Whaaaaaaaaat? An update?

Thanks for your guys' support and reviews, it really means a lot to me that you still want to read this story after almost a year without an update.

What I'm good at:

Pissing people off.

Eating.

Not taking credit for other people's writing. Everything you recognize from Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

The door immediately swings open, revealing an older, yet fairly pretty woman. Her caramel skin and long, raven hair stands out against the white maxi dress she's wearing. It's a rarely sunny day in La Push. If anyone in California plans on moving to Washington let me give you some advice. Don't. I have literally lived in jeans and long sleeve shirts since we got to Forks. La Push is no better. That's probably why Vera went a little overboard with her outfit today. Or maybe it's because she's thirsty.

The woman smiles brightly when she sees mom and pulls her into a tight hug "Freja! I'm so glad you could make it!" she pulls away from mom to look at us "And these must be your daughters. All blonde and gorgeous, I see." Umm…

My mom is grinning like crazy "Girls, this is my old friend, Sue Clearwater-Swan. Sue, these are my girls. My youngest, April." April waves while my mom nods to the twins "This is Lissa and Vera. And this is Preston." I try to smile but I'm pretty sure I look more like Kim Kardashian crying.

"It's so nice to meet you all. Freja talks about you all the time." Shit "Come on in, everyone is out back."

We follow Sue through the small, yet inviting house. There really isn't much to the house. A simple little living room with a couch and a couple love seats settled around a coffee table. The small kitchen doubles as a dining room with a nice sized table and a ridiculous amount of chairs around it. The counters have tons of food, ranging from fruit salad to chocolate chip cookies.

What sets this place apart from other homes was how… welcoming it is. I don't even feel this welcome at my own house. Maybe it's all the pictures of beautiful Quileute people hanging up everywhere or the cozy colors on the walls. Whatever the reason, I feel like I could kick my feet up and drink a cup of tea and feel perfectly comfortable, and I don't even know whose house it is. Speaking of.

I touch my mom's arm and whisper "Is this Sue's house?"

She shakes her head "Sam Uley and his wife, Emily, live here." Wow, that was so fucking helpful.

"Who the hell is-"

Before I finish my question, my family follows Sue into a cute little backyard and I instantly want to shoot myself. There are like 354739 people gathered around an oversized picnic table. Where does one even get a picnic table this size? If you think being around 354739 people you don't know is bad enough, imagine half of them being the size of Arkansas. I'm not exaggerating. These guys are huge.

I feel April shrink in intimidation next to me as I try not to do the same. These guys could probably knock a tree over by simply laughing too hard. Again, not exaggerating.

On top of being jolly green giants, the guys also look insanely similar. Like they could all be brothers. God, I feel bad for the woman who had to pop them out of her hoo-ha. She must've bumped nasties with a bear. A very, hunky, sexy, broad-shouldered bear. This reverie has turned into a weird beastiality daydream. Moving on.

"Well, hello, Freja," a deep voice from below, yes, below me, said.

I jump a little and look down to see a man in a wheel chair looking kindly at my mother. The man has the same skin color as Sue but looks much wiser, like he'd seen more of the world. Or maybe he just had a lot of wrinkles. Whatever.

My mom blushes? "Hey, Billy," they kind of just look at each other until Lissa's cough snaps my mom back to reality "Oh, uh, my daughters."

We learn that Billy Black is the chief of the Quileute tribe and that my mother is oddly interested in him. I can definitely see why, he has this aura of authority and kindness about him. And that's saying a lot considering he's in a wheelchair. Not saying that being in a wheelchair makes you any less of a person, I don't believe that. I just think it'd be hard getting people to respect you when you're forced to stay sitting. But my mom is the kind of person who thrives on being needed so she probably has a lady boner for the wheelchair.

Did I just think about my mom and a boner?

After exchanging a few pleasantries with us, Billy tows us toward the crowd of people standing around lawn chairs and the huge picnic table. Mom leans over towards us and murmurs "The boys can be a bit intimidating at first, but don't worry. I think you girls will warm up fast." Wow, mom really gets around.

Vera puts on a sly smile "Oh, I think we'll get along just fine."

I open my mouth with a geniusly snarky retort but mom shoots me a pointed look. Damn. It was a good one, too.

A very large… man-? turns away from the group and smiles at us. Vera smiles seductively and tries to nonchalantly fluff her hair. Gross.

I understand her actions, though. The guy is absolutely gorgeous "Hey, dad," he slaps Billy's shoulder affectionately then smiles at mom "Freja."

Billy smiles warmly then turns to us "This is my son, Jacob. Jacob, these are Freja's daughters: Preston, Vera, April and Lissa."

Jacob smiles and waves at us "Hey."

Billy looks at my mom once again "Well, Freja, I think we could leave the kids to themselves now. I've got some people I'd like you to meet."

Mom looks hesitant for a second, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. I silently plead with her not to go. Does she realize this guy could break my bones with his pinky?

Because she fucking hates me, Vera opens her mouth "We'll be fine, mom. Don't worry."

She still looks uncertain but moves to follow Billy. I touch her hand and I know I must look frantic.

"You'll be fine, princess. Your sisters are here." Mom whispers before abandoning me.

That's real fucking reassuring.

I turn back to see Vera shamelessly flirting with Jacob. Wow, she moves fast. He's smiling politely but I can tell he's uncomfortable. I'm surprised he isn't returning her advances. Despite how shitty we treat each other, I'll be the first to admit Vera is beautiful. Having long, blonde hair with grey eyes and an all American girl smile makes her desirable for every guy she meets. Maybe Jacob Black is one of those guys who look for a girl with a good personality opposed to a good rack. Huh.

Or he's gay.

Lissa and I look at each other and roll our eyes, both annoyed at Vera's cheap advances. Just as Vera puts her hand on Jacob's shoulder, another man comes up behind Jacob and smiles at all of us. Did I mention the suggestive eyebrow lifting? Well, he's doing that, too.

"Hey, Jake," he slings his arm around Jacob's shoulder and winks at us "Who ya talkin' to?"

Jacob shakes his head in amusement "These are Freja's daughters. This is my friend, Embry Call. I use the word friend lightly."

Embry clutches his chest as if hurt then slaps Jacob's back and turns to us "Emily told me I should come over here to tell you the food's ready. Ladies first, of course." He gestures to the side of the yard where a few folding tables are set up to hold a shitload of food.

Lissa smiles at Embry and says politely but quietly "Thank you."

Embry smiles back before recognition flashes across his face "Hey, I know you, right?"

Vera literally jumps to attention. Jesus Christ "No, that's me. We met at the grocery store in Forks yesterday."

The twins get this a lot. In fact, it's kind of going to suck for them at school being it's so mall and they'll most likely have classes together. If it wasn't for their completely different personalities and fashion tastes, nobody would be able to tell them apart. Not even mom.

He looks between Lissa and Vera, grinning "Twins… cool!"

Lissa nods awkwardly. While I prefer Lissa over her twin, she is not the savviest when it comes to the opposite sex "Yeah, uh, we should probably go get some food." She grabs mine and April's hands and heads toward the food where we see all the women hovering. Vera stays behind to sexually harass Embry and Jacob. I sigh, our family seriously can't afford a lawsuit right now.

Lissa looks at us as we grab some paper plates "I can't believe mom left us with him. I mean, he's nice but that was painfully awkward."

April nods in agreement as she moves in line next to Lissa. I take my place next to my little sister and marvel at all the food placed in front of me. Who's gonna eat all of this?

"You have to try the pasta salad. I'd sell my left nut for the recipe." A deep voice to my left claims. I look up, a little startled, to see yet another Quileute Adonis next to me. Like Embry and Jacob, this guy is very tall, very muscular and very good looking. I need to start drinking the water around here.

I raise my eyebrows at him "You don't seem too fond of your male appendages."

He laughs and takes the spoon from the bowl that contains the pasta salad and dishes me up a metric shit ton "Or that I'm even more fond of Emily's cooking than my… male appendages."

I look at the ridiculous amount of pasta he gave me and feel my lips twitch "I feel like that says more about your male accessories than the pasta." Is this flirting? I mean, we are talking about genitals.

This time, the guy throws his head back and laughs loudly, gaining some attention from those around us "Who are you?"

"Preston Augustine." I say, starting to get uncomfortable with the attention we're getting.

He nods "Freja's daughter," He holds out his hand "I'm Brady Fuller." How does everyone around here know my mom?

I wasn't aware teenagers actually shook hands. But he does look more like a man than a teenager, though the way he talks seems more childlike. Either way, I put my small hand into his very large one. I try to ignore how hot his hand is but it literally feels like I just put my hand into an Easy Bake Oven.

"What are you doing here, anyway? I thought the girls were supposed to go first?" I pull my arm away from his and continue to put stuff on my plate.

Brady shrugs "I gave you a five minute head start."

"So, chivalry isn't dead." I say, sarcastically and watch him pile an unreasonable amount of food onto his own plate.

He chuckles as the rest of the guys come over to the table to get some food. Brady follows me over to the table where all of my sisters are already seated. I take a seat between April and Lissa, across from, gag, Vera. Brady sits two seats down from Vera and digs into his plate. In no time, the table is filled with people, mostly boys, with insane amounts of food. It seems like most of the parents sat themselves at the very end of the table, away from the younger group.

I notice that all of the guys eat similar to Brady. It's almost as if they don't know when their next meal is going to be. Two boys in particular, younger than the rest, are shoving their faces so forcefully that a lot of it falls onto their laps.

Brady turns away from the conversation he was having with the guy next to him and turns to me with an easy smile. Why does everyone around here smile so damn much? "So, was I right about the pasta?"

I cock my head to the side "I guess. It's definitely not worth me selling a body part for. Maybe one of yours but…" I trail off. In all honesty, the pasta was kickass. All the food was amazing, actually. I don't remember the last time I had eaten food this good. Not that I was going to admit that to Brady.

The guy next to him laughs and nods to me "I'm Collin. I see Brady has already hit you full force with his charm."

"Preston. And I can honestly say I am enchanted."

April shifts uncomfortably next to me. This must be extremely hard for her. April really isn't a socially graceful person, and because of that, she's very quiet. It's not that she's shy or anything, just a little insecure when it comes to sharing her thoughts out loud. I've never really taken into account how hard this move would be for her. Starting a brand new school, making new friends, I suddenly feel guilty about being so self centered the past few days.

I'm not exactly what you would call a social butterfly. I'm awkward and sarcastic and overall pretty bitchy but I can hold my own in a conversation, even if I am uncomfortable around new people. April isn't like that. Or, she isn't anymore, at least. Vera's doing just fine, chatting up Embry who's sitting next her. Even though he seems completely uninterested in what she's saying, at least she knows how to have a conversation. I mean, it won't be an incredibly stimulating conversation, but still. From the corner of my eye, I see Lissa talking to a rather small Quileute girl. Poor April.

I turn my head to ask her if she's alright but am distracted by two of the younger boys abruptly standing up and throwing away what's left of their plates (they literally had holes in them) and jogging into the house.

"So, Preston," Collin starts "You're new here, right?"

I nod, chewing some watermelon "We moved to Forks last week from California."

Collin smirks "So, in other words, you're loving the weather here."

I wave my hand "I guess you could say that."

Brady nods, acknowledging my sarcasm "Why'd you move?" he bites into his third hotdog.

I swallow thickly and feel April put her hand on my leg under the table. That small act of tenderness gives me the strength to make up a half truth "My mom wanted to be closer to my grandma. She's not getting any younger." They nod, accepting this answer. It's honest enough.

I guess I didn't really need to make up a lie. How hard is it to say "oh, my dad died from a heart attack a little over a year ago, leaving us an immense debt and resulting in bankruptcy." Easy as pie.

I kind of drown everything out after that. Listening to the conversations of others has always been comforting to me. Living in a house with eight people for so long will do that to you. I don't even look up when a very loud, very obnoxious voice breaks through all of the conversations "It smells amazing! Did you cook something with coconut, Em?"

I didn't notice the silence after whoever screamed about coconuts until April nudged my arm. I looked up and my blue eyes met his brown ones. Scratch everything I've said all afternoon about how hot the guys are. This guy is definitely the most attractive man I've ever seen in my life. A little lankier than the others, the guy stood just as tall as the other men but was somehow different. He has some sort of light about him. An aura that radiates positivity and happiness. Ew.

And he's staring. At me.

A/N: I really wasn't planning on making the barbeque scene three chapters long but I felt like this is where the chapter needed to end. So I'm sorry if it's short.

Sorry if you guys wanted the update sooner, chapters don't just come out of me like a lot of other authors because I tend to over think things. And I wanted to wait until after the Fourth of July.

Let me know what you guys think. What do you think of Collin and Brady? Do you think something is going on with Preston's mom and Billy? How do you think Preston will react to Seth? Leave your answers in a review or anything else you want to say or if there's something you want to see happen.

I plan to update either later this week/weekend or midweek next week. My friend is visiting from Texas so it all depends on what's going on with her.

Thank you so much for your support!

-Blondie