LEGO HOUSE

five.           munchkin

▬▬ JASPER KEPT A CHECK on Cori's emotions as she sat on the hood of Alice's car, her eyes watching as a red camaro parked in its usual spot next to a black pickup. She rubbed her hands across her thighs, her bottom lip between her teeth as she swung her feet a little. Jasper chuckled lightly and Cori turned to glare at him. "Shut up." She mumbled. "I'm nervous."

"You're gonna be fine." Jasper told her, looking over at her from where he leaned against the side of the car, Alice under his arm. "Move your shoulders a little." He added as Carter and Noah neared them, Cori moved her shoulders, just enough so it looked like she was breathing. She pushed herself off the car and made her way towards the two humans, a smile on her face.

"You're early." Noah mused, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I'm surprised, Pipsqueak."

"Oh, shut up." She huffed, shoving his arm a little, making him laugh. "I'm not always late."

"Sure you're not." He patted the top of her head and she swatted at his hand before looking up at Carter, who simply gave the girl a smile.

"So, Peanut, you gonna introduce us or not?" Carter asked, his eyes moving to Alice and Jasper before settling on the girl in front of him again.

A wide smile pulled at her lips as she turned, putting herself between the two boys before she grabbed their hands. "You're gonna love them." She mumbled, pulling them with her until they stopped next to the couple. "Alice, Jasper, this is Carter and Noah. Boys, this is Alice and Jasper. Now you all have to be friends. No pressure."

"You're insane." Carter laughed, locking his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side before he looked up at the couple. "But it's nice to finally meet you guys."

"Yeah, it's only been, what, three years of going to the same school." Noah quipped sarcastically, making them laugh.

"We're gonna be great friends." Alice smiled, looking from Carter to Noah before her eyes settled on Cori again.

"Yay!" The girl nearly shouted, throwing her arms into the air, making the four of them laugh but it faded when a motorcycle pulled into the parking lot and stopped by the steps. Cori's smile disappeared as she watched Jacob kick out the kickstand and swing his leg over the bike. Like a beacon, his eyes landed on her and she could see the disgust in his eyes. She quickly looked back at Jasper and he gave her a small nod, sending a wave of ease over her.

"I'll be right back." She mumbled, sliding out from under Carter's arm and making her way towards the shapeshifter. "Jake, let me-"

"I can't believe you're one of them." He nearly spat and she was taken back by the anger rolling off of him.

"I didn't-"

"Go away, leech."

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, no words forming as tears formed behind her eyes. She blinked as she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat, turning back towards the others with her head down and her chest rumbling with a pain she had never felt before.

"Cori?" Jasper moved, standing in front of her as waves of sadness, anger, and self loathing filtered through her.

It took a few minutes to answer him or to even look up at him. "I'm fine." She finally forced a smile, even though she knew she couldn't lie to him. "Um, can we just go?" She mumbled, making her way towards the school and Carter looked over at Jasper before he caught up with the young Swan, pulling Noah with him – he was too busy texting Lola to actually notice anything going on around him.

"Cori?" Bella called out, stopping the younger girl on the steps and she turned, looking at her sister as she climbed onto the back of Jacob's motorcycle. "You okay?"

Cori couldn't help it when her eyes moved to Jacob, who still glared in her direction, before looking at her sister again. "Ask him."

"What'd you say to her?" She asked and the boy looked over his shoulder at her.

"Nothing." He shrugged and Cori rolled her eyes, starting up the stairs again, Carter at her side, his hand in hers, which she appreciated, and Jasper making sure her emotions didn't get the best of her.

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▬▬ "I THOUGHT YOU AND JAKE were friends." Noah whispered as they sat in English class, neither really paying much attention to the teacher.

"We were." She shrugged. "Things change." Her eyes settled on the white board, though her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't believe that Jacob, the boy she had grown up with, could look at her with such hatred and disgust. Then there was Paul, she knew he was pissed. She couldn't get the look in his eyes out of her head, the confusion, the anger, and the howl he let loose the night before still haunted her.

Cori excused herself, getting a hall pass from the teacher, and she made her way out to the parking lot. She sat on the hood of Alice's car as she stared at Paul's contact. She had gotten texts from him, even a few calls but she had ignored them. Seeing as she was a vampire and she wasn't sure how to tell him. Now, he knew. He had seen it with his own eyes. And the texts had stopped.

She let out a shaky breath and hit his contact before holding the device to her ear. It rang and rang and rang and she was sure he wasn't going to pick up... then he did.

"What do you want?" His tone was bitter, taking the others around him by surprise.

"Can I explain, please?" She begged, her voice broken up with a sob.

He let out a sigh, closing his eyes, he was warring with himself. This was Cori, his best friend for years. The girl he had most nights on the phone with when she lived in Arizona, the girl he had once had a crush on – though he would deny it now. This was the girl that meant the most to him – with the exception of Rachel. But she was a vampire and he hated the other bloodsuckers. But his love for her won out. "Okay."

She let out a relieved breath, a weight lifting off her shoulders. "Can we meet up? This might be easier in person."

"Yeah, um, your place?"

"Okay." She nodded eagerly. "I'll meet you there." With that he hung up and she quickly sent Alice a text before she was gone, running through the woods towards the Swan house as fast as she could.

She sat on the front porch, her elbows on her knees as she waited, trying to get her thoughts together. And she looked up when she heard a twig snap. And to her surprise all of the guys were there, all but Jacob, Seth, and Leah. They all stood nearly shoulder to shoulder as she neared them.

"I wasn't expecting all of you." She mumbled.

"We want an explanation, too." Jared told her, his tone unusually brisk.

"So explain." Paul nodded his head.

She took a breath, pushing her hair back out of her face. "I didn't want this. I still don't. Um, the redhead, Victoria, she made me wreck Edward's car and I guess when Carlisle found me it was too late to actually save me. I don't really know what happened, I only got bites and pieces from everyone. Next thing I know, the worst pain I have ever felt in my life is just... everywhere." She shook her head, shaking the thought and the memory of the pain away. And they all just stood there, looking down at her. Though Jared, Sam and Embry had softened a little. But Paul's face was still blank, no readable emotion to be seen. "Then I was this."

Sam knew the story, he and Carlisle had talked after the accident, but he still wanted to know her side. He wanted to know how she felt and how she was dealing with it.

"And I hate it." She sobbed, though no tears fell. "I don't want to be this. I never did."

"Would you have died if they hadn't..." Embry trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

"Yeah." She nodded looking up at him, grief swimming around in her irises. "I would have rather died."

"How are your eyes still blue?" Jared asked and she chuckled a little, though it was humorless.

"Contacts."

"Who did it?" Paul asked, his tone was still firm but his features had softened just a little.

"...Emmett."

"Of course he did." He huffed, shaking his head as he shifted on his feet.

"Calm down." Sam put his hand on the boy's shoulder before looking down at Cori. "Are you okay?"

"No." She shook her head. "My dad thinks I'm ignoring him. I can barely make it through the school day without Jasper having to calm me down. There's this burning in my throat that won't go away. I always feel like crying or screaming or both. Emmett won't leave me alone and I had to break up with Carter..."

"Called that one." Jared mumbled, raising his hand slightly and her brows pinched as she looked over at him. "What? You guys were kind of obvious." Then he looked over at Embry. "You owe me five bucks."

"You bet on... why?" Cori asked and just like that it felt like nothing had changed, like she was still human for just a moment.

"Free money." He shrugged, stuffing the five into his pocket with a wide smile.

"I miss you guys."

"We miss you, too." Sam gave her a small smile.

"Paul?" Cori moved forward, just a small step closer to him.

He swallowed thickly as he let his arms fall to his sides, letting out a breath. "I'm glad that you're not dead, but it's gonna take some time."

"I get it." She nodded. "As long as you don't hate me."

"I don't think I could ever hate you, Munchkin."

The nickname made her undead heart swell. "Good." She hummed then her head snapped to the side when she heard Emmett's jeep a little ways down the road. "You have got to be kidding me." She muttered.

"What?" Sam asked, then all four of them straightened up when they saw the jeep come to a stop, then the vampire slid out. His golden eyes were narrowed at the four shirtless boys.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She huffed, making her way towards him.

"Alice said you ditched school. Wanted to make sure you were okay." He told her but his eyes flickered back to the pack – who stood there just watching.

"I don't need you to check up on me."

"Clearly you do." He motioned to the wolves and she shoved him back into the side of the jeep, the vehicle rocking a little under the impact.

"They're my friends." She nearly seethed, pushing him backwards again.

"Cori-"

"I don't give a shit about the damn treaty, they were my friends before you did this to me and I'll be damned if I lose them." She kept her hand on his chest, holding him in place and he struggled against her a little. The guys watched with raised brows, all a little shocked that Cori, who was tiny, had Emmett pinned to the side of his car with one hand. "Now get back in your jeep and leave me the hell alone."

"Fine." He conceded and she took a step back letting her hand fall from his chest. "But I don't care how many times you tell me to leave you alone, or that you hate me. I can't leave you alone, I just can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I love you."