Jared and Kim's story is a familiar one, one we can probably all relate to in one form or another. It's your typical: Girl likes guy, guy doesn't know girl exists, guy imprints on girl and they fall in love-- okay, maybe that last part is a little something only Stephenie Meyer's world could add... but this is what it is.

Jared and Kim's story as told by me.


Kim's POV

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I reached over and smacked the snooze button on my alarm clock. The beeping ceased and I was able to drift back to sleep for nine more minutes. Nine glorious minutes until....

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Grinding my teeth together and mentally cursing the Board of Education or whoever the hell decided it would be a good idea to start school before the sun came up, I switched off my alarm and rolled clumsily out of bed. God, it was cold. And I really needed a shower today.

I walked over to my window and pulled the curtains open, casting a new grey light all over the room. The sudden chill of my body against the window pane made me shiver and I dreaded the idea of losing my clothing to the bathroom floor. But there were some things you just had to do, and I definitely had to wash my hair.

Knowing there was no time to stall on a Monday, I cranked up my bedroom space heater, decided to brave the elements and trudged sleepily down the stairs. Everyone else, meaning my mother and younger sister, was still asleep so I had the cold, dark bathroom all to myself. Goody.

As it is with showers, the experience was actually kind of nice once I got in and let the heat of the water penetrate my freezing body, but I had stupidly decided to use conditioner which took up a large chunk of my time. For some reason, rinsing conditioner out of my hair was always a bitch so I usually ended up spending ten extra minutes just standing under the shower head, which left no time for shaving my legs. Lucky for me, people in the Olympic Peninsula didn't generally wear shorts in the middle of November.

By the time I was dried, dressed and in the kitchen a decent breakfast was no longer an option. I reluctantly grabbed a box of instant oatmeal from the cupboard and went to the refrigerator to get some milk. I groaned out loud when I opened the door and found that the top shelf of the fridge was completely bare. A quick look at the trashcan told me that someone had recently finished off the gallon. Oatmeal with milk was gross, but oatmeal with just water was almost enough to make me want to skip breakfast altogether. I was grumbling something about irresponsible parents and their inability to keep any food in the house when my sister, Alexandra, walked into the room and dropped her backpack onto the kitchen table with a thud.

"Did you take a shower?" She asked.

I glanced over my shoulder. "Yeah. I used conditioner too. Can you tell?"

"It looks the same to me."

I rolled my eyes and slammed the microwave door shut. "Did you eat already?"

"Yes."

"What'd you have?"

"Cereal."

I turned on the spot and glared at her. "So you drank all the milk."

"There was like a cup left," she replied defensively.

I scoffed and threw my bowl of uneaten oatmeal into the sink. "Whatever. I'm not even eating this."

After a quick trip to the living room to grab my books and jacket I returned to the kitchen to get my car keys. Thankfully I had my own car and a license so we didn't have to ride the bus to school. God forbid I ever have to step foot in one of those vehicles again.

Alexandra was already waiting by the front door with her bag slung over her shoulder and an air of impatience surrounding her.

"Hey, you can walk to school," I reminded her, reaching for the peg that held my key chain.

"You just wait until I get my license next month, and it's my turn to have the car and you're at my mercy, you slowpoke. I'll leave you."

"Sure. You coming?" By the time her speech was over I was already several steps over the threshold.

"Yeah, I'm right behind you," she grumbled, obviously unhappy that I hadn't taken her threat seriously. Victory.

I climbed into the drivers seat and turned the car over. Still slightly irritated with me, Alex hopped into the passenger's side and shoved her books down by her feet. We didn't talk as I pulled out of the driveway but I couldn't help but cast a longing look in her direction when she gathered her long, thick hair into a perfect ponytail. Everyone always said we looked a lot alike, but I certainly didn't see it. She was pretty and definitely got the better end of the stick when it came to hair genes. Her features were much more delicate than mine and she was taller; the epitome of classic beauty. I was the opposite of every great physical quality she possessed and sometimes wondered what would it would be like if I looked more like her. Would I have more friends? Would I be a snob? Would I be able to get any guy I wanted? Not that I wanted a lot of guys, there was only one really, but would he notice me the way I noticed him?

Alex didn't have any trouble getting guys, she had a boyfriend -- a popular one who only talked to me because he was dating her. It was disheartening to think about sometimes. Popularity wasn't what I was after and I loved my friends, but if being in the cool crowd was what it took to get Jared Tipree to say my name, then I'd throw away my lifestyle without a second thought.

----

My first class of the day was a forty-minute study period and also the only class I had with Jared, so that automatically made it my favorite. When I entered the cafeteria that doubled as a study area in the mornings it was still fairly empty. Jared always came in closer to the bell and I waited anxiously for his arrival. I was extremely grateful he wasn't one of those 'school skippers'. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if he were one of those guys who only shows up for class a few days out of the week. He'd only missed three days so far this year, and that was because he'd had a really bad cold. I had debated with myself for two hours straight on whether or not I should walk over to his house and drop off some chicken soup. People ate chicken soup when they were sick, didn't they? Or would I seem too desperate to see him and freak him out? I had eventually decided to skip the chicken soup idea and play hard to get. Yeah, hard to get was definitely the way to go.

Hard to get didn't seem to be getting me anywhere.

Nearly every seat was taken when I started watching the doorway for Jared. After a few moments my heart sped almost as if it could tell he was about to round the corner. My eyes inadvertently looked down at the table in front of me as soon as he appeared but I immediately brought them back to him. I was skilled at admiring from afar, and so far I hadn't been caught staring at anybody, but he was too beautiful for me to be worrying about conventions. Especially looking the way he did today. Apparently some people do wear shorts in November. He was also wearing my favorite black t-shirt, stretched tight across his newly-formed chest and was carrying a single notebook with a little pen sticking out of the coils. He nodded at one of his buddies and then took a seat one row up and two tables down from me. I was facing his back but that and the angle at which he was sitting made watching him a shameless effort.

Halfway through class the desire to see Jared again won out over the necessity of doing my homework. He was hunched over what looked like a math book, no doubt borrowed from the kid sitting at the end of his table. I couldn't help but notice the way his jet black hair, now hanging just above his ears shone under the fluorescent lighting, or the way his muscles tensed under his smooth, dark skin every time he moved his arm to write something. I wasn't even trying to be discreet. He had really started filling out over the past few weeks and I hated the idea of every pretty girl at the Quileute Tribal School begging for his attention. Shallow girls, the ones who would only like him for his looks. The ones who probably never noticed the way he rose an eyebrow when he was thinking, or the way he cleared his throat and fidgeted every time he was called on in class.

It was these little things that finally drew me to him. I'd known him since my Freshman year of high school, where everybody knows everybody, but he didn't stand out to me right away. It wasn't until I was put in one of his classes and started seeing him for who he was that I started to fall in love with him.

Now I didn't think I would ever get used to the way my stomach fluttered whenever I saw him approach, or the jittery calm that washed over my body whenever he was near. It hurt to know that he probably never got the same reaction from seeing me and in my heart I knew he would never be mine but I was lost in every moment I spent thinking about him, entirely consumed and I couldn't bring myself to wish for an end. It was such a thrilling tragedy to be a part of. Very Shakespearean....

My eyes found their way to the header on the top right hand corner of my English essay.

Kim Connweller
Nov. 12th, 2004.
LA 4

After a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, I nonchalantly removed the second part of my name. Very lightly, so it would be easy to erase, I filled in: Kim Tipree and smiled; it looked nice.

Suddenly Jared lifted his head and his gaze focused on something at the front of the room. I wish I hadn't looked to see what it was. Megan Bennett, your typical beautiful girl, was offering her passbook to the teacher to sign. I immediately hated her. I didn't blame Jared for liking pretty girls, but the way he was absentmindedly twiddling his pen between his fingers while he concentrated on a girl like Megan Bennett bothered me more than it should have.

After class was over, the rest of the day was very unexciting. Sure I could scope Jared out in the hallways or during lunch, but that couldn't even begin to compare to a full-length class period and my heart barely had time to register that he was there before he was gone again.

The reprieve I usually got during Science was even ruined. I was staring at the blackboard, wondering if I'd done the wrong vocabulary assignment when I felt an elbow nudging at my side. I looked over at my friend Erica who was sending some not-so-subtle nods in the direction of the hallway.

"There he is!" she hissed.

"Dude, shut up!" I whispered back.

I could feel my face turning red, but she was making it obvious and people could see!

The Science room was located right in front of Jared's locker and now was the time he picked up his Spanish book, so I was usually braced for the familiar sighting. Not being entirely ready today was my mistake. I had a feeling half the class probably knew of my obsession for Jared Tipree, but I wasn't looking for a confirmation. Erica grinned and looked down at her homework, trying unsuccessfully to refrain from laughing. She knew I hated it when she made a scene and I suspect that's exactly why she did it.

I turned my attention to Jared just as he was kneeling down and watched him balance himself on one knee as he rifled through his stash. For a moment I didn't care if anyone saw me marveling at the way his shoulders moved beneath his shirt, those perfect muscles moving smoothly and uninterrupted. His arms were flawless and Herculean, ripped and sinewy. I could only dream about what he looked like under his shirt, and my stomach went into full knot mode, twisting and churning as I thought of Jared, the smooth skin of his neck continuing unbroken by the barrier of his shirt. His chest would be lust-worthy, his perfect pectoral muscles hardening at my touch. The skin of his stomach would be flat and his abdominal muscles compacted, and a shiver would escape his desirable lips as he moaned my name...

"Kim!" It wasn't Jared's voice that broke me out of my reverie. It was Erica and she was rolling her eyes.

"My god, get over it. Can I see your vocab?"

I threw my paper at her and turned back just in time to see Jared walking away with his Spanish book tucked securely under his arm. Erica was going to get it later for interrupting my fantasy. I let out a sigh when I realized again that that's all it would ever be. A meaningless daydream.

Jared was the ultimate guy of my dreams. But he was too good for me. And everyone knew it.

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