(Holy hell.. I am up to 42 reviews now and counting, guys. I really, really love that so many people are okay with the bashing and the fact that it's sort of an alternate angle and perspective for the series from New Moon forward! I love reading what you guys have to say about it, it makes me so happy and it always makes me laugh or smile. Sorry for no update yesterday, I had to work longer than I thought I would, so I didn't get it all completely written and at least halfway edited until a little while ago. I LOVE YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! AND I REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS KEEP READING THIS! AND THAT YOU CONTINUE TO LIKE IT!

And this chapter, hmm.. Jacob makes another appearance (as does this feisty side of Kylie), but those will soon be dwindling.. Because remember, he has his own first phase, becomes part of the pack and then proceeds to stupidly lets himself think he's imprinted on Bella. Anyway, in this chapter, a certain four letter word comes into play, Kylie and Paul are getting even closer to officially being an official thing! And there will probably be more fluff/banter/flirting. I'm trying to do it as in character as I can, I just hope to hell it even remotely sounds or reads like something Paul would say or do..


CHAPTER EIGHT

You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin'
And you keep thinkin' that you'll never get burnt
Ah, I've just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah
And what he knows you ain't had time to learn
These Boots, Nancy Sinatra

(Paul/Kylie/Jacob)

"You realize Paul's not the guy you think he is, right? That there's this thing going around the reservation about him and two other guys, Jared and Sam.. And now they've even gotten to Embry Call.. I don't get you, Kylie.." Jacob said as he caught up to Kylie who he just happened to see while waiting for Bella to get out of school for the day.

"You're not allowed to 'get me' anymore, Jacob. I ended things.. Because you were so far up my sister's ass, Jacob, that you couldn't tell where she stopped and you started.. And now that I'm okay with it, that I've gotten to the point that I can even look at you two together just a little bit, here you are, butting in, taking every single chance you have, Jacob, to pop up and spew this really messed up and stupid crap about Paul." Kylie grumbled as she started to walk off, intending to head into the gym for cheer practice.

"You know I'm right, Ky.. He's not telling you everything. And the parts he's not telling you, Kylie.. I just think you should take a step back and actually look at things." Jacob tried one more time. The part that sucked most about losing her had not been that he'd gotten dumped. It was, however, he was losing his oldest best friend and lately, with everything getting as crazy as it seemed to be, with everything he was afraid of happening to him, he was starting to realize that Bella only wanted to use him up and turn her back.. That if Edward came back tomorrow, he'd be forgotten.. Exactly the words Kylie said to him the day she finally couldn't take anymore.

Now, apparently, Sam Uley had not only gotten to his best friend Embry and the other guys who hung around him almost as if he were a cult leader, apparently one of Uley's minions had gotten to Kylie.. Jacob utterly loathed Paul right now, something that didn't seem to disappear, not even a little.

Especially not when he'd see them around and he could look at Kylie and tell she was happy. She was so happy, in fact, it seemed to radiate off of her and make her have this glow about her. Had she ever once been that way with him? He found himself wondering this all the time lately. And Bella's constant clinging neediness, it was really starting to make him wonder if she weren't faking this entire episode purely for her own twisted reasons.

Again, like he usually did, he shoved this thought out of his head. Because Bella wouldn't do that.. Would she?

Kylie froze and turned to look at Jacob, her hand tangled in her hair as she bit her lower lip and tried her very best to not totally lose her temper with Jacob Black. She didn't want the entire student body hearing what she wanted to tell him right now, she didn't want her business out there for everyone in the general population of Forks High to know, to whisper about in the hallways, but damn it, she was beyond tempted right now to really lose it.

She walked over to where Jacob stood currently and then said as calmly as she could, "Don't you have someone to wait on?"

"The only reason you get touchy, Kylie, is you know I'm telling the truth."

"No, Jacob, the reason I'm getting touchy," Kylie used airquotes to accentuate his choice of words as she continued, "Is because you can't just back the fuck off. Do you see me popping up every ten damned minutes when you're out with my crazy bitch of a sister? Didn't think so.. And whatever you think you know about Paul? It doesn't matter to me, okay? Because he treats me like a fucking princess.. I matter to him. I'm not some hassle he has to deal with or something. And he hasn't lied to me, he's been pretty straightforward."

"Oh so you know about him spending pretty much all his time with Uley and his cult then?"

"Actually, Jacob, I've met Sam. He seems like a decent guy.. A little stiff and formal, but he's not this crazy cult leader you seem hell bent on making me think he is. So what Paul has friends? I've met them.. They're not all that bad." Kylie said as she eyed Jacob, waited on a rebuttal which came a few seconds later.

"But his anger problem."

" Yeah, it freaks me out when he gets angry. But I'm pretty sure I do things that either scare annoy or totally piss him off. I'm not putting the guy on a pedestal.. I kinda love him for what he is. If you really care about someone, Jacob, you're not constantly trying to change them or change yourself for them.. Maybe one day when my sister's through fucking around in your head you'll learn that." Kylie blurted before she could stop herself.

Had she heard herself right?

She loved Paul?

Just having admitted it shocked her just a little. But it also felt liberating, saying it out loud like that finally instead of desperately trying to keep the l word down just a while longer.. No sense in rushing things, she felt, she didn't want to get into another situation where she stood to lose someone she called a best friend.

But it didn't shock her as much as it shocked Paul himself who'd pulled up and gotten out of his father's truck, intending on going into the gym to watch her cheerleading practice and surprise her. He'd seen Jacob and Kylie having a confrontation and naturally, before he could stop himself, the wolf inside was dying to come out and make Jacob Black piss himself in mortal terror.

But he hung back a moment, using his keen hearing to sort of listen in on the conversation. And when he heard Kylie say what she did about actually loving him, it made this softer and slightly goofier version of his usual cocky smirk come to his lips. All he could do was stand there, listening, her words repeating around in his mind.

When Jacob kept persisting, he took the chance to walk up behind Kylie, slipping his arms around her waist as he eyed Jacob angrily. If it weren't for Kylie's whole past ties to this jackass, he'd have let the wolf come out and scare the living piss out of the little shit a thousand times already.

"Is he buggin you Kitten?" Paul asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he fixed them on Jacob Black, before adding quickly, "Because if he is, all you have to do is say the word."

Jacob glared right back. He knew what Paul was.. And he knew that if he actually told Kylie what he suspected, he could pretty much end Paul and Kylie before they ever even really began.. Or so he thought..

Hell, he'd hinted that Paul was in a cult and Kylie didn't seem to care. Paul was changing her, he was losing his best friend and all he had left was whatever was going on between himself and Bella.. He was afraid that soon he'd become something he'd rather not be, a shapeshifter, one of them, and basically, his entire world was in an uproar this year.

"I think he was just leaving.." Kylie said as she turned to look up at Paul, raised to tiptoe to give him a gentle peck on the lips, wondering to herself all the while just how much of the entire argument he'd heard ..

Had he heard her admitting she loved him?

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just.. He pisses me off lately." Kylie admitted as she kissed him again, giving him a more affectionate kiss this time, Paul laughing against her lips as he asked casually, "Don't you have practice?"

She blinked a little, stunned.. "Damn it.. You always distract me." she teased him gently as she asked, "You're staying to watch?"

"Mhmm. Football practice kinda got ended early so I thought I'd come and watch you, that maybe we could go play a game of pool or something when it's over? And get food?"

"I'd like that a lot."

Being a bit more forward than he knew Kylie was, he laced her fingers through his and stopped their walk towards the gymnasium as he said with a quiet smirk, "I kinda love you for what you are too.", winking at her. When she bit her lower lip and blushed almost a scarlet red, he chuckled and shrugged then added, "I was about to butt in and just punch him in the throat or something but I didn't want to make you upset or something.. I know he's been in your life a really long time." as he looked at her, smiled.

Just hearing her say what she had, knowing she meant that she loved him in actuality, not just the way he was.. It made him want to try harder to control his damned anger and temper, especially now that he did know for sure that it freaked her out a good bit.

Kylie stammered a few moments and then said quietly, "I didn't want to make you feel awkward and say that too soon or something." as she looked up at him, smiled, still blushing a little. He shrugged and then said with a wink, " It's cute.. I mean is it only just me you get nervous around?"

"Well, you are to quote your own words an extra manly man." Kylie teased him gently as they walked into the gym, Paul going up into the bleachers, sitting at the top, whistling at her when she made it out onto the court with the rest of the squad and started practicing a new routine.

"Who is that guy?"

"That's Paul."

"If there are any more guys that look that fine.."

Jessica leaned in and with a laugh said "He's whistling.. Again. And naturally, you're slightly distracted."

'Girl.. If she's only slightly distracted, she needs a smack in the head or something. He IS a definite distraction."

"Seriously? I'm standing right here?"

"It's so cute, the way he looks at you." Jessica pointed out, giggling when Kylie raised a brow. Jessica shook her head and as soon as practice finally ended she laughed and said "You guys are coming to the diner, right?"

"Yeah.. I'll see you guys later." Kylie said as she jogged up into the bleachers and flopped down dramatically, her head resting against Paul's leg as she said "I'm starving.. And thanks to the coach PMSing about me being a little late, I now cannot feel my legs from the hips down."

"Yeah, I noticed that. You're a little fireball when you get mad, huh?"

"What? I did nothing.. Okay, so maybe I was in a bit of a mood when we came in here.. But hey, that whole thing outside is not going to mess up our afternoon."

"Good. I'm taking it you're ready to go?"

"Mhmm.. One problem?"

"What's that?"

"My legs are killing meeee.. I will never mouth off to the coach again. Ever."

"Okay, Fireball.. Give me a second, I'll pick you up." Paul joked as he bent, picked her up and put her onto his back, carrying her down the bleachers.

"I'm glad you came today. It was a sweet surprise." Kylie said as Paul shushed her and then joked, "Don't tell people that, damn, woman.. I'm supposed to be a badass or something."

"You're a teddy bear."

"If by teddy bear you mean grizzly.."

"No, Paul, you are sweeter than you think you are."

"Only because of you, Kitten.. Everybody else? Nah." Paul admitted as they pulled out of Forks High parking lot, heading for the diner in town..