Ok, so I've finally gotten this to the point of where I can post it. I know I promised it a lot sooner and that my other two stories haven't been updated in like a year, and I'm sorry about that, but it's because I've been working on this. You should be able to rely on me to get it finished.

Oh and one more thing. This story switches between " 'I love him' I say " and " 'I love him' I said ". I can't help it and I tried to fix it, but finally I gave up. Sorry if it confuses you.

Hey Little Sister!

Val always greets me the same way. Even if she's mad at me. It's how she opens up all of our conversations and starts all of her emails and letters. I hate the nickname, but I've learned to endure it over the past 18 years.

I continued reading:

How are you? Embry and I are doing great over here in La Push. We can't wait to see you at our graduation! Which reminds me… I really need you to call me. I've been trying to reach you for two days and all calls go to voicemail. I've got HUGE NEWS. News so big I can't explain over email.

Love you!

Val

I settled back in my desk chair, touching my fingertips together. There was "huge news". The last time there was "huge news" Val had decided to shack up with Dad in Forks, Washington for the rest of her life.

I began to regret leaving my phone home for the weekend. Mom decided last minute that the two of us needed some quality time at our beach house 12 hours away in Florida. She wouldn't let me bring my phone. "It's too much of a distraction, Kat," she'd said. She didn't bring hers either, which was a big feat for her. She even managed to leave her pagers and planners. It was the reason I didn't complain about leaving my cell phone at home. As soon as we got home, I deleted the 47 text messages I'd received and 10 voicemails left by my friends. The second thing I did was jump on the computer and check my email and Facebook.

I snatched my phone off the desk, where I'd tossed it when I plopped down in front of my computer. I dialed Val's number by memory, feeling a little sick.

"Little Sister!" Val answered, sounding almost relieved. I rolled my eyes at the old nickname, despite my growing panic. It would be just like Val to go and do something stupid like get pregnant or worse… married.

"Hey Val," I tried to disguise the worry in my voice and knew I failed terribly.

"You ok?" She asked, obviously picking up on my tone. I forced cheeriness into my voice.

"I'm fine. Sorry about not picking up when you called. Mom took me to the beach house last minute and decided we shouldn't bring any electronics."

"Mom took you to the beach and didn't bring any electronics?" Val sounded as surprised as I felt when I saw my mom's purse almost completely empty without its normal spillage of wires and headsets.

"Nope."

"Wow. She never did that with me." I could hear just the slightest hint of jealousy. There were a lot of things Mom had started to do with me that she never did with Val. I believe it was because she partially blamed herself for her first born leaving. She thought maybe Val left because our Mother was so absorbed by work. Mom worked hard in her office, hoping to provide us with a better life than what we'd had with Dad. She wanted us to have a bigger house with a bigger backyard to play in, nicer clothes, cooler toys, and the works. But those things stopped being so important the minute Mom stopped eating breakfast and dinner and shopping with us. When Val left, I think Mom picked up on that. She at least eats dinner and shops with me now.

"Yea," I muttered, not knowing what else to say, so I changed the subject to more important matters. "What's the 'huge news'?" I asked, quoting her email.

"Well," she drew out the word and paused dramatically like I knew she would. "Embry and I are engaged!"

I sucked in a deep breath, not in shock so much as in to calm myself. I had expected as much. "Oh," I said quietly.

"And I want you to be my Maid of Honor!" She exclaimed even louder. This was what actually surprised me.

"Oh," I said again, louder this time.

Val launched into a long, complicated story of the night of her engagement. It started with him picking her up at Dad's a nice dinner at some Italian place in Port Angeles and then back home for a moonlit walk on the beach, where he proposed.

"It sounds like a wonderful evening," I said gently. Even if Val was only 22, just graduated from college, and completely irrational when it came to Embry, the night sounded perfect for her. Simple, yet just dolled up enough to be special.

"It was, Kat. It was perfect." She sighed in contentment. At least she was happy. "So, I was thinking, you being my Maid of Honor, you should come spend the summer here." She paused again, waiting for my reaction.

I caught the corner my lip between my teeth and began to chew on it, as I often did when I was thinking seriously about something or extremely nervous. Right now I chewed for both reasons.

I wanted to say no so badly. I hate La Push. It's typically cold. And it's wet. And grey. It's so lifeless there. No color, ever. To top it off, Forks harbors bad memories for me. Unlike Val, who lived with our parents before their marital issues, all I could remember was fighting. It started when I was around six and continued until their divorce when I was ten. When I walk through that house, only bad memories arise. I used to sit up late at night on my bottom bunk as Val slept peacefully, listening to their raised voices. Insults were thrown about the house carelessly between the two. More often than not, their late night fights ended with slammed doors and one of them leaving for the night. The next day, whichever parent had stayed, was typically in a bad mood, slamming things around and snapping at Val and me for no reason.

"Val-" I said carefully. She picked up on my tone.

"Kat please. I need you here. And as Maid of Honor, it's your duty to be here with me as I plan this thing. You know you're good at stuff like this. Please, please, please, please!"

I groaned at all of her begging. I hadn't even said yes to become her Maid of Honor yet. But I knew I would. As kids we'd always promised to be the other's Maid or Matron of Honor. And just like I knew I would be Maid of Honor, I knew I would go to Forks.

"One condition Val. Just one and then I will fully agree to become your Maid of Honor."

"Anything. Anything at all, you can have it." She says, agreeing quickly to my terms before I've even spoken them.

"My only condition is Dad has to hold his tongue. He has to hold his tongue and not fight with me. That's it." I say, feeling slightly defeated, and even a little bit guilty for holding this over Val's head.

"I will do my best," she promises, and I know that's all I can hope for.

Val says goodbye and I pass the phone off to our Mother. I return to my room. I stare at the walls I just recently painted "candy violet". We'd pulled up my ugly, graying carpet to find beautiful hardwood floors. My mother bought me a new bedspread to match my walls. There's a cozy window seat that overlooks my backyard. Behind my backyard was a manmade lake and beyond that, the skyline full of trees. It was the perfect place to sit and watch the sunset. I spent a lot of time there, reading and writing in my journal. I would miss this place.

Mom ordered Chinese food that night for dinner. My favorite. It broke our diet, the one we started last year after Val left. Mom wanted to lose ten pounds, I wanted to lose thirty. It had worked. We ate only organic and only what was on the food pyramid. We exercise together every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night. We skipped exercise this Monday night.

"So," Mom said around a mouthful of chicken Lo Mein, "Val's getting married."

I nodded and swallowed my bite of white rice. "Yep," I said, popping my p. "And she wants me to ship out for awhile up there. I, uh, guess it's a good thing I decided to go online for my first year of college, right?"

Mom nodded, scooping up another large bite of Lo Mein. She didn't look happy about me leaving. Heck, I wasn't happy about it either.

We continued talking about Val and her soon-to-be wedding plans. We both knew how her wedding would look, simple, yet elegant. Nothing too flashy, but not trashy either.

Around 11, with our stomachs full and about to burst, I reached into the paper bag our food had come in, feeling around for the two packages. I pulled them out and tossed one at my mom, who caught it smoothly. I popped my bag and pulled out the cookie, cracking it in half and pulling out my fortune.

Excitement and intrigue follow you closely wherever you go!

I smiled at the irony. There was no such thing as excitement and intrigue in La Push. Only bitter, cold, and wet days.

I gnawed my lower lip nervously as my principal stood on the cheap, makeshift stage in front of an equally cheap podium and called out the names of all my peers. A ball of excitement and anxiety was growing tighter, yet somehow larger in my stomach. I was going to throw up. I turned in my seat, searching the football bleachers for my family, but was unable to locate them in the large crowd. Mom had just enough time before the ceremony to search me out and let me know that Val, Embry and Dad were here. I swallowed as the nerves about seeing my Dad mixed with the nerves of walking up to get my diploma in front of at least a thousand (OK, not really, but seriously a lot) people and made the bile rise up in my throat.

"Katlyn Tucker," Mr. Byrd called and I rose from my seat. I made myself slow my steps, knowing I was walking too fast. I climbed the stairs carefully and accepted my diploma with shaking hands. I glanced up at the crowd, knowing Mom's camera was going crazy right now.

I exhaled in relief as I sat back down into the dented metal chairs that have been used for graduation over the past thirty years. My chest slowly stopped pounding and I could feel my heated cheeks returning to a normal color. Twelve years of my life wasted for thirty seconds on stage.

"Kat!" I heard my name screamed before I saw Val. I turned in the general direction of her voice and spotted her tucked underneath a very huge, very attractive Native American man's arm.

"Val!" I cried, rushing up to my sister excitedly before pausing and staring up at the Embry awkwardly. Val stepped out from beside him and enveloped me in a tight hug, making it nearly impossible to hug her back.

"Can't… breathe… Val," I squeak out and she releases me, giggling.

"Sorry Little Sister, it's just so good to see you again."

"You too Val," I say feeling my smile grow larger at simply the sight of the girl who means more to me than the whole world. The girl I would do anything for. Including this wedding.

I glance over at the tall man standing beside her. He's watching Val protectively, his hand just barely raised towards her, as if ready to bring her safely back to his arms at a moment's notice. His eyes scan the airport every few seconds. Embry is a very fidgety man. He's obviously out of place her, uncomfortable.

Val reaches behind her, grabbing Embry's hand and pulling him forward. He relaxes the second they touch again, as if the breath's been returned to his lungs.

"Kat, this is Embry. Babe, meet Kat. You'll be seeing quite a bit of each other in the coming months." She's looking up at him, beaming and then back at me. She expects us to be the best of friends, yet for some reason, I have the feeling this won't be happening.

Val's absolutely glowing. It's contagious and I found myself in the happiest state I've ever been in. My parents aren't fighting, although it's mere toleration that is left of their relationship. Embry and Val are so wrapped up in each other, it seems it would be unnatural for them not to be. They are the perfect couple. Every one of her actions is somehow complimented by one of his and vice versa. A perfect team. The people around me, my friends since mostly middle school, are calling out congratulations all across the field, yelling about their perfect summer plans. A few of my own close friends run up, asking me to join the group of at least a hundred of them for dinner. Of course, I agree.

I walk off the field beaming just as brightly as my sister, locked arm in arm with my mother and sister. I can deal with the issues of my father later.

So far today is perfect.

That's it so far. Hope you liked my first chapter. Reviews would be nice.

-M