Author's Note:
Face it. You SO knew this was coming.
xD
The LOSGAP has done it again, this time with Twilight! I know, I know I already said I'm not a huge Twilight fan, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. I'm just not a Twihard, I won't go out of my way to bash Twilight either though; I'd rather avoid a bloody e-massacre. Lol.
Anyway, as I've mentioned, I DO love Seth and the werewolves. They're fantastic.
Well, let's get to the story, shall we?
LOSGAP =D
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Seth
Late. Again. Oh well. Only by a few minutes though- besides, it wasn't like anyone came early to algebra. If they showed up at all- the school wasn't exactly known for its attendance record. He should know. He hadn't gone to school in forever.
And yet here he was, trying to slip back into his old routines, pretending nothing had happened.
He couldn't really remember the story he'd passed off, but Mrs. Gonzalez offered him a brief smile and a "Welcome back, Seth." When he entered the room. He flashed her a brilliant grin in return, nearly tripping over a desk in the process. Someone in the back of the room giggled.
"It's good to be back." He said happily, ignoring the sharp pain exploding in his knee. The bruise would be healed before he sat down anyway.
It was a bit of a struggle to sit down- he'd forgotten how much taller he was since the last time he'd sat at this desk. It was tricky to fold his too-long legs underneath- he finally settled for letting them sprawl out into the aisle, hoping he didn't trip anyone.
There were only two other people in the classroom- he glanced around the room, hoping he'd recognize a face. He doubted it- his classmates were about two years ahead of him now, while he stayed frozen at fifteen. He could always give it up, and start aging again- he had that luxury- he felt a flash of guilt about the Cullens. They didn't have that hope. They were all frozen in time, never to age. He shook his head, scattering the thoughts like water droplets and returning to looking around the room.
A few seats away sat a boy he knew he'd seen before- he was what his mother called a "troublemaker." Luke, wasn't it?
Luke noticed him looking and glanced over at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as Seth offered him a friendly smile. Luke looked away again and Seth returned to scanning the room, unperturbed by the snub. In the back of the room was a girl- probably the source of the giggle earlier. He couldn't see her face, only long black hair, trademark of the Quileute Indians, as her face was hidden behind a book. His sharp eyes took in the title easily- Of Mice and Men. Apparently she was into classic literature.
As he was about to turn his attention to the blackboard, she seemed to notice his gaze and lifted her head slightly.
He glanced over at her out of reflex, feeling her eyes on him but the instant his eyes met her chocolate ones something changed, and he couldn't look away.
Annora
Annora Dawnrunner sighed under her breath, a slight frown pursing her lips and wrinkling her tan forehead as she looked up at the overcast sky. She hadn't expected sunshine, but that didn't mean she was glad to hear thunder. She was walking home in this squall.
"Hey!" She glanced over and her eyes widened as she had a flashback from earlier that day.
Stupid book. It always made her sad. Why did she bother reading it?
She was distracted from her thoughts when she felt eyes on her. Male eyes. She would never mistake that feeling. She raised her head reluctantly, praying it wasn't Luke.
No, it was that new kid- Steve or something like that. And he was positively gawking at her. Her heart thudded a bit faster. Boys never looked at her like that. She couldn't decide whether to be flattered or scared. Eventually the latter won out and she ducked her head, hiding from those wondering eyes behind her book.
It was that kid again- he hadn't stopped staring at her all through algebra, and afterwards he'd tried to talk to her but she'd bolted- luckily their paths hadn't crossed again. Until now.
"Hi!" He said happily, coming to stand in front of her. She was struck by the sheer joy that radiated off of him- as though seeing her was the highlight of his day. It scared her a little.
"Hi." She said quietly, shaking her head and letting her hair fall in her face, blurring her view of the impossibly tall boy. Despite the chill in the air, he was shirtless- apparently he had abandoned the shirt he had been wearing in school. Heat shimmered off of him, and she fought an urge to take a step back.
"I'm Seth Clearwater." He said, offering a massive hand. After a moment she took it, marveling at the warmth in his palm. He was so warm, like a miniature sun. Her palm was sweaty when he returned it to her, and she wiped it discreetly on her dark blue sweatshirt.
"Annora Dawnrunner." She said after a moment, realizing he was waiting. He beamed. "Great name." She flushed. No one had ever said that before. "Thanks." She muttered, taking a step back. "Well, I have to get home- I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow." She said, retreating another step and turning her back to the strange boy.
"Wait!" He trotted up to her side in a second- he was fast, she noted. "Are you walking home?" He asked, keeping up with her with ease. She nodded, choosing not to answer aloud. "I'll walk you home then! Girls shouldn't have to walk home alone." He said, flashing her a brilliant smile.
"Er, thanks but no thanks. I'm ok." She mumbled, avoiding his eager stare. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her- what did he want?
"It's no problem! I don't have anything else to do- I want to." He added. "Ok." Annora shrugged. He was like a stray puppy or something. A bit annoying, but too sweet to shoo away.
"Let me carry your backpack." Seth offered, holding out his hand. She felt heat bloom in her cheeks. What a gentleman. She thought, handing him her heavy black backpack. She'd never been noticed much before, now she was being fawned over by this nice boy- wait a moment.
Someone put him up to this! She thought furiously. Of course. She hadn't seen him before anyway- maybe some seniors had decided to have some fun with the new kid by making him play with the quiet girl's emotions.
But looking at Seth's open, honest face, she couldn't help but think she was being a bit cruel. She should really learn to trust a bit more.
Easier said then done. She thought briefly as she watched him sling it over his broad shoulder with ease- strong too. It was so hard not to admire him. He really was a handsome boy.
She half-listened to his babbling- the boy loved to talk, apparently. She watched the way his lips formed words instead of listening, and how his arms would gesture wildly- she was acutely aware of the dimple in his cheek whenever he smiled, which was often. He couldn't seem to stop smiling.
Maybe he's high or something? It certainly looks like he uses steroids. Annora thought critically. She was being harsh on him, and she knew it, but she couldn't think of any plausible reason he would suddenly take an interest in her. She was completely average- average looks, average grades, nothing about her was noticeable. Yet he looked at her like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time.
She wondered if he could see her blushing; she shook her head a bit, letting her bangs completely shield the right side of her face, the side he could see.
Her sneakers crunched over the gravel of the long driveway that led to her house, but Seth was oddly silent as he walked, his feet somehow finding a secret quiet path among the stones. She watched his feet, discreetly trying to imitate him, but her feet refused to be light and continued to plod heavily. She frowned. For such a large boy, he was incredibly light on his feet.
"Is this your house?" Seth asked, looking up at the house. She followed his gaze, allowing a small smile to cross her features. Seth's eyes widened slightly, but not in surprise- in wonder, as though her little smile thrilled him.
"Yeah." She said, looking up at her home. It wasn't much to look at- the two-story house had peeling white paint and black shutters, a few of which were crooked- a stone path led up to a bright blue door. She smiled at the sight of it, remembering painting it with her mother last summer.
"It's great." Seth said happily, looking around, drinking everything in. He was so curious.
"Did you plant these?" He asked, trotting ahead of her to crouch in front of the rosebushes. They grew in a carefully kept row just in front of the house, their crimson red petals perfuming the air with a delicate floral scent.
"Yeah, I love gardening." He lifted his head, interest lighting up his face. It was the first bit of information she'd offered about herself to him.
"You're really great, these are beautiful!" He exclaimed, taking a long sniff of one. She couldn't help but think he was really going out of his way to make her feel special, but yet it seemed so natural to him. Her mother would love him.
"Er, did you want to come inside?" She offered, a bit awkwardly. Seth looked like she'd offered him the key to the world. "Sure!" He was at the door before she could blink, holding it open for her. She offered him a tiny smile of thanks as she slipped past him, kicking off her shoes inside the door.
"Mom! I'm home!" She called, her body relaxing as she looked around the familiar kitchen. She could let her guard down here. "I brought company!"
"Company?!" There was a bang upstairs. Seth jumped while Annora just rolled her eyes, used to it.
"What kind of company?! Is it a boy?!" Her mother called, her voice loud with excitement. Annora flushed. "I'm coming downstairs! If you two are making out, stop now or I'll puke all over the kitchen and I'll make you clean it up!"
Seth chuckled while Annora managed to turn a deeper shade of red, wishing she could sink into the floor. She adored her mother, really, but she was just too much sometimes.
Her mother poked her head into the door, her teeth bright against her dark skin as she grinned broadly at the two teens in the kitchen. "Oh good, at least you brought a cute one home." She said, and Annora rolled her eyes as Rachel Dawnrunner flitted into the kitchen, wiping her paint-stained hands on her apron as she approached. "I'd give you a hug but I'm indecent." She said apologetically, offering her yellow and red hand to Seth.
"It's no problem. I'm Seth Clearwater." He added, shaking her hand enthusiastically. "Call me Rachel." Annora's mother said sternly. "If I hear 'Ms' or 'Mrs' I'll wash your mouth out with soap. And it's not the tasty scented kind; it's the icky cheap kind." She said and Seth laughed- it was a pleasant, rumbling sound from deep within his chest. "I'll remember that." He grinned.
"Well, I'll leave you two be- I've got work to do, so I'll be upstairs." She said, turning to go. She paused at the door and looked back. "No funny business- I'm like a ninja, I can pop up any minute." She eyed Seth's shirtless torso as she vanished through the door, a happy twinkle in her eye. She was thrilled Annora finally brought a boy home- he seemed nice, though she wished he wasn't half-naked. Oh well. Everyone had their quirks, right? Some people just didn't like shirts. At least he didn't have any complaints against pants.
Annora turned to Seth, about to apologize for her mother when Rachel popped her head back in. "Remember. Ninja." She wiggled her eyebrows and disappeared again. Annora sighed, rubbing her temples.
"I'm sorry about her." She mumbled, looking at him apologetically. "It's no problem! I like your mom." Seth grinned. "She's nice."
"She watches too many teen shows to try and 'connect' with me." Annora explained, pulling out a chair from the kitchen table. Seth imitated her, sitting down across from her and dropping the backpacks onto the floor.
"So what do you want to do?" Annora asked after a moment's silence- she had never had a boy sitting in her kitchen before. Was she supposed to entertain him? How? He seemed perfectly content to sit and stare at her with those wide, wondering eyes.
"Anything you want to do." Seth replied with a shrug- it was an answer that normally would have annoyed her, since it meant she had to think of something interesting, but coming from him it sounded like he was genuinely eager to do what she wanted to do.
"Uh…" That didn't make it easy to think of something though.
Seth looked amused by her flustered look as she stared down at the table, her mind trying to come up with something.
"Are you hungry?" Annora tried after a minute, realizing she had skipped lunch when her stomach reminded her with a quiet complaint. If Seth heard it, he didn't comment. "Sure!" He said, and Annora raised an eyebrow slightly at his enthusiasm as she got up to poke her head in the refrigerator, acutely aware of his eyes on her the entire time.
XxXxXxX
After Seth attempted to eat her out of house and home, he left a few hours later, looking regretful to leave.
It finally gave her some time to breathe though, and think about the odd day's events without his eyes on her- sadly, it also gave her mother time to pry.
"Do you like him?" She asked eagerly as Annora made a failed escape attempt for the stairs. She sighed. "I don't know. I just met him today." She admitted, and Rachel raised her eyebrows.
"Really?" She asked in surprise. "You two certainly seemed friendly. He looks at you like you're his whole world." She said and Annora bit her lip. "It's kind of weird." She said and Rachel frowned, tapping a finger against her bottom lip in thought.
"He seems like a nice boy though." She said, more gently. Annora sensed the double meaning but didn't comment. "I like him. I want you to bring him home more often- get to know him better." She said, starting to leave. "But maybe he could eat before he comes though?" She added hopefully. Annora barked a laugh, grinning at her mother. "He certainly ate a lot, didn't he?"
"Nearly everything we had." Rachel complained. "You're going shopping tomorrow after school. I have a meeting with a buyer, so I won't be home- I trust you, but he's still a teenage boy who seems perfectly comfortable without his clothes on around you." She raised her eyebrows at her daughter, who rolled her eyes.
"Mom." She said between gritted teeth. "I have no intentions of… that. I just met him! He's nice, but I doubt anything will work out with us." She shrugged. Rachel frowned, disappoint clear on her face. "Give him a chance." She said, slipping past her daughter to start walking up the stairs. She paused half-way up. "For me?" She asked hopefully and Annora sighed.
"I'll give him a chance, but that's it." She muttered, crossing her arms. Rachel beamed at her. "Fantastic!" She said happily, trotting up the stairs to return to her paint studio. Annora wondered dimly if the buyer tomorrow would actually buy anything- they could use some money. Rachel's paintings were how they supported themselves.
The sound of music floated down from the studio, and Annora smiled as the sounds of Beethoven swelled into loud, thundering music. Her mother worked best to classical music.
She wandered up the stairs to her bedroom, flopping down onto the pale blue bedspread and staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts wandering unbidden to Seth.
She was attracted to him, she wouldn't deny it, but the thought of a committed relationship with him terrified her. She wondered if it was best to let him down gently, before they both got their hearts broken, but something in her heart cried out at the thought of telling him goodbye. As though her heart knew something she didn't, it continued to beg Annora to give the boy a chance, thudding painfully in her chest.
Her brow wrinkled. She was already too attached to him. He already had enough to break her.
Author's Note:
All right, it's finished. My first attempt at a Twilight fan fiction. I hope you enjoyed, please review!