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Chapter 29

To the Cinema

Bella

I was totally excited this morning and was looking forward to talking further with Angela. Besides, it was Friday and that meant ... finally weekend.

In math we were supposed to solve a double page with vector problems in groups of two. Whoever didn't finish it in the lesson had to finish it as homework. Angela had already solved the problems at home, because she had copied the wrong page numbers on the last homework double page. So I was able to copy her solutions quickly and we could talk in the back row.

Since the tasks were solved in teams of two, it was loud enough in the classroom that no one heard us.

"How did you find out then? About the wolves and about the Cullens?", Angela asked me when I copied the last vector calculation from her notebook.

"After all, I was good friends with Jake before, and we used to see each other on summer vacations because my dad and Billy often went fishing together. When I was thirteen, we played hide and seek together in the woods. I was hiding in the top of a tree and that's when I saw Sam. He was sixteen at the time and I saw him suddenly turn into a huge wolf. Of course, I ran to Billy and Charlie totally terrified. But they said I was just having a vivid imagination. But when Charlie wasn't around, Billy told me the story and that I mustn't tell anyone about it, not even Jake. And when I was back for the summer a year later, Jacob was part of the pack too. Sometimes they would let me ride on their backs," I told them, smiling as I thought of the fond memories of that time.

"Wow ... and with the Cullens? Why didn't anyone else notice ... except you?", Angela continued to ask me.

"Remember back then, that accident with Tyler and me?" I asked, and she nodded. "Tyler's car should have crushed me within seconds. But Edward, who was standing on the other side of the parking lot a second before, was suddenly next to me, stopped Tyler's truck and lifted it up so it wouldn't hurt my leg. I then did some research and asked Jake if he knew anything about it. And he then told me the legends about the wolves' enemies - the vampires. Jake is just a chatterbox," I said with a smile.

The memory of Edward seemed like years ago. Yet it was no more than seven months.

"Is it true that vampires really never sleep?", Ang asked me with interest.

"Yes. They don't sleep, they don't forget anything, they don't die, they don't eat anything," I enumerated, rolling my eyes.

The lesson went by faster than any math lesson before. In politics I handed in my essay and after that we already had lunch. Angela sat down with our little vampire-gang, as she called Alice, Jasper and Emmett.

Emmett

"Hi, Angela," we greeted her as she sat down with us.

Like Bella, she didn't seem to care that we were a bunch of blood-drinking freaks. I had told the others that Angela knew about us.

"Hi," she said a little shyly and sat down with her food between Bella and Alice.

The girls were busy talking about the world of legends, so I turned to Jasper.

"Did you find out anything from Edward or Rose?", I asked in a muffled voice.

Even though we had decided not to worry too much about it anymore, we still kept an eye out from time to time. Last night, Jasper and Carlisle went hunting and also wanted to search the area a bit to see if there were any new tracks.

"No, we searched a large area and found no new traces of them," he reported.

Jasper opened his mouth as if to say something else, but immediately closed it again.

"What is it? Other problems?", I asked.

"We're not sure. We found some fresh tracks. Carlisle said it was two of the Volturi guards, Alec and Demetri. But they were never very close to Forks or our house," Jasper revealed to me.

"What do they want here? There are five of us. They'd better not mess with us. Or ... well ... maybe they should. I really feel like having a decent fight again!", I said and was already on fire at the thought of finally having an opponent who could fight back.

"Carlisle decided to continue to keep an eye on things from afar. But we're not supposed to spy on them. Okay, Emmett?", he asked with a slightly cautionary undertone.

Which meant 'don't fuck around and keep quiet, Emmett'.

I rolled my eyes and nodded.

Man, what was the point of having such inhuman strength if you weren't allowed to use it. Of course, Jasper and I sometimes fought for fun or when we disagreed about who had won a bet. But Esmé didn't want us to hit too hard.

Bella's sweet voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Do you think that would work, Emmett?" she asked me, and Angela looked at me hopefully.

I hadn't heard a word they were talking about.

"What?" I asked.

"Angela and I thought ... Well, we could do something like a double date. She and Jake ... and me and you. To go to the movies ... tonight," she explained.

I figured something like this was coming when Bella told me that the dog had imprinted on Angela.

"Yeah, if you want, okay," I said lamely.

I didn't really feel like sitting around in the movie theater with the mutt. But I did it for Bella. As long as he didn't lick my face, I would survive.

Four of us drove to Port Angeles in my Jeep.

I would probably never get the stench of this mutt out again. But at least he behaved calmly towards me.

He sat in the back with Angela.

Bella was with me in front, leaning against my chest. I could hear her chuckling softly at times as the two of them whispered sweet nothings in the back.

Basically, I was glad that Jacob was imprinted, so at least there was no more rivalry over Bella. And hopefully now he wouldn't just barge into her bedroom when I was with her.

I looked for a parking spot and we walked across the boardwalk to the Deer Park Cinema.

The girls walked a little further in front of us and chatted.

"Why do you let Bella come to me anyway, Emmett? I mean, Edward never let her go anywhere alone...and certainly not to a young werewolf," Jacob asked me when the girls were out of earshot.

"Because Bella trusts you. And because a pack of werewolves can surely protect her just as well as we can," I answered honestly. "And Edward was just a jerk," I added.

Jacob laughed out loud.

"Ha ... you got that right, vampire! As if Bella needed twenty-four-hour protection."

"Well, little Eddie was just a little too protective," I said, quipping.

"Possessive and cheating would probably be better," he said, and a low growl was heard.

"In that case, I have to agree with you, wolf," I said, growling softly myself.

"Damn ...," Jacob began to curse softly, but could not find a word for Edward.

"... Glitter princess," I suggested.

"... Drama queen," he suggested.

And we both laughed.

Bella and Angela heard our laughter and turned around.

Bella came to me in my arms and gave me a kiss.

"What was so funny about a wolf and a vampire laughing together?", she asked amused, while we were now standing in front of the cinema.

"Nothing Belly, we just discovered a commonality," I said, patting her head.

That we both hated Edward.

The movie we went to be a comedy, and Jacob and I were heard all over the auditorium, doubling up laughing at the various scenes.

"If Jacob wasn't a smelly werewolf, I might like him," I confessed as I lay in bed with Bella, and she asked me what I thought of the evening.

She smiled, hugged and kissed me.

"That's nice! Then you'll come with me tomorrow?", she asked me.

Jacob had told her that he, Jared, Quil and Embry were going to a lake tomorrow. And if we wanted to - Angela, Bella, and even me - we could go, too. Jacob wasn't as bad as I thought, except for his stink.

"Another time, maybe. Have some fun with the puppies and Angela," I said.

Puppies was the most appropriate word, because most of them were even younger than Bella. Therefore, it bothered me quite little when she hung out with them.

Bella looked a little disappointed, but then looked forward to the next day anyway.