The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter V

I found Jake lying diagonally across his bed. He's gotten taller in the last few months. I jumped onto the bed and curled myself against him. "I barely fit on this thing. You joining me is not helping," he said groggily. His eyes were still shut and he hadn't moved yet, but he was awake. Progress.

"I fit; that's all that matters," I said with a laugh. He grumbled. "Hey Bella needs your help," I said. His ears seemed to perk up at that. He's had a crush on her since we were kids; can't he just get over it already? "Yeah, she got some beat up old motorcycles. Wants to learn how to ride and everything."

"And you're encouraging this? Annie, you won't even drive," he said.

"I drove the other day; all the way from Port Angeles," I defended. His eyes remained closed. "Besides, I'm her sister not her parent. I'm not going to tell her that she can't get a bike if she wants one. I did tell her that she would have to deal with Dad at the end of it all." He just grunted a laugh. I ruffled his long hair and smacked his chest. "Speaking of dads, how many times do I have to tell you that you should be feeding your father?" I accused. Jake's eyes opened.

"I didn't even hear him wake up, Annie. That's not fair," he whined.

"Yeah, well now you get to eat last." That was Jake's punishment every time. His sisters weren't here to take care of his dad. Someone had to do it. Jake and I were the only two who ever really thought about it. I guess Sue Clearwater did, but not too often. If I wasn't able to come over, Jake was supposed to help his dad out. And when he forgot, I fed him last. "Go help Bella get the bikes out of the truck; I'll bring you guys out something in a little while."

Okay, so I wasn't really good at the whole punishment thing.

By the time I had finished making the breakfast, prepping dinner, and chatting with Billy, Jake had already started looking at the bikes. Naturally, Bella squealed and threw her arms around his neck when he agreed to help her. Great; as if the boy didn't like her enough, now she's encouraging him.

As I had expected, Quil and Embry made their way to the garage. "Breakfast!" I called. Jake took his burrito, Bella shook her head.

"Please?" Quil and Embry whined. I sighed and pulled two extra burritos from behind my back.

"Like I would ever forget about you two," I said with a snort.

"Who's the lady?" Quil asked through a mouthful of food.

"Please, the two of you wouldn't know a lady if she came up and kissed you," I said before taking another bite of my own breakfast.

"You're one to talk," Embry said, but it just sounded like muffled gargling.

We sat like that all day, talking, eating, drinking pop. Jake worked on the bikes a little before I looked at the clock. "Hey, I left you a casserole for dinner. Just put it in the oven for twenty minutes. Bella, we've got to get home and make Dad dinner. Bye guys," I said. Bella nodded.

"Hey Jake, could we not tell my dad or yours. I don't want them to be upset. You know my dad; he'll just worry for no reason," Bella said, giving Jake her best puppy dog eyes. No; Dad would have every reason to worry. Bella in a car is scary enough. Bella on a machine that has no seatbelt and could probably kill her the second she twitched, that was terrifying. Jake just nodded like I knew he would.

Bella sat on the couch next to me that night, having enjoyed my lasagna. Dad said he was going to bed early. I think it was a little surprising to him that Bella was having such a quick turn around. I worried he might be waiting for the other foot to drop. "Hey Rye," she said as a commercial came on. I looked over at her. "What happened to Jake's mom?"

I felt the familiar nausea churn in my stomach. "She died in a car crash," I said simply, looking down at the afghan covering my legs.

"Is that when Billy was paralyzed?"

"Yeah," I said. She didn't say anything more.

"Hey Rye," she started again. I wanted to punch her. I just wanted the conversation to be over with. "You know how I promised Dad that I would put in more of an effort?" I turned to her and nodded. How did this connect to Sarah? "Well, Mike Newton asked me to go to the movies with him, but I don't want him to think that it's like a date, you know?" I nodded again. Newton was a nice kid, but he just seemed weird to me. And he shouldn't be dating my sister. After Cullen, Bella needed someone a little more normal than Mike. Besides, Jessica would kill her. "Do you think you and Jake could go with me? You know, like a big group of friends."

Jake wasn't the biggest fan of the movies, but he did like Bella. "Yeah; sure, Jake won't mind," I replied. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

I shoved myself up off the couch and made my way up the stairs. I bypassed my room and headed straight for Dad's. He was asleep, snoring loudly for the first time since Sam Uley had brought my sister back. I pulled his shoes off of his feet and unfolded the blankets at the foot of his bed, draping them gently over him.

My room hadn't been slept in for months. I missed my bed. Still, I couldn't sleep in here until I knew that Bella wasn't going to be waking the whole house with her screaming. I had figured out how to tell when she was about to start yelling. Usually, she began tossing and turning. Then she would mumble Edward's name and beg him to stay. That was about the point that I would usually wake her up at. I didn't need her waking up Dad.

I sat in the rocking chair Billy had given my for my fifteenth birthday. It had been Sarah's, but he said that she didn't need it anymore. And that she would've wanted me to have it. I wondered what Rebecca and Rachel would say if they knew I had it. They were her daughters, after all. I was just their brother's little friend. Still, I loved that old chair. Every night, before I went into Bella's room, I sat for a little while.

Tonight, one of Lori Wick's many novels sat open in my lap as I rocked back in forth. I was a few chapters in when I heard Bella's bed creak as she settled her weight on it. I went back to my reading, not wanting to go into Bella's room just yet. I just wanted my room. After a few hundred pages, I set the book on the little end table next to me and began stripping.

The wind blowing through my open window set off the wind chimes on the bottom of the dreamcatcher. "Hey Sarah," I said, pulling on one of my dad's old t-shirts. "Everyone misses you," I whispered. I chose to believe that those bells were her letting me know that she was still there. "I slapped Jake today," I said with a little laugh. "He forgot to take care of Billy this morning." The chimes sounded again. "Don't worry; I made them breakfast and started some dinner" Everything was silent for a little while. "I remember what I promised you, Sarah. I promised you that I would take care of them." I cleared my throat to push away the tears. "Remember that day you picked me up from dance?" I sneered as I remember the class of pink frilly tutus. "You told me that a lady's job was to have control of everything and make it look easy." I smiled then, remembering her words.

As a little kid, that statement had seemed impossible. But now, taking care of Bella and my dad, making sure that Jake and Billy had everything they needed, and going to school... It made sense. I just wasn't sure if I made it look easy, but I was trying. "I think I'm getting the hang of it, Sarah." The chimes sounded loudly at that. A normal person probably would've thought I was insane for talking to a dreamcatcher; they would probably say that I should be locked up for believing that something as simple as air pressure was a sign that my best friend's dead mother was talking to me. But it helped me get through the day. "Thanks for listening, Sarah. I miss you." There was nothing. "Goodnight Sarah," I whispered, crawling under my covers then.