*Three Hours Later*
Leah Clearwater Pov
I sat in Health class, waiting for the sexual educational cable series to be over with.
The short series about teenage boys trying to bed their girlfriends or secret crushes.
The series was also about the love lives of adults. Many married couples cheat because they have midlife-crisis, and somehow end up with a much younger person than their spouse.
Television movies and show series are beyond predictable.
As a virgin it's hard for me to imagine my first with anyone in high school.
Most of these guys here are immature or rather date around instead of being in relationships, which only make sense when you're young.
I played with my butterfly necklace that Jacob bought me earlier. He smelt like honeysuckle and lavender. I smiled, closing my eyes feeling the firm hold of Jacob's masculine arms holding me this morning.
It was something I haven't felt in a long time- desire, a desire to be near him again.
Which is crazy to think about.
I'm well aware of how much Sam loves me, I just can't see myself settling for everything about him. Mainly his body, in comparison.. Sam's isn't as warm as Jacob who is more untouched with his feelings.
Yet, Sam and I study together, shop together, and even practice music.
Sam has plans to go to college in port angeles while I'm keeping my opinions open. A few weeks ago I sent out applications all over. Spokane, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, I love the idea of keeping many alternatives when it comes to college.
To imagine being anywhere but home is nerve wracking, though when the time comes- I will be ready.
I practically ran to lunch after class. The word starving has me wishing I ate two bagels for breakfast instead of one.
In a round outer circle are the tables of each athlete club in the school. The cafeteria, similar to the gymnast, was big enough to hold the entire student body.
Each day, students all ate together. Meaning unlike in other schools in America -no one skips a class to attend lunch with other friends.
Here on Reservation we had everything that needed to be had during brunch time. Non-chemical food unless it brought inside by other kids who drove to Forks for true junkie food. Ever since there was an outbreak of super hot chips, where almost every student was sent home due to stomach pain- Jacob's mother Sarah- our Principle banned unhealthy-toxic food, only to hire the city's best cooks and health forms that helps everyone stay healthy and out of the nurses office. Mostly all fruit that's in season.
The only nurse that's ever on call is my mother, who proudly took up another job and the local clinic because she was rarely here.
With that recognition I still send Jacob's mother Sarah a homemade gift box of dark chocolate to show all my appreciation and love for all she does.
The cafeteria was getting full.
I dropped my books and bag on my chair at the Lacrosse and softball team table. There are twelve players. Only during the summer season do we join Soccer competitions.
The Football and Basketball team of fifteen tables was beside ours. While the Dance and theater were a union of seventeen, just the right side of my table.
The Debate club of eight was between Dance and Football.
Safe to say that each club in La Push is divided sync, while the other teenage population who does nothing but go to class and go home are centered in the middle as if being protected by us athletes.
I didn't have to rush to the pizza line but with just the picture of banana pepper, black olives, onions, and extra cheese on a veggie slice- I had it in me to pay for the extra slice.
Yet, if I do grab extra, the yummy cup of fresh strawberry pudding could only go half eaten as I'm eyes across the line toward the homemade soft pretzel station.
"Hey?" Sam snapped me out of my foodie dilemma.
He stood behind me with a chicken caesar salad and a black-blueberry muffin already on his tray.
He eats that every day like I stuff down my veggie pizza.
"Hey, How did your test in history go?" I asked, remembering what he said last night over the phone.
"It went great. Better than I thought it would. Football is still on my mind."
"I know, college coaches on the sidelines are brutal when you're stressed." I noted.
"Yeah. You are in a better mood than this morning." He pointed out.
"I was fine. My wrist just was aching." I lied.
"Right, and I see you're wearing Jacob's birthday gift." He pointed out.
I glanced around to see if anyone heard him and just on cue my eyes locked with Jacob, who sat at his table with a banana and his mother's lasagna in a paper bag that he was clearly tempting me with.
"Looks like he bought enough for the entire class." Sam says obviously following my eyes across the room. "You can't go over there.."
"Ah why not? He brought it for me, and it's my birthday week." I say to Sam with my eyes still on Jacob's food.
"Leah, you're wearing his necklace, eating his food… it sends the wrong message."
"What are you talking about?" I say offensive.
"Jacob. He's clearly upset at me for starting the game last week. We basically lost last night because he couldn't keep up." He says making my gift about himself.
"He did great at last night's game. You were the one who fumbled the ball in the end."
"I don't want to talk about it, Leah."
"You brought it up, butt-head!" I almost snapped.
"Those gift's are to mess with me, not to please you." He says accusingly.
"Sam, what does Jacob's birthday gift have to do with football? Make it make sense." I started staring at him so completely lost.
"Leah, trust me. He's just trying to get under my skin. Trying to prove he has money when he doesn't."
"You are being ridiculous. None of us has money." I pointed out. "Why do you think everything in this school is free?"
"Not true. Your father and mother have money. Parents both make a good amount of money. They just don't brag about it." He stated.
I took another glance at Jacob, who was now engaging in a conversation with one of his teammates.
"We all know that I work at the mall, maybe I can start a go fund me for college. You could make it a big deal for the football team too. Stop trying to create a fight over nothing because you are stressed out."
"No, charity cases get funded big with sports, Leah." He said in the most uninterested tone ever.
"Look, I don't talking about this. So, can you do me a favor and grab my veggie pizza- I will be right back." I say tapping Sam on his arm.
"Come on, Lee. He clearly knows how lasagna is your favorite- he's messing with us."
"Sammy, relax. It's just food. Sarah probably told him to bring it. I will be right back." I turned not waiting for another word from him.
Not noticing me coming towards him, Jacob continues to talk.
It wasn't until I got closer and stood beside him that his teammate who had long black hair and light brown eyes looked at me.
He gave Jacob a nod to look over then put his head down to eat.
"Hey, Black."
Jacob turned in his chair to grab a brown paper bag from his lap. "Hi. You didn't think I'll forget ya, huh? Lucky for you the lunch lady allowed me to use the oven."
"You already gave me a gift this morning, plus my birthday isn't until tomorrow."
"I know, but this year is your last year of high school. I want to make it special."
"Why?" I was confused.
"I told you already, Leah. You are important and I want to show you that." He says unwrapping the food.
I smiled with glee at the food, sitting beside him.
"Hey, no girls." Jared Cameron yelled my way.
"Shut up." Jacob and I both said at the same time.
Jacob took the tin-pan all the way out of the bag sitting in front of me.
Steam came out as he lifted the lid.
"Nice and warm." He smiled.
"Please, thank your mom for me." I say grabbing his fork, not caring that he ate off it.
He chuckled. "She didn't make this, I did."
I instantly took a bite. "Liar." I mumbled through the food.
He chuckled again. "Seriously. I prepared it last night then put it in the oven this morning."
Chewing down to the last, I picked up another bite to be sure.
Sure enough, black olives were cooked in.
Similar ingredients, but his lasagna was almost better than his mothers. Certainly better.
"Oh my- seriously. This is awesome." He laughed as I tried my best not to spit. "You made this by yourself?"
He rolled his eyes. "No, my pet cat helped me with it." He mocked.
I laughed, shaking my head, taking another huge spoonful.
"Slow down, Clearwater. You'll constipate yourself." He jokes.
"Haha, so funny I forgot to laugh." I wiped my mouth with my hand.
"Here." Jacob took a napkin from the table to wipe my lips.
I froze as he did so gently.
"It's messy if you get it everywhere." He smiled then touched the corner of my mouth with his thumb.
Something he has never done before.
"You know, you're cute when you eat?" He flirted and I instantly thought about what Sam just said.
"Are you messing with me?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.
Jacob stared behind me then dropped the napkin.
"You better go. Your boyfriend is heading this way." He said then started talking to his teammate again.
"Leah? Are you done?" Sam asked and I quickly grabbed my lasagna as he held my pizza.
I stood up and walked towards my table without another word to Jacob.
Sam helped me with my food and I gave him a kiss on his cheek before he left to eat at the same table as Jacob, just down the opposite end.
He is a good boyfriend. He tries and to me, a trying boyfriend is way better than a boyfriend of ignorance.
It couldn't just be me reading into things with Jacob, but the lines of friendship have blurred.
First he makes me a necklace. Gift.
Second, he cooks me food. Generosity.
Third, he touches my lip with his thumb. Skin contact.
Fourth he flirts with me. Playful teasing.
Those are all signs of being more than my friend. Each single move he made today was as if he felt complete and uppermost affection for me. As if Sam had no position.
I have to be reading too much into this, right?
I glanced over at Jacob, who was already looking at me.
—-
*Few Hours Later*
—-
Jacob Black Pov
As soon as I got home, I changed out of my school clothes.
Later is Leah's lacrosse game. My mother invited everyone in La Push to come over for Leah's born-day dinner party.
Tying the laces of my green and white sneakers, I stood up to straighten my green striped button down shirt, then pulled the ankles of my dark blue jeans down.
In my pocket was a letter I wrote this morning in English class.
I have to tell her about my feelings. Feelings that I've felt since the day she came over to apologize to Rachel.
Since that night in my kitchen, watching her eat and talking about nothing- I've been fantasizing about kissing her.
I dreamed about her kissing me plenty of times, I just now need to make it a reality.
Like a fruit, I want to be the sweetest sour of saps on her lips and tongue.
"Jacob, Isabella is at the door for you." Rachel calls out.
I turned fast, hitting my table lamp, knocking it to the floor.
Bella, another friend since diapers, is someone I once had a crush on.
She isn't Quileute, but her father just so happens to be the Sheriff and a close friend of my dad's.
Bella is older than me, and each holiday and school break she goes to Forks to visit Charlie who lives alone. He never remarried after her mother divorced him.
"What?" I yelled back confused as if I hadn't heard my older sister to give myself more time to straighten up my shift collar.
"You heard me. Get out here before I let her in." She called back and I straightened my shirt to keep it from looking wrinkled. I glanced in the small mirror above my desk near the door.
Rushing down the hall towards the front room, it didn't take me long to race past Rachel and out the door.
"Bella?" I greeted, with the front door behind me.
She laughed. "Hi, Are you busy? I can come back."
"Nope. No need. When did you get to town? How's Phoenix's? How's your mom?"
Bella smiled. "I flew in an hour ago. Charlie just dropped me off. Phoenix is fine, my mom is flying up here tomorrow."
"Really? Does this mean your parents are getting back together?"
She laughed then nodded her head hysterically. "Yeah. My mom separated from her ex-boyfriend Phil months ago. I convinced her to come down for my fathers birthday."
"That's awesome. Tell her congratulations on the breakup. Maybe now she can get back together with Charlie and give him another chance." I opened my arms for a hug. She came right in, wrapping her cold arms around me. "Wow Bella, you're freezing."
She smiled, stepping back. "Yeah I know, only on the outside. I'm pretty warm and we'll have to see about my parents. Only time can tell, right?"
"Yeah, well home time loves always become great support systems. Especially for her breakups."
"I thought the same thing, my mom has been through a lot." Bella nods.
"Charlie deserves to be happy."
"Yeah, he does." She smiles. "I also met someone out here, At the library. So at least now he can officially meet charlie. He's old fashioned when it comes to courting girls."
"Courting? Yeah I can see how the late bloomer takes to the olden days." I chuckled.
She smiles happily. I can tell that this new-old guy will be her first real boyfriend.
"I'm getting ready for Leah's lacrosse game. Do you want to come?" I asked,
"Leah? Yeah, sure."
"Come on, Jacob. We are leaving in two seconds. Beck's and I can't be late to our game." Rachel yelled.
"Let's go." I say, then Bella follows behind me to moms jeep that she sometimes allows Rachel to drive.
…
*One Hour Later*
…
Leah Clearwater Pov
I ran as fast as I could.
Faster than I did when Embry's mother's dog was chasing after me this past summer.
Spinning to the ground, as long legs from the other team tripped me.
My adrenaline-serge wouldn't allow me to crash into the muddle. Instead my body thrash and struggled to break free of the other limbs that blocked the goal net.
I heard a whistle and cheering knowing it was my dad from the bleachers.
Glancing at a nearby tree, Jacob leaned up against it, and sitting on the grass beside his legs sat a familiar brown hair, wide forehead, translucent girl.
What the heck is Isabella ugly freaking Swan doing here. At my game?
"Why would he bring her here?" I say to anyone who could hear.
"Who?" Rebecca asked.
Suddenly, I practically collapsed into Kim- ramming her body hard- we tumbled to the dirt.
"Oof."
"Ow!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing Leah?" She yelled as the parents and classmates on the sidelines booed soon as the other team took over the ball.
"Get up!" Jared's voice called from the sidelines.
"Sorry, Kimmy." I say fast jumping up.
"Great job, genius! They're going to score!" Rachel yelled, rushing over to get in my face.
"Ugh!" I shoved her as I turned around. "Get out of my face."
"Come on you two. Head in the game. Go!" Angela Weber encouraged me more by pulling my arms to get back to the game.
I ran then quickly followed a loud roar of claps from the opposite side.
Students from my school booed again.
"No! Crap! They scored." Rebecca threw up her arms, she was on goal.
"Come on! We have one last chance!" Angela says positively. She just transferred in from Forks, because La Push reservation has the best Lacrosse team of the west indie high school.
"Thanks, Clearwater. Pay attention, Loser." Rachel spat.
I growled slightly, shoving her away hard, then tripped her. "How about you pay attention to the ball, egg-head." I snapped back.
She tripped but didn't fall.
"Hey?" Kim warned. She just gave me a warning glare.
"Oh, you are so lucky I'm in a good mood right now." Rachel turned to run to the ref and the ball.
"Girls. Cool it." Angela says. She towered over me a bit. My usual reserved and shy teammate was now heated.
"Time out!" Coach called and the entire team paused to look. "Clearwater, Bench."
I started to see if he was looking at me. Perhaps calling another Clearwater.
Though the coach screamed much louder. "Leah. Now."
As if streams of smoke fumed. I screamed and yelled in frustration. "UGH!" I kicked the dirt.
"Cool off." He yelled.
Just as Collin Littlesea handed me a towel, I flopped down on the bench.
Great! Now I'm a bench-warmer.
As the whistle blows for the game to start back up again. I ignored it all.
"Leah?" A warm muscular body sat beside me. "What happened?" He asks calmly. So calm it was like he was asking me for a pencil.
I sighed. Bouncing my knee up and down. Already feeling the water in the counter of my eyes.
"Hey." Jacob put his huge palm on my knee. "It's alright, Leah. It's okay to get heated during a game. You had the ball and if Kim hadn't lost her footing she wouldn't have been in your path, then you could have had the goal. It's fine. Accidents happen." He says, and I tried my best to shake the tears away.
He didn't need to see me cry.
"Why are you here anyway?" I snapped at him. "Bringing your girlfriend to piss me off."
"No. It's not like that. She's not my girlfriend- you know that."
"No, I don't."
"I"m only here to support you because I cared about you. You don't have to be jealous." He put his hand on mine.
I stood up fast. "Just leave me alone. You have no idea what you're talking about. This was my game. If your idiot sister hadn't gotten in my face I would have won the game." I snapped at him.
"Leah-"
"No. Just go."
Why was I so mad at him?
He wasn't the problem. It wasn't his fault I couldn't stay cool or focused.
"Lee, Lee?" Sam called, jogging toward me.
"He still calls you that?" Jacob says behind me.
"No. Go home Sam." I ordered. "You both are getting on my nerves."
"Lee, everything will be fine. It's just a game." Sam pressed. I shoved him just as he came in my face.
"Shush. Just leave me alone."
As fast as I could, I ran towards the school gym.
It didn't take me long to get into the girls locker room.
Unsurprisingly pain shot through my wrist.
I growled.
Perfect timing.
I asked to play the game and now that I failed to win- my wrist decides to ache.
I kicked my locker hard. Making a dent, then the door popped open.
I dropped down on the locker room bench and a white envelope hit the floor.
I narrowed my eyes confused.
Not seeing the envelope before I went out to my game.
I picked it up from the floor.
Someone clearly had sneaked this into the locker room while I was in the game.
Opening it as if it wasn't a licked slide.
Inside the paper had blue lines and ripped sides like someone tore it right from their notebook.
Clearly it was from a student here.
In the middle of the top of the page read my name.
Leah.
Hey. If I don't get to see you before your game I just wanted to say good luck. You are the best lacrosse player I know- don't tell Rebecca or Rachel-
For a gift I made you a necklace. Nothing special. I think in all our life I never gave you something girly, but I have thought about it. More than you would think.
Anyway, have fun today. I adore you deeply. You deserve the goal.
Sincerely, you're good friend Jacob.
Happy Birthday- knock them dead.
Fifth- A love letter. He wrote his feelings down, genuinely and clearly.
Nothing today was in my head at all.
"Leah?" Her perfect hair bounced and walked over to me.
"Emily?"
"Hi, cousin?"
I smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"It's your birthday." She noted.
Emily Young. My favorite cousin and closest friend.
As children, we were almost inseparable.
"Tomorrow." I clarified.
It wasn't until our freshmen year of high school that we grew apart. She started dating an older guy near Makah Bay, and said goodbye to anyone else. She was obsessed with that guy. I never caught his name, as Emily always expressed that it was a secret. It all had been a secret for three whole years.
"Clearwater?" My coach came from behind the locker.
I jumped up as if I was still on the field. "Yes?"
With his copper skin, and curly cut hair similar to his younger brother's Quil, he glanced at Emily.
"Hi. I just came to tell her to get her head back in the game." Emily batted her eyelashes.
Coach nodded once then looked at me.
"Clearwater, I'm giving you one chance. Ten minutes before the end. Don't lose your head again. Got it?"
I smiled, "Yes! Thank you, Coach. I got it."
He nodded then turned his head back outside.
I half ran- then stopped abruptly to hand Emily Jacob's letter. "Hey, can you put this in my locker? I'll meet you after the game." I handed it to her. "Don't read it, I'll explain it to you later."
"You got it." She smiled while taking the letter.
I then wiped my face with my shirt, then ran back outside.