The Outcome

It took two weeks for Erick to get over the shock of being powerless. He sulked around and didn’t say anything to anyone other than Graison. Hi especially wouldn’t look in my direction and the rest of the boys didn’t know how to act around me any more. There was a lot of midnight runs in the forest that surrounded Donovan’s house. If it wasn’t for Brayden keeping my updated, I would feel more like an outside than I already did.

The house was constantly filled with empty rooms and the echoes of rustling trees through open windows. Donovan told me to just wait out Erick’s temper tantrum, that it was actually helping the cause. The La Push pack had of course noticed that wolves in my boys, but were keeping a distance. I think they knew there were other wolves out there, but had never encountered any other than their own. Besides, we weren’t causing any trouble or running on land they marked soon after that realized we were here.

“They think that you being human is only a cover for the other boys,” Donovan explained to me one morning before school, “You know, to pretend that their normal.” He was talking with his food full of cereal and milk. I had to resist the urge to move over to the next chair.

“You didn’t notice anything strange in these wolves,” he continued, “so why would you notice their wolves? It’s perfect. You live with them so that explains the smell, but you aren’t one of them.”

I dropped my eyes to the placemat on the kitchen table at his choice of words. It was another reminder that I, in fact, was not one of them. There was something wrong with me that no one could figure out, I was of pure blood and was healthy according to doctor visits, but I wasn’t a wolf. I wasn’t tall, or warm, or beautiful. I was just Macie Cora Belle: the fucking bait.

Donovan sensed his mistake and muttered a quick sorry in my direction, his eyes not downcast as well. He tried to stay home with me most nights the boys went out to phase, but I could tell they had grown on each other and he wanted to run with them. That in turn made me feel guilty and push him out the door telling him I would be fine.

I had my work cut out for me with the advance science classes and needed to study anyway. I had just gotten to the point where I felt comfortable enough to answer the easy questions in class. I found if you raised your hand often enough in the beginning of class, the teacher would be less likely to call on you for the hard stuff.

However, while there was all this shit on my plate already, I was really enjoying my budding relationship with Jacob. It was nothing serious; we were on the borderline of becoming friends at this point. We joked around in shop class and he walked my to my locker on his way out the door each day. If I caught his eye in the hallways, he would send me a smile, making my insides twist up and Erick’s scowl to deepen, but it was something.

It was a something so significant, that it inspired me to get of bed when the alarm rang the first time, make an effort on my hair, and refrain from wearing the same t-shirt and jeans inspired outfits everyday.

“No need to be sorry, D. Fact is fact, but I have to get going. School waits.”

“Be smart, Mace.”

I laughed out loud as I passed through the door. “What choice do I have?”

~~~

The school day had been mostly uneventful, just as the past two weeks had been. I was going to class, regularly eating the terrible school lunch, and managing to avoid any more spills or visions.

I took my seat next to Jacob and sent a smile his way. “So, how has your day been?”

He smiled back at me, all lopsided in a way that had grown on me. “It was okay, boring. I should have skipped with my friends.” He wishfully added, picking up a small piece of plywood and handing it to me.

“Yeah, I saw they weren’t here at lunch, where are they?” I asked him lightly. There was a certain way you had to cut plywood or I’d end up the shavings all over me, like I’d fallen into the inside of a pencil sharpener.

I could hear the pause in his voice, like he was about to tell me the truth but caught himself. I didn’t want him to lie to me yet, so I offered up an out for him. “They’re just skipping out on the day, right? Well, I’m glad you stayed.”

He stopped what he was doing with the wood and smiled down on me. “Yeah, that’s it. I’m glad I decided to stick it out today too.” He looked me up and down in a way that made my insides flutter together and I couldn’t help but giggle.

However, being a lovesick puppy doesn’t mix well with cross cutting plywood and I ended up just the way I wanted not to. There were ashes of wood all over the front of my sweater and who knows how many washings it would take to get them all out. Mr. McDevitt walked over to me table and laughed at the state of my clothes.

“Maybe you should try keeping your eyes on the wood instead of Mr. Black.” He said, looking at me over his glasses. The entire class, including Mr. Black, laughed at all the double meanings his words held and flushed light red. Hilarious, really.

After class, Jake and I were walking to my locker having some idle conversation when he took it upon himself to set the plan into motion.

“Hey, Mace, what are you doing after school?” He said out of the blue as we arrived at my locker.

“Um, nothing actually. Why? What’s up?” I replied back to him while arranged my books into my locker and trying not to start hyperventilating.

“Well…” he started, reaching a hand behind him to rub along his neck. The action caused his shirt to ride up a little, exposing a patch of tan skin and toned muscle. Oh god, Jesus lawd.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to go hang out with me. I only ever see you in school and you haven’t been properly shown around La Push yet.”

“Yeah, sure! That sounds like fun.” I managed to push out without looking like a complete idiot.

We stood there a few more minutes just smiling at each other. There was a hundred other people passing us in the hallway, rowdy with the excitement of getting out of school for the day, but we were still in our little moment. He snapped out of it first.

“Well, let’s get out of here then. You ever rode a motorcycle?”

I had actually never been on one, but I wasn't about to tell him that. Picking up the spare helmet, I slapped it on as cute as I could and mounted the back of it.

"Well, let's go then." I said looking back to him.

He only smiled back and away we went.

~~~

I really, really, really liked being on a motorcycle, especially all wrapped around Jacob heated skin. The contrast of the biting wind and speed against the glow coming out of Jake’s back was more than lovely.

I imagined this is what it felt like to be a wolf, running through the forest just to feel the muscles in my body telling me I was alive. I wanted to throw my arms back and let my head lag just to get that feeling of flight, but the urge to cuddle closer to Jacob was stronger; so I did that.

“Where are we going?” I shouted up in his ear. I gazed over at the trees to the right of my body; they were thinning out the farther we went, at a high speed too. I doubted we were going less than thirty over the limit.

“The beach!” he shouted back at me. “You aren’t scared?”

“What? No! This is great! Go faster, Jacob!”

“Faster, huh? You sure you can handle that, little girl?”

The wind brought back his words and I blushed molten hot. He shouldn’t say things like that to a girl like me. Words like that made him seem like he would do nothing but make a mess upon my physical innocence. Words like that made me feel like I would so nothing to stop him.

“Why don’t you focus on the road, smart ass?” I laughed up to him.

~~~

We pulled up to the sand and the brisk sea air in no time. Kale insisted I leave me backpack up by the bike; people didn’t really steal up here in La Push. The New Yorker in me wanted to disagree and pull my belongings closer, but those eyes made me believe him.

He held a hand out to me, and taking it, he led me down to the shore of the beach. The sand made a satisfying crunch beneath my feet; the small particles already finding a way into my socks, but I liked it. I felt like I should be colder, but Jacob’s hand in mine was comfortable. Even as we sat down just out of reach from the afternoon tide, he didn’t let go.

“This place is so different from New York. It’s beautiful here though.” I said looking out into the water.

“Oh yeah? What’s New York like?” Jacob asked, leaning in a little.

“Um, it’s beautiful there too, but in a different way. There’s, like, so much outside here. In the city, people are always outside; it’s easier to get around place to place by just walking or taking the transit. But you never feel like your outside, Y’know? There are all these building and people and bridges casting shadows over the sidewalk. Without Central Park it would be so claustrophobic.”

“Wow that sounds like something, city girl. Even Port Angles doesn’t come close to that.” He laughed at me.

“I know I can get a little carried away talking about the city. There’s no place like it.” I blushed back a reply.

“It’s cool; you shouldn’t get so embarrassed about it. I understand how it is to miss something.”

“I’ve never been so easily embarrassed until I met you.” I instantly wanted to bury myself into the sand. The last thing I wanted to do was reveal my secrets to him before I had to.

There was a moment of silence between us, the nature all around. Seagulls cawed across the ocean while the waves crashed below them. The breeze of fall weather blew around us, and Jacob holding on to my hand.

“I like you, Macie, I like how get embarrassed and blush. I like how you’re probably the only girl who isn’t afraid to be in shop class with me, and I defiantly like how you say you’re not scared to ride my bike, but hold on to me so tight.”

Every Christmas since before I can remember, the boys and I would always gather around whatever TV we had and watch When the Grinch Stole Christmas. My favorite part always came near the end, after the Grinch had stolen the gifts and decorations, and made it all the back to the top of the mountain. He hears the singing coming from the people below and his heart grows three times its original size, breaking the hinges that surrounded it. I think I knew exactly what that felt like now.

“I like you too, Jacob. I like you so much…” I spoke softly back to him the demure goody girl I never knew I was. His hand squeezed mine a little tighter and I leaned my head onto his shoulder.

“I’m really glad you knocked me down in the lunch room a month ago.”

Jake pulled me up off his shoulder suddenly and pulled the both of us to our feet. “You told me you fell, you said I didn’t push you!” he yelled at me in mock anger.

I laughed at him and noticed the sun setting on the horizon. “I think it’s time you took me home, muscle man.”