Sea Wolves

"But why were they so close to the beach? I thought orca whales lived, you know, out in the ocean where no one could see them."

Trase uprooted a handful of grass as he pondered my question. Eventually he typed something on the blackberry perched on his knee, though whatever his answer was, I was sure it wouldn't help me out. He looked just as clueless as I was.

And just like I thought, he had no idea. I don't know, Meg. Do I look like a marine biologist? I ripped out some of the grass and threw it at him playfully, laughing as it landed in his hair and on his shirt. Trase grinned after an unsuccessful attempt to dodge the assault. He brushed the green stalks off his shirt and shook his hair to get the rest out.

We were sitting on the lawn of Forks High School, enjoying another sunny day during our lunch period. I had told Trase all about the whale sighting and the secret beach, also sharing the concern I had about seeing them again. What if I had just gotten lucky? What if the whales wouldn't be there when I went to the beach the next time? Trase didn't offer much consolation - it seemed he knew as little about them as I did.

Hey,Trase wrote on his phone after the lapse in conversation. Do you want to apply for a job at the bookstore in town? I could go down with you after school.

I frowned slightly, a little irritated that the subject had changed. But I guess we weren't getting anywhere discussing whales, since neither of us knew what we were talking about. I changed my frown quickly to a small smile, nodding. "Yeah, I guess I could try for a job there." I was glad that Trase had offered to go with me. I didn't have a clue where the bookstore was, much less how to even get to the town.

You will like working there, Trase wrote. Morrison's has been around for years. It's not a big bookstore, but it's cozy and there's a cafeteria with the most delicious cookies...Once he was sure I had read the last part, Trase sighed dreamily. Then he took back the blackberry and erased the message and typed another one. I caught the letters 'brb' before he stood up and hurried back inside the school. I stared after him, trying not to laugh. I didn't wonder where he had gone, knowing that he would be back. He was probably going to the bathroom or something.

A soccer ball rolled past me. I watched it stop in the grass, and I was about to reach for it to throw it back to whoever lost it when someone shouted quickly, "I got it!" and then I saw a pair of legs jog past my face. I looked up, startled, to find Jared with the soccer ball in his hands. He smiled and took a seat opposite me in the grass where Trase had been sitting. He twirled the ball in his hands, still smiling at me, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. "Hi," he greeted, a little out of breath.

"Uh... Hi." I smiled awkwardly. "What are you doing?"

Jared laughed and glanced over at his friends, who were calling his name and trying to get his attention. He turned back to me, looking a little embarrassed. "Just kicking the ball around. Do you want to join us? I'll teach you a couple moves."

I was not a sportsy person, but his smile and the way he had asked me was so sweet and inviting that I almost said yes. But then I caught sight of Trase lingering by the school doors, watching the two of us. I met Jared's eyes, feeling a pang in my heart at his eagerness, and smiled the best smile I could muster. "Um... I just ate a big lunch. Maybe another time?" That part was a lie, but I had to say something.

As if Jared knew we were being watched, he glanced behind him. Turning back to me, his smile betrayed nothing he might have felt when he saw Trase there. "Next time, then," he said with a wink, then got up and jogged back to his complaining friends. Trase watched him as he left, then awkwardly shuffled around before he slowly descended the steps and made his way back to me. Studying his face, I could see he was a little troubled.

"You okay?" I asked, concerned.

He nodded and sat down in the grass. Glancing at the group of amateur soccer players, he raised an eyebrow at me and typed something on his blackberry. What did he want? As I took the phone from him to read the message, I noticed the guarded look on his face.

I shrugged, trying not to make it look like it was a big deal. But my tone hinted at embarrassment when I replied, "He wanted to know if I would play soccer with him."

Why didn't you?

"I don't like soccer..." I couldn't think of a better excuse to make. Trase studied me carefully, but I looked away, hoping he would just drop it. Any minute now I was sure to blush unknowingly at the mention of Jared's name and I didn't want that to happen. A silence hung over us, but we were quick to find something to occupy our time again.

A group of stunning girls were huddled together on the lawn, each one clutching their copy of Twilight. One of the girls had her book open and was reading some dreamy passage that likely involved Edward Cullen. All of them giggled, whispered, and swooned at the mention of the fictional vampire. By now, I was used to the majority of the school's obsession. This was Forks, after all! Not a day went by where I didn't hear about Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, or Bella Swan. At first it annoyed me to hear everyone talking about the book and fantasizing over finding their own Edward, but like I said, I was used to it now. Trase and I watched them humorously. We giggled and poked fun at the characters in the book, making up our own continuation of the series that went far beyond Breaking Dawn. Soon Trase had me laughing from all the Twilight jokes. We received some looks in our direction, but both of us were having too much fun to care.

My vision was blurry with the tears that came from laughing so hard, but somehow I still managed to see the soccer ball flying towards us. Before I could warn Trase, it hit him on the side of the head. Stunned, Trase clutched his head and looked around. I looked around too, although I already had a hunch where the ball had come from.

"Sorry, Baker!" Jared called. He sounded sincere, like it had been an accident.

Of course Trase couldn't read Jared's apology because he was so far away. I got Trase's attention as he picked up the soccer ball from the grass. "He said he was sorry, Trase." But it didn't seem to matter. With a snarl, Trase hurled the ball back at Jared. During its flight the ball lost some of its momentum, but it still succeeded in hitting Jared's thigh. Jared only laughed a little and shook his head, and his gang of friends did the same. Trase seemed focused on his lap. I reached out to touch his arm, and when he looked up I asked for the second time today, "Are you okay?"

Trase nodded, but he was still simmering with frustration from the blow. I didn't know what to say to comfort him, so I just kept quiet and looked down at the ground. Great. That totally ruined the fun we were having. I was sure it had been an accident, but was it really that hard to keep the ball on one side of the lawn? Jared obviously had to be a lousy soccer player.

The bell rang. I nudged Trase's leg with my shoe and informed him that lunch period had ended. We stood up and gathered our things, brushing off the stray pieces of grass that still clung to our clothes. I'll meet you after school and we can go down to the bookstore, Trase wrote on his blackberry. Than we parted ways to get to our classes.