Turning Tables (Paul LaHote)

Eighteen

"So I wear the glasses all the time?" Paul asked and Jared groaned from where he was lying on the couch. Embry was on patrol and everyone else was lying around Sam's house.

"Your eyes are sensitive. Your senses have just heightened hugely. Any time you're in a public place we recommend ear plugs." Jazmine spoke up. She was lying on the rug in front of the tv.

"When do I get to be a wolf again?" Paul asked.

"It took you five hours to phase back, what's your rush?" Sam asked. He was tired because he had the morning patrol but he didn't like sleeping while Paul was around.

"It's a lot to take in. I'd like another chance." He shrugged.

"You can do patrol with Jared later." Sam sighed and Jared shook his head.

"Nuh uh, I traded patrol with Jazmine. She's on tonight. Kim and I are going to see a movie." Jared interrupted.

"Fine, you can patrol with Jared tomorrow." Sam shrugged.

"Why can't I just patrol with Jazmine? We'll eventually have to so why put it off?" Paul asked. Jazmine lifted one hand in the air to remind everyone she was there.

"I don't care. If he bothers me I'll leave him on his own." She bargained. Sam knew she was bullshitting so he let it go.

"What time is patrol?" Paul asked.

"Two-thirty." She spoke up before pushing herself up. She had to go home and get some things out of the freezer for Charlie. He was gonna call up and collect it soon.

"See you guys later." She called and headed out.

"Where's she going?" Paul asked.

"Dude just quit with questions for ten minutes!" Jared yelled. Jazmine smiled and rolled her eyes. Paul had been non-stop all day.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jazmine had just gotten all the things Charlie needed from the freezer when the phone rang. She checked the time and figured it would be her dad.

"Hey, how's Hawaii?" Jazmine asked.

"What's this I hear about you not going to UCLA?" Rebecca asked and Jazmine sighed.

"Can't go to college if you didn't graduate," Jazmine explained.

"Didn't graduate, Jaz you had a 3.9 GPA," Becky explained.

"Had, then I dropped out." Rebecca literally screamed down the phone in anger.

"Tell me you're joking." She demanded and Jazmine sighed.

"You wouldn't understand Becks." Jazmine knew she'd be sorry.

"Is it because of Paul?" Rebecca asked in anger.

"No!" Jazmine yelled. Rebecca would string her up after the in-depth conversation they had on why that wasn't a good idea.

"Then tell me why." Rebecca pleaded.

"I can't."

"Is it drugs? Jacob said it was but I didn't want to believe him, I thought you'd know better than that." Rebecca sounded so disappointed and Jazmine wanted to scream.

"You know me better than that Becks, do you honestly think I'd throw my life away like that?" Jazmine asked and Rebecca took a deep breath.

"I'm coming back with Dad. Rachel and I are going to come down there and figure out what the hell is going on with you." Rebecca hung up and Jazmine slammed the phone down on the receiver.

"Bad timing?" Charlie asked and Jazmine sighed.

"No, Rebecca is being a pain in the ass." Jazmine waved her hand towards the fish and Charlie smiled.

"About you not going to college?" Charlie asked and Jazmine sighed.

"Please don't start." She wasn't able to take it from both of them today.

"Hey, I'm not going to. College is a big decision and if you made your choice then that's it. Some people are just never meant to leave home. I know I wasn't." Charlie shrugged and Jazmine smiled.

"See, someone gets it. I love LaPush and I don't see a future for me anywhere else." Charlie smiled and grabbed the last of the fish and brought it out to the car.

"You do you, kid." 

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You've gotta be naked." Jazmine leant against Sam's porch as Paul stared blankly at her from behind his sunglasses.

"I'm sorry?" He asked in shock. Jazmine smirked, revelling in his awkwardness.

"Clothes, off. Your momma hasn't got the money to be buying you new clothes all the time." Jazmine could head Sam chuckling from inside the house.

"I can't tell if you're joking or not." He stared at her and she sighed.

"Your clothes don't just zap in and out of existence, honey, they rip and get destroyed. Now take them off." She instructed. He pulled his sunglasses off and then his shirt. After ridding himself of his shorts he hesitated and Jazmine sighed.

"I think we'll both be a lot more comfortable if you stop there." Paul was staring at the ground but he nodded so she knew he was listening.

"It's not like you to be shy. It's nothing I haven't seen before." She reminded him and pushed herself off the porch.

"Why haven't you taken off your clothes?" He asked.

"Because that's not the way I want you feeling. We need anger which shouldn't be hard for you." She shrugged.

"How do I do it?" He asked impatiently. Jazmine stood behind him and pressed her hand against the bottom of his back.

"You need to feel it, right here. We like to refer to it as heat but any word you can think of will do. It'll travel up your spine and then boom, you're a wolf." She shrugged and ran her index finger up his spine watching him shiver.

"Do you have to touch me?" He asked.

"No, but it makes it more fun." She laughed and stepped back.

"It's hard to get angry when you do." He admitted and she sighed.

"Think of your dad, the first time he hit your mom and- Well that worked." Jazmine stared at the wolf in front of her. Paul was breathing heavy and he pawed at the ground before sitting like a dog and waiting for instruction.

"I know why you're avoiding eye contact. I hope you realise that but when I phase I'll have access to every thought you have and I'm trying not to hurt myself unnecessarily so this is your chance to phase back before I phase and find out why you don't want to imprint on me." Paul stayed where he was, staring at the ground.

"Right, well I'm going into the forest to phase, you gonna sit there all night Rover?" She teased. He took off into the forest and she followed slowly behind him.

"Why me?" She asked the sky.