— SINCE the new protection detail, Brooke had her own wolfy bodyguards. Reluctantly, she'd gotten around to forgiving Embry, she was still making him grovel though. Considering she'd be around the pack more.

"Somethin' wrong with your car?" Charlie asked his youngest daughter as she walked down the stairs. Her eyebrows furrow but she quickly understood what he meant.

Paul and Jared had offered to drive her to school for now, until the Victoria problem was fixed. "Um, yeah, Paul's gonna take it sometime this week to figure out the problem." The excuse was believable enough, Charlie hummed with nod.

"Gotta go! Bye dad!" She waved before exiting her house and climbing into the backseat of Paul's truck. "Is there any chance you could take my car and park it somewhere this week?" She asked the boy as he began to pull out of her driveway.

"What for?" He raised a brow.

"I told my dad something was wrong with it, y'know since i'm gonna be riding with you guys for a while." Paul seemed to take her words into consideration, reluctantly he nodded.

"Thanks!" She leaned back, not noticing the smirk Jared had on his face as he looked at his pack brother.

"Ow!"

Jared's squeal filled the truck, holding his arm after Paul had punched him.

—

"You don't have extracurriculars we should know about?" Jared asked Brooke as they arrived at the school. She shook her head. "Cheer's been shut down. Funding problems."

She climbed out of the truck, Paul and Jared doing the same once the former had shut down the vehicle.

"I'll see you guys later." Brooke quickly waved, making her way to where Kim was standing at the entrance of the school.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kim's eyes were wide with a smirk on her lips.

"Care to explain why you've come to school with both Paul and Jared?" Kim said, interwining their arms as they walked into the school. "Didn't know you guys were best buds."

"I'd like to know about that too, actually." Quil said, approaching the duo.

"They're just...being nice." She shrugged, hoping her answer would be enough. Thought for Quil, it wasn't.

"Nice? Are you sure you haven't joined their gang too?" Brooke rolled her eyes at his words.

Paul and Jared walked past them, meeting with Embry and Jacob at the end of the hall. "Apparently we've lost Jacob to them too." Quil's words were bitter, making Brooke frown.

"Quil—"

Just then, he walked away in anger. Kim gave Brooke a small smile. "He misses them." Was all Kim said to comfort her best friend, Brooke nodded in understanding.

Watching as Quil walked away further and further.

—

"I hate lying to him." Brooke frowned from her place on Jacob's bed. "It's to protect him, Penny." The boy sighed, sitting on the ground tinkering with a small bracelet he was making.

"Yeah, but he's already lost you and Embry. Last thing he needs is me lying to him." She rolled over, clutching a pillow in her arms, watching what he was doing.

"He hasn't lost me and Embry."

"Might not seem like it to you." She rolled her eyes. "Penny, stop worrying. It'll be fine." The fact that he was so calm about it made her worry more.

"M'still mad at you. Only tolerating you because I have to." She mumbled under her breath, something he no doubt heard.

"I'm sorry, Penny. Y'know I didn't mean what I said. I'd never wish bad upon Charlie." His apology was sincere, he'd felt bad about what he said as soon as he said it.

The duo fell into a comfortable silence as they both stopped talking.

"Hey, Penny?" Jake spoke up after a while.

"D'you think Bella feels something for me?" His question made her frown, since they were kids Jacob had been in love with her twin.

"I think...that if she'd never met Edward. You could've made her happy." Brooke answered honestly. "But I don't wanna get your hopes up."

"M'sorry Jake, I know you love her." Her words were true, she wanted her best friend to be happy, as long as he was pining over Bella. She didn't know if he truly would be.

"It is what it is." His response was short.

He held up the now finished bracelet, it was a charm bracelet. Jacob stood up and sat on the foot of his bed. "Here, belated birthday gift." Brooke sat up with a smile.

"It's pretty, Jake." The bracelet had her initial on it along with a wolf charm.

"Really?" she deadpanned, holding the charm in between her thumb and index finger. He gave her a sheepish grin. "Couldn't help myself."

She let him put the bracelet on her, smiling at the way it look on her wrist. Finally, with a yawn she moved to the window side of the bed, cuddling into the blanket she'd brought.

"G'night Jake."

Jacob stood to turn off the light before moving to lay on the empty side of the bed. "Night, Penny." He yawned. He couldn't help but snicker silently, knowing Paul would kill him if he saw throught the pack link that he shared a bed with Brooke.

It wasn't something new for the duo, they'd always shared a bed when she slept over. They'd been best friends for years, same thing for her friendship with Quil and Embry.

But it was new to Paul, the whole imprint thing. So, it was likely. That Jacob would be a dead man when Paul finds out.

—

this ones a bit shorter i think