Only the "Strong" Survive | Paul Lahote |

*chapter twenty-three*

"And no matter what you do, never let them get their arms around you," Jasper Cullen spoke with his light southern accent.

He was looking around the field, his family on one side and the wolves on the other. Paul and Sam decided it would be a good idea for me to come watch them train, to gain a better understanding of what it was for them. They told me all about the new born vampires coming because of Bella Swan, that's who they blamed anyway. It seemed to me that it was more the fault of the Cullen's for killing the vampire's mate. When I tried to explain that to Paul however, he just looked at me like I had two heads. The group's disdain for Bella after all she put Jacob through was hard to describe.

Speaking of Bella, she was also here. Leaning against a tree, Jacob in front of her. I wasn't close with Jacob, but it was obvious she didn't love him and it made me sad that his love was unrequited.

"Okay let's try some drills!" Jasper yelled shaking me from my thoughts.

One by one they lined up, sometimes Cullen vs Cullen, sometimes Cullen vs one of the boys. I winced as Paul pounced onto Emmett, and then Emmett grabbed on to one of his back legs trying to pick him up. Paul jumped back and bit at his arm, this seemed a bit more personal than the other fights.

I heard a small laugh next to me as I covered my eyes, not being able to watch the boys possibly get hurt. Looking up, it was Bella. I titled my head looking at her as to ask why, and she took that as an invitation to come over to me.

"Hey, uh I don't think we've met before. I'm Bella..Bella Swan." She said as she leaned against the bed of Paul's truck.

"We have, we went to school together. We had like three classes together." I replied, trying to act like I wasn't a little hurt.

I didn't really have friends in school, I just kind of knew everyone and could bounce from friend group to friend group. I did track and volleyball, and served on student counsel. So I just kind of assumed I was involved enough to be known. Kind of petty to be upset over someone not remembering me from high school though, even if it had only ended a few months ago.

"Sorry I really don't remember you. Maybe someone else does? Alice is really good with people. She seems to know everyone....Alice!" Bella yelled a little waving her over.

She came bouncing over with a big smile on her face, "Hi I'm Alice," she stuck her hand out to shake mine.

"Joni." I replied looking back out at the boys.

"She says she went to school with us, do you remember her?" Bella said, apparently I was stuck having this conversation.

"Um no, I can't say I do...Sorry Joni."

I don't know why I felt so annoyed, so bothered by the two of them but I snapped, "I sat right next to you in English for two years Alice. I was literally student body vice president. There was only like a 150 kids in our class. There's no fucking way you didn't know me."

Alice looked like she was trying to remember, and Bella just laughed again.

"What?" I said sharply, my eyes rolling so far into the back of my head I wasn't sure they'd come back around.

"I thought that girl was dead, the vice president girl I mean." She laughed a little more.

"What? How?!" Alice looked a little shocked.

Bella finally stopped laughing, "Suicide."

That was it, I was done. I climbed out the bed, throwing the tailgate back up and climbed into the truck. Making sure the windows were up and the doors were locked. Bitches. But she did validate what my mother had said a few months ago...everyone knew. I guess in a town like Forks though the news just got passed around in a game of telephone until the truth was no longer the truth anymore.

I sat there, arms crossed and legs sitting crisscrossed just patiently waiting for Paul to be done so I could go home. I watched as Bella and Alice kept standing by the back of the truck, they laughed and talked like they didn't just tell me I was dead. That whole conversation really fucked with my head, everyone just thinks I'm dead? And no one has reached out, nothing on Facebook or Instagram. I really am as insignificant to others as I feel inside. Trying not to cry I looked around, into the other side mirror hoping to see Paul. But I didn't see any of the boys anymore, I hoped that means they were changing.

Tap. Tap. I heard against the window, thank god it was Paul. Except it wasn't, it was Doctor Cullen, I used the crank to roll the window down and tried to change my resting bitch face so he didn't think I was upset with him.

"Hello Joni, I wanted to check on you and see how you were doing. I see your heads healed up nicely." He said through a kind, fatherly smile.

"Yeah. It did, actually you can hardly tell. I'm okay better than I have been."

"Good, good. I was worried about you."

I smiled at him, "Can I ask you a questions?"

"Go ahead."

"So if you're a...a vampire, how are you also a doctor?"

He chuckled, "Years and years of practice," tapping the side of the truck he walked off.

I heard the door pop open beside me and could not have been grateful that it was finally Paul.

"What did you think?" Paul said, turning the truck over.

"You make a beautiful wolf. But do you really have to do this?"

"Do what?"

I sighed taking his hand in mine, "Fight an entire newborn vampire army. Risk your life for that bitch," I said the last part angrily still not over the wonderful interaction from earlier.

"I have no choice. But I won't lie I'm excited to rip the heads off of some vampires."

Nodding I looked out the window, thinking to myself. Paul and the guys would be fighting an army of literal vampires in just a couple weeks, and from the way Jasper talked it was dangerous too. The last thing I wanted was for Paul to get hurt, I didn't want any of the boys to be hurt but especially not him. He was mine, my imprinter that is, we hadn't really put a label on things but wouldn't even get a chance of something happened to him in the battle.

Paul pulled into Sam's driveway and turned off the truck, we'd agree to come for lunch since the boys had more game plan to talk. I was just excited to get out of the house, and get to talk to Emily again.

I hopped out of the truck and was almost to the door when Paul stopped me, giving me the most confused look, "Did you just call Bella a bitch?"