Kat and Wolf 4

Ok, so this one isn't quite as good as I'd like it to be. I was struggling with writers block for a few days, so it's kind of dragged out and really bad. But I think I've got it now. It still sucks though.

Two full hours later, Seth and I were still talking. He'd initially ignored my question about Val, dodging it easily. He eventually claimed not to know why she hated him so much, that she'd never had a problem with him until now. He was avoiding my eyes the entire time we talked about her and eventually, I changed the subject. There was a real reason to Val's hatred of the kid, I'd find out what it was.

I did, however, find out that Seth is 21, a full three years older than me, hardly a kid really. He never went to college, just working at Jake's car garage for the most part. He has a sister Leah, although I don't remember meeting her at the party.

"She lives in Georgia, with our distant cousins." He explained when I asked why she wasn't at the get-together last night. "She doesn't really like it around here."

"Ha," I barked sarcastically. "I don't blame her." I snapped my mouth shut the moment the remark popped out. "Sorry," I muttered. "That was rude. Why doesn't she like it here?"

He gave me a funny look, like a cross between amusement and like he was trying not to say something. "Bad blood," He finally said, shrugging, like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

I frowned. "Elaborate," I said, my inner-gossiping-teenager kicking in. I was an absolutely terrible gossip. "I want to know."

"Well, see, a couple years back, when I was still a kid in the middle of our whole…" he paused, considering his next word "group, per se, Sam and Leah were, uhm, involved." My eyes widened, picturing the large man holding little Emily, hugely pregnant, close, staring deeply into her eyes. "I wasn't even really in the group yet when this all went down. Sam and Leah were really in love. They were even planning on getting married. Well, one day, Emily came down from the Makah res and well, the rest is history. Sam broke up with Leah because he fell in love with Emily and they've been inseparable ever since."

I watched him sympathetically as he continued to explain how after watching them together for years and getting ripped to pieces every second of it, she left, made her way to Georgia and settled down there, away from La Push.

"Poor thing," I mumbled to myself. I reached over, grabbing Seth's water glass and plate and taking them to the sink. As I rinsed them off, Seth came to stand next to me.

"Why do you hate it here?" He asked after a beat of silence. I shrugged, hoping the subject would be lost, like last night.

But he wouldn't let it go. He mimicked my shrug and stepped in front of me as I turned to leave the dishwasher behind. "That is not an answer."

I glowered at him playfully. "Let me through," I demanded, crossing my arms.

"Not until you answer my question," he said, mimicking my stance again. He was staring down at me seriously, trying to look menacing, but I could see just under that layer a hint of playfulness, smiling through his eyes. It was cute. Like he was a big puppy.

"No," I said, grinning up at him, daring him to try something.

"One more chance," he said simply, taking a small step forward, a little too much in my personal space. I could feel the electricity zapping between us. Oh God, what if he touched me again? I wouldn't be able to handle it in this pent up space. My body would melt into a puddle right at his feet.

"No," I said again, more defiantly. I even stamped my foot a little. "I don't want to talk about it."

Seth quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. I wanted to giggle at how cute he looked.

I shook my head, clearing away the thought. No boys. I reminded myself. I started to sidestep him, getting just in front, maybe two feet ahead, when I felt his strong arm suddenly yank me back. I stumbled backwards, crashing into his warm chest. Oh God, I was so dead.

I squeaked as he set his free hand on my stomach, just above and to the right of my belly button. "Last chance," he mumbled, close to my ear. My breath caught in my throat and I thought I was going to pass out for a second. I weakly shook my head no. I felt him shrug behind me and his hand tense on my belly. I let out a shriek as his fingers began to wiggle across my stomach.

"Oh… God! Please… stop! Seth!... Please… stop!" I shouted between peals of laughter. I couldn't breathe. It was like he knew exactly where I was most ticklish at.

"Give in." He said simply and when I shook my head, I was completely flabbergasted by what happened next. Seth lifted me off the floor and threw me over his shoulder. He carried me to the living room, throwing me gently on the couch. He smiled wickedly down at me before diving towards my socked feet. Before he could go any further I screeched out just in time "Dear God! Please don't touch my feet! I'll tell you!"

He looked back at me satisfied. "I thought so. I can be very persuasive."

I glared at him as I curled my feet up and he sat in the seat next to me. "So, what happened?"

And just like that, the mood was serious again. I shrugged. When he went to open his mouth in protest, I glared at him for real. "Just, give me a second to think. The only other person I've ever told is my best friend Ali."

I sat for a second, rubbing my hands across the knees of my jeans. It had been over two years since I'd tried to explain why I refused to go to La Push for any amount of time. And the first time I tried to explain it, I cried all over Ali for a solid thirty minutes.

I took a deep breath, letting it out in a big gush. "My parents divorced when I was ten," I began, settling back into the couch. Seth leaned forward, resting his head in his hand and quirked an eyebrow as if to say "That's it?" I scowled and looked down at my lap. "They've fought for as far back as I can remember. They've hated each other's guts for at least twelve years now, if not longer. It was terrible growing up here. Everywhere I look, I see one of their fights, hear the voices I never want to hear again." I sighed and glanced over at the closet where there was just the slightest dent in the wall. "See that? My eighth birthday my dad dropped the cake. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but when everyone left, my mom yelled at him for a solid hour. She told him he was a life-ruiner and that he was a screw up. Just look what he did to the carpet. It would set us back at least 80 dollars to get it cleaned. Eventually, the fight died down, but only for a little while. Later that night, they started at it again and when I went downstairs, they were yelling and screaming at each other and my mom threw the TV remote at him. It was like that most days."

I sat there for a second, letting the silence settle in around us. He didn't break it, giving me space to keep control of myself. I glanced over at him and noticed he now looked sympathetic. "When I was ten, they had the worst fight ever. We were having a normal day. Mom and Dad were bickering constantly, but nothing too crazy. They had just announced the divorce a few days earlier and Val and I were pretty relieved. Their argument of choice was now who would get the kids."I took another steadying breath and closed my eyes. When I reopened them, Seth was watching me intently. "Dad wanted us and Mom was threatening a custody battle. Finally, they had a huge blowout again at home and Dad said," I paused and swallowed "Dad said, 'Take the little bitches, they'll probably turn out like you anyways.' There was more said, but most of its forgettable and the rest just is too hurtful to talk about. But it was terrible. Because when we left, he didn't even bat an eye. I didn't speak to him for two years after that. I haven't been back in a long time. This is really hard for me."

I looked away, suddenly wondering why I'd just told all my personal business to a basically complete stranger. Somewhere in the middle of all our gut-spilling the awkward tension slipped away. I pulled my knees up to my chest, staring at the TV, which was now playing Wizards of Waverly Place.

"I'm sorry," Seth said after a few minutes of silence. "That does suck." I glanced over at him and he smiled at me ruefully. "Maybe you can make some good memories this summer."

I smiled back and shrugged doubtfully. "Maybe. Thanks."

A few hours later, after Seth left, I was hanging upside-down on the couch, watching the TV, completely bored out of my mind. All the blood was settling into my brain and I was pretty sure my face was the color of a cherry tomato. My stitches were beginning to throb, but I was too bored to care.

When I heard the front door open, I popped into an upward position, facing whoever was coming in.

"Hey Val," I said easily as I felt slightly dizzy from the blood now gushing back down into the rest of my body.

"Hey lil' sis," Val said tiredly, tossing her rain jacket across the back of the couch and kicking off a pair of white keds.

"How was work?" I asked.

Val trudged across the room and plopped down next to me on the couch. I turned to face her.

"Rough. We were really busy today. Busier than normal. I have no idea why. Ugh," she groaned and tucked her feet underneath her body. "I hurt everywhere."

I frowned. "I'm sorry. That sucks."

Val shrugged and leaned her head back against the sofa, closing her eyes. "Yea, we were short-staffed again. Ever since Kim got pregnant, there haven't been nearly enough people to work." She sat for a minute, just resting her eyes before she suddenly lifted her head and grinned at me. "You should come help us out!" She exclaimed. "It would be a good summer job and you'd get a little extra money on the side for whatever you wanted. I could talk to John tomorrow if you want." She smiled at me hopefully.

Typical Val. She didn't even give me a chance to say no. Not that I was complaining, just stating the facts. I nodded. Besides, she was just trying to help. A summer job wouldn't be so bad. Especially not if I was supposed to be paying for my bridesmaid dress. And it would give me a cure to the boredom. I would not survive the summer hanging backwards on the couch for hours on end watching Disney channel.

"Sure," I said smiling back. "Why not?"

We had spaghetti for dinner. Again. Apparently, if Val didn't cook, it was all Dad knew how to make. And Val didn't cook tonight because she was with Embry.

"You know Dad," I said, pushing away the plate I'd only taken a few bites out of, "I'm not very hungry tonight. I think I'll just go watch TV or something."

I slid the leftover spaghetti into a Tupperware container and set it in the fridge. He'd eat what I didn't for lunch tomorrow.

I wondered aimlessly through the house while Dad finished his food. I stopped at the door to Val's room and realize I haven't been in once in the whole two days I've been here. I stand there, looking at the plain white door, like I used to so many years ago, in the middle of the night, just before giving our quiet, secret knock and going in.

I gently push open the door. Val got the bigger room of the two of us. It was only fair, she was born first. She had more to work with. When we were kids, her room was a cross between our playroom and her bedroom. In the corner where she now has a desk, scattered with wedding plans, there was our three foot tall doll house where we played Barbie's for hours on end. She'd upsized her bed from an extra-large twin to a full king sized set. She'd changed the color of the wall from soft pink to soft blue and donned her room in chocolate brown accents. The curtains covering her window were sheer brown and pulled back, the blinds pulled up, exposing our quite breathtaking view of our backyard and deep forest beyond.

I stared at the backyard. It was well kept with a garden growing in the back corner where we'd once had a plastic swing set. There was a tree right between our two windows. I had been too short to climb down it as a kid, but never too short to climb it when I got the urge. Val had planted a flower bed around the bottom of it.

Now that I realized it, the house had a touch of Val everywhere. Not just the backyard, but the kitchen had nice new appliances that we didn't even think about until the three of us moved away from here. She'd repainted the counters, albeit they were still white. The bathroom had been redone in the same blues and browns as her bedroom and the living room had been rearranged. I'd noticed these changes when I'd come back, but hadn't fully seen how major they were. When we'd visited when we were younger, everything had been the same as the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. But now, Val had moved in, made herself at home. I think she was helping Dad heal too.

I brought myself back to the here and now, walking over to Val's desk. There was a blue binder propped up and open, a guests list in the making. I flipped the page and found the bridal party, obviously under construction. Name had been marked off and rewritten umpteen times. The only four solid names that had never been touched were the Maid of Honor (Me) and the Best Man (Jacob), and the Flower Girl (Claire) and the Ring Bearer (Baby to Be). I frowned as I ran my finger down the messy list. Nearly half the girls from the party last night had been listed, then dashed out, listed again, dashed out and listed again. From the looks of it, she'd have a bridal party of at least 26. We had a lot of work to do. Might as well get started as soon as possible.

I was going through Val's blue book, organizing her lists and failed attempts at wedding plans. We'd get started first thing in the morning. I'd ask all the questions and minimize her bridal party of 26 to ten. I glanced at my phone, checking the time. I smiled sadly at my wallpaper, a picture of me and Ali at the beach just a week ago. Our hair was piled on top of our heads in matted buns, skin oily from tanning lotion. Marcus, Ali's boyfriend, took the picture.

It was 11:45 and Val would be home any minute. I set her book back where I'd found it, closed and organized now, and turned around in the chair to see Val standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Embry stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," I blurted. I motioned to her book. "I saw it open and I was looking at it and well, I was going to talk to you about it tomorrow, but…" I trailed off.

"So you just came in my room and did as you pleased?" She asked accusingly.

I pursed my lips together, knowing it was better to just get up and leave than to say anything at all. Otherwise, there'd be a fight.

"I was just trying to help," I mumbled when I got to the door of my bedroom. "If you aren't too mad at me, I'll be up at seven tomorrow, before you go to work, and we can get started on wedding details."

I slipped into my bedroom and walked over to my bed. I pulled out my laptop and began to look for bridesmaid dresses that Val would like.

I could hear Embry and Val talking in her room all night last night. He didn't leave until at least two. Then, there was another hour of Val chitchatting on the phone with whoever, possibly Embry, probably Kim. Finally, when she went to bed at four freaking o'clock in the morning, I could fall asleep. When I woke up, it was 8:30. Four and a half hours of sleep. And I slept late.

I forced myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, not bothering with the temperature or the lights. When I stepped under the spray, it was scalding hot, burning all of my senses to shreds. I didn't move, just let boiling hot water fall over my body, washing the sleep down the drain. I tilted my head back, letting it burn my scalp and run over my face.

I didn't get out of the shower until 9:00, but God, did I feel better. The steam swirled around me as I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my hot body. I walked quickly to my room, the cold beginning to seep into my wet skin. I changed into some sweats and piled my hair on top of my head in what was attempted to be a nice ponytail, but came out in some sort of half bun, half ponytail, all knot mess.

I skipped downstairs in a somewhat happy mood. Less than six hours of sleep always caused me to act a little funny. Like skipping downstairs. I twirled into the kitchen, yanking open the fridge and pulling out a fresh gallon of milk. I wanted coco puffs. Screw my diet. And, screw the fact that this milk was whole, not skim. I didn't care today.

I sat down at the table, my bowl piled high with sugary, chocolatey goodness.

"Well, good morning to you too," Val said, smiling at me, last night forgotten. She laughed as I shoved another bite full of coco puffs into my mouth. Mmm.

"Goff moaning," I mumbled around the blockage food. "Heyff Emfry."

They both laughed at me as I shoveled the food into mouth, barely stopping to breathe. When my bowl was empty and I'd drained the last bit of chocolate milk from the bottom, Val pulled out her blue binder. Uh Oh.

"I was looking through this this morning and I noticed it was a little different than the last time I wrote in it," Val said, lifting an eyebrow at me accusingly.

I bit my lip guiltily. "Uhm…"

"Kit-Kat, how did you do it? I couldn't, for the life of me, find any way to sort this jumbled mess of mine and you somehow created a perfectly organized wedding book. How?" She was staring at me in wonder. I shrugged.

"It wasn't easy," I said, then smiled playfully, "you have the organizational skills of a squirrel, you just kind of pack it all in there."

"Well, call me Alvin, because whatever you did, my book isn't falling apart anymore," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Val, Alvin was a chipmunk."

So? Reviews por favor?