Hey guys, I know this is a short chapter, but currently I'm just trying to get back into the swing of everything and grab a nice hold onto where I want this story to go. Let me know what you guys think!

The next morning, I woke up to rain. Lots of it. I didn't hear my dad or Jared come home last night, but I was assuming they had been out late by the quietness of our home. They must have still been sleeping. It was already 10 am, and that seemed unusual of my dad to sleep that long. It was Saturday, though, so maybe they used Saturdays as a day to not leave bed. I didn't blame them.

I rolled out of bed, stretching my arms to the sky and yawning. Walking past my reflection, I paused and stared for a moment. I looked tired – no, I actually looked border line sleep deprived. The bags under my eyes were prominent, and my hair was shooting all in different directions. My eyes looked hollow and my shoulders seemed somewhat bonier than usual. Had the stress of leaving my mom really affected me this much?

I sighed at myself, and wrapped my satin robe a little tighter. I trotted down the steps and padded across the kitchen tile lightly over to the coffee pot. I inwardly felt relief just by catching sight of the pot. Coffee was my savior, forever and always. Its warmness was always there for me when the rest of the world had seemed to gone cold.

I stared out the window above the kitchen sink while the coffee brewed, admiring the scenery. I didn't mind the rain all that much, in a way it comforted me. It had a way of making me feel like it was cleansing the world of all bad, even though I knew that was silly. I had missed mornings like this. Easy mornings, ones without seeing my mom passed out on the couch and running into a shirtless stranger in the hall way on my way to the kitchen.

I poured myself a cup of Joe, and made my way into the living room. My eyes lit up when I noticed my dad still had our old record player. We used to dance in the living room when I was little to everything from Elvis to reggae, and everything in between. I got underneath the shelf the record player was on and my fingertips landed on a record with Mr. Presley himself on the front of it. Smiling at the memory of my dad serenading me when I was a child, I put the vinyl on the player.

Can't Help Falling in Love was the first song that came on, and I felt my heart quicken a bit. This would always be one of my favorite songs. I mindlessly began to hum along, dancing slowly with my cup of coffee, forgetting where I was. My soft humming turned into singing, and this moment felt like magic. I could only imagine what I looked like.

Just then, I heard shuffling on the porch, and then a soft knock at the door. Without thinking, I opened the door, mid-chorus, still singing softly. When I realized who was behind the door, and who had probably seen me twirling through the window, my heart skipped a beat.

Of course, it was Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

My eyes met his and my legs felt funny. My lips parted a little, unsure of what to say for the first moment or so. I couldn't seem to tear my eyes from his, or move a muscle. What was wrong with me?

At last, Paul tore his eyes away from mine, and tensed his jaw, but in the slightest way possible. I didn't miss it. His palms were clenched, and he wouldn't meet my gaze. I fumbled nervously with my robe, pulling it a little tighter.

"Is Jared here?" He asked, still refusing to meet my gaze.

Before I had the chance to reply, I heard thumping coming down the steps. It was Jared. He came behind me, and place a hand lightly on my back. "Paul," He said without emotion, nodding his head.

Paul's next words seemed unnaturally heavy, and forced. "Do you think we could talk?" He asked my brother.

Jared gave a quick nod, and sighed. "I'll be right behind you."

Paul turned quickly, and made his way off the porch. What was with this guy?

Jared still loomed over me, and then kissed the top of my head. I still couldn't get used to how tall he was. "Morning baby sis, you still look beautiful in the morning, and your singing still sounds beautiful in the morning," He said with a grin and a wink, shutting the front door behind him.

I laughed lightly at this. "Shit," I whispered under my breath. They could hear me! My cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, even though I was alone. Oh well, I decided. I wasn't a bad singer by any means, I actually loved it – just one who would prefer to do it without an audience.

After this, I sat in the living room chair for a bit while finishing my coffee. I still had no idea where my dad was, but I assumed he had went fishing, or it was one of those weird weekends where he had to work a shift.

I finally decided I couldn't sit in my pajamas all day, so I trudged upstairs and took a long, scalding hot shower. I brushed my teeth, tamed my long, dark hair, and put some normal clothes on. I felt like an entirely new person.

I planned on spending the remainder of my morning (what little was left of it) at the beach with a blanket, my headphones, and my journal. I was just as big into writing as I was singing. It sounded like the perfect plan to me, and I was giddy just at the thought of scrawling my thoughts down next to the ocean. The rain had let up, but the dark clouds still loomed over La Push. I didn't mind one bit though, I liked dark atmospheres.

As I was heading out the front door, I ran smack dab into Jared. "Hey, Scar, where are you headed to?"

"Oh, I'm just going down to the beach to write some," I answered.

Jared seemed a little uneasy at this. "Why don't you just stay here and write? Writing is writing," He replied, adding a short laugh after.

I rolled my eyes at him, ignoring this and pushing past him. "Jare, if you think writing at home is the same as writing next to the ocean, then I've already diagnosed you as border line crazy."

For a second I think he debated arguing this. Knowing he would lose, he chose to let this one go. My family quickly learned that you must pick and choose your battles with me. I don't throw in the towel easily. "Okay, Scar, just be careful."

I laughed at him and shot a ridiculous look at him. "Okay, Dad!" I yelled back at him, waving him off.

Remembering the path to First Beach all too well, I made it there in under ten minutes. Living close to the ocean was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I spent countless nights here, under the stars. I couldn't wait to again.

I laid out my blanket in the sand and plopped down, completely content with my spot. I opened up my journal and let out everything on my mind. Everything from how hungry I was, to how weird everyone around here seemed to be acting around me. The weird looks, Rebecca's hateful eyes, and Paul's standoffish front. All of it.

Not realizing how much time had passed, I was surprised to see an hour had already gone by. I could have stayed there forever, but I decided to make my way back home to see Dad. I missed him. After shaking the sand from my blanket, I decided to wrap myself in it to fight the cold. The temperature seemed to drop drastically enough to cause my teeth to chatter.

Walking back up to the road, I saw a sight that caused me to stop directly in my tracks. Before me was the shit show of all shit shows. Paul and Rebecca seemed to be standing at the beach's entrance, where the sand meets the sidewalk, having quite the fight. Rebecca was having a complete breakdown, screaming through her tears. Paul's eyes were sad as he reached out a hand to place on her arm. She quickly swatted it away and hit him in the chest.

Damn, I thought to myself. What did he do to her? I tried to be as quiet as possible, not drawing any attention to myself. Not that it was my fault they decided to quarrel right in the middle of the open, though. That's when Paul's eyes met mine. And what do you know, my knees seemed to turn to jello.

"You aren't even listening to me!" I heard Rebecca yell, slapping him again.

Paul still hadn't torn his eyes from mine. His face showed a mixture of emotion. There was anger, there was sadness, and there seemed to be a hint of softness. That's when Rebecca followed his gaze to meet mine.

She scoffed through her tear-filled eyes. "Oh, great, here she is now," She said, her words dripping with ice.

Every bit of softness in Paul's disappeared and he abruptly turned away from both of us. "I can't do this," He muttered.

Rebecca took a couple of steps towards me and through her hands wildly into the air. "Great!" She screamed. "I hope you're happy!"

And with those cryptic words, she turned and started running after Paul.