CHAPTER 19
FOREVER CHANGED

TWO WEEKS LATER

MARGO hadn't heard a word from Jacob for weeks. She tried not to show her hurt or confusion, but it was hard to suppress. She didn't want to come off as an overly-clingy girlfriend – because that was definitely not the type of person she was – but how was she supposed to act when her boyfriend hasn't spoken to her for over two weeks? Yes, they were both incredibly busy – her, especially – but he always found time to call her most nights. She hadn't received a call, nor a text, for two weeks.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Margo was awake most nights because of her confusion, or was it just because she was lonely? She wanted to call him; ask if he was okay, but she supposed he just needed space. Margo didn't understand why he would need space, especially when he seemed so ready to tell her he loved her weeks ago, but she waited for him. Margo Richards, the most impatient girl in Forks, waited.

She bit her nails down to the brink. She barely had an appetite. Her anxiety was at all-time high. Why was she so hung up on Jacob? Why couldn't she simply give him the space he needed, and live her life as if it were normal? Margo couldn't answer her own questions.

She eventually called his cellphone. Margo began to get worried that something was genuinely wrong, though she thought that if that were the case, Billy would've told her. When she called, she received no answer. Margo waited a day and called again. Still no answer. The routine continued for a whole week.

When Jenny finally noticed her niece was only eating half of her dinner each night, she decided to say something. "I know you're upset about Jacob," she began, watching Margo bite down another nail. Jenny swatted her hand away. "I don't know what to tell you, but maybe you should just go to his house and confront him. He could just be sick. Mono has been going around."

"If he was sick, his dad would tell me." Margo replied, playing with the uneaten food on her plate. "At least, I would hope he would."

Jenny cut into her spiced chicken with a knife. "Did Melinda have any ideas?"

Margo pondered for a moment. He's probably going through the same teenage boy angst that Embry is going through, Melinda had told her yesterday at lunch. Margo then shook her head at her aunt's question. "The last time I saw him, he was burning up with some fever, and then he just disappeared at the movies," she recounted. "I've called his cellphone over fifty times. No answer. I don't get it." Margo slowly met her aunt's eyes. "Do you think I'm being too clingy?"

"At your age," Jenny said, patting her hand, "there's no such thing as being too clingy."

Margo had tried to look for advice from her aunt, but their conversation hadn't helped one bit. Later that night, Margo sat by her desk, her fingers hovering over the keys of her laptop. She had an important essay on Hamlet to start, but she couldn't even form a title for the paper. All that was typed on the screen was her name, date, and teacher's name. Margo sighed in defeat, picking up her flip phone and opening it. No new text messages. No new calls.

She went to go bite the edge of her thumbnail, but realized there was barely anything there. She rubbed at her eyes. Margo's thoughts clearly weren't focusing on what she had to do. They wandered to the boy with warm, russet skin and happy eyes. She closed her laptop and opened her cellphone again, looking through her recent calls. She noticed that she only ever called Jacob's cell. Maybe calling his house phone would help, but as Margo's finger hovered over the call button on her keypad, she hesitated. Would this look too clingy? Was she over-obsessing over something so small? No, her conscious told her, your boyfriend hasn't contacted you in weeks. You have a right to be concerned.

Margo hit the call button and brought the phone to her ear. She bit her lip, worry clouding her mind. Eventually, the phone was picked up, and she was greeted by a familiar, aged voice. "Hello," Billy spoke clearly, "Black residence."

She released a sigh of relief before answering, "Hi, Billy. It's Margo Richards."

Billy paused, and it was far too long for Margo. "Oh," he finally responded, "hi, Margo. How have you been?"

"Honestly? Not great." She bit the inside of her cheek. "I haven't seen Jacob for a while, and I just wanted to ask if I could speak with him."

"Um –" Billy cleared his throat. "That's not possible, Margo."

Margo furrowed her brow, causing her response to come out snarky. "Why?"

"Jacob hasn't been well. He has mononucleosis."

"He has mono?" Her mouth dropped for a moment. "How can he have that? It's called 'the kissing disease' for a reason! I've never had mono –"

Billy interrupted, "I'm sorry, I have to tend to my son right now. I'll give you an update soon, Margo. Goodnight."

The line suddenly went dead. Margo brought her phone away from her ear and looked at the screen. She flipped the phone closed, pursing her lips slightly before setting the object down. She released a heavy sigh. Margo didn't work on her essay for the rest of her night and instead spent her time researching the causes and symptoms of mono.

•••

"Billy told me Jacob had mono too," Bella told Margo the next day in chemistry. "I don't know what to do. I haven't seen him for a while now. It feels like he's just ... disappeared." Bella's face twisted, almost like she tried not to cry. "I tried visiting his house too. Billy wouldn't let me see him."

Margo sat back in her seat once their teacher began to speak, but she hardly listened. Her mind was swarmed with confusion at Bella's words. When Margo asked her if she'd been with Jacob lately, she was surprised to hear that Bella was having the same experience. Margo thought Jacob was only ignoring her, probably because she interrupted him saying the L-word, whatever that meant.

She had a plan then. Margo would definitely know that something was wrong if she visited Jacob's house like Bella did. If Billy turned her away, that was it. She had to figure out an answer. She couldn't just sit there while the boy she thought she was dating dodged her calls, texts, and visits. It wasn't normal, but she guessed, neither was their relationship.

She asked Melinda to come with her after school. They both drove back to their separate houses, where they dropped off their bags and had a snack. Melinda was back at Margo's house in her Sedan within fifteen minutes of being apart, pulling onto the side of the pavement. Margo left Jenny a note that she'd be out when she got home, before running out to Melinda's car and jumping inside.

It took a little while to arrive at the Rez. Though Forks consisted of one straight road that went everywhere, the rain outside was heavy and hard. Melinda found it hard to drive through, but the two eventually arrived at Jacob's house while it was still daytime. The clouds, however, made it hard to decipher if it was still light out.

When they pulled up near the hill of Jacob's house. Margo squinted her eyes to see Jacob walk across the damp hill, heading to the field in the back of his small home. She zipped up her rain jacket as she felt Melinda's hand on her arm. Margo looked over quickly. "I'll be right here if you need me," Melinda promised. "I can see everything over that hill. Just give me a signal if you need me."

Margo nodded, throwing her friend a warm smile. She pulled up her hood and stepped out of the car. Margo began to climb the small hill, feeling her feet sink into the wet grass. Once she reached the top, she found Jacob crossing the small bridge in his yard. She pursed her lips, shaking her head as she wondered what he was doing. Jacob only wore a pair of jean shorts and old sneakers. No shirt. His hair wasn't long anymore; it was cut short and laid flat against his head from the rain. Margo stalked forward angrily, screaming out, "HEY!"

Jacob stopped walking, falling to a halt on the old, wooden bridge. Margo stomped in his direction, and Jacob immediately felt the vibration of her feet on the bridge. "It doesn't look like you have mono!" She spat. "You shouldn't even be outside, let alone without a shirt, if you have mono!"

Margo scoffed, noticing Jacob hadn't turned around to look at her. He saw his friends up ahead, waving their hands towards him, but they fell silent when they saw the pale brunette behind Jacob. Margo looked at the side of his arm and noticed the new fresh patch of ink on his upper bicep. "Is that a tattoo?" She asked incredulously.

He still didn't move. Margo's teeth grit with anger. She suddenly yanked on his arm, tugging him around to finally face her. "Look at me!"

That was when it finally happened.

When Jacob finally saw Margo, he didn't just look at her. He immediately felt her presence invade his body like a disease. He sucked in a large breath, feeling the imprint overwhelm him. He couldn't even feel the rain beating down on him. Margo blinked at him without realizing what was happening. I mean, how could she ever know?

All of a sudden, Jacob only saw the sun shining up above, like the rain before them wasn't there anymore. He saw them holding hands, walking through a field of daisies, but it smelled like a fresh morning rain. Her hand was cold against his, but clutching her fingers warmed them.

His vision switched to a sight he had never seen before: Margo as a child. He watched her play outside in sunny California. She sat on her front lawn, while Jacob stood in the middle of street, watching her with a confused expression. He didn't understand his presence here, but as he listened in, he heard a couple fighting from inside the yellow house. Margo continued to lay on the lawn, allowing the grass to tickle her toes as she read a book. Almost instantly, he watched her sit up, and her eyes connected with his own.

Everything shifted again. He saw flashes of Margo with her parents: he saw her father's anger; her mother's laziness; the custody case; the sentencing. It all led to Jacob then standing in the middle of a crowded airport, looking over the heads of the annoying crowds to see a fourteen-year-old Margo emerging from the gate with her aunt. The casual rain outside told him they were at the airport near Seattle, but just the weather caused Margo to look uncomfortable with her situation. Jacob rubbed at his eyes, knowing exactly what was happening in that moment, but he didn't want to believe it. When he looked back up, he saw Margo staring at him.

It all led back to the first day they met on the beach. Jacob saw her laughter again. He saw the tide pools he missed. He saw the light drops of rain dotting her face. These sights almost caused him not to notice that his form had changed. He was looking at her now in the field again with a heightened sight and squinted eyes. A heavy wind ran through his fur, but she looked at him, amongst the daisies, like nothing was wrong. She reached out to him with shaking hands.

Bringing himself back to reality, Jacob saw a bright orange light immerse Margo before him. He furrowed his brow, not seeing that Margo was actually waving her hands in front of his eyes at that moment. He was forever changed now. Jacob's relationship with Margo had been close since they first met, and even when they began to date, they grew even closer. But it was all different now. She wasn't just some "girlfriend that he met on First Beach." She was his imprint. He would do anything to please or protect her, even keeping her away from him. All his other commitments were secondary, even the commitment to his new pack.

All of a sudden, it wasn't gravity holding Jacob Black there. It was Margo Richards.

"HELLO! ANYONE THERE?!"

Jacob blinked fast, pulling himself back to reality as he focused on his imprint. Her eyes were angry. Her brow was furrowed. She was clenching her fists with rage. But even with her anger, Jacob wanted nothing more than to protect her from his new self. She opened her mouth to say something, but he told her, "Go away."

"What?!" Margo shook her head in shock. She couldn't believe what was happening before her eyes.

Jacob's eyes were filled with pain, and he was practically pleading. However, his tone was different as he repeated, "Go away, Margo. Don't come back here."

Margo's stare shifted to the back of Jacob, and she eyed Sam Uley with suspicion. She viewed back to her boyfriend. "Sam finally got to you, didn't he? Him and his pack of hall monitors on steroids. You told me that they were awful and he stole all your friends. What's wrong with you?!"

Jacob felt tears prick at his eyes, but he didn't let them shed. He shook his head. "Sam's trying to help me." He watched Margo's mouth drop. "Listen, I have to go. Just don't come back here. I don't want –"

"Are you breaking up with me?" Margo asked quietly, and it was almost unheard over the pouring rain. "I have done nothing wrong in this relationship! This is our first fight, for crying out loud! I thought – I thought you were –"

"I am. I really am, Margo." Jacob replied with a sob clogging his throat. He placed his hands on her arms before brushing a damp strand of hair away from her cheek. "It's not you. It's me."

Margo felt a tear slide down her cheek. Her fists formed tightly again. "Really? 'It's not you, it's me?' I didn't think you'd be that kind of typical douchebag."

"It's true," he replied quickly, "it is me. I'm not ... I'm not myself anymore, Mar. I'm not good." The orange light around her didn't dim. It stayed there, engulfing her in the bright glow. Her hazel eyes shined against the pale orange.

"I just –" Margo closed her eyes, releasing more tears. Her mouth curled as she cried disgustingly. She had always been an ugly crier. "I don't understand. You don't even want to still be friends?"

Jacob paused. "Give me some time."

She opened her eyes to see him now stalking away. Margo wiped away her tears, feeling the anger cloud her entire being all over again. The rain was so loud that she couldn't hear Melinda slowly walking from her car out of worry. Margo tugged on Jacob's arm again, shrieking, "You don't get to break up with me. That's my job."

Jacob was facing her now, hot air fanning her cheeks. His blood began to boil, and even felt anger overwhelm his stomach at her actions. The glow around her was getting brighter. It started to pulsate as Margo slapped her hands against his chest and left large, red marks. "I HATE YOU!"

He felt the shift within him. "Margo, please, go –"

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU IGNORE ME FOR WEEKS, LIE ABOUT HAVING MONO, AND THINK THIS IS OKAY?!"

"MARGO –"

"NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME, BUDDY –"

Jacob raised his arm, ready to push her away. His breathing was uneven. He felt himself on the edge. "GO, NOW!"

"YOU ASSHOLE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I THOUGHT –"

It happened within an instant. First, Jacob was in front of her, using one hand to push her away while the other was raised in the air. The rain was beating hard on both their heads, causing their visions to appear in a haze, but Margo knew what she saw. The second she blinked, an abnormally large wolf was in front of her, bearing a rusty brown color. She felt a set of claws brush lightly against the edge of her lips, but they still dug into her skin. Margo fell to the ground instantly and blacked out.

Melinda was already running up the hill, shrieking, "MARGO!" Her eyes locked on the canine sniffing her friend's body with concern. This was no ordinary wolf; it was around the size of a bear, and she saw the person it once was. Melinda gasped loudly, causing the wolf to look at her and back away slowly. Melinda's gaze shifted back to Margo, and she knelt on the ground, picking up her friend's head.

A line was carved into the corner of Margo's mouth to her chin. It wasn't big, but it was still bleeding. Melinda whispered profanities as she pressed her sleeved into her friend's wound, and she finally realized the presence of the large wolf in front of her. She huffed heavily, and she could see her breath in the air as the wolf continued to back away.

Melinda didn't want to believe what she saw. At that moment, all she cared about was carrying her friend to the hospital. She didn't even see the wolf in her rearview mirror watching her drive away.

•••

A/N: So ya that happened 😅