Chapter Text
For as long as you could remember, life in Forks was dull. The only time anything interesting happened was when the Cullens moved in from Alaska, but even at that they merely held your attention for a full day before you realized they preferred to keep to themselves. They were quite intimidating as well, but you learned to keep to yourself and focus elsewhere.
As the days turned into weeks, and the rumor mill ran rampant, the female population of Forks High seemed to become infatuated with the silent Cullen and Hale boys. It even got to the point that girls would ask you to switch seats so they could sit next to either Edward or Emmett, but you merely stared at them as you opened your textbook and sunk further into your seat. Unbeknownst to you at the time, that earned you an ounce of respect from the private siblings, even more so when students would try to rope you in to talking about the family. Since you sat next to a couple of them in class, everyone wanted to know if you learned anything about them, but you'd merely plug your ears with earbuds to tune them out.
The Cullen/Hale siblings ended up being quite the enigma- never speaking with anyone unless they were a teacher, but oftentimes you'd find class notes tucked under your textbook you'd never written, or answers whispered to you when the teacher caught you dozing in class. Alice and Emmett were the main culprits who found it in themselves to help you, also redirecting you in the hallways when you weren't paying attention to help you avoid knocking yourself on your ass. And every time that happened, you merely grinned or nodded to show your thanks, and then were on your way.
For a whole school year, you were the only student that part of the family acknowledged.
But then came Isabella Swan.
Sitting in the back of the classroom in Biology, you are able to see the way Edward reacts to the new girl. You also see the aftermath and how hurt she is.
"Hey Goose?" You dopily grin at her as you walk up to the desk she is still sitting at, slowly packing up her belongings. "Don't sweat Cullen's reaction. He and his siblings are- they're just- they tend to keep to themselves."
"Goose?" She frowns at you.
"Yeah. Your name's a bird or something, right?"
Her lips twitch in amusement. "It's Swan."
"Same thing." You shrug. "Anyway, I just thought I'd drop by and mention that thing about Edward. He and his siblings are all intimidating, but it's just who they are. Don't take it personally."
"T-Thanks."
As you're walking away, you hear Mike Newton ask, "What did stoner girl want?"
"Stoner girl?"
"YN YLN. That girl is always high, but no one's ever caught her smoking."
You chuckle to yourself, groaning a moment later when you hit your shoulder on the door jamb on the way out.
A week passes by before Bella Swan seeks you out, pulling out a chair across from you during lunch. You glance up from your tray of food, smile, and go back to ripping apart your chicken tenders before popping a piece into your mouth.
"Hey, Goose."
She huffs a laugh as she takes a seat, setting her tray down. "YN."
"How is Forks treating you?"
"It's okay." She takes a piece of cucumber off the top of her salad and pops it into her mouth. "Not a fan of the dreary weather, but I'll get used to it."
"Are you kidding me?" Your eyes widen dramatically, causing the pale girl to chuckle. "The weather is the best part! It's nap weather. It's my favorite."
Bella can only shake her head in amusement before trying to subtly glance over her shoulder at another table. The Cullen/Hale table, to be precise. "Hey YN, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
As Bella faces you yet again, she says, "It's just- out of everyone, you're most likely to give me some semblance of the truth rather than rumors you've heard."
"Okay," you drawl.
"Have you noticed anything weird about Edward and his family?"
You blink at her before glancing at the family in question, watching briefly as they pick at the food on their trays. "Yeah, I guess." You shrug. "I took note of some odd quirks and gene traits, but then I dropped it. To them, we might be odd so.." you trail off, ending the subject then and there. Bella flashes a tight smile in acceptance.
The two of you continue to make idle chit chat as you eat and she tells you a bit about living with her mom before deciding to move in with her dad. Then when asked why she's not sitting with her usual band of merry peers, you find out that Lauren and Mike are still as annoying as ever.
"Yeah, I never really cared for them," you tell her. "Angela is the only decent one out of the bunch. Jessica has her moments, but when her insecurities get in the way, she's just as bad as Lauren."
"You used to hang out with them?" Bella asks.
"In Junior High and the first year of high school," you admit. "Now.. now I'm just on my lonesome and perfectly content." Reaching into your backpack that had been sitting on the chair next to you, you pull out a baggie of gummy bears. "Want one?" You ask your apparent new friend.
As Bella reaches across the table, Edward Cullen pops up out of nowhere and takes a seat next to her. "Don't. It's cannabis."
Bella's hand freezes and you playfully wiggle your eyebrows. "Don't be scared, Goose. You'd have to eat a few before feeling any of the good effects." As she pulls her empty hand back, you shrug and pop a gummy into your own mouth before putting the baggie away. "Way to mess with a girl's fun, Cullen." He flashes you a grin which you return as you settle back in your seat. "So what brings you and your bronzed, perfectly coiffed hero hair to our table?"
"Can't I just want the company of two of my peers?"
"We've been going to school together for how long?" You ask, arching an eyebrow at him. "We both know the reason you're here and it's not for my company." His grin doesn't falter and Bella blushes while suddenly finding her food tray very interesting. You chuckle as you stand, picking up your backpack and pulling on the straps. Then collecting your tray in hand, you grin at them. "See you guys later."
"Don't eat anymore gummies!" Bella calls out.
You wave off her concern, knowing your limit perfectly well and try to figure out what snack you want from the vending machine so you could snack in class later on.
You continue on with your day in a relaxed haze, perfectly content to ignore anyone and everyone as you complete your school work and doze off at your desk. Though you tended to spend your school days a little high, none of it ever affected your grades. In fact, it helped you zone out your distracting peers and focus on your work.
Most of the time, at least.
At the end of the school day, you zip up your jacket and pull a beanie down over your head as you step outside. You're used to the walk home by now, but there were some days where you didn't quite enjoy it so much. Today, for example, was one of those days.
So as you near Bella's monstrous red truck, you're grateful when she waves you over and asks, "Are you walking home?"
"Yeah. My parents don't get off of work for a few more hours and all my siblings have lives of their own." You shrug. "I'm used to it."
"Oh." Bella glances around before saying, "If you want, I can give you a ride."
"Yeah?"
"Of course. It wouldn't be a problem."
"Then yeah." You smile at her. "Thanks, Goose."
"Don't mention it." She chuckles. "You can put your stuff in the passenger seat if you want."
Taking her up on your offer, you walk around her truck until you're at the passenger door. You open it up and set your bag on the seat, taking your time in opening it up to retrieve the bag of gummies once more before shoving the baggie into your jacket pocket. Then just as you slam the truck door shut, a blaring horn has your head snapping up.
Tyler Crowley's van is sliding on black ice right towards Bella's truck- towards Bella herself- and you can only watch on in horror as the events play out. Bella is frozen and the most you can do is stumble away from the truck right as the van hits where your friend was standing. But the strangest thing happens- a small gap being left exactly where Bella was standing while the rest of the van continues to slide before hitting the back of Bella's truck and coming to a stop.
Everyone's suddenly screaming and rushing towards the accident, and you startle when Edward pops up from the gap where Bella was last seen. He hops into the bed of her truck before hopping down on your side and you gulp, shaking your head in disbelief.
"Either I'm really stoned or you're stupidly fast."
Edward glances at you and you're surprised to see dark eyes instead of their usual golden. But again, you push that thought out of your head. The weirdness of the Cullens/Hales was not your business. "Are you okay?" He asks, voice rough.
"Yep. Not a scratch." You wave him off.
"Good. Make sure Bella gets to the hospital."
"Duh."
The school parking lot is complete chaos as everyone makes sure Bella and Tyler are okay. Then the sirens of an ambulance and a fire truck pierce the air, and then everyone's working on extracting both teens as safely as possible.
"I'm fine. I'm okay," Bella continuously tells the EMT's. "I don't need to go to the hospital."
But none of the adults pay her any attention and load her up in the back of the EMS.
By some miracle you get them to let you go with her and you keep her company on the way to the hospital. You manage to join her in the little cubicle they leave her in, sitting on the bed behind her as she anxiously awaits the arrival of her father and doctor.
"Stop jiggling your leg, Goose. I'm trying to nap back here."
Bella huffs a laugh. "Sorry. I just know my dad's going to make a big deal about this."
"Dude!" You exclaim, chuckling. "You were almost squashed like a bug. If I were you, I'd be downing gummy after gummy. And speaking of, I got some in my pocket if you wanna chill."
"No. I don't need to be high right now."
"Really? I'm seriously debating about popping another one or two, but I think I need a level head for when your dad gets here."
Bella grins over her shoulder at you, shaking her head. Then just as you start to relax once more, the curtain surrounding the bed is yanked open. You yelp, Bella snorts, and the Chief of Police freezes as he glances between you and his daughter.
"Bella, I am so sorry!" Tyler says once he has sight of the girl.
"You're damn right you're sorry," the Chief says. "You're lucky I don't take your license for this."
"Dad, it's fine. It was an accident."
"You could have died, Bells!"
"I didn't. I'm fine."
"I am so sorry, Mr. Swan, I-" the Chief suddenly pulls the curtain closed, cutting off Tyler.
Bella groans and you snort, and then the Chief is staring right at you. Your smile suddenly fades and you climb out of the bed. "Right. I should- I'm just gonna go and-"
Bella smiles as you shrink under her dad's gaze. "Thanks for keeping me company, YN."
"Don't mention it, Goose." Before you can exit the curtain-offed room, you say, "My bag's still in your truck. Mind if I just collect it Monday morning at school?"
"Yeah. That's fine."
You offer her one last smile before exiting the back of the emergency room, making your way down the clean and crisp hallways. As you turn one corner, you come across Edward and his sister Rosalie having a heated conversation.
Your eyes widen. "Sorry. Didn't mean to-"
"It's fine," Edward says. "I needed to speak with you anyway."
Rosalie casts you a wary glance before walking off, leaving you alone with her brother. Silence briefly lingers and you reach into your pocket, pulling out your edibles. "Gummy?"
"No."
You shrug and put them away. "So what's up?"
"I need to know what you think you saw back at the school."
You arch an eyebrow at him, slowly grinning, and he fidgets under your stare. "Look, man, whatever that was back there.. it's none of my business. As far as I'm concerned, I'm too stoned to be a liable witness. Bella's alive and that's all that matters."
"Seriously?" Edward frowns. "You're not curious?"
"Of course I'm curious," you muse, "but secrets are secrets for a reason. We're not friends, not really, and that's fine. But I do have a favor to ask."
Edward, who'd seem to relax at your words, suddenly tenses all over again. "What?"
"Can you give me a ride home? It's a long walk from here and I would rather get home before my parents do."
"Yeah. That's fine."
"Thanks." Walking side by side with Edward Cullen, you can't help but ask, "So how much trouble do you think I'll get into if I attempt to get the Chief's daughter high as a kite?"
He smirks as he keeps his face forward. "You really need to stop trying to get everyone high."
Over the next few days, you watch as Edward and Bella dance around each other. Some days they're happy and conversing with one another, and other days Edward is avoiding Bella and she wants to know why. She also hasn't let Edward's inhumane speed go, and every time she tries to drag you into that conversation you quickly remind her you were stoned and didn't know what it was that you saw.
And though you told Edward that his secret was a secret for a reason, and that you didn't care to find out what it was all about, he and his siblings seem to be more relaxed around you. Emmett especially took great joy in making you realize just how excellent their hearing was. And while you found it amusing and only added to your curiosity, you never voiced it. Nor did you speak about it with anyone else, something that the Cullen/Hale siblings came to appreciate.
Bella and Edward then became official, and all was good.
Rosalie obviously didn't like the girl, but the rest of the family seemed to take to her perfectly fine. The two of them were the talk of the school, and eventually you were too. They understood why the siblings spoke and interacted with Bella, but you were the odd one out. As far as everyone knew, all the siblings were dating each other, or Bella as in Edward's case, so no one knew why they accepted you into their exclusive little circle. Not even you knew, but you shrugged and accepted their appearances and conversations at your lunch table every now and then.
For a while, everything appears normal.
Until it isn't.
Bella and Edward had been the couple no one saw coming, but eventually came to accept, and then out of the blue the entire family just up and left. Bella was an absolute mess and you didn't think you were equipped to deal with the aftermath.
For months, Bella couldn't seem to leave her house and you weren't sure what to do. But you tried and tried to revive Bella 'Goose' Swan, and in doing so is what made Charlie Swan absolutely adore you.
Eventually there's a threat from Charlie that gives Bella a kick in the ass, and then she's calling you up to start hanging out again. You agree since she was the one with the vehicle and more often than not you found yourself in La Push to visit her friend Jacob Black.
After months of heartbreak, Jacob Black seems to bring your friend back to life a bit and you accept the weirdly obsessed boy into the fold. Especially when he accepts a gummy before Bella can warn him and the two of you spend the day scarfing down anything and everything edible in Bella's house.
You meet a few of Jacob's other friends, Quil and Embry, and both boys are immediately taken with you. Bella thinks it's absolutely hilarious, but you merely wave her off. It was adorable to watch them flirt.
But eventually, something else happens that you're not really privy to and Jacob seems to abandon both you and Bella. His words hit Bella a lot harder, especially after Edward's sudden disappearance, but you merely sigh when he gives you the it's not you, it's me speech and then wish him well with whatever he's obviously going through.
This time, however, Bella isn't willing to let things go or even fall back into a depression. Now- now she's pissed and she's determined to figure out what's going on with Jacob.
So here you sit in the passenger seat to Bella's truck, mind already in a haze after having popped two edibles earlier that morning thinking you were going to have a relaxing day.
Bella's truck skids to a stop in front of Jacob's house and she jumps out almost as soon as the engine is cut. You sigh and slowly climb out, following her to the door where she's speaking to a man in a wheelchair. You wince as she pushes past him, stopping and standing a few feet in front of the house as the man glances at you.
"Hi," you tell him. "I'm really sorry about Goose. That girl is the most stubborn person I've ever met and I'm too tired to be scolding her."
"It's alright, dear. I'm Billy, Jacob's father."
"YN," you introduce yourself. Before anything else can be said, sounds of laughter and whistles pierce the air. You glance in the direction of the noise, spotting four shirtless males- one of whom you recognize; Embry- who are walking out of the woods. They're playfully roughhousing with one another and then Bella's suddenly flying out of the house and marching in their direction. "Aw shit."
"Stop her," Billy urges.
"Goose, come on. Don't do this," you say as you chase after her.
"What did you do?" You hear her yell, advancing on three of the snickering boys. When they spot Bella, their amusement slowly vanishes. "What did you do?!" She asks again as she shoves one of them.
"Hey!" A man yells back, putting himself between Bella and the three boys as one leans towards her.
"What did you do to him?" She asks again.
"Goose," you sigh, shaking your head. You catch Embry's gaze and he grins at you, a grin which you return. "Come on, man. Let's just go." You reach for her arm, only for her to yank out of your grip.
"Easy," the one in charge says again, glancing between the two of you.
"He didn't want this!" She says.
One of the boys pushes up behind the one in charge, grin malicious. "What did we do? What did he do? What'd he tell you?"
"Both of you calm down," the mediator says. The one guy trying to get at Bella steps around his friend, ending up practically chest to chest with her.
"Nothing. He tells me nothing because he's scared of you."
The three boys start to chuckle and you step back with a groan when you see Bella rear her arm back. She punches the main culprit antagonizing her across the face and he whips his face back towards her, the seething anger now very much obvious.
"Paul, calm down!"
"Too late now," one of the boys muses.
Rolling your eyes, you step aside until you're by the only other person you know. "You're such an idiot, Goose."
"Bella, get back!"
The one they called Paul starts to huff and puff, his body pretty much vibrating in his anger.
Then he starts to growl and your brow furrows in confusion, and then he is literally exploding out of his clothes and skin as he turns into a giant ferocious wolf.
Startled, you trip on your own two feet as you try to step back again, and fall on your butt.
"Bella! YN!" At the shout, you see Jacob running out of his house.
Bella, who had also fallen onto her butt, scrambles back up and starts to run back towards the house. "Run! Jake, run!"
Jacob jumps, exploding into a wolf as well. Your eyes widen, but you end up snorting as the wolves attack one another before disappearing into the woods.
"Survival 101 taught that girl nothing," you mumble when the drama is over with. Hearing a snort, you glance up to see Embry offering you a hand up. You take it. "Everyone knows you don't run from a predator. That only heightens their urge to give into the chase."
"You're taking this oddly well," the man in charge says.
Clearing your jeans and hands of any debris, you lazily smile at the man. "YN YLN. And I'm really high right now so the only urge I have is the urge to pet the giant doggo."
The three remaining males chuckle. "Sam Uley. Alpha," the one who had been in charge says.
"Cool."
Sam can only shake his head and then sighs when he stares at a dumbstruck Bella. "Boys, get the girls to Emily's. I'll track down Jacob and Paul, and meet you there."
As soon as Sam races off to go find the others, Embry introduces you to Jared. He's happy to meet you, especially your laid back attitude towards everything you've just witnessed. Embry then collects Bella and leads her back towards her truck, letting you and her jump into the cab while he offers to drive to Emily's. Then as soon as Jared jumps into the bed of the truck, you're off.
The wooden house Embry parks in front of isn't that far off from the beach and surrounded by the woods. It's small and quaint and a house you could see yourself living in, especially if it were close to the beach.
Bella mentions checking on Jacob, but Embry tells her that he'll be fine. He and Jared then quickly start betting about who'll be injured- either Paul or Jacob- and then Jared's laughing as he hops up the porch.
"Hey, about Emily," Embry suddenly says, "don't stare. It bugs Sam."
"Why would we stare?" Bella asks, but Embry merely smiles before hopping up the porch and inside the house.
When Bella hesitates, you sigh and sling an arm around her shoulders. "Come on. You made your bed, now it's time to lie in it. Let's go."
As you and Bella make your way inside the house, Jared and Embry are already seated at a table. There's a woman by a bar counter with her back towards you and when she turns, she hesitates. And while the three of you are staring at one another, you quickly realize why Embry said not to stare.
The woman has scars down the right side of her face, from her hairline down to her chin. "Who's this?"
You smile at her.
"Bella Swan and YN YLN," Embry says.
"I'm YN. She's Bella," you say.
The woman- Emily- smiles at you before setting her gaze on Bella. "So you're the vampire girl." She turns to continue plating a platter of muffins.
You tense and glance at Bella. "Vampire?"
Your friend fidgets nervously before stepping out from under your arm, heading towards the table. You arch an eyebrow at her and head towards the table as well. "So you're the wolf girl," Bella says instead.
Emily chuckles. "I guess so." She picks up the platter of muffins and takes them to the table. "Well I'm engaged to one."
"No way!" You exclaim. "The sex must be phenomenal."
Embry chokes on the muffin he'd just bitten into and Jared freezes as he's reaching for his own. Emily's eyes widen, though you can see the amusement dancing in her expression, and Bella is beet red. "YN! You can't say stuff like that."
"What? We're all adults." You glance at Jared and Embry. "Well, mostly."
Emily finally laughs and the boys relax, her hand shooting out to catch Jared's wrist as he finally takes hold of a muffin. "Save some for your brothers." She then leans back to shove both boys by their shoulders. "And ladies first." Emily then glances at you and Bella again. "Muffin?"
"Don't mind if I do." You step forward to take a seat at the table, reaching for a muffin to happily bite into.
Bella takes a little bit longer to accept, and when she does she merely picks at hers as she continues to stand.
"Leave it to Jacob to find a way around Sam's gag order," Emily says.
"He.. didn't say anything to me." Bella fidgets.
"That's a wolf thing," Embry explains. "Alpha's orders. You gotta obey whether you want to or not. Oh and check it out- we can hear each other's thoughts."
"Would you shut up," Jared tells Embry, before looking at you and Bella. "These are trade secrets, dammit! These chicks run with vampires."
You frown. "What?"
"You can't really run with vampires," Bella says. "Because they're fast."
"Yeah? Well we're faster. Freaked out yet?"
"You're not the first monsters I met."
"Hold the fuck on," you finally say. "Vampires are real? Who are the vampires?!"
Embry, Jared and Emily go quiet, and all eyes dart to Bella. You turn around in your seat to look up at your friend. "You, uh, you never wanted to know," she mumbles.
It takes a second for her words to sink in and your mind to catch up, and then when you connect the dots, you bark out a laugh. "Edward and his family? Seriously?!"
"Jake's right. You girls are good with weird." Sam walks in, grinning as he makes a beeline for Emily. When she's in his arms, they share a chaste kiss before he starts to press kisses all over her scars.
"D'aww. Cute," you utter. And then when all gazes are on you, you shrug and get back on topic. "To be fair, I never knew I was associating with vampires, so you can't hold that against me. I just knew the family was odd, but I didn't want to know their secret because I like a mostly drama-free life."
"Yet you showed up with Bella to confront Jacob?" Embry asks.
"I'm easily manipulated when I'm under the influence," you say. Then looking back at Bella, you smirk. "So you were bangin' Nosferatu, huh? That must've been fun."
"W-We didn't!" She stammers as the group laughs.
"No?" You frown. "Not even once?" Bella shakes her head. "How are we even friends? If I was dating a vampire or a werewolf, I'd have slipped between the sheets with them immediately," you admit. "You know, for science."
"Well when you put it that way.."
"No." You immediately shoot Jared down which makes Embry explode with laughter. Even Sam and Emily smile at Jared's put out expression.
The screen door opening catches everyone's attention, and Paul and Jacob step inside in the best of moods. Jacob stays by the door and you situate yourself correctly in your seat once more, not paying attention as the one they called Paul pulls out the chair next to you. You do, however, hear him apologize to Bella before she walks off towards Jacob.
"Hey Paul, this is YN," Embry says. "Met her a while back. She's cool."
You turn to Paul just as he turns towards you, gazes clashing. You feel your breath hitch as Paul freezes, eyes subtly widening before his expression goes slack. You offer him a shaky smile. "H-Hey." You break the stare, only to find everyone else staring at you in surprise. "What?"
"Nothing," Sam immediately blurts.
You narrow your eyes at the man before shrugging and take a bite out of your muffin once more. Schooling your features into indifference, Paul suddenly pushes away from the table and marches outside.
"Don't worry about him," Embry says, watching his friend go. "That's just the way Paul is."
"He's a real charmer, huh?" You nervously chuckle. Then attempting to put the snub out of your mind, you say, "Emily, I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure you're gonna have an intruder every weekend from now on."
"An intruder?" She frowns.
"Yeah. Me." You take another bite of the muffin and groan. "These are so good."
Slowly, but surely the group all chuckle..
"Are you sure it's just not the munchies talking?" Embry teases.
"Could be." You shrug. "But I'm willing to continue testing that theory out if it means I get all the baked goods."
"Well I'm here everyday," Emily tells you. "I wouldn't mind the company."
"Yes! We need to exchange numbers so when I find a ride, I'll call to make sure it's alright to come over."
Emily smiles and immediately gets up to grab a pen and a pad of paper. Sam watches fondly as Emily writes down her number before ripping the paper and giving it to you. You accept it before taking the pad for yourself to write your own number and then pass it to her so she'll have your number as well.
The screen door creaks open and you glance over at it to see Bella. "Hey, we should head back to Forks."
"Yeah. Of course." Turning back to the table, you smile at its occupants. "Emily, thanks for the muffins."
"You're welcome."
"Boys, thanks for the entertainment."
"Anytime," Sam muses.
They all get up to watch as you join Bella and Jacob outside. Leaning into Jacob's side on the way to the truck, you ask, "So what will it take for you to turn into the doggo again and let me cuddle you?"
Jacob laughs as Bella shakes her head. "Get in the truck, YN."
To be continued..