I'm a little hyper at the moment. I had stacks of fun writing banter between the wolves. I think I like it so much because it's not Sophie's dramatic, tragic life...I'll do something about that soon. ;-)
Have a good day!
Tress Blues
Chapter 7. Insanity Always Looks Good On Werewolves
Paul
All day, I was floating.
At least, that's how I felt.
I was picking her up. She hadn't objected to me spending time with her. Well, not in a really harsh sense of it. She just said it was better that we not be friends. What did that mean? She hadn't actually said she didn't want to be friends I guess…
"Paul, man, you're drooling." Jared's voice came amusedly through the fog of my thoughts and I quickly wiped my mouth. Tiny little beads of saliva were on my fingers. "Seriously, who is this girl? I want to see the woman whose single-handedly fried my best friend's brain."
I'd been floating since yesterday, when I got home and realised everything was different. I came home from school (late after detention) and saw Zoe. I actually hugged my little sister and she screamed blood murder. Well some things never change. Almost all the guys had found out by now and Sam gave me less hassle than usual about getting detention.
The world just looked brighter. Except for the fact that it was driving me nuts by not knowing where she was. I'd bounced around my house all night last night, trying to find something that distracts me. So far? Not much luck. Ma was better at guessing. She came home from work and immediately guessed that I'd met a girl because (and if the guys ever found this out, they would tear me to shreds with it) I looked 'all starry-eyed and unfocused, something that only the work of a beautiful girl could accomplish'.
Did I look unfocused? I hadn't been sent to the principal's office today, I wasn't taking notes in class but hey, when had I ever done that? All I could think about was her. Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. S. Miller. Sophie Miller. Sophie Beckett. Even better. Sam had said that the obsession bit of it only lasts for about a week and then I'd start being able to concentrate about other shit. Emily was teary and insisted that hugging me to death would be an excellent idea. I wondered if she'd even like Sophie and immediately snorted. Of course she'd like her. She's perfect.
"You probably won't meet her soon Jared." Embry sniggered. We were walking to the next class, now having PE with Embry and Jake and Quil. After their, uh, growth spurt, the coach had simply given up trying to get them to play fair in their own grade classes and shoved them in with me and Jared, who were a year older. Colin and Brady had been shoved up with Seth but they couldn't mix Freshman with Seniors. "From what I've heard, she chewed him out yesterday after he put two massive dents in her car." He clapped me on the back. "Subtle dude."
I swung at his head and he ducked so I barely caught his smug face on the chin. "Never said I was." I mumbled, getting into the PE change rooms. "Besides, she forgave me this morning." I added smugly, unable to resist. Jacob gave me a 'if you say so' look as he opened the locker. "She did! I'm picking her up after school." I insisted.
"Paul, girls don't forgive that easy. They hold grudges, it's their thing." Quil explained to me. I rolled my eyes as I tugged off my shirt.
"Coming from the guy with the girl who hasn't even learned how to say 'green' properly yet." I muttered and dodged the super fast punch he shot my stomach. "Besides Sophie-"
"Aw, she has a name?" Jared teased. I glared at him.
"You know, I would've expected a little more support from you at least, if not these three." I accused. Quil, Embry and Jake shot me annoyed looks but Jared laughed. He'd always been my favourite, the only one my age in this whole mythological trite.
"Sorry man. I'll be more supportive of the girl who probably hates your guts and your pathetic attempts to change her mind about you." He said, mock-repentantly. I rolled my eyes and slammed my locker door shut.
"Ha. Funny. I'm serious. She's forgiven me. I'm picking her up after school today." Which reminded me… "Jared, can you take my shift on patrol after school? I gotta stay back late." Jared eyed me speculatively as he closed his locker door shut too.
"Why? Detention again?"
"Well yeah actually," I'd forgotten I had detention all week with Mr Murrays. "But it's her. She's staying later."
Jacob's ears perked up. "A trouble maker huh? Well, she'll fit right in." I aimed a kick at his leg for even suggesting someone as perfect as Sophie would do anything wrong.
"No, she has to study." Unconsciously, I made a face. It was out of habit actually, mainly because I'd hated school since Elementary School when the teacher wore a wig and had a funny accent. They all looked at me for a moment before roaring with laughter. I crossed my arms and tried to swallow down the shakes. Twats. "Finished?"
"Sorry…but she…" Jake wheezed.
"Likes to…study and you…" Quil added, breathless.
"STUDY!" Embry roared, doubling over. The shaking was getting harder to ignore, my temper was getting the better of me. But I couldn't phase at school…Sam would have my head. Think of Sophie, think of Sophie…it was a strange reaction I had to her touch. A cool, fleeting finger tip brush, soft as a feather and soothing…
"Paul?!"
"Mm?" I grunted. Jared looked a little apologetic. The terrible threesome looked like they were barely containing their laughter. Me? I was too busy thinking of her to really give a shit about four werewolf losers such as these.
"Back to earth yet? Sorry, but Paul, be serious. There is no way you're gonna hook up with a girl who studies. After school." Embry explained. Jared looked less agreeing on this and I knew it was because he'd already imprinted. Embry didn't understand yet.
"I don't even think there are any Sophie's at this school." Quil said, thoughtful as we wandered out to the gym. Coach Dobbs was busy in his office again so we all waited.
"You can't miss her." I said, almost reverently.
Suddenly Jacob snapped his fingers. "Are you talking about Sophie Miller? Quiet, blonde, one of the only Caucasians at the school?" I could've thought of many adjectives that would more accurately represent her but it was good enough for Jacob.
"Yeah…"
"Oh I know her. She's a genius." He stated. "Sits next to me in Math and Paul, you got no hope with a girl like that." His voice was apologetic.
"And why is that?"
"Cause she's a genius," he repeated. "Get's solid A's and I've never actually seen talk during class. Plus, she's probably actually looking for a college acceptance. Not bumming out and living at the mechanics shop in town-" this time I actually did hit him. My fist cracked with the side of Jacob's head and he cussed. "Jesus Paul! Don't get pissed just because you're an idiot and the girl of your dreams isn't." he snapped, checking for blood. But the bruises were already fading which made me sigh. It would've been cool to show Sam or one of the Pack but injuries on us fade too quickly.
I scoffed, leaning back onto the bleachers. "Man, I cannot wait til you imprint."
Jacob's face went sour. "I can." Quil sighed, frustrated and bashed his head on the bleacher behind him.
"Jacob, she's gone. Get over it already!" he nearly shouted. Isabella Swan was a menace to Jacob Black's head. I swear to god every time I phase with him, it's a constant rerun of 'How is she?' or 'Is she happy?', 'Did I do the right thing?', 'What does he have that I don't?' or (my personal favourite) 'Is she one of them yet?'
I still say it might've been better if she'd never come to Forks at all. Jake adamantly disagrees on many levels except the one where he acknowledges that if she never came, she'd never have met the blood sucker. That one, he's happy about. Nut.
Jake mumbled back but just as he turned to Quil, Coach Dobbs arrived in, with the rest of 12K PE. I couldn't help but bounce on my toes through basketball. Every time the ball hit the ground, it sounded like: Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.
I was insane. But I'd be insane just for her.
---
I was bouncing up and down in my seat, eagerly checking the clock every two seconds. Five minutes til I got out. Hold out for five minutes Paul, just five…I glared down at the essays I was meant to be cataloguing into piles of surnames. Callahan, Jordan. C's. Tucker, Georgina. T's. Densee, Frederick. D's. July, Rhiannon. J's.
Jesus, in another life, I must've killed off someone really important to get this type of punishment. I had twenty six trays in front of me, ready to have papers in them and I had the tedious task of ordering them out by letter of surname which was meant to teach me respect for my teachers, according to Mr Murrays. All it was doing was making me pity secretaries and wish that Mr Murrays would go out and suddenly get mauled by a giant wolf.
Speaking of the podgy loser, he glared at me from his desk and I sent a few glowers at him when he wasn't looking. I couldn't afford more detention. Sam wouldn't be lenient next time I had to skip patrol for a week because I couldn't imprint twice. I caught myself sighing, slightly.
Sophie. She was in the La Push library, studying or something equally as horrid and if I could just get out of this stupid, unwarranted detention I could go join her…not that I'd actually study of course. Ma was less than pleased to hear about my detention; she'd lectured herself for about ten minutes before realising just how out of it I really was.
I glanced at the clock again. Four and half more minutes. I'd been here for an hour and three quarters, already, let me freakin' go! Hettersfeild, Nicholas. H's. Justinson, Emma. J's. Faroldson, Michael. F's. Androlin, Farah. A's. My head was beginning to hurt and it was all I could do to sit in my chair and not barrel out the window like a loony.
Although, at this rate it mightn't have been that bad of an idea. I looked at the window contemplatively. Nah, Ma would have to pay the bills to repair it and we couldn't afford it, not now. Suddenly, I gripped Indira, Holly's (I's) paper so hard I tore the edge and put it down hastily before Mr Murray's noticed. We couldn't afford it because my mom worked a full hour day at a diner when she should have been home or working somewhere people didn't ask her 'Is this coffee fat free?'
I snarled somewhat, chucking a few of the papers haphazardly. Zoe should grow up being able to have all the dolls and toys she wants because she has a father to help with the income and I-
I should have had a father who was not the spawn of Satan, I thought viciously. My palms and fingers clenched into fists and I fought down the shaking. It didn't work. My fists started to blur and I felt my temper getting the best of me. Usually I wouldn't even bother fighting it, I'd just ditch class and run out into the forest, screw the consequences. But now the consequences were that Sophie didn't get a ride home and that made my stomach flip in all kind of new and fun ways.
Two and three quarter minutes to go…I stopped shaking and flipped through the pages, trying to pick out legible words from the scribbled mess of handwriting. I couldn't complain really, mine was ten times worse. Bologna, Sandra. B's. Meyer, Stephenie. M's. Zubair, Anthony. His fluttered into the Z pile, lonely and isolated. Miller, Sophie. M's- hello.
It was wrong. I knew that. I knew I was not meant to look at other people's tests but, I realised feeling a bit odd about it, it wasn't even my grade. 'Mr Murrays' Junior Social Studies Essays' lined each of the trays of paper and I rolled my eyes. What a neat freak. But I didn't put Sophie's down immediately. I checked the time again: Two minutes to go. And how much could I really see in two minutes? Her handwriting was neat and orderly; tiny words cramped together on the one line but legible. The essay was on white settlers in America and the colonization of the continent.
I only read about a paragraph and a half but what I did read, stunned me. She was a year younger than me (which explained why she wasn't in any of my classes) and her essay was like a college professor's. I groaned to myself. Oh Jesus, she was a genius-
"Time is up Mr Beckett, you will be back here for tomorrow and the night after thankyou and if you disrupt my class again-" Mr Murrays began, trying to pull his beer belly out from behind the desk.
"You'll send me to the principal's office? 'Member how well that turned out last time teach'?" I asked, with a smirk before dropping Sophie's paper with the utmost care into the M's and walking out the door with my bag hooked over my shoulder.
I practically sprinted over to the library block, darting through the doors silently and looking around for Sophie. She was sitting by herself, glaring down at a text book. I checked the clock (wearing a watch wasn't really practical in my line of work) and found that there was another fifteen minutes until she packed up, which puzzled me as I watched her slam the book shut and open up another.
I drifted over to where she was sitting; the rest of the library practically deserted by now but was required to stay open until five o'clock as it was the public library as well as the school library. She slammed the other book shut and laid her head on her hands on the table, groaning. "You know, the librarians don't really take well to people who try to smash their desks in with their heads." I said, casually and she jumped, her chair tilting backwards. I caught her elbows and steadied her; she felt too skinny to be healthy, her arms were rail thin.
Sophie's eyes were wide as if she'd expected me to skip out on my promise and I bristled slightly at that. I noticed I was still holding on to her elbow and dropped once she'd maintained her balance on the ground. She blushed and I couldn't help it: I stared as it washed over her cheeks in the most intriguing pattern I'd ever seen…
I was so whipped.
"Hey." She said, softly, pushing her hair back from her face.
"Hey, weren't expecting me?" I asked, unsure of what she wanted. She shook her head and opened up the text book again.
"Just trying to read." She muttered and there was a slight edge to her voice. I frowned; how had I upset her?
"And how's that working out for you?" I asked after a moment of absolute silence. She made a noise of frustration and threw the book down before looking up at me with narrow suspicious eyes.
"Not well. You're distracting me Paul Beckett." She said, fiercely. I felt my hear sink. She wanted me to leave.
"I'll just go then," I muttered, disappointedly before turning around. Sophie's cool hand on mine was enough to make me freeze and turn around again. This girl was…indescribable. She had me completely wrapped around her finger, I thought slightly nervous. What happened to Piss-Off Paul? What happened to the werewolf whose main emotion was grumpiness, anger, all around meanness huh? No, no, no, I thought delirious. I forgot, he died when Sophie the Angel came and in his place is this whiny little-
"You're distracting me without being here Paul. I can't think about anything other than the fact that you are being completely infuriating." She explained, looking frustrated again. I couldn't help but grin. She thought about me. I distracted her. She probably didn't think of me as often as I thought of her but still…it made me feel a tad less stalkerish.
"Cool." I said, goofily and Sophie sent me a withering glare.
"Not cool. It's not a good idea for you to be my friend, I told you that already Paul." She mumbled looking annoyed at herself.
"Why not?" I asked, defiant. She was so convinced we couldn't be friends but she looked upset by it. I couldn't help it: curiosity may have killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. I felt a slight annoyance creep in though, although everything else was filtered out by the fact that I could turn away from her but it felt like turning away from the sun: cold and empty.
"Because…forget it. We can go now," Sophie grumbled, packing her things away. She was sad and angry and I wanted so desperately to know why. I bounced in my sneakers as she packed up. We walked out of the library together and down to the car park where my white mustang was waiting. It wasn't actually mine. It was the lousy excuse of a father I have but he hadn't taken it when he left so- losers weepers I guess.
She climbed in the other side and we drove in silence for a while. It was killing me slowly, even slower than ticking clock in the detention room. "Crap," she muttered closing her eyes. I stopped, worried.
"What? What's wrong? Are you alright?" I asked, frantic but when she opened her eyes, Sophie looked amused.
"Nothing, I just…I forgot my jacket at school and I don't know if the cleaners will pick it up or not." She explained, looking flustered by my abrupt stop. I looked in the back of my car and grabbed the leather jacket I kept, just in case I ever got cold. It hadn't been used in ages. I passed it to her and of course she protested. We need to have a talk about that, I thought a touch amused. "No, really Paul it's okay, I'll go back tomorrow and get it, it's not that cold." On cue, rain splattered down on the windshield in big fat drops.
"Take it Sophie, you'll be cold tomorrow while you wait if you don't." the words came softer than usual as for the first time I registered what she was wearing. The frail white, short-sleeved blouse had only a thin layer of lace around her neck and I guessed it was meant for summer rather than winter. At least she had blue jeans on, I thought a tad dizzy. Of course it only lightened the paleness of her face and made her eyes look brighter…her lips too actually…Cut it out Paul. It was the first time I'd noticed a girl's clothes and not wondered immediately what was under them (again eighteen year old hot guy…give me a break)
"Tomorrow?" she asked, as she took the jacket, dizzily. I grinned.
"Chauffeur, remember?" I told her and she blushed.
"You don't have to…" but her voice was reluctant. That alone made heart soar.
"But I want to." I insisted.
"I can't be your friend." It sounded less sure, as if she were now bitterly disappointed about that fact. That made my heart soar higher; she could crack.
"You don't have to be. I'll just be your friend. How's that?" without waiting for an answer I drove further along, watching out of the corner of my eye as she stared at me, shocked before slipping the jacket on.
"My mom had a jacket like this." She murmured touching the leather. I smiled slightly, knowing that when she gave it back, it'd smell exactly like her. But something else caught my attention.
"Had?" I asked, tentatively and her face went guarded like this morning when I asked her about those blasted bruises on her hands. I hadn't phased then because it would've scared her and thinking of her perfect face scarred like Emily's made my skin crawl. But the anger I had from her pain was bottled up inside me. I pitied whoever had to go on patrol with me tonight. I hated her guarded face. Her eyes didn't dance with emotions then, they went frozen and cold and it was more difficult to pick apart her emotions.
"Yeah. She's- she's gone now. Just me and Dad." Sophie muttered, looking out the window. My fingers tightened on the steering wheel. I knew her mother hadn't died, I knew she hadn't passed away. That was the same excuse I gave at times about my good-for-nothing father and I had some experience with runaway parents.
There was more silence after that as I drove down the street I'd picked her up from slower than I'd ever gone before, wanting to prolong time. "Where's your house?" Truthfully, every house on this street looked identical.
She pointed to the nearest one and I inched forwards. The front yard was littered with dog toys and fetch things. "Do you have a dog?" I asked, thinking about how ironic it would be if she did. Sophie looked at me confused before shaking her head and I recognised she was lying about her house. "What's with all the chew toys then?" I asked, smirking and she blushed again.
"Umm…this isn't my house, it's further up the street but my dad doesn't like visitors coming up to the door." She mumbled, getting ready to hop out when I reached over and closed her door. I noticed she stopped breathing when I did and the air smelt like vanilla and those purple flowers I forgot the name of. But I shook my head and drove forwards. If there was anything I'd picked over the last few years of dating it was that you didn't make your date walk down the street to her house when you have a car. "Paul!" she protested as I inched forwards again, taking the houses one at a time.
"Yours?" I asked, cheerful.
"No." She said, coldly and annoyed.
"Yours?"
"No."
"Yours?"
"…No." I pulled up to the third one and smiled pleasantly at her. She scowled at me. "Did you have to? My dad hates having visitors come to the door!" she hissed. I shrugged and noticed that the houses were becoming more and more individual when I looked.
"You know you don't live that far from me…" I muttered, noticing that my house was only one street down from hers.
"And the sky is blue; I fail to see how it's important." She muttered back, probably not intending for me to hear. I let out a bark of laughter as she grabbed her bag and went to take the jacket off. I held her hand before she could; electricity tingled down my nerve endings.
"What did I just say about the jacket?"
She sighed, frustrated. "Paul, I don't want to explain to my dad why-"
"Don't tell him. From what I can hear, he's already half asleep." I told her, listening as soft snores and the television blared from the bottom storey. I frowned when I heard there was action upstairs. "Where is your room?" I asked, listening harder. Sophie gaped at me.
"You couldn't possibly hear that." She whispered, studying my face for lies. I shrugged, putting on a neutral mask. She gave up after a moment, pointing to the window facing the street on the top storey. "That one." I listened just in case but the action was down from her and the flush of water made me think bathroom.
"Is someone else meant to be in your house?" I asked, cautious. She'd just said it was only her and her father and yet I could hear footprints and the snoring. Two people.
She began to shake her head but caught herself and nodded, slowly. "It's probably just one of his friends." She said, smoothly. "Nothing to worry about." Sophie made to get out of the car.
"So, I'll meet you out here tomorrow?" I asked, excitedly. She smiled at me for the first time this evening and it dazzled me.
"You know what, fine. I'll see you out here tomorrow Paul." She sighed, turning and walking silently to the front door. I watched her until the door shut and I gazed, absently at the clock.
"SHIT!" I sped the car up and took off down the street to my own house.
Oooooh...Paulie's in trooooubleeeeee....
Tress Blues
