Chapter Text
Tall, thick trees were all Amilina could see for miles as the truck drove down the jagged, makeshift road out of the La Push reservation. She looked out of the rain-streaked windows. The sky was cloudy and gray, as there was a constant thick fog that hovered over La Push during the cold season of January. There was a slight frost that coated the surprisingly green despite the cold weather, but Forks was always the perfect blend of rain and humidity; it was in a constant state of fall weather. Amilina was lucky if it ever reached the seventies in the summer and was sunny, but that was rare. Amilina sucked her teeth as the heavy old truck hit a bump, making her jerk in her uncomfortable passenger seat. She shot her inexperienced and horrible driver a glare, “Can you not hit every bump on the road?” Jacob laughed as he shot her one of his infamous boyish smiles, showing his straight row of white teeth that Amilina couldn’t help but envy. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other rested out the window. “At least I passed my driver's test, unlike someone who can’t even tell me the car gears.” Amilina snickered as she shoved his shoulder, rolling her eyes. “I don’t need to learn how to drive; one day, I’ll be rich enough to have a chauffeur to drive me everywhere in a luxurious car, not an old, shabby truck.” She looked around the interior. It was an aged truck that was evident from the patchy red paint, brown rust that stubbornly stuck no matter how hard Jacob scrubbed. The inside was dusty and outdated, with a new radio that Jacob had installed. She didn’t understand why he went to such great lengths to fix the old damned thing.
She knew why, and it made her annoyed every time she remembered why he tried so hard, spending days trying to make the truck presentable with a soft flush that dusted on his tan cheeks. Bella Swan. She almost rolled her eyes just thinking about her. She was a childhood friend of Jacob’s; she knew Bella and had tried befriending the girl once before, but found her awkward and standoffish. She remembered the thin, lanky young girl with brown hair and super fair skin who would stand in the corner watching the rest of the kids play. She and her father would frequently visit the reservation during the summers Charlie had Bella, at least until she stopped coming. But now she is back years later… Permanently.
“So how much is Charlie offering for this dump?” Amilina crinkled her nose as she swiped a finger over the dashboard, picking up some dust. Jacob watched her finger “Three-Fifty.” Amilina raised her brows and wiped the dust on the seat, not wanting to dirty her jeans. “That’s not bad considering this truck has been sitting in your dad's garage unused for what, a decade?” Jacob shrugged, “He said it’s a welcome gift for Bella, and he wanted something cheap.” Ever so nosy, she opened the glove box only to find it empty when she went to close it, and it let out a creak as it didn’t close fully. Jacob shot her a glare. “I just fixed that, Ami.” He said under his breath, sucking his teeth. “Clearly not well enough.” She rolled her eyes and looked out the window.
They had entered the small, remote town of Forks. She didn’t particularly care for the small town, besides the small bakery and library, which she only came to for school. Soon they pulled up to a nice-sized family home, on the front porch, the familiar face of the town's Chief Charlie stood beside a young girl. She was timid-looking, she seemed reserved in herself as she shifted her weight back and forth, her shoulders were slumped, and her fingers tugged on her long sleeves. Amilina just hoped Bella wasn’t as shy as she used to be, but it seemed she had gotten even more reserved. Amilina followed Jacob out of the truck, and almost cringed seeing Billy and Charlie hand play.
Jacob had beaten her to making the first introduction as he mentioned how he and Bella used to make mud pies, and Amilina snickered as she came next to him. “Don’t make it weird. Anyways, I’m Amilina. We didn’t make pies together, but we did play with Barbies a few times.” Jacob let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, because yours is any better.” Amilina shot him a glare, and before she could give him a smart remark, Bella awkwardly laughed, looking between the two younger teenagers. “I remember both of you. You guys really grew up. You’re both what, seventeen now?” Which was true, Bella was shorter than both of them now. Aniline narrowed her eyes at Jacob, who flushed like a schoolboy as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah,” He might as well have started twisting a long black lock. Bella shifted her attention to the two grown men playing fighting. At least Amilina wasn’t the only person who cringed. “Are they always like this?” Before Jacob could answer, Amilina nodded, “Unfortunately, yes, but my money is on Billy. Don’t let the wheelchair fool you, he is a cheat.”
“Don’t spread lies, Ami.” Billy laughed as he and Charlie came closer. Charlie smirked as he shook her head softly as he tapped the truck. “Let the girl talk, Bill, she’s telling the truth, you do have a cheap shot. Anyway, Bella, what do you think? It’s your homecoming present.” Bella looked at the truck, and Amilina immediately felt sorry for the girl; it was an ugly, obnoxious, burnt reddish orange color. “Wow, thanks, Dad, I love it.”
“I totally rebuilt the engine for you,” Jacob said with a big smile. Amilina tried not to roll her eyes and snicker. Bella gave him a soft smile as she thanked him and entered the truck, hitting Jacob with the door. Amilina let out a soft laugh, and Jacob looked over his shoulder, shooting her a glare as he made his way to the passenger side. Amilina leaned against the driver's side, watching as Bella looked at her new truck. “The Radio is brand new, it’s one of the newest models. I also put some CDs in the holder. I hope you like them.” Amilina didn’t really know anything about Bella, so she just assumed the timid girl wouldn’t be into popular music, so she got her a mix of soft alternative and classical. Bella gave her a smile and a small nod. “Thanks, I’ll listen to it on my way to school tomorrow. Do you guys want a drive to school?” Bella started the engine, and the truck started with a low hum with whatever life it had left.
“Oh, well, I go to school on the reservation. But Ami goes to Forks High, and she doesn’t drive.” Jacob looked at Amilina, his dark brown eyes meeting hers. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. Plus, my mom drives me, so it’s fine.” She cleared her throat as she looked away, and she shifted her weight to her other leg. Bella nodded, “I mean, I wouldn’t mind. Plus, it would be great to know someone.” Amilina started to feel bad; she was once in Bella’s shoes, starting a new school and not knowing anyone, wishing she could make friends. “Okay, but I’m going to give you gas money.” Bella smiled, and Amilina returned it.
The pair had only stayed enough to see Bella give her truck a test drive around the block, after Bella and Amilina exchanged numbers and emails. Amilina watched as the timid girl and Charlie waved them off. Amilina was squished between Billy and Jacob on the drive back to La Push, which was silent for the most part beside the low hum of the engine and Jacob's soft sighing like a teenage girl in love. Amilina knew her childhood friend had a small crush on Bella Swan; she frowned softly, feeling a tight knot in her stomach and a heavy feeling in her chest. At least she was able to befriend the timid girl with the old obnoxious orange truck.