7.0

The final restorations of the bikes were completed a month later. Embry's absence was like a gaping whole in their group. After Embry turned, Quil rarely came by the garage anymore and became quieter as well causing the whole dynamic to become more awkward when he did appear. Jacob was missing one of his best friends and it made him a little moodier than normal but he hid it well. He didn't want his time with Kate and Bella to become awful.

On the day that Jacob finished the bikes they were all happier than usual. They were going out to celebrate afterwards at this amazing pizza place.

"So Quil keeps asking to come over, I think he likes you a little too much," he told Bella.

"Oh," Bella frowned, "Well I'm really not into the whole cougar thing you know?" she laughed.

Jacob frowned, "What is it with you and age? I mean, how old was that Cullen guy anyways?"

Bella's laugh fell from her face and she got quietly into her truck. Jacob looked back at Kate confused. Kate shook her head at him.

"You shouldn't have mentioned him."

"Sorry."

Kate waved him off, "It's fine. We should probably go home now. Bella's going to be miserable the rest of the day."

"Can't you stay?" he pleaded with her.

"I shouldn't. Goodbye Jacob. We'll see you tomorrow for the bike testing."

She didn't know what made her do it but she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jacob's left cheek. Kate's face immediately grew red and she spun away from him and into the passenger seat of Bella's truck.

That night, Bella had one of her horrendous nightmares. Kate woke up in a panic when Bella started screaming. Charlie must have calmed her down because she was quiet a little bit later. Kate fell back against her pillows and rubbed her hands on her face with a groan. She rolled over and looked at her clock, which read three thirty, and stared at it. She watched as the time ticked passed and soon it was time for her to get ready to meet Jacob.

When they picked Jacob up the first thing that he told Kate was, "You look like hell."

Kate rolled her eyes, "Thank you, Jacob. That's exactly what I want to hear."

They drove down the road to a more secluded spot on the reservation. Kate was tucked between Bella and Jacob. If Kate didn't know better, she would have said that Jacob kept inching close and closer to her the entire ride because her body was right up against hers as they passed the cliffs that they jumped from that summer.

"If I told you I couldn't fix these bikes what would you have said?" Jacob asked Bella.

"Are you doubting your mad skills?" she joked.

"No! Definitely not, they'll run fine," Jacob defended.

Kate laughed, "Always the modest one aren't you Jacob?"

"If you told me that you couldn't fix these bikes, I'd say that that's really too bad but we're going to have to find something else to do." Bella paused before pointing to the cliffs nearby, "Is that Sam Uley?"

"Yea, him and his cult," Jacob muttered earning a jab in the ribs from Kate.

Kate watched as her Paul and Embry playfully threw Jared off of the cliff. Bella swore and swerved off of the road to get out. Jacob and Kate laughed at Bella knowing what was really going on.

Jacob and Kate were laughing when they emerged from the truck.

"They're not really fighting, Bella. They're cliff diving," Kate told her sister.

Jacob came up beside her, "It's scary as hell but a total rush."

"A rush?" Bella asked.

"Kate and the rest of us jump from lower down. We leave the showing off to Sam and his disciples."

Kate rolled her eyes at Jacob becoming annoyed with his hatred of the pack.

Bella turned back to them, "You have some kind of beef with him or something?"

Jacob looked at Kate before answering, "Kate doesn't," he said bitterly, "she's all buddy-buddy with them. They just think they run this place. Embry used to call them 'hall monitors on steroids' now look at him."

"That's Embry?" Bella questioned.

"Yes," Kate snapped, "And he's doing just fine. He's actually really happy if you want to know." She glared at Jacob.

"What happened to him?" Bella asked her.

"Ask Jacob since he knows so much about them," she told her.

Jacob glared at Kate before answering, "He missed some school. Now all of a sudden he started following Sam around like a little puppy." His glare intensified when Kate snorted at his choice of words. "The same thing happened with Paul and Jared. Sam keeps giving me this look like he's waiting for me or something. It's kind of starting to freak me out."

"Well you should just avoid him," Bella told Jacob before turning to Kate, "You too. You shouldn't hang out with them."

"Like that's going to stop me. You can't tell me who I can and can't hang out with," Kate snarled at Bella.

Jacob put a hand on Kate's shoulder to calm her down, "I try. Come on, Kate. Let's go."

Kate seethed the whole way to their destination at Jacob and Bella's words. She wasn't happy with them in the slightest. As if Bella was one to talk about her choice in friends. At least Kate didn't tie herself to bloodsuckers. She didn't have long to be mad because they quickly got to the site and unloaded the bikes.

"Bella, are you sure about this?" Kate asked her sister.

Bella nodded. Jacob showed Bella the controls of the bike. As Bella got ready to go for her first try, Kate watched her face and noticed Bella looking shocked at her left hand. Kate frowned as she watched her. The bike lurched forward almost running into Jacob before Bella stopped it.

"You alright?" Jacob asked her.

Kate walked forward with her arms crossed watching her sister closely.

"I want to go again," Bella told them and she took off down the dirt road leaving Jacob and Kate behind.

Kate shook her head at Bella, "She's going to get herself killed," Jacob said to Kate

"You think? You built the damn thing."

"I wasn't thinking alright?"

They argued as Bella sped down the road at faster and faster speeds. Kate noticed that Bella kept looking back at them but not actually seeing them. She noticed what was happening when it was too late.

"Bella hit the break," she screamed at Bella.

The bike wobbled treacherously across the dirt before finally hitting a stone and sending Bella flying off the bike and into a rock.

"Oh my god," Kate breathed.

Jacob brought the other bike and without asking for permission or giving her a warning, he slung Kate onto the back of the bike and took off after Bella. Kate squeaked and held onto Jacob's torso tightly. She closed her eyes as they drove. Jacob put a hand over hers when the bike slowed. He helped her off of the bike before they both sprinted toward Bella who was holding her head gently with blood dripping down the side of her face.

"Don't say 'I told you so' Kate," Bella asked her.

Kate was amazed, "Don't say it? Damn it I told you so, Bella."

Jacob dropped down next to Bella and examined her head.

"I want to go again," Bella whispered to Jacob.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? No forget it, no more bikes," Jacob told her finally agreeing with Kate, "Damn your head."

Bella put a hand up to her head, "Ow. Oh my god I'm sorry."

Jacob cracked a smile, "You're apologizing for bleeding?"

Bella and Kate shared a look.

"Yea I guess I am."

"It's just blood, Bella. No big deal."

Jacob did something Kate didn't expect and took off his shirt to clean up Bella's head. While Kate should've been worried about her sister she simply couldn't take her eyes off of Jacob's torso. She hadn't seen him like this since they went cliff diving and she didn't remember him being this defined back then. She felt her body grow hot. She had to stop her self from reaching out to him.

Bella was watching Kate who was watching Jacob. He followed Bella's gaze to Kate and smirked.

"What're you staring at," he asked Kate.

Kate seemed to snap out of it with a blush, "Nothing."

"Mhm-mm..." Jacob smirked even bigger but seemed to be a little pink in the cheeks too.