Status: a work in progress!
I Want Crazy
Five.
Regardless of how tired I am, I don’t find myself falling asleep. I just lay, tucked into Jake’s side. I can’t help but feel at home with him. The drunken hookups I’ve been having with Mason don’t mean anything to me, and I think I’ve been doing them because I can’t stand the thought of not having anyone.
Even though we broke up, we still find ourselves in each other’s beds on any given weekend. “Beth?” Jake whispers. I hum in response. “Thank you…for coming home for me.”
My lips pull into a smile, and I carefully snuggle closer to him. “I know I told you not to come when everything happened between Mason and me, but I know you would have.”
I’m sitting in the kitchen with Billy when Jake trudges in, his right arm still clutched tightly to him. “Hey,” I greet with a smile.
Jake smiles back. “Hey, you’re still here!” His voice is excited, despite the tiredness I can hear behind it. “I thought your flight was this morning.”
“It was…I-I don’t think I’m going back, Jake.” I look at Billy, and he nods, bowing out of the conversation and wheeling himself out of the room.
“What do you mean you’re not going back? USC is your dream school.” Jake eases himself into the chair next to me.
“It was…it still is, but there’s nothing there for me anymore.” Jake nods slowly. “And especially after this, Jake. I know I’ve been fighting it for so long, but I can’t keep doing it. There’s no fighting the inevitable. I need to be with you.”
Jakes lips pull into a smile. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that.” I smile, too.
A new feeling fills my chest—a lighter one, a happier one. “About as long as I’ve been holding it back, I bet.”
Jake laughs and leans back in the kitchen chair. “What does your dad think about you staying?”
“He understands why I can’t go back. I guess I got lucky with all three of them being pack members.”
“Lucky for you, not so much for me. Do you know how many death threats I’ve gotten from them?” I laugh a little. “Has Jared told Kayla about the pack yet?”
I shake my head. “Not even a little bit. I guess he’s bringing her to the bonfire tomorrow, though. He wants to tell her.”
I spend the day with Jake and the night at my house. The next day Dad and I head over to the admissions of the local community college, and I apply on the spot, make phone calls to drop out of USC, and I beg Hank for my job back at the grocery store. As much as I hated that job, those people are my family.
I head over to Jake’s for the bonfire, and I find myself tucked under his arm during the stories I’m all too familiar with. I can’t shake the looks everyone’s giving us. I get that this is a long time coming, but there’s something different in the way everyone looks at us. Especially Sam, and it worries me.
“Do you want me to drive you home?” Jake offers as we all start to leave the bonfire.
I shake my head. “I can walk. Go get some sleep.” Jake lets out a laugh.
“You really think I’m about to let you walk through the woods by yourself at night? Are you sure you grew up here?” We share a small laugh. “Do you know what’s in there?”
“What’s so bad about the forest?” Kayla wonders as she and Tyler catch up with us. They’re headed to Kayla’s apartment for the night, which is the opposite direction of home. Otherwise, I’d hitch a ride with them.
Jake and I exchange a look and then look at Tyler. “I think I have to show you something,” Tyler says to her nervously. “Jake, could you…?”
Jake looks at me, silently asking me to come with, too. I nod. “Yeah. I think it’s best if she finds out with someone who already knows.”
“Finds out about what?” Kayla asks.
“Trust me, it’ll knock your socks off,” I reply, laughing a little as we follow the boys down a path in the woods.
“I don’t like this.”
“Babe, trust me. You have nothing to be scared of,” Tyler assures. We reach the small clearing that I know of to be the pack’s meeting place. “Alright, we’ll be right back. You stay here with Beth, okay?” Tyler and Jake disappear into the brush on the edge of the clearing.
“What’s going on?” Kayla demands, looking at me.
“I’d tell you if I could, but this is something you have to see to believe.” I nod towards where two large wolves walk from where Jake and Tyler just entered. Kayla freezes.
“Oh my god.” I smile at the russet wolf and fearlessly approach the two. “Beth, are you crazy?! Run!”
I stop and turn around to face her. “Really, Kayla. They’re nothing to be scared of.” I feel the wet nose of Jake nudge my right arm and squeeze underneath it, laying down at my side. Tyler’s wolf form approaches Kayla slowly, and I watch the two interact. Jake whines from next to me and licks my hand. “Jake, stop! I want to see what she does.” Jake whines again and rolls over into me, sending me stumbling a few steps to the left. “I’m going to kill you,” I laugh, kneeling down and scratching behind his ear.
“Did you just call that wolf Jake?” Kayla questions.
I nod. “It is Jake. Where are your pants? Phase back,” I tell Jake. Jake nods towards his back left ankle, and I untie the clothing. “I’m going to close my eyes. Go for it.”
“Close your eyes? Why?” I feel the pants get taken from my hand. “Oh my god. Ew,” she shrieks.
“Esteem builder right there,” Jake comments. I open my eyes when I hear the zipper of the pants.
“So…let me get this straight,” Kayla looks absolutely confused and upset,” you’re a werewolf?”
“Shape shifter, but yeah,” Jake answers. “So is Tyler, and all of the guys at the bonfire tonight.”
“And you know about this?” Kayla looks at me for an answer.
“I’ve known about it for years.”
Kayla turns pale, and her knees give out from under her. Jake immediately extends his arms to catch her, and Tyler catches her shirt between his teeth. “Nice,” Jake sighs. “I’ll bring her back to my place, if you want to phase back.”
“So, how’s Kayla?” Jake inquires as he buries himself under the hood of his car.
“She’s…still trying to grasp this whole thing, but at least she knows, right?” Jake hums in agreement. “What are your plans for tonight?”
“You’re looking at them.” I hear a loud clang, which causes Jake to let out a slew of profanities. I can’t help but laugh. He looks over his shoulder at me. “Can you try and grab this wrench? My hands are too big.”
I nod and pull the wrench from wherever it fell in the engine. “Now my hands are all greasy,” I pout. I wipe my hands on his dirty jeans.
“Careful there, Beth,” he teases, casting a wink at me. I bite my lip as he turns his back to me. I know that I told him that I wanted to take this thing slow, but every day that I spend with him makes me crazier.
I guess I wasn’t paying attention to him because he’s standing right in front of me, lifting my chin to look up at him. My eyes meet his as he bends down to my height in his rolling work stool.
My fingers latch around the collar of his shirt and pull his lips softly against mine. His hands cup my cheeks, sending the warmth radiating throughout my body. My heart flutters. We exchange a few kisses before Jake picks me up and sets me on the back of his car, leans me back on it, and reconnects our lips. I tangle my hands through his hair, and my hips burn from the grasp of his hot fingertips.
“Jake?”
In a matter of probably two seconds, I’m standing on the floor and Jake’s hands are shoved into his pockets. “Bella, what are you doing here?” I land my eyes on the girl—stick thin, about 5’6”, and dark brown hair. Her skin is almost as pale as the leeches’, but she’s nowhere near as pretty.
“I came to check on you. You haven’t answered any of my calls.”
“I know.”
Bella looks at me. “Beth?” I just stare at her. “Wow. I haven’t seen you in years. Y-you look great.”
“Thanks,” I answer. “Why aren’t you with that Cullen kid? I thought you two were dating.”
She falls quiet, and Jake looks back at me to shake his head in warning.
“Uh, yeah,” is all she responds with.
“Well, I’m fine, Bella,” Jake answers.
“Alright…well, I guess I’ll see you around then.” She waves awkwardly before leaving. Jake looks back at me.
“I don’t like her,” I state simply.
“Look, I might have left a little out from while you were at school first semester…” It kind of lights a fire in my stomach, hearing that from Jake. He tells me everything, from his crush on her to Edward leaving her. Yeah, he’s back now, but it pisses me off that she’d do that to Jake. My Jake.
Even though we broke up, we still find ourselves in each other’s beds on any given weekend. “Beth?” Jake whispers. I hum in response. “Thank you…for coming home for me.”
My lips pull into a smile, and I carefully snuggle closer to him. “I know I told you not to come when everything happened between Mason and me, but I know you would have.”
I’m sitting in the kitchen with Billy when Jake trudges in, his right arm still clutched tightly to him. “Hey,” I greet with a smile.
Jake smiles back. “Hey, you’re still here!” His voice is excited, despite the tiredness I can hear behind it. “I thought your flight was this morning.”
“It was…I-I don’t think I’m going back, Jake.” I look at Billy, and he nods, bowing out of the conversation and wheeling himself out of the room.
“What do you mean you’re not going back? USC is your dream school.” Jake eases himself into the chair next to me.
“It was…it still is, but there’s nothing there for me anymore.” Jake nods slowly. “And especially after this, Jake. I know I’ve been fighting it for so long, but I can’t keep doing it. There’s no fighting the inevitable. I need to be with you.”
Jakes lips pull into a smile. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that.” I smile, too.
A new feeling fills my chest—a lighter one, a happier one. “About as long as I’ve been holding it back, I bet.”
Jake laughs and leans back in the kitchen chair. “What does your dad think about you staying?”
“He understands why I can’t go back. I guess I got lucky with all three of them being pack members.”
“Lucky for you, not so much for me. Do you know how many death threats I’ve gotten from them?” I laugh a little. “Has Jared told Kayla about the pack yet?”
I shake my head. “Not even a little bit. I guess he’s bringing her to the bonfire tomorrow, though. He wants to tell her.”
I spend the day with Jake and the night at my house. The next day Dad and I head over to the admissions of the local community college, and I apply on the spot, make phone calls to drop out of USC, and I beg Hank for my job back at the grocery store. As much as I hated that job, those people are my family.
I head over to Jake’s for the bonfire, and I find myself tucked under his arm during the stories I’m all too familiar with. I can’t shake the looks everyone’s giving us. I get that this is a long time coming, but there’s something different in the way everyone looks at us. Especially Sam, and it worries me.
“Do you want me to drive you home?” Jake offers as we all start to leave the bonfire.
I shake my head. “I can walk. Go get some sleep.” Jake lets out a laugh.
“You really think I’m about to let you walk through the woods by yourself at night? Are you sure you grew up here?” We share a small laugh. “Do you know what’s in there?”
“What’s so bad about the forest?” Kayla wonders as she and Tyler catch up with us. They’re headed to Kayla’s apartment for the night, which is the opposite direction of home. Otherwise, I’d hitch a ride with them.
Jake and I exchange a look and then look at Tyler. “I think I have to show you something,” Tyler says to her nervously. “Jake, could you…?”
Jake looks at me, silently asking me to come with, too. I nod. “Yeah. I think it’s best if she finds out with someone who already knows.”
“Finds out about what?” Kayla asks.
“Trust me, it’ll knock your socks off,” I reply, laughing a little as we follow the boys down a path in the woods.
“I don’t like this.”
“Babe, trust me. You have nothing to be scared of,” Tyler assures. We reach the small clearing that I know of to be the pack’s meeting place. “Alright, we’ll be right back. You stay here with Beth, okay?” Tyler and Jake disappear into the brush on the edge of the clearing.
“What’s going on?” Kayla demands, looking at me.
“I’d tell you if I could, but this is something you have to see to believe.” I nod towards where two large wolves walk from where Jake and Tyler just entered. Kayla freezes.
“Oh my god.” I smile at the russet wolf and fearlessly approach the two. “Beth, are you crazy?! Run!”
I stop and turn around to face her. “Really, Kayla. They’re nothing to be scared of.” I feel the wet nose of Jake nudge my right arm and squeeze underneath it, laying down at my side. Tyler’s wolf form approaches Kayla slowly, and I watch the two interact. Jake whines from next to me and licks my hand. “Jake, stop! I want to see what she does.” Jake whines again and rolls over into me, sending me stumbling a few steps to the left. “I’m going to kill you,” I laugh, kneeling down and scratching behind his ear.
“Did you just call that wolf Jake?” Kayla questions.
I nod. “It is Jake. Where are your pants? Phase back,” I tell Jake. Jake nods towards his back left ankle, and I untie the clothing. “I’m going to close my eyes. Go for it.”
“Close your eyes? Why?” I feel the pants get taken from my hand. “Oh my god. Ew,” she shrieks.
“Esteem builder right there,” Jake comments. I open my eyes when I hear the zipper of the pants.
“So…let me get this straight,” Kayla looks absolutely confused and upset,” you’re a werewolf?”
“Shape shifter, but yeah,” Jake answers. “So is Tyler, and all of the guys at the bonfire tonight.”
“And you know about this?” Kayla looks at me for an answer.
“I’ve known about it for years.”
Kayla turns pale, and her knees give out from under her. Jake immediately extends his arms to catch her, and Tyler catches her shirt between his teeth. “Nice,” Jake sighs. “I’ll bring her back to my place, if you want to phase back.”
“So, how’s Kayla?” Jake inquires as he buries himself under the hood of his car.
“She’s…still trying to grasp this whole thing, but at least she knows, right?” Jake hums in agreement. “What are your plans for tonight?”
“You’re looking at them.” I hear a loud clang, which causes Jake to let out a slew of profanities. I can’t help but laugh. He looks over his shoulder at me. “Can you try and grab this wrench? My hands are too big.”
I nod and pull the wrench from wherever it fell in the engine. “Now my hands are all greasy,” I pout. I wipe my hands on his dirty jeans.
“Careful there, Beth,” he teases, casting a wink at me. I bite my lip as he turns his back to me. I know that I told him that I wanted to take this thing slow, but every day that I spend with him makes me crazier.
I guess I wasn’t paying attention to him because he’s standing right in front of me, lifting my chin to look up at him. My eyes meet his as he bends down to my height in his rolling work stool.
My fingers latch around the collar of his shirt and pull his lips softly against mine. His hands cup my cheeks, sending the warmth radiating throughout my body. My heart flutters. We exchange a few kisses before Jake picks me up and sets me on the back of his car, leans me back on it, and reconnects our lips. I tangle my hands through his hair, and my hips burn from the grasp of his hot fingertips.
“Jake?”
In a matter of probably two seconds, I’m standing on the floor and Jake’s hands are shoved into his pockets. “Bella, what are you doing here?” I land my eyes on the girl—stick thin, about 5’6”, and dark brown hair. Her skin is almost as pale as the leeches’, but she’s nowhere near as pretty.
“I came to check on you. You haven’t answered any of my calls.”
“I know.”
Bella looks at me. “Beth?” I just stare at her. “Wow. I haven’t seen you in years. Y-you look great.”
“Thanks,” I answer. “Why aren’t you with that Cullen kid? I thought you two were dating.”
She falls quiet, and Jake looks back at me to shake his head in warning.
“Uh, yeah,” is all she responds with.
“Well, I’m fine, Bella,” Jake answers.
“Alright…well, I guess I’ll see you around then.” She waves awkwardly before leaving. Jake looks back at me.
“I don’t like her,” I state simply.
“Look, I might have left a little out from while you were at school first semester…” It kind of lights a fire in my stomach, hearing that from Jake. He tells me everything, from his crush on her to Edward leaving her. Yeah, he’s back now, but it pisses me off that she’d do that to Jake. My Jake.