burning point

It had been a while since Bella had dumped her scrap-metal project onto Jacob. Now I was stuck in a car with the two of them, wedged in the backseat like an afterthought. I had no clue why I was even here. Every turn in the road made my stomach lurch, but I doubted it was the drive making me nauseous.

"If I told you I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you have said?" Jacob's voice was light, teasing, but there was an edge to it. He wasn't looking at either of us, his gaze fixed ahead even though he wasn't the one driving.

Bella glanced at him, her fingers tightening on the wheel. "Are you doubting your mad skills?" she joked, and Jacob smirked, the same way he always did when she said something remotely playful. I returned my gaze to the window, pretending not to listen.

"No, definitely not," he said with confidence. "They'll run fine." Then he sucked on his teeth, making a hissing noise. "It's just... uh... maybe if I was smart, I would've dragged out the rebuild a bit." His voice carried a note of regret, like he was mourning the end of something he hadn't wanted to finish.

God, just kill me.

Bella looked between the road and Jacob. "If you told me you couldn't fix them..." she hesitated, then shrugged. "I'd say that's too bad, but we'd just have to find something else to do."

Jacob laughed. A soft, warm sound that made something inside me twist painfully.

No, seriously. Kill me.

Out of nowhere, Bella squinted at something ahead. "Is that Sam Uley?" she asked, pointing.

Jacob tensed. His easy smile dimmed as his expression darkened. "Yeah."

Curious, I turned to look, my gaze landing on a group of guys standing atop a cliff. For a moment, I thought they were fighting, but then one of them leaped-no, was thrown-off the edge, plummeting toward the water below. My breath caught.

"Oh my god," Bella gasped. She pulled the truck over abruptly, flinging the door open. "Did you see that?"

I hesitated for half a second before following suit, stepping out into the crisp air. Maybe I should just jump, too. End the suffering. That was a joke. Kind of.

Jacob laughed at Bella's alarm. "They're not fighting," he assured her, stepping past me. "They're cliff diving. Scary as hell, but a total rush."

I folded my arms, watching Bella carefully. There was something about the way she repeated, "A rush?" as if she were savoring the words. As if she were chasing something beyond just an adrenaline high.

Jacob was still talking, oblivious to her sudden fixation. She turned back to the truck, leaning against it, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

"You got some kind of problem with Sam?" I asked, trying to pull the conversation away from Bella's weird thrill-seeking behavior.

Jacob crossed his arms. "I don't know. They just think they run this place."

"Embry used to call them hall monitors on steroids," he muttered bitterly. "Now look at him."

My brows furrowed. "That's Embry?"

Jacob turned slightly, like he was acknowledging me for the first time since we'd left the house. "Yeah."

"What happened to him?" Bella asked, and just like that, I was invisible again.

Jacob exhaled. "He missed some school. Then, all of a sudden, he starts following Sam around like some lost puppy. Same thing happened with Paul and Jared." He glanced toward the group on the cliff, eyes narrowing. "And Sam keeps giving me this look, like he's waiting for me or something. It's kinda starting to freak me out."

"You should just avoid him," Bella said.

I rolled my eyes. Helpful, Bella. Really helpful.

Jacob just shook his head. "I try."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"Okay." Bella's voice was steady, determined as she swung a leg over the bike.

Jacob grinned. "You look scared."

"I'm not," Bella shot back, quick and sharp.

I leaned against the truck, arms crossed. Watching them was torture. It was easy, the way they fell into this rhythm. The way they had their own little world, where I was just a bystander, forced to witness the kind of connection I craved but would never have.

"Alright," Jacob said, stepping beside the bike. "Brake. Clutch. Good. Gas. Ready?"

Bella hesitated for a second, her gaze flickering to the distance. Like she was seeing something none of us could. And then-she let go of the clutch entirely.

The bike lurched forward. Jacob and I both startled. My heart slammed against my ribs as Bella rocketed ahead, hands clenching the handlebars in a panic.

"Bella! Stop!" Jacob shouted, alarmed.

Bella didn't stop. She barely had control. I took a step forward, heart in my throat, watching helplessly as the bike wobbled, speeding faster and faster. Then-

It happened in a blink. The front wheel jerked, and Bella went flying. She hit the ground hard, her head colliding with a rock.

Jacob didn't hesitate. He was already on the second bike, speeding after her.

And I-

I ran. The sharp wind bit at my skin as I pushed forward, ignoring the burning in my legs, the way my breath came in uneven bursts.

By the time I reached them, Bella was clutching her head, blood seeping between her fingers.

"I wanna go again," she whispered.

Was she insane?

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I snapped, kneeling beside her. If Jacob wouldn't shut this down, I would.

Bella was undeterred. "I'll try again."

"No. Forget it. No more bikes," I said firmly, inspecting the gash on her forehead.

Jacob exhaled, exasperated. "Man, your head."

Bella winced. "Oh my god, I'm sorry."

Jacob frowned. "You're apologizing for bleeding?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," she murmured.

I sighed, pressing a piece of Jacobs shirt against her wound. "It's just blood, Bella. No big deal." I tried to smile at her, offering some kind of comfort, but I doubted it helped.

She wasn't looking at me anyway. She was staring at Jacob.

"What are you staring at?" Jacob asked, his lips quirking into a smile.

"You're sort of beautiful."

The air left my lungs. A hollow, empty feeling spread through my chest, like a slow-moving poison.

Jacob laughed, the sound easy and effortless.

I swallowed hard. And I swear I tasted blood.

"How hard did you hit your head?" Jacob chuckled, helping her to her feet.

"I don't know." Bella winced as she limped toward the truck.

Jacob shook his head, amused. "Let's go."

I stayed rooted to the spot, watching them walk ahead-watching them move together, like two halves of the same whole.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

I had no interest in going to the movies with Bella and Mike Newton, yet somehow, I had been roped into it anyway. Because of course I had. It was as if my life had become a series of events I had no control over, always playing the role of the reluctant participant. It wasn't just that I didn't care much for Mike's clumsy attempts at flirting with Bella-though that was painful enough to witness-it was the fact that I was the inevitable third wheel in whatever strange, unspoken dynamic was unfolding between them in the wake of Edward Cullen's departure.

But then Jacob decided to tag along, and suddenly, everything shifted.

At first, his presence was a relief. Jacob had always had a way of making things feel lighter, turning the heavy and complicated into something bearable. And yet, lately, things between us had been... different. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly-only that he had started pulling away, disappearing for days at a time, avoiding my calls, and offering half-hearted excuses whenever we did manage to cross paths. It felt as though I was standing on the precipice of understanding something important, yet every time I reached for it, it slipped through my fingers like smoke.

Sitting beside him in the darkened theater, I found myself acutely aware of every movement he made. The warmth of his arm as it rested against the shared armrest, the way his leg brushed against mine briefly before he shifted away. And worst of all, the way he grinned at Bella whenever she leaned in to whisper something to him.

I tried to ignore it. I told myself it didn't mean anything, that it had always been this way between them. But it didn't stop the slow, creeping feeling inside my chest-the one that made it hard to breathe.

Then things took a turn.

Mike had been looking worse by the minute, and when he finally bolted for the bathroom, Jacob tensed beside me. It wasn't just mild discomfort or concern-it was as though something primal had snapped inside him. His breathing was shallow, his hands clenched into fists, his entire body coiled tight like a wire about to snap.

It was unnerving.

Even in the dim glow of the theater, I could see the way his jaw clenched, the way his muscles trembled beneath his skin. And when we finally stepped outside into the crisp night air, it was clear his usual easy-going demeanor had completely vanished. I left to go and throw my popcorn bucket out- not realizing the moment i would then walk in on.

"Its... really selfish.." Bella's voice was hesitant, laced with reluctance. "You know, I'm not like a car that you can fix up. I'm never gonna run right. So I should be fair to you."

He let out a sharp breath, shaking his head, his shoulders rising and falling unevenly. "It's because of him, right? Look, I know what he did to you. But, Bella, I would never, ever do that. I won't ever hurt you. I promise. I won't let you down. You can count on me." His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

There was a beat of silence. Then, as if on cue, Mike stumbled out of the theater, looking even paler than before, clutching his stomach like he was on the verge of throwing up. "I need to go home. I'm... I was feeling sick before the movie, okay?"

Jacob turned to look at him, and something in his expression shifted. It was as though all the tension inside him from earlier suddenly had a target.

"What is your problem - right now?" Mike muttered, still breathless. "You are my problem, feeling sick? Maybe you need to go to the hospital.. do you want me to put you in the hospital?"

I barely had time to react before Jacob took a step forward, his entire body radiating barely-contained fury.

"Jake," I said quickly, stepping in front of him before things could escalate. I placed a hand on his arm, feeling the unnatural heat of his skin beneath my fingers. "Let it go." The heat was overwhelmingly unnatural, "Jake, your burning up...Like you feel like you have a fever- are you okay?" I ask, genuinely concerned; his body should not be that hot.

For a moment, he didn't move. His eyes locked onto mine, something wild and unreadable flickering beneath the surface. It was only then that I realized how much he was holding back-how much effort it was taking for him not to lose control entirely.

I wanted to ask him what was wrong. I wanted to demand why he had been acting so strange, why he had started pulling away from me, why it felt like he was slipping through my fingers.

But before I could say anything, Bella stepped forward and touched his other arm.

"Jake, you really are burning up," she said softly.

And just like that, the moment was gone. His gaze snapped away from mine as if I had never been standing there at all. He pulled his arm away from both of us, shaking his head as though trying to rid himself of something unbearable.

"I gotta go," he muttered, voice hoarse. Then, without another word, he turned and walked off into the night, leaving me standing there with a sick feeling in my stomach.

I watched him disappear, and all I could think about were the things he hadn't said-the things he refused to say.

And the sinking realization that, whatever was happening to Jacob Black, it was pulling him further and further away from me.