Chapter one- Sand through my fingers

The wind slowly ruffled the strands of her jet black hair as the waves lapped at her feet. Stretching out the tips of her fingers she grabbed a handful of sand and watched as it slowly sifted through her hand and back to the ground. Kim Cornwaller, wasn't always this contemplative, but today was a new day. Today she finally stood up for herself, even if that meant that the one person she wanted would never notice her. Letting the last of the sand fall through her fingers, Kim headed up the beach and slipped on her shoes. The sun was starting to set and if she was late for dinner there would be hell to pay from her mother, who considered lateness to be a cardinal sin. Luckily the beach was almost right next to her house, one of the joys and curses of living in a small town. Correction, La Push wasn't just any small town it was a small town that was also a reservation and as such everyone knew everything about everyone, except for Kim.

Kim always managed to slip through the cracks. Sure if someone took the time to really look at her they would notice the inner beauty that radiated outward, but that would require people to stop and think. In a place as small as this one, she was considered plain and an outsider, so no one ever stopped to talk to her. She was a complete loner. Even her own mother scarcely paid any attention to her, except if she was late or stepped out of line- then and only then did she feel like a normal teenager. Otherwise Kim felt like a drifter not really belonging anywhere. Heading up the gravel driveway to her one story house- yes house as it never really felt like a home- Kim was not prepared to see the best friend of the boy of her dreams quite literally on her doorstep.

'Maybe he doesn't hate me...maybe he sent his friend to talk to me' she thought, as her heart started to speed up and her palms started to sweat. As she inched closer to the doorway, she noticed him swallow nervously his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Kim..." he whispered in a shaking voice "We need your help desperately".

"Oh?" she replied unsure of what to make of this situation. Hours earlier she had finally stood up for herself in front of her crush and refused to be bullied by Amber said crushes ex or current girlfriend depending on who you talk to.

"You see, there is this dance coming up..." He replied again seeming nervous with his eyes darting every which way. Kim thought he looked very tense hands thrust into his jean pockets. Although Kim must admit he must have been going through a bit of a growth spurt lately...as he looked a couple inches taller, and the shirt was straining in places over his chest. Although, come to think of it, her crush had also been going through a similar growth spurt, maybe there was something in the water of La Push that caused the boys to pack on muscle and grow like weeds. Realizing she had zoned out, Kim snapped her eyes back to the face of the beautiful boy standing on her doorstep.

"Yes?" she replied, unsure of what he wanted but hoping that her crush had sent him to ask her to the dance...maybe her standing up for herself had actually been worth it. I mean so what if Amber had then turned around and later slammed her so hard into her locked that she saw stars and shoved her 3 inch stiletto into her foot that it actually broke the skin. If her crush was finally asking her out, albeit through his friend, all this pain and torment and the years of pining away would be worth it.

"You see I am already going to the dance with someone, but my friend is currently without a date." He replied again his eyes looking anywhere but her face.

Kim felt her heart pick up a little more speed 'this is it, he's finally going to ask me out! He sent his friend here to ask me out!' she thought to herself.

"Yeah but after today, the principal won't let Amber go to the dance, because he heard that she hurt you. Could you talk to him? I really need Amber to be able to go with Jared so that my date will go and I know if you tell him she didn't mean it or that someone else did it, he would let her go, and that would mean so much to me and to Jared. We just want to have a good time."

"Oh...I..." Kim felt all her hopes and dreams come crashing down and her heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. Of course the boy on her doorstep didn't see this, he had still yet to make eye contact with her, and now that she examined him again she realized he didn't seem nervous he just seemed like he didn't want to be anywhere near her. Gathering her wits about her, she realized she needed to be strong. Just minutes before on the beach she had told herself she would turn over a new leaf and not be pushed over and try to break free of her shyness. So what if the best friend of her crush turned up on her doorstep, he was only here so that he could get his friends current flavour of the week a free pass to hurt people so she could go to some stupid dance.

"Kim? What you say, it would mean a lot to me...Hell if you want Jared and I will pay you"

"You'll pay me?" Now Kim was completely mortified not only had they insulted her by saying that the fact that she was hurt didn't matter but they were offering to pay her off so that her tormentor could go free?

"Yeah...I have like $50 on me now, but if you talk to the principal Jared and I will come up with some more, what do you say? I mean she didn't hurt you that bad, she was just playing around. Don't you think you were over reacting?"

A new feeling was starting to appear in Kim, one of anger. Touching her hand to her neck where the bruises were most prominent, she finally decided she needed to stand tall and not be a shy quiet girl anymore. "You know what; I thought you were cool and nice. I actually thought you might have turned up here today to ask how I was doing, consider your friend's lovely plaything Amber actually caused me to bleed and need stitches. I was mistaken, you are a horrible person. No I will not talk to the principal, take your money and shove it Paul I never want to see you or any of your group of friends again!" On the verge of tears, Kim pushes past him and runs around back. Checking the watch on her wrist she realizes she must dash inside in the next 5 minutes or face the consequences. Wiping the corner of her eyes with her fingers and taking a few cleansing breathes, she gathered her wits about her and heads inside through the patio door. Not daring to look out the front to see if the idiot was still there.

'How did I waste so many years of my life pining for someone who hangs out with Jackasses?' she thought mentally to herself as she hurried to the kitchen. There already at the table was her mother reading a Newspaper. Barely looking up he acknowledges her with a curt nod before returning to the society section. Oh how she missed her father. He was the only one that ever cared and took the time to talk to her. Her mother does try, but after the loss of her father her mother was never quite the same. A couple of minutes pass and Kim shuffles uncomfortably in her chair. Finally her mother folds the Newspaper and places it on the table. Giving her a glance, the two get up and fill their plates before sitting down.

"How was your day dear?" Her mother asks.

"Good and yours?" Kim replies knowing that this is her mother's way of showing she cared. It wasn't that she was a bad mother, it was just she was used to perfection and never saw her daughter as capable of it. Kim was always too shy, too short, and too plain for her mother, and over the years they had drifted apart, especially since her father was no longer in the picture.

"Great dear...I will be taking a business trip for the next 3 weeks, I'll leave money in your account and in the house. Please try to stay out of trouble?" Her mother asked, looking at the bruises on her face and arms but not spending the time to ask where they came from.

"Yes mother, have a good trip. May I be excused? I feel tired." Kim replied, knowing now was her only chance to avoid more awkward dinner conversation.

"Yes dear, don't stay up to late, it's a school night and bags under your eyes do not help your complexion." With that her mother picked up the newspaper and Kim fled the kitchen to her bedroom. Finally feeling safe and secure she let the tears consume her. Sobbing into her pillow she vowed that she would do whatever it took to get over this crush on Jared Cameron no matter what it took. Sure he hadn't directly hurt her, but she knew that if Paul was involved he at least knew what was going on. Although maybe not, considering he had never spared her a glance, even though they sat next to each other in 3 classes. Letting out a shakey breath she let the tears continue to fall and take away some of her pain. She could do this, she could forget about him, and her stupid childish crush on a boy who never paid any attention to her!

Unfortunately for little Kimmy Cornwaller fate had other ideas...

A/N: this is my first attempt at fanfiction, let me know how I'm doing and if you have any tips or suggestions :)