Twilight: But it's a Thriller and I Never Read Twilight

Chapter 21: The Return of Leah Clearwater

I quickly became aware that the bikes were going to take a lot longer than a month to complete. Even with Jacob helping me, and with Hannah's notes, it was going to be a battle not to just give up. So every day, I dragged myself over to Jacob's to help figure those bikes out. And every day, I was able to drag myself out of bed and drive all the way over to the reservation to put those bikes together. The project, though without an end in sight, kept me going and getting out of bed every day.

After another month, we had gotten into a habit. Work all the way until noon when we walked up to First Beach to have lunch and then walk back and work until we dropped. The summer was hotter than I expected. After the long and blistering winter, the warmth of the sun was a welcome change. Even when it was cloudy or rainy, it was a breath of fresh air, though the constant smell of gasoline and motor oil didn't help matters.

When I got there one morning in late August, however, the bikes had been moved deeper into the barn and Harry's old junker that had been there the day I arrived with the bikes was there. Jacob clapped his hands together as I came in, looking a little disappointed by the car now in our way.

"Harry came in this morning," he said. "Some idiot smashed his head lights. It shouldn't take that long to fix."

"Smashed?" I asked. "Are you sure it was some idiot?"

"His words, not mine," Jacob answered. "At least they didn't get the wind shield. Then it would be here a week while I try to find someone to fix it. For this, I just need to head to town to get a replacement."

"He couldn't get Hannah to fix it?" I asked. I couldn't lie. I was disappointed that Harry's junker was taking up space in the barn. We were getting close to getting those bikes working. I could see the improvements every day.

"He doesn't trust Hannah," Jacob said.

"Why?"

"I have literally no idea," Jacob said. "Come on, we can take yours."

He started out of the barn and stopped before the passenger seat door as I made to unlock my car. It almost felt weird to have another boy in my car while I drove. Edward had driven me everywhere while we were together so the only chance I really got to drive was when I did it alone or drove Jessica.

Getting into the truck, I turned the ignition and backed out quickly down the gravel road. Jacob turned on the radio as we went, switching between old rock music and the local news. He sang along with terrible pitch to the same songs my dad listened to in the house. I rolled my eyes down the road which only caused Jacob to sing louder. I cranked down the windows just so the rest of the reservation would have to hear too until we got past the last few houses and made it into the thick of the woods.

As Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen came on the radio, I gave up on getting him to stop. Twenty minutes into town and twenty minutes out and if I argued any more, he was just going to start screaming the lyrics.

"Can you get anymore annoying?" I asked.

"You've missed out on me annoying you," Jacob offered. "I've got to catch up."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I said. "How have the bikes been looking?"

"Once we get the new engines in, we'll be golden," he said. "Hopefully." I nodded to the added 'hopefully.' These bikes had been more scrap than bike when I first got them. Now, they were that much closer to running. Harry's car was only a minor setback, but it was a setback nonetheless. I hated to wait another day, another hour, another minute. I felt like I'd been waiting since I got to Forks.