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     𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃 SCHOOL WAS ONE OF THE WAYS SOPHIE WAS ABLE TO LET OFF STEAM, hanging out with her friends and focusing her attention on her work took away the negative feelings. It was like Layla had her own superpower, able to make Sophie laugh as soon as she climbed into Angela's car despite the fact she was crying her heart out a couple of nights prior.

They spent the entire journey to school singing to Shakira and dancing, causing all of Sophie's worries to slip away like thin layers of ice melting under the bright sun. But, most good moments never last, usually ending up as memories you wish that'd never ended.

Layla and Sophie walked side—by—side in the school hallway, the blonde bumping her shoulder with the brunette's every few seconds due to her inability to walk straight, something Sophie was used to. It was clear Layla was on the verge of saying something she knew she shouldn't say, but Sophie was her best—friend, how couldn't she?

"So..." Layla pursed her lips, her fingers fiddling with the corner of one of her notebooks that were held tightly in her arms, swinging her legs lightly in front of her, "Angela kissed me last night." At her confession, Sophie's eyes went wide, her face snapping to her left in shock. Enthusiasm took over her body and she began to jump up and down in the spot like a little girl who'd just received a pony for her birthday.

"Wait, really?" Sophie stopped them in the middle of the hallway, unbothered by the students that had to walk around them to get by.

"She also confessed her feelings for me. You don't understand how happy I am, Soph!" Layla giggled loudly, her excitement taking over her usual sarcastic and nonchalant manner.

"Oh, my God. I'm so happy for you, Layls." Sophie leaned forwards and rested her chin on the blonde's shoulder, the two hugging without using their arms, their books occupying them. They embraced for a moment longer before Layla quickly pulled away, the grin still evident on her lips.

"I'll tell you everything at lunch, I gotta get to math." Layla dismissed herself and Sophie nodded, watching as her cousin rushed off down the corridor, turning a corner, out of sight. Sophie's smile slowly dropped, not wanting to walk around looking like a maniac and she spun around, heading back down the opposite direction towards her locker.

A few other students stood around at their own lockers, but it was still noisy, everyone speaking around her louder than usual. She winced slightly as she opened up her locker, the noise becoming a headache in the back of her mind. Once she placed some of her books in her locker, she lifted her free hand to massage the back of her head, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Sophie." Bella's voice sounded as if she was screaming, and Sophie jumped, her singular book slipping from her fingers, landing on the ground with a thud, "Sorry..." Bella winced, bending down to pick the book up off of the ground and Sophie nodded in thanks, taking it from her hand.

"What's up?" Sophie asked, though she was still slightly upset with the girl after the last few interactions with her. Bella turned to her own locker, staring down at her shoes for a moment, building the courage to ask the St. James the question she knew would cause tension, despite the fact there was quite a bit of tension hanging in the air as is.

"Have you heard from Jake? He hasn't been answering any of my calls." Bella asked, a hopeful glint in her dark eyes but it was quickly replaced by disappointment when Sophie furrowed her brows.

"That isn't my problem." She scrunched up her face in slight annoyance, turning away from her to switch out her books but after a moment of silence, and hearing Bella's sigh of defeat, she slowly turned back to look at the older girl, wincing with guilt, "Look, I'm sorry for being so rude, I... just have a lot on my plate at the minute."

"It's okay." Bella sent her a tightlipped smile, fiddling with the lock on her locker, "I haven't seen Jake since the movies when he stormed off, I couldn't find him. He just disappeared." She explained, finally opening her locker in the most awkward way possible and Sophie smiled sympathetically, closing her own locker after pulling out her math book.

The bell rang out through the hall, and Bella looked over at the younger girl, worry written all over her features, "Don't worry, Bella. I'm sure he's okay." Sophie reassured, patting her shoulder, "I've gotta get to class, I'll let you know if I hear anything from Jacob."

"Thanks." Bella smiled sadly, watching Sophie strut away effortlessly, her natural walk something that Bella wished she acquired. But, everyone wanted what they couldn't have, or wanted more than what they have already, that was a scientific fact.

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IF WORRY DIDN'T EXIST, Sophie's life would be less of a shit tip. She'd overthink less and she'd care less as well, especially about those who couldn't care less about her. But, unfortunately for her mental stability, worry did exist and throughout her entire day, she found herself worrying about her ex—best—friend.

Was he okay? Did he shift? Was he safe? Were Sam Uley and his pack with him? Should I check on him? Would he even talk to me? Does he hate me? I hope he's okay...

Even at lunch when Layla was rambling on about Angela, the two sat at a separate table so they could gossip in secrecy, she couldn't take her mind off of Jacob. He was like a bug in your house that'd never leave, even when you'd opened a million windows and spent hours trying to slap it with a towel, it just refused to leave.

Eventually, the thought of Jacob being hurt, or possibly dead became overwhelming and she had no choice but to drive to the Res instead of going home like everyone else expected her to. The drive was quick due to her driving over the speed limit ever so slightly, and when she arrived, the house and the large garden around it looked abandoned.

The sky overhead was gloomy, per usual, no sun in sight, only lingering grey clouds. She was surprised there wasn't any rain but she definitely didn't want to jinx it, no matter how much she actually enjoyed the rainfall. She climbed out of her car, the slam of her car door a tad bit too loud, causing her to wince but she quickly brushed it off, heading towards the Black household.

Sophie prepared herself for if Jacob answered the door, she breathed in deep, squeezing her eyes shut for a short moment. She knew deep down he'd be confused, and possibly violent if he shifted, she just wanted to know if he was okay... with her own two green eyes. After so many weeks and months of being upset with him, and suddenly beginning to care about him would confuse not just him, but her too, but on a deeper level, she always cared about him, she never stopped caring.

With a heavy sigh and a bite of her lip, she lifted her hand and knocked on the door, shifting from one foot to the other nervously. One minute, she was a confident version of herself, able to ignore Jacob, yell at him, even push him around in anger, which she knew wasn't right of her and the next minute, all of her nerves were built up into one humongous anxiety bubble she couldn't pop.

Before she could even begin to regret her decision of pulling up at the Res, the door swung open, revealing Billy, who wore a confused expression, "Oh... Hey, Soph." His eyebrows furrowed, looking up at her from his wheelchair with a look Sophie could see right through. It was unusual for her to be there and not be fuming about something Jacob had done, she actually looked calm, nervous.

"Hi, Billy. Is Jacob home?" Sophie forced a wide smile, trying to hide the fact she felt like digging herself a hole in the middle of the field nearby to sleep in it. Billy shook his head, refusing to return the smile, his expression stern.

"No, he's with Quil—" Cough, cough. Sophie furrowed her brows, looking down at Billy, bewilderment written all over her paled face, "Uh..." Billy tried to come up with another excuse, but it was too late, Jacob's shirtless self entered Sophie's view, the boy moving to stand behind his father.

When they locked eyes, Sophie felt nothing but relief to see he was okay, despite the fact that he looked insanely different. His usual soft features now much more sharper, his jaw more defined and his eyes piercing. His long, luxurious black hair that she swore reached down to his butt was now cut short, just a little shorter than Embry's. His skin tone was tanner as if he'd been outside more often when the sun had been out, which is rare even on the Res. He just looked... nothing like Jacob.

But, from his point of view, he felt the complete opposite. It was as if he was watching a movie, a romance movie, maybe even a rom—com. As soon as the younger Black laid his eyes on the brunette, his best—friend, a light flashed in his eyes almost like love at first sight, hell, it definitely was love at first sight.

Every single memory from day one — when they were kids, running through Mr. and Mrs. St. James' garden, throwing sand from Sophie's sandbox at each other. Aged 10, Jacob watching as Sophie discovered her favourite drink, coffee, for the first time and when Jacob tried it, he spit it out all over her shirt in disgust. Aged 13, Jacob accompanied Sophie at the animal shelter, the brunette adopting her blue beta fish who Jake had named Jericho, Jerry for short. Aged 15, the two on no—speaking terms out of the blue...

Then, it jumped to age 24, both of them stood at the alter, smiling happily at each other as if that was the end, as if that was their happily ever after.

And, when he was brought back to consciousness after what felt like hours but in reality was only a few seconds, his entire world had shifted. He used to look at Sophie with feelings he could never explain yet he always had a blooming confidence, unbothered if Sophie found what he said to be problematic or unlikeable in ways. But... now he felt nervous, his stomach twisting in a way he couldn't control and he felt a shiver run up his spine when the wind blew through her hair.

Sophie St. James couldn't be more beautiful.

He coughed awkwardly, shifting on his feet and he had to grip onto the back of his father's wheelchair for balance, his legs giving way. Though, no matter how intense his emotions were, he couldn't look away from her, he couldn't break their eye contact; but she could.

She blinked a few times, closing her eyes for a moment as she thought up what to say, "Yeah, okay. What's going on?" The girl asked, scratching the side of her head uneasily, knowing that Jacob had shifted due to his drastic change in appearance, not to mention how much more muscular he became in such a short period of time.

Billy let out a heavy sigh, glancing back at his son, whose eyes were glued to Sophie, he was physically unable to look away from her, even after he heard his dad's confession, "He shifted." Billy sounded proud, yet also disappointed, though she couldn't blame the man, it wasn't as if being a shapeshifter was exactly a blessing.

"Well, I kinda knew that already. I meant, why is he staring at me like that?" Sophie raised a brow, a little intimidated by Jacob's gaze. But, his intense stare was in no way supposed to intimidate her, if anything, he was hoping it would give her a sense of comfort just like how her existence alone brought him peace and joy.

Jacob laughed awkwardly, placing his hand on the back of his neck, finally directing his eyes away from her to her Vans. Billy glanced between the two, knowing exactly what had happened and huffed, adjusting his signature cowboy hat atop his head.

"Maybe I should go. I just came to see if he was okay, and he looks... fine! So, bye." Sophie forced a grin before spinning around, rushing off of the porch, walking with a fast pace. Jacob watched her go, practically starstruck, shocked by how beautiful she suddenly was, how adorable she was, but his eyes were pulled away by his father, who rammed one of his wheels into his shin.

"Agh!" Jacob hopped, holding onto his shin but the pain quickly subsided due to his healing powers. Billy turned his wheelchair to look at his son, the door still wide open and he deadpanned, narrowing his eyes at Jacob, "What?" The younger Black looked confused, furrowing his eyebrows.

"She's leaving." Billy crossed his arms over his chest, the statement an eye—opener for Jake, and his eyes widened in realisation. Billy chuckled as he watched his son speed out of the door, running after Sophie, he wouldn't be surprised if she'd already left.

But, no, she was still there, sat in her car with her eyes closed, listening to meditation music through her radio. Stressful situations like the one she had to endure just a few moments ago caused her to panic and she wasn't about to have a panic attack in front of her ex—crush and his father.

Sophie breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly, her fingertips tracing stars on her thighs through her jeans. Just as she finally felt her relaxation begin, the passenger door to her car swung open and she screamed, being knocked out of her peaceful state and into a panicked one.

"What the hell?" Sophie yelled, quickly reaching forwards to switch off her meditation music, the car going awkwardly silent as Jacob sat in the seat beside her, closing the passenger door, "What are you doing?" She furrowed a brow, turning her body to look at him.

"Uh... I was just..." Jacob struggled to come up with an excuse to see her, her eyes locked onto his causing his cheeks to go a bright red. He was flustered, nervous, and slightly embarrassed that he couldn't find a reason to be there, "How are you?" He asked, thinking that would start a conversation.

The question took her aback, knowing he hadn't asked her how she was in months, maybe even years, she leaned back in her seat, her fingertips still tracking stars along the hem of her jeans, "I'm okay." She told him, though it was slightly a lie. She was struggling, there was a lot going on, a lot that she had to comprehend, and she wasn't sure she would be able to.

Jacob stared at her with an intense gaze, his eyes squinting ever so slightly as if to read her expression, "You're lying. Tell me how you're really feeling." He leaned back in the seat, flexing his muscles purposefully, hoping she'd look, though he was only embarrassing himself further.

"Well..." She cleared her throat, directing her eyes to her windshield, feeling slightly uncomfortable under Jake's intimidating gaze, "I've been going through a lot. I don't talk to my parents or my friends much anymore, I haven't been leaving my house as much. There's a lot I've got to figure out, from shapeshifters to 'the cold ones' to myself, I..."

"Oh yeah, you're a witch, right?" Jacob asked with a smirk, trying to play it cool but failing miserably, his bright red cheeks giving him away. Sophie slowly turned her head to look at him, his words not helping to comfort her.

"Tell me why you're actually here." She leaned back in her seat, her hands now wedged in between her thighs and he huffed, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know, I just wanted to see you." He fiddled with his hands in his lap, his nerves clearly bubbling up inside of him.

"I've never seen you nervous before." Sophie now smiled, watching as Jacob's hands began to shake ridiculously.

"Stop!" Jacob yelled at himself, shoving his hands into the pockets of his camo shorts. It was hilarious, at least to Sophie, who was a giggling mess. But, his anger towards himself quickly subsiding at the site of her happiness, her joy, her smile. He felt himself smiling too, her laughter and positivity contagious to him.

"I don't know why you're getting angry at your hands, you should see your cheeks." She pointed a finger towards his pink cheeks, still giggling lightly and he furrowed his brows, grabbing ahold of her rear—view mirror, looking at his cheeks through it.

He turned the mirror back to its rightful place and quickly climbed out of the car, too embarrassed to even comprehend what he was doing.

"What are you doing? You're just embarrassed, that's nothing to be ashamed about. I won't tease you... anymore." She croaked out the last word, realising that she was indeed teasing him which probably only made him all the more embarrassed, "I'm sorry!" She called out to him, the passenger door still wide open and he poked his head through the door frame, his cheeks turned back to their natural colour.

He smiled wide at her, unsure of what to say or do, the fact he was even able to bring a laugh out of her after everything he'd done was a shock to him. And with that, he knew he had a chance to make things right, to make things better for them both.

"I've actually gotta go—" His eyes snapped over to the woods at least 40 metres away from the car, noticing four figures approaching, stopping just outside of the forest. He looked back over at her, the corners of his lips upturning at the sight of her stunning green eyes, and her plump lips he just wanted to kiss so bad.

"Okay, close my door." Sophie shrugged, turning on her engine as if that entire tense interaction meant nothing to her. But, after spending so much time crying, and having one too many sleepless nights upset over Jacob, it wasn't as easy for her to just fall for him as it was for him.

"Uh, okay. Bye, Soph!" Jacob grinned, a hopeful glint in his eyes but Sophie only sent him an awkward tight—lipped smile in response, a little confused by the sudden nickname he hadn't called her in a while.

"Bye, Jacob." She waved at him, watching as his smile dropped and he closed the door, dragging his feet back towards his house. She stayed still in the same position for a little while, trying to comprehend everything that'd just happened.

Of course, she didn't know a thing about imprinting, so she was bewildered by the fact that he was suddenly taking such a liking to her, that he was being so nice to her all of a sudden, unlike his usual self. It was weird, she felt weird.

But, she knew she had to get home to not only feed Jericho, but also to somehow convince her parents to spend some time with her after not doing it for so long. So, she pressed her foot down on the pedal and carefully pulled out of Jacob's driveway, driving onto the road.

And, little did she know, just a minute away from her, Jacob was walking with Embry, Sam, Jared and Paul, the five heading to go on their hunt where they'll come across the Cullens for the second time. But now, they were in wolf form.

@amxliewrites — 2025