Ness' Comet

Ch 25: Driver's Ed

Since I'd gotten all my assignments done early, and I still had a few more days until my trip with Bella to Seattle, I thought it prudent that I finally learn how to drive. Neither one of my parents were fond of this idea, but it was futile and ridiculous to attempt preventing it. Jacob on the other hand, was more than excited for me. Edward vehemently forbade me to go anywhere near the motorcycles, despite the fact that he knew perfectly well I would most likely ride with Jacob behind his back. Or at least, that's what I would normally do. I wasn't so sure I'd be able to handle being so physically close to Jacob for such a long period of time on a motorcycle.

Jacob took the Volvo, his usual cheery demeanor ever present. Being stuck inside an enclosed space with Jacob did something to me that I wasn't used to experiencing. There was something about his hand resting so carelessly near mine, or that fact that his scent practically filled the whole car. I knew my parents wouldn't appreciate that. Oddly enough, despite being half vampire, I was never bothered by Jacob's smell. In fact, I often thought he smelled good, well, most of the time anyway. The dog smell was worse whenever he phased back from his werewolf form. That was the only time I ever understood what everyone was talking about.

"You okay?" Jacob inquired as we drove to one of the empty roads on the reservation where I could safely practice my driving. The Cullens were forbidden from entering the reservation, but since I was technically human, and was close with Jacob, I was allowed.

I sensed he asked this question because he could hear how fast my heart was beating. I wasn't about to tell Jacob that it was because of him that my heart pumped so loudly, so despite how much grief I knew it would cause me later, I let him believe I was nervous about learning to drive.

"Yeah," I answered, trying to calm my voice. "I'm just nervous is all. I've never driven before."

"You'll be fine," he assured me, playfully rolling his eyes.

I sat up, momentarily forgetting my anxiety, and laughed. "Wow, thanks for the pep talk."

He shrugged with a smile. "I always know what to say don't I?" His tone was joyful and sarcastic. It was times like this that I remembered why I liked being around Jacob so much. Every interaction we had felt so natural, even when I was a nervous mess. It flowed nicely and we always seemed to understand each other's humor.

"Oh, for sure," I retorted sarcastically.

"It'll be easy Ness, just don't think about the fact that you could crash and die very easily."

"Jake!" I cried, slapping him on the shoulder.
This elicited more laughter from him.

"I'm just saying, know that if you make a wrong turn you could very well kill us both." Jacob was teasing me, and oddly enough, it actually seemed to calm me. I told myself what a weirdo I was that him teasing me about crashing the car actually helped me feel more at ease. Maybe it was because this felt more normal. This is how things had always been between Jacob and I.

"You wouldn't die," I replied, my mouth a crooked line.

"That's right, isn't it?" said Jacob. "Well I guess you're screwed."

I rolled my eyes and groaned jokingly. "While you're picking out my casket you might as well find a nice one for yourself," I mused. "Since if I die in this car, my parents will actually murder you."

Jacob just smiled widely to himself and kept driving. He pulled to the side on an empty road near the borders of the reservation. Off road, everything was muddy and unkempt. The road looked pretty rough and the sky was completely open. For once in Forks there were no trees around. It started to drizzle a bit, before Jacob and I switched places in the car. I had to move the seat up significantly since compared to Jacob I was an oompa loompa. I wasn't super short for a female, but Jacob was abnormally large as a person.

"So," began Jacob. "You know how to start?"

I nodded. "I think so."

Truthfully, I knew much of the basics of driving. Edward and Bella forced me to watch a bunch of videos on automobile safety and the basics of driving. I knew all the rules and how everything worked, I simply needed the practice. I turned the key on and pressed my foot against the brake pedal. I shifted the car into drive and slowly removed my foot from the brake.

"That's it," commented Jacob. "Now slowly give it some gas."

I did as he instructed, though I must have done it slightly wrong since the car jerked forward, nearly giving me a heart attack. I slammed my foot down on the brake and both Jacob and were pushed back against our seat.

I breathed hard before turning to Jacob who looked at me both amused and concerned. "You okay there?" he said, suppressing a laugh.

"Yeah," I couldn't help but giggle. "Maybe we should try again."

"Sure. Whenever you're ready. And GENTLE this time please?"

I rolled my eyes with a smile and tried to focus again. "Don't worry. By the time I'm finished learning, you'll be jealous you can't drive half as good."

He bellowed out a laugh and even I had to laugh at myself. "I'm counting on it."