Rumors.

F***ing rumors.

It was bad enough that no one came to talk to me about it-Jessica found some way to catch everyone and tell them the 'full story': Gen Swan seen on a date with some out of town guy, how that guy was Jake Black, some loser kid who wasn't even old enough to drive yet. I didn't even notice what was going on at first.

My attention had been focused on my family.

Isabella-twin sister, ex of a vampire, crazy. Completely crazy. She was now hanging out with yet another vampire named Alice, disappearing who knew where so that I wouldn't have a panic attack at the sight of her (or maybe so that Jake the werewolf boyfriend wouldn't kill her.). Even my dad was suspicious of how little he'd seen Bella the last week or so and neither human nor bloodsucker seemed to care. I was so angry with the two of them, I could barely let myself think about it.

Dad-a.k.a... my dad. He'd noticed some improvement in my behavior and was now asking my plans for college. And as always, he was far more distracted by worrying about my idiot sister.

Mom-apparently she'd been emailing me and I'd forgotten I'd set her address to the spam folder, probably under the effect of morphine last spring. She was now under the impression that we should 'talk more'. No thanks.

Jacob- was Jake family? It felt like it. And that was irritating enough with all the imprinting crap behind it. The weeks that had passed since that conversation and that kiss... He was the only person who understand what my world really was and it was a struggle every day not to demand to know how much of his feelings for me were even a choice.

So I was distracted. I was angry and happy and stressed and when Mike Newton sauntered up to me right before my last basketball practice with a smug grin stamped across his face I was very confused.

"A sophomore, huh?" He asked, slipping between me and the locker room door. Tyler Crowley and a couple other basketball guys were watching from across the hall way.

Lacking anything intelligent to say, I echoed his last word.

"Huh?"

Tyler approached now, just as angry as Mike was superior. "Jacob Black," he demanded. I raised an eyebrow, still not sure what they were talking about. Tyler loomed over me. "You're dating that little kid from the rez?"

I couldn't help it: I turned bright red. This freaking tiny town.

Mike snickered at me. "Jess says he's like 14." Some of the other boys started to gather closer but I kept my glare on Mike and Tyler. "Really, Swan? You couldn't find anyone in town better than that?"

"No. And who says I'm dating him?" I shook my head-what a stupid path to start down. "Wait, n-F***. Fine. One date. But he's not 14." This declaration was not as satisfying a retort as I would have liked. "And Tyler he's the guy who made you cry like a little girl before last year's prom." Not much better, but I couldn't quite care.

There was a nice pause as Tyler began to turn purple and the rest of the boys immediately turned on him, apparently finding this gossip more appealing. I slipped out from between them, embarrassed, pissed, and also now distracted by what I was going to tell my dad and friends about this crap. I'd only managed a few steps and then my arm yanked back right before I reached the locker room.

"Again, Mike? Really?" I shook him off.

He moved to block the door, dodging my attempt to shove him. "Don't tell Jess I told you." He demanded.

"Right. Because then she'll never, ever find out." I shoved past him, muttering louder under my breath. "'Couldn't find anyone in town better'; no sh**!"

Practice went by quickly after that. Adrenaline from anger made me more hyper then sad about the last practice of my high school career. I smiled sympathetically at my teammates as we all headed to the locker room and then I hid in the shower as they all changed and headed out. There was a slight worry in the back of my mind that I'd walk out and run into the boys' team again but I had a feeling they would have caught me before the locker rooms for a bigger audience. The thought made my stomach twist with embarrassment-how long had everyone been talking about me? And what other jackass things had they said?

But more than anything else I was starting to feel stupid. I'd worried at the restaurant that people would talk and then had forgotten about it as the week went by and I didn't hear anything. I hadn't seen much of Jake either and part of me had thought that people would notice that as well. And now there were that many more worries and chagrins to add to my list, just because I hadn't bothered... Sh**.

I got dressed in a hurry, clicking the button on the automatic light to make sure it knew i was there before rushing back to shove my gym clothes in my bag. I had a text from Jake but he didn't make a habit of keeping his phone on him-exploding into a werewolf apparently made that a little difficult-so I scanned the message for anything important and grabbed my car keys instead of replying.

One last check for anything valuable in my locker and I was stumbling out the door.

It was cloudy as always and the sun seemed to be setting, for all I could tell. As if the dark wasn't bad enough, a wind was kicking up and I could barely get my stuff into the car as my hair tumbled into my face and stayed there. I slammed the car door and screwed up my face in disgust, sputtering through the tangles right up until I looked back and found the ever elegant Alice Cullen watching me.

"Bella's at home," she said hurriedly.

What? "I didn't ask that." I was holding my hair up with one hand, fidgeting with my keys with the other as I reminded myself that even if I could make them a weapon they would be useless.

"But you would eventually accuse me of murdering her. And I don't have time for that." Her forehead creased. "Oh, I wish I could- I just needed to talk to you."

"Right." I was shivering violently now, just as scared and cold as I'd been when Jake had fought Laurent. "and scaring the crap out of me-"

"I let you see me coming and you run away instead of just getting angry at me." She waved carelessly at my face. "Now, quickly. How has Bella been since Edward left?"

I glared at her; she was so short I could give every inch of her the evil eye at the same time-probably the only reason I was still there. I couldn't quite connect the terror I felt with the tiny, fashion model before me. As it was, I couldn't quite flee and instead continued staring at her until I finally found a question of my own. She didn't even let me get the words out.

"No, you haven't decided to tell me anything so I can't see it. And Bella has told me a little but I need to know how bad it's been." Her forehead pinched. "And you don't need to curse quite so much when you reply, Genevieve."

I managed a little laugh but it squeaked a bit more than I would have liked. "Why do you want to know? Couldn't you all have just stayed if you're so worried about my little sister?"

"Well, no: Edward decided it was safer-" Her eyes glazed over and then she began to speak more hurriedly. "My brother needs her; I just need to know if Bella is the same. From you."

Lie. Lie lie lie lie lie. Just lie. Ugh, but my brain was a mess.

I let my eyes narrow, found the accusation I had thrown at Edward those long months ago. "Oh, she thinks she needs him." I choked out. "But she's better off without him, without him stealing her from her family and from a normal life. Do any of you feel the least bit guilty about what you threw us all into?" Me and Jake and Bella... and Paul and so many others. "You-"

"If I leave is she going to get better?" Alice stared up at me, capturing my uncertainty in her mind. "Can you know for sure that she is better off without him?"

"I... you can't..." I sputtered through a couple of half-formed accusations before I finally got out a complete sentence. "Stay the f*** away from my family."

"And what about my family?" The seriousness and worry on her normally cheerful face was unsettling. But I couldn't care less.

"Especially him."

"He tried to stay away. It's killing him." Alice started to step toward me, needing me to understand. I shuddered and she raised her hands in apology. "Gen. Genevieve. Please."

"Please what?"

"Tell me that-"

The vampire broke off her sentence, her eyes losing focus for a moment. Then, with one last curse in her elegant voice, I was alone. I stared for a moment at the spot where she'd stood and then glanced around, wondering if there was any chance someone else had seen. The parking lot was just as empty as it had been though, just my car and me. But of course, I'd just finished thinking that when a new voice called my name.

I screamed, again raising my keys as a weapon as I turned to face the new danger behind me. My eyes caught the strong silhouette towering beside my car, the giant hands raised in surprise but I couldn't quite make out his face until he stepped forward into one of the streetlights.

Jacob winced and held up his hands in apology.

"Are you ok? I just-" He'd started to reach for me and broke off, wrinkling his nose.

"You gonna chase after her?" I kept my distance, unsure if he was about to transform. "Jake, you ok?"

He shook his head but looked more disgusted than anything else. "Fine. We're fine." He gave me a look of suffering and then added. "She just smells so bad."

I giggled and the last bit of fearful tension that Alice had left disappeared. There was still every other worry from my nightmare of a day but I had relaxed enough to reach out for Jacob's hand. He turned out to be a little further than I thought and we stood for a minute, distracted, my fingers brushing against his and lightly tugging his hand a little closer until I could finally link hands with him.

"You busy again tonight?" I still couldn't quite say it: are you chasing vampires, those other vampires that had no stupid treaty protecting them from handsome werewolves? "I didn't think Sam would let you this far out."

"Bella called to apologize." Jacob smiled tightly down at me. "I got out of her that the bloodsucker was coming to talk to you and here I am."

He seemed stressed but he still looked at me and ended up grinning. I shook off the thoughts of imprinting, yet again putting off that breakdown for later. "So what now?"

He shrugged and I realized that yet again he wasn't wearing a shirt. I closed my eyes, a little exasperated and a little afraid I'd get caught staring at his muscles.

"Gen?"

"How about a movie? Order a pizza?" I opened my eyes and managed to raise a critical eyebrow. "Though my dad and sister are home so you'll have to cloth yourself."

"Oh, no, anything but that." Jake's laugh turned into a frown. "Wait, crap. I actually don't have anything."

I burst out laughing and we spent the drive home planning how I was going to throw him yet another sweatshirt from my bedroom window, only to find the house empty anyway. I opened my phone to a text telling me to meet Bella and Dad at some restaurant and tossed the phone back into my purse, not sure they wouldn't try to convince me to join them if I replied.

Once inside, I flipped on all the lights I could find while refusing to meet Jacob's eyes--I didn't want to know how he reacting to the little useless things I did to fight off my fears--before heading up to my room to grab him an old giant t-shirt I'd once used as a paint shirt. After a moment of consideration, I grabbed a change of clothes and ran to the bathroom for a quick shower-I wasn't sure how clingy Alice's scent was but I'd seen the disgust on Jake's face whenever he caught it. By the time I got downstairs, Jake had already made hot chocolate and ordered the pizza so I threw the extra shirt at his face and went to throw in a random movie.

We finally ended up sitting awkwardly on the couch, neither sure exactly how close to sit, and Final Destination's opening credits blaring a bit too loudly. Soon enough though we were laughing at the characters and then wondering how either of us would fare if we'd been in the movie. But then, both of us laughing so hard we had to hold onto our sides, I reached out a gave Jake a playful shove.

Our eyes met and we froze, smiles still wide on our faces. Jake's smile faded a little and I saw him gulp slightly, found myself wondering why it was getting harder to catch my breath. We hadn't gotten to hang out in so long and that last kiss... My eyes trailed to his lips again and Jacob leaned closer.

"You should come out to the rez more often," he said, probably trying to sound casual.

I pulled both my legs up onto the couch so that I could turn to face him, grinning as I teased him. "Why? You miss me, Jacob Black?"

He echoed the movement, both of us ignoring the movie now and slowly leaning in toward each other. "Yes."

I'd been expecting a joke and his answer did not do anything to make me less flustered. I found myself staring at him with nothing to say. Jake laughed and leaned forward, our eyes fluttering shut as our faces grew closer...

Then the f***ing doorbell rang.

"Right. Pizza." Jake muttered.

"Yeah." I swung my legs off the couch and stumbled over to where I'd thrown my purse, refusing to give in to the temptation to look back at him. Snatching the wallet and throwing the purse back with a little more force than was necessary, I stomped over to the door and threw it open.

Only then did I look up to find Edward Cullen.