Forever Moonlight Chapter Five

5. Recovery

After three years of serious concentration, meditation, and focus, I finally forgot about her. At first, it was impossible to get rid of her completely. Instead I hid her all the way in the back of my mind, where it could never be found again. My memory of her was hidden behind all the walls I’ve created to block her. I locked her away securely, in the farthest, deepest part of my brain. I was sure that there was no way the memory could slip out. “Jacob!” Billy shouted. I was half-asleep and it was noon already. I groaned and opened my eyes. The bright sun of spring faintly glowed behind my curtains. “Yeah?” I shouted back, lazily. “Breakfast!” He called. This is new. Breakfast at lunch time? Suddenly, I heard my stomach growl. I sat up, yawning and stretched my arms out. Walking into the bathroom, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I didn’t have bags under my eyes anymore and I looked healthier. After I washed up, I walked into the kitchen and saw Sue. I loved her very much because she was like a mother to me, but sadly I haven’t seen her at all for the past three years. “Mrs. Clearwater.” I smiled. I walked over and gave her a hug. Then I noticed Billy at the table and joined him. I glanced at my plate. There was two pieces of toast, scrambled eggs, a few slices of bacon, three sausage links and on the side was a glass of orange juice. “What’s the occasion?” I smirked. “Your recovery, Jacob.” Sue smiled. “Yes and I’m proud of you, Son.” He said, reaching over to pat my back. “Thanks.” I said. I looked over all the foods again. “Well, don’t just sit there. Dig in. Sue cooked it.” He said. I ate quickly. I finished it all in about five minutes. “Would you like some coffee, Billy?” Sue offered. Billy nodded. Sue got up and searched through our cupboards. “Do you like it black?” “Actually, could I have cream and sugar?” “Then I’m going to need to go to the store real quick.” She mentioned. Billy cocked his head. “You’re out of creamer.” “Oh. Then don’t bother going out of your way for me. It’s okay.” “It’s fine. I have to get some other stuff too.” She replied. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“My truck is out of gas, though.” Billy said. Sue was quiet for a moment. “I’ll go to the store for you.” I offered, standing up with the plate in my hand. “That’s very nice of you, Jacob, but how are you going to get there? Your Rabbit is in the shop.” I shrugged. “I’ll run.” Her eyebrows shot up. “You sure?” I nodded. “Yup. I need to get out anyways.” I smiled. Her mouth pursed and her eyes narrowed a little. “Okay, fine. But be careful.” I smiled reassuringly at her and stood up. I set my plate in the sink and downed my orange juice. “That was delicious. Thanks.” I told Sue. Before I could turn around and go to my room so I could change my clothes, Sue asked me for a favor. “Well, if you don’t mind, could you pick up a few things for me?” I smiled warmly at her. “Sure. What do you need?” “Cream, bread, and dish rags.” She listed, tapping a finger for each item. “’Kay.” I nodded, as I turned around. I slowly shut my bedroom door behind me and smirked. For some reason, I had feeling that today was going to be a good day. After I changed my clothes, I grabbed my wallet and ran to the front door. Sue was near the front door and I skidded to a stop. “Is something wrong?” Her eyes flickered to her feet and then at me. “Could you talk to Seth? He hasn’t been himself lately.” “It’s because of me isn’t it?” She didn’t want to say yes, so instead she looked me in the eyes and said, “I don’t want to lie to you.” I tried to cheer her up by showing her I wasn’t offended- which I wasn’t. “Yeah, I’ll give him a call when I get back.” I responded. “Thank you, Jacob.” I replied with a kind smile.

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

Shuffling through the narrow aisles of Thriftway, I heard someone in the bread and cereal aisle asking for assistance. “Excuse me? I can’t reach the bread! Doesn’t anybody work here?” The voice was familiar. Mike Newton? I wasn’t sure how I recognized him so quickly. I’ve only met him once. It was when Bella and I had our first date and we were supposed to go to the movies. But she invited her friend, Mike and it was a huge disaster because he got sick and almost puked in my Rabbit. I rolled my eyes just thinking about that night. Walking towards the bread aisle, I found Mike Newton reaching for the bread on the shelf. He was on his toes and was extending his arm as far as he could. When he finally reached the loaf of bread on the top shelf, his arm bumped the shelf and the whole shelf knocked over. He was blushing as his eyes flickered to me. He raised his hand and with one wave, he said, “What’s up, La Push-” “Jacob.” I corrected him. He looked the same, but his hair was slightly longer. He was wearing brown khaki pants and big white t-shirt with large tie-dye spots scattered around the front. “So…how are you?” He asked. “I’m good…” Suddenly, Mike mentioned a name, a name I’ve always hoped to never hear again. “Have you seen Bella lately?” That’s when it hit me, an unbearable pain in my stomach. Her name was so painful to hear- or even to think about. For a moment, I received flashbacks of our memorable moments.

There was that night, when Bella and I danced at her highschool prom and she looked amazingly beautiful. Or that night at the movie theatres, when I had finally told her how I really felt about her. Or when Bella and I shared our first passionate kiss. Lastly, it was when I danced with her at her wedding- she looked twice as beautiful in her wedding gown than her prom dress. But that was also when I almost lost control right in front of her… I felt a something on my shoulder and it was shaking me. It was then when I realized I was staring into space and Mike was trying to get my attention. “Hello? Jacob?” “What?” I replied, automatically. Mike dropped his hand. He raised an eyebrow. “What happened? I mention Bella Swan and you look like you saw a ghost.”

Would you stop saying that name, I thought. I placed my hand on the side of my stomach and pressed on it. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

He pulled his eyebrows together now. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, yeah. I’m cool.” I rubbed my stomach casually. “Sorry, I…didn’t eat lunch yet.” I lied. “Oh, well…have you seen her?” He questioned me. “No.” I said, too quickly. I pursed my lips. “I’ve been busy lately.” I lied again. I was never busy anymore, I didn’t have to protect anything or anyone- no more bloodsuckers or criminals. It was like people decided to have world peace all of a sudden. Next thing you know, people are going to walk around in hippie clothes. It seemed like Mike had already began the future trend. “Oh, I just thought- since, you know, you guys are like…best friends.” I shrugged. We both walked to the register and stood in line. He stood in front of me, then he turned around. “Hey, Bella’s told you about Angela Weber, right?” The pain slowly grew every time he said her name. “Yeah,” I said. “Well, I’m going out with her.” He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. He pulled out a ripped up wallet and searched for his money. “Cool. Congratulations.” I patted his shoulder awkwardly, while he was paying the old register lady. She glared at us with her wrinkly, baggy eyes. “You’re holding up the line.” the old lady scolded. Mike chuckled as he opened up his wallet again. “Here, I’ll pay for you.” Mike said, nudging my arm with his elbow. I raised my eyebrows. Before I could refuse, the old lady had already scanned my items. “Oh, thanks.” “No problem.” He glanced at his watch. “Aw, crap.” He mumbled. “What?” I asked. “Angela’s in the car and she’s been out there for more than half an hour already. Whoops.” We both chuckled as he handed me my items and turned on his heel, heading towards the sliding doors. Then he looked back and grinned widely. “Hey, you should come out here and meet Angela." I shrugged again. “Sure.” Mike ran out the door and I followed. As I waited in front of the store for Mike, my conscience came back.

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

Why are you nervous? I dropped my head and shut my eyes. Because if Angela’s going to say that name the

whole time, I’m going to end up in a fetal position on the floor, clutching my stomach. No, you’re not. Jake, you’re taking this thing way too seriously. Relax. You just recovered. I can’t help it, it’s justHippie’s back. Then my head shot up. When Mike returned, he had his arm around Angela. “Jacob, this is Angela.” She held her hand out and smiled sweetly. As I shook her hand, I half smiled. “So…you’re the famous Jacob.” “Famous? Hmm…guess so.” I replied, still smirking. Angela laughed. “You know, when I used to hang out with Bella, half of the time she would talk about what a great friend you are.” My hand automatically went to my stomach, the moment she said the name- but I tried to make it look as casual as it can be. “Thanks. Uh…she used to talk about you too.” I said, still holding my stomach. I changed the subject quickly, before they could mention the name again. “Are you guys going to college?” I asked, lamely. “Yeah, we are. But this is our week off.” Mike said, matter-of-factly. “Dartmouth, you know, the one Bella wanted to go to?” And there goes the name. I took a deep breath and nodded. “Actually, we were planning to go visit Bella later, but I don’t know where she lives.” “Oh, that sucks.” I muttered. “Uh…do you know where she lives?” Angela asked, shyly. I shook my head. “No, I don’t. Sorry.” Mike shrugged and smiled. Angela glanced at her phone and then smiled at me. “Excuse me for a moment.” She wandered off near the rows of shopping carts and spoke to her phone. “She seems…nice.” I complimented. I could’ve said more, but I’ve only talked to her for two minutes. Mike sighed happily, looking at Angela. “Yeah, she’s great.” “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to you and uh…I forgot her name.” Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Jessica?” He replied, nonchalantly. “Yeah. Weren’t you guys-” “Together?” I nodded. “Oh, it just didn’t work out between me and her. She was the extremely jealous type. It was weird.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Now that sucks.” I laughed. We both stood there laughing, until Angela came back. “Mike, we have to go. Mom just called, Dad wants his beer now. Can’t watch football without beer.” Angela said, with a shrug. “That’s what my dad says.” I laughed softly. Then my eyebrows were together. “Aw, man. Today’s game has the Gators playing, doesn’t it?” “Uhh...yeah. I think so.” Angela answered “Ugh, I forgot. My dad will not be happy.” I chuckled. “It doesn’t start until five-thirty. You still have an hour and a half.” Mike assured me. “Oh. Good.” I sighed, full of relief. Angela gave Mike an impatient look. He kissed Angela on the forehead and said, “Alright, I’ll meet you in the car in a minute.” Angela turned to me. “Goodbye, Jacob. I’m glad I finally met you.” I nodded and smiled. I shook her petite hand before she spun on her heel and headed towards Mike’s Suburban. “Hey, it was nice seeing you again.” Mike also shook hands with me. “Yeah, same here.” I smirked. He turned around and ran to his car. I waited until he was out of sight, then I hid behind the bushes and phased. It’s been too long since I phased. It felt kind of awkward, but I had to adjust if I wanted to be normal again. I held the paper bag of items in my mouth as I sprinted back home. I arrived home five minutes earlier than I did when I arrived at Thriftway. For a second, I was impressed with myself. I dropped off the groceries on the table, where Sue and Billy were still sitting. Sue’s eyes flickered to the phone, then at me as a reminder. I nodded and rushed to my room. I dialed the number and slowly raised the phone to my ear. “Hello?” a voice answered. The voice was too feminine to be Seth’s voice. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Leah?” I said, sounding confused. “Jacob?” She said, sounding disgusted. She’s always so pleasant when she hears my voice. “Hey.” I greeted, trying to be polite. “What do you want?” She groaned. I ignored her tone. “Is Seth there?” “Yup. You know, your depression is like a plague. And Seth caught it. Thanks a lot.” I rolled my eyes. “Can I please speak to Seth? I just want to say sorry to him.” “You should apologize to me too.” I pulled my eyebrows together. “Wha-” “He’s been such a grouch. It’s so annoying. And it’s all your fault.” I would’ve felt guiltier if Leah tone wasn’t so accusing. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, Leah.” She was silent for a moment. I figured she was surprised at how easy I gave in to her. “Here’s Seth.” She said, quietly. I swallowed all the guilt building up in my throat. “Jake?” Seth said, his voice unusually dull.

You don’t sound like yourself. “Oh, hey.” “It’s been a long time since you’ve called me…or talked to me.” “Yeah, about that...I just want to say sorry about being so distant. I feel terrible. But I also want to thank you for being such a good friend. For always giving me company while I was down.” He paused. “You’re welcome.” His voice was a bit lighter. That put a slight smile on my face. “Seth, I want to make it up to you. We should hang out sometimes.” He sounded like his old, joyful self now. “Well, tomorrow there’s going to be a barbeque at Bogachiel State Park and everyone’s going to be there. Sam, Emily, Embry, Quil, Colin, Brady, Pau-” I pressed my lips together, when he stopped abruptly. “Ugh, I’m sorry. I guess…you don’t want to go anymore.” I heard him let out a sigh, which made my small grin turn upside down. “Oh, no. It’s cool.” Look on the bright side. “At least I get to hang out with my best friend again.” The corner pulled up into a smirk. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Yeah…but you’re sure you’re fine with him being there?” He asked, awkwardly. “Yes. I’m completely fine.” I said, confidently. “Great.” His tone happy and cheerful again. Then my smirk was a full grin. “I’ll come by your house at eleven.” “Perfect.” I lied. Lately, I’ve been waking up after noon because of my past sleepless nights. “Bye, Jake.” He said. “Wait.” “Yeah?” I paused, as I tried to find the right words. “And thanks for staying by my side.” I added. “No problem. That’s what friends do.” Friends, I repeated, in my head. “Well…see you later.” After he hung up, a smile stretched widely across my face.

Walking into the kitchen with a big smile, I sat down at the kitchen table with Billy and Sue. “Seth invited me to go to the barbeque at the park tomorrow.” “He’s cured!” Sue squealed, clasping her hands together. “Yeah, I guess so.” I chuckled, shrugging. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Thank you, Jacob. I knew you could do it.” “You’re welcome.” I replied. “Wait. Did Seth tell you…Paul’s going to be there?” Billy asked. I nodded. “Yup.” His eyebrows rose when he noticed how calmly I reacted. “And you’re completely okay with that?” “Well, not completely.” Billy sighed. “Not that I don’t trust you, Son, but what if something goes wrong and gets out of control?”

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance with Paul. I’ll be hanging with Seth the whole time.” He eyed me carefully. “Are you positive?” “Yes, sir.” He pressed his lips together and sighed again. “Okay, I believe you.” I flung my arm and his shoulder and pulled him to me. “Thanks, Pop.”

I had picked up my Rabbit last night and I heard the engine running outside the kitchen. I made a bowl of cereal and finished it in minutes. I glanced at the clock and it was ten-forty. Leaving my bowl in the sink, I grabbed my wallet and rushed out the door. I made it to Seth’s house quickly. I honked several times and Seth finally came out of the house. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him. He had gotten taller and his hair was shorter. And he didn’t look gangly anymore, he had more muscles and looked a bit thicker. It was quite a shock to see him like this. He waved to me and I waved back. He went around the car and swung the passenger door open. “What’s up?” He greeted, happily. He grinned at me. You couldn’t even tell that he’s been through depression. “Hey, bro. How’s it going?” “I’ve been…at home.” He chuckled. “Oh…right.” I said, softly. Seth laughed. “I see you got your Rabbit upgraded.” He observed, glancing at the new paint job and the new wheels. “Yup. So shall we be on our way?” “Whatever you say.” He shrugged.

When we reached the park, we saw a crowd at the picnic area and spotted Sam waving us down. Right when I stepped out of the car, everyone turned around and stared at me. It also went silent as they all had their eyes on me. I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked beside Seth towards the people. The first one to say something was Sam. “Jacob Black.” He chuckled, patting my back. “This is such a surprise.”

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Yeah, I can see that.” I laughed awkwardly, then ending with an awkward cough. I looked down again and pressed my lips together. “Well, are we just going to stand here all day?” Seth said loudly, sounding irritated. That’s when Seth got everybody’s attention. “Hey Quil, get your football.” Quil nodded and ran to his car. I glanced at Seth and whispered, “Thanks.” He winked and gave me an O.K. sign. Seth wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me through the crowd. As I maneuver through the people, Emily saw me and gave me a hug- and so did Claire and Kim. Then I received pats on the back from Embry, Quil, Jared, Colin, and Brady. All the other people there were relatives of Emily and Kim. After my quick reunion, Sam called me. “Hey Jake, you still got game?” He shouted, tossing the football in the air. “Hopefully. Haven’t been playing much. I might be a little rusty.” I laughed. It felt good to be back with my friends. I felt free. After two hours of playing football, everyone asked me questions on how I recovered and I answered every one. Normally, I would be annoyed by all the attention, but I didn’t mind because I was proud of what I did. While I was chatting with Seth and some of the others, I heard a motorcycle’s roar on the other side of the park. Abruptly, I turned my head in the motorcycle roar’s direction. I haven’t ridden a motorcycle in years- the last time I rode a motorcycle was with Bella Swan. I had “kidnapped” her from Forks Highschool and from her work and brought her to La Push. It was painful, but soothing to think about riding my motorcycle with Bella. I shook head trying to get rid of the image of Bella. As I thought about running to the other side and checking out the bike, I noticed Seth was trying to get my attention. “Hello? Earth to Jake!” He said, loudly. “Huh?” I said, coming out of my reverie. I also noticed it was just me and Seth standing there and the other people had left to another group. “What’s your problem?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. I heard another roar and it made me smile. Without a second thought, I said, “I’ll be right back.” Then I started sprinting, leaving Seth behind. Three minutes later, Seth caught up with me and shouted, “Jacob! What’s going on? Where in the world are you going?” “You’ll see.” I grinned, speeding up. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

When I was close enough to see the parking lot, I came to an abrupt stop. I was taken aback when I saw who owned the bikes. It was a group of female bikers, but they weren’t even manly looking. They were just teenage girls. There were three of them- one brunette, one red-head, and one blonde. All of them were average looking, except for one. It was the brunette- she was beautiful. She was thin and slender, just like the others, but she looked more athletic. I tried to absorbing everything about her. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and her bangs were curled in. She was wearing jeans and a yellow tank top. She also had pale, flawless skin. After the girls parked their bikes, I was not surprised to see them surrounded by a bunch of highschool guys. The blonde and red-headed immediately began giggling and blushing. But the brunette one didn’t seem to care for the attention. She was leaning against a tree, watching her friends flirt with the four guys hovering around them. One of the guys wandered over to her side. Then she began giggling and blushing. I was never the one to eavesdrop, but the girl interested me so much that, I had to know what the guy was saying to her. Taking a few steps forward, Seth finally caught up. Panting, he narrowed his eyes at the girls and then at me. “Are you serious? You ran all the way over here, just to check out some girls? We could’ve done that a twenty minutes ago from where we were at.” He complained. “Sure, sure. Just give me a minute.” I replied, my eyes still locked on the girl. I felt like I knew her. I was suddenly attracted to her and I began walking towards the girl. Then Seth’s voice turned into a whisper. “Hey, Jake, what the hell are you doing? Do you even know those girls?” “I know what I’m doing.” I snapped. I picked up my pace. “I think…” I muttered to myself. Once I got there, the guy took her hand and pulled her away from her friends. I closed my eyes and took one big, deep breath. Feeling hopeless and confused, I shuffled back to Seth. “Sorry, bro. Next time.” He assured me, patting my back as we walked back.

As I opened my eyes, a bright yellowish glow shot through my half opened curtains. I found myself sleeping on my bean bag in my room with same clothes I had on yesterday. I sat up straight and stretched my arms out. Yawning, I glanced over my shoulder at my alarm clock, it was one thirty. Sliding on a clean shirt, the house phone rang.

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Got it!” I shouted to Billy, who was in the next room. I pressed the CALL button. “Hello?” “Hey, Jake, it’s Seth. Can I get a ride to Thriftway? I forgot to buy the food yesterday and my mom got mad at me.” “Wait…is Leah coming? She’s been glued on to you a lot lately.” I remembered the way she bared her teeth at me when I had a fight with Seth. “Nah, she’s a lazy dog on Sundays.” I heard Leah in the background yell, “Shut up, idiot!” Leah always hated being called a dog, as for the rest of us, we’re just so used to it that it doesn’t bother us much. “So can you?” “Sure, sure. I’ll pick you up at three.” “Thanks, Jake.” “Uh huh.”

When I arrived at Seth’s house, Sue was outside planting flowers. “Hello, Jacob.” Sue greeted me, wearing a big smile on her face. “Hey, Mrs. Clearwater.” I said, smiling back. “Seth’s in the house. Why don’t you go get him?” I nodded and walked up the stone steps. Before I reached the front door, Seth opened it. “Oh, hey. You ready?” I said. “Yup.” We waved Sue goodbye as we backed out of the driveway. Usually, Seth would be talking up a storm, but today the ride to the store was quiet. All he did was stare out the window. It made me worry a little.

We arrived at Thriftway within ten minutes. It slowly began raining. I was too lazy to get out of the car, so Seth went in by himself. I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I thought about that girl from the park. When I saw her, it was like we were the only two people in the world. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. “Leave me alone, Matt!” a girlish voice yelled.

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

I tried peering through the windshield, but the rain grew heavier, making it harder to see through window. I turned around and grab my jacket on the backseat. I stepped outside the car, searching for the girl. About ten feet away, I saw a teenage girl leaning against a van, crying. Suddenly, a teenage boy came from behind the car and grabbed her by the wrist. He yanked her really hard and made her face him. “Ow! Stop! You’re hurting me!” she screamed, hitting the guy’s chest. She kicked him there, between the legs, and the guy fell to his knees. She tried running away but she slipped on the wet ground. The guy came from behind her and pulled her up by her arm. He held her face and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close. She kept trying to look away, but he held her face in a forceful grip. “Don’t you ever make me look like a fool in front of my friends ever again!” He shouted. I didn’t like how the guy was treating her and it my hands shake at my sides. I walked towards the two teenagers. “Don’t worry, ‘cause we’re done!” She shouted back. “Excuse me, but I think this young lady would like to be let go.” I intruded, with an edge in my voice. The girl turned her head around and gasped. Both of us widened our eyes. It was the girl from the park…the one that I couldn’t get out of my head. I blinked twice and stood there breathless. “Hey, mind your own business, would ya?” The guy snapped, who appeared to be the guy who dragged her out of the park. He released the arm that encircled her waist. “Well, you need to go and leave her alone.” I said coolly. He clutched the girl even harder, making her flinch. The girl looked up at him with her eyes filled with tears. “Matt. Don’t.” She pleaded. “Be quiet.” He commanded her. “Hey, you really need to leave. Now. Before you get out of control and hurt her.” When I said that, it brought back some painful memories. “No, you need to leave. We’re doing just fine, aren’t we, babe?” He put an arm around her. She flinched again and glared at him. “Get. Off. Me.” The girl said through her teeth. Matt glanced at her and chuckled darkly. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Isn’t she adorable when she’s mad?” He squeezed her face and moved it from side to side. “Seriously, let her go.” I demanded, my voice like acid. “Fine.” The guy narrowed his eyes at her and threw her on to the hard, wet pavement. I growled at him viciously. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I swung at him so hard that he flew three foot farther from where he stood. He looked at me, his eyes filled with fear. His head was cracked and it started bleeding. He grimaced and ran off. I bent down to help the girl up. I held the girl’s elbow and lifted her up. As soon as she got up, I had a chance to see what she really looked like. She was even more beautiful up close. Her long, brown hair was down and was flying in the wind. Her irises were a deep, chocolate brown. She had a heart-shaped face and her skin was pale and flawless. Her bangs were wet and flat against her forehead. The only thing imperfect was that her make-up was messed up because of the rain. Besides that, it hurt to look at someone so gorgeous. “Thank you.” She smiled softly. “That was…incredible. He got what he deserved, he was a huge jerk.” “No problem.” I bit my lip and tried to think of something to say. “Um…I’m Jacob.” Awkwardly, I held out my hand for her to shake. And thankfully, she did. Her skin was cold. It reminded me of- Nah… She smiled sweetly. “I’m Vanessa. Vanessa Wolf.” How ironic. “I’ve never seen you around here. Are you new in town?” “Yeah, I guess you can say that. So far, I’ve only lived here for three months.” “Oh? Did you meet any new friends yet?” “Yeah, a few.” She shrugged. “What was his problem?” I jerked my thumb towards the direction Matt ran away. “I’d rather not say.” She said, looking down and rubbing her left arm. There was a short awkward silence, until Seth came back with his half-broken, noisy shopping cart. “Hey, Jake. Can you help me-” He stared at Vanessa with wide eyes. I rolled my eyes. “Seth, this is Vanessa.” I said.

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“Um…Hi?” said Seth. She put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Thankfully, it stopped raining. “Hello.” She nodded gracefully, wringing out the water in her hair. “How…You…She?” He stammered. “Long story.” I sighed. She glanced at her watch and raised both her eyebrows. “I should get going…my mom will kill me if I’m late again on a school night.” “What school do you go to?” I blurted. “I go to Forks High, I’m a senior there.” Thank god, she isn’t a freshman. “We got to school on the reservation down in La Push.” Seth intruded. “Oh cool, you live near the beach?” She beamed. “We practically live on the beach.” He joked. Both of them started laughing. I narrowed my eyes at Seth. He stopped laughing and began loading the trunk with grocery bags. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Jacob-” I quickly interrupted her. “Do you need a ride home? It could rain again and it gets pretty cold.” “Oh thank you, Jacob, but I couldn’t. You’ve done too much for me already.” “No, no. It’s fine. Really, I insist.” “No, it’s alright. I like to walk home- it’s my exercise for the day.” I didn’t argue because I didn’t want her to think that I was pushy. I frowned a little. “Uh…I’ll walk with you…if that’s okay with you.” I asked, hopefully. “Sure, that’s fine with me. But just to warn you…it is a long walk.” I looked over my shoulder at Seth and, with my eyes, I begged him. Then he rolled his eyes and nodded. He started the engine and left the parking lot.

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso