CHAPTER TEN
3AM

"Hey, I know it's, like, super, super late and all, but I can't find Diane and I'm bored so I thought I'd call you..."

Jacob ran a hand over his face in exhaustion, heavy eyelids trying to force themselves closed. He propped himself up in bed, a yawn escaping past his lips as he leaned over, checking the time on his digital clock. 3am.

"You okay?" Jacob asked into the phone, his voice raspy. He could hear the distant sound of music thumping in the background, his sleepy state of mind reminding him where Montana was.

"I'm bored," Montana replied with a huff. Jacob could imagine her sat in a corner alone, arms folded, pout on her face. A small smile began to tug at his lips at the thought. "Getting drunk isn't as fun as people say it is."

"Where's Diane?"

"Not sure," Montana replied nonchalantly. "I think she went off with Brad?"

Jacob frowned. "Who's Brad?"

"Oh, some guy," Montana said in disinterest. "Quarterback. Tall. Dark. Handsome." She paused. "Not as handsome as you, obviously." Jacob let out a breathy laugh as Montana giggled. Their laughter settled, and silence began to lapse between them. "Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

"I miss you too."

Montana sighed to herself. "This would be more fun if you were here."

"You're not having fun?" He asked in concern, sitting up properly. "Want me to pick you up?"

"I think I'm just a sad drunk," Montana said, the slurring of her words forcing Jacob to hold back an amused chuckle. "I keep thinking about things that make me sad. It's like that...that hole in my chest. Alcohol just makes it feel a million times bigger."

Jacob sighed. "Mon..."

"I just miss Embry so much," she whispered tearfully, the small crack in her voice crushing Jacob. "I don't get it. Why did he leave us?"

"I don't know," Jacob replied truthfully. He'd been running the same question through his own mind for weeks now. Montana wasn't the only one hurting about Embry, but she was sure as hell the one taking it the hardest. "But he's not worth getting upset over."

Montana let out a watery laugh. "How did you know I was crying?"

"Because I know you," Jacob replied softly, his heart sinking at the thought. "Look, don't think about Embry right now, it's not worth it. You should go have some fun."

"Yeah." Montana breathed out heavily. "I know. I'm sorry for bothering you."

"You could never bother me," Jacob told her, his voice lowering with sincerity. "Never."

"I just...wanted to hear your voice." A warmth spread through Jacob's chest, feeling a nervous flutter in his stomach. He fell quiet, unsure on what to respond. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah." Jacob swallowed thickly. "Still here."

Montana was sat on the concrete edge of the backyard swimming pool, her ankles dangling in the water, gently swishing it around her. "By the way, I...I'm sorry about giving you a hard time about Bella."

"No, you were right," Jacob told her. "I never meant to make you feel like that."

"Promise me you won't leave," Montana asked him in a small voice. "Promise me."

"I won't," he vowed. "I would never leave you, Montana. Never."

"I love you." The three words escaped her mouth before her intoxicated brain could quite engage, leaving her completely flustered. Her cheeks flushed red, heart thumping heavily in her chest. Montana was unbelievably glad that Jacob wasn't right in front of her witnessing her complete and utter freak out. "I–" She stopped herself, wondering why those words had left her feeling so embarrassed. Montana had told Jacob that she loved him plenty of times, and Quil, and Embry. They were best friends. But the 'I love you' that left her lips tonight, the amount of alcohol she'd consumed slowing her brain, unable to halt it from being spoken, that 'I love you' felt different.

Jacob completely froze up, his mouth falling open, though no sound came out. He knew that Montana had been drinking, and that the sentiment should have just made him smile and laugh, but Jacob could feel the weight of those words, the strange atmosphere that hung in the air between them making them feel even more real. As if it were something deep down inside her that she'd just confessed. And what scared him the most was that a part of him almost wished that were true.

As the complete silence on the other end of the line grew louder and louder, Montana's pulse began to quicken in panic, causing her to choke out a nervous laugh. "Um, you know what I mean."

"I know." Jacob hesitated for a second, the knot that was tightening in his chest leaving him almost breathless. "I love you too, Mon."

A smile lifted on Montana's lips. "I should...I should let you get back to sleep."

"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up?" Jacob double checked. Montana pressed her lips tight together, trying to stifle the growing smile that she knew he'd be able to hear in her voice.

"No, I'm good," she assured him. "I'm gonna go in and find Diane. Thanks though."

"Ok," Jacob responded, unable to help but feel slightly disappointed that their conversation was over. Despite the fact it was three o'clock in the morning, Jacob didn't mind talking to Montana. He'd stay up all night if he could; it wouldn't bother him. Time never seemed to pass the normal way when he was with her. "I hope you have fun."

Montana smiled to herself again. "Night Jake," she said softly.

"Goodnight."

She pulled the phone away from her ear, holding it out in front of her before pressing the button to hang up. A light sigh passed her lips as the screen went black. Montana felt disappointed, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

She glanced behind her at the flashing disco lights of the party inside. Amongst the sound of the music, laughter came from inside, shouts and cheers, a sense of being completely and utterly carefree.

Montana's gaze lowered down to her bare feet paddling in the swimming pool, the loneliness of the night beginning to settle in. She hadn't had a terrible time; she'd danced to some of her favourite songs with Diane, met new people, played a very intense game of beer pong, she'd even been hit on by some very attractive guys. But no amount of fun, no amount of alcohol, could keep her thoughts away; could keep away the reminders of the people who weren't there with her. And there was nothing more she wished for than to rewind to a couple months back, when everything was normal.

Montana didn't belong here. She belonged in La Push, with her family and her friends. This wasn't her. And staring down at her phone, at the numbers of the people who meant the world to her, even just a text or a phone call away, she'd never felt so lonely.

The back door slid open abruptly, amplifying the noise from inside the house. Montana turned her head, watching as Diane stumbled down the step onto the patio, swaying as she tried to catch her balance. "There you are!"

Montana stifled a laugh as she watched the blonde walked unsteadily towards her. "It's like watching bambi on ice," Montana commented with a teasing smile.

Diane stopped in front of her with a frown, hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I can walk perfectly fine," she slurred, pointing a finger accusingly at Montana. "Because I, am not drunk."

"Whatever you say, Di," Montana humoured her. "Whatever you say."

Diane wrapped her arms across her own body with a shiver, eyes briefly drifting over her surroundings before her attention fell back on Montana. "What the hell are you doing out here alone? It's freezing."

Montana shrugged. "Just thinking."

"Well don't," Diane deadpanned. "Come inside and socialise, I need you for the beer pong tournament."

Montana chuckled, nodding her head in acceptance. "Okay, I'll be in soon. I just need to make a phone call."

Diane groaned in exasperation, tapping her foot against the ground. "Fine," she gave in. "But hurry up and get your ass inside."

Montana smiled in amusement as she watched Diane walk unevenly back to the house, her heels clicking noisily against the patio tiles. There was an inevitable crash, and Montana was pleased to catch Diane almost tripping over the step. Montana laughed quietly to herself once seeing the blonde was unharmed, watching her struggle to slide the door shut.

Once she was alone again, Montana pulled her phone back out of her denim jacket pocket, staring down at Embry's contact. After a few moments she shook her head, shoving the device back into her pocket. She stared out ahead of her, eyes becoming transfixed on the tiny but beautiful stars in the sky.

Feet gently splashing in the water, she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts again. She replayed her conversation with Jacob over in her mind, having now sobered up enough to feel the fully fledged, and completely disastrous, embarrassment of what she'd said to him. I love you. Montana really didn't want to think about why it had bothered her so much, and why Jacob saying it back to her made her stomach tighten, cheeks brighten and her heart flutter in a way that nothing or nobody else could.

She pushed the thoughts from her mind, not wanting to address them tonight – or, well, ever. She lifted her phone out of her jacket pocket again, glancing down at the blank screen. With a heavy sigh, and against her better judgment, mind still clouded with enough alcohol to tempt her rather than stop her, she clicked on Embry's number and dialled. She didn't expect him to pick up, even if he was still awake, which was probably unlikely anyway. Instead, she patiently waited, listening for the dial tone, and prepared to leave a voicemail. But there was a huge part of her that silently begged him to pick up the fucking phone for once.

When she heard the familiar beep of his voicemail, Montana found herself remaining quiet for a few seconds, unsure on what to say, not entirely sure why she decided to call him. But then, all of a sudden, the words started to come, flowing fast without stopping.

"Uh, hey," she began awkwardly. "I know it's late but, I mean, whatever time I called you wouldn't pick up so...Um, anyway I just, I'm at this party and it's fun and all but I can't stop thinking about how much I miss you. Us. Me, you, Jake and Quil." Montana looked back up at the sky, drawing in a deep breath. "I don't know how things have changed so much in a matter of months but I...I hate it. Seeing you around school every day and not being able to talk to you is killing me." She lowered her head, closing her eyes shut once they began to brim with tears. "You're my best friend and everything just feels so wrong without you. I don't know what happened or why you're acting like this. If it was something I did, something the guys did, then just tell us, w-we'll fix it." Her voice cracked. "I just want you back, Em. I miss your dumb jokes, I miss laughing so hard that I could cry, I miss doing dumb shit together."

Montana smiled to herself, silent tears beginning to trail down her cheek. She released a shaky breath, wiping her tear stained skin with the back of her hand. Montana sniffed, swallowing the lump in the back of her throat. "I just miss you," she continued, voice barely above a whisper. "I miss you so much."

Montana lowered her head in defeat, ending the call with a heavy heart. She held back the cries building in the back of her throat, letting her tears fall.

On the other side of town, Embry sat on Sam and Emily's porch, his phone clutched tightly in his hands. His heart ached, every break in Montana's voice, the sound of her desperately holding back tears, crushing his entire soul. There was nobody else in the entire world that he wished he could wrap up in his arms and hold and promise that everything was going to be okay. It pained him to know that his best friend was hurting so much because of him.

He replayed the message over and over, staring up at the stars, which shone in the same sky that he shared with Montana. Embry dropped his head, resting it in his hands. If he could tell Montana everything, he would. This wasn't going to get any easier for her; Jacob and Quil were going to shift, they were going to disappear without a reason the same way he had. The thought of Montana being completely heartbroken was hard enough to process, but knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do about it was the most difficult part to accept. It would be so easy to tell her everything, but he just couldn't.

Montana drew in a deep breath and dried her eyes, lifting her feet out of the water. She placed her phone back into her pocket, smoothing down the material of her dress as she stood. And with one final look up at the night sky, Montana made her way inside.

A/N

This might just be my favourite chapter