Chapter 24

Your back beneath the sun
Wishin' I could write my name on it
Will you call when you're back at school?
I remember thinkin' I had you
—August, Taylor Swift

Bella

Emmett and Seth's quick exchanges of humor had me laughing all the way to Port Angeles. A far bubblier mood took me over by the time we reached the mall.

Excited and chatty people moved in and out of the busy mall theater and captured by the smell of white buttered goodness wafting through the air, taking in a holiday movie seemed like the perfect plan. As we stood outside the show hall studying the posters and discussing what to see, the doors opened. A few more giggling females filed out. Emmett's and Seth's heads mechanically turned to ogle.

Please. I rolled my eyes, appalled by their behavior. Guys were so obvious about one thing.

"Hey, Emmett," said a tall, slender, tendril-haired redhead with cool, ice-blue eyes, overemphasizing the swinging of her hips as she approached him. "What a lucky day."

"Victoria." His face lit up in a ridiculous smile, exhibiting deep, happy dimples.

Annoyed, I shuffled a few more feet away to avoid talking to her and focused on the posters. The way she was drifting back and forth between Emmett and this rough biker guy named James earned her a top spot on my people-I-don't-care-to-pretend-I-like list.

"Bella," she said.

I lifted my hand, acknowledging her over my shoulder without turning to see her. I didn't welcome the pointed stare she always gave me, as if I was an insignificant ant she'd love to squash.

Seth gestured to Victoria with a tilt of his head. "I take it you don't like her very much?"

"About as I much I like cold, slimy snakes."

"Wow," he said with a small chuckle. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

"Bella, Seth," Emmett called out. "Victoria and her friends are heading over to The Rack to play some pool. What do you think?"

The Rack was a grungy pool hall located a few blocks from the mall; a place frequented by stoner types, bikers, and teenage wanna-be thugs. I didn't care for the crowd or its wild atmosphere, even though a lot of teenagers hung out there.

Seth shrugged. "Whatever. I'm up for anything."

I glared at Emmett. He knew I wasn't a fan of Victoria or her mindless followers.

"What?" he asked with defensiveness.

"This is supposed to be a reunion."

"Tell it to Jasper and Leah. I'm sure it was a bust when they blew the rest of us off. We'll all hang out together, later."

I glanced at Victoria, who stood about three feet away. She didn't smirk, but her expression was gloating. "No thanks," I said, shifting my gaze back to Emmett. "You two go on without me. I'll see a movie by myself."

Emmett squinted, letting out a low groan. "Don't be a brat, Bella."

The spark of anger inside of me flared. "I told you to go!"

"Go ahead, Emmett. Go with them," Seth said, always the gracious mediator. "I'll see a movie with Bella."

Emmett turned, gazing at Victoria, his eyes all over her figure. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, batting her lashes.

Ick. I cringed, feeling grossed out and biting my tongue to keep myself from saying the word out loud.

"We'll meet you when the movie's done," Seth said.

Another second passed. "Fine, but I'll meet you two here when the movie's over, instead. I'm not planning on staying there long, anyway," he said, beaming at Victoria as she grinned back. With the way they were staring at each other, I was guessing they'd change their plans all together.

Aggravated at the sight of Emmett reaching for Victoria's hand and strolling away with her, I said, "Let's get the tickets, Seth." I looped my hand around his arm and tugged him to the busy ticket counter. "I just don't see what he sees in her." We moved into the snack-bar line. "Rosalie was so classy. And Victoria? Well, she's just trashy."

Seth looked about to disagree.

I cut him off before he could get any words out. "Don't say it!"

The right corner of his mouth turned up knowingly, but he asked, "Say what?"

Making my voice deep and sarcastic sounding, I said, "It's a guy thing."

Seth chuckled. "I wasn't about to say that but..."

Still riled, I cut him off again. "Emmett spends all his time badgering me about the kind of girl I'm not supposed to be, but the minute one of those types bats her eyes or shakes her ass, even the best guys turn to mindless pups. Morals and self-respect? Who honestly cares?" Guys don't.

"A small buttered popcorn please, and a medium orange soda," I said to the Native American girl behind the counter.

"And I'll just have a Coke," Seth said.

She turned away from us to retrieve our orders.

"Dime-a-dozen-girls, according to Mom, and they're not my type."

"Dime-a-dozen-girls? Cheap, right?"

"Yep, and common. It's what she calls girls with terrible reputations. Damn, I'm forced to hear the lecture of how that kind of girl is worth ten cents a dozen, right along with Jacob, every time someone like that calls the house for him."

Taken aback, I blinked, wondering just how often that was.

"It would surprise you how much she hears from her quilting circle," he said.

"Well, at least she cares." Which was good to know. "And do you both listen?"

"I do." With a lecturing tone, he said, "You should, too. Emmett's only trying to protect you. I'd do the same for Leah. So would Jake." His voice dropped a little. "If she'd ever listen."

The girl behind the counter returned and handed me the popcorn and the soft drink. "Seth, it's good to see you home." She handed his Coke across the counter to him with a brilliant smile plastered on her full, natural dark-linered lips.

At first glance, she was rather plain looking, wearing her straight, light-brown-sugar shaded hair—which matched her skin tone so perfectly, she was almost one color—in a loose ponytail down her back without the slightest bit of makeup to enhance any of her features. The sparkle of her eyes when she smiled, though, brought out all her natural beauty.

I squinted. I knew that smile, flirty.

"It's good to be home," he said in a friendly tone.

Feeling oddly possessive of him, I slapped the money on the glass display counter. "I'll get it, Seth." Rushing him away, I thought to myself. The nerve! She didn't know if Seth and I were "together, together" or not.

Once seated in the cool, soft-lit theater, waiting for the movie to begin, I said, "Perhaps if you... err... Emmett." I realized I was being presumptuous. "Emmett. If he wasn't so hypocritical with his advice, commands, threats..." I trailed off, attempting to find the right words. "Or whatever it is he's trying to do. Scare me away from guys, I guess. He'd carry more credibility. Maybe then I'd listen to him."

Though I did listen to my older brother and believed his warnings about the deceitful ways and disgusting motives of some guys. Why wouldn't I? He hung with enough of them. Plus, he fit the mold of a typical male more than I cared to know; and he seemed proud of that fact.

Seth brushed a flake of popcorn from my lower cheek. "He just wants you to be wiser than the average girl."

I scoffed. "What does that mean? Like, smarter than the average bear?"

He chuckled. "See? Now you sound like Leah. I just meant better than the rest."

Pure was the term he was referring to. "Well. I'm not better than the rest." I raised my napkin and wiped my mouth. "I'm just the same." And why shouldn't I be?

Eyes doubtful, he gave a small smile. "No, you're not. Trust me, Bella. You're nowhere near the same."

Tinged with embarrassment over my lack of experience and lameness, I rolled my eyes and glanced away. "So, I don't go out with a lot of different guys. That's not a bad thing."

"Never said it was. It's actually a great thing."

I grinned away the uncomfortable compliment, trying to figure out how we went from Leah, not wanting to take advice from Jacob and Seth, to my social life, or lack of it. Hurrying to change the subject, I wondered about his dating life. "So, are you seeing anyone?"

He shifted in his seat. "Not now. I mean, I have had some girlfriends, but I'm not with anybody now."

"Still holding out for little Miss Special, I presume."

He smiled, or tried to, but it came out empty appearing. "No." Then, with a thinly-veiled faraway look in his eyes, he said, "Not anymore." I lifted my eyebrow, pressing him to continue, and he gave a quick shake of his head as if he'd just woken himself from a daydream. "It's just that the guys at my school change girlfriends like they change their shorts."

Jolting, I practically choked on the orange soda I was slurping. I slapped him on his thigh, laughing at his crude analogy.

"No lie," he said. "I'll tell you what. There's probably not a girl in the entire freshman class that hasn't been with at least one of my friends already."

"And whose fault is that?" I asked, wanting to place blame on the wandering-eyed male.

He looked puzzled. "I don't think it's anybody's fault. That's just the way it is." His face puckered, giving my question more careful thought. He followed up his answer with, "But if I had to blame someone, I'd have to say it's all those horny,boy-crazy girls' fault." He emphasized the entire last portion of his statement.

Antagonism rose inside me, and Seth burst with laughter, letting me know he was only teasing me.

"Hell. You're not happy with my gender these days. Are you?"

My angry flush switched to a duped blush. "I guess not." I grinned and nibbled on my lip in embarrassment.

"In all seriousness, though. The school is not that populated. It's way bigger than the high school in La Push. But it's not much bigger than the one in Forks. So it's easy to become acquainted with everyone and to determine quickly if you'll like any of the girls more than just a friend. After a while, it just gets stale."

"Dating gets stale?"

"Dating for the hell of it gets stale. I mean, I like certain girls, but why pretend you like them more than that if you already know your heart isn't in it?"

I couldn't agree more. "Aww. You're just a closeted romantic, aren't you, Seth?"

He grinned. "Whatever, but if anyone else gets wind of it? I'll claim you're the biggest BS'er in the world."

Chuckling, I promised not to tell.

"What about you, Bella? Anything ever happen between you and Mr. Forks Wonderful?"

I shrugged, holding my composure, so he wouldn't think the topic made me uncomfortable, and said, "That ship sailed a while ago."

The impression dawned on me, considering he referred to Jacob as Mr. "Forks" Wonderful—he had no clue about Jacob and me. Jacob said he'd tell him and never did. Why?

"And now?" Seth said, bringing me back to the conversation.

"Now? Oh. I go out sometimes. On friendly dates." I lied, ashamed about still being hung up on Jacob. "But, like you said, I know every guy in school. It's a sure wager my Prince Charming isn't among them."

I fidgeted and struggled with not asking the most important question on my mind. Half a second later, I admitted to myself that I always intended to take the conversation there the moment I embarked on the discussion. "And Jacob? Is he seeing anybody?"

"Seeing anybody?" Seth made a noise that resembled a choke or huff. "Psh, you know Jake!"

I pulled my brows together, curious. "What's that about, Seth? Why did you say Jake's name like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like... resentful or something."

"I did?" He shrugged, oblivious. The innocence of his reply convinced me there wasn't any heat behind the tone I'd thought I'd heard. "I just meant... Jake's Jake."

"Jake's Jake, the player Jake?" I asked with caution, trying to act casual, hoping my tendency to blush didn't betray me.

He answered with a shade of hesitance. "Nah, I just meant Jake's Jake. He's like a robot with only one operational program. And right now that program is to take the Regional Championship and move on to Nationals. Every girl knows he's not boyfriend material." I thought I heard some sarcasm. "But some girls love that, I suppose." He smashed the empty paper cup of his soda.

Some girls?

Lifting his eyes over my head and behind me, he whispered, "Jazz, over here!"

I turned to the right. Jasper and Leah were squeezing their way toward us.

"Dude, you made it," he said.

"Ah, sure did," Jasper said in a fake southern accent he was fond of using. "Bros before ho—" Leah slugged Jasper in the arm, glaring a warning not to finish the misogynist statement. "ly crow." He plopped down in a seat in front of us, rubbing his arm and wincing. "That hurt."

She sat down beside him. "Jasper called right after you left, and I was wishing I went, too. So, my dad brought us. We ran into Emmett as he was leaving."

As the soft lighting dimmed darker, and the previews began, I drifted back to the days when Jacob first left for California.

Over an entire week went by with no word from him. Each additional day fading past without a phone call made it harder for me to leave the house. I could glance at the cell phone a million times, seeing no missed calls, but I still felt compelled to glue myself to the home telephone, just in case. I started thinking he didn't want to speak to me and didn't know why. To say I was becoming neurotic with worry and miserably sad was an understatement. Being a lovesick zombie with no will to eat, sleep, or do anything else, I spent all my energy on giving the appearance to others and pretending to myself nothing was wrong.

If a resolute intention of leaving was all it would take for him to call, I would have done it days ago. I halted on the porch when I heard the phone ringing, waiting for someone to answer it. I overheard Emmett say, "It's about time. I was wondering what's going on... Glad to hear it... No problem... Bella?"

Practically breaking the door down, I flew back inside as he was saying, "You just missed her," ready to wrestle the receiver away from him.

"Who is it?" I blurted, witnessing the baffled look on Emmett's face.

He rolled his eyes. "Brad Pitt... Who do you think?"

Jake! Biting my lip, I held myself immobile for a partial second and took a quick breath while I reached for the telephone. Emmett turned his back to me a little, curling the phone into his chest as if he wouldn't give it up. Angered and reaching around him, I was near struggling for it when he let go, giving me a playful grin before he sauntered out of the living room and into the kitchen.

"Bella, you there?" I recognized antagonism in Jacob's tone.

"Going to Seth's," Emmett bellowed.

I waited until the back door creaked open, then shut. "I'm here, Jake."

"Emmett?"

"He just went out the back door. Is everything okay?" I asked, concerned about the strong heaviness I perceived.

"Now it is. I thought he wasn't gonna to let me talk to you."

"What did you say to him?"

"That I didn't have much time, and I called to talk to you. He tried to tell me you weren't home."

"I wasn't. I mean, I was leaving to the library when I heard the telephone ringing."

"Well, it's a good thing I caught you, 'cause I'm not sure when I could call you again." He apologized for not calling sooner. "The phone got turned off. Money's been tight since my mom can't work, and uh..."

"I understand. You don't have to explain. How is your mom?" Leah kept us posted with what little they'd heard, but it wasn't a great deal. "Is she getting better?"

"She's much better. But now she needs chemotherapy to be sure they got it all." He sounded worried and sad when he talked about Sarah. I said a silent prayer for her to get well soon. His mood transformed, though, when he told me what else he'd been doing.

"There's a huge, local boxing club in the area I've been training at. A lot of skilled boxers train there. The sparring alone is making a big difference. Some of these guys are so good, Bella, you wouldn't believe it." He loved boxing, and his excitement made me glad he could continue it out there.

"A few guys here in my weight class have already competed on the national level. I can gain a lot of experience training with them."

"That's great! I'm happy for you."

"What about you? What's been going on over there?"

"Not much." I wasn't about to tell him I just hung around the house, waiting for him to call. "The usual." I made a quick mental list of what transpired since he'd left. "Jasper's dating Maria now, and he's behaving identical to the way Emmett was acting last summer. Lovesick."

He laughed.

"Leah and Sam never got back together."

"That's good. And what about Seth?"

"Seth?" Seth and I weren't speaking. I avoided him out of leftover anger and annoyance, but he avoided me, too. We didn't have to deal with it because Emmett hung out with him over at his house when Jasper began occupying all his time with Maria. "The last time I talked to him was after his knockout. He stopped by to tell me about it and was pretty embarrassed. I felt sorry for him. But I haven't seen him since, so I don't know what's going on with him."

"Does he know about us?"

"Was I supposed to tell him? I can?"

"No. I just thought that maybe the subject came up. You two spend a lot of time together."

My imagination conjured a hint of jealousy in his voice. I knew it was my imagination because Seth and Jacob were as close as Emmett and Jasper. There weren't many secrets between my brothers. So, Jake must have known there was nothing romantic between Seth and I. Now or ever. The quirky accident only happened because of the knockout.

"That's all right. I'll tell him the next time I talk to him. I should be the person to tell him." I furrowed my brows in wonderment as I listened. "Because I think he has a thing for you."

I gasped, taking a moment. He couldn't be serious. "Did you really just say that, Jake?" I asked with a nervous stomach, furious about that stupid kiss again. "Because he told me he had a crush on some other girl. He's never told me who, but he mentioned her a few times. Didn't he ever tell you about her?"

A fleeting second seemed like minutes. "You're right. Never mind what I said. Now that you bring it up. He has mentioned her to me."

I brought my hand to my chest in relief. "And her name is?"

"I forget. Let's change the subject. I don't want to talk about Seth." Neither did I. "What about Emmett? How pissed off was he?"

"I don't think he was. He seemed like he wanted to tease me, but he wasn't mad."

"Well, good! That's it then." He sounded relieved, and so was I. Everything would be fine for Jake and me now. "Bella, I have to go." He hesitated, and his tone hit gloom again. "I don't know when I can call again. We turned the phone on, but the bill needs to stay down. I don't want my sisters yelling at me."

"I'll call you," I said, and we made plans for the best times to reach him.

Emmett made long distance relationship conversations sound difficult, stressful, and fruitless, but talking to Jacob was easy. I listened to the boxing stories Jake shared to no end.

But sometimes, if he missed my phone call because of a late practice or a boxing match, it bothered him; Hardly anything I said convinced him I understood. Those conversations became tense. I could never be angry at him for pursuing his dream as focused as he did. And we'd end up wasting half of our already too short amount of telephone time with me trying to assure him that I didn't mind. His hopes and dreams were as important to me as they were to him. I wasn't going anywhere. I was "his" girlfriend. His girlfriend was all I'd ever wanted to be. He didn't need to worry I might want a "better" boyfriend, as he'd sometimes put it. One closer who could spend time with me. Because I wanted no one but him. It didn't matter how far apart we were, and before the next time we parted, I planned on making sure he knew precisely how I felt.

Fall descended, bringing the new school year with it.

We'd discussed how we'd keep in touch after he got back to Chemawa. So far, we talked once a week, sometimes twice, if Jacob could manage it. He didn't have internet access, so emailing or chatting wasn't possible. But we thought we could message all the time when he returned to school, and we were looking forward to it.

He called the day he was leaving. I was antsy about the change, insecure with him living near a dorm full of girls who'd have more in common with him than me. I worried it might not work.

"Why are you suddenly so quiet?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something's wrong. Tell me."

I didn't want to bother him with my insecurities but since he wanted to know, I said, "This long-distance stuff. It will work, won't it?"

"You think it won't?" he asked, with worry of his own.

"No. I think it will. It's just that... Well, it didn't work for Emmett and Rosalie." And they were in love, I opted not to add.

A silent moment passed. "Well, we're not Emmett and Rosalie. I want it to work. And you want it to work. So, we'll make sure it does. Because, Bella, I lo..."

The biggest smile popped on my lips, and giddy happiness as bright as the sun instantly exploded inside me, making me quiver with goosebumps as my heart thumped in anticipation.

"I, uh... really wish you were standing right here in front of me, I uh..."

Love you! He didn't say the words, but I heard them anyway. I grinned in elation.

"Need to see you for this. I miss you, Bella, and I can't wait to see you again."

Consumed with happiness, and with such an intense love of him, I said in a haze, "I miss you, too, Jake."

I never imagined I could feel so overwhelmed in bliss, excitement, anticipation, and most of all, love. It felt excruciating and brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't wait to see him again, either. The waiting would be an agony. But it would be well worth it, hearing his words of "I love you" when I could see his expression as he said them, and to feel him all around me while I tasted the soft kiss of his lips. And then, to witness his reaction when I spoke, "I love you, too," in return.

Everything after that moment was irrelevant. I lay on my bed, lost to the world with enough elation to sustain me for days.

Until I found out he lied!

Only sixteen days of him being back in Chemawa passed when it became clear. He didn't even try to make it work. First, he stopped replying to my emails. Then he didn't call when he said he would. I tried to convince myself he had good reason, but after the third time I contacted the dorm office, heard the paging of his name, and once again, they asked me to leave a message, I realized he'd never take my calls or answer my emails.

My stomach twisted, my throat tightened, and tears filled my eyes. I shifted in my seat and blinked my lashes, resolved not to cry as I leaned my shoulder opposite Seth's, so he couldn't sense the change in my mood and discover the quiet re-breaking of my heart. Sinking into my chair, I folded my arms around myself, finding it hurt just as much this day as the day I realized it was over, and I should stop bothering Jake.

Seth's gaze moved toward me. I turned away, leaning my head against the seat and pretended I was sleepy, glad he didn't ask.

Next Chapter: Its summer break again, and you know what that means. Everyone, including Jacob, is back home again.