Ch 7
Previously:
Hopefully Jacob could get away from work to come wish me luck in the morning. Or I could just get a good luck kiss tonight before he left. I needed to make sure he knew that I wanted him to stick around until we could have some privacy, but my eyelids felt tired and heavy. I fought against them and opened my eyes.
**
Bright sunshine poured through my bedroom windows. That meant my parents wouldn’t be able to walk me in as planned….wait, sunshine meant it was morning and I was starting high school. And it meant I fell asleep and never got a hold of Jacob to tell him how attractive it had been hearing his Alpha personality come out. Or was it the fact that he didn’t bow down to my every desire? Although in the end he had let me paint his nails.
My door opened and my dad walked in, “Oh good you are up.” In his arms was a breakfast tray with a small stack of toast, some eggs, and mostly raw bacon.
“Don’t be nervous.” He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You will be fine sweetheart. I just know that you are going to enjoy your time in school. I’m sorry if I added to your worry yesterday, I just worry about you. I guess I have gotten so used to things moving so slowly in life, I still haven’t been able to get used to you growing so quickly on me.”
“I love you dad.” I reached over to hug him. Since I was partially human his hugs didn’t actually compare to a snuggly teddy bear, but he still managed to make them feel warm and comforting.
“Well get ready for school then. Because of the weather we had to change plans a little.” He got up and kissed me on the forehead. “Hope you don’t mind.”
He left and I dressed just like I had planned the night before. I looked into the mirror at my dad’s high cheekbones and full lips, but with a slightly pink color to them. Other than that my skin was pale, except for when it was sunny out and I simply glowed especially with the bronze hair I inherited from my father that curled half way down my back. The plaid aqua blouse I choose did make me appear more pale than usual though. I let out an audible sigh. I just prayed that I didn’t draw too much attention to myself. Even though I held many of my father’s features, my mother’s brown eyes made me look strikingly similar and I was supposed to be a cousin of my dad’s. Hence the reason for the green contacts.
I walked into our living room to find Jacob lounging on the couches. “Jacob! You made it!”
“Of course. Who do you think is going to have to drive you to school today and check you in?” He smiled cheekily.
“Come on then, I don’t want to be late.” I hugged my mom and dad, my mom looking like if she could cry she would. “Love you. See you after school.”
I sat on the passenger side nervously wringing my hands. This was the moment of truth. I was going to experience many firsts today: first day of school, my first time to make a friend, my first time to try to act normal, and who knows what else I would come across.
“Nessy. Stop.” I was snapped out of my reverie by Jacob’s sharp tone.
“What?”
“You are tapping the door like crazy. It’s annoying. That and you have nothing to worry about.”
“Jacob Black! You don’t have to be so mean. I’m nervous!”
“Well you’re being silly.” I looked at him in disbelief. Jacob always went out of his way to make me happy, and never snapped at me. But a different fluttering in my stomach that wasn’t from school had me believe that I liked how he was responding. I wondered if this was an atypical teenage things to fall for the ‘bad boy’ who didn’t take anything.
“We’re here. Sure you don’t want to go to La Push?”
“I’m sure. I know mostly everyone and they know about me.”
“But doesn’t that make it easier for you to be yourself? Rather than lie? I mean look at how your dad and the other Cullens did it. They all had each other.”
“I want to do something with my life Jacob. Like Grandpa Carlisle, my parents, you. Part of that involved lying a little yes, but how am I supposed to experience life unless I immerse myself in it?”
“Well how about we play hookey and spend the day together instead? I let you ride on my back.” He wiggled his eyebrows. As I had gotten older he had let me ride on the back of his wolf form less and less so I knew he was up to something if the was bargaining with that chip.
“Jake. Why the sudden interest in wanting me to skip school?” His cheeks reddened just a bit. Please say you’re jealous of any guys that might be at school. It was wrong to think that way, but I still silently chanted away in my head.
“I might be a tad jealous….I’m your best friend. I kind of like it this way. Monopolizing your time.” My heart may have did a weird spaz flutter.
“How about I promise that you will always and forever have my Mondays?”
“But you have school on Mondays!”
“And you have a job which has you working on the weekends and Sundays are already Grandpa Charlie’s.”
“Fine. But I have you this Saturday too.”
“What is this Saturday?”
“A surprise. Come on you are going to be late.”
I stood in line behind what looked to be a brother and sister who were also new to the school. Their parents were talking to the receptionist while they sat fairly close together looking at a phone and chatting underneath their breath. I felt bad listening in, but I was desperate to learn how other new students went about their first day.
The girl was speaking so fast I almost had trouble listening. Her back was also turned to me so all I could see of her was her pencil straight brown hair that just barely reached her tan shoulders. She blocked my view of her brother who had the same straight brown hair that was long enough to style into a faux-hawk.
“Cole you can’t ignore our friends back home. They’re worried about you.”
“Hazel this is our new home. How long is it going to take you to realize that and accept that they moved us across the country to make new friends? If you don’t stop talking to everyone back there, they are going to take your phone away.” It now made since why they were speaking so softly, well more since then before.
“But Cole they were nice people. I don’t understand what is so wrong to have made friends. They cared about us! Both of us!”
“Hazel I said stop! They are only doing what is best for us. Didn’t you see how distracted you were becoming? Why can’t you take life seriously?”
“I do take life seriously, but at least I know how to live it. While you just—“
“Kids enough. Go to class.” Their parents gave them stern looks before handing schedules to each of them and it was our turn.
The parents and the girl headed out of the office without so much as a glance in our direction, but Cole caught my gaze. His eyes were black as night and I felt shivers run down my spine. He smiled a crocked smile before exiting as well. Jacob’s arm that was guiding me to the front desk tightened on my shoulder right before he went to hand the papers to the receptionist who handed me my schedule.
“So you’ll pick me up after school too?” We were headed back out into the hallway and to the front of the building so Jake could leave. I wished he could stay so badly.
“No. I have to be at the shop today, but your parents will be here to pick you up.”
“Ok. Bye Jake.” I hugged him tightly wishing again that I could have my best friend with me. His head swooped down to give me and hug and I felt his breath tickling my neck. His arms squeezed just a bit tighter as he whispered in my ear, “The surprise is a date.”
My fingertips were still tingling when I turned around to head to class, and the kid from the office stood just down the hallway staring with his black eyes.
**
yay! New chapter! The new character's names are Hazel and Cole. I changed them after a couple of revisions of the next chapter. Sorry for the confusion if there is any. If you are just reading this for the first time, well then disregard this comment.