When I got off the bus I ran inside and past my mother who was in the living room reading a book sipping coffee.
"How was your first day honey?" she called out.
"I'm invited to a bonfire! No time to talk!" I ran into my room and threw my bag onto my bed.
For a few minutes I stood frozen in thought, going mentally through my clothing inventory and my sets of cute clothes. Finally deciding that blue jean shorts, a pink tank and a grey hoodie would suffice, I began to dig through my closet for said items and contemplated flip-flops over roman sandals. After dressing I fiddled with my hair, putting it up, then down, then up again and bringing it down then finally putting it into a fishtail braid down my back. I didn't put make-up on, knowing it would be dirty out on the beach and that it would make me break out, but I did put on some pink lip-gloss.
I sat quietly in my room for a few minutes, fiddling with my shorts and hair, until I stood and went outside with my phone. I sat in the middle of the driveway and stared at the ants crawling across the concrete. It wasn't that I was depressed or anything, just bored. I was entertained by little things, bugs, music, drawing and reading. Cloud watching was a frequent hobby of mine, and I took pictures of cats whenever I saw them.
Suddenly my phone vibrated and sang its 'you've got a text' jingle. I slid it open and tapped the view message button. It said:
Hey, you ready? Don't be rushed, jw.
-Seth c
I smiled and texted back:
Totally ready. hurry your butt up! :p
Okayokay. Comin
I smiled ever wider and put my phone in my pocket. Mom came out and sat beside me, our identical blonde curls blowing in the slight breeze together.
"so, you're going to a party" I nodded."hm, good. And where will this party be?"
"At the beach. A guy invited me, his name is Seth." She smiled her knowing smile.
"Oh really? And how old is this Seth?" I laughed and nudged her with my elbow.
"My age. He hangs out with a group of dudes in different grades though. But they all look related. Hese pretty tall, Native American, and has shaggy hair." She made an o with her mouth.
"Ooh, what a total 10, right?" we laughed.
"Yeah, hese pretty cute. Super oquard and a little nervous, but sweet."
"So, dating material?" I put on an offended face "just answer me."
"Ooh mom. I don't really know. I just met him." I propped my face in the crook of my arm and grinned. Mom sighed and put an arm around me.
"Well, either way, you make sure he treats you like a lady. I won't have some little boy messing with my girl." She kissed my temple and I shied away.
"moooom." She laughed.
"Okay okay, but just remember what I said." I laughed and then a big black truck drove up. The window rolled down and out poked Jacobs head.
"Hey Juliette," he smiled at my mom "this your mom?" she stood and held her hand out to him.
"Yes, you may call me Ms. Lechmere." Jacob chuckled lightly and firmly shook her hand.
"Hello Ms. Lechmere, im Jacob Black. What time should I have Juliette back by?"
"Whenever she gets tired, which should be before 12, young man." I nodded politely, and then Seth's head poked out around his seat.
"Hey Juliette!" he said happily.
"Hey Seth! Took you guys long enough!"
"This is Seth?" mom asked. I nodded.
"Yep, he was the nicest person to me today, he let me sit with them at lunch!" my mother smirked.
"I've definitely heard a lot about you Seth, you better keep the good behavior up. I might just let you have a study date." There was a chorus of oohs and whistles from the truck and I squinted to see the silhouettes of many people in the back. It was going to be a tight squeeze. Seth blushed and scratched the back of his head.
"I promise I'll take good care of her. I'm always very careful." Mom nodded and turned to me.
"Okay Hun, got your cell?" I nodded "money?"
"Yeah mom, I'll be fine." She smiled and kissed my head.
"Okay hon, be safe." I walked to the door but Seth stopped me.
"Wait, come here." I ran around to the passenger side and Seth opened the door. "there's no room in the back. So um, just come sit up front." He scooted over and I jumped in beside him. When the car door closed I was pressed up uncomfortably to him by the hip. So I lifted my legs and propped them on the dash, giving Seth's legs much more room.
"thanks." He said smiling. I said goodbye to my mom again and Jacob drove the truck down my street and back onto the main road.
In the car the guys in the back, along with Seth sister Leah, had small conversations and joked around. It was really laid back and chill, not formal or tense, like I was already part of the gang. While in the car I attempted to strike up a conversation with Leah, but alas, she and I were not compatible.
Leah was the polar opposite of her brother, as far as personality goes. She seemed more of the sharp, sarcastic type. While I was more fun-loving and silly. She and I shared few interest as well, I liked clothes and cats; goofy stuff. She thought it was pointless and stupid. So I kind of just left her alone, seeing as she didn't really seem interested in talking to me.
Instead I horsed-around with Seth and the others. Them I could fit in with. They seemed to appreciate my open mind. We ended up playing twenty questions where they asked me endless questions.
What ever happened to twenty?
"fave color." Asked Jared.
"Blue"
"fave ice-cream?"
"Vanilla"
"Sports you played"
"Lacrosse, and I swam."
"fave underwear?"
"Victoria's- PAUL."
The whole car burst into laughter as I glared the huge teen down. Jacob screamed at us and told us to chill because we were distracting him from driving. I realized that we had turned off the main road and onto a dirt road covered by a canopy of evergreen trees. The car bobbed up and down and I sprawled my hands out trying to keep balance. Seth seemingly unknowing put his arm around my shoulders to steady me. I felt my face heat up slightly but no one seemed to notice it, so I just leaned into it and watched the trees pass by shakily.
Soon the trees were parted and an earthy was revealed. Dark and stormy blue waters flowed up and down the pebble ridden sand. It wasn't the glamorous Miami beaches I had been to, and not nearly as large, but that's mostly what I preferred. It told me I didn't have to wear a bikini in order to fit in. actually, you probably had to wear a coat during the winter.
Jacob steered the car into a parallel park next to the tree-line and turned the ignition off.
"Well, this is it. What do you think Juliette?" he said turning to me. He raised an eyebrow at Seth's arm loosely hanging over my shoulders, causing Seth to pull it back quickly and blush. I smiled, pretending to not have noticed.
"I think it's beautiful! So much better than Florida or California." I smiled and Jacob smirked almost knowingly.
"Yeah? Well get used to it. If you haven't noticed, its not exactly sunny out here." I looked out to the dark curtain of clouds and smiled more.
"Nah, I don't mind. I know I'm not going to go blind from the uv rays out here." There was a general chuckle among the car and then the doors opened. I slid down and landed on the gravel, the rocks and sand swishing with my every step. I walked out aimlessly towards the water. It felt very open and fresh here, like a new canvas. I took a deep breath and relished in the faint salty taste it left on my toung. I looked back to the guys, who seemed to be talking in an organized fashion. I smirked and with their eyes away quickly pulled off my hoodie and kicked off my flip-flops. Then I ran down the bank to the water and waded out a few feet. The water was icy cold, but refreshing. I kicked up sand and shells around my feet as they buried into the silt.
"Hey Juliette, you're gonna have to help ya know!" I turned at the sound of jakes voice.
"Yeah yeah! I know." I ran back bending as I ran to scoop up my neat hoodie and shoes. I deposited them in the truck and was sifted into a group with Seth and Paul to gather driftwood. Paul immediately ran down the beach with Seth following closely. I scrambled to keep up with their long strides, but my legs were strong, so I managed. But still, running in sand was not an easy task.
"he guys! Why the rush?" Seth glanced back at me and saw my lagging run. He yelled something at Paul, who turned and giving him a frustrated look, slowed to a stop.
When I finally caught up I fell to the ground and closed my eyes heaving in air. Miraculously, Seth and Paul were unfazed. They stood aimlessly, albeit a little impatient on Paul's side.
"You okay Juliette?" Asked a genuinely concerned Seth. I nodded, still on the ground.
"How….do you….run that fast?" I asked between breaths. Paul shrugged.
"Were in good shape, better than most." I opened my eyes and remembered how freakishly large and ripped they all were.
"Need help?" Seth held out his hand and I gratefully took it, pulling myself up. Seth also pulled, causing me to stumble into his chest.
"Oops, sorry. I sometimes underestimate myself." He laughed nervously and steadied me on my feet. I looked up smiling.
"no big deal. I do that sometimes too." I flexed egotistically, drawing a laugh from the duo. Paul waved us back down the beach.
"c'mon. we can walk now." True to his work, Paul, Seth and I walked leisurely down the beach, picking up pieces of driftwood generously. When our arms were filled we stared back to the car. I gaped as Seth single-handedly carried a huge mottled log on his shoulder. he noticed.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"How can you do that!" he gave me a puzzled look
"Do what?"
"Carry that monster like its no big deal!" he realized and laughed.
"This? This is nothing. I once I lifted a full-grown horse up on my back!" Paul scoffed.
"Stop flirting, we all know that a bunch of bs." Seth frowned dejectedly.
"Well I did, even if I wasn't human at the moment….." Paul immediately turned to him with a stern and outraged face.
Had he just said he wasn't human?
Seth realized his slip-up and said a small 'ooh right' before looking away shamefully. Paul sighed and looked stoically forward.
While I was just completely lost in the dark back here.
But no further conversation was issued. Just tense silence. I looked back and forth between the two and sighed. But that had been odd.
Seth had said he hadn't been human. But what did than mean? It was just so…not possible, as blunt as it sounds. What else could he be besides human? And why did Paul look at him with such disapproval? Had he disclosed a secret among the group that I wasn't supposed to know?
My thoughts were cut off as we finally arrived at the camp that the others had set up. Their were four large teepees of wood surrounded by a few old chairs and logs. A few more people had arrived, about a dozen other teens in swimsuits and hoodies like mine. Jake greeted us and Paul's impassive demeanor dissolved, seemingly forgotten. And soon after Seth recovered his happy-go-lucky grin as well. We dropped our load at a lacking bonfire closer to the water and Seth pulled me out to introduce me to the other girls.
I met about six girls, but only connected with two: jasmine and Raleigh.
Jasmine was the dramatic attractive girl with black hair and blue eyes accompanied by a curvy figure clad in a blue bikini with shorts. Raleigh was the sporty and hyperactive one with Carmel hair held in a ponytail and Nike shorts on her toned legs. Together I think we made quite the trio.
"oh my god you are gorgeous!" jasmine had first said "what do you use for your hair?" I laughed.
"I use Aveda. It's a little pricy, but I make up for it by shopping at thrift stores." She oohed and smiled perfectly.
"I'm sure it is! I'm jasmine, by the way." She held out a polished hand and I shook it.
"Hey! My name is Raleigh!" Raleigh happily held out her own hand and shook mine enthusiastically. I laughed and sat down between them on a log and the guys took turns attempting to set fire to the wood. We laughed as the quickly drew their hands away every time the gas would catch, but then blow out almost instantly. At last it was lighted and people began to gather.
In the water people splashed around freezing like frozen fish. Some couples were also flirting and loving on each other in the water as well as around the fire. I slipped my arms in my hoodie but didn't put it on, letting it cover my arms. As the sky darkened, people came from the water and sat in the circles. Someone had brought a radio, and pop music was playing. Soon everyone was dancing, singing along or watching and laughing. Once again, the best of me stepped forward and I got up to dance, if rather poorly. But from the stares I was getting, I was okay.
Now, mind you, im no slut. I don't need to be inappropriate to be funny of have fun, but I don't mind letting loose sometimes. The wobble came on, and I couldn't resist joining the line dance. Whistles and hoot were shouted as the girls all danced. We laughed like idiots, and it was okay.
Eventually the music was toned down, thank god too, I was tired. I went to sit with jasmine and Raleigh, but I noticed that instead of being in our usual spot, jasmine was seated in the lap of a handsome blonde boy who was affectionately kissing her neck, making her giggle and kiss him back.
Boyfriend.
And Raleigh, she was playing soccer with another dark-haired boy who would capture her waist and hug her, laughing.
More boyfriends.
I sighed, a little left out, but shrugged and sat down against the log on the ground. The current group included Sam Uley, who was telling Quileute legends of were-wolves. I listened intently to the story of the third wife, and some others. At some point Seth came wrapped up in a blanket and joined me on the ground.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"Yeah! Jasmine and Raleigh are just, shall I say, busy at the moment." I nodded at jasmine and her cuddly boy-toy. Seth 'ahh' ed and shook his head.
"they should know better, your new here and don't have anybody to talk to."
"Well, I have you, don't i?" he stared at me, as I smiled and smiled back.
"Are you cold?" he asked. I rubbed my arms and nodded "here" he wrapped the left side of the blanket around me and drew me into his arm again. I leaned in, realizing how warm he was. He must have been burning up in there!
We seemed to situate against each other easily and it felt almost natural with his arm around me. I listened to Sam's stories a bit longer before I began dozing off. My eyes drooped slightly and I zoned out.
"Are you tired?" whispered Seth into my ear. I nodded lazily "I can take you home if you want." I shook my head and leaned it against his chest closing my eyes. He was warm and inviting with his soft black shirt.
"I don't wanna leave just yet. A few more stories then I can leave." He nodded and shifted, allowing me as much room and blanket as possible. I was incredibly comfortable leaning in against this boy I had just met today, probably more than I should, but it just felt right. Some weird urge just made me want to be in his warmth. Quickly I nodded off and fell into a light sleep.
Sounds and voices kept me half awake, but not fully conscious. At one point Seth said a few words and his voice rumbled through his chest and into my head, though I did not comprehend it. It was soothing and reassuring, knowing he was there if something came up. I gladly listened to his tone as he continued to carry a quiet conversation with someone.
All too soon, I was woken by Seth. He was gently stroking my head and calling my name.
"Juliette, its 10, I think your mom would like you back by now."
I silently cursed my mom, for just being there and not letting me stay. I groaned and rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hand yawning. Seth chuckled and helped me up. He guided me to the car after I hugged a few of the guy's goodbye. I got in to passenger seat and crashed in the leather seat while Seth got in the driver's side and started the car.
"You can drive?" I asked groggily.
"I have a permit, but we can keep this ride between us, right?" he asked smirking. Too tired to answer I smiled back and lowered my head closing my eyes. The car backed out and I felt us drive over the bumpy dirt road till we got on paved roads. We drove for a while till the car stopped. Outside was my house, the living room shining with the TV light. I turned to Seth and smiled.
"Thanks for inviting me Seth, I had a great time." I shrugged out of the blanket and folded it neatly, throwing in on the backseat.
"It's the least I can do. It was super fun having you. –over! That is!" he corrected. I giggled and he smiled sheepishly.
"Same here. G'nite!" I paused for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek like I had earlier during school. He beamed as I jumped out the car and walked up to my house going in. as the headlight left my driveway and faded I began making my way up-stairs. Till mom intercepted me, that is.
"Hey! How was it?" she asked. I groaned 'too tired, tomorrow' and went to my room where I lazily stripped to my undies and dove into sleep like a rock.
So yeah, best first day of school ever.
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~His-Silly-Little-Crush