"Well, that was... interesting."

I slowly walked out of the movie theater with Bella and Jessica, who had a disgusted look on her face.

"I don't get why there are so many zombie movies coming out," Bella said, kicking a pebble.

"It's, like, a metaphor? For crass consumerism or something. Not that you'd know anything about consuming. You didn't buy anything today." Jessica threw a dirty look in Bella's direction, who hadn't seen it. "So much for girls' day out, right?"

"Really, Jess? Lay off of her." I said, casting a dark look at her.

"I bought something," Bella said defensively.

"Socks don't count. Then again, I was surprised you even called me."

"I've been kind of... out of it."

"Kind of? I mean, at first I was worried. Then I'm like, okay, she's still bumming? It's not like I wasn't going through things, too. Like Mike deciding he wanted to "just be friends?" That was really hard and --"

"Jessica, I said knock it off." I interrupted her harshly. "So what, Mike said he wanted to be friends. It's probably because of how snobby you are to other people. Bella is allowed to grieve her ended relationship however she needs to. If that means going four months without talking to anyone, then so be it. Quit making everything about you!"

"Excuse me?" Jessica's eyes widened in surprise.

Before I could say another word, a man's voice called out, causing us to turn around.

"How about a ride, girls?"

Down the side street, a few buildings from the movie theater, stood four guys outside of a bar called One-Eyed Pete's. Motorcycles were parked next to the men, who all looked rough and dangerous, like predators stalking their prey.

"Come on." Jessica whispered sharply.

"I agree, let's get out of here." I shivered at the strange vibe I was feeling.

"I know them... I think..." Bella tilted her head to the left, staring intently at the bikers.

"Can we just go? Bella?" Jessica pulled at her arm, but Bella shook her off and took a step away.

"I want to see something."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Bella!" I called after her as she walked across the street. Jessica and I shared a look and stood there helplessly as we watched Bella approach the guys.

"Alright, we got a taker." One of the guys said to his friends, loud enough for us to hear his double meaning: too bad her friends are chickens.

Bella climbed onto one of the bikes and the guy revved the engine, showing off for his friends before disappearing around the corner. I turned to Jessica who was huffing angrily.

"You just had to say something about Edward." I hissed, my eyes narrowing. "We all know you were jealous that he chose her over you. We all know you're upset that Mike still has feelings for Bella. We all know! Jesus, Jessica. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What about you! You haven't exactly been there for any of us either. You're too worried about Jacob, who's crushing on Bella! Yeah, we all know that too!" Jessica yelled, throwing her hands into the air.

A tense silence settled over us as we waited for Bella to return from her spontaneous joyride. I sighed in frustrated defeat.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean it like that... and you're right. About Jacob having feelings for Bella. Guess we're kind of in the same boat there."

"Yeah, I guess we are." Jessica sighed, her anger dimming slightly in the streetlight. "At least we can agree that Bella's been making some weird choices lately, right? Like this stunt... she's putting herself in danger."

"I honestly have no idea what's gotten into her."

About ten minutes later, the guy came roaring back up in front of the bar and Bella climbed off his bike. He nodded to his friends and they took off into the night. Bella sheepishly walked towards us, her facial expression thoughtful.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jessica snapped, her anger returning to a boiling point as she glared at Bella.

"I... saw something." Bella said quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself.

"You. Are insane. Or suicidal." Jessica started to walk away, muttering under her breath.

"The more dangerous... the more real it was."

I noticed a flicker of comprehension in Bella's eyes and knew something had happened on the motorcycle ride. Deciding to keep quiet, I walked next to Bella as she struggled to figure out whatever conclusion she was coming to.

"So, what, you're like an adrenaline junky now? Go hang-gliding or bungee-jumping. Don't be a complete freak."

Without a glance backward, Jessica stormed off for her car. As she sped away, I turned my attention to Bella.

"What happened out there?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy." She whispered, wrapping her arms around her torso.

"Try me. Come on, I'll buy you dinner."

The car ride to the local 24/7 diner was quiet as Bella tried to word what she wanted to say. As I parked the car, Bella began toying with the hem of her jacket.

"I saw him... I know he wasn't actually there. But I still saw him. I don't know how to explain it."

"Because you promised him you wouldn't do anything reckless or stupid. What?" I asked as she raised an eyebrow. "The first few weeks after... you would talk in your sleep. As if you were replaying the conversation."

"That would explain a lot."

"So, if this theory is correct... you do something reckless and dangerous, he appears. That just means we'll have to prove it."

"How?"

"By being reckless and stupid. But not with strangers. That's a murder case waiting to happen." I pointed out as we walked into the diner and found a booth.

A waitress took our orders and left before Bella looked at me.

"What's your plan, Leaf?"

"First, we need to eat. Then we need to go to the junkyard."

"For what?"

"Our new project. And we're going to need a mechanic."

Bella's face lit up as my words registered. A smile slowly blossomed, reaching her eyes for the first time in months.

"I know the perfect guy."

* * * * *

The sunshine was peeking through the cloudy sky as Bella pulled into the Blacks' driveway. I smiled at her as she put the truck in park, the roar of the engine causing Jacob to appear in the doorway. He beamed when he saw us, practically running out of the house.

"Bella! Autumn!"

He headed directly to Bella, giving her a big bear hug that lifted her off the ground.

"About time you came by!"

Her cheeks flushed at the contact, surprise written across her face. I quickly averted my eyes as something pierced through my heart. Jacob set Bella back on the ground and turned to face me, his cheeks turning pink as he realized what had happened. Coughing to cover the awkwardness, I gestured to the back of Bella's truck where a tarp covered the bed.

"We brought you a present."

"More like a project," Bella added, before pulling off the tarp.

Underneath the tarp were two rusty motorcycles; last night, both of us had remembered seeing the man down the street tossing them to the curb a few days ago.

"Scrap metal. You shouldn't have." Jacob said sarcastically.

"We rescued them from the dump. They'd cost more than they're worth to fix... unless one had a mechanic-type friend."

"Me, being the mechanic-type friend?" He laughed as we nodded sheepishly. "Since when are you into motorcycles?"

"Since recently." We said at the same time before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

"The parts alone will be pricey." Jacob inspected the bikes carefully.

"I have some money saved up from the bakery." I shrugged at his raised eyebrow.

"I have a college fund I can dig into," Bella added.

"Charlie's gonna love that." Jacob gave Bella a look and she shrugged.

"Charlie won't know."

"Wow. Lying to Dad. Blowing through college money. Repairing dangerous machines - that I'm guessing you'll want to ride?"

"I really get it if you think this is stupid and reckless."

"Oh, it's totally stupid and reckless." Jacob leaned closer to Bella, his eyes twinkling as he grinned. "When do we start?"

"Right now, if that's okay." Bella glanced from Jacob to me.

"I'm okay with that," I reassured her.

"Cool. I'll grab the bikes." Jacob pulled down the tailgate.

"Be careful, they're kind of heavy." Bella's words died on her lips as Jacob easily lifted one of the motorcycles out of the bed. "Whoa, Jake. When did you get buff?"

"Over the summer. Which had you come around more often, it wouldn't be that big of a deal." He teased her, his smile growing wider.

"I noticed."

As soon as the words were muttered under my breath, I let out a small gasp and my eyes grew wide as Bella shot me a look, snickering. Jacob paused for a moment, his back still to me and I silently begged for him to keep walking. Time stood still as I watched him tilt his head to the left, as if acknowledging what I said without looking at me before continuing toward the garage with the motorcycle.

I let out a sigh of relief and fanned myself with my hand as Bella laughed at me.

"Did you really just say that?" She whispered, glancing at Jacob's retreating figure.

"I didn't mean to." I facepalmed, embarrassed. "Do you think he heard me?"

"I'd say there's a pretty good chance he did," Jacob called out as he walked past us to get the second motorcycle. My face turned even more pink.

"I think I need some water."

I headed for the house as the sound of Bella's laughter followed me. Billy looked up from his fishing magazine and smiled when I entered the kitchen.

"Where's the fire?" He joked as I bolted to the sink.

"Under my skin." I pointed to my flushed cheeks as I turned on the cold water, splashing a little on my face before filling a cup.

"I'm sure whatever it was, it wasn't that bad, kiddo."

"It really was," I reassured him. "I pretty much admitted to checking out Jacob over the summer."

"Like he didn't know." Billy chuckled, shaking his head. "Jacob would talk about you every day to Quil and Embry on the phone over the summer. He thinks these walls are made of steel."

"Thanks, Dad."

Jacob's voice interrupted from behind me. I turned around to see Jacob's face turn pink, this time being the one embarrassed.

"Well, it's true."

"Bella wanted to talk to you," Jacob said, changing the subject. He kept his eyes averted from me as he spoke, and I couldn't help but giggle.

"I'll just leave you two alone." I grabbed my cup of water and walked around Jacob who was hovering in the doorway.

Our bodies had brushed against each other as he tried to move out of my way, and an electric current hummed through me. I was sure Jacob felt it too because his body tensed up as he took a step back. His eyes flashed as I glanced at him, unable to make out what he was thinking. Without another word, I held my head high and walked outside to Bella, struggling to keep from freaking out.

"Jake said you wanted to talk to me?"

I sat down next to Bella on the couch in the garage. She gave me a grateful smile.

"Thank you. For doing this, for making sure I was okay these last four months, even though we both know I wasn't the best company to be around. Really, for everything. I'm glad that you moved here and that we're best friends."

"I'm glad I moved here too. And that's what best friends do, they take care of each other through the bad times."

"I've never had a best friend," she admitted quietly, staring at the bikes.

"I did once. At least, I thought she was. Turns out she never cared about me. I only found that out right after I moved here."

"What happened?"

"You remember Reed, my ex-boyfriend?" She nodded. "She slept with him and lied to me about it. She only told me because she got pregnant."

"No!" Bella's eyes widened in shock.

"Mhm. I grew up with this girl, and not once in a million years did I think she would betray me like that. But the past is the past." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Excluding my mom, no. No one else knows. I wanted to tell Jacob everything after Reed ruined our first date. But he didn't give me a chance to explain."

Bella reached over and squeezed my hand gently. I sighed and wiped a tear from my face.

"Then, I wanted to tell our friends in case he decided to come to the Fall Festival, but..." my voice trailed off and Bella looked sympathetic.

"You were too busy looking for me."

"You became my top priority." I squeezed her hand in return. "As my best friend, you always will be my top priority."

"Thank you," she whispered just as Jacob walked back into the garage. His face was unreadable, and my gut told me he was upset about something.

"Jacob? Are you okay?" Bella noticed his expression and turned to face him.

"I'm fine," he muttered, grabbing a wrench from his toolbox.

"Well, you don't look fine."

"I'm fine, Bells. Really."

His eyes flashed toward me, and I swore I saw a hint of guilt mixed with anger. Was he mad at me?

"I think I'm going to go home," I said to Bella as I got up from the couch. "Text me when you get home and we can start on the Chemistry packet."

"Okay. Are you okay? Do you need me to drive you home?" Bella lowered her voice, concern written on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I promise. I can walk, it's not that far. Besides, I could use the exercise to stay in shape."

With a small wave to my best friend and not another word to Jacob, I walked out of the garage and headed down the driveway. A light sprinkle had begun about two miles from the Blacks' house and for once, I was grateful for the umbrella I kept in my bag.

As I dug around the bottom of my bag, I wasn't paying attention and a car horn blared through the air, making me jump. Whipping my head around, I saw a car slam on its brakes as another car barreled through the intersection right at me. Without a second thought, I dove to the side as the dark car jumped the curb and sped off, nearly missing me. My heart hammering in my chest, I felt my phone vibrate. Across the screen flashed a text from an unknown number.

NEXT TIME WON'T BE A MISS.