CHAPTER 17
HALL MONITORS ON STEROIDS

BELLA was now at the Rez more than Margo. Sometimes Margo would trek down the beaches and find the brunette already there, working on those damn bikes with her boyfriend. Margo wasn't jealous; more so that she thought everything was now out of place. In her hectic life full of college prep and studying, Margo tried to fit a chunk of her week into visiting Jacob. Now it seemed that whenever she was there, it was Jacob and Margo and Bella time. She loved Bella – she really did – but Margo was starting to feel unwanted.

She would usually sit in the hay by the corner of the garage, studying for her next test or reading a book. Bella sat on a stool next to the motorcycles, handing Jacob tools when he needed them. Margo watched from afar, peering over the edge of her book. She would sigh, wishing that she was watching a campy horror movie and kissing her boyfriend during those moments. Regardless, Bella hanging around the Rez allowed her to become acquainted with Embry and Quil. Embry, however, was barely around anymore as it was.

During an afternoon that was full of drizzle, Quil visited Jacob's garage to see how the bikes were coming along. "These look awesome, Jake!" He exclaimed, eyeing the repaired engine. "Nice handiwork. Which one of your girlfriends helped you with this?"

That statement made Margo look up from her book. Bella was hitting Quil's arm with a playful expression as Margo's brow creased. "Shut up, Ateara," Margo muttered, throwing her textbook inside her backpack.

"Yeah, what she said," Jacob agreed as he hooked his arm around his girlfriend. "Shut up, Ateara."

Bella crossed her legs on the stool. "Well, if you don't mind, Quil, me and Jake have to get back to building."

"Whatever," Quil scoffed, heading out of the garage.

Margo bit her lip as she swung her bag over her shoulder. Jacob watched her pack up her things with a confused expression. As Margo pulled her gray hoodie over her head and tied the strings, she said, "I'm actually gonna go take a walk with Quil. That Trig textbook is making my brain hurt."

Despite Jacob's wandering thoughts, he knew Margo wouldn't answer his questions until they were alone. He planted a kiss on her cheek as she passed and asked, "Are you coming back for dinner?"

Margo nodded quickly before sprinting out into the light rain. She noticed Quil's lanky body just a few feet away, and she walked fast to catch up to him. Quil was happy to see her presence beside him, and the two kept each other company for an hour as Jacob and Bella worked. They walked by the edge of the Rez, where the sand met grass. Most of Quil's questions revolved around Bella: if she was single; what her hobbies were; if she liked shorter guys. Margo tried to dodge most questions with a laugh.

But there was one question she couldn't dodge, and it was one of her own. "Where has Embry been lately?" She asked Quil, who suddenly tensed up.

"Uh – I don't know, actually." He shrugged, staring at the waves as they engulfed the shoreline. "I haven't seen him around home or school."

"That's weird."

Quil rubbed the back of his neck, kicking his sneakers into the dirt. "He's been ignoring my text messages. Ever since Sam ..."

Margo stopped walking. She turned to face Quil, and he widened his eyes when he noticed she was spinning him around. "Sam?" She repeated with spite. "Tall guy? Cropped hair? Really built? Wears shorts and no shirt in the cold?"

Quil nodded. "Yeah, Sam Uley." His eyes squinted. "How do you know him?"

"I saw him once months ago," she replied. "He gave Jacob this weird look. That's all I know about him."

Quil furrowed his brow. "Huh," he frowned, "Embry said something once about Sam's weird look too."

•••

Margo couldn't leave her frustrations just hanging inside of her, but she struggled with saying something to Jacob. Instead, she went to her aunt and best friend the next day. Melinda had slept over that weekend, and she was currently sitting at the dining table with a plate of banana pancakes in front of her. Her dark, curly hair was pulled up in a messy bun, framing her diamond-shaped face. Margot sat cross-legged beside her friend, ranting about her troubles with both Jacob and Bella, though she would hardly call them actual troubles. They were more like, First World Problems: Margo Richards Edition.

Jenny flipped another pancake on the frying pan as Margo said, "I just don't understand." She sighed, watching her friend stick a load of pancakes in her mouth. "You don't look like you're listening."

"I am listening," Melinda said through her stuffed mouth. She wiped her lips with a napkin before continuing, "You feel out of the loop."

"Okay, maybe you were listening," Margo replied with a roll of her eyes. Jenny placed another set of pancakes in front of her niece, who was already digging in. "So what do I do about it?"

Melinda shrugged with a frown. Jenny looked down at the teenagers and shook her head. "Maybe you should – oh, I don't know – talk to him?"

The two girls looked up at Jenny, who was staring at them with an obvious expression. Margo met Melinda's eyes again, and her friend pointed a fork in Jenny's direction, "She has a point." Melinda then hung an arm over her chair. "What love advice do you have for me, Jenny? The guy I thought I was seeing isn't talking to me anymore."

Margo's brow shot up. "Are you talking about Embry?" When Melinda nodded at her question, Margo said, "What happened? Did he just stop talking without an explanation?"

"Basically, yeah," Melinda nodded before turning to Jenny once again. "Advice?"

Jenny blew out a sigh. "He could just be not into you."

Suddenly, the smell of burning filled the room. Behind Jenny sat the griddle she was using to make pancakes, but all that was there was a thick, black circle and smoke rising from it. Jenny turned with a shriek, immediately tossing the burnt pancake off the griddle and dosing the charged flames. However, that smell stayed with Margo throughout the day, even when Jacob picked her up that afternoon to take her for a ride in the refurbished Rabbit. Margo had taken Jacob's hand in her own and asked, "Are you getting bored of me?"

Jacob laughed shortly. "No," he replied, "what gives you that idea?"

"I feel very out of the loop," Margo said honestly. "You and Bella have a lot of things to do together. I feel like I'm intruding."

"You're not intruding," he smiled brightly, glancing her way. "Your presence is always appreciated."

Those words were all that she needed. Just a simple sentence was all Margo needed to keep her at ease, and she didn't suspect her boyfriend to be lying otherwise. Not that he would ever lie to her. Margo was a good judge of character – which was a reason why she kept very few friends – and she knew Jacob Black was as genuine as they come. However, the burning scent still remained. She tried to ignore it, telling herself that nothing was wrong with her relationship and all was well. She watched the rocks along the mountains crumble onto the ground. But the burning, no matter how gross, reminded her of burning questions surrounding Embry Call's sudden disappearance.

"Have you heard from Embry lately?" She asked, completely out of the blue. Just seconds before, Margo had her hand out the window, feeling the wind ride through her fingers. Jacob drove through the mountains surrounding La Push, allowing the sweet scent of salty waters to rise, but Margo still smelt the burning.

Jacob was surprised at her question, and he found his hands growing tense on the wheel. "No," he answered, "I figured he was just busy."

"Quil told me he hasn't seen him around anywhere." Margo tilted her head to look at her boyfriend. "Don't you think that's weird?"

Jacob sighed, swerving the car to the side of the road and putting the Rabbit in park. Margo furrowed her brow as he did so, wondering why his answer was so important that he had to park the car. Jacob lifted his foot off the break and turned to Margo in his seat. "Maybe I fibbed," he said. "I know why Embry's been gone. I just didn't want to think about how I ... I don't know – lost my best friend."

"What?" Margo leaned forward. "What are you –"

"He's been taken by Sam Uley and his crew," Jacob replied, resting his head against the seat. "Completely out of my hands. He's disregarded me and Quil for his new 'friends.'"

A scream echoed through the air outside, causing Margo's eyes to zone in on a cliff hanging off the edge of the mountains. She saw a group of boys, all with short, black hair and toned bodies that glistened with the light of the sun. "Is that the Sam?" Margo asked, and even before Jacob could answer, she was stepping out of the Rabbit.

Jacob met her by the roof of the car, and they saw the crew wrestle with each other. "That's Sam and his cult," he explained. "Think of them like the Cullens."

Margo's brow creased at the mention of the Cullens, but she tried not to think much about her past theories on the mysterious family. Her worry increased as she stared across the mountain, noticing the boys' feet getting closer to the edge. They watched Sam push another boy off the cliff, and Margo suddenly stepped forward. "What the –?" She looked to Jacob, realizing that he wasn't shocked to see the action. "He just pushed that kid off the cliff! Should we –"

"They're not really fighting. No need to call the cops." Jacob chuckled softly, nudging her elbow. "They're cliff diving. Although, most of us jump from lower down. They leave the showing off to Sam and his disciples."

Margo frowned slightly, looking up at her boyfriend before locking her hand in his. He felt warm, so warm that the freezing wind couldn't even nip at her neck. "What is Sam's 'crew,' anyways?" She asked. "Are they some kind of rebel group on the Rez?"

Jacob shook his head. "They just think they run this place."

Margo turned back to the group, narrowing her eyes at the familiar face she saw across the way. He had grown a lot taller, but he still had the same slender frame, with small muscles lining his biceps. His hair was cropped to his ears. She pointed her finger out and asked, "Is that Embry?"

"Yeah," he replied with a sigh. "Embry used to call them hall monitors on steroids, but now he's one of them. It started with him missing some school, and all of a sudden, he started following Sam around like a little puppy. Same thing happened with my friends, Paul and Jared."

The wind blew Margo's hair off her shoulders. She watched Embry release a joyful holler and dive off the cliff. Just the sight made her heart lurch in her throat. She could never do something like that. Margo then lowered her head and shook it. "It doesn't make sense," she finally stated. "They all can't just stop being friends with you. An explanation would be nice."

"I don't know," Jacob shrugged, taking their conjoined hands to put his arm over her shoulders. He pulled Margo in close, feeling comfortable with her head resting on his chest. His heart beat loudly. "You know, Sam ... keeps giving me this look, like he's waiting for me or something. It's kinda starting to freak me out.

Margo expression turned to anger when she saw Sam's head turn towards them. She narrowed her eyes in his direction. "Just ignore him," she replied. "He can't do anything to you while I'm here."

•••

A/N: I will admit that this chapter was lowkey frUSTRATING because I wrote it during writer's block so this all feels very off to me but whatever SIGH

Also just putting this out there, no matter what there is going to be no jealous Bella in this!!!! And no love triangle between Bella/Jacob/Margo!!!!!!!!!! The first part of this chapter was simply Margo's own confusion, since this is her first relationship and really doesn't know what she's doing half the time