In hindsight, promises were meant to be broken. Willow shouldn't have expected any differently.
When the Cullens left, so did Jasper. Willows life completely changed. Paul became distant, Bella became a shell, and Willow became rage.
To add on to...
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The diner was buzzing with energy even as closing hours were racing toward them. Willow used her shoulder to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She was reaching the tail end of her shift and the exhaustion was taking over her body. She dropped a plate of food off at table three with a smile and a muttered welcome. She made her way back behind the bar and slid Leah her banana and peanut butter milkshake.
"For you, my love." Willow handed her friend a straw.
"You are the best." Leah tossed her long braid off her shoulder and took a drink of her milkshake. "You still have enough energy to go night swimming?"
"Absolutely." Willow started to wipe down the counter. "It's the last time the water will be warm enough until spring."
"Charlie okay with it?" Leah twirled her straw around in the shake.
"What he doesn't know won't kill him." Willow laughed at her friend's eye roll. After a few minutes a sting of loneliness stung her chest like a bee. "Hey, have you, um, heard from Paul?"
It had been weeks since Paul had reached out to her. It was all of a sudden. After he had emerged from his broken heart there was one solid week that he didn't leave Willow's side. Then he got sick. Mono, his dad had said, but mono doesn't keep someone from answering his phone. In fact, he apparently talked to everyone but Willow and the pain from that was worse than she would care to admit.
"He claims to still have mono. He was on the line for less than a minute." Leah took another drink of her shake. "You know, this is how Sam acted before..." Her voice drifted into a whisper and her eyes focused far off. Willow's heart broke for her friend, she couldn't imagine going through that painful of a breakup.
"My shift just ended." Willow glanced at her watch with a wide smile. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Night swimming was kind of a tradition. Every Saturday night of the summer. It used to be a big group gathered with a bonfire on La Push beach. Since the James triplets left and Jane and Matthew were gone the numbers had dwindled. Leah and Willow walked through the cool sand in their bare feet both in shorts and oversized sweatshirts.
"There they are!" Embry exclaimed with a beer in his hand. "Where's the boyfriend?"
"You know the drill, Embry." Willow wrapped him up in a hug. "No couples at night swimming."
"Damn straight." Embry bellowed a laugh.
"Are you already drunk?" Leah crossed her arms over her chest with a brow raised.
"No."
"Yes"
Embry and Quil answered at the same time. Embry twisted and looked down at Quil who was laying down on the sand with his arms under his head. Quil laughed at Embry's betrayed expression and gave him a wink. Willow couldn't tell if it was the fire or a blush on Embry's cheeks.
"Leah!" Both girls turned around to see Seth jogging toward them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Leah sounded pissed and glared at her brother. Willow always enjoyed watching the two interact. Seth was like a golden retriever and Leah was like a cat. Two complete opposites.
"Jake said I could come." Seth shrugged with his lopsided grin. Leah's jaw clinched and her eyes narrowed at Jacob across the fire. Sitting beside him was a face that Willow vaguely recognized but couldn't put a name to.
"I better not see you with a beer in your hand." She pointed her finger into his chest. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes mom." Seth rolled his and Willow choked down a laugh. Leah pitched her brother's bicep hard causing him to yelp. "Shit Leah! That hurt."
Willow walked away from the two quarreling siblings toward Jacob. He was sipping his beer as he listened to the person beside him talk. When Jacob noticed her, he rose to his feet with a smile on his face.
"Willow!" He wrapped her a quick hug before turning to the person still sitting in the sand. "You remember my cousin Koda?"
When Koda stood to his feet, Willow could see him in the light of the fire. Her breath caught in her throat. Last time she had seen Koda they were both preteens, he was a year older, with braces and acne covered faces. He left with his parents to go to a school in London for advanced students. The man that stood in front of her was vastly different from the boy she knew.
He was as tall as Jasper, maybe taller, his skin was a deep russet color. His eyes were brown with a gold tint, as warm as honey in tea. His black hair cascaded over his shoulders with a long braid on the right side. He was absolutely beautiful. A god among men. Willow's cheeks burned with embarrassment when he caught her staring.
"Look at you little tree." Koda's voice was husky and warm. It distracted her from the fact that he used an outdated childhood nickname. "You're all grown up."
"Good to see you outgrew the acne." Willow smirked and Koda laughed. "When did you get back?"
"Monday." Koda used his head to gesture for her to follow him to the edge of the fire where the cooler was resting. He reached into the cooler and pulled out a beer to hand to her. "Fill me."
"On what?" The red head questioned, both of them sitting down on the piece of driftwood.
"On your life. I've been away for almost five years, little tree." Koda's smirk was devilish with white teeth shining.
"Don't call me that." Willow half scolded but her smile slowly faded when she spotted the figure off the shore of the beach.
There he was, Alex in the same clothes he had been when Jasper killed him. He first started appearing in her dreams and then one day she started seeing him while she was awake. She had yet to tell anyone out of fear that she might be slowly losing her mind. But the sight of him still froze her in terror.
"He's not really there." Koda's breath fanned over Willow's ear and his words were barely a whisper. Even though she heard him clearly, she ignored him, pretending that nothing had just happened.
****
WILL DELETE LATER
Check out my new story, a Stranger Things - Huger Games Cross over
𝖶𝖾𝗅𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝟩𝟦𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝖧𝗎𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝖦𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌
Danika Henderson is still recovering from the death of her mother less than a year ago. Leaving her the sole caregiver of her younger brother Dustin. Danika and Dustin are getting by.
Until the reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games when Danika's name is called.
The one person who goes into it with her, is the one person she can't stand.
Steve Harrington. -𝖬𝖺𝗒 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖮𝖽𝖽𝗌 𝖡𝖾 𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖨𝗇 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖥𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗋-
