NOVEMBER

It turned out that Jacob and I had a similar problem, though he was a lot less dramatic about it then I was. I spent the first week of the next month texting him about how Embry wouldn't talk to him and Paul was avoiding me again. Somehow he also got me on the topic of my summer and what I was up to, asking me a couple times why I hadn't been back out to LaPush with my friends. I managed to avoid an outright lie, but I was starting to wonder how long I could keep it up with him: Jacob was a weirdly insightful kid and he was starting to figure my dislike of forests had to do with a newfound fear of the world. I made a mental note to tie that to Isabella's accident in the forest and left it at that: Jacob wasn't pushing hard enough to get anywhere close to the truth.

When I wasn't talking to the boy I once could barely stomach, I was starting the basketball season and hoping that by the end of the season I would be off the bench. I also narrowly avoided poisoning my sister by sneaking a spoonful of energy drinks into every colored drink she turned her back on and grossly underestimating how well she could handle caffeine.

After working on that project for a week, my dad order me to stop: it was making Isabella even more unable to sleep then she had been. I spent the next Saturday morning at work chatting with my boss and one other coworker, Ellen, about what pranks they'd had pulled on them. I left work in a weird mood, annoyed by the out-of-season sunshine but laughing my head off from a story about a dormroom covered in shaving cream by Ellen's dad and his friend's revenge on the wrong person.

After I got home, I had a bit more energy than I was used to and decided to get some practice in while I still could. I moved Bella's truck from the drive—not like she had the willpower to do it herself—and started shooting hoops, jumping around and being a little ridiculous. I came in from basketball practice, still jittery and hyper, hopping a little to make my shoes squeak against the hardwood floor...

I started jabbing at the microwave, annoyed by its ancient cheesy smell. Soon enough my popcorn was spinning merrily around and was free to take a burning hot sip of my cocoa. I set the cup down, planning to go back to glaring at the microwave: it was a good thing I'd gotten the hot mug out of my hand. Seconds after I'd moved, the front door was rattled from someone pounding on the frail wood like their life depended on it.

I strode quickly through the house and ended up taking a moment to peer through the small window at the side of the door.

Jacob?

"What the heck are you doing here?" I demanded, opening the door only a crack. I could hear my popcorn start to pop down the hallway and it was making my mouth water.

"Come on." Jacob said, jerking his head toward the white car he'd left parked in my driveway.

"Whyyyyy." I said, looking uncertainly around as he pushed the door open, grabbed my hand, and started to pull me down the porch steps. "What are we doing?"

"Just get in the car, Gen."

"I'm hungry." I argued.

He had been getting into the driver's seat. Now he stepped back out and tossed a saran-wrapped sandwich at my face. "Get in, Genevieve."

I glanced back at the house. The front door had shut behind me and Isabella was napping safely upstairs. Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the back of his car and pulled out my phone. Throwing myself into his back seat, I used my foot to pull the door shut and lay there, texting my dad so he wouldn't look for me when he got home.

"I'm not your limo driver, Gen."

"No." I agreed. "You're my kidnapper. You're lucky I didn't climb into your trunk."

"Get up here or I won't tell you where we're going." Jacob shot back, revving the engine.

"Uuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnngggggggghhhhh."

I clambered through the gap between front seats and plopped myself down. Jacob didn't seem to have been worried about my safety because as I clicked on my seatbelt he was already half way down the road.

"What are we doing?" I asked again, thinking fondly of the popcorn now burning in my microwave.

"We're going to try a walk." Jacob said, glancing over to check my reaction.

"A walk. Where?" I started fiddling with the radio, trying to find something modern and having a difficult time succeeding.

"LaPush."

My eyes widened with panic. "Jaaaaake!"

"You said you were getting sick of Forks!" Jacob defended himself, taking a line out of context from a conversation we'd had about my desire to go to college and complete lack of any real reason for that desire. "And you used to love hiking up there."

"Yeah, but..." I bit my lip, unable to go further.

Jacob gave me his puppy dog face. "Admit it, you'll feel safer with me then."

"Oh, yeah. A guard dog. Just what I need." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, finding a frown starting to set in. "Just you and me?" I asked, trying to make my tone a little nicer.

"Yep." Jacob said. "Quil was busy."

I sighed, knowing he didn't want to talk about it but unable to stop myself from asking: "And Embry?... Paul?"

Jacob shook his head. "Sorry, Gen."

"No, it's ok." I picked at the scarf I had wrapped around my wrist. "I just wished I understood... It feels..." I stopped, unwilling to get emotional in front of the 'kid'.

"It feels like everybody's moving on." Jacob grumbled. "Quil's with Sam. Bella's who knows where. I guess Edward's gone—"

"Boo hoo." I muttered, less humor in my voice then you might expect.

"Yeah..." Jacob said sympathetically. "Hey, do you mind...?"

"What?"

"How is Bella doing?" He asked, looking a little afraid of what my reaction would be but refusing to look over to see my death glare. "I promise not to mention her for... the rest of our hike. But how is she?"

"No idea." I snapped. "It's like having a really sad rock for a sister. Or a pillow. Wet rag?" I frowned, what was I thinking of... "Soggy blanket!"

Jacob nodded, his face sympathetic for my sister's heartbreak. "Not any better?"

"No. Still in love with that giant dick, still unable to comprehend how life can exist without a boyfriend." I rolled my eyes. "I guess we'll just have to figure out how to—" I cut myself off, realizing that Jacob probably would consider this too mean. I then crossed my arms and pouted, irritated that I would be less rude about my sister for any reason under the sun.

As we pulled up at a stop sign, Jacob dropped his hands from the steering wheel and looked over at me with a soft, sympathetic smile. "Do you think we should... is there something I can do? To help you two..."

"No." I said, my tone final. I turned to look out the window, giving Jacob one word answers as he tried to decide on a good place to hike. We finally ended up at the beach, walking down a path that had once been my favorite.

It was a bit overgrown now, which was good because it started to bring me out of my anger and irritation at my sister as I jumped and joked around with Jacob and clambered over logs and fallen rocks. It was also nice because I could keep my eyes on either Jacob or the ground and ignore the looming forest around me. At least until we stopped to rest...

"There looks like a good spot for the rest of our sandwiches." Jacob said, touching my shoulder lightly so I would turn and look up at the rise we were about to walk past.

"Good view." I agreed. I squinted up the steep climb, eying a dry stream bed we could use for a path and noting several difficult jumps. "I might need a bit of a hand though, my giant friend."

Jacob laughed. "Finally, something else for you to bug me about."

"Something else?" I said, starting to clamber up and gripping branches to keep me steady.

"I'd rather be known as tall then a little kid, Genny. If you'd take that at all into consideration..." He sighed. "Which you will and then probably decide you'd like the one that bothers me more."

I shrugged. "Not if I owe you one." I said. "Help me up this hill and over my fears and I will tease you about your height until you're so old you've shrunk back to three feet tall."

"Ha ha." Jacob said, but he'd relaxed back into a grin.

"Then again," I said, kicking at some gravel as I formed a better foothold. "I could always do both."

"Just climb the dang hill, Gen." He groaned.

"I can't! I'm going into withdrawal!" I leaned dramatically against a nearby log, watching him make his way up to my spot. "Must... call... Jacob... little...kid"

"Genevieve?"

I pretended to cough. "Yes?"

"You're an idiot."

"This log is all moldy." I complained. I stood up and stood awkwardly on the steep incline, trying to wipe moss off my butt. Jacob reached out to grab my elbow just before I lost my balance.

"Genevieve—" He gave me an exasperated look.

"I'm not going to fall." I said, knowing he was thinking of my clumsy sister. "I'm very careful."

"Yeah. Sure." Jacob rolled his eyes. "Why don't you get moving so I can follow you?"

"Follow me?" I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"

"So that I can catch you if you fall." He said patiently, walking carefully around me with his hand still holding me steady. "Go."

"I won't fall." I argued.

"Then I'll be here to give you a boost." He replied good-naturedly. "Do you want to climb this hill or not?"

"Fine."

I started up a bit too quickly, trying to show I could do it. As my breath started to catch I slowed down and began to be careful, not feeling too bad as I glanced back to see him struggling a bit as well.

"Almost there." I gasped, catching sight of the top. "How you doing?"

"I'm great." Jacob choked out. "Because... I'm so tall... and adult... and..."

"You are... sixteen,... Jacob." I replied, breathing just as heavily as him. "You are not... 'adulting' yet."

"I am... if I say I am." He argued, tossing a few pebbles at my ankles.

"Do you argue with everyone as much as you argue with me?" I said, stopping in the middle of the path to get the rocks out of my shoes and being purposely slow about it so he had to stop and wait for me.

"I'm not answering that." Jacob laughed. "Can't that wait?" He added after a moment.

I slowly wiggled my ankle, took a moment to check the three foot climb I had left, and then deliberately went back to messing with my shoes,

"Genevieve..."

"What?"

"I'm about to murder you."

"Can you murder this pebble too? I can't get it out."

"Three." Jacob said, trying hard not to laugh.

"Three what?"

"Two."

"Oh. Oh, wait." My shoe had slipped off the heel of my foot as I'd fidgeted and now I was struggling to get it back on, glancing back in panic to see Jacob about to charge.

"One."

"No! Wait! Damn it! no!"

Not bothering to listen to me, Jacob used one last burst of energy to rush me. Using his height as an advantage, he scooped my feet out from under me and held me in his arms as he made his way up the hill. I was not very cooperative: my shoe had flown into some bushes and I was now kicking violently as I simultaneously tried to look over his shoulder for my shoe and not fall out of his arms. A picture of him dropping me, tripping over me, and the two of us pulling a 'Jack and Jill went up the hill' style fall back down was playing across my mind: when he stopped to catch his breath my arms were locked tight around his neck.

"Gen..." Jacob said, his breath starting to settle. I peeked up at his face: he hadn't even broken a sweat. "We're here."

I glanced back over his shoulder. "Good. Now put me down somewhere dry and go get my shoe."

"Your shoe?" Jacob looked down at my feet and found my neon pink polka dot sock right next to my black tennis shoe. "Ooops."

"This is why you don't attack your elders." I interrupted, making my voice sound as shaky and elderly as I could.

At my words about his age, Jacob's apology and any hint of a smile turned into a 'really?' face, one that I know he saved just for me when I've gone too far. Just as quickly though, Jacob got his humor back and a little twinkle entered his eye.

"Jacob?" I asked.

He started to walk toward a part of the hill a little lower than where we stood.

"Um, where are you... No!" I began to fight again, eyes wide as I caught sight of the half pond, half mud puddle that morning's storm had left behind. "JACOB!"

SPLUT.

"SH**."

"I'll go get your shoe." Jacob said kindly, leaving me sitting in an inch of water and sinking deeper as my weight displaced the mud and I tried very hard to keep both feet above the muck. I was still there when he came back, arms folded across my chest, face in a very deliberate pout, not at all amused.

"You're a jerk." I told him, snatching my shoe from his offering hands before he could do something worse to it.

"You've done worse to Bella." Jacob pointed out.

I eyed him curiously: how did he know about my pranks? And how much did he know? Had he warned her about the chicken stock powder I'd put in the shower head? Or the mac n' cheese powder in her orange juice? I knew he hadn't said anything about the toothpaste Oreos because both Bella and I had watched our Dad take that bullet.

"And no, Genevieve, I will not help you with whatever plan you have next."

"No, I would think you would be against this." I quipped right before I grabbed his hand and pulled him headfirst into my mud puddle.

When he came up he was sputtering and for a second I was afraid that, once again, I'd gone too far. But it was Jacob and he lost his anger when he saw the apology in my face, simply tossing me the backpack and telling me to pick a sandwich while he found us a drier place to rest. I obeyed, but when he came back I hadn't started eating yet.

"Genevieve?" Jacob asked.

"Hey." I said. The laughter was gone from my voice.

"How's the fear?" Jacob said, gesturing to the forest around us.

I looked up and studied it, branches and shadows and rustling leaves. "Starting to get better. So that's one thing, I guess."

Jacob frowned down at me, a pathetic mess of mud, sweat, and fear holding a sandwich in one hand and a shoe in the other. I brushed the hair out of my face and looked away, hating the sudden realization that I was vulnerable and he could see it. It was one thing that he knew about my fear, but to have anyone see me as weak... I stood awkwardly, unable to use my hands, and made my way to a large rock in the one spot of sunlight leaking through both cloud and tree.

Jacob came over and sat next to me, taking back his bag and then sitting back to back with me, giving me my space I guess. He was a bit better than I was about seeing what another person might need. Such a freaking goody two shoes. I took a grumpy bite of my sandwich and scowled as I realized it was salami—my favorite. He remembered my favorite sandwich meat? Ugh. Jacob Black. So freaking nice. I hated his guts.

After we'd eaten our food and sat for a good ten minutes in stubborn silence, Jacob leaned around to look at me. I was staring at the ground in front of me, thinking about Halloween's panic attack and wondering if a hike on the one sunny day per year was really going to make any difference to my pathetic mess of a life. The more I thought of it the more I was sinking into my fear, becoming more and more unable to look up at the forest and trees and hiding places for whatever monsters were watching me. Stalking me. Admiring my sweet abundance of blood.

I choked at the thought, suddenly wondering if I was going to be sick.

"You're cold." Jacob said, which was a complete lie, but I didn't argue when he moved beside me and threw an arm across my shoulders and pulled me against him.

But the knowledge that he'd seen my terror and had been kind enough to fix it but not acknowledge it hit my stubborn side and we didn't sit for long. After maybe thirty seconds I stood and began brushing off the mud from my sweatpants and t-shirt. Jacob sat for a bit longer, looking out at the trees and then, strangely, a stubborn look began to take his face.

I stopped messing with the mud and looked at my tall friend, curious despite myself.

"Jacob?" I asked, unsure if I was reading his expression correctly.

"Embry and-" He stopped and frowned up at me, reconsidering. "No."

"No?" I repeated, amused.

"Not now." He said. "I'll tell you in the car."

"Yeah, ok, kid." I teased, before turning back to where'd come, planning to find the path again.

Behind me was a long-suffering sigh.

I stopped and considered for a long, long moment. Then I turned back and gave him a small smile.

"Hurry up. If you grow any taller you might not fit through the trees." I said, giving one of the best apologies I have ever given.

Jacob looked at me for a moment and I wondered if he was reconsidering our friendship or my sanity. Then he gave another sigh, this one more for comedic effect and we headed back into the woods.