Their Human Mate

18. Why Do You Care?

ALEXA

I stop when I see the infirmary door open roughly.

There in front of me stood a woman in her thirties wearing a shirt with dumpling motifs, but that wasn't the only thing that stunned me. She wore very thick glasses, and despite having very thin eyebrows, I could tell she was scowling angrily!

‘Is she Nicholas’s caretaker or something?’ I think, studying her unique appearance.

I feel uncomfortable as this bespectacled woman stares at me even more sharply, and realizing we probably won’t meet again as I don’t know or need her, I lower my head and go.

However, she doesn’t accept that and grips my arm tightly. I gasp when feeling how strong this thin woman’s grip is, even though she’s quite slender.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?! I asked why he's like this, and what did you do to him??" "Well, I—"

"Sis…"

We both turn as a weak, deep voice calls her. It’s Nicholas.

"Nicholas…" As the woman is distracted by him, I use that opportunity to break free from her grip and stride away.

I ignore her stare, although I know that it will make my relationship with Nicholas worse and more awkward, but I don’t care.

I feel too uncomfortable to be with them.

"Just f**k them. It's not like I want to talk to them. I don't need them." I murmur, trying to calm myself down.

Why did Mom even throw me into Forks?

‘f**k Mom too…’

***

When I get home, I see Harold’s old truck parked messily in the yard.

I roll my eyes, knowing that he’s probably home because of the trouble at school.

"Calm down, just stay calm. It's not like it's my fault that this happened, right?" I reassure myself, and as I enter the house, I see Harold sitting in the living room with a bruised Jacob and Ashley.

From the way the three of them look, I know that they were waiting for me and must have already discussed this issue, and even though I want to storm upstairs, I know I should just wait and listen to what Harold is about to say.

"Alexa, sit." Harold commands tiredly, and I just curse silently as I sit down.

I choose to sit a bit far from Jacob, and I even choose to snuggle close to Ashley, even though I hate her.

Jacob looks at me hurt, and Harold looks at us both tiredly in turn, before sighing and saying: "What is wrong with you all?"

I remain silent, not intending to speak. Like what’s the point? No matter what I say, the core of what he wants to say is for us to make up.

‘And it’s not like I want to argue and make things worse… I still need this place to live,’ I think, still remembering that I need Harold to live in Forks.

Harold notices my silence and realizes that none of us want to speak no matter how many times he prompts us, rubbing his face roughly. "You… You both used to be so close, right?”

“What happened to you two? Why are you acting like this now…" he sighed, looking at us both pitifully. But none of us intends to reply.

Even Jacob averts his gaze from him.

"I… Don't know the root of your problem, but what's clear is we have to resolve it now. This has gone too far. I can't even fathom why Jacob even went to school and kissed—"

"I love Alexa, Dad."

The whole room immediately falls silent at Jacob’s statement. Even I widen my eyes in disbelief at him.

‘Is he crazy?’ I think, glancing at Ashley, and it’s true. The woman looks displeased.

"Love Alexa? But Jacob! You two were raised together and—" "Raised together, but we don't have the same blood, Dad."

Jacob cuts in sharply. His eyes glare at Harold, and I wince, remembering the incident earlier today. "Besides, about being raised together, we weren't raised from birth."

"We were classmates when her mom met you, and we only lived together when we were teenagers, and that was only for three years."

"And in three years, it's only natural for feelings to grow then, and even before that." and with that, Jacob left the living room, making the atmosphere even more tense.

‘What the hell is he talking about?’ I think, a bit worried about Harold’s mental state.

Dinner goes by a bit fast because the only attendees are me, Harold, and Ashley. Jacob, he went out after that fight without explanation, so we don’t know where he is now.

"His phone is off too…" I murmur, staring at my phone. I look at the messenger just to check if he’s online or at least to see signs that he’s alive which thankfully still show signs. I want to ask his whereabouts because I feel sorry for Harold, but my pride is too big for that.

"Alright, I will go to bed first…" Harold says tiredly. I see him standing with tired eyes under a flickering cheap yellow lamp, and I just notice how dark the rings under his eyes are.

‘No wonder, I mean he must be very tired remembering he’s on duty…’ I bite my lower lip uncomfortably. ‘Not to mention he should also be on duty tonight, and he shouldn’t be this tired if this problem didn’t exist.’

"Anyway, if Jacob comes home, please wake me up no matter what. He’s still injured, and he’s bad at bandaging himself, so… Just call me."

"Okay."

"Um, Harold?"

"Yes?"

I stare at Harold’s tired eyes, and although it’s hard for me to say it, I’d regret it more if I didn’t say it.

"About our problem, don't worry about it. I’ll take care of it," I gulp as the word 'care' feels a bit foreign in my mouth. "And also, about your words saying we grew up together. Well, you're right."

"We grew up together, and things like this shouldn’t happen. I will talk about it to Jacob when he gets home."

Harold looks blank for a second after I say it, and I’m a bit worried seeing his shocked expression, but it doesn’t take long until he smiles and steps closer to ruffle my hair.

"Okay, thank you, Alexa. I know I can count on you."

"You’re already my daughter and act more like one than my own flesh ever does."

Then, Harold turns around and goes into his room. I see him smile a little from the side, and I know he looks relieved that I said that.

‘I better get some sleep too… I have school tomorrow,’ I think, also turning around and going into my room.

As I enter my bedroom, I see the lights are already off. Ashley looks asleep, curled up on the beanbag, and seeing those tissues, I know she must have cried.

As I sink into my bed and stare at the starry ceiling, many thoughts fill my head, but I know it’s useless to think about it because problems will never end, and the best thing I can do is sleep.

"Just hope that Jacob is easy to talk to… It’s hard for me too," I think, shifting myself to a more comfortable position. At times like this, I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I had a normal family. Would I feel like this, or do I need to please others so I don’t feel bad, but I guess everyone has their own share of problems.

As I start to close my eyes and drift into a black, dreamless vision, a knock is heard at my window.

I try to brush it off, but the knocking gets louder, and I scowl because Ashley seems oblivious.

"Is it twig? But why is it knocking so hard…" I grumble, getting up lazily and walking to the window, which is already covered by curtains.

And when I open it, I’m shocked to see an unexpected figure perched on my windowsill.

‘What the—’

"Hi…Are you free right now?"