No way." I almost yelled.
"Yes..- way. Either you apologize to Rachel Black or you will not be attending the spring dance with Sam Uley."
I hate when she calls everyone by their first and last name. It's annoying.
"You will apologize, tonight."
"What? Dad?" I called for him to help.
"Sorry kiddo. I'm staying out of it now." He says.
"Why? Will you be the shameful fisherman with a topless pot? Clearly she will hit you with a low blow threat too." I wanted to snap at him.
"Leah! I promise you- with this road that you are skipping down- It is mighty lonely. Not even your father will poke his head in." Mom warned.
"Jeez, I shudder to think of all the snot-nosed losers I won't have to impress down that short corner of misery. Oh boy, how would I survive? Oh wait! Let's join a play and sing the circle of life." I yelled.
"You see? She is un-fixable now. She has this irritability to speak each and every word with a mockery of what–"
"Hon- let's all calm down. It's been a long evening. We are all tired, hungry and in need of a restroom. Alright?" Dad says quickly, grabbing moms hand, kissing her knuckles.
I rolled my eyes. It was clearly his way of shutting her up.
Something that was very hard for her to do at times like this.
"For your information- in order for me to be un-fixable- I have to be broken, and I am no recorder player for you to tune up and force me to play. I have my own mind." I noted.
"We are well aware of that, Lee Lee, alright? Mom just … misspoke." Dad tried to defend her.
"Don't engage, Harry." Mom warned in a soft tone. "She only wants you to side with her."
"I'm Switzerland." Dad announced.
I sighed. "Sap." I mumbled under my breath.
"Hey- Do you want me to take this four-door to Billy Black's dirt road?" He threatens and I roll my eyes.
"Sorry, okay?" I spoke. More towards him than to her.
"Yes, you are going to need to say it just like that except with more sympathy." Mom says twisting in her seat enough to grab her purse from the car floor. "All I need now is to stop at the mini-shop for a lemon meringue pie."
"Right, because nothing says 'Hi, sorry my daughter almost died of laughter when your daughter plumbed face first into some plastic weeds. -But hears a cheap pie because I can't cook." I joked.
Dad and Seth burst out laughing.
"Hey, you are on thin ice young lady." Mom snapped glaring back at me and I shut my mouth fast, pretending to zip it.
"No one is going to eat the pie." Dad announced.
"Of course they will. Billy Black loves sweets." Mom argued.
"Objection. He loves homemade baked cakes, not pies." Dad corrected her.
"Well, as his dear old friend, it's your job to convince him to like it." Mom stated.
Dad laughed. "You can't convince someone else's taste-buds."
With the only late evening mini-shop in town that has baked goods- it was 'La Push Quills' which Quil Ateara V family owns.
"Sit tight. I will be right back." Mom says not glancing at me, though it was clear she didn't want me jumping out of the car to walk home.
When the car door shut I leaned towards dad.
"Why must you let her do this to me?"
"You laughed, kid. Part of acting in a school play is acting as if nothing is funny- even when it is."
"Dad?"
"Just apologize."
"Dad?"
"Don't make me bribe you." He says with a huge, wide, hidden grin.
I laughed.
"Fine."
"Good talk, now hush up before your mother catches on to your pleasantries."
"I think I want some pie." Seth muttered, which had me and dad laughing hysterically.
My small smile showed just a tiny bit, as mom finally came out of the store with a brown square box.
Dad reached over to push the passenger door open for her.
"Leah, you wouldn't believe who I saw in the bakery." She says sitting in her seat.
"Jeez, who?" I mocked, trying to sound gleeful.
"Your sarcasm is beneath you." Mom sang in a not so admiring way.
"No. Apologizing to the meanest girl on the reservation is beneath me." I say back.
"At least if you apologize you won't be known as the reservation neanderthal."
"Sue!" Dad says in a 'she has gone too far' tone.
"What?" She says.
"Just stop." Dad spoke in a hush tone.
"I would love to-
"Then please, do us all a favor and do it." He says and I wonder if they were fighting a silent battle I did not know of.
Dad is more funny and joking, then the serious guy.
"Fine." Mom said fast towards dad who started driving again.
We were back on the road again.
"Ugh! Why aren't we home yet?" I moaned.
Driving down my dad's best friend Billy Black long driveway, I instantly felt sick.
I was going to have to apologize for something I actually did, and have no pinch of regret towards.
My mother is the worst to do this to me.
She couldn't just let it go.
"Now, before you knock on the door, pull your hair back so people can see your face. Then they'll believe it was truly you."
The car came to a stop.
"Dad do I have too?"
"Yes." Mom says and I didn't bother to look dad's way. I knew he would agree to disagree, silently.
"You do know I did nothing wrong." I argued.
"I digress. Imagine if it was you who was embarrassed in front of the entire reservation. Wouldn't you want someone to apologize to you?"
I laughed.
"As if, it's not like I tripped her. So why am I getting punished?"
"Kiddo, come on. The football game starts in twenty minutes, I'd like to buy fish and chips on the way home. Alright?"
"Well why do I have to apologize with pie now? Can I buy her a gift-card to her favorite shopping center?"
"Yes, and maybe a bit more." Dad says, which happens to be code for .. 'Leah, I'll take you to the mall where you can buy anything you want if you just please, please do what your mother asks so we can hear the end of it.
"Fine." I breathed, taking the stupid pie from mom pushing open the car door, rushing out.
He better buy me four pairs of Converse sneakers, all different colors for apologizing for something that wasn't my fault.
Quickly walking towards a small wooden home with narrow windows, the dull red paint making it resemble a tiny barn- I wonder how two teenage girls share one bathroom with their younger brother and parents.
The last time I last saw the Black family here was when Rachel and Rebecca had a fourteen birthday dance at school. Their mom Sarah was the school principal, though they never seem to have enough money for anything.
Billy, their father, is a carpenter. Last week I overheard Rebecca bragging to the swim team that her father and little brother Jacob were talking about fixing up their land to do things that will earn them more money.
It's been a few days since I've seen Rebecca's little brother Jacob aside from at the play. Rumor at school is he's pretty smart but the football coach threatened to kick him off the team if he didn't bring his History and Literature grades up to B's.
Slowly moving up the three small wooden steps to the Black family's porch. I felt like running away.
The last time I was at this house was for Rebecca and Rachel's party where they had a live DJ here weeks ago. It was pretty fun. In the gift bags were SPA-dates. Of course I was invited as a favor for my mother who had pulled the pity-loner-daughter-card which tickled Mrs. Sarah heartstrings.
The sleepover was short when a night of pranks turned into a dare of hair cutting. Save to say tears ran, and I ran even faster home because I knew I would get blamed. I have never been back here since.
With dem light from inside, I glanced at the windows that we shield with tan colored curtains. The nighttime has this place looking more cozy than usual.
To my ten year old self, inside was nothing but a torture house that held the start of my social suicide reputation as a loner.
Knocking on the door as quickly as I could, it slowly cracked open.
Peeked out from behind the door was a familiar long, glossy black hair, silky-russet-colored skin Jacob.
I remember his brown eyes laughing with delight tonight at school. "Leah?'
The kid brother of Becks was not so small up close anymore, I'll have to remind her of that.
Instead he was as tall as me, and was as buff as my dad who loved hiking since he was a teenager.
In fact the not so yet teen in front of me wasn't even yet my age. He was only thirteen and cute. Wearing dark blue jeans, black sneakers and a plain white-t.
"Uh is.. Your sister here?" I asked, forgetting to think.
He chuckled quickly pushing the front door open wide. "Which one?"
Jacob took a step closer towards me.
I scratched my hair glancing back at my parents' car. "Rachel?"
I barely see him in school. We don't have the same classes, and mostly won't ever.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Well you remember how in the play Rachel had fallen and I laughed?"
He smiled remembering, but only nodded.
"She got embarrassed, which isn't my fault but my mom forced me to apologize tonight anyway, and my mom brought her a pie." I said as fast as I could hoping he caught it all.
"Okay, um well no one else is here. Everyone went out to grab dessert ironically." He stated.
"You're here by yourself?"
He chuckles. "I'm not five. Besides, the only reason I was at that play was because my after school tutoring class let out early."
"Right." I say glancing back at my parents' car.
"Maybe you should come in." He suggested.
"Why?" I am confused.
"Well if you want it to seem like you actually apologize- you should step inside so your parents can't tell that no ones home." He said that like a true genius.
"Right." I nodded as he took a step back into his house and I followed.
Looking around, the living room seems a bit bigger than I remembered. The couch faced away from us and on the television was a football game pre-show..
Jacob shut the front door gently.
The house smelt like spaghetti or lasagna.
"Whose playing?" I asked about the game.
"The Sea-hawks and The Broncos." He says taking a step closer, and I can smell garlic bread on his lips.
"Are you hungry?" He asked and I looked into his eyes, not realizing I was staring at his mouth.
"Sure." I struggled remembering his mother's cooking.
Sarah Black was amazing with preparing food. Unlike my mom who watches the food channel like a soap-opera, yet never uses any of the lessons on making a meal.
Following him into his tiny kitchen, Jacob walked over to a glass bake-ware with lasagna.
I smiled so big. "Sweet. Lasagna. My favorite."
"Yeah, it's Rachel's favorite too." Jacob says, and I gave him a stink-face-expression.
"Great." I say sarcastically.
Jacob grabbed a red bowl, then scooped three big spoons full of lasagna.
"Thanks, but won't your family be mad that we are eating the food before dinner?"
"It's no big deal. Mom made two pans." He noted pulling out a chair for me to sit beside him.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He says casually and I wondered if he did a lot of nice things for people, especially girls.
"Do you.. Have a girlfriend or something? You seem more than nice."
Jacob looked around with his eyes confused. "What do you mean?"
I sat down. "I don't know… I'm like one of your sister's biggest enemies… you should be mean to me."
Jacob chewed his food then shook his head. "No, I don't think that's how it works."
"Huh?" I was confused, finally taking a huge bite of lasagna.
Like a party to my taste-buds, I closed my mouth and moaned.
"Mmmm, yum." I breathed. "This is soooo good!" I exclaimed in complete joy. "I love your moms cooking."
Jacob laughed. "Me too."
"I wish my mom knew how to cook."
"She can bake pretty good sometimes." He commented.
"Yeah- though her pies has nothing on your moms lasagna." I took another huge bite. "Do you think she'll adopt me?"
Jacob laughed. "Yeah sure. I'll ask her."
I laughed while trying to chew.
Jacob smiled at me and a thought hit me. "Hey, this is pretty much the first time we talked."
Jacob shook his head. "No way."
I disagree with a head nod. "Yeah- I mean we spoke hi and bye- but never- you know.. talked."
Jacob went quiet for a moment. "I guess because you're older… we have different friends."
"I guess. Though our parents have been friends for a long time."
He nodded. "True."
I took another bite of food.
"Where is Seth?" He asked about my little brother.
"In the car. He didn't want to stay at home with the babysitter."
"Babysitter?"
"Yeah- um.. You know Charlie Swan's daughter says she wants to move in with him. She's my age but she went back to Phoenix with her moms."
Jacob nodded. "Oh."
Suddenly there was a knock on his front door.
"I should get going. My dad wants to get home to watch the game soon."
"Yeah, I can see that. Your family's been waiting in the car a bit long, huh?"
"Not really." I laughed following Jacob to his front door.
Just as he reached for it it swung open and two boys came flying in.
Embry was the slender one, who was almost as tall as Jacob except had black chin-length hair parted down the middle.
Quil was more masculine and tall. His brown eyes, dark skin, black hair, and a buzz cut smiled at me because he literally just saw me.
"Leah? We could have given you a ride over."
"Yeah, Jake, why didn't you tell us Leah was coming over?"
"Ah, we didn't know. My mom made me come to apologize to Rachel for laughing at her earlier."
Embry laughed. "Why? You didn't push her. I was there. I saw her fall into that tree."
Jacob laughed.
"Not a tree. A shrub or whatever. It was fake." I say clearly.
Quil laughed.
"Rachel is too jealous to be nice to you Leah. You made fun of her twice. Remember the sleepover party?" Embry says.
I rolled my eyes, shoving him out of my way. "Ugh. I'm going home."
Racing out of the house fast I jumped off the porch.
Expecting to hear the door slam, I glanced back still holding the bowl of lasagna in my hand.
Jacob pushed Embry and Quil into his living room then looked my way.
He didn't say anything, just gave me a 'sorry' look.
He was just as embarrassed of his friends as I was to know them.
Getting to the car, I climbed in then shut the door.
Through the window Jacob was still standing there staring.
What was his deal?
Why won't he just go back inside?
"Everything alright, kiddo?" Dad asked and I nodded, not taking my eyes off of Jacob.
"Was he planning his game?" Seth asks.
I shook my head no.
"Wow, little Jacob Black isn't so tiny anymore." Mom says looking towards the house. "He's growing up so fast." She adds.
"Tell me about it." I mumbled under my breath as dad drove away from the house.
Jacob Black has gotten cuter. I laughed more tonight in those seconds with him than I have in days. He's funny.
He's kind and polite. Could Jacob and I be friends after tonight? Not just family friends either.
It's strange that I wonder when the next time I'll see him.
I'm glad Rachel wasn't there. Pretty sure if she was, I wouldn't have been offered food.
If Embry or Quil ever mention seeing me at the Black family home to anyone, I'll claim temporary insanity.
Tomorrow night is another play, but I'll most likely have my understudy handle everything.