2. Incognito and Bright Yellow Shoes

"Hey, give that back!" Mehreen yelled, jumping up as high as she could to retrieve the thread of beads held above her head. Tinnie was at least twenty three or so inches taller than her. "It's mine!" Did the clouds block her hearing up there or was she just that stupid?

Tinnie's tongue clucked in disagreement while she slid the bracelet around her wrists. "I like it…" She told Mehreen, devilishly smiling down upon her… "I like it a lot." Her boyfriend probably liked it too, just as he was fond of everything else about Mehreen. Tinnie said it before, people talk.

"I don't even know you. I never did anything to you, either. Could you please just give me my bracelet?" Patience was a virtue she had mastered and Mehreen thought she could reason with this bully.

"I think of us as great friends." Tinnie countered, harshly patting Mehreen's shoulder. "And you're the one who gave me your bracelet."

Alright, send her to an asylum! "What? I never gave you my…" Mehreen's mouth shut as soon as the strong amount of pressure was applied to her shoulder.

Completely taking her by surprise Tinnie kneed Mehreen's stomach hard, sending her to the floor in pain. "Keep your lady parts to yourself and lay off my man!"

She was never on 'her man' to begin with. Was it that beady eyes dude in Art who kept staring at her…It was, wasn't it. The spray painter. Stupid pervert.

"I never-"

"Yo Saily!" She called cutting off the train of words which were about to leave Mehreen's mouth. "Where's that stuff you wanted to get rid of?"

"Here," spoke Saily, a rounder version of her idol. Completely grossing Mehreen out, a mayonnaise stained brown bag was emptied of its content right over her face. She would never eat bananas ever again and the scrunched up sand paper only rubbed anger into her face, coloring it with a dark shade of red. She couldn't do anything about it though.

"Right into the waste basket." Mehreen glared up at them, rubbing a comforting hand across her throbbing stomach.

"Let's ditch this, Tinnie." No matter how much of a crappy mood Mehreen was in, she would never turn down a good opportunity to laugh. Although hating to mock people, she thought Tinnie didn't look so tiny from where she lied. To stop a random outburst of giggles Mehreen squished her face against the cold tiled floor and let her shoulders vibrate with silent laughter. They thought she was crying but Mehreen would never shed a tear over them. Ever. First horrible two weeks in La Push or a long beginning of a new school day, Mehreen had to pull it together.

Once the sound of their sluggish foot steps echoed into a fade she pulled her self up and blinked back a few angry tears, before departing from their assigned lashes. Wrinkling her nose in disgust she kicked away the rubbish surrounding her. Mehreen was alone, but not garbage. She was misunderstood but always found a way to be heard, even when a single word isn't uttered. People knew and that's why not one person came to make small talk or invite her over with their friends. She was an outsider. Forever and always, in her old group of friends everyone was different too. That's how they all fit in, you know?

She hugged her knees to her chest and glared down at the bright yellow of her chucks. Yellow equals sunshine and sunshine equals California. In California was where her normal life begun. Here it would end. Can accountants even get promoted? And out of all places in the world (apart from the jungle) why was her father assigned to La Push? Shaking it off she lifted herself up, chin held high Mehreen stalked off to the cafeteria. A part of her was missing and her arm felt so bare. She didn't even like jewelry! But that bracelet held an odd amount of sentimental value.

***

"Can you guys pass me my clothes?" Leah asked casually, standing behind a too short and fuzzy bush. Seth threw the bundle of cloth at his feet toward Leah and she quickly slipped into the shorts. "Umm, Sam?" She said sheepishly, watching him lift a familiar worn out blue lace bra off the ground and throw it hastily in her direction. "Thanks." She ducked down, dressing into her tank top and left to stand with the rest of the pack. Things were way passed awkward, she was just another guy with 'man boobs' to them. All except Sam, who still thought she was a beautiful image of perfection. Emily was someone and something much more to him, though.

"Let's head out!" Leah and Sam declared simultaneously. Despite not being with each other, something stronger than themselves still kept the bond between those two, occasionally giving their stomachs a good tug.

Jacob winced and Quil went all uncomfortable.

"Who died? Why are you all so uptight, I could strip again?" She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at how the boys were so naïve. No big deal, she and Sam had stuff in common. But why did her heart fight to rip out of her chest, and why was everybody listening to its agonized beat? Why did it suddenly become so clear once more? She still loved Sam…

He cleared his throat, "let us go. It's getting late, Emily's waiting…" Sam trailed off, avoiding Leah's hurt stricken eyes.

"Yeah Kim, too." Jarrod said miserably, missing her too much and leaving the small cluster of werewolves.

"Let's go Embry," Quil said, advancing towards his truck.

"Sam, I think there's still something here. I'm going to hang around for a while." He cocked up a brow at Jacob's words and gave his tired limbs a good shake.

"We stay, then."

"No go Emily's…" He stared at Leah through the corner of his eye, "she's waiting."

"You're stuck with your cousin in laws!" Seth said with such enthusiasm, Leah's ears could have bled.

"Whatever," she muttered, making her way toward Sam's car. She was hungry and sadly Emily could cook real well.

He quickly opened the door, calling her name and outstretching his arms for her to run into him

"Sammy!" Emily's arms enfolded themselves tightly around his neck, squeezing the waist her legs took a hold of.

It all made Leah's stomach sicken with pain. "I missed you so much." He told her, stroking a hand through the rich waves of Emily's hair. Twitching his fingers the same way he did when he held Leah.

"What would you like? A breakfast lunch combo? How do eggs sound?" She looked over his shoulders upon Leah and Seth, maybe just Seth as she tried hard to avoid her glares.

"Scrambled!" Seth called, raising his fists into the air with victory, that boy was too happy for his own good. Emily liked eggs scrambled as well.

But destroy the taste? No way! "Flip it into an omelet," Leah and Sam spoke in time, again. Her chest crippled and his throbbed hard.

There were too many memories and not enough time.

She could feel the spring sunshine shower her skin like it did long ago, somewhere peaceful in time. "I'm hungry!" Leah had playfully said, quickly running a hand down the length of his chest.

"Then I'll make you your favorite omelet." He promised, brushing a kiss across the span of her knuckles. She grinned and it reached her eyes.

Now those cheek muscles have died off, along with every last shred of her happiness.

They stood before a massive window, showing their world how love struck they had grown to become. Sam's head scooped down to plant a cluster of kisses into her shoulder and she let out a light tinkle of laughter not tinged with mockery or contempt.

Her heart's sadness was bitterly clear to Sam and Seth. Light began crawling into her eyelids. But she couldn't open them, not now, not there, or reality would deal Leah a harsh blow to the face and her tears would fall.

"I love you, Leah." He whispered into her ear, fiddling with the loose locks of her hair.

"I love you, Sam…"

"Leah!" Seth was too there, too present. And the last place she wanted to be in was Emily's hallway. "Leah!" Seth repeated. She couldn't let her kid-brother worry about her, that wouldn't be right. Leah opened her eyes not really surprised to find that she bawled out all her tears a long time ago.

Sam's lips departed from Emily's shoulder and he flashed Leah an apologetic look. He can't even keep his hands off her! She felt the angry wail of her stomach and left the house before her clenched fists could meet something breakable.

Her body jerked in funny ways, releasing one twisted sob after the other as she ran into the shadows, here and now Leah had no home. There was an unhealthy amount of worried mothers and overly beautiful werewolves…Sam…

Emily looked up at him with lost eyes, sensing the scars dragging down her face tingle with a hard dosage of fault. His hand squeezed the nape of her neck and she was calm, the tick remorse was boiled away leaving Sam and Emily with something stronger than love…Destiny.

"We have to find her." She whispered, guiltily taking pleasure in the warmth of his grasp.

"She'll want to be left alone. I know Leah." Sam answered, not realizing what power those words had on Seth. But he couldn't look at the engaged couple with contempt. They were such a perfect match.

Seth settled into the living room. Leaving Emily and Sam alone…