"Salt Skin" - Ellie Goulding

You're as sharp as a knife / and you fit like a glove / That is no way to live / That is no way to love / Full of fear in your skin / And the weakness in giving in

Just kill me now! Fucking Paul was standing there outside Lauren's window, giving me one of those cocky smirks he does that gets my blood boiling. I hate that man!

"I was taking Danni out to breakfast before her first day of community service," Lauren said calmly. I knew she was lying. As soon as Paul bought it, we'd speed off and just hide out somewhere until Mike Newton's party.

Paul narrowed his eyes at her and then returned his possessive stare to me. "Is that true Danni?" he asked.

I sighed. "Yes Paul Blart!"

Lauren and I both burst out laughing at my insult, but Paul only looked a little pissed off. His eyes narrowed and his face got all red. However, we ignored him as we continued to laugh at him, saying he got fired from mall security so he has to do highway patrol.

"Next he'll get a desk job!" Lauren guffawed.

"I don't know," I giggled, "you have to be able to read the files. All those steroids probably watered down his brain."

We both burst out into hysterics at Paul's expense again.

Paul just stood there, glaring at us, scowling. "Step out of the car," he growled, his deep voice menacing and a little creepy.

Immediately Lauren and I shut up. We looked at each other in shock, wondering who he wanted outside the car. "Which one do you want?" I asked, my voice a little shaky. If he tries to give me a cavity search, I swear to God, I'll bolt down this highway screaming for help.

"You," Paul demanded, pointing a thick finger at me and keeping a pissed off expression on his face.

I shakily undid my seat belt and got out of the car. I stood there and looked at him for further instructions.

"Come here," he growled, putting so much authority into his voice, it sounded like he was only a police officer and not the desperate Paul I know.

"Am I under arrest or something?" I asked, a little scared. I know that I'll get grounded for being forced to do community service, but if I get arrested, I'll actually want to go to jail in order to be safe from my mom.

"Come. Here," Paul demanded, putting emphasis on every word, and even pointing at the spot by his side. I could've sworn he almost gave me a sinister grin, but it was gone in a flash so I couldn't exactly tell.

I looked at Lauren, thinking she'd give me some advice on how to get out of this situation. This wasn't like Paul at all. Usually he's saying "please" and "thank you" and always asking me to do something, never demanding it using a stern voice. The dramatic change in his behavior was giving me goose bumps all over my arms. I thanked God I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, thus hiding my anxiety, but I think my thumping heart and chattering teeth gave me away.

"Dude," Lauren hissed, "just do what he says so that things don't get worse."

"Listen to her Danni," Paul smirked. "Now, COME HERE!"

I jumped the second Paul raised his voice from low and sinister to loud and threatening. I inched my way over to the designated area and watched as a smirk grew on his terrifying face. It got bigger every millimeter I got closer to him until I was right at his side and the smirk transformed into a full-blown smile.

Paul pulled out some handcuffs off of his belt and faced me, still wearing that creepy-ass smile. "Turn around," he told me, the scary, low demanding voice back.

I did as he said and then I felt the cold metal of the cuffs being put around my wrists.

"Daniela Marie Chapman," Paul said, "you're under arrest for attempting to get out of mandatory community service. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided to you."

Paul's speech all blurred into one garbled mess. I'm going to jail…that sucks.

Lauren just stared out from the car in shock. "Dude," she complained, "it was my idea, not hers!"

Paul whipped his head to face her and snarled. "You convinced her to skip out on me?" He bared his teeth at her and his body started to shake a little bit.

"Yea!" Lauren snapped back.

"You better just drive on before I arrest you too."

Lauren just sat there.

"NOW!" Paul shouted. "Leave!"

Lauren rolled her eyes and started up the car again.

"Don't tell my mom!" I screamed as she drove off, leaving me alone with psycho Officer Paul.

Paul pushed me forward towards his cruiser. I struggled to keep up on my legs, but he pushed really fast and it's actually rather hard to move quickly with your arms stuck behind you. I was yanked to a stop at the passenger side of the police car. "Get in," Paul growled.

"Don't I have to sit in the back?" I asked.

Paul just huffed and opened up the door. He then put his hand on top of my head and pushed me inside the car. I didn't even have time to get comfortable before he was leaning over me to do my seat belt.

When he got in on his side and started driving, I decided to speak up.

"Am I really going to jail?" I asked him, trying to put on sad eyes in case he looked my way.

He did, and it looked like Paul actually looked a little heartbroken for a while. "No," he breathed. "I…just needed to show you what could happen if you skip your required dates for community service." He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and his knuckles turned white.

"So how come I have to do community service when Lauren doesn't?" I demanded. Yea, Lauren's my girl, but how come she got a Get Out Of Jail Free card when I didn't?

"She fully cooperated. You would've gotten off free if you would have just handed me your laptop," Paul said. He gulped like he was a little nervous about something.

Bullshit! We all know Paul just wants to get in my pants! "By the way," I said, "I do NOT consent to a body search."

Paul chuckled. "C'mon! I'll be gentle." He then reached over and rubbed my face with the back of his hand.

I jerked away and shot him an evil glare. "Don't touch me," I snapped. "I'll file a complaint with your chief."

"And what would you file it under? 'Annoying Cop'?"

"Sexual Harassment."

"That's a serious offense," Paul said, not looking even remotely phased by my threats. "If you can prove it. But if we played a little game called 'Who's More Reliable?', the cop always beats the teenager."

I rolled my eyes. "Could you at least undo my cuffs?" I whined. "They really hurt."

Paul shot his glance over at me immediately as I mentioned pain. He scanned me over with his eyes and then smirked that stupid-ass cocky grin. "You're just saying that. If I took your cuffs off, then you'd run off the minute you got the chance."

I screamed in annoyance. "Do you honestly have nothing else better to do than torment me? Like, isn't there a murder, or shoot-out, or armed robbery?"

"This is La Push, not Detroit."

I groaned and rolled my head back and forth on the headrest in agony. It was so frustrating having to sit here, cuffed, in Officer Paul's fucking car!

Paul cleared his throat. "And, by the way, I've never worked at a mall or had a desk job. I'm one of the best on the force due to my physical abilities."

"You picked brawn over brains?"

Paul shook his head in irritation. "Am I really that bad?" he asked. "Like does it cause you actual pain to have to be around me?"

"Yes!" I whined.

"How come?"

"You're fucking annoying and you ruined my social life!"

"You have Lauren."

"Only Lauren!" I corrected. "No one at school wants to be my friend because they think you're gonna kill them!"

Before Paul could respond, my stomach unleashed a loud grumble. I would've clutched at it in hunger, but my hands were trapped behind my back.

"You hungry?" Paul asked.

I nodded. "You arrested me before I could get some breakfast."

Paul looked ashamed for a second. "My bad."

PPOV

I stomped on the brake and turned the car around so that I could get my Danni some food. I couldn't have her getting weak and passing out on me during our time together.

"I can go to a drive-through," I offered.

Danni wouldn't look me in the eye the entire time we were in the cruiser together. She either looked in my direction (but not at me directly) or out her window at the gray morning. This isn't supposed to happen like this! I read somewhere that women like to have a dominate man to take charge, and that's what I did! And what happens? She gets pissed!

I was actually on my way to the park where I told her to meet me, but I saw a Bug speeding down the highway, so I got up behind it to give it a ticket, and who do I find? My Danni trying to get out of our date. No! I'm not going to let that happen. I was going to just follow her and that bitch Lauren around and wait for them to finish their breakfast and then I'd take Danni with me, but they both had to start insulting me.

I didn't mind so much when Danni did it, but when that whore of a friend she has started, I felt so pissed off. I wanted to scratch her fucking face off and make her feel bad about herself. Then I find out she was the one who convinced MY Danni to flee? I wanted to kill her. The wolf inside me yelled and demanded her blood be shed. I couldn't do that though. She was my angel's only friend and she was useful for making her happy.

"I don't want to go to a drive through," Danni complained. "I want a donut."

"Is that another police joke?" I asked, glancing over at my sweetheart. She liked to tease me a lot, but as long as it made her happy, I didn't mind. Shit, I'd let her abuse me in every way imaginable as long as she loves me.

"No, I'm just in the mood for one."

I nodded. "Okay, I'll get you your donut." I went to the little donut shop near the park we were going to and got out real quick, telling Danni not to attract any attention, or else I'll put her prison. I really wouldn't, but I couldn't have someone walking by seeing a teenager handcuffed in the front seat. I got a box of ten donuts: one or two for Danni and the rest for me.

"How many others are gonna be there?" Danni asked when I sat back in the car.

"Where?" I asked, confused by what she meant.

"The community service thingy. How many people are doing it with me?"

"You're the only one," I stated, proud that it's going to be just me and her all day. Since I had to make it look realistic so that she'd keep coming back to "community service", I'm just going to have her pick up some of the dog crap around the park. There shouldn't be that much, so when she finishes, I'll just drive around, saying she's going to keep me company while I do my rounds…on my day off.

Danni groaned and lowered her head.

I leaned over and pushed down on her head, making her move farther from the back of the seat and shout a string of profanities at me. I took the handcuff key and undid the cuffs, freeing her arms so she could eat.

"Oh," Danni said as soon as she realized my motive. "My bad. I didn't mean to call you that stuff."

"You mean a shit-filled pussy? Or a cum bucket?" I teased.

Danni laughed and I felt empowered. I made my imprint laugh! It was if my insides felt all warm and fuzzy and then I was desperate to keep her happy all the time now. This must be what it feels like to the guys when their imprints hang out with them willingly.

Danni automatically opened up the donut box and started eating a custard filled one when a look of disgust crossed her face. "That's foul!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" I wondered. Did I get her the wrong donuts?

"I fucking hate custard," she spat.

"Then give it to me," I said as I snatched the bitten donut out of her hand and popped it into my mouth. It was delicious, and not because of the vanilla custard inside. My Danni's saliva was still on it and it tasted delicious, like I was licking her. I had a part of her inside me now. It felt awesome.

"That's nasty," Danni mumbled as she started to eat a regular chocolate donut.

I just shrugged when in actuality, it was the greatest donut I've had in my entire twenty-one years on Earth. I then drove off to the park, eating donuts and stealing glances at my Danni every now and then. My arm ached to be around her shoulders, but I knew that would only piss her off even more and then she may not talk to me at all today.

"Here we are," I announced as I pulled up to the park. No one was there, so my baby would be safe from humiliation.

We both got out, me a lot faster than Danni. I then went to the trunk and took out a pooper scooper I bought yesterday and a trash bag. I walked back over to a very pissed off looking Danni and handed her the items.

DPOV

I groaned and snatched the pooper scooper and bag away from Paul.

"It shouldn't take long," Paul said. "Once you finish here, I'll let you know what's next." He was right about it not taking long. The actual grass part of the park was only about the size of two house layouts and people rarely brought their dogs here.

I stepped out onto the grass and started searching for dog shit. So far there was none! This was going pretty good. Then some fucking man in a tie-dye shirt with his St. Bernard dog walked by me, and what did that elephant dog do? It took one giant steaming shit near me. The owner looked at me and chuckled, thinking it was funny that I'd have to pick up the sloppy poo his mutt left.

He turned to leave.

Oh hell no!

"Sir!" I yelled at him.

The man turned around. "Yes?"

"Pick up your dog's shit!"

Then that stupid hippie just shrugged and started to walked away. "It's natural fertilizer," he yelled over his shoulder.

That son of a bitch saw me with the fucking bag! He saw that I'm a fucking teenage girl forced to pick up dog shit, and he could have made my job easier! But did he? No he didn't! He had to be some loser stoner forty year old and think that dog shit is natural and good for the grass, so he can't fucking pick it up? That motherfucking bitch!

"Uh, Danni?" Paul called from the bench where he sat at the other side of the park. "You okay?"

I'm gonna be. I threw the trash bag down to the ground and charged at the hippie, raising the pooper scooper above my head to smash it on his blazin' self. His back was turned to me, so I could hit and run.

"No! Stop!" Paul yelled. I heard him jump from the bench and his heavy footsteps come after me.

Too late! I'm already focused. "FUCK YOU!" I yelled as I swung the scooper and hit the man's head, making him stumble a little, but he didn't fall. That actually disappointed me. I channeled all my rage into that swing: my anger at dog poo being the number one. I just fucking HATE animals! So having to clean their feces just pisses me off beyond belief!

The man turned around and glared at me, his stoned eyes actually looking scary with their giant pupils. "Fucking cunt!" he yelled at me. He was about to lunge, but stopped in his tracks and looked a little worried.

I grinned. "That's right bitch! Be afraid! I'm straight outta Compton!" Okay, so I've never been to California, but it sounded so good and fun to say at the time…I couldn't resist.

Then I heard the menacing growl of a terrifying-sounding animal behind me. I slowly turned around, expecting to see a dinosaur or grizzly bear, but instead saw Paul. However this Paul was far scarier than any dinosaur or bear I've ever seen on TV. The hippie was most likely afraid to see the gleaming police badge, but I saw something else worth being scared shitless about Paul. His eyes were red with rage and he was breathing hard; so hard that spit was flying from his bared teeth with every huff. His fists were clenched and were aching to hit something and his chest was puffed up with power.

Paul looked like a fucking invincible killing-machine.

"Apologize to the lady, sir," Paul growled in a controlled voice. I could tell he was fighting with himself to keep from murdering the hippie.

The man looked at me. "I'm sorry!" he quickly said.

I just nodded and the man ran off with his dog.

Paul then looked at me, his scary form still active. He snatched the pooper scooper from my hands. "Get. In. The. Car. Now," he growled.

I ran to the cruiser and jumped in the passenger seat.

Paul looked like he took a couple of deep breaths. He then walked over to the trash bag, picked it up, and finished clearing the dog crap out of the park for me.