2If you recognize it, then I probably don't own it
Someone to Watch over Me
Chapter 2:
She's in his English class, and his Home Economics class. And she pays no attention to him in either class. For a moment, he wishes he was back in Forks, so he could ask what imprinting feels like. But he knows it's useless, because they all think he's already imprinted.
At lunch, he sits alone. The rest of Bella's family are underclassmen so they have an earlier lunch period. But he can't help but watch her with the group she eats with.
It's the boy from the car, four other males in Newton High School Gym Shirts from last year, and a hand full of girls. Three of which wear cheerleader uniforms, and one girl who is dressed similar to her.
He likes what she's wearing. A skirt and a blouse. It's simple and clean, and while he doesn't know her, it looks like it matches. He can hear them too. Thanks to his shifter hearing, he knows she bored by their conversation.
Everyone but her is going to the mall after school, it's two hours away, but they're still excited. The food court holds the guys desires, and the stores hold the girls interests. One of the cheerleader's asks her if she wants some underwear from Victoria's Secret, the four boys that aren't her twin look interested and offer to measure her in private. Her twin cringes and tells them and the cheerleader to stop.
Jake barely eats, half disgusted by the cafeteria food and half enamored with her.
And when the lunch bell rings, she's disappears with them, and Jake is forced to go to his next class.
Luck is on his side, he has gym after lunch and the boy—her twin is in that class too.
They're made to sit on the gym floor as they are instructed about gym rules and assigned gym lockers and clothes. When that's over they're allowed to break into small groups and do whatever.
Jake stays alone. He's playing a waiting game, one for Nessie and Bella, and one for the other girl. Why her, he's still not sure. It's one of those times where he wishes he didn't tell the pack that he'd imprinted. He wants to know what they felt when it happened to them. When they shared thoughts…it was always instant. They knew… it was her. But maybe he's over thinking this.
"Jake Cullen!" The gym teacher—Mr. Barber—says, drawing Jake out of this thoughts. "I get it, son, new school during senior year. It's hard. But it's gonna be a lot harder if you don't have any friends."
Jake frowns, "I have friends."
"No doubt, son, but you need friends here." Mr. Barber crosses his arms. He's smaller than Jake, by a lot. But that's not hard. He doesn't have much hair on his head either; a thinning rusty red with a bald circle in the middle. He's fit at least, like he practices what he teaches. But he's got a baby face. He can't be much older than Jake. Both of Jake's ages—the fake 18 and the real 22. Maybe early 30's? Jake wonders.
"I have friends here." Jake says, thinking of Bella.
"Good, then making more should be no problem for you." He whistles and barks, "Olivier!"
It's the girl's twin that jogs up, "Yeah? Coach?"
"This is Jake Cullen." Is all Mr. Barber says and walks away.
"Hey Jake. I'm Danny Olivier."
Jake nods.
"I saw you eating lunch alone today. Tomorrow, you can sit with me."
"Thanks." Jake shrugs.
"Do you play sports?" Danny tries again.
"Not really."
"You should consider trying out for the lacrosse team. We're state champs." Danny turns to the people he was talking to. "Hey, meet Jake."
"I'm more looking to be here only as long as I have to." Jake admits, as three of the same guys he recognizes from lunch surround him and Dan.
One of them snorts. "You sound like Piper."
"Who's Piper?" Jake asks.
"My twin. She can't stand it here either, and is planning on leaving as soon as she graduates."
So that's her name Jake things to himself. Piper. He likes that it reminds him of a story his mother used to tell. Something bubbles on the surface, one of the tribes myths.
Jake snorts, "Yeah, good for her."
"Hey listen, sit with us at lunch tomorrow." Danny says, "You and Piper can talk about leaving."
"Hey, man." One of the guys from early says, "You should join the lacrosse team. Seriously, with your shoulders, you could break through the lines of a bunch of other teams."
Bella arrives through the door first, racing at a blurred speed to hug her daughter.
"How was your day, Mouse?" She asked her daughter, as they wrap their arms around each other.
"It was good! Grandma Esme and I made cookies, then we built a house out of Legos, then we had mac and cheese and then I took a nap, and now you're home!"
Jake walks past them, turning down the hall to his room, he's starving, but food is the last thing on his mind.
If any of the vampires think he's being odd, they don't say anything. He's sure Edward read his mind on the drive home. But Edward didn't say anything about it. And he's sure Edward communicated his thoughts to Alice. Maybe Alice can see them together in the coming future. Maybe not. It's the not that concerns him.
He slams the door shut to his room and locks it. He doesn't know what possess him at this moment, his only thoughts are consumed by her. He wants to shift, he wants to track her scent. But he's sure wolves aren't common in this area. Coyotes maybe, birds of prey are his best bet. But his nose as a bird isn't as good as when he's a wolf.
He feels his cells buzz, as his body shakes, heart pulsating rapidly. He feels his breathing being to shallow. And he knows he needs to focus. Otherwise he'll shift into a wolf and won't be able to shift back.
There's a knock at his door, but he can't say anything for fear it will sound inhumane.
The lock clicks, the worst part about living with vampires, locks don't do much.
The smallest vampire—Alice—is in the doorway.
"Jacob Black, if you shift you'll destroy the whole house," she says.
His vision shifts, as his eyes change. Wolf, coyote, vulture. His hands begin to take shape, the webbing between his fingers thickens, he can feel fur sprout from his pores and claws emerge.
"Jacob Black, you stop this right now!" Alice orders.
"I…can't!" he manages.
"If you stop now I'll tell you where she lives."
His shift freezes, every animal instinct inside him goes haywire, shifting him back to human—his thoughts, his body, his soul—responds to her.
"Good." Alice says.
He spends the night curled up outside her bedroom, coyote he found was similar enough to a wolf he was comfortable.
While she sleeps, he's able to protect her. From what he's not sure. But he's sure she needs protecting.
She rises early, and so does he. The stirring in her room alerts him.
She opens her curtains, but doesn't notice him sleeping. She leaves the room, and when she comes back he can smell she's freshly showered. She dressed as well, a yellow sundress. She slips on socks and then black Doc Martins.
When she leaves the final time, he notices her room. There's a book shelf full of books, a desk that's neatly organized. Her bed is a twin bed, with white sheets and pillows, and a canopy. Her nightstand is clean as well; a pale blue lamp, a succulent, an alarm clock, and a book sit perfectly neat and orderly.
They arrive at school at the same time. She's in the same car as before, but this time willingly gives up the keys to the boy.
He's still straddling the motorcycle he got brought with him from Forks. The Washington license plate still hadn't been changed, but he'd had his license changed to New Mexico like everyone else. He's watching the swish of the skirt, as she walks into the school. She doesn't notice him.
She doesn't notice him until Home Ec class, they've been assigned the same group. The assignment was to bake a cake and she needs him to reach the mixer in the cabinet above the fridge. He's the only one tall enough to reach it without a stool.
"Thank you," she says and he notices the music in her voice. Like a song that's been calling him from across the United States. Crooning softly for him to come home.
He turns the oven to preheat, and watches as she mixes the ingredients.
"Do I have something on my face?" She interrupts, cracking an egg into the bowl.
It takes him a second to notice she's talking to her.
"No." He says.
"Then quit staring at me." She bites. She turns on the mixer, it turns like a figure-eight, sweeping the sides of the metal bowl. Mixing the cake mix they're using.
"I wasn't looking at you," he says defensively. "I was watching the mixer."
"Whatever." She rolls her eyes, "Go help Nate or Anna with the frosting. Make yourself useful."
He goes over to Nate and Anna (who are very busty taste testing) and helps them with the frosting. Until she calls him back.
"I'm done with the mixer, can you put it away, please?" She asks. Her voice no longer biting.
"Sure," He says, taking the heavy machine and easily placing it where he found it.
She takes the metal bowl and dumps the batter in to the cake mold. Then she turns to the sink.
"I haven't seen you," she says, "in the school before. You're part of the group that just moved here right?"
"Yeah, unfortunately."
"Is there something wrong with New Mexico?" she asks as she lathers up a sponge with soap and turns on the hot water for the mixing bowl.
"It's… okay, not nearly green enough."
"Green enough?" She asks, turning to look at him. Her forest green eyes, catch him off guard as they study him. "Where are you from that's green?"
"I'm Quileute," he says like it explain everything.
"Quileute?" she asks, turning back to the sink, "Is that like a city?"
She flips her hair, without touching it, keeping the ends from getting soaked as she cleans the bowl. He wants to reach out and touch it, fix it for her.
"No, I'm Native."
"Oh right," she nods, and some of her dark hair falls back over her shoulder. She flips it again, disorienting him all over again.
The oven beeps.
"Do you mind putting the cake in? I'd do it myself…" she holds up her soapy hands.
"No problem—?"
"Piper," she supplies, running the sponge under water and cleaning the outside of the bowl. "How 'bout you? Or should I just call you Quileute?"
"Jacob or Jake," he says, he likes the way she says Quileute. Like it fits perfectly in her mouth. Like she enjoys the taste of the word.
"So where's the Quileute Reservation, Jake, and how green is it?" She turns the water off, and rips the paper towel off the dispenser.
"It's in Washington, and there's more green there, then I think anywhere else in the world."
"Washington," she mutters to herself, then to him, "I guess I have to put that on my list."
"List?" he asks, as she takes another paper towel and wipes her wet hands dry.
"I want to travel," she turns to him, resting her back lower cabinets. The blond wood matches her dress. "As soon as I graduate, I'm going to as many places as I can."
"You should go to Washington," he agrees, "there's a bunch of cool things you can do."
She smiles at him like she's just told a secret, "I'll look into it."
They don't talk again until lunch, when she's surprised to see him sit next to her brother.
"Pippi, have you met Jake?" Danny says when he sits down.
She nods, blushing slightly at her nickname. But Jake likes it. It reminds him of the Pippi Longstocking books his mother used to read to him.
"Yeah, we have Gunnar together," she says.
"Eugh," one of the other girls says as she walks up, sliding into the seat next to Piper, "that old hag."
"She's not so bad," one of the lacrosse players—Danny's teammate from gym says. "she lets you eat whatever you make."
"I don't know why you waited so long to take Home Ec," the girl sitting next to her asks, "You should have just taken it freshman year like everyone else."
"C'mon, Ellie," Danny flashes a smile at her, "You know Pippi always has to make things harder for herself."
"Shut up, Danny." Piper snaps. But she smiling as she does so.
"Hey," Jake holds his hands out, "It's a good thing she waited, at least now I know someone in the class."
"Fair point." Ellie says, "So…"
"Jake." He supplies.
"Jake," she flashes him a smile, "You're part of the family that just moved here, right? The Cullens?"
He nods, doing his best to hide his grimace.
"It's a pretty big family." She continues, goading him.
"We're all adopted," he says and does his best not to gag as he continues, "Except the twins and Bella, their aunt is my mom."
He hates himself for saying that, no one could take his real mother's place. But for the sake of appearances, Esme must.
"Twins?" Danny perks up. "Another set of twins?"
"Yeah," Jake moves the food around his tray, "Jasper and Rosalie, they're sophomores."
"Oh," Danny falls back into his seat. "You hear that, Pip, we're old news."
"Good." She grins. He likes her smile, it's soft, but sincere.
"What about that muscly guy? The one with curly hair?" Ellie asks, twisting her hair around her finger. "Is he…"
Jake knows what she's asking, she wants to know if she has a chance.
He shakes his head, "Emmett is the same age as the twins, but he and Rosalie have been attached at the hip since they moved in with us."
"Oh," one of the lacrosse players raises an eyebrow.
Piper whacks him on the chest. "Don't be gross."
"He looks too big to be a sophomore." The lacrosse player says. "So what is it? Steroids?"
"I said not to be gross, Gatten." Piper crosses her arms. "You're being gross."
Gatten, what a stupid made up name. But he looks like a Gatten; he's white with dishwater blond hair, a thick neck, and meat sticks for fingers. Any other name wouldn't suit him, it would be slightly off.
"Emmett's always been big, I think his birth father was like 7 feet tall or something."
"Oh. That's boring. So what about you, Pipe," Gatten relaxes into his chair, turning to her, "Are you coming with us to the mall today or are you going to work?"
"Mall?" Jake frowns, "I thought the mall was two hours away."
"It is," Ellie replies, as more people fill up the table.
"Yeah, I can go today." Piper shrugs. "But only because Danny owes me 40 bucks for insurance, and there's an ATM there."
"I thought he paid you already?" someone asks.
"Last month, not for this month." She replies.
The rest of the table continues talking leaving Jake to play catch up on their names. But he does agree to go to the mall with them. Offering to tail them on his motorcycle. This gets the attention of the guys and leads to a conversation about cars, one subject which Jake is knowledgeable and experienced in.
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