The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter VI

Weeks later, our lives had fallen into an easy pattern. Bella would go to school, go to work, and then head down to Jake's. I still hadn't gone back to the gym, per Dad's request. He was still watching Bella, waiting for her to fall back down the deep, dark hole of depression. Jake had set up a few different punching bags beside the garage. So after school, Jake took me back to his place and waited for my sister to show up.

Bella would sit in the corner and watch. She would make stupid jokes every so often and Jake, being the lovesick puppy dog that he is, would laugh. Their little budding romance made me nauseous. It made me even more angry. But a part of me, the majority of me, was happy that Bella had found someone that was actually healthy for her. So after I finished my workout, I let go of my anger and focused on Bella. Thanks to Jake, she was finally recovering.

Jake was good for anybody, really. He was a happy, bubbly, warm person. He enjoyed life and when you were around him, it tended to rub off on you. So, I fought the anger. And when Jake talked to me about Bella, what they had talking about, what she enjoyed, the things that he learned about her, I listened. I tried really hard not to let it get to me. But the fact of the matter was that Jake was slowly falling in love with my sister.

Bella was quiet; she didn't argue with him. She didn't talk back. And she definitely didn't find little ways to crawl under his skin. But Jake still found time to hang out with me, just the two of us. I listened to the bell ring and walked slowly to the cafeteria. With Bella's nightmares gone, I was finally back to my peppy self. Jake caught me on the way. "Let's go to First Beach," he suggested. Quil walked by...alone. "Let's go hang out."

"Bella won't be out of school for a few hours," I reminded him. He stared at me like I was stupid.

"I didn't say let's wait for Bella. No, I said, 'Let's go to First Beach,'" he repeated. Quil looked around the cafeteria before sitting alone.

"Jake, where's Embry?" I asked. Quil was never alone. I can count the number of times that I had seen him without Embry on one hand. Jake looked away from me, avoiding my eyes. "Jake, where is he?" I demanded.

"He's hanging out with Sam now," Jake said. I saw the fear in his eyes then. I knew that he didn't like Sam; he wasn't exactly subtle about it. Sam hasn't let him go back to school since he got sick last week," he said. "And then, Dad kept looking at me like Sam does. I don't like it."

"Eh, your dad only wants good things for you," I said. I honestly believed that, too.

"I don't want to be a 'protector,' Annie," he said. I nudged him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Everything will work out; I won't leave you, okay?" I said. I knew that's what he wanted to hear. Every friend we'd had, with the exception of Quil, had left us for Sam's little gang. I'd heard the rumors. I'd heard people say that the boys were on drugs or steroids, but I couldn't believe that. I mean, maybe Paul. But I knew Jared and I knew Sam. They wouldn't do drugs.

Hey Rye, can I pick you up so we can run an errand? I read the text from Bella quickly and then looked at Jake. "Jake, Bella needs me," I whispered. He shook his head, as if asking me to stay. "I'll be quick and then we can go to the beach, okay?" Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Go eat with Quil. He looked lonely."

"So, where are we going?" I asked as I pulled Bella's passenger door shut. Please don't make me go shopping; please don't make me go shopping, I prayed.

"The Cullens'." I just stared at her. "I forgot a few things there," she said with a shrug.

"Bella, they're not there. They're gone; all of them have left. We can't just break in. Dad won't want to arrest his daughters," I said. She just kept driving. She had become a little more reckless in the past few months.