Nina Purser had it all finally. The whole package. Her family was finally happy, and her boyfriend, Jared, couldn't have been more perfect. But when things start to fall apart, and Jared becomes distant, Nina would have no clue what was to come.
I stretched as far as my limbs would allow me, feeling the pull of my muscles and relished the feel. It was the first day of my sophomore year at high school and for once I was excited. My boyfriend Jared, a junior, would be picking me up in his new truck, one he inherited from an uncle. I couldn't believe how lucky I had been to catch his attention.
Jared and I had been dating for a few months now, mostly over the summer, and it couldn't have been more perfect. He understood me and listened to my problems unabashedly. We spent days at the beach and evenings with friends and family gathered around bonfires or a dinner table.
I finally begrudgingly got up so I could finally shake the sleep off of me. Stumbling to the bathroom across the hall I stared into the mirror.
There was a girl that I hardly recognized staring back at me. She had a grin on her face without having a reason for it. Her russet skin glowed, her raven hair shone. Her high cheek bones didn't seem so protruding as she had once imagined. Her dark eyes had hints of a smile in them.
Could I actually have imagined my life had been as bad as it was a year ago?
I washed my face and brushed my hair until it shined even more and went to my room to get dressed before breakfast. I had chosen to go simple with jeans and a sweater, I preferred comfort over beauty. Of course I always dressed up a little when I went with Jared somewhere, but this was just school I reminded myself.
I skipped downstairs to the kitchen where my mom and dad were talking over coffee. My mom used to take me to school but since I have someone else, her chauffeur skills were no longer needed.
Leaning in the doorway, I smiled at the sight. My parent had finally started getting along. For some reason they had started fighting a little over a year ago. Screaming matches had ensued. Though they tried to keep it away from me, I would sit up in my room trying to drown out what had been going on.
Apparently the issue had been resolved, because they had started getting along a little after she had started seeing Jared.
"Hey Nee-Nee" my father spoke when he saw me in the doorway. I rolled my eyes at the terrible nickname my father bestowed upon me when I was four. My mother turned to me and beamed. Her smile was breathtaking. She had always been gorgeous ever since I could remember, and age only seemed to make her even more so.
"Hi honey. Your father was just telling me how he ran into Jared's father at the grocery store. Apparently he literally ran into him." And then she laughed. Oh how I missed that sound. "Well, we all know dad is a klutz" I joked.
"Hey!" He laughed as he stood up. "I am not a klutz. Just prone to falling, running into things, and apparently anything that can break will break with me in it's presence." With that he gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and one to me on the forehead. "Love you guys. I'll see you tonight. Have a good first day Nee-Nee."
"Bye, daddy" I replied. "Have fun at the inn." He worked as a manager at the local inn down in Forks. It was decent pay, enough to allow my mother to be a homemaker and us to enjoy a manageable living.
I heard the front door shut as I sat down to my plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs. It smelled delicious.
"So, what time is Jared getting here?" My mother asked. They absolutely adored my boyfriend. I couldn't blame them though, I did too.
"He said he'd be here by 7. But you know him. He'll probably stumble in at 7:15."
My mother chuckled at this. God she was just so much happier now. "Yes, knowing that boy I have to agree with you."
As I finished up my breakfast I went to brush my teeth. Couldn't have pancake breath now could I?
And then, as if on cue while I was grabbing my messenger bag, a knock on the door. I looked at my watch. 7:15 on the dot. I smiled to myself and opened the door. There stood in all his glory my tanned, gorgeous boyfriend.
He grinned at me widely and bent down and kissed my cheek. I huffed but he just laughed. He looked past me and waved at my mother. "Hey Mrs. Purser!" he greeted enthusiastically and waved.
"Hello darling. Make sure you drive safe. And Nina, wear your seat belt." I rolled my eyes.
"I know mom." I quickly grabbed Jared's hand and left the house, shutting the door behind me. I laughed as we left the house and got into his black truck. It was definitely old, and I had no idea what brand it was, but I didn't care. No more bumming rides from friends or family.
I got in and he shut the door behind me. Ever the gentleman. I grabbed my seat belt and turned as he got in and smiled at me. I leaned in and gave him a proper kiss and when we pulled away we were both gasping for breath. Now satisfied with the kiss, I buckled up as he drove off down the road.
La Push High School was only a few minutes down the road on the reservation. I lived slightly on the outskirts. Jared had to go past it to get me, but he made it clear he didn't mind. As we came over the hill the school was in plain view. It was a homely school, just big enough to fit the population of the Rez, slightly overcrowded, but never bursting at the seams. Just a building off by itself next to a parking lot. By the time we got there it was 7:30, and since first class didn't start until 8, we walked over to a group of friends that were standing around Jacob Black's new bike. It didn't look like anything spectacular to me, just a hunk of metal and more metal entwined to make a death-on-wheels machine. To say I was not a bike person would be fairly correct.
"Hey man, cool bike. How fast have you gotten it?" Jared asked as we reached the group. I stood there next to him, our hands entwined, listening to what sounded like a horror story. One hundred and five, I couldn't imagine going that fast in a car let alone on a bike. I shuddered at the thought. Jared looked over at me, giving me a smile that was only meant for me as if reassuring me he'd never do that. My heart swooned.
Jared was the oldest of these boys. He had other, older friends as well, but he clicked well with these also. He was pretty much liked by everyone. His joking, light-hearted personality was easy to relate to I guess.
One girl who caught my eye, Kim Connweller, was standing next to a boy named Seth, who I didn't know much about. She was staring at Jared with a smile practically tattooed on her face. It wasn't a big secret she had a crush on him. Everyone knew, and when I had started dating him it was obvious she was crushed. I couldn't really blame the girl, he was amazing, but he didn't pick her, he picked me. And with that I narrowed my eyes at her. He was mine and she had better get that straight.
I was never really the possessive type until I had Jared, he was my first serious boyfriend. I still wasn't a very jealous girl, but that girl Kim just rubbed me the wrong way. Something screamed to me, "Don't let him near her!" She had nothing I didn't have, albeit I was a little plain, long legged and thin, I thought I was decent looking enough. While Kim had curves that suited her body nicely, I had gangly arms and large feet. She was petite in a cute package and I was simply put...normal.
"Earth to Nina, you there?" I pulled out of my own world and looked to Jared. I smiled a brilliant smile to let him know nothing was wrong and asked what was going on. "It's pretty much time to head in. Might as well be early seeing as it is our first day and all." I sighed. I was excited for the first day, yes, but that was because I would be seeing Jared and our friends. Not for the school work.
He kissed me once on the lips goodbye as walked by his first class, Chemistry. After he went in I saw Kim walk in behind him. Great, so much for not letting him near her, I thought. I was a grade behind. I would never know what would go on in that classroom.
I trudged my way through to school to my first class, English. Don't get me wrong, I loved the subject, but I wasn't much of an early person as it was, so starting off my day with an intellectually stimulating class wasn't my choice of a great morning.
By the time lunch rolled around I was starving. When I got to the usual table, what I saw unnerved me. That girl Kim was sitting next to my Jared. He didn't really seem to notice her, because when he saw me his face lit up and waved me over. I smiled when I sat down and greeted him with a kiss. Take that miss boyfriend-stealer-wannabe, I thought.
Leila, a girl the same age as I and with the same tanned skin, sat on my other side a few minutes later. "Can I say I absolutely hate Biology? Honestly, I will never understand any of it." I laughed at her. Leila had been a good friend since grade school. I wouldn't call her a best friend because we weren't absolutely that close, but close enough to know pretty much everything about each other. And I knew her hate for any form of Science. She knew she was a pretty girl with good genes, but that was all she knew or cared to know about the subject.
"I could help you, I got an A in that class last year. I've been told I'm a pretty good tutor," came a voice from the other side of Jared. God, could this girl not keep her business to herself?
"Well, if I start failing miserably, I might have to take you up on that offer," Leila replied. She was always too nice. I started to begin to feel like a big meanie. Maybe I was just a mean person. I was hard from experience, yes, but I didn't think I was a terrible person. There was just something with this girl that made me want to be a big bully.
"Jared helps me on that subject sometimes, you could always join us if you wanted," I spoke in.
"I wouldn't really say he helps you out on that subject," Leila said. "I would say you guys work more on human anatomy, if you know what I mean." She winked at us and started eating her sandwich while talking to a boy sitting across from her. I blushed of course, I didn't want my business out there, I was a shy girl, but Leila was never one to be bashful. Jared just laughed it off and kissed my cheek and continued eating his apple.
A few boys at the end of our table were being really rowdy, I recognized one as Jacob Black and a few others by their first name. They were one year younger than me so I didn't really pay attention to them, but they were arguing over something about who had the bigger triceps. They were all scrawny in my opinion, but boys will be boys.
By the end of the day, I was tired and cranky. I had more school work than I knew what to do with, and not enough time to deal with it. I groaned inwardly as I knew this would be a rough school year. So much for spending every waking minute with Jared, I thought. Oh well, maybe he could help me out on the subject of human anatomy. I laughed at myself.
"What's so funny pretty lady?" Jared asked as he kissed me when I finally reached his truck. My last class, Biology, was on the opposite side from the parking lot, of course.
"Oh, nothing." I smiled sweetly at him.
"You know, sometimes you scare me little one."
"I am not little!" I argued. He had a few inches on me yea, but I was fairly tall for a girl, standing at 5'7".
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Okay, well then we'll compromise on you being beautiful."
I blushed and concentrated on buckling my seat belt. Safety first and all that.
"Hey," He spoke softly. I looked up at him, my cheeks still slightly pink. "You are beautiful, I hope you know." He barely spoke above a whisper, catching my eyes with his and not letting go. He pulled me in and my eyes fluttered closed as I enjoyed his kiss. Our lips touching softly, twisting this way and that. It was so sweet and gentle I wanted to-
Bang bang bang!
We jumped apart and looked where the sound was coming from, in front of the truck. Someone, no, Leila had pounded her fist on the hood. "No PDA!" she yelled and laughed her pretty little head off as she kept walking, joking with a few guy friends along the way. My heart was pounding, and I wasn't sure if it was from the sweet kiss Jared had just given me or from getting the crap scared out of me from Leila. I would have to get her back I promised myself.
"Lovely," Jared harrumphed as he turned the key over and started the truck. I just giggled at him and let my mind wander about how amazing life was as we sped down the road. I watched the trees as we drove by, smiling on the inside and out on the whole way home.