Chapter 2: Future Thinking

On Wednesday evening, I went over to Angela’s house since I had the night off from work and Jacob would be busy patrolling until later that night. Angela and I had made the plans back on Monday when she told me that her parents would be out of town for the night and Ben couldn’t get off of work that evening. Since it was just going to be her and the twins at her house, I told her I didn’t mind hanging out with her and doing homework together.

So, right after school I drove over to her house where we sprawled out in her bedroom to tackle our homework first thing. We had decided to get that out of the way in the hopes that we would have some time to watch a movie over a bowl of popcorn later. We were almost done with our homework when the twins decided to get rowdy, their sibling bickering loud enough to reach us from the living room where they had been watching television before having to do their own homework.

At first Angela simply called out to them to be quiet, hoping that would work. But when they only got louder, she wasted no time storming down the hallway to threaten them with calling their parents which meant they would have to deal with their parents wrath if they didn’t calm down. The twins knew that their parents had left Angela in charge and Angela made sure to hold her cell phone up so they could see her finger on the speed dial for their parents, indicating she was serious with her threat.

However, the twins also knew that Angela didn’t really want to call their parents, thus ruining their one parent-free night in a long time, so they quickly apologized and went back to peacefully watching television. Angela came back into her bedroom with an exasperated sigh.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized as she plopped onto her bed.

I grinned in sympathy. “It’s okay, although I didn’t know you had it in you!”

She gave me a puzzled look. “Had what?”

“That fierceness…I heard the voice you used to threaten them with! I’ve never heard you sound so confident and powerful!”

That was true.

In school, Angela was a lot like me, quiet and careful to stay out of everyone’s business. I had never thought of her as meek, but rather the strong, silent type. Still, it was definitely different hearing that commanding voice she had just used on her siblings.

She shrugged. “I never really use that voice. Just on the twins when I’m babysitting them.” Suddenly she gave me a wicked grin. “Ben says it sounds sexy though.”

At first all I could do was stare at her, amazed at this fun, flirty side of her until I decided that I liked it. Then, I couldn’t help but giggle along with her.

“Holy crow Angela! He really said that?”

“Yep! You should have seen the look on his face the first time he heard it though! Wish I’d had my camera right then! It was priceless!”

We were both holding our stomachs from laughing so hard by the time she was done describing the incident. By that time, even I had wished Angela had taken a picture of Ben’s face, especially since her camera never seemed to leave Angela’s side. Of course, she joked she just had to learn to be quick on the draw in order to take those kinds of pictures.

We managed to settle down a bit to finish the rest of our homework and the twins didn’t interrupt us with any more bickering. When we were both done, we put our work away and made our way to the kitchen where Angela put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. As we waited, we chatted about school and the fact that it was almost over.

“I can’t believe I won’t be returning to Forks High next year!” remarked Angela. “To think, I’ll be legally considered an adult and off to college to train for a career!”

I looked down at the tablecloth, fiddling with it as I nodded my head.

College…I had thought of it…the few times my counselor at school had brought it up. Other than that, there had been so much going on in my life that I hadn’t really had the time to think of it much more.

Angela leaned against the counter as she looked at me. “I’ve already gotten acceptance letters from several schools and so has Ben. We’re trying to decide if we want to go to the same one or…”

She trailed off with a shrug, prompting me to look at her with a frown. “What? Do you want to go to the same school as him?”

Again she shrugged. “I don’t know Bella. I mean, on the one hand…right now…I’d love to go to the same school as him. That way, we could see each other every day. On the other hand, my realistic nature comes into play. We’re still young…and have our whole lives ahead of us. Should we choose a college so both of us can attend or go to separate schools because they are better for our chosen fields?

I mean, who’s to say we would even be together in the long run? Are we cheating ourselves by staying together or should we go our separate ways and experience all life has to offer us?”

I gaped at her. I couldn’t help it. Like I said, Angela was the silent type, more so than me. It was rare to hear that much come out of her mouth at one time. She saw my expression and gave me a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, I’m rambling, I’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I can tell it’s been on your mind a lot.”

Angela sighed and plopped down in the chair opposite of me, giving me a confused look. “I have no idea what I should do!”

I sighed as I thought about it for a few moments. Then I decided to tell her my side.

“You know Angela, I haven’t really given much thought about what I’m going to do after I graduate. I never looked that far ahead…there seemed to be too much going on in my life to even think about it. I think the only time I did, was when the counselor at school mentioned it.”

The microwave dinged, interrupting our conversation. I waited until Angela had poured the popcorn into a bowl, handed me two sodas from her fridge and motioned for me to follow her into the living room. Her brothers had already vacated the living room in favor of their bedroom to do their homework, so we were free to watch our movie. Before we got to the movie, we made ourselves comfortable on the couch and continued the conversation from before.

“So, you don’t know what you’re going to do after you graduate?” she asked.

“Not really,” I answered. “But that’s not the point I’m trying to make. My point is that there really is no right thing to do, Angela. I mean, no matter which decision you make, there’s always the chance that it won’t work out in the end. Then again, it could work out perfectly. I think you should just choose the one that feels right for now. Nothing is set in stone…you can always change your mind later. But I think that’s what makes life worth living, you know? Making decisions and then either living with them or adapting them to a change.”

Angela sat quietly for a few moments, chewing on some popcorn. After a while, she seemed to have digested what I’d said as she took a swallow of her soda.

“Okay, I see your point. You’re right, I should just do what I feel is right since it’s my life…which means I’m the one who’ll have to deal with the consequences. That way, I can’t blame anyone else but myself for my choices.”

I smiled. “You could also take all the credit for it too…if it all goes well.”

She laughed. “Okay, okay. I get it.”

My smile widened. “Good! I’m glad you see things my way!”

We both giggled at the irony of my statement until Angela brought up the other subject again. “You really don’t know what you’re going to do? I mean, don’t you even want to go to college?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong! Of course college is an option! I’m just not sure where I want to go…or even if I want to go in the fall. I might just wait a year before I go.”

She gave me a knowing smile. “Does this have anything to do with a certain La Push resident that we both know?”

I chuckled. “Actually, it’s mostly because I know it’s a little late to apply to a lot of colleges that I might be interested in. Plus, taking a year to just work can help me raise a bit more money for college too. I was actually thinking of quitting my current job and looking for something that pays a little more and has more hours…maybe something a little closer to what I want to go to college for? I dunno, I still have to really think this through.”

“Hm, well sounds to me as if you’re already thinking about it and those aren’t bad ideas actually. Still, I’m sure Jacob had to factor somewhere in there.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I know I’m going to have to talk to him about this, but I think I want to have something a little more concrete before I do. I don’t think it’s wise to stir up trouble over nothing.”

“Yeah, again…I get your point…but I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t warn you against leaving your boyfriend in the dark. Especially someone like Jacob…even I can see how much you mean to him.”

I nodded. “Okay, the warning has been noted.”

Angela got that I didn’t want to talk about it anymore and thankfully let the subject drop. Instead, she got up and popped the chick flick she’d rented for us into the DVD player before grabbing the remote and settling back into the couch.

We watched the entire movie in silence, with the occasional giggle or outburst along the way. The popcorn and sodas had been finished within the first fifteen minutes of the movie, given that we’d eaten most of it while we had talked. After the movie was over, I helped Angela clean up then said goodbye since it was getting late and we both had to be up early for school the next day.

Angela waved to me from her porch, waiting until I had started the truck then drove off before she went back inside her house. I made it home in one piece and parked the truck next to Charlie’s cruiser. I silenced the radio I had enjoyed bobbing my head to during the ride home. As I turned off the truck, I noticed the flickering light coming from the living room, telling me that Charlie was waiting up for me.

As I got out of the truck, I flicked my gaze to the forest wondering if Jacob or Embry was nearby. I knew those two had been scheduled to patrol for the evening, but should be relieved soon by Sam and Paul. Since the latter two were no longer in school, Sam figured they were the best ones to take the late patrols while everyone else got their sleep and went to school. They usually patrolled until late morning, figuring out that vampires didn’t make much trouble between that time and sundown from all of the previous attacks.

No one really patrolled during the day, but Jacob had told me Sam and Paul still tended to sleep with one eye open just in case. Then as soon as the others got out of school, two of them would begin patrolling while one of them was off for the day or caught up on his sleep so they could take Sam or Paul’s place that night. Even I knew how thin the pack was spread when one of them needed a day off. That was why things had to be planned carefully in advance when Jacob had asked for that night off to go on a date with me. I could only imagine how tough it was going to be to get Sam to let Jacob go for three whole days to go to Florida.

Not seeing any sign of the wolves, I grabbed my bag from the truck and went inside.

I was right.

Charlie was in the living room waiting for me. He was fast asleep in the recliner while the TV softly droned in the background. I grinned at the sight. Charlie was being a dad…worrying about his only daughter getting home safely at night. If only he knew about the real dangers and the mythical creatures that existed to protect us all from those dangers.

Yeah, he’d lose his mind.

I walked over to him and picked up the remote from the floor. Turning the TV off, I leaned over to shake Charlie awake.

“Dad? I’m home and I’m gonna get ready for bed.”

“Huh? What?” he mumbled as he jerked awake.

I waited until he was looking blearily up at me. “Hi dad!”

“Hey Bella, you’re home.”

“Yep,” I said, popping the ‘p’. “Safe and sound.”

“Good, good. Well, I’m going to bed then.”

I nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

He got up from the recliner and gave me a quick kiss on my head. “Okay, goodnight honey.”

“Night dad,” I replied as I made my way upstairs.

I dropped my bag next to my desk then went to take a quick shower. By the time I got out, I could hear Charlie snoring away in his bed. Sometimes it amazed me how he could go to sleep at the drop of a hat like that.

In my room, I pulled on a white tank top and a pair of comfortable, worn soft pajama pants that Renee had gotten me for my birthday a few years ago. Then I grabbed the pile of college applications I had received from my counselor, plus the few that had actually came in the mail and spread them out on the bed to look at. Hopefully I could get an idea of what I wanted to do once I graduated, even if I wasn’t going to college right away, I still was curious about my options.

I had looked through a few of the brochures when I heard my cell phone beep from my bag. I retrieved it and checked the message.

Naturally, it was from Jacob. Made it home okay?

I replied back. Yep. Going 2 bed soon. C U tomorrow.

I figured I wasn’t going to get a reply back, so I went to plug it into the charger. But just as I was about to, it began to chime. I quickly answered it before it could wake up Charlie.

“Hi Jake,” I said, knowing it was him from the chime.

“Hey Bells, so how were things at Angela’s?”

“It was fun…well the talking and movie parts were fun, not the homework part. But we did it anyway.”

I heard his chuckle. “Yeah, I understand. I’m glad you got to enjoy some time with her though. I think she missed you.”

This time I chuckled. “And how do you know that? Don’t tell me you have some other mind-reading power I don’t know about!”

“Nah, it was easy to see. I wasn’t the only one who missed you during that time, you know.”

“Oh…right.”

“I miss you right now, though.”

“Aw Jake! You’ll see me tomorrow evening. We’re still doing homework over here, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s almost twenty hours away!”

I could hear the pout in his voice. “Don’t be like that! I know you’ve got to be tired from patrolling. So go get some sleep, then tomorrow will pass quickly with school and the little bit of patrolling you have to do.”

He tsked. “Nope, it’s still too far away. Can you do me a favor?”

“What? Right now?”

“Yeah, go to your window.”

“Are you serious?” I asked as I walked over to the window and looked out.

Sure enough, Jacob was standing beneath the tree besides the house, wearing nothing but his cut-off jean shorts and his huge smile. He waved to me as he hung up his cell and slid it into his back pocket. I gaped at him as I hung up my phone and slid the window open.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered, knowing he could hear me well.

“I came to see you,” was his reply as he backed up a little. “Move back, Bells.”

I shook my head. “Jake! I don’t think…”

“Just a for a few minutes, honey.”

He moved into a crouch, so I moved back into my room and quickly gathered up the mess I’d made on my bed. I set the pile down on my desk and turned around in time to see Jacob rising out of a landing crouch just inside of my window. Dang, that had been silent. He was getting way too good at that.

He grinned at me and held out his arms. “Hey.”

I smiled back as I walked into his embrace, hugging him as he hugged me. “Hi Jacob.”

I felt him sigh. “I really missed you today.”

I tilted my head back to look up at him. “Okay…did something happen?”

I know he heard the worry in my voice. “No, it’s nothing like that, but I’ve got some good news.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Sam’s agreed to let me go to Florida with you.”

My jaw dropped. “Seriously? You did tell him it’s for three days right?”

He chuckled. “Yes! I convinced him that it would be safer for you to have a wolf with you while you visited your mom. Not that we expect a vampire to go after you in sunny Florida, but you never know…and I’m the only one Charlie would understand about going. I’m sure he’d look at you weird if you told him that you invited Paul or Jared to go with you.”

I chuckled at his mischievous look. “Right, better to be safe than sorry, huh?”

“Exactly! So, he agreed that I was the best choice and it wouldn’t hurt the residents of La Push or Forks to spare a wolf for your protection for three days.”

I tried to suppress the squeal of excitement at the knowledge that he was really going with me! And then…I remembered something else.

“Wait! What about Billy? Did you ask him yet?”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “As if Dad would tell me no.”

“Jake,” I whined.

He laughed. “He said yes, Bells.”

I grinned and hugged him again. “I’m so glad! It’s going to be so much fun!”

“I know,” he mumbled into my hair. “I can’t wait either!”

We held each other for a little longer before I finally pulled away. “I’ll talk to Charlie about it tomorrow and then I’ll call Renee once he says it’s okay.”

“He’ll say okay, Bells. You know he likes me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, but he liked you better before you were my boyfriend. Now, he’s a little more wary.”

Jacob shrugged as he caressed my cheek with his thumb. “Can’t blame him really. He saw what you went through the last time you had a boyfriend, but at least he still trusts me more.”

I nodded.

That much was true. Charlie had been a little wary when Jacob and I had told him that we were dating, but he had never had anything bad to say about Jacob the way he still did about Edward. I had noticed the way he treated Jacob whenever he came to see me and it was a far cry to the way he had treated Edward when he had come to take me out. There was never anything less than a smile on Charlie’s face when Jacob was around.

Jacob’s thumb moved to trace my bottom lip, warning me that his mood had changed.

“Um, maybe you should get going Jake. Don’t you think it’s better to stay on Charlie’s good side right now?”

He leaned closer to me. “True, but you forget…my wolf senses will know if we’re in any danger.”

“Jake…”

That was all I got out before his lips covered mine in a tender kiss. He slid his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest and I let my hands curl around his biceps. When I felt his tongue slide against my lips I parted them, granting him instant access. My fingers pressed harder into his skin as his tongue teased mine, making my knees go weak.

He held me secure in his arms, shifting slightly to guide us towards my bed. I was so lost in his kiss that I didn’t realize what he was doing until I felt the bed against the back of my legs. At that point, I began to try to resist him.

My hands moved to his chest, trying to push him away as I turned my head to the side.

“Jake,” I mumbled as his lips chased mine. “Jake, you have to go!”

“Later,” he whispered against my lips, before claiming them again.

I turned my face away once more before the kiss could go further. “No!” I hissed. “You should go now!”

Again he chased my lips.

“Jake!” I growled. “Now is not the time!”

He finally gave up with a sigh. “We wouldn’t get caught Bella. I’d make sure of it!”

I sighed, looking up at his eyes hoping he would understand. “I know Jacob, but I really don’t want to take that chance! Not yet!”

He began to pout. I really hated that look.

“Aw Jake! Don’t do that!”

He leaned close to me again. “Can’t I stay the night? We could just sleep…nothing more. It’s not like we haven’t done that before.”

I gave an exasperated sigh.

“I’ll be out before Charlie wakes up…I swear Bells.”

I groaned. “Not tonight, okay? Let’s wait until after Florida. I really don’t want you to miss out on going with me. Please?”

He pouted some more. “Fine. I get it.”

I bit my bottom lip. He really looked hurt, but I knew this was for the best. I watched as he let me go and walked to the window. I followed, feeling like a heel.

“Jacob…I’m really sorry.”

He stopped at the window and turned to look at me with a smile. “It’s okay, honey. I understand. Really, I do.”

He pulled me into a hug, then gave me another kiss. It was more chaste than the last one, but still good. It was his way of letting me know that he really was okay with things.

Setting me aside, he grinned. “Night, Bells. See you tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Tomorrow. Goodnight Jake.”

He winked at me then crawled out of the window and disappeared. I leaned out to see him land in a crouch before he straightened up to his full height. He turned back to look up at me and waved before sprinting for the forest. I waited until I couldn’t see him anymore then shut the window and closed the drapes with a smile on my face.

I suddenly had something to look forward to come the spring holidays.