Forever Moonlight Chapter Seven

7. Big Date

Lying on the warm, grainy sand, I spot a figure walking towards me. It’s a girl. As she walks towards me, the sun shines behind her illuminating her body, forming a silhouette. All I can see is her long hair flying behind her and her gorgeous, white smile. She takes my hand, pulling me up a little so that I’m sitting up straight, and says, “Jacob Black.” I respond by widening my eyes and whispering, “Vanessa?” She smiles at me, closed-lips. Unexpectedly, a huge breeze goes by and makes my hair fly everywhere, covering my eyes. I brush my hair out of my face hurriedly, so I could see her- but she’s gone. I stand up quickly and turn my head from side to side, searching for her. “Paul?” A childish voice asks, shakily. I turn around and see Paul with a little girl that’s about ten to twelve years old. Paul is trembling and then he explodes into a wolf. The girl shrieks and looks around frantically. She runs up to me and hides behind me. I glance at her over my shoulder and she’s covering her face, shivering. Anger boils up inside me. Paul charges at me and I can’t seem to phase. He knocks me off my feet and the back of my head hits the ground. His massive front paws are on my chest, holding me down. He looks rabid with his red eyes and white stuff foaming out of his mouth. I grab the closest thick branch near me and press it against his chest. He snarls and snaps at my face as I try to push him off me. I start to feel weak and my arms are about to give up. All of a sudden, Paul yelps and gets off me. I suck in my breath when I see the little girl hanging onto his back, as he runs around crazily, trying to get her off. All it took was one hard jerk and the girl flew. The back of her head hits the groundMy eyes flew open with a gasp. “Ugh.” I grunted, as I ran my hand through my hair. I laid there, staring at the ceiling for awhile. I thought about the little girl. I felt so much better knowing it was just a dream. Then I realized that ever since that day I decided not to think about her anymore, Paul’s never been in my dreams. It frightened me a little, having Paul in my thoughts. I shook my head and closed my eyes again. Two minutes later…Beep! Beep! Beep! I slammed my hand on the DISMISS button on my alarm. I glanced at the clock: Friday, May 15, 6:45. I immediately rolled out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. After I was done getting ready, I glanced at the clock again and it was six-ten. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. Billy was reading the newspaper at the table. “In a rush?” Billy smirked.

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“Yup. See you later.” I said quickly, flying out the front door. I haven’t felt this excited in years. As I was starting my car, all I could think about was being with Vanessa. For the past three days, seeing Vanessa always made my day. It’s her beautiful smile and voice that always brightens my day.

I stopped the car, four blocks away from Vanessa’s house, and glanced at the clock. Seven o’ three. I bit my lip, thinking about what Vanessa’s reaction would be if she saw me at her door right now. I’m not even supposed to be here until another forty two minutes. I debated with myself about whether I should wait in the car or get this day started. Five minutes later- after reminding myself how kind and gentle she is- I shrugged and said to myself, “What’s the worst she could think of me?” Slowly, my foot reached for the gas pedal and pressed on it. The closer I got to her house, the more I began feeling a bit nervous and excited. I swallowed a little as I parked at the curb in front of her house. I looked at the clock again. Seven-fifteen. I stepped out of the car, staring at the house, and took a deep breath. I walked up to her front porch and froze at the front door.

C’mon, Jake. Ring the doorbell, I told myself. I shook my head and pressed on the little white button on the left side of her creamy white door. No answer. I bit my lip for a second, then I pressed the doorbell again. “Hmm…” I rocked back and forth on my heels. I knocked on the door and waited a few moments more. I took another deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. I craned my neck to the side and tried to peer through her sheer-curtained window. It was pretty dark in there- besides the faint sunlight that shone through the window. Maybe she’s still sleeping, I figured, or she could be in the shower. “One more time.” I whispered. I pressed the button again. No answer. My shoulders fell and I trudged back to my car. I sat in driver’s seat with door wide open. I turned on the car and waited for the clock to turn on. Seven- twenty. I groaned and leaned my head against the head rest on the car seat. I stared at the yellow house for- what felt like eternity- which in actuality was about ten minutes. To kill time, I listened to the radio- which didn’t really help much because I couldn’t even focus on the music.

This is what you get for being Mr. Anxious, my conscience snapped. I pressed my lips together into thin line and dropped my head. “Jacob?”

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Vanessa. My eyes went wide. Raising my head slowly and sitting up straight, my eyes scanned her body- of course, she was flawless as usual, but I couldn’t focus on how she looked right now, during this situation. “Um…hi.” I said, awkwardly. I smiled uncomfortably. “Hey.” Her eyes were wide too. “I was just...um…waiting for you.” I stammered, trying not to meet her eyes. Then when I finally glanced up, she gave me a half-smile that sent jolts to my heart. “I hope you didn’t wait long.” She said, apologetically. I didn’t see that coming. “No. I didn’t.” I lied, smiling back. Now that I felt a little more relaxed, I took in her beauty. She wore a striped purple and white tank top with washed out, blue Capri jeans. Her hair was straight today and it looked silky and soft. I just wanted to reach out and stroke her brown hair. “Um, I rang your doorbell, but no one answered.” I explained, scratching the back of my head. “Oh. I was probably taking a shower.” “Of course.” I mumbled to myself. Vanessa heard me and gave me a questioning look. “I guess we should head to school now.” I half-smiled. “I can’t wait for our date.” She mentioned, as she went around the car to the passenger seat. “Date?” I repeated, as a smirk played on my lips. Her head jerked towards me and her cheeks were pink. “Oh, I didn’t mean to…if you don’t want to, you know, call it a date-” I chuckled. “No. It’s fine.” She looked really embarrassed now. Thinking that she didn’t mind, I placed my hand on top of hers. “I can’t wait either.” Her hand was slightly colder than mine, but it felt nice. She smiled sweetly at me. I moved my hand away, started the car and made a U-turn. Leaving her neighborhood, Vanessa’s eyes flickered to me and then she asked, “Jacob?” “Yes?” “Where are we going later…you know, for our date?” She asked sheepishly, her cheeks stained with red at the last word. Seeing her blush embarrassingly was adorable.

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“We are going to have a picnic at the beach near my house.” I announced, confidently. Her smile grew wider. “And there’s a possibility we could go surfing.” “We?” The stoplight turned red and I turned my head to face Vanessa. “Yup. You’re not afraid are you?” I teased, looking her straight in the eyes. It wasn’t until her eyes flickered to the stoplight that I realized the light turned green. I blinked and pressed on the gas pedal. She narrowed her eyes and put on a sly half-smile. “No way.” She said, propping her elbow on the console and resting her chin on the back of her hand. “I’m just wondering who’s the better surfer.” I gave her a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, is that right?” “Mmm-hmm.” “So I assume you went surfing before?” I asked, raising a brow. “Maybe.” She shrugged and I chuckled. “At Cannon Beach.” “How long have you been surfing?” I made turn at the second to last stop sign near the school. She laughed softly, lowering her head. “Why does it matter?” She challenged. “I mean, what if one of us, not saying who, surfed ever since we were a child and still sucked?” I glanced at her and she was giving me a smug look. I couldn’t help but to laugh. We were both laughing as we pulled into the school’s lot. Well, we were until I noticed Vanessa’s voice fading. When I looked over at Vanessa, she was glaring at Matt through the window. He was leaning against a truck, with his friends around, whistling and making rude comments at the girls who walked passed him. Seeing him made me tighten my grip on the wheel. Just the thought of him made my blood boil. I glanced over at Vanessa again. She was clenching her fists in her lap. I pressed my lips together and loosened my grip. “You okay?” I asked, parking the car in the nearest parking space. Vanessa sighed. She hesitated at first, then she blurted, “Matt shouldn’t be able to get away with being such a repulsive jerk.” Trust me, I know how you feel, I growled, in my head. Instead of angrily saying that, I replied calmly, “Yeah, I understand. But you shouldn’t let him bother you, unless-” Why else would she bring this up? Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

“He isn’t bothering you, is he?” I asked, tensing up at the thought of him giving her trouble. “No, no. He’s not.” She admitted. “But that’s very kind of you for being concerned. Thank you, Jake.” “You’re welcome.” She reached over and gave me a hug. I still wasn’t really used to her friendly hugs. Every time I had her in my arms, my heart would always beat like crazy. But considering that this hug was longer than all of her other hugs, this one actually gave me goosebumps. She pulled away, but not all the way, just enough so that she could see my face. I looked into her chocolate brown irises and she looked back at me. I suddenly had a flashback of the silhouette in my dream. I held back my gasp. Unfortunately, the school’s warning bell rung and broke our gaze. Vanessa blinked a couple of times and jerked back. “Jacob, I’m sorry, I got to go class. I’ll meet you here a three.” She apologized, gathering all of her stuff. She quickly pushed the door open and got out. She shut the door, but her window was rolled down a little. “Bye, Jake. Thanks for the ride.” She shouted, as she rushed to class. I sighed because I was happy, overwhelmed, and a bit upset. Feeling completely confused, I backed out of the parking space and heard a thump coming from the back of the car. I looked in the side view mirror and saw Matt and friends behind my car. I chuckled bitterly to myself as I thought, Bad timing, boys. Matt walked up to my window and tapped on it. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, knowing I was going to regret this. “What do you want?” I snapped, making my voice as icy as possible. He shrugged. “I just wanted to talk about your new little girlfriend, that’s all.” “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just friends.” I retorted. I felt a little guilty saying that because I wanted to have a relationship with her. Matt scoffed. “Sure you are.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes at me. I tried to keep myself as calm as possible- which seemed impossible around him. “Look, I have to be somewhere. So if you and your friends could just back away from the car, that’d be great. Unless you want to be road kill, then I’m totally fine with that.” I said, turning my back on them. Before I could get into my car, Matt grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

His eyes were narrowed and his face was stone-like. “If I were you, I’d keep my distance from Vanessa. She doesn’t see it yet, but she still wants me. She’s just using you to get me jealous.” Is this dude serious? My eyebrows were together now. “Jeez. And you guys went out for like a day?” It was too easy. I already saw it coming the moment I saw his face become serious- there always has to be a fight. He swung at me and I dodged it right away. Now he was furious. His fist flew towards me multiple times and he missed me each time. Every time he missed, it was impossible not to laugh. That’s when he called in back up and that’s when the fun kicked in. There were about four guys- including him. I almost avoided every hit, except one- kind of. The biggest one out of all of them landed a blow in my rib, but surprisingly the biggest one punches the weakest. I flinched, but that was my only reaction. After a few a minutes as I was slowly getting bored, I knocked down all of them except Matt. Finally, on his last swing, I grabbed his fist and twisted his arm. He yelled in agony. I pulled him towards me so that we were up close, face to face. “You’re the one that needs to leave her alone and stay away.” I whispered. “And you and your back up should really learn how to fight before you start one. Just a little tip for you.” I let go of him and he dropped to the ground, curling up into a ball. I exhaled with a little bit of disappointment and satisfaction. I jumped into the car and drove off. All I could think at that very moment was, I have got to tell Seth about this.

About an hour later, I was at Seth’s house. I walked up the stone steps- almost stumbling at the top step- and rung the doorbell. The door opened and I was not happy to see the person who opened it. “Can I help you?” Leah asked, even though I’ve always came here for Seth for the past seven years. “Leah, let me in.” I rolled my eyes at her- like always. “Why, so you could gossip with Seth about your new babe?” She teased. I sighed, dropping head and shaking it. “Damn it, Leah. Can’t you just go through life without messing with me?” I groaned. “Nope. ‘Cause then life would be boring and pointless.” She chirped.

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“As opposed to your life now?” She gave me a murderous look and I raised an eyebrow. Then I heard Seth coming down the stairs. “Hey, Jake.” I smirked at Leah and nodded at Seth. “What are you doing standing outside? Come on in.” “Why thank you, Seth.” I said, smugly. I walked passed Leah and she quietly growled. She slammed the door shut and went into the living room. “What’s her problem?” Seth asked, jerking his thumb towards the living room. Obviously, Leah heard Seth and shouted back, “My problem is your stupid friend!” Seth and I rolled our eyes at her. “So what’s up with you and Vanessa? Today’s your big date, right?” I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go for a run. Ms. Moody over there doesn’t seem to like me being here.” I said, loud enough for Leah could hear. Then she snapped back, “Nope. Not for the past seven years.” I shrugged and headed for the door. Seth followed. We walked across the street and the second we were in the forest, we phased into wolves. During our run, I told him about Matt and his weak reinforcement. Both of us were laughing the whole time. Our laugh seemed to last for- what felt like about an hour- but was really a few minutes.

Phew! That’s hilarious. Too bad I missed it, Seth joked. Hmm…yeah. We slowed down and began walking. You alright?

Um…I’ve been thinking… Yeah? What if there is a possibility that you can imprint twice? Seth stopped walking and turned to me. Jake, you know that can’t be true. Imprinting is

love at first sight. Once you see that person there is no turning back and you’re stuck with them forever.

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Feeling defeated, I sat down on the ground. Yes, I know that. But there could be

exceptions, right? I’m pretty sure there aren’t in this situation. He took a seat on the ground too. I sighed and laid down. I can’t explain it Seth. I just know we have this connection. I rested my head on the ground. I glanced at the sun and it was right in the middle of the sky. Then I realized it was noon and snapped out of my troublesome mood.

I have to go home, I said, quickly getting up. Wait, my car. Then I realized I didn’t bring any shorts. Darn it, I didn’t bring back up clothes. Relax. I’ll bring it over for you. Thanks, man. You’re the best, I mentioned, taking steps back before I turn around. I know. Both of us chuckled. Before two o’ clock? I nodded. Oh, and cut your hair, dude. It’s getting way too long. It makes you look like crap after you phase. Sure, sure.

I entered my house, feeling extremely excited. Billy and Sue were sitting on the couch. “Well, hey there Smiles.” Billy smirked. “Hey, Pops.” I chuckled, looking over the couch. “Hey, Mrs. Clearwater.” “Hello, Jacob.” Sue smiled. Billy clasped his hands together, then quickly rubbed them together. “So what’s the plan? Romantic dinner? Movies? A walk through the forest?” Sue nudged Billy with her elbow. “Oh, Billy. Leave him alone. It’s none of your business.” “I just want to know. It isn’t going to hurt anyone.” He shrugged. “We’re going to have a picnic. Just as friends.” Again, I felt a pang of guilt when I emphasized on friends. “We’ll see about that.” He teased, narrowing his eyes at me.

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“About what?” I said, clearly irritated. “If you guys are “just friends” after today.” I groaned and went into my room. “You are such a child.” Sue said to Billy- who seemed to be enjoying himself. As I walked pass my body mirror in my room, I noticed my hair was getting too long. I spun on my heel and went into the bathroom. I pulled out the top drawer under the sink. There was a comb, a brush, a shaver, and a big pair of scissors. Sue always used this stuff to cut my hair. I took all of them out. I craned my neck, so that I could see my room. I checked the time on my alarm clock. 12:30. I still had time to get ready. Remembering how Sue cut it, I picked up the scissors and then held a handful of hair in my other hand. Slowly, I brought the opened scissors to my handful hair and closed them. I continued to do that until my hair was above my ear, then I took the shaver to even out the sides and to make my hair a bit shorter. Finally, I was done and was very happy with the results. I cut my hair just as good as Sue does. I was so relieved that it came out nice, considering that this was my first time cutting my hair. And to top it off I finished it in forty minutes. After I showered, I changed into a brown shirt with khaki shorts. I shoved my wallet in my pocket and closed my bedroom door behind me. Walking into the kitchen, I noticed Seth was here. He glanced at my hair and his eyebrows shot up. “You better hurry up, Cinderella.” I flicked the back of his head. “Ow!” I laughed and took the keys on the table. “Jacob, I’m making sandwiches and some other stuff for your picnic. Just swing by here later and pick it up.” Sue informed me. “Oh, cool. Thanks.” I said, giving her a big hug. I walked out the front door and dashed towards the car. I swung the car door open and hopped in. As I started the engine, I waited for the clock to turn on. 2:04. I backed out of the driveway with one thing in mind. Me and Vanessa’s first date.

Fortunately, I arrived at Forks High before school ended. I waited at the same parking spot that I was in this morning. Then the bell rang, making me grin from ear to ear. I rolled down the passenger window and watched all the students come out from the gate. I leaned to the side and searched for Vanessa. She was walking with both of her friends on the side. The three of them were laughing as they headed towards my car.

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“Hi, Jake.” She chirped. “Hey.” I half-smiled. Behind Vanessa’s back, her friends exchanged glances and giggled. “Jake, these are my friends Jennifer and Anna.” “Hello.” I nodded at them and gave them my best smile. Both girls’ cheeks were bright red. I held back my laugh. She turned around and gave Jennifer and Anna a hug at the same time. “See you later, guys. I’ll call you later, Anna.” “’Kay. Bye, Vanessa.” Anna said. “Bye, Vanessa. Bye, Jacob.” Jennifer said. When Vanessa was facing me again, Jennifer winked at me. I raised my eyebrows and Anna pulled Jennifer away. I chuckled silently. Vanessa got in and buckled her seatbelt. She rested her arm on the console the same time I did and our arms brushed against each other. She didn’t to seem to react to it, so I did the same. “Jacob?” She asked, as I put the car in reverse. “Yeah?” “Are we still going to go surfing?” She played with her bracelet. “Um…yeah. Unless…you don’t want to?” I cocked my head to the side. “No, I do. It’s just…I don’t have a bathing suit.” She said quietly, ducking her head. “Then we’ll just stop by your house and get it.” I shrugged. “That’s the problem. I don’t have one.” She explained, holding a hand out, her palm facing upwards. I scoffed. “I’ll just buy you one.” She shook her head. “No, you don’t have to.” “Are you planning to buy it?” “No…” She looked slightly confused. “Then I’m getting it.” I chirped. Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso

She smiled weakly. “Jacob. Please don’t.” “Just think of it as a gift to remember me by.” I suggested, waving her off. “A bathing suit?” She pulled her eyebrows together, still smiling. “Sure, why not?” I shrugged again. She giggled. “Okay.”

Twilight Inspired Written By: Alyssa Nguyen+Lorena Jasso