LIII. Secrets.

I pulled up to Jacob's house and sat in my truck for a second. I waited, figuring maybe he'd come out to me if he saw my truck. But there was no one around. I grabbed my phone and climbed out of my truck. I walked up towards the house, looking between the windows, to see if I could spot anyone inside.

"What are you doing here, Ana?" A harsh voice called out from behind me. I swung my head back, my hair flying over my shoulder as I came to a stop. Jacob stood near my truck with his new cult-like members, Sam, Paul, Embry, and Jared. Not a single one of them wore a shirt.

He had completely changed. His hair was cut short, he had a tattoo on his shoulder, and he had grown a good few inches as well as getting very buff. He didn't even look like someone who was almost turning seventeen. Just like with Embry. he didn't look like my Jacob anymore.

I slowly approached him, wearily looking at the boys standing behind him. I looked back at him, my eyebrows furrowing. "You cut your hair." I noted softly. "And got a tattoo." I added as my eyes shot towards his shoulder.

Jacob approached me, his jaw clenching. "Go away," he gritted out as he leaned down, intimatingly close to my face.

"Go away?" I repeated as I raised my eyebrows, feeling a sudden wave of anger as I glared up at him, my lips parting.

"Yes," he snapped at me as he glared down at me with cold eyes. The same glare he gave Mike the night of the movie. What in the hell did I do to him?

"What happened to you?" I asked softly as my eyebrows furrowed. My eyes shot over his shoulder, staring at the four boys who stood a few feet behind him, mostly out of ear-shot. "Sam got to you. What did he do?" I asked softly as my eyes returned to Jacob.

"Sam's trying to help me, don't blame him." Jacob gritted out as he continued to glare down at me. Now he was defending Sam? After all his bitter talk about Sam and his cult being jerks.

"A few weeks ago, he was a jerk." I voiced my thoughts in a hushed voice as I raised my eyebrows at Jacob.

"It's not what you think," he snapped at me once again, and my eyebrows furrowed at his sudden 180° attitude towards me. Not even sulking Mike was this mean to me. "It's not what I thought, I was way off." He insisted.

"So what is it then?" I asked, and my voice was harsh enough to match his. I crossed my arms over my chest as I gave him a questioning look, my head tilting to the side.

He sighed deeply as he lowered his head. "I can't tell you." He muttered as he looked back up at me, pursing his lips as he shook his head.

I was silent for a second as I stared at him in utter confusion. I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't understand what was going on with him or why he was being like this with me. "I thought we were friends." I asked softly as I looked up at him with sad eyes.

"We were," he replied softly as he stared back down at me. My heart dropped to my stomach, and I felt like I was going to cry. But then I was taken over by anger.

"Were." I repeated as I let out a bitter scoff. "But you don't need friends anymore." I snapped loudly as I shook my head, not caring anymore if the other boy's could hear me. "You have Sam." I said as I pointed towards the boy in question, and Jacob was taken aback that I was now very blunt and open. "Isn't that nice? You've always looked up to him so much!" I sarcastically yelled at Jacob.

"It's not Sam!" Jacob yelled back at me, and I could see both Sam and Embry taking weary steps towards me and Jacob, while Paul basically glared a hole right through me. I heard the front door of the house open, and I knew it was Billy.

"Then who, Jake?" I asked in frustration as I raised my hands in question, my eyebrows deeply furrowing.

"How 'bout those filthy, reeking bloodsuckers you love?" He harshly snapped back at me, the spit flying from his mouth. My eyebrows furrowed even more as I stared at him in confusion. "The Cullens," he clarified before I had a chance to ask who he meant.

My heart sank again, and my face dropped. How did he know? Did Billy tell him? What, now that the Cullen's are gone, the treaty is just void? I shook my head as I let out a shaky breath, feining confusion. "I... don't know what you're talking-."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He harshly cut me off as he shot me a pointed look, not taking kindly to me trying to feign confusion. How the hell did he know? And how the hell were people who weren't even around anymore to blame for his goddamn moodiness?

"The Cullens are long gone." I snapped as I shook my head before my eyebrows furrowed once again. "How are they to blame?" I asked as I raised my furrowed eyebrows and parted my lips.

"They started all this by existing." He snapped back at me, and my eyebrows furrowed even more. Start what? At the mention of that, I saw Sam immediately getting closer. "Goddamn leeches-"

"Jacob." Sam cut Jacob off as he came to stand next to him. When Jacob looked towards his little cult leader, Sam firmly shook his head, and Jacob immediately dropped whatever he was ranting about.

Jacob turned to me. "I can't be friends with you anymore," he told me as he slowly shook his head, the harshness in his voice gone now.

I took a shaky breath as my eyes pooled with tears, my heart aching inside my chest. "Jake, what did I do?" I asked softly, my voice filled with confusion and hurt.

"Stop." He softly cut me off with a shake of his head. He looked hurt as well. Just as hurt as Edward did the day he broke my heart. Why were they hurt when they were breaking my heart? When they were they hurting me? Jacob reached out to place his hand on my arm. "Don't. It's not you."

I scoffed in bitter amusement as I pushed his hand away. "It's not you, it's me." I asked him sarcasticly as I raised my eyebrows.

He sighed softly as he lowered his head. "It's true," he insisted.

I huffed as I shook my head, wiping my eyes to get rid of my tears. "You wanted to talk so much shit about Edward leaving me, and now you're doing it too." I whispered with a sad voice. "So much for your stupid promise of never hurting me, nver being like him." I added, and I saw Jacob slightly flinch at my words. "I guess I should stop believing in the void promises." I continued. Just like Edward, Jacob broke his promise to me.

"Go home, Ana," Jacob whispered, not having it in himself to even look me in the eyes while he spoke. Coward. "Don't come back," he demanded, his voice still a whisper.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about that." I snapped at him before turning towards my truck and storming off. Just as I opened my door, I looked back at Jacob. "Maybe go see Quil. He's scared to death of being next, being like you!" I yelled at him before getting in my truck.

The whole drive home, silent tears were rolling down my cheeks. Whatever Edward had left of my heart was completely broken by Jacob. I've never hated both of them like I do right now. I was fine with losing Mike, he was never really a friend to me. But Jacob was one of my best friends, and Edward was the love of my life. And they left me feeling like it was nothing. Even Alice left me, another best friend. Maybe Jessica and Angela will too some day. Maybe I was meant to be alone. To lose everyone I loved.

The second I got through the front, my face stained with tears, my mother was rushing out of the kitchen and heading towards me. "Billy called and said you and Jacob had a fight." She muttered softly, staring at me with concern for a second before coming closer and wrapping her arms around me, pulling me close. "But, hey, you guys will work it out, I'm sure of it." She assured me softly as she ran her hand through my hair.

"I'm tired of losing people, mom." I cried softly as I rested my head on her shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut as a fresh wave of tears rolled down my wet cheeks.

"It's going to be okay." She assured me as she continued running her hand through my hair.

I sniffed before pulling away from her. "Just because you keep saying it doesn't mean it's true, mom." I whispered as I shook my head. I wiped my eyes before turning towards the stairs. "I'm going to bed." I said before going up the stairs, and my mom watched me go with a sad look.

I cried myself to sleep that night. My mind couldn't block out the amount of hurt I was feeling. It was all just too much. I tried hard to block it out, but I struggled just like I did after the Cullen's left. But eventually, I did drift of to sleep.

The following morning, I was home alone, still sleeping. I was startled awake when there was a thud against my window. "Ana!" a familiar voice called out, and I sat up in bed, eyebrows furrowing. "Ouch, dammit-open the window." Jacob called out as he pounded against my window.

I got out of bed and opened my window. "What the hell are you doing?" I snapped at the boy who hung off the side of my house.

"Get out of the way," he demanded, hanging on to my window sill. I huffed and stepped to the side. Even if I was furious with him, I couldn't let him fall two stories and get hurt. He climbed into my room, landing perfectly on his feet. He looked around, letting his eyes drift over my room. "You rearranged your room," he noted.

I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at him with a blank look. "Why are you here?" I asked in a low voice as I clenched my jaw and quirked an eyebrow. I was in no mood for him right now.

"I had to talk to you," he explained as he sighed softly. "Alone," he added ominously

"I don't want to talk to you." I snapped at him as I shook my head.

"I know," he replied softly as he nodded his head. He reached out to touch me, but I immediately took a step back. He looked hurt as he lowered his arm, but he brushed my action off, understanding why I was upset. "I want to explain. But... I can't," he told me softly.

"Then leave." I snapped at him as I pointed towards the window. He could go the way he came, I wouldn't give him the courtesy of letting him go out the front door. "You're done with me, remember?" I reminded him, and he sighed as he lowered his head. "Get. Out!" I yelled at him.

"Ana, I literally can't explain..." He told me as he shook his head, refusing to leave. "I don't want to abandon you, I don't want to be like him," he told me, referring to Edward. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Was yesterday just because Sam was there? I didn't even think about the fact that he could be scared of Sam. "I need you to understand... even if you don't want to see me when you find out," he whispered as he shook his head.

"Find what out?" I asked in confusion as my eyebrows furrowed and my head tilted to the side. "What's wrong?" I asked as I raised my furrowed eyebrows.

Jacob parted his lips to say something but groaned softly when he couldn't utter a word. He closed his eyes as he lowered his head. "I can't do it," he muttered in frustation as he shook his head, sitting down on the edge of my messy bed.

"Jake, just tell me." I pleaded with him as I sighed deeply, staring at him with my eyebrows still furrowed and my lips slowly parting.

Jacob silently stared down at his lap for a second, thinking about something as he nibbled on the inside of his cheek. Then his eyes shot towards me, and he got up to his feet. "Wait," he called out. "Wait, I already told you," he insisted, and I was even more confused. "You know this, you can guess," he suggested.

I huffed as I shook my head. I didn't have time for this childish behavior. "I don't want to play games with you." I argued softly as I continued to shake my head.

"You have to!" he demanded in a desperate tone of voice. "I can't tell you, but if you remember, it was that day I ran into you at the beach," he told me, and my eyebrows furrowed again. Why was he so secretive about this? "I told you a story—come on! I told you a story... about?" he muttered as he pointed a hand towards me, waiting for me to answer.

I thought back to that day, remembering him telling me about the treaty—something that led to me finding out about Edward. "The treaty with the Cullens. The pale-faces." I muttered with a soft huff. What, was he a vampire too? Were there rival vampires in Forks now? No, Edward would have said so. The Quileute's only knew of them. "You said it was all just stories." I reminded Jacob as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Is it stories?" he asked me as he raised his eyebrows, and I knew he was referring to Cullen's. I pursed my lips as I diverted my eyes. "What else did I say?" he asked.

"I can't remember, Jake." I groaned softly as I shook my head. That was what, almost a year ago now? How was I supposed to remember? "You have to give me more. Tell me where to look," I insisted. "Is there something I should see?" I asked.

Jacob's eyes widened at even the suggestion of that, and he quickly shook his head. "No, that's too dangerous," he insisted, and my eyebrows furrowed. What the hell could it be, then? What couldn't he tell me, and why was it too dangerous to see? What the hell was I missing from the conversation that day at the beach?

"Jake, if you're not going to be open with me, leave." I muttered softly as I sighed. I couldn't play his little guessing game anymore.

"I...I can't tell you, Ana." He whispered softly as he sighed, shaking his head. "Have you ever had a secret you couldn't tell? One that wasn't yours to tell?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows, and I divetted my gaze. Yes. "Well, it's the same for me. Only worse. I'm so tightly bound," he muttered.

"What does that even mean?" I asked in confusion as I stared at him, my eyebrows furrowing again.

"I really want to tell you, Ana... I hate not being able to, but I can't." He whispered as he shook his head again, giving me an apologetic look.

"I hate what they've done to you." I muttered bitterly as I shook my head. "I hate what you've become." I added softly as I sighed once again before looking away from him.

"Where was the last place you saw me—the way I used to be?" he asked softly as he raised his eyebrows, slowly approaching me and placing his hand on my arm.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did that have to do with anything? "Before you got all macho, man?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows, and he nodded his head. "The motorcycles—that clearing with the logs of wood." I replied as I shrugged my shoulders. He was still himself there, although he did start burning up at that point.

"Remember me like that, please," he pleaded softly as he stared down at me before pulling away. "Before, I was all macho man, breaking promises and hurting your feelings." He added softly.

Then he turned to the window. "Jake." I called out to him in confusion as he climbed out of my window. "No! Jacob!" I called out to him as he jumped down onto the ground, and I rushed to the window, peering out to see him land perfectly on his feet before jogging off.

The last person to do that was Edward. And he could only do it for one reason. I took a deep breath as I stared down at the ground. No normal person could make that jump. No normal person could be as warm as Jacob. Every time he's touches me, his skin is scorching hot. The last time a boy was less than normal, I found out he was a vampire. My heart pounded with fear. what the hell was going on?

Don't follow him, Ana. Edward's voice called out in my head, drowning out the sound of my pounding heart that I could clearly hear.

"Now is not the time for you." I whispered as I let out a shaky breath. I hastily got dressed, growing increasingly worried and scared for whatever the hell I was about to find out, but I couldn't just leave this. If he couldn't tell me, I'd find out by myself. But I can't let someone else just walk out of my life, not without putting up a fight. Even if that fight was with Sam Uley,

----

Their fight really hurt me and I feel so bad for poor Ana, she's so scared of losing someone else :(

Well...the next chapter is going to be intresting.

Our girl is about to lose the last bit of sanity she has left!!

There's only a few chapters left, and at least one Cullen is going to make an appearance at the end!!!