IV. Thoughts.

The windows of the truck were rolled all the way down, and soft music filled the space surrounding me and Jacob. We drove down a long stretch of road next to the beach. I could smell the salt in the air, hear the waves crashing, and feel the cold breeze against my cheeks. It sent chills down my spine. The kind that was always a welcome feeling because you knew whatever was causing them, was good.

"So how was your first day?" Jacob asked as he turned to look at me, tucking a loose strand of his long black hair behind his ear, but the wind just blew it out of place again.

"It wasn't that bad actually," I replied with a small shrug of my shoulders, thinking back to my first day. While Edward Cullen still had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to grace me with his presence once again, and his siblings still gawked at me whenever I was near, everything else was good.

"Made lots of new friends?" Jacob asked as he raised his eyebrows, throwing his arm out the open window and letting his hand drift with the wind that passed outside. The wind wasn't that strong against his hand, because the truck didn't really go that fast.

"There are a few nice kids," I replied as I nodded my head, smiling at the thought of the friends I had made. My thoughts went to the boys and I chuckled softly. "Although, they're a bit strange," I muttered, solely referring to the three boys. Angela and Jessica were great.

Jacob chuckled awkwardly along as he nodded his head. There was silence between me and him for half of a second before he spoke again. "Do you miss home yet?" He asked, and I could feel his eyes on the side of my face, never diverting, never looking away. Openly staring.

I pursed my lips. I hadn't had much time to think of home, but with the reminder, I missed it. "Yeah, a lot," I muttered softly as I nodded my head. I made a note to reach out to my friend when I got home. Since arriving in Forks, I have talked with them only twice. A soft sigh slipped from my lips. "But my mom needed this move."

Jacob nodded in understanding, his gaze diverting away from me for only a second before returning again. "It's really nice that you're trying for her." He replied in a soft tone of voice.

I glanced over at him for a brief second, a small smile spreading onto my face. "I'd do anything for her," I replied honestly with a shrug of my shoulders as my attention turned back to the road. "She's all I have left," I muttered softly, fighting my hardest to push the thoughts of my father out of my head.

"Do you still have family in Phoenix?" Jacob asked with curiosity as he looked at me.

"No," I replied with a shake of my head as I pursed my lips again. "Both my mom and dad's family lived here," I explained, taking in a sharp breath and letting out a heavy sigh. "Some moved away...some died," I added as I shrugged my shoulders.

There wasn't much family left on my mom's side and the family on my dad's side all grew quieter and quieter in the two years after his death. It was all cousins, uncles and aunts. No grandparents to keep the family together anymore.

"So it's just you and your mom?" Jacob asked softly as he stared at me again, his eyebrows furrowing as a pitiful look crossed his face. In the past two years, I had gotten used to that look.

"Yeah, just the two of us," I replied, slowly nodding my head as I dismissively shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, not anymore," Jacob replied and when I turned my head to look at him, he offered me a kind smile and I returned it. Something in his eyes seemed genuine and I trusted the words he spoke.

The following morning was Friday, and the grueling long week of school was coming to an end. To no surprise, Edward was still not at school and I was growing irritated with myself for caring so much, for being so bothered by his absence. No one should be this hung up over a guy they haven't even talked with yet.

I sat at my usual spot at the lunch table, with Jessica and Angela. The boys had run off, chasing each other once again because of a joke made at Mike's expense. Jessica turned to me as she nibbled on a cookie. "Hey, me and Angela are going down to the shopping district in Port Angeles after school." She informed me, an excited smile tugging at her lips. "Want to join us?"

I returned her smile as I nodded my head. Shopping was also one of my favorite things. Even if it was just window shopping. "Oh, yeah," I replied and Jessica's smile grew. "I've been meaning to get some new things for my room," I muttered as I popped a grape into my mouth.

After school I went home for a brief second, informing my mother of my afternoon activities. Then Jessica came to pick me up and then we went to get Angela. Soft pop music played in the car.

I was turned in my seat so that I could face Jessica in the driver's seat and Angela who sat in the backseat, scooted onto the edge, her head resting against my seat. "So how have you been liking Forks so far?" Angela asked as she lifted her head and turned to look at me.

"It's nice, I actually really like it," I replied with a nod of my head as a small smile tugged at my lips. "Wasn't really sure if I was going to," I admitted softly and Angela nodded in understanding.

"It's a big change from Phoenix, huh?" Jessica asked as she briefly turned her head to look at me, raising her eyebrows.

I pulled my face into an expression that read 'that's an understatement'. My eyes were slightly wide, my lips pursed and my eyebrows raised."Definitely." I agreed as I nodded my head once again.

"You must miss the sunny weather though." Jessica insisted as she spared me another glance just as we entered the town of Port Angeles. It wasn't big, but it was certainly bigger than Forks. There was also much more movement, in comparison with how quiet Forks was.

My nose scrunched as I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, I kinda like the weather here," I replied, my gaze darting towards the window. Port Angeles was close enough to Forks to be covered in the exact same blanket of mist, with dark skies peaking through.

Jessica hummed in surprise. Surely if she had her way, she'd live somewhere a lot more sunnier than Forks. Jessica parked the car on the shopping strip sidewalk and we all climbed out, my eyes shot around at the many shops that lined up both sides of the road.

"Oh, look that clothing shop is having a sale." Jessica excitedly pointed at a small boutique that wasn't too far from us. A big 50% off board stuck to the window. "Let's go check it out." She insisted before she was off.

I shared a soft chuckle with Angela at Jessica's excitement before following after her. We wandered together through the store, pointing out cute clothes before moving on. When we got to the dress section, Jessica got even more excited. Even with her slim opportunities to wear dresses, she seemed to love them.

Angela picked out a light pink floral dress from the rack, holding it out in Jessica's direction. "Oh look, Jess, this will totally look good on you." She insisted.

I eyed the dress up and down before nodding my head. "Oh yeah, definitely." I agreed as I turned to look at Jessica.

She took the dress from Angela and held it over her body. "You think?" She asked, glancing between me and Angela before tilting her head down to get a look at the dress against her body.

"Yes," I confirmed with a nod of my head as I offered her a smile. "Go try it on." I encouraged and she let an excited smile slip as she bounced off to the dressing room. Me and Angela browsed the racks of clothes, gradually making our way closer to the dressing room as we waited for Jessica. "Hey Angela, can I ask something?" I asked softly as my eyes skimmed over a light blue cardigan.

Angela's attention turned to me and she nodded her head as a small, gentle, and comforting smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah of course."

I pursed my lips, wondering if I was going to have my insanity confirmed if I talked to Angela. "Have you noticed Edward Cullen hasn't been in school for like almost the whole week now?" I asked as I skimmed the blue cardigans, looking for my size.

"Yeah." She replied with a nod of her head, not in the slightest seeming suspicious of why I cared so much about Edward. "His siblings are all at school though...maybe he's sick." She suggested as she shrugged her shoulders.

I pulled a blue cardigan from the rack, deciding to buy it- with the money my mother so graciously gave me while also telling me to get a job. While she was just kidding, I was considering it. I turned to Angela, a frown tugging at my lips. "I sat next to him at Biolagy on my first day, he didn't to talk to me and moved his chair away," I informed her softly. "And then he just disappeared."

"That's strange." She muttered and I felt relieved that she agreed with me on that. She nibbled on her bottom lip for a second, contemplating speaking. "But...well I don't want to sound mean, but sometimes they all are a little strange." She spoke softly as she shrugged her shoulders, and truly, I could tell she didn't want to sound mean. "Like that time we went into the bathroom." She reminded me.

I inhaled sharply and pursed my lips, wiggling my finger at Angela. "See that's another thing, his sister with the blonde hair, Rosalie, has been glaring at me whenever I'm around," I informed her as I huffed.

"Rosalie isn't known for being the kindest, I won't take it to heart." She said as she reached out to pat my arm. "It's not like you did anything to them." She said with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders.

Jessica stepped out of the dressing room, wearing the light pink floral dress. She spread her arms out wide by her sides and spun in a circle. "How do I look?" She asked as she turned to me and Angela.

I lifted my right hand, making the 'ok' sign as I pressed my thumb and pointer finger together to make a circle shape. "Amazing," I replied honestly as I nodded my head and Angela hummed in agreement.

We each bought a few pieces of clothing before paying and taking the bags to Jessica's car, loading them into the trunk. I had to admit, hanging out with the two girls was fun. Jessica was bubbly and chatty while Angela was kind and gentle. It was really enjoyable with them.

"Can we go grab some lunch?" Jessica asked as she looked between me and Angela, her eyebrows furrowing as her face scrunched up and her lips pouted. "I'm starving." She informed us with a huff.

Our outing ended with us going to a small Italian restaurant at the end of the shopping strip and window shopping a bit as we slowly made our way back to Jessica's car. She drove us home, dropping off Angela first and then me.

I grabbed my bags and waved her goodbye before going into the house, noting Charlie's police car pulled up to the curb, as well as the Black's new beige coloured truck. I made my way into the kitchen just as my mom stepped inside through the back door, where I could hear the laughter of three men.

"Hey, sweetheart." She greeted me with a smile, peeking into my bags as I placed them on the kitchen table. She nodded for me to follow her. "Look who is throwing us a welcome barbeque," she said as we stepped onto the patio.

Charlie was standing by the grill, grilling up some mouth-watering sausages for hotdogs. Billy was sitting in his wheelchair right next to the grill, a beer in one hand. Jacob was sitting on the porch swing, looking a little bored- until he saw me, and his eyes lit up.

"Hi, guys." I greeted them all with a smile and the three greeted me back. "Oh wow, it smells great out here." I complimented as my gaze turned to the grill, and despite having just eaten, I still felt hungry.

"Courtesy of the chef," Charlie said proudly as he pointed at himself, snapping the metal tongs in his hand, together. I chuckled at him as I nodded my head.

As my mom went to join Charlie and Billy by the grill, I returned to the house to get myself a can of soda. Just as I opened the fridge, Jacob spoke behind me. "Hey, Ana." He greeted, awkwardly shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.

I looked over my shoulder with a smile. "Jake, hi." I greeted, the new nickname rolling off my tongue without thought. I pulled out two cans of cokes and tossed him one, that he caught effortlessly.

I went to sit down by the kitchen table and Jacob joined me. "So, how's the small new town been treating you?" he questioned as he opened his can and took a few big gulps.

I opened my can as well but didn't take a sip. I shrugged my shoulders at his question. "Not too bad actually," I replied softly and as my high from hanging out with Jessica and Angela wore down, my mood deflated because Edward Cullen crept his way back into my damn head. "Honestly I think I might like it here more than in Arizona," I admitted softly as I pursed my lips. "It's so quiet and peaceful out here."

Living in Phoenix was always busy. It was school and sports and after-school activities, my friends, my mom's nosy friends from her book club, constantly having to be here and then there. Constant noise all around you. Here it was quiet, it felt like I could take a breath and just be with my thoughts.

My thoughts were mostly always private. I didn't share much of what was going on in my head. My mom always said I was a closed book, or sometimes just hard to read. People only knew things I wanted them to know. And I easily just went with other people's flow. It's one of the reasons I easily got along with most.

"Yeah, wait until that quiet and peaceful turns into boredom." He mused as he let out a soft huff. He stared at me silently for a second as my eyes focused on my can of coke. However, my attention was completely elsewhere. Those dark eyes in the cafeteria, staring at me, watching me, pulling me in. "You okay?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah," I replied softly as I nodded my head, still staring at my can like I was in a complete daze. "It's just been a long day," I muttered softly, snapping myself out of my daze as I inhaled sharply.

"You're super bad at lying." Jacob lightheartedly told me as a small smile tugged at his lips.

My gaze flicked toward him, and I silently stared at him through my lashes for a second. I pursed my lips before briefly closing my eyes and raising my eyebrows, "I'm actually really good at it." I muttered as my gaze diverted when my eyes opened before my head nodded to the side and my gaze returned to Jacob.

His nose scrunched as his small smile remained on his lips. "Just don't have the energy for it today?" he asked teasingly.

"I guess not," I replied as a small smile tugged at my lips as well and I got up to my feet, nodding my head for Jacob to follow me. He got up as well and followed me out onto the patio, sitting with me on the porch swing. "I just have a lot on my mind," I muttered.

"See now that I believe." He replied as he nodded his head. He silently stared at me for a second, taking another gulp of his coke. "Want to talk about it?" he asked in a soft tone of voice.

My gaze drifted around the backyard, for a second I stared at my mom as she chatted and laughed with Charlie and Billy. Then my gaze turned to the patio table, as a small smile tugged at my lips at the sight of the different bowls of snacks. I turned to Jacob, pointing at a blue bowl on the table that had pretzels in it. "I'd just rather steal that bowl of pretzel from them and eat it all," I said. A distraction from his prodding question.

Jacob glanced at the pretzels before turning to me with a sly grin. "I'll distract them and you steal the bowl?" he questioned playfully as he quirked an eyebrow.

"Deal," I replied with a nod of my head and we both got up simultaneously. While he distracted the three adults with aimless questions. I grabbed the bowl and discreetly made my way into the kitchen. A second later he joined me. Just as he was about to ask again if I wanted to share my glooming thoughts, I distracted him by showing him what I had bought.

I couldn't tell anyone about my insane and unexplainable infatuation and obsession with Edward Cullen.

If only I knew, he was across the world, with the same thoughts about me.

----

They did my girl Jessica dirty in the movies and even dirtier in the books, but I'm gonna fix that!!

Also, I already love the relationship Ana and Charlie are gonna have!!