headache / jasper hale

28 | like a lost puppy

Thea

"Why am I even here, Bella?" I huff, crossing my arms as I look at Bella, whose eyes are focused on the wet road ahead of us. I can see the flapping tarp - which is covering a "present" for myself and another one of Bella's friends - in the rear view mirrors.

Bella sighs. "Sam called Charlie and asked if I could get you out of the house more. Charlie said I needed to repay Sam for finding me . . . that night. But I would've done it regardless."

"Sam did what?!" I shout, shooting up in my seat with bewilderment.

"He's just looking out for you, T," Bella glances over at me and by the look on her face, I can tell she's sincere.

Bella had begun hanging out with a guy that also lived on the Reservation. His name is Jacob, the one she met at La Push way back when, and he seemed to be really helping Bella heal - kind of like Embry for me.

Bella pulls into a driveway and cuts the engine just as a boy with long jogged out of the barn, garage type building. I slipped out of her truck, watching Jake and Bella hug tightly. He picked her off of the ground, spinning her as they both laughed.

"Where have you been, loca?" Jacob set Bella down, smiling at her like she was everything to him. A smile that I used to see - but remember how that turned out for me.

"Jake, you have to quit taking the steroids," Bella said and the level of comfort in her voice surprised me. "You're, like, buff."

Jake leaned his head back and let out a loud laugh, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. When he leaned his head forward, his eyes finally found mine.

"And who's this?" Jake asked, Bella turned around and waved me forward. With my hood up and my hands shoved into my pockets, I timidly step forward.

"Jake, this is Thea Sperling. Thea, this is Jake Black." Bella introduces, her eyes nervously glancing between Jake and I.

"Black?" I ask, furrowing my brows. "Is Billy your dad?"

Jake nods, confused. "Yeah, you know him?"

I shrug, biting my lip. "Met him once - tell him the Uleys say hi."

Jake's eyes darken as they look me once over, his arms crossing over his chest. "So, you're the girl that Embry is following like a lost puppy."

I smirk, finding the hidden meaning within his words funny. I doubt Jacob knew about the pack but from by the looks of it, he was due to phase soon.

"Embry is my best friend, yeah," I answer Jake before turning to Bella. "Are you going to do your big reveal yet? Because I have things to do."

"Like what?" Bella asks, waltzing over to the bed of her truck. "Sit in your room and stare at a wall?"

"Low blow, Bells," I scoff, glaring at Jake when he laughs. If only he fucking knew.

"Anyways," Bella says, pulling off the top to reveal three rusty motorcycles. "I got these at the junkyard the other day. They're probably worth more to fix than they are to sell but I thought - if only I knew a mechanic type friend."

"Me being the mechanic type friend?" Jake stepped forward, running his fingers along the wheel.

"No, me," I mutter to myself, following Jake to get a closer look at the two wheeled death machines.

Bella shoots me a sideways look before nodding to Jake's question. "You up for it?"

"Definitely," Jake says. "When do we start?"

"Now," Bella says immediately. "After school, I'll pick Thea up and we'll be on our way."

I go to protest but before I can say anything, Jake is lifting the bikes out of the truck.

"Be careful!" Bella rushes.

Jake easily takes all three of the bikes out of the truck, leading them one at a time into the garage building.

•••

Thea lays across the backseat of Jake's car, playing with the wrench in her hand as she listens to the soft music playing from the car's radio.

"Can I turn this off?" Bella asks, switching the radio off before Thea replies.

"That was a good song - you didn't like it?" Jake asks, busy working on the bikes.

"I'm not really a music person. Kind of like how Thea isn't a movie person." Bella says, I can imagine her shrugging at this.

"Why not?"

"She, uh, used to watch movies with Jasper a lot. It was kind of their thing when they were dating." I hear Bella whisper to Jake, probably thinking that I wasn't able to hear.

"I can hear you," I call and their whispered cease.

A hollering from outside the garage makes me flinch, sitting up quickly. Bella looks uncomfortable at the approaching people.

"Don't worry, it's my boys," Jake says, glancing up at the door when a short haired boy walks in.

"Hey, Jake," he says.

"Quil," Jake greets before turning to Bella and I, well my general area. "This is Bella and Thea - who is in the car. Thea, Bella, this is Quil."

"I'm Quil Atera," I hear Quil say and I snort, laughing at his time. I slip out of the backseat to see a decently tall guy with short hair standing next to Jake.

"So the bike fixing story is true?" Quil says, looking over Bella.

"Oh yeah, yeah. I taught him everything he knows." Bella says.

"What about the part where you're his girlfriend?" Quil asks, smirking.

"So you have a girlfriend?" I say, leaning against the hood of the Rabbit. "Cool."

Jake and Bella laugh, Quil blushes.

"He's actually taking his cousin to prom," Jake says.

"You want funny, Black? I'll give you funny." Quil says, launching himself at Jake. The two begin to wrestle around the garage.

Bella moves out of the way, sitting down next to me. "Jake's gonna win, hands down."

"Without a doubt, Bells," I say. A smile on my face as I watch the boys wrestle.

•••

shiiit chapter i'm sorry

-M