Chapter 1

Renee's POV

"Hey baby," My mom said as I walked in huffing. "Were you outside with Mooch?"

"Something like that." I said grinning to myself.

Of course my mother would think that I was outside with our dog, yeah right mom, I'm I wasn't about to tell her that I was outside with my boyfriend, Rex Mallory. He wasn't exactly bright, or even gentlemanly, but he was GORGEOUS! His blond hair and hazel grey eyes reminded me of Brad Pitt's. Rex said that my brown hair and "sultry eyes" reminded him of Cindy Crawford.

We have been together for three months. The three most meaningful months of my life! The best thing about Rex is that he loves being around me! I always catch him staring at me, and he passes me notes all the time. And he is a PHENOMINAL kisser!

"What're you smiling about baby?" Daddy asked me.

"Mom, Daddy, I'm not a baby anymore. I'm going to be a Senior this year. I am a woman now! Next year I will be in college, you have to treat me like an adult."

"Okay sweetheart, whatever you say," Daddy said with a smirk on his face.

"Do you mean it Daddy?"

"Sure Ba—Renee"

"Can I go to a Party tonight?"

"If it's ok with your mother..."

"Mom?" I begged her with my eyes and then added, "Please it's the last party of the summer!"

My mom thought about it for a minute, then said "Well it's nice to hear even my adult daughter ask for permission, so yes you can go."

"Thank You, I'm going to go get ready!"

As I walked up the stairs I looked out the window of the first landing. I could see into the Swan's house next door. Also looking out the window was Charlie. I could barley make him out due to the ever-present drizzle of this stupid waterlogged town! I quickly waved and continued on up, making plans for Rex and I to one day escape.

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I pulled up to Marissa's house, where the party was already in full swing. She had strewn lanterns around her front and backyard and Sublime was blaring from a boom box. I dance-walked to the beat of the music all the way through the back gate, looking for Rex.

"Hey, Ney Ney!" Courtney Ekhart sing song slurred at me, using the nickname that Rex had given me. She had this slightly malicious grin on her face that told me that she knew something that I didn't and had no intention of telling me.

"Hey Courtney!" I replied a bit puzzled. That was when I saw Marissa. She skipped over to greet me, tell me where the bathrooms and drinks were.

"And you look great, Rex is gonna go crazy when he sees you!" she added before she skipped off. The truth was that I was going to go to the party no matter what my parents said. The day before, while Rex was busy, I went to the mall and got a new outfit for tonight. I had a blue and white fitted flannel shit over a black tank top that was about an inch and half above my acid wash low rise jeans that had a multitude of stress points and rips. I completed my look with a ponytail, hoops, lip gloss, eyeliner, and a pair of blue chucks. I looked great! The tank top and rips in the jeans exposed just a teaser of my toned thighs and tight stomach. I wanted to drive Rex crazy, and I really hoped that Marissa was right when she said that I would.

And now I was thinking about Rex again, I probably needed to find him before I messed up my make-up.

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CPOV

Wow. It was about the best that I could do right now. She was just…. wow. Renee was beautiful, she was... radiant. She seemed like a whirlwind of a girl, and this being isolation Nation, I knew from town gossip that she was. She moved gracefully, and seemed to thrive in this social atmosphere, her face glowing as she greeted each and every new one. I wasn't exactly a mystery as to why she was so popular. How could she not be; Renee was exuberant and gorgeous, but she cared—genuinely---for everyone that she met, human and animal alike.

When we were kids she found a fawn stuck in a fence, and nursed it back to health in her garage. She cried for weeks when John's uncle shot it while hunting, and the week after she had found a new creature to save. She was everything that I wished that I could be. She seemed fearless, even nonsousient at times. Always confident. Always caring. No wonder I was in love with her. I flashed back to a conversation that I had had with Billy that afternoon.

"Look man, all I'm saying is that she is the girl next door. I was kind of inevitable," Billy shrugged.

"Does it matter?" I asked disheartened. "She'll never think of me as more than 'that neighbor boy', and why should she. I'm not outgoing, and I'm certainly no-" I stopped and stared at Billy's fingers. His index finger and thumb were slowly moving together, his stance ramrod straight, and his facial expression reminiscent of a the snootiest of French waiters. I rolled my eyes. The smallest violin in the world! For godsakes, we are way to old for this.

"Look Chuck—" I rolled my eyes again, "I never said it was going to be easy. With the important ones it never is. Do you think getting Heather's attention was easy?" Billy was referring to his new wife. Although Billy and Heather were several years older than me the three of us were close friends, and Billy and I have been friends for years.

" I know, but this is different." I tried to plead my case, but it was automatically met with Billy's stoic "Sure, sure."

I huffed and reeled in my line, knowing that he was right. She is important and she is worth it, and I just needed to grow a pair. I decided that I might as well start tonight, and said, "Hey Billy, there's this party tonight, over at Marissa Schwender's place. Do you think you can give me a ride?"

RPOV

Jennifer Winston's jaw dropped as Kayla Lincoln regaled her evening with Dean Moss. I knew that McKenna Joseph, a girl that had graduated two years earlier who worked as teller at the bank, was waiting for it to be over so that she could distort and spread the word as fast as her fuchsia spike heels could carry her. That was another awful thing about this stupid town—everyone lived in everyone else's pockets. I love these girls like the sisters that I never had, but enough is enough! Living in Forks I have learned that rarely is gossip meant to hurt anyone, yet hurt is the inevitable byproduct.

" I'm going to go grab something to drink." As I left they started right back up again. While walking through the house I scoured the crowd for Rex. It was really weird that I hadn't seen him yet, maybe he got held up at home. As I was looking I saw a beautiful Quileute couple talking with Charlie Swan. They seemed like they were a few years older than the rest of us, but they looked pretty comfortable nonetheless.

Whatever the man said must have been pretty funny because Charlie laughed. Wow. Neighbor boy sure does have a beautiful smile, and then I was walking towards them, the drink long forgotten.

"Hey Charlie, Who're friends?" I asked giving my most welcoming smile. The woman looked from Charlie to Billy, both of whom were seemingly struck dumb, and rolled her eyes at them.

"I'm Heather and this is my husband Billy. I apologize for the gawking, they aren't used to having very many girls as pretty as you around." I smiled at her compliment, and even though I knew that she was trying to reprimand the boys I couldn't help but notice how her voice swelled with pride, or deny the light that came into her eyes as she introduced Billy as her husband.

" Are you newlyweds?" I asked. When they exchanged a love filled glance and nodded I smiled from ear to ear, hoping one day that Rex and I would do the same.

I said "Congratulations!" then turned to Charlie and asked " So what was so funny?"

"Aw nothing, Billy was just teasing me, nothing new there. How about you Renee, what's the latest?" Billy gave Charlie a look that reminded me of the farmer in Babe when he says 'That'll do pig, that'll do.' This confused me, but I answered with a flippant "Oh nothing much. I was just looking for Rex, have you seen him?"

Charlie looked a little uncomfortable, but said that he had seen him around somewhere and to check upstairs.

"Oh, Thanks Charlie. It was nice to meet you Billy and Heather. Hopefully I'll catch you three before you leave!" And with that I was wadding my way through the throngs of people to the staircase.

"Rex. Rex, REX!" I called as I caught sight of the back of his head a few yards away, talking to Austin Cole.

"Oh, hey Ney Ney. Where've you been baby?"

"Oh you know, talking with the girls, then to Charlie and some of his friends from La Push."

"Charlie Swan?" he asked me incredulously.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Oh nothing, I didn't know you were friends with him."

"Oh okay…." I said lamely, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"So how long have you been here?" I asked.

"I dunno, does it matter?"

"I guess not." Geez, hostile much? It was just a question.

" So do you wanna dance?"

"Sure."