Deep in the Woods (A Twilight Imprint Story)

Chapter 1

~Harper~

Alright. I decided it was the day I had to talk to him. I really didn't want to break Jake's heart, but he had to realize that Bella wasn't interested in him. Romantically, that is. Bella honestly hadn't been any kind of interested in anyone or anything for the past few months. Including spending time with me, her sister. But I was trying not to let that bother me. There wasn't anything I could do to help her if she didn't want my help. And believe me, I tried.

So instead I was focused on helping my best friend keep his heart intact. Well actually, at this exact moment, I was focused on getting ready for school.

I took one last look in the mirror. My sister and I looked a lot alike - fair skin, dark hair, brown eyes. Although I had more freckles, more curls, and bangs. We both definitely had an affinity for plaid, but while hers was for flannel shirts, mine was more for plaid skirts. I was always the girlier of the two of us, and she was always the "tomboy" I guess you could say. Which was kind of ironic considering I was the gay one in the family. But being that it was mid December in Washington, I'd been pairing my many skirts and dresses with tights, boots, and warm cardigans. Cute and cozy.

I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Come in," I said, making sure to keep my volume low. I assumed it would be Bella and she didn't really appreciate loud noises lately. Then again, I guess neither did I.

Bella opened the door and peaked her head in. "Good morning. Are you ready to go?" I nodded and followed her down the steps. I didn't have my license yet, so Bella drove me to school in the mornings, and usually Jake picked me up after. Sometimes he let me drive his truck back to his place. Even though it was technically illegal. But he always said "Well how else are you gonna learn?"

Our drive to school was pretty quiet. When we got to school I opened the door and did my daily daring jump down from her truck. I was significantly shorter than her. I hoped that if Dad ever got me a car it wouldn't be as tall as hers. I watched her start to walk towards the school doors.

"Hey Bells?" I called. I opened my arms. She seemed to understand the gesture because she leaned in for a weak hug. "Try to have a good day, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." She didn't sound very enthusiastic about it, but it was about the same exchange we had every morning.

School was normal. At lunch I sat next to my friend Angela and chatted with her and her boyfriend Ben. Bella sat alone as usual. It may sound sad, but I had given up trying to sit with her a few weeks ago. She didn't want to sit with our friends, and she wouldn't talk to me anyways, so I figured maybe it was better to just leave her be. She sat at the Cullens' old table, just like she did when they still lived in Forks. It still felt kind of odd not seeing them there. I used to sit with them sometimes. They were nice enough. And to be completely honest, I had a small crush on Edward's sister Alice. Although I would never have told anyone that. Well, anyone except Jacob.

After school Jake picked me up and drove me back to his place on the Quileute reservation. We planned to have a movie marathon. As he pulled up to his house, I admired the woods surrounding it. I'd been here so many times, but I couldn't help but continuously appreciate how peaceful it was here. Not just on the reservation or at Jake's house specifically, but the whole area. It was nothing like Phoenix.

Jake and I got out of his car and walked toward his front door. He slowed down his pace so he could walk next to me, and bumped my shoulder with his. Well more like his upper arm because he was so much taller than me.

"What movie do you want to watch?" I asked.

"How about Indiana Jones?"

"Absolutely not, those movies are awful," I replied.

He feigned offense with a shocked look on his face and his palm pressed to his chest, as he walked up . But he'd never been the most animated person, so it looked more like he just had mild heart burn. "Are you serious?" He unlocked the door and we shuffled into his living room, clearly both eager to relax after a long day of school.

I took my usual seat on the right side of the couch. "Yeah, I'm really not a fan. What about a Disney movie? Maybe The Little Mermaid?"

"But you always fall asleep," he pointed out. Which was true. The hum of the old VHS player always put me right to sleep.

"So what?" It was Friday, so I figured I'd probably end up staying the night anyways. When I fell asleep during our movie nights, Jacob usually woke me up and guided me to his sister Bailey's room. She had been away at college since August so Billy, Jake's dad, told me that I was always welcome to stay there if I wanted. Though sometimes it felt a bit intrusive. Part of me wondered how she'd feel if she knew. But it was so nice of Billy to offer, especially because he knew my home didn't feel like the most welcoming place lately. It eventually became so much of a habit that I started keeping a set of pajamas in her empty dresser.

I hadn't seen Bailey in a long time. Jake and I didn't reconnect until after she left for school. We were all childhood friends back when Bella and I used to visit Forks every summer. Jake was the youngest, then me just a few months older, Bella a year and a half older, and Bailey was a little over two years older than me. Her 19th birthday had just passed actually. I was 16, and I hadn't really seen her since I was... 14 I thought? I just hoped she wouldn't think of me as some stranger crashing in her bed.

"Okay fine," he shrugged, snapping me back from my thoughts. He put in the movie, and sat down next to me. "So how's Bella been?" he tried to ask casually. His face was pointed at the TV but his eyes kept shifting in my direction, as if he thought the lack of direct eye contact would hide his eagerness. "Did you uh... did you tell her she was invited tonight?"

"She's... alright." Now it was my turn to avoid eye contact. "She decided to stay home. She's been pretty... tired lately." We had similar awkward Bella conversations pretty much every Friday night.  He always tried to look unbothered, but I saw the worry and disappointment in his eyes. He and Bella were actually a lot closer than Jake and I back when we were kids. She was his first crush. He always seemed to hold out hope that they would be close again some day.

"Yeah, figures," he sighed. This was my chance to bring it up.

"Hey Jake... I think it would probably be better if you didn't worry so much about Bella. Maybe leave the worrying to my dad and I, huh?" I wanted to be subtle. I hoped he'd take the hint, and I wouldn't have to spell it out. I didn't want to embarrass him.

"What do you mean?" He finally turned his head to look at me, and he looked slightly panicked. Oh no. I knew I was about to embarrass him.

"I just mean, I know you care about her. But I don't want to you to get your hopes up. I don't think she's going to... move on, anytime soon." His cheeks were a bit red, but his gaze moved to the floor, and he sat back on the couch. Not defensive like I expected, but just disappointed. "I just don't want to see you get hurt," I added. I rested my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort.

A small, half-hearted smile broke out onto his face, but he still didn't look towards me. "Yeah, okay," he replied, and brought his hand up to rest on top of mine. 

Suddenly, our moment was interrupted when a girl peaked her head around the corner from the hallway and yelled.

"Hey Jake!" she called, holding my pajamas out, pinched in two fingers as if she didn't want to be touching them. "Are these your booty shorts and hello kitty t-shirt I found in my dresser?"