Bada Bing, Bada Boom!
A/N: Oh, well, here's a new chapter, please enjoy, ok? Paul imprints on this one; way to go, Paul! Let's just hope that you remain alive after Jake finds out about it, right? Please review, guys! :D And check out my other fics on my profile, all right? I'm really doing my best to update them all so I'm quite proud of myself right now. Yay me.
Chapter 2: It's Friday I'm in Love
The rain obviously stopped pouring as soon as I entered Emily's kitchen the next morning. Sam handed me some clothes to wear since mine had been shredded when I phased:
"Hurry up, will you? Emily will be here soon to make us breakfast and I don't intend on letting her see you naked."
"So you admit there is a possibility of her leaving you for me." He didn't mind giving me a proper answer so he just glared in my direction.
"The Cat in the Hat!? Are you kidding me, Sam? There's no way I'm wearing this." I said holding the t-shirt he had lent me in front of his eyes.
"And there's no way you're staying for breakfast at my girl's place half-naked either, so enjoy starvation, buddy." He said pointing to the door right behind him. "You're the one who keeps exploding inside your clothes; it's not my obligation to lend you the latest fashion." Sam played so low; he knew I'd never refuse food. I put on the Dr. Seuss shirt.
"You look cute." He snickered.
"Whose shirt is it anyway? Please, tell me it's not yours." I knew I wouldn't survive the images in my head if it was Sam's.
"I'll give you a hint: its owner is the only one among us that can actually make a good impression on the girl he wants by wearing it."
"Did Quil really buy this?"
"Worse. He got it on a Children's Day event at Forks Library. He has a matching top hat to go with it."
"That's just gross." I commented but my mind was already on something else. "Do you think Em will come down anytime soon? I feel like a Cambodia kid right now."
"Paul, if you make any other poor taste joke like this one, I'll make sure you eat nothing but rotten microwave lasagnas for the next six months." Boo-hoo. Sam was no fun.
"You suck as a boss, you know that? I will start a syndicate!"
"Sure, why not? "The Syndicate of Washington Shape-shifters who turn into Wolves and don't like their Alpha"; that sounds successful. Hope you and Leah enjoy your time together at the meetings." He said rolling his eyes and reaching for the top shelf where there were cookies.
"Forget what I said about you sucking as a boss, I take that back. You simply suck. Full stop." Sam handed me the cookie jar and that was when we heard Emily's footsteps above us. A few minutes later, she appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a big smile on her face:
"Good morning!" She said.
"Emily." Sam's voice answered with palpable love as he saw her.
"Grawr." My stomach's answer was a little less passionate but just as intense.
"Oh, good morning to you too, Paul." She said, her small eyes popping open in surprise, like she had just noticed me there. Imprinted couple, I figured. Sam hushed towards her, took her face between his grotesquely huge hands and kissed her cheeks like five times before reaching for her lips.
"Yuck, I didn't mean to tell you this, Emily, but your boyfriend ate a few birds on our way here, he didn't even brush his teeth yet, you shouldn't be doing this." They completely ignored my white lie but I insisted:
"Guys, please, it's barely six o'clock. Can't you two just cut it out a bit?"
"Shut up and eat your cookie like a good boy." Sam said and Emily giggled before they resumed in their making out session. I stared at my homemade chocolate cookie. Imprinting was so disgusting I might just puke.
--
"That would be 39, 45$, son."
"Here you are, Ms. Call." Look, I wasn't exactly stealing. It's Sam's fault in the first place, for leaving fifty bucks on his shorts' pocket, beside, it's also because of him that I constantly forget to shop for my own place. Way to go, Karma! In your face, Uley!
"Oh, Paul…" Ms. Call sighed staring at the bright nail polish I knew by the smell she had just applied on her long nails. "Where did I go wrong, uh? I raised a kid all by myself and I was sure I had done my best but…" She looked at me with sad eyes. "Look at Embry. He's so rebellious! I just don't know what to do anymore. You're friends, right? You're a good person." The huge line behind me seemed to disagree.
"Listen, Ms. Call…"
"Aw, you, Sam and the all the others are so nice; "The Protectors!"" she said holding her hands in the air like she was naming a great movie title. "I wish my Embry could be a little more like you people."
My inside laughter was so loud that I couldn't hear my thoughts.
"Sure, Ms. Call, sure. Now, why don't you focus on the rest of the line, uh? I bet Mrs. Omar is dying to know what happened to Embry these last few days." I grabbed my bags and walked out from the mini mart; being almost immediately hit in the eyes by the sun at First Beach.
There were already a few groups and families sitting close by the ocean, probably brought here by the first signs of summer. I beamed and decided to give the sun a second chance after my utter disappointment for the last three weeks. I went for a walk close to the waves.
With the sea on my feet every now and then, the recently bought food and the idea of a night off ahead of me – mostly because I had made such a huge fuss yesterday that Sam had to convince Jared to cancel his plans with Kim. – I actually felt happy. It was so weird that I wondered if it was possible to become allergic to good mood.
It was right after that that I felt something cold grabbing my leg.
When you're a mythical being with super senses it's very hard to be taken by surprise. Everything around you seems to happen in slow motion and you are constantly under the impression that the universe could be easily controlled with your bare hands and up to that point, that's how I thought. But only up to that point:
"Oh, I'm so sorry; I kept my eyes closed while I swam back here. I thought you were a rock, you know?" It was a voice I had heard many times before, with a smile I knew too well and as the body emerged from underwater I knew it was the same one I was used to see everyday. "I hope I didn't scare you."
Not for a moment she looked at me, she was too busy trying to dry her hair by shaking her head but she didn't need to do anything because I already knew what was going on. The ground shook and then disappeared completely beneath me. Her eyes met my gaze and I was lost.
What had I been doing before? Why did I exist at all? Right there, right in front of me was the one and only meaning of life, so how exactly was I supposed to consider anything before that of any importance? Screw all the laws of physics; the only thing left behind was gravity. Rachel Black was the reason I lived.
And that was when the imprinting shock sort of faded and reasoning brought me a little back to earth.
Holly crap! I imprinted on Rachel Black!
It was a good thing imprinting gave us a reason to live otherwise I'm quite sure I was capable of having a stroke right there in front of her. Instead, all I had was a panic attack.
That was so typical of me; most guys get their license on their sixteenth birthday, I turned into a legendary wolf. Somehow, I simply knew this was coming. I thought I'd be like Quil and imprint on something weird like a toddler or, I don't know, that redheaded chick from Paramore, because that's just my luck, I never thought it'd be the worst case scenario though.
"Hm, dude, are you alright?" Rachel's question brought me a sudden urge to answer; like she had said it like a command. But that wasn't the imprint working at all; I had always been afraid of what she could do to me if I didn't obey her right away.
"I'm fine, Rachel, thanks for asking." I noticed how her name tasted good on my lips.
"Rachel?" she raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Do I know you?What does she mean by that? Of course she knew me! How dare her not recognize me? I sat on her pee for Christ sake!
Oh, my god! I sat on her pee.
I was only six and she forced me to sit on the place she had just…Oh lord, is this hushing things up? I mean, I wonder if Sam ever sat on Emily's body fluids, I bet it would be a sign of intimacy. Oh crap! Intimacy. What f I'm doomed to friend zone? What if Rachel sees me as the little loser her mom used to take care of for the rest of our lives? That just sucks!
"Sir?" Rachel kept staring at me. "Do I know you?"
She thinks I'm such an idiot already, even if I tell her the whole truth she'll probably just laugh at me, I thought lost in my own angst. Oh no, and I even had that stupid Dr. Seuss shirt on, that's just brilliant. I'm gonna be dumped by my own imprint.
This last idea made my heart throb in a way I had never imagined before; I felt lonely just to think about it. I tried to breathe evenly but failed. I was hyperventilating for the first time in years. Ironically, seeing me act like a total loser was all Rachel needed:
"Paul? Is that you?" she said still doubtful. After hearing my name in her voice I felt a lot more tranquil and managed to nod in agreement.
"Pauline!" she yelled and threw her arms around my neck. I regretted shopping immediately after she hugged me; with the bags on my arms, I couldn't hold her back. She let go of me too soon and I was partially aware that she had gotten me all wet but I didn't mind.
With her in front of me like that, talking about how I had changed in the last few years, I was able to realize things about her that I had never seen before. Like how her hair was lighter on its tips because of the sun or that her hands were too small for someone so tall. But what really caught my eyes was her smile.
I've known that prankster smile since I was four and still it felt like I had never seen it before. I never noticed how amazing it was; so wide and sincere that her eyes closed a little every time it appeared on her face. Whenever she beamed, even though she was two years older than me, she looked like a kid on Christmas morning. My whole body warmed from the inside at the thought that I was the reason that smile existed; we were soul mates.
"Er, hm, Paul, I'd better get going. These bags look heavy." I wanted to say "Please don't go." But I knew I had important things to take care of. I frowned and she smiled, a little nostalgic:
"You may be taking horse hormones now but I guess you're still the same weirdo on the inside, right?" She said patting me on the arm awkwardly. "Well, bye."
And she left before I could say anything, my heart cracking in a thousand pieces like I'd never see her again. I started to run.
--
As soon as I got to my place I put the bags on the counter, not bothering to turn off the TV that had been on since the night before and ignoring the remains of wood that had once been my kitchen table. I ran to the phone on the wall but stopped abruptly staring at the dialer. Who should I call? I had no friends and even if I had, I don't think they'd really grab the concept of "falling in love helplessly at first sight with worst nightmare". I had to call one of the pack members and it had to be the only one Jake wouldn't want to share his thoughts with. I dialed:
"Clearwater residence." The voice said on the other side of the line and I took a deep breath.
"Heeeey, sis!" I pushed my luck a little.
"I'm hanging up, Paul." I could hear Leah's voice gaining distance from the speaker.
"No, please, Leah, wait! I need your help! I'll do anything."
"That sounds interesting." Her voice was back to the speaker. "Go on."
"Well, you see, I… I imprinted and…"
Leah hung up on me at once.
My phone rang half a second later. I answered:
"Oh, Leah, thanks for calling me back, listen…"
"It's not Leah." Jacob Black's voice answered in a very low tone.
"Oh no." I whispered.
"You know what's funny, Paul?" he sounded sarcastic. "My sister just came back from the beach and you know what she told me?" A naïve imprinted part of me actually wanted to ask if she had said anything good about me. "She said: "Oh, I just ran into Paulie on the beach, Jake. He's so changed but I think the steroids he's taking damaged his brain, you know? He kept staring at me like he was high on cocaine or something, you know?"" He said in a poor impression of Rachel's perfect voice. "Do you have anything important to tell me about this, Paul?"
"Please, son, this telephone is brand new." I heard Billy's voice saying.
I hung up on Jake right away and dialed the number one on my speed dial:
"Hello?" said the husky voice on the other side said.
"So, Sam, bad news or good news first?"
--
A/N:So, thanks to my friend Debora who was the real victim of the pee sitting thing. And thanks to everyone who review. Next chapter is "Saturday, wait" and Paul will have to wait a lot before he can actually talk to Rachel again, I guess. Anyway, read and review, alright? I adore you all.