The Unwanted Imprint

Chapter 16

Considering the circumstances, Carlisle and Esme kept Nichole home from school for the next few days. Eventually, Bella started to text Nichole, asking where she was and why she hadn't been at school, saying that none of her siblings had said a single word.

Nichole sighed, biting her lip. Bella at least deserved to know what had happened, Jacob too. But Jacob seemed less inclined to talk to Nichole than Bella, for some odd reason, and Nichole couldn't understand it.

Nichole walked into the kitchen, where Esme was making her some lunch. "Do you mind if Bella comes over after school for a bit? She's been asking me why I haven't been at school...and I think that I should tell her."

Esme slowly nodded her head. "If that's what you want to do, but I don't want you to feel like you have to tell her, I'm sure that your siblings have come up with some reason why you haven't been to school."

"According to Bella, they haven't told anyone anything. She keeps trying to corner Edward about it to ask him, but he avoids her at every turn."

Esme sighed and she shook her head. "He's trying not to, but I can tell that he's falling for her."

"And Bella is falling for him too. Did the first day that they met." She laughed a little bit. "Did I ever tell you that Bella asked me once if Edward was gay?"

Esme started to laugh as well. "No, you didn't, but I can see why she would think of that."

"The poor girl, she thinks that Edward hates her." Nichole sent a quick text to Bella, saying that if she wanted to, she could come over after school and Nichole would explain everything to her. "I'm telling her that Edward would be all too happy to give her a ride."

"But doesn't she have a truck?"

"Mom, this would give them time to actually talk, and maybe, just maybe, Edward will find someone that he can tolerate being around."

Esme raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you become such a matchmaker?"

"I have hidden talents that many don't know about." If someone didn't know better, then they would say that what had happened with Nichole's father hadn't fazed her in the least, but they didn't hear her screaming in the middle of the night, didn't see her thrashing around in her bed, begging for him to not touch her. Edward was usually the one to calm her when these dreams occurred, because his bedroom was closest to hers. A few times after she had these dreams, she had gone with him to his room and fallen asleep there.

"Hey...Esme?"

"Hm?"

"Um, I've tried calling Jacob, and he didn't answer any of my calls, do you know why?"

"I don't, but maybe he feels bad about what had happened to you and that he had let you go so easily. After lunch, why don't you go to the reservation? He's going to school on the reservation, isn't he?"

"Yeah. but that's if I can get to him without Paul Lahote killing me." Nichole rolled her eyes. "I swear to God, he's such a drama king. First of all, I'm not even a vampire, it's not like I'm going to try and suck him dry or whatever the hell it is that he's thinking I'm going to do."

Esme laughed again. "Drama king, hm?"

"Oh yeah, you should have seen him at the beach, treating me like I was the Grim Reaper." Nichole quickly ate the sandwich that Esme had made for her. "Do you mind driving me to the border?"

"Not at all, let's get going."

Esme drove Nichole to the border, and Nichole bit her lip nervously as she entered the reservation. The first person that she came across was Seth.

"Nichole!" Seth grinned when he saw her. "What are you doing here?"

"I,uh, I came to see Jacob, he hasn't been answering any of my calls."

"Oh..uh, Jacob's been really sick."

"Sick?" Her eyes widened a bit. "Is he okay?"

"He's getting better now, but he was out of commission for a few days. It's probably why he didn't call you."

"Is he at home?"

"Yeah, come on, I'll walk you."

Seth lead Nichole towards Jacob's house, and they found that he was standing outside. Nichole's eyes widened when she saw him, he looked so different. His hair had been cut short and he was wearing a tattoo.

When Jacob saw her, his eyes widened a bit, and they stayed like that for a moment before he growled at her. "You need to get out of here."

"Jacob, what the hell is going on-"

"Get out of here, bloodsucker."

Bloodsucker? Now he was starting to act like Paul Lahote. "Jacob, I don't know what's going on with you. Since when did you become such a jerk?"

"You need to leave," Jacob repeated. "Before I make you leave."

"But Jacob-"

"Now! You're one of them, and I don't want to be associated with you anymore. I want you to leave, and not come back. And stay away from Seth."

Nichole stood her ground firmly. "Jacob, what the hell has happened to you? You're turning into an asshole!"

"Better to be an asshole than a bloodsucker."

"You know that I'm not a vampire Jacob, and don't talk about my family like that. They're vegetarians, they don't drink the blood of humans."

Jacob scoffed a bit. "You honestly expect me to believe that?"

"I do, because it's the truth." Nichole shook her head as tears pricked at her eyes. "You want me to leave? Fine, I'm leaving. See you around, Black."

Nichole didn't want to tell any of her family what had happened, because she didn't want any of them to lash out at Jacob. Yeah, he had been a total jerk to her, but that didn't mean that she wanted something to happen to him, because she knew good and well that if Emmett found out how he had treated her, then he would kill Jacob.

So she settled for the next best thing. She sent a text to Bella. She knew that Bella was in school, but hopefully she wouldn't ditching the last couple hours.

Bella was there within twenty minutes. "What's going on? And why are you crying?"

"Jacob Black is a freaking ass," Nichole said as she got into Bella's truck. As Bella pulled away, she glanced back once at Jacob's house, and she saw Jacob still standing there, glaring at her like he wanted her dead. What was wrong with Jacob, and what had caused him to change so drastically?