Stay • Jared Cameron

four

The next week wasn't any better than the last. Jacob had done an Embry and left Evelina and Quil in the dust. They had hung out every day after school and on the weekend. Now on Monday morning, they both got out of Evelina's small car and walked towards the front doors of La Push High. Evelina stood at her locker with Quil to her left and took out a few books.

She looked to Quil and was about to tell him about her night when she saw Jared, Paul and Embry walking down the hall.

"Where's the cult leader?" She whispered to Quil and they both laughed. All three of their heads turned towards the two and they both stopped immediately. Then, in sync, they turned back around and walked away.

"That was weird," Quil said, the both still staring at the small group as they walked away.

"God, what the hell is up Embry's ass?" Evelina asked no one in particular, "I mean, it's not like we were his best friends or anything." She slammed her locker shut and carried on down the hall with Quil in tow.

"Speaking of, have you heard from Jake? I haven't seen him since the movies last week and he hasn't been at school." Evelina shook her head and Quil took that as a sign to stop, it was a touchy subject with her.

Evelina groaned as she looked at her timetable, she had math with Embry first. They had sat together since the start of the year, but what would happen now?

"I have to get to Math early to beat Embry to our spot, talk to you at lunch?" 

Quil laughed, "Of course."

X

When Evelina made it to her class, she sat in her seat and looked to the front. A few people were already in and were studying or just messing around. The first-period bell went off and people started filing in. Evelina ducked her head down and grabbed her book and such out of her bag. She didn't want to make eye contact with Embry as he walked through the door. She heard the chair next to her being pulled out and looked up as he sat down. They made eye contact and Evelina quickly looked away. She pulled a pen out of her pencil case and started clicking it on and off.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Embry was obviously reacting to the annoying noise. He was shaking and breathing heavily.

"Can you please stop that?" He asked calmly.

Evelina didn't reply but she did put the pen down. The teacher trailed on and Evelina copied everything down into her book. She looked to Embry's desk and saw he hadn't written down a thing.

"Why aren't you writing anything down?" She whispered to him.

"So now you talk to me?" He smiled at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Answer the question Call." He sighed.

"I'm dropping out after my birthday."

"What?!" She said a bit louder.

"Miss Jones and Mr. Call, quieten down or I will have to move you!"

"Yes, sir." They both replied in sync. She waited until he went on with the work to carry on the conversation.

"You can't drop out." She said defeatedly, looking at him with sad eyes.

"Look, Eve, I get that you care about me but this is my decision and you don't have an impact on it."

"But what about college?"

"There's no point in trying if I can't leave Washington."

"What do you mean Embry? Why can't you leave Washington?"

"You'll know soon enough." He said as the bell went. She watched him pack up his stuff and walk out of the room.

X

"Talk to you later." Evelina sang out as Quil shut the passenger door. It looked as though it was about to rain, typical weather in their part of Washington. She pulled out of Quil's driveway and headed towards the Black house. As she pulled up, it started to rain. She sat in the car for a second, contemplating whether or not she should go inside but she looked towards the garage and saw someone stick their head out of the door. Jared stared at her small car as if he was trying to work out if it was her or not.

She scoffed and hopped out of the car.

"Hey!" Jared yelled from inside the garage, he stayed undercover to save getting wet.

"Hey Jared, is Jake here?" She said as she ran over to him.

"Uh, um," He stuttered as if he were trying to keep her from going inside.

"I'll take that as a yes," Evelina said confidently and tried to push past him. He caught her arm as she tried to walk past and stopped her.

"Please be careful, Jake isn't exactly... stable right now." She nodded, trying to figure out what that meant and walked through, into the garage.

The feel of it had changed since she had been in there last. Evelina felt as though she didn't belong as if she had no place in the garage anymore. Or as if it was a metaphor for their friendship, like it was over. As she walked in, all eyes turned to her. Paul and Embry stood next to the rabbit as Jake was leaned over the bonnet.

"Are you still fixing that fucking truck?" Evelina tried to joke as she walked in. Paul smiled at her but Jacob just sighed.

"Why are you here?" He said monotonously.

"I'm sorry?" She said, not believing he had just said that to her. Jacob sighed and turned to look at her.

"I said-" Evelina cut him off.

"Yes, I know what you said, I just don't know why you think you have the right to say that to me." She said the both of them hadn't broken eye contact yet. She didn't miss the twitch in Jake's hand before he curled it into a fist. Jared stepped closer to her, she presumed it was a warning.

"Look, Eve, we can't hang out anymore." He let his fist go and looked down to the ground.

"What?"

"I've got a lot on and I can't keep-"

"No, I don't want to hear your shitty excuse, Jake. I can't believe you." Her eyes started tearing up and her voice shook. "How long have we been best friends Jacob? Since we were babies and you know how much we've been through together! I was there for you when your Mum died, I was there for you after your Dad's accident. Jacob, I've been there for you your whole life and this is the thanks I get? 'We can't be friends anymore?' Don't you think I deserve a little better than that." The tears streamed down her face and she wiped them away furiously. 

She turned her head to look at Jared who stared at her with such an intensity she couldn't handle, then to Paul who wouldn't make eye contact with her and finally to Embry, another one of her old best friends that left her for the trash.

"I don't deserve any of this! Whatever is happening to you, if you don't tell me now, don't expect anything from me again. Forget that I even existed or how much of a good friend I was because if this friendship is only one-sided, I don't want to be in it." They all looked away. She looked at each of them again and then back to Jacob. A few more tears shed from her eyes.

"Okay then, you've made your decision." She said quietly and turned towards the door. She gave Jared one last look before getting in her car and driving home.

"When Quil turns, it's gonna kill her," Paul said once her car was out of hearing range. Jacob and Jared made eye contact, they didn't really agree on much but they both cared for Evelina equally and Jared knew the situation Jacob had been put in. Sam had ordered that they tell no one and Evelina was a part of that rule. Jacob turned back to the rabbit as the other boys went back to whatever they were doing before. They weren't joking around as they were before, a melancholy atmosphere formed around them as Jacob's thoughts were clouded with memories he shared with Evelina.

"I can't do this." He said as he threw the rag he had in his hand to the side and ran out of the garage. Midway through the field beside it, he shifted into his giant wolf and ran off into the forest in a fit of rage.