No Way to Say Goodbye.

Getting Hannah’s things, Jacob insisted that he carry her belongings. The only thing Hannah was allowed to carry was her lanyard with the truck’s keys on it. Blushing, she sighed in defeat. Jacob pleased, looked at his friends who gave playful winks and looks. Hannah clueless, began to walk ahead with Seth attached at her hip.

Behind the two of them, the other boys began to gave Jacob crap. Paul had told the rest of them that Hannah was Jacobs’ Dad’s gift; that he was trying to set Jacob up with a new girl. Jacob rolled his eyes at their lowered howls, and rough shoving. Jacob had really started to like Hannah, even if it was his second day of knowing her. She was pretty; gorgeous. She seemed to get along with his friends, even if they agreed to like her because she smelled appetizing, and the way she talked. Her soft voice was like wind. It was heard when it was meant to be heard.

Waking Jacob from his train wreck of thoughts, not about Hannah, Paul gave a light nudge and said, “Does Hannah meet Beth’s standards?”

Jacob growled, and pushed him, hard. She was still a sensitive subject. He wasn’t even ready to talk to his father, let alone himself about her yet. At first he had thought along with his pack that Hannah was her replacement, Jacob still does. When most of them saw her in the forest they all thought the same thing. Jacob’s dad was trying to play match maker, but it wasn’t going to work. Jacob promised her that he’d never allow himself to get that close to someone else, even if she didn’t want that.

“Sorry,” Paul said shrugging in defense.

“Just shut up, okay.” Jacob breathed.

Shaking his head Paul agreed. Sam patted Jacob’s shoulder in with Jacob knew that Sam was saying Paul meant no offense by it. Catching up with Hannah and Seth, Sam asked if she could take Seth, Jacob, Paul and Embry to her house and that he’d take the others, seeing as how Hannah knew the four better than the others.

But soon that would all change. Soon enough Hannah would spend as much time with them as she could.

“Sure,” Hannah smiled and unlocked the truck.

Jacob pulled Seth back before saying, “Nice try bud!”

Seth gave a light glare and sat in the back in between Embry and Paul. Hannah spotted Sam behind her in his truck, and pulled a u-turn out of the pier’s parking area. As soon as they were on their way, they all somehow broke out into random conversation about school and how Seth needed to find a girlfriend. Saying that there was this ‘nice’ girl, Vivian Grayson who had liked Seth from the moment he’d thought she was his ‘one.’ Paul almost slipped and said ‘imprint’ but Jacob cleared his throat and gave Hannah’s questioning look a smile instead.

By the time they were halfway to Hannah’s house, her cell phone rang. It was hooked up to the truck’s system, and without thinking she pushed the talk button.

“Hello,” She answered kindly.

“Hannah, baby!” A male’s voice echoed throughout the truck.

In a mild state of shock, Hannah froze but managed to say, “Jeremy? I thought you were at football camp!”

“I was—I am. I just miss you, what’re you doing?” Helied smirked on the other line when he prolonged the word ‘miss.’

Hannah found no need to lie so she bluntly said, “Hanging with some guys.”

Jacob who had been facing Hannah, body and all turned to his friends in the back seat. Their looks all seemed to match. Seth’s looked hurt though, like how he didn’t expect Hannah to have someone already. Paul’s was hurt too, but then again he had always liked a challenge. Embry, the shyest one was confused. Embry knew what Jacob must be thinking; that he was sarcastically thanking his father for bringing a non-single girl into his life which Embry was spot on about.

“Guys? Are you alright? Are they being mean to you?” Jeremy’s voice rose.

“Jeremy,” Hannah yelled, which was still soft. “They’re all very sweet, don’t worry. Listen, call me later.”

“Fine, but I wanted to tell you something,” He waited knowing he’d got her hooked. He knew she couldn’t resist. Hannah was the type of person that loved to be surprised, but when Jeremy gave her the option; he realized that she would eat it up, devour it and leave nothing else in its place.

“What?” She sighed, irritated at this point.

Clearing his throat, aware of the guys that would be listening he said, “I was going to tell you that, before school starts my parents are allowing me to come up and see you! Isn’t that great?”

Slamming on the breaks, making everyone jolt forward Hannah began to stare at the phone in between her and Jacob. Shaking her head and making sure that Sam hadn’t slammed into her back Hannah tightened her grip on the steering wheel in which Jacob touched lightly. Hannah gave him the biggest apologetic look she could muster, but deep down inside of her she knew Jacob didn’t care. Why would he?

“Jeremy,” She whispered as her breath hitched, “call me later.” Her teeth now clenched.

“Fine,” He whined and hung up.

The rest of the ride was silent, but Hannah knew that she was going to get pounded with questions later. Besides, she’d knew it was bound to happen sooner or later; that is, her new friends to find about that her status was: taken. Tucking her hair behind her ear she opened her mouth to speak, but it was as if air flew out. Hannah had become speechless, but why? Even she was unclear. None of them had even asked if she was single or not, so was there really a reason why she should feel this… this guilt?

“Of course you have a boyfriend,” Seth broke the silence.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Hannah said as she turned into her grandparents gravel lot.

She was the first to climb out of the truck and swiftly kiss her grandfathers cheek before running into the house. Hannah ran up to her room and changed into some less exposing clothing. She pulled out a black tank top and some loose jeans. The first two things that she was able to grab. After peering through the French doors to the kitchen and dining room and seeing that all the boys had piled around the table, and Hannah’s grandmother, she made a clear escape for the backyard, where she could confirm Jeremy. Honestly, Hannah didn’t want him to come. She had insisted that they end it before she left, however Jeremy said they’d last.

It took two rings for him to answer in an amused fashion, clearly he knew what he was doing. The bastard.

Coldly Hannah began to speak, “Jeremy, i-it’s over.”

After that sentence, she actually began to yell into the phone. Everyone in the dining room could hear what she was saying. Even Maggie cringed at some of the things her granddaughter was saying. None of them moved a muscle, except Jacob. He wouldn’t call it pride, more that he was satisfied that Hannah was calling it quits. Just the sound of his voice made him seem like he was a real asshole. Hannah was too sweet, they all thought, to be with him anyway.

“Oh really? So is that why the first time you cheated on me was with Rachael? And I even came back to you.” She cried.

“Hannah, come on. Rachael isn’t anything compared to you, you know that.” He was reeling her back in.

Stomping her foot, she clamped her eyes as tight as she could and said, “Jeremy, I need a man. Go back to Rachael, asshole!”

Taking a few moments to collect herself, Hannah found that sadness had no part in her emotion list. She was more free, happy, excited to be single and flirt with whomever she damn well pleased. As she walked into the dining room, all eyes were focused on her. Most of them expected her to be sad that she had to be the one who ended it. on the other hand what everyone saw was pure bliss.

“I’m free!” She shrugged as she walked over to her grandmother’s understanding arms.

“Good!” Her grandmother said playfully stern. “Who needs Jeremy?”

“Not me!” Hannah took a seat in between Paul and Seth.

Maggie glanced at Sam, who gave a smile before she said, “ ‘sides, what you need Miss Hannah Rae is a handsome local boy!”

“Yeah, I do!” Hannah agreed, her pent up solitude finally being released.

Maggie gave a light chuckle at her granddaughters enthusiasm. Old Mrs. Pierce knew what was up her belt, as much as Sam did. Sam, used to be against these kinds of things, and even after Jacob begged everyone to not bring up Bethany, Sam knew Hannah was perfect; for Jacob. She was a carefree spirit looking to find that body that needed a soul, also known as Jacob. “Plenty of ‘em here Hannah.” Maggie turned and walked into the kitchen.

All of a sudden, Hannah’s climax began to simmer down. She was sitting across from Sam, who was next to Jacob; he wouldn’t look at her though. All that stained his mind was the countless memories of Bethany. He missed her so much. And she was his imprint. You only get one, but she left him in the worst way you could ever leave anyone. She’d had a tumor in her brain, and the doctors said three months. Jacob said he could love her in that time span, but they lied. Beth had died a week later.

With the feeling of having an imprint, it knocks all the gravity from the universe and focuses every fiber of your being on the person in which is the imprinted. In Jacob’s case, the moment Bethany passed away, he could feel his feet against the ground once more. He heard his heart beat slow down and everyday was measured by the agonizing seconds, not when hours turned to days. Bethany; was his, and as far as Jacob was concerned, Hannah was a lovely girl, heck she even had many similar mannerisms as Bethany, but he wasn’t able to feel that specific tug.

“Hannah,” Maggie called to her granddaughter from the kitchen, after something hit the floor.

“Be right back,” She smiled warmly to her new friends.

“Miss you already,” Paul winked, even though she heard and pointed a finger at him.

When she was out of ear shot, Paul snapped his head to Jake, “Dude, she’s single now.”

“Ready to mingle,” Quil added with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Jacob scoffed, “A rebound. Thanks guys.”

“If you won’t take her—“

“She was never mine to have!” Jacob pounded his fist against the table, luckily he didn’t break it.