High School Sweetheart [Jacob & Edward]

twelve.

Billy's standing in the kitchen when the phone rings.

 He's finally at a point where he can walk for short periods and Charlie's tugged him up from his chair to pull him closer, a dopey smile on his face as he leans against the counter. It reminds him of a particular night. All that was needed was light music softly drifting from the old radio on the counter, rain hitting the windows as it drizzles outside, the heady scent of beer on his partner's breath as he waited for Billy to make the first move. 

Two little, confused children standing just around the corner in their pajamas. 

Billy turns as if he'd see them there. 

The only thing that breaks the memory is the sound of Charlie's phone ringing. Billy casts him in an exasperated look, genuinely annoyed that work would be calling on a Friday night. However, he freezes at the expression on his husband's face. He's gone ashen, color completely drained as he stares off at nothing, clearly reeling from what's being said. 

"Are you sure?" His voice sounds like it's being filtered through a straw.

Billy tunes in to the call, but all he catches is the sound of sirens on the other end. 

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Billy tries to get his attention, get him to explain.

"We gotta go, it's Jacob." He manages, before hurriedly reaching for Billy's wheelchair. 

"Jacob?" 

Now, his own voice sounds breathless.

"They're saying he was in an accident. We gotta go."

Billy can't see anything past the bright flash of red and blue at first. Then, he can see the mangled remains of what was once a car. He can feel his blood run cold as they slowly attempt to tip the husk back onto its wheels.

Charlie has made his way past the wall of officers and bystanders and Billy can see him frantically looking around until his eyes catch something...someone. Billy lets out a shaky breath he doesn't know he's holding as Charlie roughly drags Jacob into his arms, fingers locked into the back of his suit jacket like his son would disappear if he didn't.

 It's only then that Billy realizes that Bella's truck is parked nearby. She's not inside, but Billy can see a familiar side profile in the passenger's seat. 

Where is she?

As much as Jacob puffs his chest, does his best to seem tough, he's only a kid. He crumples in Charlie's arms, clinging to him as he buries his face in his shoulder. Charlie cradles the nape of his neck like he's soothing the little five-year-old who stumbled around that corner. 

Where is she?

Carlisle Cullen is amongst the crowd, standing near an ambulance with his son. The boy is staring over at Jacob with a look that Billy's seen before. He's seen it on Charlie, that pain, guilt. He watches from a distance as Charlie pulls away to take a good look at Jacob before his eyes finally leave to undoubtedly search for their daughter.

Billy turns back towards Bella's truck to see that her passenger is now looking over towards Charlie's car. Leah Clearwater. For the second time tonight, he can feel the tension easing. 

He'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed Leah at birthday parties, family gatherings, holiday events. He'd noticed the way she gravitated towards Bella, the grin on her face as Bella unknowingly gave her the attention she craved. Even when she was with Sam. He could see that spark in her eye as she waited to finally be acknowledged by Bella. He'd, of course, noticed when the crush turned into imprinting. It was inevitable and he'd be negligent if he hadn't. 

 She wouldn't be sitting back watching if Bella was hurt. 

He watches Leah climb out of the truck, maneuvering her dress as she makes her way over to him. Billy rolls down the window and watches as she leans down to greet him. 

"It wasn't them," she states bluntly, eyes going over to the car that police are staring at, clearly puzzled, "it was some drunk kid."

Some drunk kid? 

Bella finally emerges from the ambulance. 

Another prom goer perhaps. The ambulance must've been for them. He can see Charlie asking questions, turning to Carlisle for answers, most likely about the kid in the ambulance. He watches the way Carlisle's son keeps his head bowed despite the encouraging pat that Charlie's giving him. 

As much as Billy knew that he could never forbid whoever Jacob would eventually imprint on, he knew that there was the possibility that it wouldn't be reciprocated. With the odds, he knew he'd have to be ready to give that talk. However, he'd never prepared himself for this particular scenario. He watches as the boy's fingers twitch and his jaw clenches as Charlie takes Jacob away.

"Thank you." Billy finds himself saying as he watches Charlie pull Bella over. 

Billy could vividly remember a time when Charlie would've given whoever was in that ambulance some choice words of his own. However, based on the way Bella's holding what once was the bottom of her dress in her hands, Charlie must sense that she's already handled it, as he tucks her under his other arm. 

Billy watches his family make their way through the crowd. Bella breaks off heading back over to her truck, ignoring Charlie's curious stare as he catches sight of Leah who's back in her seat. Billy watches as his head whips around to catch Billy's eye.

"Be safe!" he calls right before Bella shuts her door. 

He slips into the car, looking over at Billy before glancing back at Jacob.

"Neither one of you, huh?" 

Jacob's in his own world on the backseat while Billy just waits for him to start the car, placing a kiss to his husband's hand to placate him. 

Jacob waits for him. 

He's not sure why, he wasn't promised anything, but he waits next to his window. Maybe he believes that once the shock wears off and everything is settled,  Edward will want to at least talk about it. He'd refused to even make eye contact after impact, after he'd pushed Jacob out of the car, after he'd damn near thrown himself on top of Jacob as the car tipped over. He'd kept his eyes on the ground, only looking up when his dad was talking to him. So, Jacob doesn't think he's delusional for thinking Edward would at least want to see him. 

He'd popped in for less, making himself comfortable on Jacob's windowsill the day after he'd asked Jacob to prom. He'd sat there, legs dangling as he acted as if he genuinely cared about how Jacob was doing, teasing Jacob about the space he'd made for the bear. 

He doesn't come. 

In fact, he and his family don't show up to school again. The oldest siblings don't participate in graduation. He doesn't enroll for the next semester. They're just gone. Just like that. 

Yet still, Jacob waits next to his window, even after he graduates. Even after he moves out. Even after the empathetic stares turn into impatient sighs. He sits there pathetically hoping that maybe something came up, something they couldn't ignore. Hoping that Edward would suddenly remember him, come back for him. 

It's his twentieth birthday when he finally stops looking. 

He's drunkenly sitting on some balcony, eyes cast up at the sky as the clouds swirl blocking out the light of the moon. Quil and Embry are cuddled up in a corner pretending to share warmth as a light mist begins to fall. 

He's not even sure what it is, but he can finally look out into the night and not hold his breath, hoping someone will be looking for him too.