𝗙𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱•𝗝. 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗲✔︎

Pack

Words: 1429

My leg was bouncing under my desk, as I rhythmically tapped my pencil on my desk. I was forcing my mind on Mr. Wright in front of the classroom.

I was doing better, good, actually. Embry and I talked often. I met him at La push a lot. There was just one problem. I wanted to break into the Cullen's home, like I knew that he would leave something to me. He obviously wouldn't, but I wanted to make sure or something. I had so far convinced myself that it was entirely a bad idea. I was telling myself I'd be stuck in my mothers journal again.

Bella was still isolated and alone. I sat with her at lunch sometimes, even if I hated every second of it. I couldn't let her think she was alone. She's in the same position I was in during December, which was good. She would be better, maybe, next month.

It was January, and I was sort of disgusted with how long it took for me to simply be okay. I was able to think more clearly, and it felt like my smile wasn't so fake anymore. I hadn't told Charlie anything, but Bella wasn't okay yet. She was still struggling. Charlie seemed to believe I was happy anyway, and it made him feel better. I really wanted Charlie to stop worrying. Of course it was great that he cared, but everything would turn out okay.

It had to be okay.

Another week had passed. Bella was still upset, but I had to meet Embry. We were going to hang out with his friends. Which was a little embarrassing, considering I cried in front of them.

"Hey Evelynn." He smiled as I hopped into the passenger seat of his truck. "Quill isn't included in the whole friends thing. Neither is Jake, but I still hang around with them." He explained, a shaky sigh following his words.

"I'm not really sorry about everything I said that night." I finally admitted. I had apologized in my desperate attempts to be his friend again, which worked, but I didn't want to keep up the lie.

"I know." He smiled, glancing at me. He, for a second, stared at the ring I still wore. The one he gave from my birthday.
"I don't forgive you, but I missed you too much." He admitted.

"Thanks." I grinned, raising my eyebrows. He slapped my arm, it hurt a little but I ignored it. "I missed you too, a lot."

"Awww, you loveeee me." He smiled.

I didn't realize how short the ride was, we were already almost there. I recognized a little house as Jake's. I'd been there a couple times Bella, and over the summer we obviously hung out.

"We're going to Sam's house, it's the biggest, and Emily had muffins." He grinned at some inside joke I missed in my isolation. The thought sent a shiver up my spine. I forced it all down, and smiled. "By the way, don't stare." He said as we pulled into a gravel driveway, stopped in front of a cozy little home.

"Why would I stare?" I asked as we walked inside.

"Embry, Evelynn." Sam greeted, a rather unwelcoming smile on his face. He seemed to not want me here. When I glanced at Embry, the defiance in his eyes was as apparent as the first time I met him.

"Hi." I shifted uncomfortably, their stares making me uncomfortable. I was not good with it, but I kept my mouth tightly shut.

"I'm Emily." A girl with a large scare, it looked like a scratch, well a few. She hugged me, something I was not used to, but I hugged back. "Sorry, they weren't expecting you to come." She explained.

"Why wouldn't I come here?" I raised an eyebrow at Embry, then to Sam.

"Anyways... This is Jared," Embry started pointing to tan shirtless boys, who looked mostly the same. "Paul, Leah, Emily, and you know Sam." I noticed the one girl, Leah, looked sad, not like she was sad, but the bags under her eyes, and the way she smiled was cold, distant.

"We're a pretty small group..." Embry said, there was a double meaning.

"No? Not really. This enough people, and the game range?" I noted how they all fell between sixteen to maybe nineteen.

"It's small for us." Sam told me, glancing at the group.

"What do you normally have like twenty people, compared to six?" I shook my head. "Like a pack." I muttered remembering my thoughts of them the night Bella went missing. The night they all left. I realized they were all looking at me, all with wide eyes, except two. A guy, Paul, Embry said, he was grinning. Leah, the girl with slick black hair, had a cold face. Her eyes black eyes were patronizing. "Oh shit. I wasn't being serious, but you guys are." I chuckled lightly as I chose a seat next to the still grinning Paul. "So like I do have questions, but I do have a feeling they aren't going to be answered."

"No, they aren't." Leah, her face still hard and cold, spoke.

"You shouldn't have brought her here." I heard Sam Uley say, he shot a glance at me, still a kind man.

"Don't worry, I'm not welcome in many places." I smiled, though it sort of hurt. "You get used to it." Leah looked as if she understood, but I wasn't sure if it was the same. I was bullied relentlessly, even by kids I stood up for. I never had a home. I was too wild and had 'too many broken wires' for a fit home, until now, and even here, in my fit home, I found a way to be unwelcomed.

"Don't worry, I welcome you." Paul told me. "Embry too." He teased.

"She already knows that." Embry rolled his eyes, but Paul seemed to lighten the mood.

"Now that we've totally blown out cover, muffins?" Sam asked, gesturing toward a large basket of muffins at the table I had seated myself by. I nodded, and took one. Everyone eagerly grabbed one. Embry took the only empty seat, after Sam and Emily sat down, next to me. It was fun, though Leah was sort of an outcast. She seemed to watch Sam though, a hint of jealousy in her eyes as she looked at Emily. I suspected there was something going on, but I wouldn't ask.

"So are you the girl from seven years ago." Jared said as everyone's laughs from a previous joke died down. I noticed this peaked Leah's interest.

"Yes." I said shortly. I took a second before speaking again. "I thought you all knew that my family was murdered by a vampire." A little ball of anger in my throat appeared, as I plastered on a sarcastic smile. I understood the part in my file that had stated in behavioral problems, in bold letters, that said, "Untamed Anger."

I very clearly understood it. It's not like I hadn't tried to tame the anger, but killing my family isn't really something I'd get over. "Oh, I'm sorry." Jared muttered, I didn't understand the slight fear in his eyes as he apologized.

"So why did you date one if you hate them so much?" Leah asked, her tone cold.

"Good question." I rolled my eyes, as the familiar stinging appeared everywhere. As the table was silent, I realized they were still waiting for an answer, but I didn't have one. I stared back at them, simply waiting for them to realize I didn't have an answer. They shifted uncomfortably.

"You do realize you're a little scary sometimes, right?" Embry whispered to me.

"Gotta be, my friend." I smiled. "I don't have a big sister to do it for me anymore." I instinctively held the locket still around my neck. I had more than one sister now.

"Hey that's where that ring went!" Sam pointed at the ring I had gotten from Embry. He was blushing furiously. I looked at it. "It was his moms. She gave it to him..." He suddenly had a sheepish grin on his face.

"Gross, Sam." Embry muttered, embarrassed.

I realized, and teased him, too. "Awwww, you loveeee me."

"Hey! That's my line!" He grumbled.

"Aww." I pouted. "Whatcha gonna do about it?" I shot up from my seat as he did, running.

"You better run, Swan! Embry's fast!" Paul called.

"Edward's very fast."

"Damn you Cullen's" I muttered as I slipped underneath Embry, getting away from his grasp.