Burning Up (Jacob Black)

1. Does That Hurt?

Although Edward still consumes most of my waking and slumbering thoughts, lately, I've felt my mind start to swerve—and possibly crash—in a new direction. It feels wrong. I've stuck to Edward for so long, it feels completely foreign and new to gravitate to anything else. I'm like gum stuck to Edward's abandoned school desk. I don't want to be scraped off... as much as it would probably be for the better.

But ever since that whole incident with Jacob on the motorcycles, something's been different.

I tossed and turned on my bed as more thoughts attacked my brain. I'm torn. I clutched a fistful of my blanket in my hands, feeling the tension in my chest. Maybe my chest just hurts from the fall I took. That would not be a far reach.

I flopped both my arms to my sides, hopelessly staring at the ceiling. Maybe the kernels on the ceiling will rearrange themselves and spell out the answer to all my problems. Yeah. I'll bet on that.

I can't stop the momentary flashbacks I get of Jake. I can picture his eyes as he wiped the blood off me like it's a photograph. The way he looked at me, with genuine worry and care as he held the cloth to my forehead... I haven't been looked at like that in ages. I haven't been looked at like that since Edward. Something in those black eyes definitely sparked something that has been lying dormant in me; I won't even try to deny it.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when I heard a loud thumping and a string of curses outside. I felt a rush of anxiety. Did Charlie fall on his way up the porch steps? I hopped up out of bed and looked out of my window, slightly alarmed. My worry turned into an excited gasp of relief when I saw the man of the hour standing there outside. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Jacob is the farthest thing from the devil, though.

"Jake!" I called out to him. He was hunched over for a second before straightening out. He stood with his hands on his hips and a slight smile, looking up at me from the ground. I saw one browning leaf stuck in his long black hair.

"That's the name." Even from so far away, I saw his eyebrows raise.

"What're you doing down there?" I asked, slightly raising my voice so he would hear me.

He shuffled his weight from one leg to the other and cast his eyes to the floor momentarily.

"I'm just checking in after what happened on the motorcycles." He replied vaguely.

"...From outside my window?" I questioned with one eyebrow lifted.

"Okay, listen, I thought I would be way smoother than this. You know, knocking a rock on the window and climbing in seamlessly. The whole shebang. I didn't count on the giant tree roots outside of your house to trip me up." He explained, picking the leaf from his hair and examining it with a sour expression. He dropped it on the ground dismissively.

I shook my head with a chuckle.

"You know what?" I said, my giggle still rumbling my words. Jacob made a subtle hm? sound. "I'll let you redo your entrance out of the good graces of my heart."

"Oh, my... I am beyond grateful for this." He said half-sarcastically.

I giggled again. "Okay, 3, 2, 1." I counted down and shut my window and walked three paces into my room.

Like clockwork, I heard the firm clack of a pebble hitting the glass. I swiveled around and slid the window open again.

"Oh my gosh! Jake!" I gasped animatedly. "What on earth are you doing here?"

He smoldered his face and ran a slow hand through his hair, his other hand leaning against the thick trunk of the tall oak tree outside my house. Oh, he was really taking full advantage of his opportunity for a retry alright.