claudia | embry call

nine : two weeks

"Look who's back." Quil mumbled as Claudia sat across from him at the lunch table. She looked over his shoulder, seeing Jake and Embry sitting with Paul and Jared. "I knew he wasn't sick." Claudia frowned, her hands forming light fists in her lap.

"I can't believe him..." Claudia's voice was light as she stared down at the table. Quil noticed the tears forming in her eyes and reached a hand across the table.

"I'm not going anywhere, C." She looked up at him. "Promise." She breathed out, nodding and taking his hand.

"Thanks Quil." He nodded. "Wanna go take a walk? I'm not hungry anymore." Quil nodded again, letting go of her hand as they stood up. As they walked out of the cafeteria, Quil's arm wrapped around her shoulders. They'd only made it a few feet into the hallway before the could hear loud talking. Claudia glanced back, seeing an angry looking Embry stomping towards them, with Jake, Jared and Paul close behind him. "What the hell?" She mumbled. Quil looked back too, just as the four of them pushed through the cafeteria doors.

"Get your hands off her." Embry's voice echoed down the hallway.

"What?" Quil raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, stop." Jared's eyes were focused on Embry, nerves painted on his face.

"Get your hands off her." Claudia could see Embry shaking as he approached them.

"Calm down, Em." Jake grabbed his shoulder, but Embry shook him off.

"What's your problem?" Quil narrowed his eyes at Embry.

"Quil, don't." Claudia said quietly, knowing where this would end. He ignored her, removing his arm from her shoulders and pushing up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. "Quil!"

"Embry." Jared tried. Quil and Embry faced off, but it only lasted a few seconds. The second that Embry had put his hands on Quil to push him back, it was over. Jared and Paul were trying to pull them apart while Jake pulled Claudia back.

"Let me go, Jake!" She shook his hand off her arm.

"Just stay back." Jake warned.

"Break it up, break it up!" Jake and Claudia turned around, seeing the principal coming towards them. Claudia threw her head back, knowing that they'd all get blamed.

———————

"I'm sorry, Claudia." Embry apologized for what must've been the tenth time. Just like she'd figured, they'd all got in trouble for fighting. Now the principal was talking to them in pairs, and Claudia had gotten stuck with Embry.

"What was your problem, anyway?" She sighed, turning to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Why'd you get so mad at Quil?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "All he did was have his arm on me and you got all pissed for no reason." Embry looked down at his hands. "You owe me an explanation at least, since there's no way you're getting anywhere near Quil anytime soon." Embry scoffed.

"Yeah, figures you wouldn't want me punching your boyfriend in the face again." Her eyebrows knitted together.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "Did-do you think Quil and I are dating?"

"Well, aren't you?" He looked back up at her. "You're always together, and I saw you holding hands yesterday on the beach and I-"

"First of all, he was holding my hand to comfort me because I was upset about Jake leaving." She spoke harshly. "Second of all, we were completely alone, so I don't even know how you saw that. And third, why would it matter if Quil and I were dating?! You left me, remember? Not the other way around."

"Of course it matters to me, I—" He cut himself off.

"You what?" She glared back at him. Embry glanced at the still closed door to the principal's office, where Paul and Jared were currently being interrogated. "You what, Embry?" He looked back, seeing the angry expression on Claudia's face. He sighed.

"It's complicated, Claudia, I-"

"Oh, of course it's complicated!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "It's always complicated with you nowadays, isn't it? You know Embry, you were a lot better when you weren't so complicated."

"What does that mean?" He narrowed his eyes.

"It means I liked you better before you ever met Sam Uley." She crossed her arms again. "Back then, you were actually a friend. And I could actually stand to be anywhere near you! Now, you're just a dick."

"Claudia-"

"Not to mention roping Jake into whatever weird little cult you joined." She glared at him. "He was terrified of Sam, terrified! And now he's all buddy-buddy with him, because of you. And I swear to god, if you ever try to take Quil from me, I'll-"

"Mr. Call, Ms. Littlesea." The pair of them looked over, seeing Principal Hayes standing in his doorway with his arms crossed. "Come in and sit down, it seems we have a lot to talk about."

———————

"Get away from me, Embry." Claudia said as she shoved the door open. Two weeks suspension. Claudia got two weeks suspension because it was apparently "her fault" the entire thing started. And, of course, Embry had returned to apologizing as soon as they'd left the office.

"I'm sorry, Claudia, I really am!" He walked next to her as she crossed the field, heading towards the deer trials.

"Leave me alone, I don't wanna hear your apologies." She shrugged him off, speeding up though it was no use.

"Then at least let me explain, please!" He begged, now following her into the woods. "I don't care if you still hate me afterwards, please just let me tell you what's been going on." Claudia stopped on a dime, spinning around towards Embry.

"I don't hate you." She said. "Embry, you were my best friend for my entire life! I couldn't hate you even if I wanted to. And I want to!"

"Then why won't you let me explain?" He asked.

"Because you hurt me! What's so hard to understand about that?" She threw her hands up. "Embry, you broke my heart! You told me that you'd always be there, always be with me! And then you up and leave with no word for some guy and his stupid gang, tell me you don't want to be friends with me, show up at my house late at night, take my cousin away from me, punch my only remaining friend in the face, and apparently you were watching me yesterday at the beach! Do you watch me all the time or something? What's your problem? You said you didn't wanna be friends, fine, we're not friends. And now you do want to be friends? I just don't get it."

"You would if you would just let me explain." He insisted. "Why won't you let me?"

"Because I don't wanna be hurt again!" She blurted out. "I don't...I don't want to sit there and have you tell me all these things, just to be let down again." Her voice wasn't angry anymore, it was only sad.

"I won't let you down, Claudia." He took a step forward. "I swear, I won't."

"How can I trust you?" She looked up at him. "How can I know that you're not just gonna run back off to Sam whenever you feel like it?"

"Because I..." He sighed. "God, Claudia, I love you!" She froze, and her breath caught in her throat. "I love you so fucking much! I thought that keeping you away would be better, to keep you safe from me. But then...that night, I..." He sighed. "I was wrong. Leaving you...hurting you, it was the worst thing I've ever done."

"Embry..." She breathed.

"I swear on my life, I'll tell you everything from now on." He said. "No secrets, no disappearing, I promise. You just have to trust me, okay? Do you trust me?" She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Come on, I know a place we can talk." He began walking, but stopped after a few steps as Claudia didn't follow him. He turned back, looking at her for a moment before holding a hand out. "Trust me."