Loca

“Danni!” I sang, hugging my friend when she showed up at my doorstep. I hadn’t seen her in forever it felt like. Not since her last visit during my suspension.

“You grew!” I accused, pouting when I saw that instead of her former 5’6 self, that was even smaller than the 15 year old 5’7 Jason, she was now at least, 5’9.

Danni laughed at me, and I growled at her.

See, I was very sensitive about my height issue. Especially since, my changing was two days away and I was pretty sure that becoming a wolf wouldn’t help it at all. Only natural born got to grow really big, and I was stuck being the short one forever.

“Uh, let it go Troy,” she muttered, smirking at me, her multicolored eyes dancing while she tried to resist laughing at me. I rolled my eyes, but did as she said and let it go.

“So when’s the bonfire?” she asked casually, letting herself in. My dad had ungrounded me today, a little over a month early for ‘good behavior’.

I knew that wasn’t the case though; my dad had made to many exceptions for Jacob and he knew I was starting to catch on, so he had to let my pack back into my life without much choice.

“We have about a half hour to kill,” I said, nodding to my dad as he went upstairs. Bella and Edward were ‘studying’ in the living room. It was more like a tutoring session though, and I was about to disrupt it.

I fell onto the ground, wiggling in beside them and keeping their faces far apart while Danni snickered quietly and sat on the couch.

“Troy,” Bella complained. I smirked at her, and Edward chuckled good naturedly beside me. “We weren’t doing anything officer,” he mumbled, causing me to make myself comfortable.

Danni laughed, lounging on the couch while her long legs tucked up underneath herself, while one arm was across her stomach and the other the sofa head.

Before I could say something smart to her, I was shoved, rolling over Bella’s back when a signal I hadn’t seen was given. I ended up beside her and I glared at Edward, who’s freezing muscly hands had been the ones to push me.

“What?” he asked innocently. I was about to attack but Bella put a hand on my shoulder and Danni suggested we left now. I agreed, glaring playfully at Edward before walking outside after my wolf friend.

She drove here, and parked in my dad’s spot so I found myself wondering when I would ever have enough saved to get my own car. All my stuff was burned, including my bike, which had been my transportation before.

It’s been so long since I was on a motorcycle…I missed it.

Danni hopped in the driver seat of her bright red Audi convertible and I sighed to myself. “I miss my bike,” I mumbled, pouting while Danni chuckled.

“Being in my car would make you think of that,” Danni said, smirking. She was doing that a lot lately, which meant she’d been hanging out with Hector and Lafe way too often.

“It totally does,” I defended myself, “I need a way to get around, and my bike used to be the answer to that problem.”

Danni rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, chica, conseguir la cogida sobre ella!” Danni whined, I hit her playfully while she started driving off the directions I’d written for her as simply as possible.

“I know you didn’t just tell me to ‘get the fuck over it’.” I snapped, laughing at the same time.

Danni sighed lazily, “I honestly don’t see what the big deal is, about you, the guys, and motorcycles anyways, there nothing but a death ride.”

I snorted at her, “So says the girl who ended up with a broken wrist and 64 stiches her first drive,” I teased. Danni laughed, slapping me without taking her eyes off of the speeding road.

“I was doing a hand stand,” she said, her voice contorted with her light laughter.

I didn’t know why I ended up bickering with her, but we were teenagers and it was in our nature. We shot insults at each other and then made up five seconds later.

Danni ignored me after a while and started driving while I struck up a boring conversation instead of an abusive one to keep myself entertained while her oldies were playing.

I had nothing opposed to the Beatles personally, but they got on my nerves after a while, since I was more into the latest stuff.

It was a good thing my friend’s psycho driving got us there in less than ten minutes.

“We have arrived,” Danni said, parking in a space. We were down in the woods by a trail that led up to the top of a cliff the bonfire was being held at.

Jacob was waiting, a bright grin crossing his face, while Embry and Quil - the pair I’d met earlier but had been too intimidated to sit with at lunch today – flanked him, ogling over Danni’s ride.

Jacob crossed the space between the two of us and pulled me into a hug as I excited the car. I hugged him back quickly, remembering my sneak attacks on him earlier today, and how shocked he’s been as I jumped on his back again and again.

“You came,” he said happily, pulling away and beaming at me before dropping my arms. I rolled my eyes at him and gestured to my friend who was taking her merry time turning off the car.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand was playing and she was strumming her fingers against the steering wheel while nodding her head.

I rolled my eyes at her, “You remember my friend Danni, right Jake?” I asked, smiling. He nodded and waved to her, while she finally had the good sense to turn the radio off.

“You grew,” Jake indicted, although he was still looking down at her. She smirked at me and I shook my head at her. She gave an innocent smile, before waving back at Jacob and the other boys.

“Yep,” was all she said to answer him, and he chuckled. Embry was giving her googly eyes and she winked at him so he flushed and looked down.

What was going on there?

“We have to hike a bit,” Jacob said, totally oblivious to the little flirting episode going on in front of him.

“Yay,” I said, half sarcastic and half not. Danni rolled her eyes and came over to the other side of the car. Jacob chuckled and I turned my attention back to him while Danni introduced herself to Quil.

“I can carry you if you want?” Jacob asked, a smirk playing across his lips. I scrunched my mouth up at the challenge, but shook my head.

“Nah, Im good, as long as you wolves don’t just leave me randomly in the forest, I’ll keep up.” I said, pretending to be upset about it. Jake smiled and gestured for us all to follow him while Embry, Danni and Quil were all deep in conversation about her being a werewolf.

Their eyes were big and kinda envious as Danni explained to them about the pack in ways even I couldn’t have done.

We all started walking on this trail that led to the outcropping the cliff the rest of the group was at in a web of conversations.

Jacob talked to me animatedly until I completely forgot our friends following behind us. He was smiling away, keeping pace with me and making me feel better about slowing him down.

It was obvious he didn’t mind, and since he brought the guys they kept Danni from making snide comments about my speed. It was usually her payback for all the oldies remarks I made whenever she was driving.

Soon though, she finished her talk and started to whine at me playfully. I stuck my tongue at her, but if I picked up the pace I’d only be feeding her new material.

“You want that ride now?” Jacob asked his expression devious and mistrustful. Danni, Embry and Quil were still behind us so I shook my head. I wasn’t even tired or sweating and I knew Danni was just messing with me.

Jacob probably did too, but he took full advantage of it.

Before I could respond to his question, I was hoisted up into the air and thrown over his shoulder.

“Jake!” I screamed when the ground was no longer attached to my feet. He laughed and I struggled slightly, twisting so my face was no longer against his toned back but facing the woods now. Thank god I only wore the one skirt I own, on Poker Night. And even then I only did it to piss my dad off, and rarely went through the trouble.

Jeans kept anything from being revealed in this awkward position I had ended up with, my hair falling into my face so I hurried to set myself upright on Jacob’s shoulder.

“I’ll see you guys later,” he called to our group, chortling, they all laughed at him and he started running.

There was really nothing to do in this situation except huff and cross my arms over my chest while Jacob blurred through the forest.

This cliff was higher up than I thought but it took him only about a minute to clear the brush and set me down, abruptly on an unnaturally placed log that acted as a bench.

“Jerk,” I muttered, when Jacob fell down beside me. He grinned and I took in the group of people sitting around the fire.

Billy was here, and I smiled at him while waving. He nodded to me, smiling, while talking to an older looking man and a woman in her late thirties, sitting beside a bitter looking girl and a younger teen.

I knew they were Leah and Seth, from Jacob’s descriptions.

The latter grinned at me and I took notice of that girl from the locker room, along with the two Jacob described as Jared and Paul looking at me. I didn’t know whether to glare or blush, so I simply looked away, happy for the distraction when Danni and they came running through the woods, her in the lead.

I rolled my eyes at my friend, and she fell down a bit away from me, bristling as the eyes turned to her. Her shy side was showing, and I gave Jacob a look so he saved us both, introducing us to the group so we were met with ‘hellos’ and introductions.

Paul hit on Danni, and Embry glared at him. Paul hit on me and Jacob glared at him.
It was an endless cycle.

Quiet conversations went on for a while, before the sun started setting around six and the wind picked up.

No one was bothered though; Billy had a blanket draped over him and Sue Clearwater, who I’d just met, was sitting close to the fire as was Old Quil.

The rest of the people here were wolves, or snuggling with one.

“Cold?” Jacob whispered in my ear, so as not to draw attention to me. I shrugged as the wind penetrated my sweater and Jacob chuckled to himself. He threw an arm around me and pulled us both down so we were sitting on the ground now, and I was still tucked up beside him.

I tensed, before relaxing into him and laying my head against his muscular shoulder. He smiled and rested his head against mine. Only a few minutes later the legends started.

Jacob’s POV

Troy curled closer to me as my dad started the legends. I traced patterns on her arm and she shivered, causing me to hold her tighter. Paul and Quil were shooting me looks but I glared and then ignored them.

Embry kept shooting glances at Danni, and I wondered what his deal was. He liked her, that was obvious, but I wondered if it went deeper.

Danni had been there the night I met Troy’s boyfriend, and I liked her a thousand times better than him. She didn’t have what I wanted though.

I shoved the jealousness that came with that thought aside and focused on Troy right now.

Her eyes were sparkling, the light from the fire setting them ablaze and causing an effect to make them look like melted chocolate. Shadows danced across her face from the flames that came and went and she was smiling slightly while listening to my father.

It was almost ten now, and I could see her eyes drooping as my dad finished with the imprint legend. My teeth clenched when I heard Paul snickering during the part where my dad told that imprints would fall in love with their imprinter at first sight.

Troy didn’t notice him though, and for that I was grateful. It’d open up a whole bunch of doors I wasn’t ready for yet.

I shook her lightly when the tales died down to a bunch of side conversations. She was almost asleep and blinked rapidly.

“I’ll take you home,” I whispered, when I saw that Embry was sitting by Danni and that they were deep in a hushed conversation. The latter looked up and mouthed ‘thanks’ to me and I grinned at her while helping my drowsy imprint up.

She stumbled a little, her eyes a bit more alert when the wind tore away some of the warmth I was sharing with her.

I said a quick goodbye to everyone and they all did the same, Sam pausing in his conversation with Emily and Quil Sr. to smile at me and Troy.

“It was nice meeting you,” he stated, and I grimaced while Troy smiled and said, “Likewise,” in a cheerful tone.

I quickly tugged her away after that, stopping when we were in the cover of the trees and ducking my head down so I was close to her level.

“I’m gonna carry you now,” I warned unlike last time. She grinned and I picked her up bridal style.

Also unlike last time, I walked down the cliff, Troy snuggling into my chest and closing her eyes obediently.

I kissed her head when I was sure she was asleep and picked up my speed a bit, now a bit more worried about her being cold than the amount of time I could have her in my arms.

I drove her home and her dad let me in, so I carried her up to her room while he trusted me enough to hang downstairs.

I stood aside for a second after tucking her in, just staring like an idiot. Bella was still out, and Troy’s room was empty except for her. We had school tomorrow, and I knew she was spent for the night.

It took everything I had not to wake her up now, confess everything and kiss her like there was no tomorrow, but I resisted…barely.

I kneeled down beside her, her sleeping figure so heartbreakingly beautiful I nearly melted. I wanted to kiss her, to the point of pain, and she was unconscious at the moment so…

Very cautiously, I leaned down, and pressed my lips to her forehead while she slept.

It felt so right, I didn’t want to stop kissing her, and my lips agreed, seeming to have a mind of their own as they trailed down to peck her nose, then her left cheek and her right one before finally I kissed her lips lightly.

I felt her smile against my lips and I pulled away to see her with it still on her face.

I smiled too, thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would be easy to get her to admit her feelings for me in the future.

I silently left her room with this hope still burned in my mind, shutting the door behind me and making my way home with a grin that refused to fade.