Mourning Doves • J.H

Chapter 17

DOVE WALKED out the house the next day, it was the middle of the afternoon and she heard Bella's truck pull into the driveway. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the motorcycle in the bed of the truck, sighed and turned to an excited Bella.

"Why? I know for the fact this isn't just for adrenaline now." Dove demanded an explanation. Bella shrugged.

"Just a hobby." She lied, and Dove saw right through it, but didn't question further, "I'm going to the rez, Jake said he'd help me build this up, do you wanna come?" Bella asked and Dove walked to the truck wordlessly, sitting in the passenger seat. Bella knew then Dove was annoyed from her withholding the truth.

"You're going to think I'm crazy." Bella sighed.

"Too late." Dove joked, dryly.

"I saw Edward, the other night at the movies. He told me not to go toward those men, warning me not to. And when I did, he would try to stop me. It's like he's trying to protect me." Bella explained as Dove just looked over at her, her eyes wide. People go to Asylum's for things like this. Dove sighed, leaning her head against the headrest on the seat.

"Bella, they left. You can't let it take over your life." Dove advised, "I mean, yeah, I love Jasper, but I'm getting over it, I'm living life and I'm keeping quiet about everything. I get you're still grieving, but this isn't okay."

"I know." Bella whispered, "I just like seeing him, doing all this is worth seeing him." Dove frowned over at her, before smiling widely, and then Bella realised it was real. She was doing just as fine as she was feeling terrible, doing these stupid things to see someone who threw her away.

"I don't know how you could be dealing with this so quickly." Bella stated, her eyes on the road.

"I've been through this before, fair enough, not with someone who can live forever, but I've been through relationships. I'm just dealing with it just like every other relationship I've been with. I can't pine after someone who doesn't want me anymore and I'm slowly getting over it." Dove stated, the rest of their ride to Jake's house was silent. Bella couldn't help but give Dove kudos, for dealing with it how she couldn't.

Once the truck pulled to a stop outside his house, he all but ran out the house, meeting the girls outside. Jacob ran over to Bella and picked her up in a hug, spinning her around. Dove smirked at the pair, it was obvious Jacob had feelings for Bella, it had been obvious in the beginning, and even more so when they met up at the school on Bella's birthday.

"Where the hell have you been, loca?"

Jacob let go of Bella and turned to Dove, pulling her into a quick hug, "So good to see you Dove." He had said.

"Anyway," Bella steered the conversation, "I brought you something." The three of them walked to the back of Bella's truck, watching as she pulled back the cover, that was covering that bits and pieces of the motorcycle, it needing a good re-build.

"Wow, scrap metal. You shouldn't have." Jacob scoffed.

"I rescued them from the junkyard. They'll probably cost more to fix then they're worth, but I was thinking that if I had a mechanic friend to help me out.." Bella trailed off, raising her eyebrows at Jacob.

"Me being the mechanic-type friend?" Jacob questioned, "Since when are you both into motorcycles?" He asked both girls, looking between them.

"Oh, no." Dove shook her head, "This is all Bella."

"It's completely stupid and reckless." Jacob stated, Bella sighed, "When do we start?"

And that's what started their almost daily meeting up in Jacob's garage. Billy came over to the see the girls every so often, a little more at ease knowing that the Cullen's weren't around. He seemed a little calmer. Jacob couldn't complain at the girls being around either, he was truly happy. One day, Bella and Jacob were playing around with the motorcycle, Dove was sat on a stool somewhere, picking at her nails when some voices where heard outside.

"Yo, Jake, you in there?"

Bella was quick to try and cover the bike, but Jacob stopped her, "It's cool, it's just my boys." He said as three boys walked in, "This is Dove and Bella," He introduced the girls, "Guys, this is Quil, Embry and Paul." He pointed to the boys that just walked in. The one that Jacob said was Embry nodded over to the bike.

"So, the bike building story is true." He stated, nudging Paul, who was stood beside.

"Yeah, I taught him everything he knows." Bella joked

"What about the part where you're his girlfriend?" Quil asked, Dove's mouth fell open in surprise.

"We're just friends." Bella states, shaking her head awkwardly. Embry laughed and looked over to Jacob.

"Oh, burn."

"I said she's a girl and she's a friend, like Dove." Jacob stated, avoiding their eyes. Dove tilted her head as she watched him.

"Embry, do you remember him making that distinction?" Quil spoke, still teasing Jacob.

"Nope!" Embry laughed, "So, no girlfriend for you, Jake?"

"So, you guys have girlfriends? That's awesome." Bella bit back, sticking up for Jacob.

"Aw, what are they called? What are they like?" Dove butted in, "Do they look like your left hand?"

"Right, Quil is actually taking his cousin to prom." Jacob laughed

"Well, it's still a riot." Quil defended. Dove snorted.

"Well, until you get your own date to prom, that isn't related to you, I don't think you can pick on Jake for not having a girlfriend. Not the best way to show yourself off to girls," Dove pointed to herself and Bella, "Who isn't related to you and could be potentially interested." She explained, watching Quil raise his eyebrow at her, smirking and moving closer to her.

"Are you trying to tell me you're interested?" He asked her, still smirking. She smiled sarcastically.

"Hell, no, honey." Dove said, still smiling, "Not after that great introduction, I think it's more honourable to keep your promise to your cousin to take her prom, but don't worry, maybe you'll get a girlfriend in a couple of years."

Quil was silent after that, Jacob was grinning, holding in his laughs as Bella just watched Dove take down Quil, not feeling guilty whatsoever. Dove simply looked over to Bella and Jacob.

"What?" She questioned, as if she hadn't just publicly ruined Quil, "He was rude as hell, that's not a quality I like whatsoever."