Chapter One

I live for summer. Everything about it is just so absolutely perfect. There are no classes, no homework assignments, no schedules … it's the perfect thing for me. I'm one of the most laid back people you will ever meet, which leads to some trouble during the other three seasons. But summer … summer is mine. At least it used to be.

This summer, there is a little black cloud hovering over what would be otherwise perfect weather. A summer job. Let me just say this: when you live in Yosemite, California, one of the most beautiful places in the United States, the last thing you want to do is spend your perfect summer days inside. But, I'm sixteen, now, and old enough to work part time, so my father made me do so.

Luckily for me, my mother was part of the Awahnee tribe, which is the tribe that resides in Yosemite Valley. That means that I have some connections. I was not about to end up working at some fast food joint or restaurant. The sweaty look is not for me. No, I was going to be working in the park, at a gift shop that sells Awahnee Tribe Souvenirs. My father's ecstatic about this. Let me explain. He's a park ranger, which means he works in the park also. So, now he gets to check up on me all day.

I really hope that doesn't happen. It's my first day, so we'll see.

"How are you getting to work, Tegan?" My dad asks me as I walk into the kitchen. There's no uniform, so I've got on my favorite pair of jeans and an orange tank-top, which looks excellent against my slightly tanned skin. I silently thank my dead mother for her excellent genes, because I definitely didn't get my looks from my dad. He's Irish and he looks it, with copper hair, pale skin, and freckles. You would not be able to tell that we're related, because my skin's the color of milky coffee. Though, my dark brown hair does have a slight red tint to it.

"Gavin," I answer, knowing that it would make my father cringe. He doesn't like Gavin very much. He is one of the Awahnee boys, but that isn't the whole reason. The Awahnee boys are slightly troublesome. They never do anything really bad; mostly they just play tricks on the tourists, but it's a pain for my father, being that he is a park ranger and called to deal with whatever happens.

"No one else can give you a ride?" He asks.

"Well, I could drive myself if you bought me a car," I remind him. He just grunts. I got my license last month on my birthday, but I don't have a car, yet. It seemed like I was going to pay for my own car. Until then, I'm more than happy to hitch a ride with Gavin. He has a nice car, his parents are pretty wealthy and bought him a BMW, the lucky bastard.

Then there's the sound of a car horn outside. Gavin.

"That's him," I say as I bend over and kiss my father on the cheek. "I get off at three, and Gavin is going to pick me up and bring me home."

"You'd better come straight home," my dad calls after me as I head for the front door. That means he doesn't want me hanging out with Gavin. I don't answer, because it's more than likely that I will do something with Gavin after work.

As I walk out of my house and set eyes on him, my breath catches in my throat, just like it does every time I see him. He really is gorgeous. One hundred percent Awahnee, he has the razor-sharp cheekbones and long straight nose characteristic of the tribe. His medium-length, dark hair looks like it has been professionally styled, but that's just how it looks all the time.

He's perfect. And my best friend. Believe me, it's awful.

"Hey, beautiful," he greets as I get into his white BMW 6 series coup. "Excited for your first day of work?"

"I can hardly contain myself," I answer sarcastically as I buckle up. Driving with Gavin is a little scary. He likes to go fast.

"You know, you're working with Jenna," he informs me, and I have to fight to keep my features under control. Jenna is Gavin's girlfriend this week. And I hate her. She's one of the most popular senior girls. Being that I am only a junior, or was only a junior, I keep forgetting that I am a senior, now, I cannot compete. Gavin is a senior also, which really sucks. Luckily, he's not going too far away for college, I don't know what I would do without him.

"Oh! I'm so excited!" I exclaim in an obnoxious, ditzy-sounding voice. Gavin gets the joke and laughs. He knows that Jenna is not the sharpest tool in the shed. "I'll probably spend the entire day fixing her mistakes."

"Yeah, you should probably keep her away from the register," Gavin states. He looks sideways at me and flashes a brilliant smile. I look away to keep myself from jumping on him.

"This is going to be a blast."

Let me tell you something about working in a gift shop. It's boring as hell. And, when you're working with the most idiotic person on the planet, it's even worse.

No hot boys come into gift shops. It's all old women. They buy blankets and ugly shirts that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing. And when they come to pay for it, they ask me why I'm not wearing something similar. I am Native American, after all. I have to be polite rather than tell them that none of the Native Americans I know would ever wear this crap.

About an hour before it was time to quit, Gavin walked into the store, which sent Jenna into a fit of hysteric giggling and hair-flicking. I'm surprised she hasn't broken her neck.

"And how are my favorite girls?" Gavin asks as he kisses Jenna on the cheek.

"Fine," Jenna answered, "bored out of our minds, though." Another flick of her long black hair. "We're stuck here for another hour."

"Well, luckily I am here to cure the boredom," Gavin answers. Jenna giggles some more.

"I have such a wonderful boyfriend," she states. I roll my eyes.

"And how's your first day, Teag?" Gavin asks as he walks over to where I am behind the register.

"Painfully easy," I answer. I think he picks up that the painful is referring to his ridiculous girlfriend. That's when the bell on the door rings. Jenna, being the excellent customer service representative ever, completely ignores it and focuses her attention on Gavin. I am the only one who looks towards the door, and man am I glad.

Through the door walks one of the most attractive people I have ever seen. I can see that he's Native American, but he's not from around here. The Awahnee have more of a golden tan color to their skin, but this guy's was more like copper. And he is tall. Just as tall as Gavin, which is saying something, because Gavin is 6'4". I slip from behind the counter and walk up to him.

"Welcome, how can I help you?" I ask. He looks down at me silently for a minute, and then his eyes widen, as if he has suddenly recognized something.

"Uhmmm …" he begins, "I just got here."

"Well, I can see that," I answer.

"I mean, I just came to town and I …. uh …" he continued to flounder as I felt Gavin come up to stand behind me.

"Maybe you should just turn right back around and leave town," Gavin suggests. This surprises me, Gavin's normally very friendly and charming. Right then I turn to look at his face to see that he's staring the new guy down, and as I look back at the new guy, I can see that his expression matches Gavin's. "I mean it, get out of here. Don't come back."

"Gavin!" I exclaim.

"Quiet, Tegan," he hushes me.

"Tegan," the stranger repeats. "Nice name." Gavin winces as if he realizes he just made a huge mistake.

"Yeah, Tegan," I confirm. "And I'm sorry about him, he's not normally like this."

"Understandable," says the stranger, "if I had a pretty girlfriend like you, I would be just as protective." Gavin slips his hand around my waist, which makes me scream inside, but that doesn't stop me from saying that he's not my boyfriend.

"Yet," Gavin says protectively. I shrug out of Gavin's grip and hold out my hand. The stranger smiles and extends his as well. When he touches me, it feels like my hand is suddenly on fire. His skin is warm, but I'm pretty sure that's not the reason for this phenomenon, because soon my whole body is tingling.

"I'm Jacob," he says to me. "Jacob Black."