Serendipity

She touched them again – her lips – for the thousandth time that morning.

It was always done subconsciously, Brennan never realizing herself that her fingertips were lingering upon the part of her that had brushed up against Jacob in one of the most intimate of ways. That moment had consumed her being; it was the only thing she could ever think about – the thing she fantasized about. How had she been reduced to such a state of longing?

With nothing to do the rest of her break – her father having scared her well enough to make her hold herself hostage in her room, it had been the only thing she could bring herself to fixate on. Now, as she sat in her history class during her first day back from break, she could only bring herself to be there in a physical form, her mind wandering about as it replayed that day's affectionate rendezvous, her eyes wandering to an empty seat a few rows away from her desk.

The elderly gentleman who helmed the pedestal at the front of the classroom, guiding the young minds in his care with a firm hand, noticed the brunette towards the back of the room clearly dozing off, her glazed over eyes staring absently at another part of the room. A firm line replaced his lips, and he cleared his throat, ready to bring her attention back to where it should have been in the first place.

“Brennan.” No reaction came from the young girl, causing the man to furrow his brow in frustration. “Brennan.”

A nagging voice and laughter from her classmates snapped her out of her daydream, Brennan sitting upright and facing forward, a slight hue of pink tinting her caramel cheeks. She really needed to stop thinking about that damn kiss!

“Would you care to share with the rest of the class what was on your mind, Brennan? It was clearly very important.”

She hated when teachers said that – way to be a living cliché.

But as she stared at Mr. Murphy, the infamous hardass that even Jacob had warned her about her first day at La Push High School, she knew better than to let those thoughts be put on display for all to see.

“No, sir...” her voice trailed awkwardly.

“Well then, maybe you would care to share with me after school in detention?”

Soft whispers echoed throughout the class, her peers amused at the turn of events. Brennan's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she cursed herself for being so simple-minded as to let that one kiss occupy her so much. Sitting through Mr. Murphy's class once was enough – twice? – that was torture.

She stole a quick glance back at the empty desk a ways away from her, sending the spot where Jacob should have been a look of disdain. He was lucky to be absent from school that day, otherwise he would have gotten an earful from her.

Then again – who was she kidding? Had he been here, she was sure her thoughts would have been as rampant as her heart had been since it happened...



Brennan tossed her bag onto the table with little care as to how it landed, Kim jumping up in surprise as she realized who was joining her. The area was eerily quiet, the usual banter and shouts gone from the quad that they occupied as, not only Jacob, but the rest of the giant gang of guys was absent from school that day. The pair females were the only ones accounted for from their usual group.

“Did class suck, or something?” Kim curiously peeked at her girlfriend from behind her PB&J sandwich.

“I zoned out in Murphy's – got a detention with him after school,” Brennan groaned.

Kim's facial expression grew sullen, wincing at the thought of her friend having to endure being stuck with the known psychopath. “Yeah, that sucks,” she admitted, taking a bite of her meal.

“You don't have to tell me that,” a sigh escaped her as she sat down, leaning forward against the wooden picnic table.

“What'd you bring for lunch?” Kim attempted to change the subject.

Brennan looked to her bag and then back towards Kim. “Nothing.”

How she wished she had, though. However, at home there wasn't anything to make do with, and she wasn't going to risk life and limb to scrounge up the courage to ask Andrew for lunch money. She was just going to have to make do till Andrew restocked on his groceries – whenever that would be...

A rumble sounded off and Kim stared at where it came from – Brennan's stomach, the girl blushing from embarrassment as Kim laughed aloud at the impeccable timing. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out a bag of crackers, tossing it in front of her friend with a smile.

“It's not much, but eat up. You're gonna need all the energy you can get to make it through another round with Murphy.”

“Thanks,” Brennan smiled gratefully and tore an opening in the plastic, grabbing a cracker and tossing it into her mouth. “And where are they guys?”

“I guess they all just decided to ditch,” she shrugged. “They could have at least invited us, don't you think?”

“At least I wouldn't be stuck with detention if they had,” Brennan sighed.

She knew that they didn't just decide to ditch, but she couldn't exactly explain they were all off following the scent of a vampire that had wandered onto reservation lands. Kim didn't like lying to her friend, but seeing as she was clueless about the guys and their ability to shift into wolves, she knew it wasn't her place to explain their true whereabouts. Jacob had to be the one to tell her about their collective secret – whenever he thought their relationship was ready for it.

That got her thinking...

Kim washed down a bite of peanut butter with her water bottle, and then turned to the brunette expectantly. “So... you and Jake have been hanging out a lot lately. Anything going on?”

There was an awkward silence at the two teenagers glanced at one other, the one being interrogated mumbling, “Nothing much.”

Kim's eyes hardened and she extended out her hand. “Give me back my damn crackers.”

Laughter escaped them and Brennan sighed. “Okay, fine...” she braced herself for what she was about to confess. “Jacob kissed me at the start of break last week.”

In all honesty, Kim had already found that bit of information out when the boys were at Sam and Emily's a few days back. However, hearing it from the girl herself still made her giddy all the same. She squealed and bounced about in her seat, the words flying out of her mouth before she even knew she was speaking, “How was it?”

Blood rushed to her cheeks, the brunette growing flustered. There was no escaping it. That damned kiss was the only thing her life was revolving around right now. Though, she didn't necessarily hate the thought.

“It was...” she paused to gather herself, the heat that once veiled her lips when they met Jacob's seemingly returning to remind her of the sensation, “I can't even explain it,” she whispered in defeat.

Kim was grinning like a fool, knowing very well the feeling she was talking about – falling for someone who imprinted upon you was indescribable. How could someone explain something like that? How could one explain “destiny”?

“I won't judge you, just... try to put it into words for me,” she leaned forward eagerly.

“...It felt right. I've never had a kiss that felt so... natural?” She began, putting down the bag of crackers and, once again, caressing her lips with her fingertips. “Any other kiss I've had with a guy was just that – a kiss, but this was something more. This was like... Jacob and I were... were...”

Kim was practically half-way across the table with how far she was leaning. Was Brennan going to say they were meant for each other? Say it, Bren, say it! Kim pleaded with herself.

Brennan gave a sigh, stopping herself short. “...I don't know, Kim.”

The girl deflated and stared at her friend in dismay, soon picking herself up and turning her thoughts into words. “I think you do know, and you're just afraid to admit it.”

“...So what if I am?”

Kim's jaw dropped slightly at her response, but she quickly regained composure. “Why are you afraid?”

“I just don't think I should be feeling this way.”

“Uh, what?”

“That came out wrong. I just think it's too soon – that's what I mean,” Brennan elaborated. “I've only been here for a little more than a month, and Jake's been the best person to me, but me feeling like this... feels rushed. Feeling this strongly for someone when I feel like I just met them is insane.”

Kim nodded her head, she also knew the feeling. She had met Jared one night at a bonfire for the telling of their tribe's old stories, and while neither of them knew who the other was, the connection that was created between them was impossible to ignore. She had chosen to go with her gut – to throw caution to the wind and allow herself to fall for him, and she knew she had made the right choice. Now, it was Brennan's turn to do the same...

And Kim needed to help her figure that out.

“I get that. I fell for Jared fast, too. And just like you, I didn't really know him that well. It's like you're trying to figure out if this is really happening or not, and it's coming out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, exactly. I didn't know falling for someone so fast was possible.”

“You should give it a chance – I did, and look at how happy Jared and I are.” Kim leaned forward and gazed at her curiously. “Do you want to be his girlfriend?”

The heat in her face was unbearable as Brennan looked down at the table. “...I wouldn't mind it,” she admitted, “but still, it's too soon. I can't get into a relationship right now.”

“Well, why not?”

Her mind flickered to Andrew, at how he had reacted the night he confronted his daughter over meeting and being with Jacob. She didn't want to imagine the rampage he'd be on if he found out she was dating...

“I just want to wait,” she answered, “figure more out about these feelings.”

“He likes you – what more do you need to know?” She muttered.

“That I'm not crazy.”

The bell tolled on the school grounds, almost as if on cue, signaling the end of this discussion between girlfriends. They packed their things, threw their trash away, and gave each other a hug, Brennan thanking Kim for helping her sort, or rather rationalize, her feelings before heading towards her next class.

Before entering through the door to Math Analysis, her phone vibrated in her pocket. The brunette pulled the mobile device out and unlocked the screen, reading the newly received text message.



Her heart bashed around the inside of her chest fretfully, the girl taking a calming breath before sending off a response and entering the class as the bell rang to commence the lesson.



Now, for once, she was looking forward to detention. It was giving her a reason to not see Jake and to not have to worry about being conflicted over these feelings of hesitation.



She would have been out thirty minutes earlier had it not been for that stupid kiss. Had it not come round her thoughts once again near the end of her sentencing, she would have been let off with just a verbal warning to not doze off during class. Yet here she was at half past four, feet dragging behind her and hand cramping up from having written down the entire textbook chapter they were currently on.

Just what had Jacob done to her to make her so infatuated?

She walked out of the La Push High gates and sauntered through the parking lot, not even noticing the figure that watched her with attentiveness. It wasn't until a blare erupted and echoed in the parking lot did she realize she was not alone as previously thought.

Her eyes darted up and took notice of the towering boy a few parking stalls before her – a lopsided grin occupying his features as his hand lingered upon the middle of the car's steering wheel. The breath in her lungs dissipated, and her heart stopped for a split second before kicking into overtime, her mind as blank as the expression she must have had on full display.

“Don't tell me you're not happy to see me,” Jacob greeted, feigning a distraught tone of voice while strolling over and casually enveloping her hand in his own.

It took a minute before her mind realized that there was some sort of communication happening between them – that she had to actually respond to him to keep the conversation going. She knew that, yet still stared at him in a wonderstruck manner. Her copper eyes fluttered their way from his hand that encompassed hers, to his chocolate irises that sweetly admired her, to finally the set of lips that looked as soft as they had felt when against her own.

And there it was again – that feeling that seemed to blanket her whenever he was around. The sensation in the pit of her stomach that was now screaming at her to realize that this – their meeting, their previous encounters, and all future reunions – was only right.

Was she crazy to believe that this just might be destiny?

“I know I'm good looking, Bren, but you've been staring for a solid minute now,” Jacob laughed.

Her cheeks flushed and she wondered when the last time she had blushed this many times in a single day was. Her body was rebelling against her, giving her away at every turn and she had no way to control it.

“I thought you weren't coming,” she managed to reply, her voice nothing more than a quiet whisper. “I told you I had detention.”

“I know. You did. But I still want to give you a ride home. I don't mind waiting for you, Brennan.”

He smiled at her and sent her heart racing, the poor girl almost forgetting how to breathe.

“Thanks, Jake,” she whispered breathlessly, squeezing his hand. “Let's go home.”

As they walked towards the Rabbit, Brennan came to a conclusion.

Jacob... Jacob scared her. The control he had over her emotions and state of mind – it wasn't natural, it shouldn't be possible. She was afraid of falling for him in such a way that left her feeling vulnerable and like she didn't have a choice in the matter.

However, she knew that she cared for him. How deeply, she wasn't sure, but deep enough to know that she wanted to pursue this – whatever “this” was.

Brennan needed to know why – when Jacob gazed upon her with tenderness in his eyes and when his skin would deftly brush against her own – was the feeling of uneasiness diminished like a fog lifting in the morning hours...