Wild (Jacob Black)

Chapter 14

I woke up to the loud noise of boys. I smiled to myself. Hanging out with these guys really made me happy. They knew just the things to keep my mind off of reality.

"Can you pass the ketchup?" Quil asked from across the table.

I passed the ketchup bottle over to him. My lip curled. "You're putting ketchup on your eggs?"

"Says the one who doesn't eat bacon." Jared mumbled, earning laughs from around the table.

"Not liking bacon is a perfectly normal thing."

"So is eating eggs with ketchup." Quil smiled, stuffing his mouth with ketchup covered eggs.

Embry, Paul, Leah, and Sam come in through the sliding glass door. They just finished a round of patrol. Rubbing their grumbling stomachs, they take a seat and fill up a plate.

"So, what are you guys doing today?" I asked.

Paul swallowed a mouthful of eggs and toast. "I was thinking cliff diving. It's a beautiful outside."

"Don't you remember?" Leah sat next to me, opening her water bottle. "She doesn't like cliff diving."

"You did tell me you would do it some other time, remember?" Paul said, pointing at me lackadaisically with his fork.

"That wasn't my idea! You were the one that said, maybe next time." I argued with a smile.

"Well, its next time." Embry smirked.

~

Paul was right, today was beautiful. For once, the sky was clear enough to see blue and I didn't need a jacket. The forest hummed to life. The hair on my hair raised as I soaked in the sun.

I didn't have a swimsuit at Sam's and Emily's house, so I elected to wear a sports bra and workout shorts. The girls offered to let me barrow one of theirs, but they weren't my size. It was always weird how in movies and books, people could switch and barrow clothes and shoes anytime it was a convenience to them.

How unrealistic.

Paul and Embry shouldered and wrestled each other at the edge of the cliff, trying to knock each other off. Seth and Jared cheered them on, pumping their fists in the air and howling chants. Finally, Paul hooked Embry's ankle and threw him over. He yelled, circling his arms and kicking his legs until he collided with the water.

"Do you ever cliff dive?" I asked Leah. She rolled out her towel and sat down.

"No. They only do it to show off." She said, rubbing sunscreen into her arms.

I nodded and watched Paul leap off the edge, diving perfectly into the deep blue water. He swam to shore and ran his fingers through his hair, making his way over. "What are you waiting for? Come up." He grabbed my hand before I could tell him no.

We climbed up the jagged, grassy side of the cliff. He made sure to lead me up the easiest path. To the left, Leah was starting to turn into an ant. My legs wobbled like spaghetti. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Come on, don't be a party pooper." He teased. "It's just like jumping off a diving board."

"Maybe for a werewolf who's exceeded the human condition," I mumbled, following after him. He just shook his head and chuckled, reassuring me the rest of the way up. Occasionally, he'd tease me about my apparent fear of heights.

"She actually followed you?" Quil asked.

"I didn't have a choice."

The boys laughed as Paul furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"I think I should just go back down to Leah. We're pretty high." I scoot to the edge, careful to leave a few feet's distance, and peer at the ground. The waves crashed against the rock face. Leah nearly disappeared thanks to the elevation. My bright colored and painterly patterned towel just looked like a dot on the black sand. My heart hammered my ribcage.

"The fastest way down is to jump." Jared said, pushing me a step closer to the edge.

My stomach flipped.

"I don't think she should do this." Embry said quietly.

"What?" Seth exclaimed. "It was your idea to bring her up."

I look back at them. Their argument only made my nerves singe faster. When I spot Jake walking over to us, my tumbling stomach, noodle legs, and pounding chest settled.

"Since when do you cliff dive?" He asked me.

I faced the water. "Since when do you care?"

"Since I've met you."

This time, the fluttering in my stomach wasn't from the fear of falling to my death on the concrete water. I couldn't let myself fall for him. Bella was right, he wasn't good. He would just make me fall in love and leave me shattered.

I took a daring step forward, inches away from the tip of the cliff. The water was calm, lapping at the rock face. White caps were far and few.

"Lillian, don't." Jacob said, almost whispering. "Please."

I kicked off my shoes, backed up a few paces for a running start, and bent my knees. After a quick, mental count down from three, I charged to nothingness and leapt into the air, extending my arms like a bird taking flight.

Like a bungie cord, arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me to sure footing. Warmth elapsed my back, and fire ignited within me.

"What are you thinking?" Jacob asked.

I peeled his grip off of me and pushed away from him. The day's beautiful weather turned frigid. His face didn't scrunch with anger, but it sifted with concern.

I suddenly come in contact with dirt. Pain stings on my back. I open my eyes and see Jacob on top of me. "What are you thinking?" He asks as if I'm insane. "I was just going to cliff dive." I tell him. I look away so I don't get trapped in his eyes. "You could've killed yourself." He says. "There aren't any waves down there. It's just like jumping off a diving board." I say stealing Paul's idea. Jacob sighs, standing up and reaching his arm out to help me. I reject his help and stand up myself. I wipe the dirt off my legs and shoulders. "It's nothing like that, Lilly." Jacob continues. "You're more than one hundred feet in the air." I roll my eyes and scoff. "Since when do you even care? Just leave me alone." I say and march away.

I don't know what's gotten into me and I'm not going to lie, it doesn't bother me. I can finally stand up to Jacob and not get sucked into his trance. He's nice and all, but he doesn't let me live. Is life worth living if you don't take any risks?