The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter LXVII

Tomorrow, my life was pretty much guaranteed to be over. I hadn't told Jake that I was afraid of tomorrow's outcome. I wasn't going to be that selfish. He was so pumped up for tomorrow and me being worried about it was only going to ruin the mood and make him worry about things that he didn't need to be thinking about. Despite the act that we were both concerned about Billy's health, I was making Jake's favorite meal.

Dad was coming over for dinner, spending the night before he and Billy headed off on their week long expedition over at the Makah Reservation, far away from any and all vampire attacks. I was scared, more than I could actually tell anyone. I had spent the better part of the day baking with Emily. Jake had been with Sam and Paul, working on the final details of the battle. He promised me that he would be home by six thirty for dinner.

Despite my dad's numerous protest, Billy had convinced him that Jake and I could sleep in the same bed. Jake didn't have a door... still. There was nothing that we would, or could, do that they wouldn't be able to hear. We were smarter than to do anything when everyone was home. I cleaned the house from top to bottom, changing the sheets on Jake's bed and putting new ones on the hide-a-bed that Dad would be sleeping on.

I remembered when my dad and I would come down here and spend the night before Billy and Dad would leave, I would curl up in bed next to my dad until he was snoring loudly and then I would sneak into Jake's room, curling up with him. When we were nine-year-old, that wasn't a problem. We were allowed to cuddle all night long when we were little. Those had been the simpler times, when we were little kids and vampires and wolves didn't exist.

I stood over the barbecue in the backyard, thinking about the upcoming battle, and grilling Jake's steaks. Teriyaki marinated steak, roasted asparagus, and twice baked potatoes; the boy couldn't ever make anything easy. I bent the ends of the foil that surrounded the butter and asparagus and tossed them on the grill, listening for the sound of the timer beeping. I was so focused on everything that I didn't even hear Jake come up behind me.

"You should pay a little more attention if you're going to be around open flames," he said. "Special dinner?" I nodded. "Is there an occasion?"

"No; I just wanted you to get something good to eat. Especially if you're going to be hiking all day tomorrow, carrying me and Bella," I said, trying not to spit her name.

I grabbed the tongs and pulled the trip tips-off of the grill, flipping the asparagus to give it an even cooking.

"You know that I'm only doing this because she's a human that needs protection, right?" he asked. I just nodded. Why couldn't I get over the fact that my sister was always after the person that should be mine? Why couldn't I just believe that Jake was going to love me more than her for the rest of my life? "I'm serious, Annie. I'm doing this for you more than her. I don't care about your sister." I nodded, not sure what to say. He sighed heavily, probably knowing that I wasn't going to believe him at the moment.

Dad and Billy showed up a little while later, just as I was finishing the second bake on the potatoes. Jake hadn't said another word to me since I had failed to say anything about Bella. She was always going to be this thing that was a source of contention in our relationship. It was always going to be this way, wasn't it?

The dads rose, saying something about a pie that Sue had made. Jake, who never turned down food, surprised me when he said that he'd rather stay here.

"No funny business," both of them said as they walked out the door. I hadn't spoken to my sister in months. When she wasn't involved in my life, everything between Jake and I was great. But every single time that my sister came around, I ended up in a hospital, broken hearted, or hurting the only person who was actually important to me.