Burning Up (Jacob Black)

7. Whether You Like It or Not

I hung up the phone, biting my lip in frustration. I folded my arms and stood next to the phone for a few moments, needing to process. I'm glad my overthinking wasn't confirmed and it really was Jacob's sickness that kept him away from the phone. But I didn't feel as relieved as I thought I would. The tone Billy took with me just seemed to fuel my thoughts even more. I begrudgingly went back upstairs; I needed to get away from that phone or I would go crazy.

The next three days I spent in similar conditions. I was playing a constant game of tug of war with the phones. One day I did all my homework at the kitchen table, an unusual study environment for me, just to be near the phone. Other times it was like I was allergic to the living room area, or the downstairs portion of my house at all, just to restrain myself back and keep my self-control. It already felt like I crossed a line with the way Billy spoke to me, so it didn't seem like a good idea to call again any time soon.

Without my sunshine, the world was dull. It felt like I just moved to Forks all over again. The grey clouds and the rain beat down on me like I've never felt before. Lunchtime at school was especially bad. I felt like the more I didn't speak, the more I pissed off Jessica and Lauren. It was as if my depression was a personal offense to them. I didn't care enough to move tables, or to start speaking more for that matter. It was especially awkward since Ben and Angela, who were my usual friendly anchors at the lunch table, were absent. However, in a way, I was grateful that Mike wasn't in school. That would have made it ten times more awkward, after what happened at the movie theatre. Although me and Jacob blew him off in a way, I wasn't sorry. I looked at the three empty seats at the lunch table, ignoring Jessica's occasional stink eye in my direction.

School, as a whole, both seemed to drag on for centuries and passed by in a flash because of how uneventful it was. I got home three days after my phone call with Billy as my usual sighing, gloomy-eyed mess. Charlie seemed to take notice, but it hadn't become as bad or lasted as long as it did last time, so he didn't speak up just yet. He was reading the newspaper when I walked through the front door and glanced up at me for a second as I was about to walk past him upstairs.

"How was school?" He said, stopping me. I turned to face him.

"Fine." I didn't sound very believable.

Charlie didn't argue with my response, instead, he changed the subject. "Newtons called."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Mike did. He said he's feeling better. He was wondering if you got the same thing he did, I told him no."

"Oh, alright. Glad he's feeling better. Thanks." I answered flatly. Although to Charlie I may have seemed apathetic, gears were turning in my head. If Mike had been feeling better earlier today, Jacob should have recovered by now. I felt a tinge of hope warm my heart for a moment before I brushed it off and walked upstairs. I'd wait for Charlie to finish up reading his newspaper in the kitchen before I'd call Jacob.

After an hour or so, I heard the rustling of paper and Charlie's thudding footsteps up the stairs. I immediately dropped what I was doing and rushed past him to the kitchen; I was eager. Maybe a little too eager. I dialed the number. I expected to have to fight through Billy to get to Jacob, and I was ready.

"Black residence." Said a raspy, hoarse voice. I felt my stomach do an excited backflip.

"Jacob?" I pushed his name out of my mouth without really thinking, it was all I could say. To be honest, I was elated that I could finally hear his voice after so long. Although it's only been four days, it's felt like a year.

"Bella?" He didn't sound nearly as excited as I was. He didn't ask it as a question of whether or not it was me, but instead as a confused statement of why I was just saying his name.