Chapter 8

Sounds Like a Catchphrase

Jared starts the car and drives me toward my house, speeding a little. Before I know it we're in the driveway at my house and I'm a little sad, because I know he has to leave at eight. Lucky for me I've forgotten how close houses are in La Push, and he still has twenty minutes or so before his patrol.

He hops out of his side of the car and comes around to get my door, something that I actually let him do, but only because I get the feeling that he likes helping me and I find it cute. He catches me by surprise, because when my feet touch the pavement I'm quickly locked in Jared's arms in a tight embrace.

After his hug, which was insanely warm, he pulls away a little so he can kiss me.

I'm not sure how long we stand in the driveway kissing like that, but after a while we're both breathing hard and he pulls away. For a few seconds we stay quiet, but Jared speaks first in a passionate whisper. "I told you so."

I laugh, "'I told you so'? That's the best you can do?"

He rolls his eyes, "I did tell you. They loved you. Even Paul liked you. And Emily's thrilled. Though I can't imagine what you two talked about all that time."

"A little bit of everything." I tell him honestly. "And I'm really glad they like me, they're great."

He kisses me again. "See?" He asks, though I don't know what he means by this until he clarifies. "I told you we were meant to be together. You even get along with my periodically annoying friends."

I just roll my eyes, but I do see where he's coming from. Then again, I never doubted that we should be together; I was waiting for him to come around.

"What time does your patrol end?" I ask wistfully.

"Twelve Thirty."

I think about this for a second. I'm always up at this time and my parents and sister never are. They all sleep like rocks too, so this could work in my favor.

"I'm never asleep that early." Jared gives me a skeptical look and I shrug. "What, a person can't be a night owl and a morning person? I like starts and endings I guess, maybe midday just bores me." I ponder aloud making Jared laugh. "Anyways, my window is always open to certain wolves out patrolling late at night. Just remember that."

"Will do." He says, light shining in his eyes-I can tell he's considering coming tonight. I hope he does. "I love you. Be safe."

"I love you too, and I'm the one who gets to tell you to be safe, I'm just doing what I always do, you're running around the forest as a large wolf." I remind him.

He smiles, "You forget, that's what I always do."'

I think that over, "Touché."

He smirks, kisses me on the lips lightly and turns to get into his truck. He waves as he backs out and I head into the house, slightly overwhelmed at the days events but also feeling very… loved. It's a little new for me.

When I make it in the front door I'm not surprised to notice that I'm alone in the house. I briefly consider going to get Kennedy myself, but I know that it will be a waste of time. Instead I call Mariah and tell her I'm home and she can come drop off Kennedy-though we both know that 'drop off' is not the right word. She'll be here prying every detail out of me.

She agrees, regardless, and in two minutes Kennedy comes bounding in the house with Mariah following her. I smile at them, glad that Kennedy looks happy, and that Mariah babysat for me.

"Hey Kennedy. You want Mac and Cheese?"

She nods, and I'm glad because I've already started making it for her-the perks of knowing people so well.

It's not long before Kennedy wanders out of the room and Mariah starts asking questions.

"So…? How did it go?"

"It went great." I say honestly.

"Yeah? Where did you guys go?"

"We went to Emily Young's house, and I met Jared's friends. They're all really cool."

Mariah's eyebrows shoot up, "You made friends?" She's not being insulting, or even mocking; she's really just shocked.

I nod proudly, "Emily is great. We talked for a while and I helped her cook."

"Way to go, Kim!" I laugh at her enthusiasm, and roll my eyes.

"Why, thank you. But, anyways, I really had fun. I can't wait to go over there again."

"Hmm… I get the feeling that I'm going to be watching Kennedy more often now."

"Probably. But I can always hire a babysitter here-you have a life too."

Mariah smiles and says, "Apparently my life is no longer as interesting as yours. Was there anymore kissing?"

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks and I can't stop the smile that creeps onto my face.

"There was!" She accuses happily.

"Only right before he left." I think for a second and amend my answer, "Oh, and I kissed him before…"

"Really? Go you!"

I giggle, and finish Kennedy's dinner. I call her into the kitchen just as Mariah decides she should be getting home. "Alright girlie, I have to get home. I'm happy to babysit anytime-as long as I'm not busy." She smirks. Anytime… such a liar.

"Thanks Mariah," I say tossing her the money I owe her for her babysitting. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," She teases good-naturedly. "Don't forget your best friend just because you have a boyfriend."

I see Kennedy's shocked but understanding expression and I sigh. Mariah just told her I have a boyfriend… Oops.

"Of course not." I can't forget about Mariah. She was one of the people who really 'saw' me when no one else did.

She leaves and Kennedy eats, telling me about her time at Mariah's and how she wants to go back soon-as always.

When she's done I do homework and head to my bedroom knowing that she's playing in her room for half an hour or so before bed.

When her time is up she gets ready for bed and I tuck her in.

I hear my parents coming into the house quietly at nine fifteen. Since they work near each other they drive together, which means they get home at the same exact, late hour.

If I wasn't grateful, as of late, for their constant lack of supervision, I might be mad. I used to be. But the more I think about it, they are good parents, they remember birthdays and get us holiday presents. They are just out making money to feed us. I can't blame them-they're my parents and I love them. They just don't have a lot of… free time. Or, hang out with your daughters time.

I ask them about their day and tell them I ate at a friend's-as opposed to saying 'Mariah's', which shocks them both, but they don't ask. It's a policy we've worked out: they don't ask about my life, in depth and I don't tell them more than the conversation absolutely demands-it's just easier this way.

After twenty minutes of 'socializing' with them I head back into my room to get ready for bed. I brush my teeth-then I remember the bag of Jolly Ranchers Jared gave me today and I find a hiding spot for them in my room-they aren't getting shared with anyone whose name isn't Jared.

I also change into some pajama's-an oversized t-shirt and some plaid sweatpants-purely for comfort.

Just my luck, Roxy decides she has to go out after I'm in my pajamas as opposed to going out before. I sigh, and slide my boots and coat on to walk her out the backdoor. I'm surprised by how cold it is, and I immediately wish Jared was here with me.

When Roxy's finished she and I head back inside and she trots toward my room. She seems to hesitate at my bed, before deciding not to sleep on it tonight-opting for her large dog bed instead.

I turn off the light and climb into my warm covers, sliding my laptop onto my lap so I can finish my homework and listen to my music. I also realize, with a start, that I haven't downloaded the pictures from my digital camera of the day in October when I took Kennedy to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. She had loved it and I had taken non-stop photos.

I take the time to download them, correct the red eye, fix the orientation, and delete the blurry ones while I'm working with them. This, surprisingly enough, takes almost two hours, because of the sheer number of pictures I'd taken-578. There were tons of things that I had more than one picture of, but Kennedy kept posing with each animal exhibit, so I couldn't really say no.

When my homework and my photo adventures are complete it is 11:30. I guess that's good, because Jared will be off patrol in less than an hour, but I'm not even sure he took me seriously when I told him he could come over. I'm also really tired and I just want to curl up and go to sleep. But I can't… at least, not yet. If he comes I told him I'd be awake. And even if he doesn't I won't be sleeping until I know he's not running around the forest as a wolf. Until I know for sure he's safe.

Instead of sleeping, I grab my book light and start reading The Grapes Of Wrath-which I'd first read for class but ended up loving. I manage to get so lost in the story that I don't see how much time passes. Apparently, when reading, time flies because it seems that as soon as I start the page Jared is tapping softly at my closed-at least literally speaking-window.

My first thought is I'm glad Roxy isn't barking. She looks toward the window, with only one sleepy eye, and her ear twitches before she drops her head, seeing Jared, and falls back asleep. I'm unsure of the reaction I would have seen if she had barked. Would my parents have come running with concern? Would they have ignored it? I'm not sure which reaction I would have wanted. I shove the thought from my head.

I smile widely, seeing him here, being a welcome distraction from my reading. I jump up-as silently as I can manage, and try to unlock the window, which I should have already had unlocked-just in case. It takes a few good tugs to pull the window open, and even then it isn't a quiet affair. It seems that no matter how quiet I try to make my movements, they seem impossibly loud. But I suppose that's how these things go.

When the window is open Jared slips in-and for once I'm grateful that my window is on the first floor, though I've always wished for an upstairs bedroom.

I throw my arms around him and say, "You came!" It's a happy, whispered shout.

He chuckles, his body moving against mine, and says, "Of course I came. I'll always come for you Kim."

"Sounds like a catchphrase." I tease, still whispering.

"It's the truth." He shrugs. I smile widely, appreciating the heat he has brought into my room-counteracting the cold from outside.

Abruptly, and for the first time since he arrived, I realize what he's wearing-or, more accurately, what he isn't wearing. He's shirtless.

I'm very shocked by that simple fact, but I'm also shocked that my arms have been wrapped around him this whole time and I haven't noticed. That goes to show you what happens to me when he's around

I can't say I frown upon his utter lack of clothing. "You look nice." I say breathlessly, not moving away from him.

He smirks with a playful glint in his brown eyes. "Oh really?"

I nod vigorously, "Really." I'm shocked by how light his dark eyes seem in my almost black room.

"Thanks." Then he brings his lips close to my ear so that his breath tickles my skin when he speaks. "But you look beautiful."

I blush, but laugh in the hushed way I can manage. "Oh yeah. I look like a supermodel in my sweatpants and old t-shirt." I make a mental note to try and wear more attractive pajamas for future late night rendezvous.

"You do." He's completely serious.

"Well, thanks."

"I'm serious, your pajamas radiate 'comfort'."

"Is there any other type of pajama?"

"I guess not." He smiles, and then glances at my book, which lie abandoned on the comforter. "Kim, are you busy? I can leave." He looks pained at the suggestion and I feel the same way.

"No, I'm not busy, I was just reading, not important." He breathes a sigh of relief and I smile. But now I'm preoccupied with what I'm going to do tomorrow-we're out of school until next Tuesday, but I still have to watch Kennedy, and we have Thanksgiving tomorrow. I sigh, wondering if my parents will actually come home for Thanksgiving this year, or if Kennedy and I will end up eating over at Mariah's again, because they decide to go out with friends to some restaurant.

"What's wrong?" Jared asks quietly.

I sink onto my bed and he sits beside me, "Nothing is 'wrong'."

"Well then why do you look sad?"

"I'm not really sad. I'm just wondering how our parents will tell us they won't be home tomorrow."

"Your parents aren't going to be home for Thanksgiving?" He looks shocked.

"They might be, but that's doubtful. They didn't come home last year; they knew I'd been invited to Mariah's with Kennedy, so they told us to go there. How 'bout you?"

He smiles a little, "I think I'm going to Emily's." I raise an eyebrow at him and he answers my unasked question quickly. "My parents took time off work to go on a cruise."

Oh, that's right, they went on vacation. My eyes get impossibly wider, realizing that they left their teenage son alone in their house. "Then they must trust you." I wonder how much trust it takes to leave your house in the hands of your sixteen year old.

"Not really, they just didn't have anywhere to send me. They asked Sam and Emily to keep an eye on me, but Sam pretty much sees what little destruction I cause while we're on patrol, so it's not really hard to watch me."

I giggle a little. "That's very weird."

"Isn't it?"

"Yeah." I agree, before my thoughts quickly turn back to tomorrow's plans. "One of these days I should really learn to cook turkey…" I ponder that for a second before Jared speaks up.

"Kim, I'm sure you and Kennedy would be welcome at Emily's if your parents bail on you."

I think about that for a second, Emily did say she wanted to meet Kennedy, but I'm not planning on crashing their Thanksgiving.

"Jared, it's fine. Thanks for the offer though."

"Kim, I'm serious. Emily really loved having you around today, and I'm sure she'd love Kennedy as well. I bet she'd be thrilled to have you come over-save her from eating turkey with a bunch of guys."

"I'll think about it." I murmur, trying to assure him that I will-though I have no intentions of doing so. Who am I to change Emily's plans? She only just met me, for heavens sakes.

Jared lets it go for the time being and I drop back in my bed, my head hitting the side of the pillow with a low 'thump'. I giggle softly and Jared cracks a smile at my general silliness.

I pull him down so he's lying beside me-and for as awkward as it should feel, sharing a bed with a boy I've only really known for three days, it doesn't. It feels completely natural, and I don't mind that the small size twin bed means that we're very close to one another.

He smiles at me. "Reading what?"

He asks jumping back to our first strings of conversation. The part that didn't include disappointing parents. He's good at changing the subject-and I appreciate it.

I'm glad for the change in pace, and for the fact that he doesn't move away from me, or look the slightest bit uncomfortable with our position. "The Grapes of Wrath. Read it for school a while back, I just really liked it."

He nods, and doesn't react the way Mariah would have-by looking at me with playful scorn and contempt. He just looks… interested. And not in the polite way where you tilt your head thoughtfully and pretend that what a person is saying matters to you, but in a very intense, very real way.

I like it.

"I hope I didn't interrupt at a good part."

"You didn't." I assure him. Jared showing up surpasses the best parts of the best books anyway-no contest. "I told you I'd be up." In this case I don't point out that the only reason I was waiting up was to see if he'd actually come.

"You did. And as glad as I am that you are, I should let you sleep."

I can already feel myself slipping into sleep-in the slow way, that tends to happen in class where you can't fight it because you're either too tired or too comfortable to try-no matter how many times your brain jerks you awake. "Don't leave."

I'm still awake enough to see his smile at my words. "I'll stay until you fall asleep Kim."

"You can stay over." I mumble sleepily.

His eyes widen ever so slightly at my blunt invitation, but his voice doesn't falter. "Kim, your parents don't work tomorrow, and they could check on you. Not to mention your sister..."

His objections make sense, and I would probably agree with him-that this was a bad idea-if his warmth wasn't speeding up the effects of the drowsiness that's overtaking me. "My sister sleeps till ten-hasn't woken before me since she was a baby, and I would bet my life's savings that my parents will leave here at six-probably to drive to work for a party, or something equally as useless. Besides, even if they saw you I'm serious when I say they probably wouldn't care.

"Their policy, at least when it comes to parenting, seems to be that my common sense has a direct correlation to my GPA. They figure if I'm doing well in school I'm smart enough to not get pregnant." If I were fully awake I'd blush, but I'm not, so I keep rambling, half asleep.

"Once I thought about keeping some marijuana on my desk just to see if they'd notice-I didn't, but they wouldn't have. They haven't been in my room-really in my room-in over a year." I laugh, slightly hysterical, though still quiet.

Jared looks a little sad, but I'm not. For once my parent's unique ways will work in my favor.

I'm not entirely aware of my actions-though I know what I'm doing-when I lean forward to kiss him. It's quick, but I still pull away breathless. As soon as I catch my breath I sink further into my pillow, "Please, Jared? Stay?"

He sighs, and it's a sigh of resignation. I'm being cruel really, because I doubt the 'imprinting' allows him to let his common sense override his pull to fulfill my every need. I'm forcing him to stay.

That thought wakes me up a little, and I can tell that that's exactly what I'm doing to him. "Don't feel like you have to." I whisper-and even I can tell I'm sad at the thought. "I don't want to force you."

He laughs, "You think you're forcing me?"

"I am, aren't I?"

"No. I want to stay as much as, if not more than, you want me to."

"Then stay." I whisper softly.

"I'm worried about what will happen to you if we get caught."

I briefly envision the argument that could ensue with my parents.

"Don't worry about their reaction." I whisper mumbling, and pressing myself tighter to Jared. "If they want a fight with me I'll give them one. And I'd win, hands down."

He glances at me, confused, but finally just presses a kiss to my forehead. "I'll stay."

And seconds after he says that I give myself up to sleep.


So, what's up guys? How do you think this is going? Am I doing ok? I hope you'll leave feedback and keep reading. We only have 4 (I think) chapters left. And, for those of you who have caught inconsistencies in my timeline and the book's have no fear. I've done my research and I plan to keep to the story line. Just trust and bear with me.

Thanks,

And to Anon: I'm glad you think that my Kim had a natural reaction to the imprinting-that's exactly what I was going for. I'm so glad you're loving Kim. Thanks for reviewing, please keep it up.