Top Posts Tagged with #subtle jealousy

The Other Sister Jacob Black x OC

(Twilight what I would wear if i were Bella's older sister)

The first in my Jacob x OC fic based on the tiktok trend from a little bit ago where you make outfits and write a little blurb on that outfit. We're going to speed run the first movie and then go on to the second one so we can move onto him as a wolf. Bella and Jacob are 18 in their senior year of high school in the bulk of this story and OC is 20 because of being held back as a kid for plot reasons.

Link to vid

~Word count: ~7.8k

~Warnings: (CANON DIVERGENCE,) jealousy, emotional angst, feeling replaced, loneliness, complicated sibling relationships, unresolved tension, abandonment issues, unrequited feelings undertones, Bella Swan & OC becoming close, jacob black being emotionally constipated, hurt/no comfort

~Description: Being Bella Swan’s older sister was never supposed to change anything. Not with Charlie. Not with school. And definitely not with Jacob Black. But suddenly, Bella is everywhere. In the halls at school. In Charlie’s life. In Jacob’s conversations. And no matter how hard you try to pretend it doesn’t bother you, you can feel things shifting underneath your feet. Jacob starts keeping secrets. Bella starts falling in love. And you start realizing that maybe the worst kind of heartbreak isn't losing someone completely. Maybe it's standing right beside them while they slowly choose someone else. Or maybe you're just dramatic. Probably both.

✧─────────────────────✧

It hurts me to call this girl my sister. She was born two years after me, Charlie took me and ran away six months into her life. My mom had been gone only a year before Charlie suddenly moved my one-year-old self in with this new woman. Their romance had been a whirlwind, all rushed smiles and reckless decisions, which quickly resulted in a child and Charlie once again running. He isn't the greatest man, not by a long shot, but he's the only father I've ever known, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Charlie and I escaped to Forks and became quickly acquainted with the tribe there. I didn't go to school for a while, instead I ran with the children of the tribe, my bare feet caked in mud and sand as I chased after them through the forests and along the beach. I listened to their stories, spent nights by their fires while smoke curled into the cold air and elders spoke in low voices that made every legend sound real. Forks became home before I even realized it had happened.

When Jacob was born my little two year old brain knew instantly we were going to be best friends. Jacob and I were drawn together quickly, as soon as he could walk he stuck by my side. Everywhere I went there he was trailing after me with scraped knees and messy hair, his tiny hand always grabbing onto mine or the hem of my shirt. We continued like that for years, practically inseparable. Charlie eventually decided I should at least go to high school and enrolled me. It just made it so I had to adjust what hours Jacob and I spent together.

The night before Freshman year there I was curled up beside Jacob in his bed.

“I'm not sure I want to do this Jacob,” I say to him, turning my face in his direction. We're so close we're sharing the same air, close enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath against my skin. The room is dark except for the dim moonlight creeping through his window. His hand reaches behind him and pulls out a box.

“I made you something,” he says softly. He reaches for my wrist and draws it to his chest. “Close your eyes.”

I see him break into a huge grin before complying, shutting my eyes. With them closed I start to hear every breath and movement. The shifting of the sheets. The faint jingle of something metallic, some piece of jewelry brushing against itself. Cold metal envelops my wrist and a gentle smile starts to bloom on my face before I even see it.

“Ky you can open your eyes now,”

A chuckle escapes me as I open them. He's looking at me with puppy eyes, clearly hoping I like it. The chain sits on my wrist. It's a bike chain, converted into a charm bracelet. Little welded charms make up most of the band, a star, a flower in amber, a heart, a chain link. All things reminiscent of our childhood spent together sit there wrapped around my wrist. On the inside of the amber charm set in metal is a J and K sitting in an infinity loop engraved carefully into it.

“I love it,” I almost cry as I pull myself into his chest. I feel him relax the second I do so, his arms wrapping around me automatically like they always have. His heart thumps against my cheek, steady and warm beneath my skin.

Change is hard. I never asked for change, I don't want change. I want to stay right here with my best friend.

Ever since then, it seems I haven't been able to catch a break.

✧─────────────────────✧

It's Senior year. Or it's about to be, and for some god-awful reason, Bella is coming to live with us. For how long, I don't know. I wasn't told. Nobody really tells me anything anymore, they just expect me to adjust around it. I'm being driven back to my house to meet up with her in the truck Jacob and I have been working on together that is apparently for Bella. The same truck we spent months covered in grease fixing up together, the same truck I held flashlights for while Jacob cursed at rusted bolts and laughed when we both ended up stained in oil.

I'm trying my hardest to whisper yell at him but I'm very sure Billy can hear me from the car behind us. Another tribe member is driving him in another car and I have a feeling it's because they could sense my annoyance with him from a mile away.

“I just don't understand why this girl you've seen like every now and again over the years gets this car that you and I have been working on together,” I say to him, gripping onto his arm as he drives down the damp road toward my house. “Like seriously Jacob, this was our thing.”

Even as I reprimand him he has this gentle smile on his face, like he's in on some secret I don't know about yet. “Ky I need you to trust me ok, I promise it will make sense soon.” He turns to me for a second, projecting that soft smile in my direction and I flinch dramatically, pouting at him.

My pouting only makes him smile more and he reaches over to pat my head.

I groan immediately. My hair is curly and he knows I hate when anyone touches it. “Jacob!” I whine, instantly turning to make sure he hasn't frizzed it up in the tiny mirror attached above the windshield. He tries to stifle his laugh and absolutely fails.

I turn my glare back at him as he pulls into my driveway, tires crunching against gravel. The clouds above Forks are heavy and gray, making everything look dim and wet. He pats my head one more time before hopping out of the truck.

“Jacob Black!” I yell after him with a groan, fixing my hair again before climbing out myself.

And then I stop.

He's hugging her. Like hugging her. Lifting her into the air hugging her.

It tugs at me somewhere deep in my chest, sharp and ugly and unfamiliar, and I'm not sure what to think about it. I've never seen him greet anyone like that besides me. For a second I just stand there staring while Bella laughs awkwardly and he sets her back down.

“Hi Bella,” I say finally, reaching out my hand to this girl I can't help but feel is going to be the start of the ruin of my life.

She does this weird tucking of her hair behind her ear and mutters hi really quietly, barely meeting my eyes. It kind of throws me off. Before she got here I decided I was going to be a good big sister, or at least try to be, but I'm realizing this might be difficult. She's hard to read. Quiet in a way that makes me feel loud just standing next to her.

Jacob starts talking to Bella and he shows her the truck and says it's hers now and she gets so excited. It's probably the most emotion I've seen her express in a long while. Her whole face lights up for a second and she runs her hand along the side of the truck like she can't believe it's real. She's kinda blasé on the day to day, always looking half asleep or half somewhere else, but right now she looks genuinely happy.

She hops in the truck and I stand there having to listen to Billy yap about how Charlie is so excited Bella is here, how the house finally feels complete again, how Charlie's been smiling all week waiting for her arrival.

I'm starting to feel a little invisible and Bella has only been here for a couple hours.

✧─────────────────────✧

I've snuck out tonight like always. I'm pretty sure Charlie knows at this point, Billy probably tells him every time and Charlie just pretends not to notice because at least he knows where I am. Or who I'm with.

The night air in Forks is cold and damp against my skin as I climb through Jacob's window. The second my feet hit the floor I hear his laugh from across the room.

“You know the door exists right?” he asks from where he's sprawled across his bed.

I roll my eyes dramatically as I shut the window behind me. “And ruin my mysterious entrance? Absolutely not.”

Jacob grins at me, wide and easy like always, and pats the spot beside him on the bed. I sit at the edge instead, curling one leg beneath me while he immediately starts rambling.

“Bella's actually really cool,” he says. “Like way cooler than I remembered.”

I stare at him flatly. “You've known her for like twelve seconds.”

“That's not true.”

“Jacob, you saw her every couple of years when Charlie and I were forced to host her some summers.”

He ignores me completely. “She's just...different now. She's quieter than she used to be.”

“She barely talks.”

“Yeah but not in a bad way.” He shrugs, leaning back against his pillows. “I don't know, she just seems kinda sad sometimes.”

Something twists unpleasantly in my stomach at the softness in his voice.

“Oh my god,” I groan dramatically. “Are you in love with my sister already?”

His eyes widen immediately. “What? No!”

“You are.” I point accusingly at him. “I know that look. That's your weird little savior look.”

“I do not have a savior look.”

“You absolutely do.”

Jacob laughs, throwing one of his pillows at me and I barely catch it before it smacks me in the face.

“You're jealous,” he says teasingly.

I gasp like he's mortally wounded me. “Jacob Black if you replace me with Bella Swan I will actually pass away.”

“You're so dramatic.”

“And you're obsessed with a girl who mutters two words every hour.”

He laughs harder at that, head tipping back slightly, and despite myself I feel myself smiling too. That's the annoying thing about Jacob. I can come in here irritated and somehow ten minutes later he's got me laughing again.

Still, he keeps talking about her. About how she looked excited over the truck. About how he thinks she's trying hard to fit in here. About how quiet people are usually more interesting once you get to know them.

Eventually I groan loudly and fall sideways across his bed. “Jacob please talk about literally anything else before I throw myself into traffic.”

He snorts. “You're impossible.”

“And yet you adore me.”

“Unfortunately.”

I kick him lightly in the side and he grabs my ankle dramatically like I've severely injured him.

“Tell me about your day,” I say instead, softer this time. “Tell me something normal.”

His expression shifts immediately, gentler now, and he starts talking again. About Embry nearly dropping an engine part on his foot earlier. About Sam yelling at Jared for eating the last leftovers at Emily's. About how Billy made him reorganize the garage for the third time this month.

At some point I end up curled against him without really thinking about it. My head rests against his chest while he talks, his voice rumbling softly beneath my cheek. His hand absentmindedly plays with my curls, gentler this time, careful not to tangle them.

The room is warm. His blankets smell like detergent and motor oil and cedar. Outside rain taps softly against the windows.

I should feel calm. I always feel calm here.

But my brain won't stop turning.

Bella.

The way he smiled at her today. The way he talked about her tonight. The way his face lit up while he rambled on and on about every tiny thing she did.

I hate how much I noticed it.

“—and then Quil almost backed into the garage door,” Jacob laughs softly.

I hum like I'm listening but my chest feels tight.

Because things are changing again.

First Bella comes back. Then Jacob gives her our truck. Then suddenly all anyone can talk about is Bella Bella Bella like she's always been here instead of dropping into our lives out of nowhere.

And the worst part is I don't even think I'm mad at her.

I think I'm scared.

Scared that one day I'll walk into this room and it won't feel like mine anymore. Scared Jacob will look at someone else the way he's always looked at me. Like I'm his first choice.

His hand brushes over my hair again. “You're quiet,” he murmurs.

“I'm tired.”

It's a lie. He knows it too. I can tell by the way his fingers pause for half a second before continuing.

“You know you're stuck with me right?” he says softly, almost amused. “Bella showing up doesn't change anything.”

My throat tightens painfully because he says it so casually, like it's obvious. Like he couldn't even imagine a world where I wouldn't be beside him.

I press my face further into his chest so he can't see my expression.

“Good,” I mumble. “Because if you replace me, I'll murder you.”

Jacob laughs quietly, the sound vibrating beneath my cheek. “Deal.”

✧─────────────────────✧

Showing up to school sucks. It always has.

Forks High is all gray walls, flickering fluorescent lights, and the smell of wet jackets that never really dries out. Everyone looks half asleep all the time because apparently the constant rain drains the life out of people. Or maybe that's just this town.

I haven't made many friends over the years. Not real ones anyway. Most people know me as Charlie Swan's weird daughter who disappears to La Push every second she gets. And honestly? They're not wrong.

I'm just glad I can go back to Jacob at the end of the day. That's what gets me through most of this. Knowing once school ends I can leave all these fake smiles and awkward small talk behind and go sit in Jacob's garage while he rambles about engines for three hours straight.

Bella walks beside me awkwardly through the parking lot, her shoulders slightly hunched like she's trying to disappear into herself. Charlie made me drive with her this morning which already put me in a bad mood because apparently now I'm responsible for her social survival too.

The second we walk through the doors it's like blood in the water.

“Bella!”

Jessica Stanley appears out of nowhere, practically materializing beside us with Angela and Mike trailing after her. I blink at them in confusion because I've literally had classes with these people for years. Jessica borrowed pencils from me twice last semester. Mike copied my chemistry homework once.

And yet somehow I'm suddenly invisible.

“Hi,” Bella says quietly.

Jessica immediately hooks her arm through Bella's like they're lifelong best friends. “Oh my god everyone's been dying to meet you.”

I stare at her flatly.

Everyone's been dying to meet you.

Um...rude.

“Good morning to you too Jessica,” I mutter.

She startles slightly like she forgot I existed. “Oh! Right. Hi Kylie.”

I narrow my eyes at her as we walk down the hall. Bella glances at me awkwardly like she doesn't know whether to apologize or laugh.

Jessica immediately launches into a school tour despite the fact that I literally know where everything is already.

“That's the gym, the cafeteria obviously sucks, Mr. Varner smells weird—”

“I've gone here since freshman year,” I interrupt dryly.

Jessica waves me off. “Yeah but Bella hasn't.”

Mike Newton keeps staring at Bella like she's some rare woodland creature that wandered onto campus. It's honestly kind of embarrassing to watch.

“You'll love it here,” he tells her quickly. “People are really friendly.”

I snort so loudly Angela tries not to laugh.

Bella looks overwhelmed already. Her eyes keep darting around the crowded hallway while Jessica continues talking at rapid speed.

And then they all stop walking at once.

“The Cullens,” Jessica says dramatically.

Of course.

I swear this school talks about the Cullens more than actual celebrities.

Bella follows everyone's gaze toward the cafeteria entrance and there they are sitting together like always. Beautiful in a way that doesn't even look real. Rosalie looks like a model carved out of ice. Emmett is huge. Alice is tiny and pixie-like. Jasper looks uncomfortable just existing. And Edward Cullen—

Well.

He looks like the type of person people write poetry about.

“They're all adopted,” Jessica whispers to Bella like she's revealing classified information. “Dr. Cullen moved here with his wife a few years ago.”

“They're weird,” Mike adds immediately. “They don't really talk to anybody.”

I cross my arms, already bored of this conversation because it happens at least twice a month anytime someone new notices them.

Jessica keeps going anyway. “The blonde one's Rosalie. She's with Emmett. Alice is with Jasper. And Edward—”

“—is mysteriously single despite every girl in school being obsessed with him,” I finish for her.

Jessica glares at me. “You say that like you're not curious too.”

“I'm not. He looks sickly.”

Bella keeps staring at them though, specifically Edward. There's something strange about the way he looks back at her too. Tense almost. Like he's uncomfortable.

Weird.

“Anyway,” I interrupt before Jessica can start reciting Edward Cullen's entire biography, “some of us actually know where our classes are.”

Jessica rolls her eyes dramatically. “You're no fun.”

“Thank you.”

Bella laughs quietly beside me for the first time all morning and honestly? It surprises me a little.

The rest of the day drags painfully slow. Teachers keep introducing Bella to classes like she's a foreign exchange student and not just Charlie Swan's other daughter. Every person we pass wants to look at her, talk to her, ask her questions.

Nobody notices me standing right beside her.

By lunch I already feel exhausted. Bella sits across from me picking at her food while Jessica and Mike continue interrogating her about Phoenix.

“You must hate the rain,” Mike says.

Bella shrugs slightly. “It's not that bad.”

I let my head fall onto the cafeteria table dramatically. “Please save me.”

Bella snorts softly into her drink and for a second I feel weirdly triumphant about being the only one making her laugh today.

Still, the second the final bell rings relief crashes through me so hard I could cry.

Because now I can leave.

Now I can go back to La Push. Back to Jacob. Back to somewhere that actually feels like mine.

✧─────────────────────✧

Bella was almost in a car accident.

A fucking car accident.

I got rudely awakened from my zombie walk back to the car by someone yelling Bella's name, which sent me into a panic.

By the time I get outside the parking lot is chaos. Students are crowded everywhere, teachers yelling at people to back up while police lights flash across the wet pavement. The smell of gasoline and burned rubber hangs thick in the cold air.

And in the middle of all of it is Tyler Crowley's van absolutely destroyed against another car.

My stomach drops instantly.

“Bella?” I shove past people, my heart pounding painfully hard in my chest. “Bella!”

Then I see her.

Standing.

Completely fine.

Edward Cullen is beside her looking tense as hell while Bella looks pale and shaken but otherwise unharmed. Which makes absolutely no sense because the side of Tyler's van is crumpled inward like a soda can.

The dent in the parking lot beside Bella is massive. The angle is wrong too, like the van should've crushed her.

But she's fine.

Actually fine.

“What the hell happened?” I breathe, grabbing Bella by the shoulders immediately and looking her over frantically for injuries. “Are you hurt?”

“I'm okay,” she says quickly. Too quickly. Her eyes keep flicking toward Edward. “I'm fine.”

Tyler looks seconds away from throwing up. “I couldn't stop,” he keeps repeating. “The ice...I couldn't stop—”

Teachers start ushering everyone away before I can ask more questions. Bella gets dragged toward the nurse's office despite insisting she's uninjured and Edward disappears almost immediately, moving so fast through the crowd it feels strange somehow.

Everything about this feels strange.

By the time we get to the hospital Charlie is fully in dad panic mode. He's pacing aggressively through the ER while Bella sits on one of the beds looking annoyed more than injured.

“I told you I'm fine,” she says for maybe the fifteenth time.

“And I told you you're getting checked anyway,” Charlie snaps immediately.

I sit beside Bella with my arms crossed tightly over my chest while she keeps insisting she wasn't hurt. Which she objectively wasn't. Not even a bruise.

That should make me feel relieved.

Instead it's making me feel insane.

Because I've seen the van.

Dr. Cullen walks in a few minutes later looking calm and polished like always. Too calm honestly. Most ER doctors don't look like they stepped out of a magazine.

“Bella,” he says gently while checking her chart. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“No dizziness? Headache?”

“No.”

Charlie runs a hand through his hair anxiously. “She keeps saying Edward saved her somehow.”

Bella immediately sits up straighter. “Because he did!”

Carlisle's expression barely shifts but something flickers in his eyes for half a second. “Traumatic situations can distort memory,” he says carefully. “Your mind fills in blanks during moments of stress.”

Bella looks irritated instantly. “That's not what happened.”

I glance between them slowly.

Everyone is being so weird.

Bella keeps insisting Edward got to her impossibly fast. Charlie looks confused. Carlisle keeps smoothly redirecting the conversation every time she brings it up. And Edward himself hasn't shown back up once.

It's starting to piss me off.

By the time we're finally leaving the hospital Bella is still muttering angrily under her breath about nobody believing her. Charlie goes to deal with paperwork for a minute which leaves me alone with her in the hallway.

“You're seriously okay?” I ask quieter this time.

Bella sighs. “Yes.”

“But?”

Her eyes flick around the hallway before she leans closer slightly. “Edward was across the parking lot.”

I blink. “Okay?”

“And then he was suddenly next to me.”

“People run fast when someone's about to get hit by a car.”

“No,” she says firmly. “You don't understand.”

Before I can answer, Edward suddenly appears at the end of the hallway like he materialized out of thin air. Bella notices immediately. Of course she does.

“Wait,” she says quickly before hurrying after him.

I narrow my eyes instantly and follow at a distance because absolutely not.

Bella catches him near the stairwell and grabs his arm lightly. “How did you do it?” she asks immediately.

Edward's entire body goes rigid.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yes you do.”

I try to listen harder as they move farther down the hallway but their voices drop too low to make out clearly. All I catch is Bella sounding frustrated and Edward sounding...panicked almost.

They're so weird.

Edward keeps glancing around like he's afraid someone will overhear them while Bella refuses to back down. The tension between them feels sharp enough to cut through.

Eventually Edward walks away abruptly, disappearing down the hall before Bella can stop him again. She stands there for a second looking frustrated before turning back toward me.

I grab her arm immediately and pull her off to the side.

“You need to stay away from him.”

Bella blinks at me. “What?”

“Edward Cullen.” I lower my voice. “He's weird Bella.”

She crosses her arms defensively almost instantly. “You're basing that off one conversation?”

“I'm basing it off literally everything.” I gesture vaguely. “He acts sketchy, his whole family acts sketchy, and now you're in the hospital talking about him like he performed superhero stunts in the parking lot.”

Bella actually looks annoyed now. “You sound ridiculous.”

“And you sound obsessed with a guy you barely know.”

Her expression hardens slightly at that.

I sigh and rub my forehead. “Look, maybe I'm wrong. But something about him feels off and I don't want you getting wrapped up in whatever his deal is.”

Bella's quiet for a second before muttering, “I can handle myself.”

I stare at her for a long moment.

That's the problem.

I think she actually believes that.

✧─────────────────────✧

We're surfing.

Well, they're surfing. Bella's weird little friend group from school is out in the freezing water trying not to drown while I sit on the beach wrapped in a hoodie watching them struggle. Forks kids have this obsession with pretending hypothermia is a personality trait.

I'm only here because they gave me a ride to La Push. The second Mike Newton heard Bella wanted to come to First Beach he practically tripped over himself offering. I tagged along because honestly any excuse to get out here is worth it.

The beach smells like salt and driftwood and wet sand. The sky is gray enough to blend into the ocean completely, waves crashing hard against the shore while wind whips my curls into my face.

Bella sits beside me on a log wrapped in a blanket looking freezing.

“You know,” I say while watching Mike wipe out dramatically for like the fifth time, “I think watching them fail is actually more entertaining than surfing itself.”

Bella snorts quietly. “I think you're right.”

I grin triumphantly. “See? You're learning.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I already know who it is before checking.

Jacob: u here???

Me: Unfortunately

Jacob: wow rude

Me: Come save me from suburban white boys trying to surf

Not even ten minutes later I hear the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle approaching down the road near the beach.

Bella looks up first.

Jacob pulls up onto the sand wearing that stupid easy grin that somehow gets bigger the second he spots us. His hair is longer now, frizzing slightly at the ends from the humidity, and he looks unfairly good leaning against his bike.

“You know,” Bella says immediately as he walks over, “this is starting to feel like stalking.”

Jacob laughs loudly. “What, you think I just magically knew you'd be here?”

“Honestly? Maybe.”

It's clearly a joke. I know it's a joke.

But something about hearing her tease him like that tugs weirdly in my chest anyway. Like suddenly there's this thing between them I wasn't part of.

I hate how much I notice that lately.

Jacob walks straight toward us, bumping his shoulder lightly against mine first before looking at Bella. “Ky texted me.”

“Traitor,” Bella says dryly.

“Absolutely,” I answer proudly.

Jacob drops down into the sand beside us, long legs stretched out easily while he starts rambling almost immediately. He asks Bella how school's been and she starts talking about Edward within maybe thirty seconds because apparently every conversation in her life somehow loops back to him now.

I throw my head back dramatically. “Oh my god please develop another interest.”

Bella nudges my shoulder with hers. “You're so supportive.”

“Thank you.”

Eventually the three of us start walking down the beach while the others stay in the water. The tide curls around our shoes as we move closer to the cliffs, wind loud enough that Bella has to tuck her hair behind her ears every couple seconds.

Jacob starts telling Bella stories about the tribe, half teasing at first before slipping into that softer storytelling voice he always uses when he talks about Quileute history.

“My tribe descended from wolves,” he says casually.

Bella looks immediately intrigued. Of course she does.

“And the Cullens?” she asks quickly.

Jacob kicks at the sand. “Enemy clan.”

I glance at him sideways because technically he's not supposed to tell her any of this, even if it's just the watered down stories we grew up hearing as kids around bonfires.

He shrugs slightly at me like it's fine.

“They're supposedly cold ones,” he continues. “The old stories say they drink blood.”

Bella goes weirdly quiet at that.

I roll my eyes a little. “We literally got told these stories when we were like six.”

Jacob grins slightly. “Still good stories.”

Bella keeps asking questions though. Specifically about Edward. Every question somehow circles back to Edward Cullen.

“Wait so your tribe really believes the Cullens are dangerous?”

“Well—”

“And the stories specifically mention them?”

“Bella,” I interrupt lightly, “you know these are basically supernatural campfire stories right?”

She barely even looks at me. “Still.”

Jacob keeps answering her instead, completely focused on her now while they walk slightly ahead of me.

I stare at the back of his head in disbelief.

Excuse me?

I try jumping back into the conversation a few more times but every single thing somehow turns into Bella and Edward again.

It's driving me insane.

Finally I speed up a little and shove myself physically between them.

“Jacob.”

“Hm?”

“Ride me back on your bike.”

He blinks at me. “Right now?”

“Yes.”

Bella looks amused immediately because she absolutely knows what I'm doing.

Jacob scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean sure but—” He looks toward Bella. “Did you drive here or do you need a ride too?”

I actually gape at him.

Then before he can keep talking I grab both his shoulders dramatically and physically steer him away from Bella toward where his bike is parked.

“Okay!” I announce loudly. “We're leaving now.”

Jacob bursts out laughing while stumbling along with me. “Ky!”

“Nope. You talked about Edward Cullen for like an hour. You lost privileges.”

Bella laughs behind us and I refuse to turn around because if I see her smirking I might actually combust.

Jacob is still laughing by the time we reach his bike. “You're jealous.”

“I am not jealous.”

“You literally dragged me away.”

“Correct.”

He shakes his head with this ridiculously fond smile while handing me his spare helmet. The second I climb onto the bike behind him I wrap my arms tightly around his waist out of habit, pressing my face briefly between his shoulder blades as the engine rumbles beneath us.

Jacob glances back slightly. “You good?”

I don't answer for a second. Just hold onto him tighter.

Because lately it feels like every time Bella shows up I lose a little more of him.

And I don't know what to do with that feeling yet.

✧─────────────────────✧

Bella has been nonstop with the Cullens lately.

Every conversation somehow circles back to Edward. Every time she's home she's either sneaking out, staring at her phone, or daydreaming like she's somewhere else entirely. Charlie keeps pretending not to notice but I do. I notice everything.

And now she's disappeared.

Again.

Charlie thinks she's with friends. I know she's with the Cullens. Specifically Edward. Because apparently she's physically incapable of staying away from that family for longer than twelve minutes.

Normally I'd just roll my eyes and move on with my life. Bella is weird, the Cullens are weird, whatever. But Jacob is acting insane about it.

So now here I sit on the edge of his bed while he paces around his room like a caged animal. Rain slams hard against the windows outside, the whole house creaking softly under the storm while Jacob runs both hands through his hair for maybe the hundredth time.

“I know she's with them,” he mutters. “I know she is.”

I blink at him. “Okay? Well duh who else would she be with?”

Jacob stops pacing long enough to look at me incredulously. “Ky this is serious.”

“No, you're making it serious.” I throw my hands up. “Yeah the Cullens are weird and creepy and freakishly pale but Bella is clearly special to them so maybe calm down.”

His jaw tightens instantly. “You don't understand.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“I can't.”

I stare at him flatly from the bed. “Jacob that's getting really old.”

He starts pacing again instead of answering me. His movements are sharp and restless now, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

“Something's wrong,” he says finally. “I can feel it.”

I groan loudly. “Oh my god you sound insane right now.”

That makes him snap his head toward me immediately. “I'm trying to protect her.”

“From what?” I stand up now too, irritation finally boiling over. “Edward Cullen being emo?”

“Ky.” His voice comes out sharper this time. Warning me.

“No seriously Jacob, what is your issue with him?” I step closer. “Because every time Bella's around him you act like she's walking toward her own funeral and nobody will actually tell me why.”

He looks away immediately.

And somehow that's worse.

“You know something.”

Silence.

“You do,” I push harder. “And instead of acting like a normal person you're stomping around growling at everyone.”

His head snaps back toward me. “I'm not growling.”

I almost laugh. “Jacob—”

“You need to stop defending them.”

The room goes quiet instantly after that.

Rain pounds against the windows. Somewhere downstairs I can faintly hear Billy's TV playing.

I cross my arms tightly over my chest. “I'm not defending them.”

“Yes you are.”

“No, I'm defending Bella.” My voice rises now too. “Because whether you like it or not she's happy around them.”

“She doesn't know what they are.”

The words hit the room hard.

I blink slowly. “...What?”

Jacob immediately looks like he regrets saying it.

“What are they?” I ask carefully.

He shakes his head. “I can't tell you.”

I let out this sharp frustrated laugh and step back from him. “Then stop acting like I'm stupid for not understanding!”

“Ky—”

“No.” My throat feels tight suddenly. “You don't get to shut me out and then get mad when I don't magically know what you're talking about.”

His expression shifts slightly at that. Softer for half a second. Guilty maybe.

But then he hardens again.

“You need to leave.”

The words knock the air out of me.

For a second I honestly think I heard him wrong.

“What?”

“You should go home.” He won't even fully look at me now. “I can't do this right now.”

My chest tightens painfully.

Because Jacob has never asked me to leave before. Not once. Even when we fought as kids we'd eventually cool off and he'd throw snacks at me until I laughed again.

But now he's standing there looking tense and angry and closed off like he can't even stand being near me right now.

All because of Bella. Because of the Cullens. Because suddenly there are secrets bigger than me sitting between us.

Something hot stings behind my eyes immediately and I hate it. I hate that he can still hurt me this easily.

“Fine,” I snap.

I rip the bracelet off my wrist before I can think better of it. The cold metal catches briefly against my skin before I throw it hard at his chest.

Jacob catches it automatically, pure reflex, but the second he looks down at it his entire expression changes.

Regret flashes across his face instantly.

“Ky wait—”

But I'm already gone.

I shove past him, down the hallway, out the front door and straight into the freezing rain.

Water immediately soaks through my clothes and curls my hair tighter around my face but I barely notice. I just keep walking. Fast enough that my boots splash through puddles along the road back toward Forks.

My chest hurts.

Not because we argued. We do that sometimes.

But because for the first time in years it felt like Jacob chose someone else over me.

First Bella.

Now whatever secret he's keeping.

I wrap my arms tighter around myself as rain pours down around me in sheets, cold enough to sting my skin. Behind me I hear the distant roar of a motorcycle engine starting up.

I don't turn around.

Because if Jacob catches up to me right now I might actually cry.

✧─────────────────────✧

Spending time away from Jacob hurts more than I thought it would.

Not in some dramatic world-ending way. It's quieter than that. Worse somehow. Like something important has been carved out of my daily life and now everything feels wrong around the empty space it left behind.

My routine is gone.

I used to wake up, drag myself through school, then immediately leave with Jacob afterward. Either he'd pick me up on his bike or I'd head to La Push and spend the evening tangled up in whatever chaos him and the boys were causing that day. Even silence with him felt easy. Familiar.

Now school just...ends.

And I realize I don't actually have anyone else.

Forks High somehow feels even grayer lately. The fluorescent lights make everyone's skin look sickly and exhausted while rain taps endlessly against the windows. I barely pay attention in class anymore. My grades are slipping. Teachers keep asking if I'm okay with those fake concerned expressions adults get when they don't actually want the answer.

I spend lunch alone most days now.

Bella used to sit with me sometimes before all this. Before Edward Cullen swallowed her whole.

Because now they're official.

Official official.

The whole school is obsessed with it too. Jessica Stanley nearly combusted from excitement when they showed up together for the first time. Mike Newton looked like someone shot his dog. Angela just looked confused.

I mostly felt tired.

Edward is around constantly now, hovering beside Bella like a ghost attached to her shadow. And honestly? He somehow looks even paler and sicker than normal lately. Which is impressive considering the guy already looked one strong gust of wind away from death.

Still, Bella looks happy.

Really happy.

So I try not to judge it too much even if every instinct in my body still screams that something about him is wrong.

I haven't gotten the bracelet back.

Part of me regrets throwing it at him instantly. Another part is stubborn enough to think he deserved it.

School lets out slowly that afternoon, students flooding into the parking lot beneath heavy clouds and steady rain. I pull my jacket tighter around myself while heading toward the front steps, already mentally preparing for the miserable walk home.

Then I hear it.

A motorcycle engine.

My heart jumps before I can stop it.

I turn so fast it almost makes me dizzy.

Jacob pulls into the parking lot on his bike, rain dampening his hair while the engine rumbles loudly beneath him. The second I see him something in my chest lights up painfully fast. Relief. Excitement. Hope.

I knew he'd come apologize.

Of course he would.

This is Jacob.

I start walking toward him automatically before he even fully parks. My stomach twists nervously while a hundred thoughts race through my head at once. Maybe he'll explain everything. Maybe he'll hand me the bracelet back. Maybe he'll tell me he's sorry and things will go back to normal.

But then Bella appears beside me.

And Jacob's eyes go directly to her.

Not me.

Her.

The excitement inside me crashes so fast it almost physically hurts.

“Bella,” he says immediately while climbing off the bike. His expression is tense again, serious in a way that instantly makes Bella straighten too. “My dad says you should break up with Edward.”

Well.

I guess we agree on that.

Bella looks irritated instantly. “Excuse me?”

“I'm serious.” Jacob glances around the parking lot like he's checking for something. Or someone. “You need to stay away from him.”

I stand there awkwardly beside them feeling stupid now. Like I imagined that moment earlier. Like I made up the part where I thought he'd come for me.

Bella crosses her arms. “You don't even know him.”

“I know enough.”

“Jacob—”

“No Bella listen to me.” His voice lowers urgently. “The Cullens are dangerous.”

There it is again.

That same look in his eyes from the night we fought. Fear mixed with anger mixed with something else I still can't name.

Bella looks stubborn immediately. “I'm not breaking up with him.”

Jacob clenches his jaw hard enough I can see the muscle jump.

And then finally—finally—his eyes flick toward me.

Just one glance.

Brief.

Unreadable.

Then he's turning away again, climbing back onto his bike before either of us can stop him.

“Jacob!” Bella calls after him.

The motorcycle roars loudly as he pulls away into the rain.

And that's it.

That's all I get.

One glance.

I stand there staring after him while rain soaks slowly through my jacket sleeves. Bella looks frustrated beside me, probably already thinking about Edward again, while my chest feels hollow in this awful aching way I can't escape lately.

Fuck this.

My life continues like this.

Quiet.

Lonely.

Every day starts bleeding together after a while. Wake up. School. Watch Bella disappear further into Edward Cullen's orbit while Jacob disappears completely out of mine. Go home. Repeat.

The only thing that's changed lately is Bella and me.

Somehow, in the middle of all this mess, we've actually started getting closer. Maybe because we're around each other constantly now. Maybe because she notices when I'm upset in that quiet way she notices most things. Or maybe because she's lonely too, just differently than I am.

We spend more time together now. Watching movies sprawled across her bed. Sitting in silence while she reads and I scroll through my phone. Late night drives when neither of us can sleep.

It's...nice.

I didn't expect it to be.

And somehow we end up at prom.

I almost don't go. Honestly I probably shouldn't have. The idea of standing around watching couples sway under fairy lights sounds like actual torture. But Bella asks me quietly one night while we're eating takeout on her bedroom floor and I can't really say no to her anymore.

So now here I am sitting on Bella's bed while she gets ready in front of the mirror.

She's beautiful tonight.

Not in some intimidating untouchable way. Softer than that. The warm yellow bathroom light catches against her skin while she struggles with one of the straps on her dress, dark hair falling down her back in loose waves. She keeps smoothing her hands over the fabric nervously like she still can't believe she's actually going.

“You're staring,” she says with a small laugh.

“Sorry,” I mumble. “You just clean up nice.”

Bella rolls her eyes at me through the mirror. “You say that like I normally look terrible.”

“I mean.”

She immediately throws a makeup brush at my head and I laugh, ducking out of the way.

For a little while it feels normal. Easy. Just sisters getting ready together. Bella talks nervously about Edward while I help zip up the back of her dress and try not to think too hard about anything else.

“You look really pretty too,” Bella says suddenly.

I glance toward the mirror.

My curls are behaving for once, falling naturally around my shoulders instead of exploding outward from the rain like usual. My dress is dark green, the fabric soft and fitted around my waist before falling loose toward the floor. I even bothered with makeup tonight, though I kept it simple.

Still, standing beside Bella makes something ache in my chest unexpectedly.

“Thanks,” I say quietly.

Bella notices immediately because somehow she always does now. “He might still come.”

I hate how quickly my heart reacts to that.

“He's not coming.”

“You don't know that.”

But I do.

Deep down I do.

Still, when we pull up to the dance I catch myself scanning automatically anyway. Looking for a motorcycle. Looking for Jacob.

Nothing.

The dance is set up in this huge garden attached to the event hall, pathways lined with flowers and glowing lanterns while fairy lights hang everywhere overhead. In the center sits this white gazebo wrapped completely in warm twinkling lights, music drifting softly out across the garden while couples dance beneath it.

It's honestly beautiful.

Painfully beautiful.

The second we walk in people start staring at Bella and Edward. Because apparently Forks High has nothing better to do than obsess over their relationship.

Edward is waiting near the gazebo looking annoyingly perfect in his suit, pale skin almost glowing beneath the lights. The second Bella sees him her entire face softens in this way I've started recognizing lately.

And Edward looks at her like she's the only person here.

I suddenly feel like I'm intruding.

“You look beautiful,” he tells her quietly once she reaches him.

Bella practically melts.

I force a teasing smile. “Okay well that's my cue to disappear.”

Bella immediately looks guilty. “Kylie—”

“Go be disgustingly in love somewhere else.”

Edward actually laughs softly at that while Bella rolls her eyes and hugs me quickly before letting him pull her toward the gazebo.

And just like that I'm alone again.

I spend the next hour pretending not to be pathetic.

I wander through the garden slowly while music drifts around me. Couples dance beneath the fairy lights while groups of friends crowd around tables laughing loudly. Jessica gives me this weird pity smile at one point that almost sends me into cardiac arrest. Mike Newton awkwardly offers to dance and I fake needing a drink to escape.

Eventually I end up sitting on the stone steps near the gazebo, knees pulled to my chest while I stare out toward the parking lot beyond the garden gates.

Waiting.

Like an idiot.

Every pair of headlights makes my stomach twist for half a second. Every distant engine sound makes me look up hopefully before disappointment crashes back down again.

Maybe he'll come late.

Maybe he'll finally talk to me. Maybe he'll apologize. Maybe things can go back to normal.

Behind me soft music plays while Bella and Edward dance beneath the gazebo lights. Through the open space between people I can see Bella smiling up at him, genuinely happy in a way she wasn't when she first got here.

And suddenly the loneliness inside me feels unbearable.

Because Jacob used to look at me like I mattered most. Like I was the first person he'd search for in a room.

Now I don't even know if he misses me.

The night drags on painfully slow. The air grows colder while mist settles over the garden flowers and dampens the edges of my dress.

He never comes.

Eventually I stand up quietly and smooth my hands over my skirt before slipping away from the dance alone.

Nobody notices me leave.

Not even Bella.

✧─────────────────────✧

Ok, guys, here's all the build-up for the first movie, and next, we're going to move onto the really meaty stuff. Let me know if you'd like to be tagged!

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