Embry coming over to her house at random times of the night, to sleep on her sofa brought about a few changes to Ariadne's normal routine. The biggest change was the fact that it seemed that her mother was under the assumption that the two of them were an 'item'. And Lori, the ever so responsible mother, took it upon herself to try and 'subtly' slip condoms into Ariadne's top drawer.

Ariadne found it amusing but when she let Embry know in the cafeteria as they lined up to get food, he didn't find it as humorous as she did.

"Oh, if you come over tonight, avoid talking to my mum," Ariadne muttered as she grabbed a tray and began to line up. Embry did the same and shuffled behind her.

"Yeah okay, does she hate me or something?" He wasn't very surprised by her request - he had anticipated that soon Lori would find his presence weird.

"Nah, she just thinks we're sleeping together," she informed him casually as she loaded her tray with food. While she was nonchalant, he whipped his head around to face her so quickly she feared his muscles would cramp.

"What the hell? How did she come to that conclusion?" His eyes were wide with horror as he stared down at her casual demeanour.

"Well, she's caught you leaving the house early in the morning a few times and each time you're never wearing a shirt," Ariadne almost laughed at the memory of her mother seeing Embry trying to secretly sneak off after he slept over one night.

"God - that's - is she pissed?" Embry's voice was a notch higher than usual and Ariadne found his horrified expression funny.

"Not really, just worried," she shrugged and slowly made her way to her usual table as he trailed behind her. "She's been subtly trying to hint that I should get some birth control pills."

"I'm so sorry - I can stop coming over or -" He was stumbling over his words as he ambled after her.

"Nah, it's cool. I've told her it's not like that," she shrugged as she slipped into her seat, eager to eat her lunch. Embry stood there for a few moments looking unsure until she reassured him. "It's fine, Call. Really - don't worry about it. I was just giving you a heads up in case she tries to like give you 'the talk'."

"... okay but if you get in trouble or anything I'll stop." While he felt uncomfortable with the situation, he didn't really want to stop going over. Her couch was comfortable and it was infinitely better than having to spend time at home where his mother just yelled at him.

"If you want," Ariadne agreed as she sipped her soda blithely. She was a little disappointed he wasn't finding it as funny as she was but she supposed that it was awkward for him.

"I'll be around at eleven."

"The key's under the mat," she gave him a brief smile before she picked up her sandwich and took a big bite. Taking that as a cue to leave, Embry nodded and walked off to his normal lunch table.

She was halfway through her sandwich when she was finally joined by another person.

"You know I've seen that guy leave your house at six in the morning too many times not to ask - what the hell is going on with you and Embry Call?" Teya Denev asked as she slid into the seat across from Ariadne, a curious expression on her face.

Teya had lived across from Ariadne's house since they were seven years old and they'd been best friends for as long. Teya was the only person who hadn't tried to get in all Ariadne's business after the whole fiasco with her father - although it less out of respect of privacy and more to do with the fact that Teya didn't really care about anything that didn't involve her. Ariadne was nearly a hundred percent sure that Teya Denev was one of the most self-absorbed people to ever walk the planet but still, she liked her. Teya was honest and upfront and if something didn't involve her then she usually didn't care to ask.

Usually being the keyword. As self-absorbed as she was, even she couldn't ignore the new development between her best friend and one of the infamous "Uley boys".

"We're history partners," Ariadne replied swiftly, having already predicted that the brunette's question. She peeked out the corner of her eye where Embry was sitting between Jared and Paul (she had no idea how in the hell they managed to fit) and was almost certain that their table was listening in.

"History partners huh? Is that code for 'he comes to your house and you guys hook up'?" Teya asked with an amused smile flitted across her lips.

"No, it's code for 'he comes to my house and sleeps on my couch'," Ariadne snorted in response and stole a grape from her friend's plate.

"Well, if he ever needs a new place to crash, my bed is big enough," Teya said airily, a playful glint in her eye.

"I thought you were seeing that guy from Forks?" Ariadne tapped her chin thoughtfully as she vaguely remembered her talking about some Jason guy.

"He dumped me - apparently I'm too unladylike and I swear too much which is just fucking ridiculous if you ask me." She didn't seem all that upset by the break up so Ariadne didn't bother offering any sympathies. "Do you think Call would mind that I swear too much?"

"I wouldn't know," Ariadne shrugged as she took a tentative sip of her iced tea. "To be honest… I don't really think he's looking for a girlfriend right now."

She didn't know that exactly, but she just assumed that he didn't have the time to be dating. He barely had the time to sleep so she wasn't really sure how he'd manage to fit in a girlfriend as well. Pre-wolf, she distinctly remembered that he and the others were just like any other teenage boys who'd jump at the opportunity to hook up with anything that had a pair of boobs but now, they seemed to avoid girls like the plague. It didn't help that they'd muscled out so much, they were pretty much all most of the female population could talk about and so now they were attracting attention way more than they ever were before.

"Ya know, Jacob Black is more my type but apparently he's tryna get with some chick from Forks," Teya stared, unabashed, at the table where Jacob sat.

"Mhm," Ariadne was more focused on eating her sandwich than she was in Jacob Black's love life (or lack thereof).

"Such a waste of a pretty face," Teya sighed dramatically as she tore her eyes away from the table where the huge boys sat. "Oh well, I guess I can find a distraction at the next bonfire party."

"Well make sure your distraction isn't some kid from middle school like that time you hit on Seth Clearwater," Ariadne laughed at the memory of the last bonfire party they'd attended when Teya had hit on Seth, not knowing how young he was. Ariadne had only known his true age as she recognised him as one of her brother's classmates.

"He's in high school now, you bitch!" Teya blustered out, an uncharacteristic blush on her cheeks. Her eyes darted over to where Seth (who was sitting next to a laughing Quil) had covered his mouth as if hiding a smile - almost as if he could hear what they were saying.

"He wasn't in high school when you tried to ask him back to your place," Ariadne sang back teasingly as she fought the urge to take a picture of Teya's red face. She was usually so unflappable so Ariadne was milking it for all it was worth.

"How I was supposed to know he was only like fourteen? God, he looks older than us," Teya scowled and roughly kicked Ariadne's shin in embarrassment although she was too busy chortling to even register the pain in her leg.

"You're lucky I didn't call the cops on you," Ariadne finally managed to gasp out after the last of her giggles had subsided.

"Honestly, what the fuck are they feeding that Clearwater kid? He's pushing 6'3 or some shit and his biceps are the size of fucking watermelons," Teya grumbled as she sulkily bit into her chicken sub.

"It's a Quileute thing," Ariadne drawled the same response that Embry had said when she had mentioned that he ate enough to feed a family of five for a year.

"You're Quileute and you're not the size of a fucking bodybuilder," Teya pointed out as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I'm only half and I'm taller than you, aren't I?" Ariadne threw back in between chews. While she wasn't what some people considered 'tall' she still stood a good four inches taller than Teya's pitiful height of 5'2.

"Being taller than me isn't really anything to brag about," she huffed - her height was a sensitive topic for her. "Aw shit, I just remembered I have to go to Piers' class to drop off my English essay. God, you know he made me rewrite the whole thing just because I wrote 'fuck' in it. Stupid prick."

"I'll come with," Ariadne shoved the last of her food into her mouth and pulled her bag onto her shoulder. "I can't believe you got Piers this year again."

"Don't remind me," Teya glowered at the thought of her English teacher, and stood up to rifle through her bag to pull out her English folder. "C'mon let's go."

The two of them emptied their leftovers into the trash and slowly walked to the exit - passing Embry's table as they did.

"How are you getting to the Bonfire party, anyway?" Teya queried, knowing that there was a pretty high chance of Ariadne drinking.

"I'll probably get my mum to drop me off before she goes to work," Ariadne answered with an uncertain shrug, she hadn't really thought about it since it was still a month away.

"I can give you a lift," Teya offered with a wave as if the idea of Ariadne getting dropped off was ridiculous.

"As if I want to ride in that piece of shit you call a car," Ariadne replied smoothly, chuckling when she saw her shorter friend glower at her insult.

"Fuck you," Teya shoved her shoulder although there was no real malice.

xxx

When Ariadne stepped into her English class (three minutes late), she was surprised by two things. The first was that Miss Enders wasn't there yet to give her a detention for being late - she had a hate-hate relationship with her English teacher ever since ninth grade when she'd mumbled under her breath that she was a wrinkly hag and Miss Enders had ears like a bat and heard her. The second thing that surprised her was that Jacob Black was sitting in the seat beside her usual spot. She scanned the room and saw that the only other spot available was a seat at the front beside Jennie Gallagher who never shut up so she bit back a sigh and trudged to the back. She quietly slid into the seat and tried not to stare in awe - he had to be at least a foot taller than her.

He didn't make any indication that he noticed her presence and just kept eyes shut as he leant his head back against the window beside his head. If it wasn't for the fact that his shoulders were tense, she would've thought he was asleep.

"Walker," his deep voice snapped her out her staring and she almost fell off her chair in surprise.

"Black," she responded automatically although she wasn't sure why he was acting so coldly. They used to exchange polite greetings (and were on a first name basis) before he 'wolfed out' but gone was the goofy joker and she wasn't sure if it had to do with his new wolf status or that girl from Forks that Teya had mentioned the day before.

"You're staring," he shot back although he still didn't open his eyes. She wondered how he knew.

"You're really big," she blurted out before she had the chance to collect her thoughts properly. But to her relief, he just laughed and turned to meet her eyes - the laugh that left his chest didn't really meet his eyes and for some reason, it made her chest feel a little tight.

"It's a Quileute thing," he echoed her response from the other day and she wondered if he had heard. She didn't deign him a response and turned back to face the front. If Miss Enders caught her talking she'd be put in a detention. She tapped her fingers on her table and eyed the door, wondering when their teacher would walk through.

"She'll be here soon," Jacob seemed to realise what she was waiting for. "She's walking down the hallway - stomping actually, her breathing is laboured too, must be pretty pissed. She'll be here in five… four… three… two… one."

Just as he said, she walked right in on time. It was pretty obvious by the way she slammed the door behind her that she wasn't happy.

"Nice," Ariadne breathed out in fascination. She couldn't help but think that the perks of being a werewolf were pretty damn great.

"I could hear her," Jacob gave her a hard look as if daring her to question his statement. There was something weird about the way he said and it Ariadne felt like she was being tested for a second so she did what she did best and avoided it.

"You've got great hearing," she complimented with a brief smile before she reached into her bag and flipped to the pages that were written on the board. She hoped that he'd stop talking to her once he saw that she was reading.

He didn't.

Jacob didn't seem to care and continued to stare at her, as if Miss Enders wasn't at the front, fuming.

"So Embry really wasn't exaggerating about you," Jacob commented as he kept his eyes trained on her. "You really don't ask questions."

"He talks about me?" Her eyebrows flew up as she tried to imagine what it was that he said about her. All thoughts about her doing work flew out the window as her curiosity took over and she turned to Jacob with an inquisitive look.

"Well, he thinks about you sometimes," Jacob shrugged and as he did, she tried not to marvel at the sheer size of his broad shoulders.

"... he's not into me, is he?" She winced at the question - while she didn't hate his company, she couldn't say that she really liked him in that way but if he was mentioning her to his friends,

"Would it be so bad if he was?" He questioned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"He's cool but not my type and I don't think I'm his either," she admitted freely. Embry was sweet and nice, sure, but not at all her type. And she also had a strict 'no dating werewolves' policy. Previously it was a 'no befriending werewolves' policy but it didn't seem to be working so she changed it up a bit.

"What's your type, then?"

She bit her lip to stop herself from saying 'not werewolves', instead she said -

"Preferably guys who don't sleep on my couch and eat all my food."

"And what do you think Embry's type is?" Jacob challenged with a raised eyebrow, interested in what she had to say.

"I do remember him having a crush on Imogen Redtree in freshman year so I'm gonna guess he's a bit of an ass man which unfortunately rules me out," she reasoned with a tap on her chin. She didn't really fit in the 'curvy' category (that was Teya) which seemed to be what Embry was into.

At her response, Jacob turned in his seat, his huge frame almost casting a shadow over her as shot her a broad smile. A more genuine one.

"You're refreshingly honest, Ariadne," he declared loudly, as he playfully clapped her shoulder. She almost flew forward in her seat despite the minimal force he'd used and she flinched at the searing heat of his skin. He reached out and steadied her with an apologetic smile.

"Uh… thanks?" She responded faintly as she bent down to pick up her highlighter which had fallen off the edge table.

"Ya know - you'd really get along well with -"

"Miss Walker, Mister Black. If you two aren't willing to listen to what I have to say right now, perhaps you'll be more inclined to listen, this afternoon. In detention." Miss Ender's voice interrupted whatever Jacob was about to say and Ariadne couldn't help but groan as she straightened up in her seat. She hated afternoon detentions; she used to be a bit of a regular during her sophomore year but that had a lot to do with the fact that Teya had always been a troublemaker and had a knack for dragging Ariadne into it.

Jacob didn't seem too worried and gave Ariadne a wink, mouthing the words 'I got this'. She was confused for a moment until she realised that he was going to try and charm his way out of their detention.

"Aw, c'mon Miss E, we were just talking about your new haircut! Looks great!" Jacob shot their teacher his signature goofy grin and for a second, Ariadne swore she saw her lips twitch. Jacob must've seen it too because he had a smug look in his eyes - he was sure that his brown-nosing had worked.

"It's Miss Enders and you can save your compliments for your detention."

It didn't work.

xxx

When the final bell rang indicating the end of school, Ariadne had tried to be the first person to leave the classroom but unfortunately, the student body seemed to be in just as much of a rush as she was and she was stuck behind half the volleyball team. After a few unceremonious shoves here and there, she finally managed to get out.

"Yo, Ri!" She was barely out the hallway before she felt a large arm wrap itself around her neck and she was roughly shoved back into a hard chest. She wriggled blindly for a few seconds but then recognised voice and felt a scowl encompass her face.

"Mason, get off me!" She struggled against her younger (but bigger) brother's grip and gave him a glare when he finally relented. He ignored her sour expression and offered her a cheesy grin as an apology.

"Can we stop to get ice-cream today?" He used his usual whiny voice that somehow always worked but Ariadne sighed deeply as she took a left instead of a right, where the exit was.

"I've got an afternoon detention," she explained before Mason could ask her why she was going in the opposite direction.

"Enders?" He questioned although he already knew the answer.

"Who else?" She muttered as she fixed her hair which he'd messed. She glanced at her watch and saw that she only had two minutes and she hoped that it was Mr Cooper taking the afternoon detention because if it was Piers, she'd rather get a suspension.

"How am I supposed to get home?" He complained as he followed her down the hallway.

"You can go with Teya," she quickened her pace, hoping not to be late.

"And be seen in that box she calls a car? I'd rather catch the bus," Mason sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, see ya! Have fun in detention."

She didn't even bother waving him off and rushed down the stairs, with only a minute left to get to detention.

"Walker!" When she reached the floor, she turned around at the call of her name.

"Hey," she turned around to see Jacob rushing up the hallway to meet her. It only took three strides for him to be standing directly before her and she blinked in surprise at his speed.

"Uh - I need a favour," he looked awkward and if she wasn't in a rush, she probably would've been more amused at the uncharacteristic anxious look on his face.

"Favour?"

"I mean… can I come over to your place… sometime tomorrow?" He asked with a sheepish smile. "I … uh, well I'm having some… troubles and you're the type not to ask questions and … yeah, I need advice on… girls… and you're a girl… and honest… and you won't pry -"

"Okay, yeah, sure, whatever," she waved him off. She needed to get to detention and she wasn't going to spend any longer listening to his spluttering, as funny as it was. "You can come over after school. Later, I have a detention - wait don't you have one too?"

"Nah, got a - uh - shift," he didn't bother further explaining and as per usual, she didn't ask any questions.

"Right, see you tomorrow," she waved at him one last time before she sprinted down the hallway.

"Ariadne Walker, right on time." Just as she opened the door, she was greeted by Mr Cooper. "You can take a seat next to Mr Lahote."

Ariadne spied the students and saw that it was more or less exactly who she had expected. Although she was a little surprised not to see Teya there - she made it her personal mission in freshman year to see how many detentions a student could get before they got expelled.

"Walker - to the back," Mr Cooper called out when she still hadn't moved. She breathed in deeply and traipsed to her assigned seat. Lahote had his head down on the table and didn't seem to care that he was taking so much room that she had to squeeze through the gap he left between his chair and the wall. She dropped her bag onto the table but that still didn't seem to wake him.

She slumped into her seat and glanced over at the senior in the seat next to her. He had his head on the table and was using his left arm as a cushion; he was facing her but his eyes were shut. He was fast asleep. It was probably the first time she'd ever seen him close up - he was a year above her so they never shared classes and it wasn't like they had any mutual friends. Despite all the time he spent with Embry and the others, even they didn't seem like they were really friends. His only friend seemed to be Jared who, from her limited knowledge, was a pretty nice guy.

Subconsciously, she scanned his face and couldn't help but think that he really was good-looking. He had a reputation for being a bit of a womanizer so she'd always assumed that his looks had been grossly exaggerated but now that she could see him, that wasn't the case. His skin was russet and perfectly flawless (that made her a little annoyed, since when did eighteen-year-olds have great skin?) and his straight nose, high cheekbones and sharp jawline made her almost snort in amusement. Who knew that the big bad Paul Lahote was really actually such a pretty boy?

Nearly thirty minutes passed before he finally moved. He lifted his right arm to scratch the bridge of his nose and she blinked in surprise - only just realising that she'd spent the last half hour staring at him while he slept but before she could look away (in embarrassment), he spoke up.

"Stop staring," his voice was heavy with sleep and he didn't open his eyes. She bit down a gasp of surprise and merely cleared her throat noisily.

"Sorry," she immediately turned her head and stared down at her fingers that were playing with the zipper on her bag.

"Walker," He repeated the surname he'd hear Cooper say when she'd first walked in and she fought a blush as she realised that if he had heard Cooper say her name - he'd probably been awake the entire time. "I don't know a Walker."

"I'm a junior," she clarified as she shifted in her seat. "Ariadne Walker."

"Oh, that Walker. Embry's girl?" His voice was slightly muffled as he nestled his arm further into the crook of his arm, his eyes remaining shut as he spoke.

"I'm not his 'girl' but yeah it's me," she replied tiredly as she tore her eyes away from his profile. "Is he telling you guys that I'm his girlfriend or something?"

"Nah, I just find it weird that you're letting some random guy sleep at your house so I assume you're fucking him," his words were crass and if she wasn't so used to Teya's potty mouth, she would've been surprised by his language.

"Your assumptions are very wrong," Ariadne scoffed, rolling her eyes for good measure. "We do the opposite, really. He literally just sleeps."

"And you let him sleep over?" He sounded bored, as he kept his head rested on his arm, and she wondered if he was maybe just trying to rile her up on purpose just for his own personal entertainment.

"He's my history partner," she asserted with a shrug. What was the harm in letting him sleep over? It's not like it cost anything to offer him a couch and he wasn't some weird creep that perved on her while she slept. It was Embry.

"Do you have a crush on him or something? Seems desperate to me," Paul didn't move his head from his arm nor did he even bother opening his eyes. His tone wasn't sharp or cold and despite his mean words, the delivery was casual.

Ariadne had heard about the infamous Paul Lahote and his snark but actually experiencing it was a whole different thing. She mused to herself that while he was good looking, it was ruined by the fact that he was such an asshole.

"Jeez, are usually this sweet or am I getting special treatment?" Ariadne couldn't help but ask sarcastically as she kept her eyes trained on the clock - only ten minutes left until she could leave.

He let out a chuckle at her words and she felt herself untense slightly.

"I'm nicer to pretty girls but I don't remember what you look like," he yawned and ran a hand through his cropped hair.

There was something teasing about his tone and she felt a small smile play her lips, despite herself.

"Well you should be nicer to me because, on a scale of one to ten on a hotness scale, I'm probably an eight," she declared proudly, a full out smile on her lips now. She probably wasn't really an eight but she didn't think he was too picky when it came to girls.

"An eight? That's a pretty confident number," he kept his eyes closed but she could still hear the faint amusement in his tone. "What makes you think so, huh? Pretty face?"

"Nope," Ariadne snorted as she played with the ends of her long hair. "My face is pretty average but I've got a great rack and legs for days."

"Hmm, you know, that doesn't really sound familiar - I think I would've noticed you earlier," his amusement was clear now and she wondered what it'd take to make him open his eyes. "Are you sure you're not exaggerating?

"Well, the boobs only came in recently, to be honest," she countered thoughtfully. "And your attendance is so shit, I doubt you've ever even seen me."

"Fair point," he gave in. "But how do I know you're not lying?"

"You could open your eyes," she suggested as she leant her chin on her palm. She realised with a jolt that she was currently sitting in detention, flirting with Paul Lahote. It almost made her laugh.

"I don't want to be disappointed," he returned, keeping his eyes closed. "I'm imagining a pretty hot girl now and if I open my eyes and you don't meet my expectations - well, that's gonna suck for the both of us."

"Well, I'm looking at you right now and I'm handling my disappointment just fine," she sassed with an (unladylike) snort. Her retort made him laugh and she saw from the corner of her eye as his eyes flew open. She felt his eyes rake over face and body but she was determined to stare at the front, as if she couldn't feel his felt her cheeks warm and she was thankful that she didn't openly blush.

She didn't meet his eyes but after he was done, he closed his eyes again and responded.

"Since you're a confirmed eight, I'll be nice and give you some advice," he decided after the briefest silence.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, stay away from us." He didn't have to elaborate for Ariadne to know exactly who he meant when he said 'us'. "We're dangerous."

She felt a surge of annoyance at his words - usually, she'd brush off things like that but the way he said it made it sound like he was blaming her for the surprising friendship. Which wasn't true. At all.

"Us?" Since when did one person turn into 'us'?

"I heard you talking to Jake," he divulged with a slight shrug. The small movement drew her attention to his shoulders and she observed that he wasn't as burly as Jacob but not as slender as Embry either.

"I'm not exactly pining for your friend's attention," she shot back heatedly. "Last time I checked, Embry was the one who made my couch his temporary bed and Jacob invited himself over."

"You offered and accepted," he countered quickly.

"Because I'm a nice person," she clipped as she tried to rein in her temper. She usually wasn't argumentative but there was something about Paul that got on her nerves. "But if you must know, as soon as the project is over, my sofa won't be free anymore."

"Damn, I'm not really into nice girls." The teasing tone was back and Ariadne wasn't sure if she could keep up with his changing moods. One second he was serious and snarky and the next he was playful and flirty - it was giving her whiplash.

"I'm all torn up inside," she retorted dryly. "Although, I am curious as to what makes someone a ten in your opinion."

"Any chick who gives me food is an automatic ten." His response made her laugh loudly and at the sound of her laughter, she swore she saw the smallest smirk on lips.

"Walker, Sterling and Burke, you're free to go. The rest of you have got another hour." Cooper finally seemed to notice the time and called out to Ariadne and a few others. "And Lahote, if you see Black, tell him he owes me a week for skipping."

"Whatever," he mumbled into his arm. "Later, Walker."

He finally turned his head so that she was facing the back of his skull. Mr Cooper called out to her again and she nodded and got up to leave but before she did, she suddenly felt compelled to stay. She wasn't sure where the feeling came from and she quickly shoved the feeling down and shook her head - why in the hell would she willingly stay in detention? Glancing at Paul again, she found herself reaching into her bag and pulling out her lunch she didn't eat (an apple, two sandwiches and a packet of Doritos) and she placed it on the table next to his head. She wondered if he had the same appetite as Embry and told herself that she'd be able to eat at home.

"Here, now I'm a ten."

Before she could see his reaction, she turned on her heel and made her way out of the room - a tiny smile on her lips.

Tell me what you think! Paul is a ball of snark and he's fun to write! I hope you liked their first official meeting! And Teya is probably my favourite character to write lol

And if you're enjoying this fic, then check out my other fic called 'the heavenly warriors' it's more action-based though and less romance (it's kinda an embry/oc) and more about female friendship but yeah :-)