Steamin' at the Seams

"Thanks for the ride," I say at 6:20 as I get out of the car.

"Yeah, yeah. Just call when you know when you're coming home," Will says, waving me out of the car.

I sit down on the curb and pull my hood up as Will drives away. I put my headphones in and turn on my IPod as I wait for Jacob. The Beatles blare into my ears as I stare out into the misty rain. There're still a few hours until the sun goes down, but with the clouds here it's almost dark.

An old Volkswagen pulls up just as 'Hey Jude' ends. I see Jacob sitting behind the wheel and stand up, walking over and opening the passenger-side door.

"Why didn't you wait in the store?" Jacob asks as I slide into the seat and shut the door.

I shrug. "I dunno. I don't mind the rain. I kind of like it."

Jacob rolls his eyes, driving down the rain-wet road. "Good thing."

We ride in silence for a few minutes. I stare out the window at the passing woods. I don't mind rain, but all of this mushy green crap sure bugs me.

"What were you listening to?" Jacob asks suddenly.

"What?" I look over at him. He waves a hand toward my lap, where my hands are resting. I realize I'm still clutching my IPod. "Oh, The Beatles."

"Really? What song?"

"Um, 'Strawberry Fields Forever' ended right when you pulled up," I answer.

He nods. "That's cool." After a few moments of silence, he asks "How old are you?"

"I'll be seventeen in October," I say.

"So will you be a junior?" He asks.

I nod. "Yep."

"Cool," Jacob says, grinning. "I'll be a junior, too."

I raise my eyebrows. "For real? You look a little old to be a junior."

He laughs. "Nah, I just look older, I'm seventeen."

I roll my eyes. "Geez, you look like you're like, twenty or something."

Still laughing. "Yeah, well you look like you're fifteen or something."

"Hey!" I say indignantly, crossing my arms. "It's not my fault I'm not a giant. It's a pretty normal height, anyway. You were probably just shot up with some experimental growth hormones at your last doctor's appointment or something."

He chuckles. "Sure, sure. Just like a short person, getting miffed at those of us born with the gift of height."

"Aw, shut up!" I laugh, smacking his arm. "Geez, you're hot!"

He grins. "I know, I have a mirror."

"Ha-ha," I roll my eyes. "I mean your skin, you feel like you've got a fever or something." I poke his abnormally warm arm.

He rolls his eyes, too. "Nah, maybe you're just abnormally cold. And you know you think I'm gorgeous." He smirks at me.

"I'll give you gorgeous, you –"

"We're here," He says loudly, cutting me off before I can use my colorful adjectives. Damn. I like colorful adjectives.

I shove my IPod into my pocket and open the door, climbing out of the car and looking around. It's not raining up here, and everyone else is already here, piling wood onto the fire. Jacob and I walk up as everyone settles into a circle around the bonfire.

"Hey, Jake! Hey, Lacey!" Quil says enthusiastically as we sit down. I'm in between Jacob and Emily.

I laugh. "Hey, Quil."

"Lacey," Jared says from across the circle, "this is Kim." She's sitting next to him, leaning against his side, and he has one arm around her.

"Hi, Kim," I say, waving across the fire.

She laughs, waving back. "Hey, Lacey." Jared leans down to whisper something in her ear, and she looks at me with a new light in her eyes. Weird.

I shrug it off, turning to Emily. "Hey, thanks for inviting me."

She smiles. "No problem, we're happy to have you here."

Sam hands wire rods – unbent coat hangers – to everyone, and we roast hot-dogs, laughing and joking.

It's amazing how quickly I've been accepted into this close-knit group of friends. I never really had a clique back in Maryland. I floated around, friendless. I've never been brought into a group like this.

"Hey, I have news!" Paul says suddenly. "I meant to tell a while ago, but I forgot."

"What is it?" Embry asks.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen," Paul says the name acidly, and next to me, Jacob tenses. "has told the hospital in Forks that he'll be leaving at the end of August to move to 'Iowa'. By the end of the summer, the Cullens will all be gone.

Jacob tightens his grip on his hot dog-skewer, staring, focused, into the fire.

"Good riddance," Quil snorts.

"I’m…confused," I say slowly. Who are the Cullens?

"The Cullens are a family who lives in Forks," Sam explains. "They…they aren't welcome on the reserve."

"Any particular reason why?" I ask.

The circle of friends now seems to be a separate entity from me and Jake. I don't know what's going on, and Jacob barely seems to be breathing. The boys shoot each other uncertain looks across the fire. Sam seems to be debating on whether or not to say something.

"Just some old legends," Jacob says quickly.

I look over at him, and he's looking down at me, too. His face is calm, but his eyes look confused.

"Lacey's never heard the stories before, Jake," Sam says in a low voice. "We could tell her."

Everyone else is silent as Jacob says "We can't tell it like Billy can. I'll give her the gist of it though." He looks at Sam, back down at me, then stares into the fire again.

"Old Quileute legends say that we descended from wolves. That there would be a pack of warriors, who could, in times of need, transform into wolves. You could call them werewolves," Jacob smiles ruefully before continuing.

"The wolves only had one enemy, the cold ones. Vampires, really. Legend has it, the last wolf pack of the tribe existed about seventy years ago. A coven of vampires came to the area, and the pack readied themselves to fight.

"The leader of the coven spoke to Ephraim Black, my great-grandfather, and told him that they were different. His coven didn't kill humans. The pack and the coven created a treaty.

"The vampires would stay off La Push, for safety reasons. The pack would not attack them. Unless one of them bit a human. Then, the pack were free to choose to go to war," Jacob finishes bitterly. "The story goes that the coven that made the treaty is the same family, the Cullens."

Everyone is watching me. Trying to judge my reaction, I guess. Jacob seems to be holding his breath again.

"Interesting," I say. "Do you believe the legend?"

Jacob flicks a rock into the fire. "It's just a story, right?" He glances at me and smiles.

I may not be an expert, but it looks to me like that little smile is trying to sit on top of a whole lot of hurt. But, hey, like I said. I'm not an expert.

I grin back, and the tension around the group seems to disappear. Everyone relaxes, and people start talking again. I look over in Sam and Emily's direction and find Sam frowning at Jacob. Jacob pointedly ignores it as he looks the other way and talks animatedly to Quil.

"Jacob seems a little…off," I say quietly to Emily.

She looks at him sympathetically. "He was in love with a girl, Bella, who's getting married in August."

I glance over at him. That would explain the sad looks he gets. "So, was it like, the whole unrequited thing?"

The look on Emily's face changes a little. "Well, it's kind of like that. See, she loved him back, too, but…it wasn't enough. She loved the other boy more. It was one of the Cullens, actually, which would explain a bit why everyone's glad they're leaving."

"Oh," I say. "That's so sad."

Emily nods. "Yeah. I think he's getting over it though."

"I hope so," I say softly.