The Other Sister Jacob Black x OC Pt3
(Twilight what I would wear if i were Bella's older sister)
Jacob x OC fic based on the tiktok trend from a little bit ago where you make outfits and write a little blurb on that outfit. We're going to speed run the first movie and then go on to the second one so we can move onto him as a wolf. Bella and Jacob are 18 in their senior year of high school in the bulk of this story and OC is 20 because of being held back as a kid for plot reasons.
Link to vid
Part one Part Two
~Word count: ~8.9k
~Warnings: (CANON DIVERGENCE,) jealousy, emotional angst, feeling replaced, loneliness, complicated sibling relationships, unresolved tension, abandonment issues, unrequited feelings undertones, Bella Swan & OC becoming close, jacob black being emotionally constipated, hurt/no comfort
~Description: Being Bella Swan’s older sister was never supposed to change anything. Not with Charlie. Not with school. And definitely not with Jacob Black. But suddenly, Bella is everywhere. In the halls at school. In Charlie’s life. In Jacob’s conversations. And no matter how hard you try to pretend it doesn’t bother you, you can feel things shifting underneath your feet. Jacob starts keeping secrets. Bella starts falling in love. And you start realizing that maybe the worst kind of heartbreak isn't losing someone completely. Maybe it's standing right beside them while they slowly choose someone else. Or maybe you're just dramatic. Probably both.
✧─────────────────────✧
We start spending more time in Jacob's garage. Honestly, it's weird. But nice weird I guess.
Bella is clearly doing much better. She's talking again, smiling sometimes, actually leaving the house without Charlie looking like he's about to cry from relief. The annoying part is that apparently her version of getting better involves clinging to my best friend.
Not that I can blame her.
Jacob is easy to cling to. He's warm and funny and always seems to know exactly what to say when someone's having a bad day. Still, every now and then watching them together gives me this weird little pinch beneath my ribs. Nothing serious. Just enough to make me notice it.
I care more about Bella feeling better than whatever weird vibes are happening between her and Jacob.
Mostly.
Today we're all hanging out in the garage. Bella is perched on the hood of one of the motorcycles while Jacob works on something beneath it. I'm sitting on the floor sorting through tools and trying not to get grease on my jeans for once.
The garage door is open, letting in the cool ocean air and the distant sound of waves.
Then Embry and Quil walk in.
Actually, swagger in.
The second they spot us their faces light up with identical expressions.
Oh no.
"No," I say immediately.
"I didn't even say anything yet," Quil protests.
"You were going to."
Embry points between Bella and me. "Fair."
Jacob groans from somewhere underneath the motorcycle.
"What do you two want?"
"We have a very important question," Quil announces.
"It's not important," Jacob says.
"It is to us."
Bella immediately looks entertained.
That's never a good sign.
Quil gestures dramatically between the two of us. "Which one are you dating?"
The garage goes silent.
Jacob's head immediately smacks against the underside of the motorcycle.
"Ow!"
Bella bursts out laughing.
I just stare.
Embry is trying and failing not to grin.
Jacob slides out from beneath the bike looking deeply offended. "Neither."
"Really?" Quil asks.
"Yes really."
Quil points at me. "You spend all your time with her."
Then he points at Bella.
"And now all your time with her."
Bella raises a hand.
"In his defense," she says, "he's actually never dated either of us."
"Thank you," Jacob says.
"Which honestly makes this way weirder."
"BELLA."
She laughs harder.
Quil looks between the three of us. "I'm even more confused now."
"You should be," I mutter.
Jacob grabs a rag and throws it directly at Quil's face.
I should be laughing.
Normally I would be.
Instead I find myself looking at Jacob.
Then at Bella.
Then back at Jacob.
Because for some reason the question is still bouncing around inside my head.
Which one are you dating?
Neither.
Obviously.
The answer should make me feel relieved.
Instead it just leaves that strange little ache beneath my ribs.
✧─────────────────────✧
I've taken to sleeping in Bella's bed.
Which is weird.
Not because we're sisters. Well, sort of sisters. Whatever we are.
It's weird because I used to spend all my nights with Jacob.
If you'd asked me a year ago where I'd be sleeping, the answer would've been obvious. Sneaking out to La Push, climbing through Jacob's window, curled up in his bed while he talked about absolutely nothing until one of us fell asleep.
Now I'm here.
Curled up beneath a pile of blankets in Bella's room.
And honestly?
I'd rather be here.
Because Bella needs someone.
The nightmares started not long after Edward left. At first they happened once a week. Then twice. Then almost every night.
Most nights she doesn't even remember them.
I do.
Because they wake me up every single time.
Tonight is no different.
The scream tears through the darkness so suddenly that I nearly fall out of bed.
My heart slams against my ribs.
Beside me Bella jerks violently beneath the blankets.
"No-"
Her voice sounds strangled.
Terrified.
She's kicking now, tangled in the sheets, breathing hard like she's running from something.
Or someone.
"Bella."
Nothing.
Her eyes are squeezed shut.
Tears streak her face.
"Bella."
I sit up immediately and grab her shoulders.
She's still trapped somewhere inside the nightmare.
"No!"
The scream echoes through the room.
My chest physically hurts hearing it.
"Bella wake up."
Nothing.
She's shaking.
Actually shaking.
So I do the only thing I can think of.
I pull her into my arms.
"Bella."
I hold her tightly against my chest.
"It's okay."
Another strangled sound escapes her.
"Bella wake up."
Then suddenly her eyes fly open.
For one awful second she doesn't recognize where she is.
Or who I am.
Pure panic fills her expression.
Then reality crashes back in.
The panic turns into exhaustion.
Her body goes limp against mine.
The bedroom door bursts open.
Charlie.
Of course.
He's breathing hard, hair sticking up in every direction and still wearing the same flannel he fell asleep in downstairs.
His eyes immediately find Bella.
Again.
The realization lands heavily in my chest.
Because this isn't unusual anymore.
Charlie doesn't even ask what happened.
He already knows.
Another nightmare.
Another sleepless night.
Another reminder that Bella isn't okay.
"Bellabell?" he asks carefully.
Bella just nods weakly.
Charlie lets out a breath.
The kind of breath people take when they're relieved something isn't even worse.
He crosses the room and sits on the edge of the bed.
For a moment nobody speaks.
The rain taps softly against the windows.
Bella's breathing slowly evens out.
I keep one arm around her shoulders.
Not because she asked.
Because she never asks.
Because she leans into it anyway.
Eventually Charlie rubs a hand across his face.
"Want me to make some tea?"
Bella shakes her head.
"Hot chocolate?"
Another head shake.
Charlie looks helpless.
I know the feeling.
Because I don't know what to do anymore either.
I don't know how to fix this.
I don't know how to fight something that only exists in her head.
All I know is that every night she falls asleep terrified.
And every morning she wakes up exhausted.
Bella rests her forehead against my shoulder.
A movement so small I almost miss it.
But it makes my throat tighten.
Because a year ago Bella would've never done that.
A year ago we barely knew each other.
Now she's the first person I check on every morning.
The last person I say goodnight to.
My sister.
Not because we're related.
Because she's mine.
And she's hurting.
Charlie eventually stands.
"Yell if you need me."
Neither of us answers.
He leaves the door cracked open anyway.
The hallway light spills softly across the floor.
Bella stares at the blankets for a long time after he's gone.
I don't push.
I've learned not to.
If Bella wants to talk she'll talk.
If she doesn't, no amount of asking will change that.
So instead I brush a piece of hair behind her ear.
"You wanna tell me about it?"
She shakes her head.
Figures.
"You know eventually I'm going to start charging you for emotional support."
A tiny huff of laughter escapes her.
Barely there.
But enough.
I smile.
"There she is."
Bella rolls her eyes weakly.
Then settles back down beneath the blankets.
I lay down beside her.
The room goes quiet again.
For a while I think she's fallen asleep.
Then...
"Kylie?"
Her voice is barely above a whisper.
"Hm?"
A long pause.
"So many people leave."
The words hit me like a punch.
I stare at the ceiling.
Because suddenly I understand.
Not everything.
But enough.
Mom left.
Edward left.
People leave.
And Bella's terrified everyone else will too.
I reach across the space between us and grab her hand beneath the blankets.
She squeezes mine immediately.
Hard.
"I'm not going anywhere."
The answer comes automatically.
Without hesitation.
Without thought.
Because it's true.
Bella doesn't say anything.
But she doesn't let go of my hand either.
And neither do I.
Outside the rain keeps falling.
Inside the nightmares wait for another night.
But for now she's here.
For now she's safe.
And for now that's the best I can do.
✧─────────────────────✧
So Bella and Jacob took the bikes out without me.
Without me.
The betrayal is actually unbelievable.
I've spent weeks helping fix those stupid motorcycles. Weeks sitting in Jacob's garage getting grease under my nails while Bella learned how to ride. And then the first real ride they take?
Without me.
Rude.
I hear the engines before I see them.
I'm sprawled across the couch flipping through channels when the familiar rumble reaches the house. For a second my face lights up automatically.
Then I remember I'm annoyed.
The front door opens.
Bella walks in first.
And immediately every ounce of irritation vanishes.
"What happened?"
Bella freezes.
There's a giant gash on her forehead.
Blood has dried along her hairline and streaked down the side of her face.
Not enough blood that she's actively bleeding anymore.
Enough blood that my stomach drops straight through the floor.
"Jesus Christ Bella."
"I'm fine."
"No."
"I'm okay."
"No."
I stand up so fast I almost trip over the coffee table.
"Why are you always injured?"
Bella sighs dramatically.
"It looks worse than it is."
"That sentence should be printed on a t-shirt at this point."
The screen door opens behind her.
And Jacob follows her inside.
My brain immediately derails.
Because Jacob is shirtless.
Shirtless.
Why is he shirtless?
Where is his shirt?
Did shirts become illegal?
What happened?
I stare.
Then immediately look away.
Then look back.
Because holy fuck.
When did that happen?
I knew he'd gotten bigger.
I knew he'd gotten stronger.
I've watched him casually lift motorcycles around his garage like they weigh thirty pounds.
But this feels different.
Jacob turned eighteen and apparently woke up one day looking like he wrestles bears recreationally.
His shoulders practically fill the doorway.
His arms are ridiculous.
And don't even get me started on the abs.
There are entirely too many abs happening right now.
I hate it.
Not because they look bad.
Quite the opposite.
That's the problem.
"Oh."
The word escapes before I can stop it.
Jacob looks confused.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Everything.
Jacob narrows his eyes suspiciously.
Bella actually snorts.
Traitor.
I point at her forehead immediately.
"Don't laugh. You're bleeding."
Bella touches the cut automatically.
"It's really not that bad."
"It is literally on your face."
"I fell."
"Onto what?"
"A rock."
I stare at her.
"A rock."
"Yes."
"Just one rock specifically?"
Bella rolls her eyes.
Jacob is trying very hard not to laugh.
Again.
Traitor.
I grab Bella's wrist and drag her toward the bathroom.
"We're cleaning that."
"I'm fine."
"We're cleaning that."
"I don't need..."
"We are cleaning that."
Jacob follows us inside.
I pull out the first aid kit and start aggressively searching through it.
Bella hops up onto the bathroom counter.
Jacob leans against the doorway.
Still shirtless.
Unfortunately....Fortunately?
I am trying very hard to be normal.
It's not working.
"Hold still."
Bella winces as I start cleaning the cut.
"Ouch."
"Good."
"You're enjoying this."
"A little."
She laughs softly.
A real laugh.
Not one of the tiny polite ones she's been doing lately.
An actual laugh.
The sound immediately catches my attention.
Because lately Bella's been happier.
Not completely.
Not fixed.
But happier.
The nightmares still happen.
The sadness is still there.
But she's smiling again.
Leaving the house again.
Living again.
And somehow a lot of that seems connected to Jacob.
The realization makes me glance toward him.
He's watching Bella carefully.
Not in a weird way.
Not possessive.
Not romantic.
Just...watching.
Making sure she's okay.
Like he's been doing it for years.
Like he can't help himself.
And Bella looks calmer when he's around.
Safer.
A weird little feeling twists beneath my ribs.
Not jealousy exactly.
Something stranger.
Like the world shifted while I wasn't looking.
Bella notices me staring.
"What?"
I blink.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
I ignore her completely.
Instead I finish bandaging her forehead before stepping back to admire my work.
"There."
Bella hops off the counter.
Jacob immediately reaches out to steady her.
The movement is automatic.
Neither of them even seems to notice it.
I do.
And suddenly something clicks.
Oh.
Oh.
Not oh in the romantic sense.
Just...
Oh.
Whatever weird thing happened while I wasn't paying attention, these two found something in each other that nobody else could give them.
Bella spent months feeling like she was drowning.
Jacob somehow taught her how to breathe again.
The realization settles heavily in my chest.
Not painful.
Just...different.
Bella bumps her shoulder lightly against mine.
"Thanks."
I look at her.
Really look at her.
The color in her cheeks.
The spark back in her eyes.
The fact that she's actually standing here laughing after months of barely existing.
And honestly?
Maybe I can forgive the motorcycles.
Maybe.
I point at her forehead one last time.
"If you come home bleeding one more time I'm wrapping you in bubble wrap."
Bella grins.
Jacob finally laughs out loud.
And for the first time all day, I find myself laughing too.
✧─────────────────────✧
Time alone with Jacob has been virtually nonexistent lately. Between Bella, motorcycles, school, and whatever weird stuff is going on with the tribe, of which I barely get to see anymore, I feel like I barely get him to myself anymore.
So before I can overthink it, I grab his wrist.
"Come on."
Jacob looks confused. "What?"
"You're not getting grease and road dirt all over my house."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good. Then get upstairs."
Bella immediately starts laughing.
"Are you kidnapping him?"
"Mind your business."
I drag him upstairs before either of them can argue.
The second we get into my room I shove him toward the bed and close the door behind us.
Jacob catches himself with a laugh.
"You're weird."
"Yeah, yeah."
I lean back against the door for a second.
The room suddenly feels smaller with him in it.
More familiar somehow.
"I think I have one of your shirts somewhere."
"You have one of my shirts?"
"I have several of your shirts."
Jacob looks entirely too pleased by that.
I immediately turn toward my closet.
The room fills with the familiar scent of him. Motor oil. Forest air. Sweat.
Actually...I wrinkle my nose.
"You need a shower."
Jacob gasps dramatically.
"Wow."
"You smell like a mechanic."
"I am a mechanic."
"You're also a biohazard."
He laughs.
Lucky for me, Charlie built me an en-suite bathroom years ago after I hit puberty and started monopolizing the hallway bathroom every morning. Which may have made him late for work a couple of times.
I point toward it.
"Jacob, get your ass in the shower while I look for your clothes."
He stands.
Then walks past me toward the bathroom.
The brush of his arm against mine is brief.
Entirely accidental.
And somehow my brain decides to short-circuit over it anyway.
What is wrong with me?
The bathroom door shuts.
I stare at it for a second.
Then immediately turn back toward my closet.
Focus.
Clothes.
Find clothes.
Totally normal activity.
A few minutes later I find a t-shirt and pair of sweats he'd let me borrow a bit ago. They smell like his bedroom tied up in my body oil.
I set them aside.
Then get distracted.
I "forget" to give them to him. Listen I don't know what's happening but is it wrong to appreciate my best friends body? Oof probably.
I'm just sitting on my bed thinking.
Thinking about Jacob.
Which is apparently a dangerous hobby.
The shower shuts off.
A minute later the bathroom door opens.
And there he is.
Hair damp and pushed back from his face.
Towel hanging low on his hip bones.
Water still clinging to his shoulders and slowly making it's way down his abs.
My brain immediately exits the chat.
"Where are my clothes?" he asks, one eyebrow lifting.
I blink.
Right.
Clothes.
Those.
"I found them."
"Then why don't I have them?"
Good question.
I stand quickly.
Too quickly.
Almost trip.
Recover with what I hope is dignity.
There is no dignity.
Only panic.
I grab another towel from beside the bathroom door. We're almost chest to chest.
"You still have to dry off."
Jacob stares at me.
I stare back.
The silence stretches.
I run the towel across his chest and we stare really intensly for a moment.
I can smell my shampoo on him, and a very dangerous thought enters my brain.
He smells like me now.
Oh no.
No no no.
Absolutely not.
I know where this road leads.
I don't want to walk down it.
Because the second I acknowledge what I've been avoiding for months, everything changes.
Jacob reaches out and catches my wrist lightly. It was low...Like making its way down his abs low. Oops.
The movement snaps me out of whatever spiral I was disappearing into.
His expression is amused.
Concerned.
Fond.
All at once.
"Ky."
"Hm?"
"I think I'm dry."
I immediately step back.
Fast.
Very fast.
Like someone caught me committing a crime.
"Right."
I grab his clothes and shove them directly into his chest.
"There."
Jacob laughs.
The sound bounces around my room.
"You okay?"
"No."
His eyebrows shoot up.
I point aggressively at him.
"Stop flaunting your abs at me."
His grin widens.
"I wasn't."
"How'd you even get those anyway?"
"Work."
"Yeah sure."
Jacob laughs again before disappearing back into the bathroom to change.
The door closes.
I stand there for exactly three seconds.
Then immediately throw myself backward onto my bed.
The ceiling stares back at me.
I stare back.
My heart is beating way too fast.
This is bad.
Very bad.
Because I've spent months telling myself that weird feeling in my chest was jealousy.
Or loneliness.
Or fear of losing my best friend.
And maybe some of it was.
But lying on my bed now, listening to Jacob move around in the next room, another possibility settles into my stomach.
A much more dangerous one.
"...Oh."
The word slips out into the empty room.
Because suddenly everything makes sense.
The jealousy.
The hurt.
The way seeing him again felt like finally breathing after being underwater.
The way I always look for him first.
The way I miss him.
Not just when he's gone.
All the time.
Oh.
Oh no.
I bury my face in a pillow.
I'm so fucked.
✧─────────────────────✧
Bella is finally talking again.
Not just talking.
Planning things.
Which is honestly more terrifying.
Because now she has decided that all of us are going to the movies.
By all of us, I mean me, Bella, Jessica, Mike, and whatever poor unfortunate soul Bella decides to collect along the way.
Including Jacob.
Mostly because I decide Jacob is coming whether he wants to or not.
"Why?" he asks while we're standing beside my El Camino after school.
"Because."
"That's not an answer."
"It absolutely is."
Jacob narrows his eyes.
I narrow mine back.
Eventually he sighs dramatically.
"Fine."
Victory.
...Just Mike Showed up.
It's me, Bella, Mike, and Jacob. Boy am I glad I grabbed Jacob.
The movie is terrible.
Actually terrible.
Not in a fun way either.
Just boring and gross.
People are getting dismembered every fifteen minutes and somehow there's still no plot.
I hate it.
Mike looks like he's trying very hard to enjoy it.
Bella is having the time of her life.
Which honestly concerns me.
I glance over at her during one particularly disgusting scene.
She's completely focused.
Entranced even.
Who is this woman?
What happened to my sister?
Meanwhile Jacob is sitting beside me looking deeply unimpressed.
"This is awful," I whisper.
"It's so bad."
"Thank you."
Our shoulders bump. Ordinarily, during a movie, Jacob and I would have moved the armrest to lie on each other.
Which was normal.
Now it feels charged, and I don't know if I can get myself to do it. It feels wrong, a friendly gesture feels like more than that to me, and thats unfair to him.
Bella immediately shushes us.
Traitor.
A few rows ahead Mike suddenly stands up.
The poor guy looks green.
Actually green.
"Uh oh," I whisper.
Mike practically sprints toward the exit. A second later the theater doors slam shut behind him.
Silence.
Then Jacob stands. My stomach immediately drops. Because I've seen that look before.
The tense shoulders. The clenched jaw. Something's wrong.
"Jake?"
He doesn't answer.
Bella notices too.
Her entire expression shifts.
The amusement vanishes instantly.
Jacob is already heading toward the exit.
Bella immediately follows.
"Jacob."
Nothing.
The theater doors swing shut behind them.
I stare for approximately three seconds.
Then groan.
"Well now I have to follow them."
Outside the theater the cold air hits immediately.
I spot Bella and Jacob halfway down the sidewalk.
They're arguing.
Actually arguing.
Jacob's shoulders are rigid.
Bella looks frustrated.
And for some reason they're standing way too close.
I speed up.
Just in time to hear-
"You're lying."
Bella folds her arms.
"About what?"
"About what happened."
My eyebrows shoot up.
What happened?
To who?
What are we talking about?
Bella glances around quickly.
"Lower your voice."
"No."
"Jacob..."
"No."
Oh.
He's mad mad.
The kind of mad where his entire body looks wound too tight. Bella notices me approaching and immediately looks relieved. Which is suspicious. Very suspicious.
"Kylie."
"Nope."
I point between them.
"You don't get to use me as a distraction."
Bella actually looks guilty.
Interesting.
Jacob turns away abruptly.
Like he's done with the conversation.
Or trying very hard not to say something else.
"Jake."
Nothing.
He starts walking.
I grab his arm automatically.
The second my hand closes around his skin I nearly yank it back.
Holy shit.
He's burning up.
Not warm.
Not Jacob warm.
Burning.
Like he has a fever.
"Jesus."
Jacob freezes.
My eyes widen.
"Jake."
His jaw clenches immediately.
Uh oh.
"You're hot."
The second the words leave my mouth I want to launch myself into traffic.
Bella's eyes go wide.
Jacob's eyes go wide.
My eyes go wide.
Wonderful.
Fantastic.
Perfect.
I immediately correct myself.
"Temperature wise."
Neither of them says anything.
I can physically feel my soul leaving my body.
"Your skin is hot."
Somehow worse.
"Like a fever."
There.
Normal.
Recovered.
Absolutely nailed it.
Bella outright laughs.
Traitor.
I smack Jacob's arm.
"Seriously."
For a second something complicated flashes across his face.
Something almost worried.
Then it's gone.
"I'm fine."
"You are literally on fire."
"I'm not."
"You kind of are," Bella says.
"Thank you."
Jacob glares at both of us.
Then immediately looks away.
Weird.
Very weird.
Everything about the tribe boys has been weird lately.
"You're hiding something."
Jacob groans.
Bella looks away suspiciously.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Before I can interrogate either of them further, Jacob starts walking again.
✧─────────────────────✧
Jacob hasn't been responding to me.
Again.
And ain't no way we're doing this again.
No.
Absolutely not.
I already survived one Jacob disappearance.
I'm not doing a sequel.
So Bella and I decide we're going to see him. By we I mean I show up in Bella's room and announce we're leaving. Bella doesn't even argue.
Which honestly should've been my first warning sign.
It's pouring rain by the time we climb into her truck. The windshield wipers are working overtime while gray clouds swallow up the entire sky. Neither of us talks much on the drive. Mostly because we're both annoyed. Though apparently for very different reasons.
The second we pull into La Push I know something's off.
Jacob is already outside. Waiting. Like he knew we were coming. The truck barely stops before Bella is opening her door.
I climb out after her. And immediately stop walking.
What.
The.
Hell.
His hair is gone. Not completely. But gone enough. The long hair I've been yanking on and braiding and threatening to cut in his sleep for years,(as a joke I love his long hair), is gone.
Now it's short. Really short. I hate it. Actually no.
I don't.
Which is worse. Because somehow it makes his jaw look sharper. His shoulders broader. His entire face older.
Unfair. Completely unfair. Then my eyes drop lower. And things somehow get worse. He's shirtless.
Again.
Why is he always shirtless now? And wet. Rainwater slides down his chest and shoulders while his stupid new tattoo sits on one shoulder.
I blink.
A tattoo. A dumb looking tattoo. A very dumb looking tattoo.
I stare at it. Then at him. Then back at the tattoo.
"Absolutely not."
Jacob actually looks offended.
Bella ignores both of us completely.
"Why haven't you been answering me?"
She speaks first. Oh.
We're starting here.
Immediately.
Great.
I fold my arms and step back slightly while they launch into an argument.
Or whatever this is.
Honestly after about thirty seconds I stop paying attention.
Not intentionally.
My brain just gets distracted.
Because first of all, Jacob has apparently been hanging out with Bella without me.
Repeatedly.
Which I only learned because Bella casually mentioned it on the drive over like it was common knowledge.
Apparently they've been working on motorcycles together on their own.
Talking.
Meeting up.
Having entire conversations.
Without me.
So that's great.
Love that.
Second of all, their argument is weird.
Really weird.
They're standing way too close.
Talking way too intensely.
Interrupting each other every five seconds.
Honestly it sounds less like a fight and more like a breakup.
Which would make sense.
Except they're not dating.
As far as I know.
Hopefully.
My attention drifts back just in time to hear...
"Why are you doing this?" Bella demands.
Jacob looks away.
His jaw clenches.
Then he says, "Because I'm not a nice guy anymore."
Silence.
I stare at him.
Bella stares at him.
Rain pours around us.
And then...
I snort.
I can't help it.
The sound escapes before I can stop it.
Because that is genuinely the cheesiest thing I've ever heard in my entire life.
Jacob's head immediately snaps toward me.
"What?"
I gesture vaguely.
"That."
"What?"
"'I'm not a nice guy anymore.'" I mimic dramatically. "Who says that?"
Bella actually looks at me like my head's chopped off.
Traitor.
Jacob glares.
I keep going.
"No seriously. That's what villains say right before they get defeated by friendship."
His glare deepens.
"My Jacob could never not be good."
The words leave my mouth casually.
Automatic.
The way they've always felt.
Because it's true.
Jacob Black is a lot of things.
Stubborn.
Annoying.
Dramatic.
A menace.
But not bad.
Never bad.
For a second nobody says anything.
The rain falls.
Bella goes oddly quiet.
And Jacob just...
Stares at me.
The amusement drains from my face slowly.
Because something shifts.
His expression changes.
His eyes lock onto mine.
Really lock onto mine.
Like he's seeing me for the first time all over again.
The air suddenly feels strange.
Heavy.
His nostrils flare.
I blink.
"...Jacob?"
His entire body goes rigid.
I scrunch my eyebrows together.
Confused.
What is happening?
Bella looks confused too.
Actually no.
Bella looks horrified.
Which is significantly worse.
"Jake?"
His eyes never leave mine.
For one bizarre second everything feels frozen.
Nobody moves.
Nobody speaks.
Then Jacob turns.
And runs.
Not walks.
Not storms off.
Runs.
Into the woods.
Gone in seconds.
I stare after him.
The rain soaks through my jacket.
My brain struggles to catch up.
✧─────────────────────✧
Jacob has been MIA.
Again.
Seriously.
Again. He ran off into the woods and what...fell in a hole?
You can't keep doing this to me, Jacob.
The first few days I try to be reasonable about it. People get sick. People get busy. People have lives outside of me.
Apparently.
But by day four I'm pacing around my room like a crazy person.
By day five I've called his house enough times that Billy probably recognizes the sound of my voice before I even say hello.
Everything was fine.
Everything was finally fine.
I got Jacob back.
Bella was doing better.
My car was almost done.
For one brief shining moment I thought maybe the universe would stop throwing things at me.
Then whatever happened at the movies happened. And we yelled at each other out in the rain.
Jacob vanished into the woods.
And now we're here again.
I flop backwards across my bed and stare at the ceiling.
Ever since Bella showed up everything has been changing.
I love her.
I really do.
But fuck man.
Nothing stays still anymore.
Jacob disappeared.
Then he came back.
Bella became my sister.
Edward left.
Bella fell apart.
Jacob got weird.
Everyone keeps having secrets.
And every time I think I've figured out the rules, somebody changes them.
My phone sits beside me.
I stare at it.
Then grab it.
Again.
The number practically dials itself at this point.
The phone rings.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then-
"Hello?"
Billy.
I immediately sit up.
"Billy."
A sigh.
The kind adults make when they're about to deal with nonsense.
"Hey kid."
"Where's Jacob?"
Silence.
Interesting. Very interesting.
I narrow my eyes at absolutely nobody.
"Billy."
"He's sick."
I pause.
"Sick?"
"Yep."
"With what?"
Another pause.
Long enough to be suspicious.
Then-
"Mono."
I blink. Mono? That's it?
All this drama because he has mono?
Actually that tracks.
Jacob would absolutely turn a normal illness into a full-scale disappearance.
"Mono?"
"Doctor says he needs rest."
I stare at the wall.
Then at my phone.
Then back at the wall.
Because honestly?
That makes sense.
He's been acting weird.
Running hot enough to cook breakfast.
Randomly disappearing.
Okay.
Fine.
Mono.
Reasonable.
Except...
I've taken care of him every single time he's gotten sick since we were kids. Every time. The flu. Food poisoning.
That one time he ate something questionable at a bonfire and spent three days complaining about it.
Every single time.
Also what was he doing out in the rain...That had to have made it worse right?
"Can I come see him?"
Billy is quiet.
Too quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
"Why?"
"Because he's sick."
"That's how being sick works."
Billy sighs.
"Kid."
"No."
I sit up straighter.
"Mono is shared through bodily fluids."
The silence on the other end becomes deafening. I continue anyway.
"It's not like he's gonna kiss me."
Dead silence.
Absolute.
Dead.
Silence.
I blink.
"...Billy?"
A noise escapes him.
A strangled noise.
Like he's actively choking on a laugh.
Oh.
Oh no.
Wait.
No.
That's not what I meant.
"That's not what I-"
Billy is definitely laughing now.
"Oh my God."
"Stop."
"I'm not saying anything."
"You are laughing."
"I am."
I drop my head into my hands.
This is a nightmare.
An actual nightmare.
Eventually Billy manages to recover.
Mostly.
"Look."
His voice softens slightly.
"I know you're worried."
The embarrassment fades immediately. Because I am worried. More worried than I want to admit.
"Then let me see him."
Another pause.
"He needs rest."
"Billy."
"He really does."
I groan dramatically. The sound echoes through my room.
"You're both impossible."
"That's probably true."
I sigh.
Then softer.
"Is he okay?"
The question slips out before I can stop it. Because that's the real issue.
Not mono. Not the phone calls. Not the frustration. I just want to know he's okay. Billy's answer comes immediately.
"Yeah."
My shoulders relax. Just a little.
"He's okay."
Not perfect. Not enough.
But okay. And right now I'll take okay. After we hang up I stare at my phone for a long moment.
✧─────────────────────✧
Guys, did Tumblr always have a block limit, or have I just been writing really short fics until now? Oopsies again ran out of room but this was supposed to be with what came out yesterday. hehe hope you enjoy. She'll finally know the truth next part.
Tag list:@loversonne @mrsabbotthankya @bearballerina44 @louisianalady @samuelseoswife @tcapter @uhhitaintme101
