CHAPTER ONE

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          THIS IS WHAT SHE HAD IMAGINED DEATH TO FEEL LIKE. 

It was worse than burning in the pits of hell, her skin reddening as flames licked at her limbs. It was worse than when she broke her leg at eight years old, and the doctors had to re-break the bone because it hadn't healed properly. It was even worse than the time she crashed her truck into a tree after swerving off the road, not paying attention. No, death was sitting in Edward Cullen's car as he offered her a ride home, with Bella Swan sitting beside him.

Why she had agreed to the ride was a mystery. She would have much rather walked the three miles home than be trapped in a confined space with him. Bella was nice enough, but they weren't exactly friends. In fact, it had been Bella who asked her, not Cullen.

Bella Swan lived on the same street as her, and she knew Ruelle's truck had been taken to the junkyard a few days ago. The Swan girl must have felt bad for her. Ruelle loved her truck, she thought it was far better to this sleek, silver car but deep down she knew better. Edward's car was brand new, flawless, without a single scratch. It was practically gleaming.

From the rearview mirror, Edward glanced at her, and she scowled. It was as if he could read her mind.

"Can you drop me off at the diner?" Ruelle asked, her brown eyes drifting out the window, following the blur of green trees as they passed.

Ruelle was always polite, no matter how much she disliked someone. And as much as she disliked Edward, he had never actually done anything to her. Jacob, however, couldn't stand him, and that was enough reason for her to share the sentiment. Edward was always quiet, barely speaking to anyone except his siblings and Bella. He seemed stuck up, as if no one was good enough for him and she hated it. Something about him always felt off to Ruelle, and she had even told Bella her concerns a few weeks ago. Bella had cut her off quickly, clearly uninterested in the topic, so Ruelle had dropped it. Since then, she just ignored both of them.

"Sure," Edward answered, though his voice was tight.

"Thank you," she muttered, matching his tone. A moment later they pulled up beside the small diner.

It was small, barely could fit more than twenty people inside and it was hidden among all the trees. It was Ruelle's favourite place to go after school, and the owner always had a table ready for her since he was good friends with her father. Jacob's old rabbit was already parked outside, and through the window, she could see her friends' outlines moving about inside.

The car came to a halt. Ruelle turned toward the couple. "Happy birthday, Bella."

"Thanks," Bella replied, offering a half-smile as she rubbed her wrist.

"Uh, thanks for the ride." Ruelle added quickly, directing the comment at Edward before hastily exiting the car and slamming the door behind her. She watched them drive off, her dark brown hair falling around her face in soft waves. Her bangs barely brushed her eyebrows as she muttered under her breath, "Never again."

She chuckled as she pushed open the door of the diner. Inside, Quil was holding something above his head while Embry jumped up, trying to shove him to the ground. The old waitress shook her head in exasperation, pinching the bridge of her nose as she headed into the kitchen. They were loud, rowdy, and poorly mannered and Ruelle wondered how they hadn't been kicked out yet. Then again, they were practically the only ones there that day.

Embry finally succeeded, pushing Quil to the ground and snatching whatever it was he had been holding. He slid back into the booth, while Quil lay on the floor, mumbling incoherent curses as his mop of long hair spilled over the floor. Jacob was in hysterics, laughing loudly.

"I don't understand how May hasn't thrown you guys out yet." Ruelle remarked as she reached their table.

"There she is, my best friend!" Quil shouted from the floor, grinning brightly as he pulled her into a tight hug. "Haven't seen you in days, pale one. Were you too busy hanging out with Cullen? Don't think we didn't see you get out of his car."

"Don't even get me started," Ruelle rolled her eyes as she took the empty seat beside Jacob. His arm casually draped across the back of the booth behind her. "Bella offered me a ride. I wasn't exactly thrilled about walking three miles home."

"You should've called me." Jacob chimed in. "The Cullens aren't exactly great company."

"I'm well aware." Ruelle nodded in agreement. "He freaks me out with that death stare of his."

The conversation quickly shifted after that. Ruelle and Jacob started making plans to go cliff diving the following Friday. It didn't matter that it was almost the end of September and getting colder, they didn't mind. Quil and Embry had their own plans—to attempt surfing on the waves after they jumped. Despite his confident front, Quil was secretly terrified of jumping from the cliffs. They weren't going from the top, though, they left that to Sam and his gang. They would be jumping from a lower ledge, but it was still a thrill.

"Sam's been looking at me weirdly lately," Jacob said once Embry and Quil had gone outside to start up his rabbit. Ruelle and Jacob were waiting for the waitress to pay their bill.

"What do you mean?" Ruelle asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"I don't know," Jacob frowned. "What if I'm next? What if he makes me join his... cult or whatever it is?"

Ruelle raised an eyebrow. "Can he just force you into his cult?"

Jacob shrugged. "It happened to Jared and Paul. They were gone for weeks, and when they came back, they didn't even acknowledge their old friends. It's like they were brainwashed, Ru. They don't talk to anyone except their little gang now."

"What does your dad think about all this?" Ruelle waved her hand to signal the waitress. "Surely, if there's something going on, he would know."

"He changes the subject every time I bring it up." Jacob said, handing the money to the waitress as she came by. "Tells me not to worry about it."

"Then maybe you don't need to." Ruelle reassured him as they made their way outside.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Jacob admitted, smiling as they climbed into the car. "You wanna come to the Rez or do you need to head home?"

"Yeah! Come to the Rez!" Quil beamed from the front seat, twisting around to look at her. "We still haven't finished that soccer match!"

"I wish I could." Ruelle apologised with a small smile. "But I promised my dad I'd cook him dinner tonight. We'll definitely rematch on Saturday, though. I'll kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try." Quil grinned playfully.

"Watch what you say, Quil." Embry teased.

"Yeah, Quil." Jacob added with a raised brow. "She's better than you."

"She's not!" Quil protested, pulling a face. "The girl's tiny!"

Ruelle smirked. "All the more reason I'm gonna kick your ass."

The drive back from the diner was quiet, the hum of Jacob's rabbit filling the space between them. The night had crept in, and the sky was a deep, inky blue, dotted with the first hints of stars. Ruelle leaned her head back against the seat, staring out the window as the trees blurred by.

"So, dinner with your dad?" Jacob broke the silence, glancing at her briefly. "I didn't know you were such a chef."

She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not. I can barely make toast without burning it, but he insists I need to 'learn some life skills,' whatever that means."

Jacob laughed, a hearty sound that made Ruelle smile. "I'd pay to see that. You in the kitchen, ruining everything."

"Oh, shut up," she shot back playfully, nudging his arm.

A few minutes later, Jacob pulled up in front of her house. The small, cozy home looked just as it always did—modest but warm, with a faint light glowing from the front porch. Her dad wasn't home yet; he usually worked late, but she could feel his presence in the space. It was comforting in its own way.

"Alright, this is me." Ruelle said, glancing at Quil and Embry. "I'll see you guys Saturday for the rematch."

Quil leaned forward, grinning. "You better be ready, Ru! No backing out."

Embry gave her a mock serious look. "Yeah, no excuses. We're not going easy on you."

Ruelle smirked. "Wouldn't expect anything less."

Jacob looked over at her, smiling. "Later, Ru."

She waved as she stepped out of the car. "Bye, guys!" she called, giving them all a quick glance. "See you Saturday!"

With that, she closed the door behind her and watched as the rabbit pulled away, heading down the road, the sound of her friends' laughter lingering in the air.

a/n: hello loves! i hope you'll enjoy this new paul lahote fanfiction. i am purely writing this because i enjoy doing so and i adore paul more than anything. i am not expecting this to be brilliantly good, i just want to enjoy writing it, and hopefully entertain someone with it too! feedack is always welcome, but please be polite, i have anxienty and you yelling at me for something isn't going to help me write better. i am not a native english speaker so if there's a mistake point it out so i can correct it. al the support on my other paul fic is very much appreciated! love you all, x lot

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