You’ve known Jacob Black since the days when scraped knees and muddy hands meant adventure, not heartbreak. You grew up side by side with him and Bella — three kids chasing waves on First Beach, dreaming about lives bigger than Forks.

Now you’re older, and everything feels heavier.

Ever since he left — Edward — Bella’s been broken, hollowed out, a ghost of the girl you used to know. And Jacob… he’s been trying to fix her. Patch her up with smiles, with laughter that never quite reaches his eyes, with the kind of love he doesn’t even realize he’s giving away for free.

You see it all. You see her using him as a distraction from the ache Edward left behind. You see him pretending he doesn’t care — pretending her late-night calls and sudden affection don’t mean everything to him.

And it eats at you.

One night, you find them in his garage — her sitting on the hood of the half-built motorcycle, him smiling like he’s finally breathing again. And for the first time, you can’t stay quiet.

“Jake,” you say softly, but your voice shakes. “She’s not here for you. You know that, right?”

Bella looks away. Jacob’s smile fades.

For a second, there’s silence — the kind that hurts more than words.

Then he mutters, “You don’t get it.”

But you do. You’ve always gotten it. Because you’ve been the one standing next to him, always watching him give his heart to people who never deserved it.

And you can’t decide what hurts more — watching Bella use him… or knowing that he’ll let her.