I find it amusing to read reviews. Some of you are totally for Jared winning her over... some of you are cheering Kim on for giving him a hard time and refuse to let her let him off easy. I'm sure ALL of you want an HEA, I just find it funny to read your reviews of somewhat separate sides. ;D
Enjoy!
It was all anyone would talk about all day.
Kim couldn't help but listen in, curiosity getting the best of her. She wanted to know why Jared had blown his cool like that. It wasn't like him. And that wasn't her infatuation-skewed opinion, either. It was the truth, something several people noted as they all whispered.
People were blaming Paul, the underclassman Jared had been hanging out with, the one that he'd been fighting with at lunch. Paul wasn't well liked, even by most of the teachers. He was crass and rude and could apparently test the patience of a saint. It was generally accepted that Paul must have started the fight.
The debate was on how, exactly, that happened.
Everyone had seen Jared shove Paul outside, everyone had seen how angry he had been. But who had thrown the first punch? Kim wasn't the only one having problems connecting the Jared before his long absence with a Jared who could start a fist fight.
Of course, it was hard to imagine Jared in a fist fight at all, hence the confusion everyone was suffering.
The big question - at least in Kim's mind - was why?
The next morning, no one had any clearer idea about the fight than they'd had the other day. There was a ridiculous rumor that one of the Elders and a young man named Sam had talked the principal out of suspending them, but that was it. Which didn't make sense, really. What would the Elders care if Paul and Jared got suspended?
As Kim walked onto campus, she glanced up... and froze, head tilted and eyes wide. She wasn't the only one surprised - confused murmurs were surrounding her as well.
Jared and Paul were walking to the cafeteria, laughing and grinning. Paul said something to make Jared roll his eyes and shove his shoulder. Stumbling a step to the side, Paul smirked and said something agian that made Jared simply laugh loudly.
Kim felt her insides give an involuntary lurch. She'd always been a sucker for Jared's laugh.
Shaking her head, Kim started walking again. It was fine, she assured herself, to admit that Jared's laugh was nice. It was perfectly normal to admit that Jared was handsome and his smile made her want to smile back. It was not fine, however, if she started liking him again. That was off limits. Because Jared was an asshole.
He was.
Nodding to herself firmly, Kim slipped into the cafeteria and scanned the tables until she saw her friends. She had to admit they were an eclectic group. Piper was her peppy personality. Joshua, always brooding about one thing or another. Holly, who was obsessed with their people's history and legends and borderline fanatical about them. And herself of course. Kim, the quiet wallflower.
Smiling and shaking her head slightly, Kim walked across the large, echoing room to their table and sat down.
Piper immediately turned her way and leaned across the table, hazel eyes wide and lips pulled into an excited grin. "Kim, did you see?"
"See what?"
Joshua rolled his eyes, muttering about girls and gossip, fiddling with his iPod. He had less tolerance for Piper's enthusiasm than the rest of them.
"Jared and Paul!" Piper whispered pointedly. "They're acting like yesterday never happened!" She laughed slightly, leaning to the side and peering around Kim to get a good look at the two boys. "Everyone's talking about it. I've never seen two guys get as angry as they did, and act all buddy-buddy the next day."
Kim shrugged, not really wanting to talk about Jared. Holly glanced up and eyed them speculatively. "It is strange."
Joshua groaned. "Great. Now there's gonna be some stupid legend to explain this, is there?" He scoffed. "It's a wonder why I hang out with you girls."
Piper shot him a huge grin. "I thought it was obvious. We make you look cooler than you are."
Kim smothered her laugh as Joshua shot Piper a peeved look. He acted like he disliked them, but they all knew better.
Their morning chatter lasted until the bell rang and they separated to go to their separate classes. As she got closer and closer to her classroom, she got more and more... Not nervous, but something like that. She couldn't figure out why, and that only made her more upset.
Jared was already in his seat by the time she walked through the door.
Taking a quiet, deep breath, Kim sat down next to him and went about organizing her things, checking her phone was silent and her pencil had lead.
She glanced over at him briefly - another habit that she had been trying to break - and noted the expression on his face was different from usual. It was a lot like the faraway look he'd gotten before, but more... grim. His brows were pulled down over those mercucial eyes and his lips were pressed together. His pencil tapped an absent and erratic rhythm on his desk.
She tried to pay attention to the lecture. She really did. And she hated herself for it, but her eyes kept slipping over to Jared, wondering what had him so... unlike himself lately. Not just at the moment, but the other day, too. Forget cats, curiosity obviously killed common sense.
When she glanced over as the bell rang and she gathered up her stuff, she froze to find him standing and staring straight down at her, that almost brooding look on his face still.
Her mind went absolutely blank.
Except for the word damn running on loop.
"Is there a reason you hate me one day and keep staring at me the next?"
Kim felt her mouth drop open, whether in shock at what he asked or a lame and failed attempt to answer his question she didn't know. She just sat there, gaping, until he sighed slightly and and shook his head.
"Never mind," he muttered, turning to leave.
"Yes," she said suddenly.
He glanced back at her, frowning.
"Yes, there is a reason... The reason, Jared Hunter, is that you are a confusing asshole."
With that, Kim stood up, grasping hold of the anger that had begun simmering at the realization that he had no clue what he'd done, and regally stormed from the classroom.
Jared looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "Never - in a million thousand years - will I understand women."
...
Kim didn't really talk much to Jared over the next week, but the vicious looks had stopped. He took this as a good thing. They occasionally even exchanged basic pleasantries... and each word was the highlight of Jared's day.
It was Friday, and the past two days, Kim had actually spoken to him when he spoke to her. A part of him reasoned he shouldn't, but he needed to be closer to her. To have more of a connection. So he caught her as she walked out of her class before lunch and gently tugged her to a stop.
"Hey, Kim."
She stared at him, a little confused but hardly any other expression on her face. He took a steadying breath.
"If you're free Saturday, I'd love to spend it with you."
Several emotions flashed across her face, and as he watched with a sinking sense of despair, her eyes began to get that glassy look in them...
"Jesus Christ Jared!" she said loudly, her hands clenching into fists. "Leave me alone! Just... just get lost!"
He stood there, staring in shock, as she whirled around and quickly walked away, her hand reaching up once to her face.
Jared stood there, trembling just faintly. He almost didn't hear his cell ring, catching it just before it would have gone to voicemail and noting as he answered that it was Sam.
"Hello Boss. How're you? I'm fine, thanks. Kim just told me to get lost quite angrily when I asked her out for Saturday night. I think she even started crying." He was talking too quickly, his words almost tripping over each other, and saying it out loud just seemed to make him feel all the worse.
"Jared," Sam said as if the world weren't on the brink of ending. "Are you honestly alright right now?"
Alright? Alright? He'd made Kim cry, just by asking to go out Saturday, and Sam was asking if he was alright? Who cared about him, Kim was what mattered.
But he knew Sam meant it in the sense of if he could keep control or if he was going to turn furry in front of the entire school.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I feel like my skin is crawling, but I think that's because I want to go after her. Why can't she believe I mean it?" Jared finally realized he was pacing, and now that he'd started talking about the situation, he found he couldn't stop. It just poured out of him, making him increasingly distressed. "She hardly even looks at me, ignores me half the time when I try to talk to her. I'll say hi and she just stares at me before turning away! Sam, I can't stand it!" Somehow, he managed to keep from making a hole in the wall with his fist.
Sam spoke in that commanding, soothing tone, the one that Paul and Jared had jokingly dubbed the "Damage Control" tone. Great. Jared was now getting the Damage Control? Wonderful... "Jared, I want you to ditch your next class and go for a run. Just take off and I'll handle everything with your teachers and school."
Jared ran a hand over his short hair, staring at the wall in front of him in frustration. "I can't just-"
"Do it."
Even over the phone, Jared could hear the force of the command, and he ground his teeth together. "I'm going to get so much shit for this. Keep disappearing from school, you keep stepping in to get Paul and I out of trouble. People are gonna talk."
"Come by my house after you get out of school. We'll talk then." He hung up. Slowly, Jared lowered his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He sighed heavily, shifting his backpack higher up on his shoulder, and walked off of campus, into the woods. He went deep enough that no one would accidentally come across his clothes and bag, and stripped before he phased.
Then he ran, as if - if he went fast enough - he could escape all these problems. Frustration lent an angry edge of speed to his run, and he pelted through the rez with little care for where he was, or where he was going. Panting, Jared dashed back to his clothes and yanked them on, knowing he was already late for his last class and finding he honestly didn't give a fuck anymore.
He just wanted to run until his legs gave out under him.
He walked into the classroom, ignoring the whispers of the other students, meeting the teacher's gaze only to see her nod as if in understanding.
Sam taking care of things, obviously.
Jared fell into his chair, but didn't pay any attention to the lecture, didn't even pretend to. Once the bell rang signaling the end of the day, he was out of his seat and out the door.
He heard Paul call his name once, but he didn't think he had enough control to hear him say something absolutely stupid and infuriating. He could hear the whispers of people talking about him - again. Jared tried to tune it all out, just marching straight off of campus and into the woods. He stripped again, shoving his clothes into his bag, and phased. Grabbing the strap carefully in his teeth, he ran towards Sam's house.
The talk with Sam was helpful - not so much in what was said, but in the knowledge that he wasn't really alone in the whole confusion thing. He'd be right about jumping though. That leap off a cliff was absolutely exhilarating. It was hard to be angry and upset after the thrill and adrenaline.
Then they'd reached Sam's house... and Emily was there. Just standing there, in his living room. Jared wanted to run to her and grab her in a huge hug, but he knew there were things she and Sam had to talk about... so he left on patrol.
Paul was already running, and once Jared joined him wasted no time in complaining. Jared rolled his eyes and interrupted.
Emily's back, you dope!
Jared let out a loud guffaw when he sensed Paul actually trip and stumble with surprise. Paul sent him a mentally flipped finger, then questioned if he was sure.
Jared rolled his eyes. No, I'm just making it up. Of course I'm sure!
Just checking, Paul smirked. You've been rather out of it the last couple of days. Especially today. While the words were teasing, mocking, Jared could feel the genuine concern through the pack link, mixed with a bit of hurt.
Yeah... obviously his bad mood had made him an asshole. Of course, that had happened a couple times since phasing, especially in the beginning.
I made her cry, Jared admitted, the memory of that disastrous encounter replaying in his mind. Paul was quiet, even mentally, for several long minutes.
Give her time... maybe she'll tell you where you fucked up.
Jared snorted, not sure he believed that, but forced himself to shake off the melancholy of this imprint shit and instead focus on the good news.
I can't wait to get off patrol, he told Paul with relish. I bet Emily will cook something.
If she's staying...
Paul admitted what Jared - and he was sure Sam as well - were afraid to acknowledge. That Emily might just be visiting, might even be saying she didn't want to come back. Even if she wasn't wolf, they all felt she was part of their pack, their small family group. The idea of losing her... Jared shook his head, deciding not to think about that either.
They continued their run until it was nearly seven, then without even speaking on it, they both turned back for Sam's house. Either Emily would be there, and probably have cooked up some food, or Sam was there alone and would need them, though he'd never admit it.
After all the times Sam had been there for Jared, Jared had no problems being beside his Alpha whenever the man needed him. And it wasn't simply loyalty of a lower ranking member of the pack to his Alpha. It was the loyalty of friends so close, they were brothers.
They phased in Sam's "backyard" - cleared land that stretched to the woods. Jared slipped inside to grab his shorts, while Paul lingered at the treeline where he'd left his. Right before he entered the house, Jared paused and listened carefully, but all he heard was the sound of the TV playing quietly.
"Shit," he whispered as he stepped inside, Paul coming in right as he finished dressing. They both exchanged looks - slightly apprehensive, slightly hopeful - and walked down the hall to the living room.
On the couch was Sam. One arm was thrown over his eyes, and he was breathing deeply, finally catching up on all the sleep he had probably missed while pining for Emily.
And thank god, but he wasn't alone. Curled up against his chest, with his free arm wrapped tightly around her to hold her there, was Emily, also sleeping, a small happy smile on her face.
Jared grinned at Paul, who in a rare occurrence was grinning exuberantly himself, and quietly exchanged a high five.
He walked into the kitchen, then swore he was going to buy Emily anything she wanted in repayment, because bless her soul there were two plates of food sitting in the oven. He pulled both out, letting Paul take one from his hands, and they both sat at the table, chowing down on Emily's cooking.
"God I missed this," Jared muttered before shoveling another bite into his mouth.
Paul grunted, not even taking time between bites to form words.
Jared had to remind himself that licking the plate probably wasn't an acceptable idea, but the temptation was there. He looked at his plate mournfully before rising to take it to the sink.
"She put some leftovers in the fridge," Sam said, leaning a shoulder against the door frame. "Help yourselves."
Changing direction immediately, Jared opened the fridge and pulled out the containers, piling more food onto his plate. Paul got up just as he was finishing and did the same. After a few moments, Sam grabbed a plate and dumped the rest of the leftovers on it, sitting down at the table with the other two.
"So... she's staying?" Jared asked finally, once they'd been eating in silence for a while.
Sam looked up, unable to stop his grin from stretching his face wide, and nodded. "Yeah. She's staying."
Paul frowned slightly. "What about school?"
Sam shrugged, looking down at his plate. "She said she could take classes online."
"Will she be living here?"
Sam hesitated, looking unsure. "We didn't... talk about that."
Jared moaned. "Sam! Why didn't you? I need to know where to go for breakfast and dinner!"
Paul snickered his agreement while Sam gave them baleful glares. "It just didn't come up, Jared."
Jared immediately held up his hands, shooting Sam an exasperated look. "Chill, Boss. I was just kidding with you."
Sam gave Jared another look, but went back to eating. It didn't last long, though, because a few minutes later, his head snapped up just before Emily entered the room. She paused at seeing all of them sitting there eating, then smiled faintly.
"There's left-"
"No there's not," Jared and Paul both said at the same time.
Sam shot her an amused look. "These are the leftovers."
Emily blinked once, said a quiet "Oh", and then sat down next to Sam. For a few minutes, none of them said anything. Jared and Paul both kept shooting covert glances at her, silently basking in the happiness of having her home and their alpha happy again. After a few moments, Emily looked up and smiled.
"I missed all of you so much."
"We missed you too, Emily. God, it was so dull here without you," Jared started. "Paul here is boring as hell and Sam was moping. I was-"
"Freaking out," Paul provided quickly, snickering.
Jared shot him a playful glare. "At least I was more interesting than you."
Paul snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. You were a real live soap opera."
"Was not!"
Paul let out a single hard laugh. "Liar."
Emily interrupted, confused. "Uh... what am I missing here?"
Sam glanced over at her, smiling faintly. Jared personally wondered if he realized that he did that every time he saw her.
"Jared imprinted," he explained.
"And she basically hates him," Paul added, snickering again.
Jared glared, kicking Paul under the table.
Paul glared at Jared, but before their escalating bickering to go any further, Sam pinned both of them with sharp looks. "Drop it. Both of you."
Paul looked back down at his nearly-finished plate. "I really hate this alpha thing, ya know?"
Jared snorted, looking at his plate as well. "Tell me about it."
Emily cleared her throat, though her eyes glittered in amusement. "You imprinted? On who?"
"Kim."
Paul began chuckling under his breath again, and Jared abruptly wondered what he sounded like, looked like, when talking about his Kim. Probably just as bad as Sam.
"What's she-"
"Please," Paul begged, only half-exaggerating. "Don't ask. He'll go on and on and on forever."
Jared glared."When you imprint, I'm not going to be merciful."
Paul smirked. "You mean 'if'. This thing isn't supposed to be common."
Jared raised a brow. "Two out of three so far. Looks pretty common to me."
"And there are still wolves to come, most likely," Sam interrupted. "The Elders gave me a list of potentials."
"Yeah?" Jared looked at him in interest, as did Paul. "Who?"
Sam nodded his head towards Paul. "Paul should know them. They're in his class. Mainly, Jacob Black."
"Ugh," Paul groaned. "That kid?"
Sam shot him a look. "Yeah. And he'd be alpha instead of me."
Paul's eyes shot wide with disbelief even as Jared cried out in protest. "No way Sam! You're the alpha! I'm not following some kid who-"
He quieted under the look that Sam gave him. "Nothing's going to change until he does, so we can worry about that later."
There was command in his tone, an unspoken order to drop the subject, so they did.
Emily cleared her throat again, this time attempting to diffuse the tension that had built up. "Well. What do you boys want for breakfast tomorrow? I'll whip something up for all of you before you do your patrolling thing, if you'd like."
Jared stared at Emily and decided she had to be a goddess or something. "If I'd like? What kind of a question is that! Emily, you cook me food and I will be your personal slave for forever."
Paul suddenly started snickering again. "That job's already taken, Jared."
They both glanced at Sam, who rolled his eyes when he caught their drift, and they both started laughing.
Emily smiled and leaned back in her chair. Sam frowned slightly, grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her into his lap, stroking her hair casually.
Jared grinned as his laughter died down.
So he'd been turned down by his Kim this time. There were other chances. Emily had forgiven Sam for hurting her, and she'd chosen him over a future off the rez. If those two could make this imprint thing work, Jared had full confidence he and Kim could too.
Sorry about the bit of a wait for this one, I've had a few personal things I had to take care of, and there was a minor crisis over the weekend that only just got fully resolved today, lol. Nothing serious or anything, but it was stressful for a while.
I promise to try and make sure the wait isn't like that again, especially since I'm sure I told some of you it would be far shorter than it ended up being.
Thanks for reading! ;)
