Take it Back, Jacob Black.

Needless to say, I was more than a little confused. The only dream where Jacob starred as the main male character was the one where I jumped to by death on the cliffs. Since then, that I can remember, I hadn't dreamed of him.

Silence lapsed between the two of us as we filled our plates with food and sat under the shade of a large Oak tree. I was surveying the way everyone acted around everyone. They seemed so...comfortable. I was even this comfortable with my own family. I mean, Skylar got on my nerves with his constant hyper-ness and Trace got on my nerves to the point of insanity with his Big Bro-ness.

“What are you thinking about?”

I didn't answer for a moment, slightly embarrassed with myself for a reason unknown to me. I sighed, figuring I shouldn't care what he thought. “I was just thinking about how all of you seem so at ease with each other.” I said honestly.

He nodded, smiling. “Yeah, we're all practically family. The man in the wheel chair is my dad, Billy. Old Quil is my dad's cousin, so that makes his son my second cousin. That's Quil Jr. Other than that, we're aren't related.” He informed me.

I nodded, pretending to understand what he just said. “Cool.” I said, biting into the hamburger on my plate.

Jacob laughed, “You have no idea what I said, do you?”

“How'd you know?”

He paused before answering and a plethora of emotions ran across his face. I could only recognize two because they came and went so fast. The first of them was guiltiness and the second was amusement. It was a strange combination, but I didn't ask anything about it. “You're just easy to read I guess.” He settled.

I rolled my eyes. That was a load of crap. I was the best liar that I knew and the best liar that anyone I hung around knew. “So what do you guys do for fun around here?”

“Cliff dive, run, hike...the usual.”

“You hike For fun?” I asked, incredulous.

He nodded his head, but his eyes said he was lying. “Why, does that surprise you?”

“Kind of,” I affirmed. “I run, too, but not when I'm bored. Just when I'm restless. I like to run. It's sort of...exhilarating.”

He nodded, as if he knew what I was saying. “I know. When you're heart starts beating and the adrenaline's pumping through your body.”

We both sighed dreamily and I saw Sam go back inside the house. A few moments later he came back outside with Trace, both of them talking animatedly about something. It was probably cars...or fighting techniques. I never knew with guys. “That's Trace, my older brother.”

“I know.” He said.

“How?”

“Well...” He said, stretching his long legs out, “For one, Sam doesn't hang around that many pale faces.” He looked sideways at me and waited for a reaction.

I snorted and smacked him. It hurt me more than it did him, but I wasn't about to let him know it hurt.

Please, I'm not stupid.

Jacob laughed, “Secondly, you both have similar eyes. The only difference is your eyes are more of an olive color than hazel...and when you get excited, they start turning this weird hunter green.” He said, as if knowing that was normal.

I swallowed a gulp of my water, “...How long have you been stalking me?”

He shook his head. “Not stalking. I just pay attention. Remember at Wal Mart when you saw the grapes?” He said.

“Oh.”

Well, that's just...Just well...Yeah.

☺

“Are you going to move or what?”

I glared at the tall boy blocking me from shutting the door of my Jeep Liberty. Exhaling through my mouth, I opened my eyes. My temples had went up, without my command, to massage my throbbing temples. It was like I was adopted into the family and got stuck with the clingy sibling.

Seth Clearwater frowned at my strained tone and folded his dark arms across his dark and, equally toned, chest. For a sixteen year old, he had a pretty nice build. “Only if you agree to my circumstances.”

I grunted, punching my steering wheel. A loud and long honk startled a group of dining birds and sent them flying into the air in a massive, black cloud. “Seth, Leah and Trace are adults. If they want a relationship, they'll do it themselves.”

Since Trace and Leah had had one conversation, Seth has been bugging me to hook them up. He must not know me very well (Yes, I know, we did just meet) but I'm not the best match maker out there. Hell, I may just be the worst. Seth sighed and rolled his eyes, as if I weren't getting the picture. “Screw the relationship, just get them to go on one date. Please!”

Oh, no. Not the- Yes, Seth Clearwater pulled the puppy dog face on me. I probably invented the stupid thing. I had to admit, he did look adorable. I clutched the wheel with a death grip and sighed, “Fine! But you're going to have to be my personal slave for a year if I can pull this off.”

He snorted. “How about a month.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“Two and a half.”

We stared at one another, silently willing the other to blink. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I sighed. “Damn you, Seth. Fine. I'll see what I can do.”

“That's my girl.” He said, ruffling my hair. I smacked his hand away, causing him to laugh. I cranked up my car, put it in reverse, and shut (and locked) my doors. I rolled down my front windows and could hear Seth laughing still. “Welcome to the family, Ryder! I'm sure you're going to find it way cooler than you thought.”

“Yeah,” I muttered once I was down the road. “I highly doubt that.”