AN: I just couldn't resist posting two chapter tonight :) I hope you enjoy them!
Quil POV
"Seriously Sam, why are you making us go to this dance? It's going to be so lame. Besides, Jared's the only one with a girlfriend to please," Jake complains to my right as we stand in the backyard of Sam's house around the small barbecue pit. Sitting against the back wall in plastic lawn chairs, Jared and Kim flip off Jake. But I agree with Jake: this dance is going to suck. Us standing against a poorly decorated wall of the school's gymnasium while Jared and Kim make out in a dark corner is not how I like to spend my nights off from patrol.
"Because I want you guys to be able to do normal high school stuff. Being a wolf doesn't mean you have to give up being normal teenagers. Listen, it's just one night. Go, have a good time, steal some guy's date, whatever. OK?" The rest of the pack, minus Jared, just stares at him. No one wants to go to this dance, least of all Paul. One of the conditions of his sister being able to go with Seth is that Paul goes and if he doesn't go, then she can't. I know nothing would make him happier than knowing she's safe at home with him and not with a dangerous, about-to-phase-for-the-first-time 14-year-old wolf.
"Please guys, go for me. I want you all to have fun," Emily begs sweetly. That was a dirty trick; she knows we have an extremely hard time saying no to her.
Being the Alpha's imprint has made Emily a sort of second mother to the rest of us. She feeds us, cleans our wounds, puts up with our fights, keeps extra pairs of clothes for us, and let's us crash at her house when we need to. But more than that, she's helped all of us tremendously in adjusting to this new life as a wolf. From the very beginning she's encouraged us to ask her for anything we may need and has just overall been available to help in a way Sam can't. While he may be our alpha and is understanding of the difficult transition from normal teenage boy to guardian of La Push, Emily has a mother's ability to take care of us when we can't go to our own parents and sometimes, a mother's understanding is exactly what we need. As a result, she can get us to do just about anything she wants.
She continues to smile warmly as we glare at her. Eventually everyone nods their head in defeat while Sam smiles and kisses Emily on the forehead. Cheaters.
"Besides, I need you all to look out for Seth. It's been almost a month since he started showing hints of his upcoming change and he could explode any moment. And Paul isn't Stacy going to the dance with him? I would have thought you'd want to be there to watch out for her in case something happens." He finishes his eighth hot dog and looks at Paul puzzled.
"Of course I do! What the hell are you implying?" Paul roars, fists clenched at his sides, trembling with fury. Ever since William said Stacy could go to the dance with Seth, Paul has been on edge. Any mention of the dance and he gets angry.
I smirk to my left at Embry and hold out my hand for the five bucks he owes me; I knew betting that Paul would get mad before sundown was an easy way to make some extra cash. Embry grudgingly slaps the money into my outstretched palm, mumbling bitterly about Paul's anger issues. I mouth a 'thank you' and return to eating my ninth hot dog. It's funny how winning easy cash makes everything taste better.
"Paul, I'm not implying anything. Calm down, it was just a question," Sam soothes, motioning with his hands for Paul to relax. He growls one last time before the tightening in his jaw loosens. "I just think it would be a good thing to have five wolves there just as a precaution. At this point anything could set him off and you all know the warning signs. It will just be safer for everyone if you guys are there, this way if something does happen you can drag him out before people notice."
"If he does phase at the dance where should we bring him?" I ask, thinking back to my own transformation.
It was an early Saturday morning over summer and my grandfather had come into my room to wake up so I could help him lift something. The next thing I know I'm leaping from my bed and growling at him. I could hear my bones cracking loudly and I screamed out from the extreme pain as they expanded and morphed. My clothes ripped from my body and I remember looking into the mirror on my wall, expecting to see me naked and was instead greeted with the sight of a giant brown wolf. The last thing I saw before I leapt through my bedroom window was my grandfather leaning against the doorframe, his old wooden cane thrown on the floor, one hand over his heart and the other holding the phone to his ear, speaking hurriedly to someone I couldn't hear on the other end. It wasn't until later when Jake and the rest of the guys discovered me deep in the woods that I found out he was talking to Sam, letting him know what had happened. I know it wasn't necessarily my fault, but I still feel guilty for growling at my grandfather and almost giving him a heart attack. I think if he hadn't already known that I was going to phase, the sight of me as an animal would have killed him right there in my bedroom. The pain and shock from the entire experience is unavoidable but in spite of what I know, I still hope it's easier for Seth.
"Well I'll be running patrols that night so I'll hear him and be able to give him some insight, at least enough to get him to my house. If not then call the house and Emily will be able to get a hold of me. But someone should change with him, definitely, and make sure he gets here. Actually, I want you all to change. We'll do everything as a pack." We nod our head in understanding. The closeness of our pack is something we're all proud of. Even before we phased Jake, Embry, Paul and I were the best of friends but running together as a pack with Sam and Jared helped cement all six of us forever as family. "Seth seems to really trust you, Paul, and he's close with your sister so I'm putting you in charge of getting him to my house. And Kim, I'm going to want you to stay with Stacy, make sure she gets home and doesn't suspect anything."
"Okay but what should I tell her? I mean Seth phasing will be similar to how Paul phased for the first time and you know she's never forgotten that."
We all glance at Sam, wondering the same thing. It's no secret Stacy is suspicious about us and especially about the three days Paul vanished when he phased. He never told her what happened and we all wish he would. Stacy and Paul are extremely close and I know it's killing him to not share the biggest secret of his life with her. His fear of dragging her into this strange world filled with mythical creatures is what's stopping him; afraid she'll shun him or worse, be hurt because she knows our secret. A part of all of us can't blame him for his reasoning because Stacy is such an integral part of his life but the other part wishes he would give in already. Making up excuses as to why we shake or wear only a pair of cutoff shorts in freezing temperatures is getting harder and harder to make believable. She's not stupid, she knows we're hiding something from her and when she finds out, she's going to be more upset Paul hid something from her than about the secret itself.
"Say whatever you have to in order for her to remain calm. Tell her the guys noticed he was about to puke or something and then take her home. Explain to William and Leila what happened, they'll be able to keep her distracted." Kim acknowledges Sam's orders and goes back to cuddling against Jared's side.
"Sam, sweetie, don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?" Emily questions, walking carefully down the back steps with a giant silver tray filled to the breaking point with brownies, cookies and muffins. "You're acting as if it's already set that he'll change at the dance. For all you know it could be another month until he changes."
"He better not phase until next month," Embry manages to get out despite a mouthful of desserts. I swear he has the worst manners ever. "I have money riding on it."
"I would rather be safe than sorry. I feel it's better to have a plan than to have him phase and no one be prepared," Sam responds, ignoring Embry's remark.
He wraps his arms around Emily's waist and together they stand, staring into each other's eyes, forgetting the rest of the pack is around. She reaches one hand up to stroke his cheek and smiles, communicating through her touch her love for him. Sam's face lights up at the gesture and he kisses the inside of her palm. Between Sam and Emily and Jared and Kim, a person would think every day is Valentine's Day around here. Sam will drop almost anything at the request of Emily and I've even seen him hold off eating because she asked him to wait for her. Jared says he understands completely but the rest of us can't even begin to imagine holding off a meal for anyone. Embry, for one, will rip a person's hand off if it gets in the way of his feeding and Paul almost fought a kid once because he took the last hamburger in the lunch line at school. The poor little guy nearly wet himself when he caught the menacing look in Sweets' eyes. It's a good thing Kim was there to give Paul her hamburger before things got out of control. I sigh loudly; I guess you'd just have to have imprinted to fathom the devotion and love that naturally emotes from them.
A slight cough comes from Jake, effectively breaking up the "moment" between Sam and Emily. He kisses her softly once on the lips and turns back to the rest of us, hands still placed on either side of her waist from behind. "So, uh, yeah. Everyone know what they need to do then?"
Sierra POV
I love my best friend Stacy and all, but she really needs to get over this whole Quil obsession and realize just how perfect her and Seth would be together. I'm no expert on relationships — having never been in one myself — but if there were ever a pair of people who could go from high school sweethearts to lifelong husband and wife, it would be Seth and Stacy. Watching the two of them interact with each other, a person would have to be blind to not notice the mutual interest. The way his face brightens up at the mere mention of her name, how they unconsciously follow each other with their eyes, the subtle touches they think no one notices — if I didn't know any better, I'd think they were already dating.
When Stacy's around Seth, there's something different about her. She is in no way like Paul in terms of being extremely temperamental, but the overall presence of Seth brings her this unnatural sense of calm. I don't know if she's ever realized it, but when she's around him, her face becomes so serene and nothing has even the slightest chance of upsetting her. I really like Quil, I honestly do. Overall he's a really great guy and, like the rest of Paul's friends, would do anything to make sure no harm comes to my best friend, but Seth meshes so well with Stacy in a way I can't explain. Stacy and Quil would look all right together, but even Paul can see that Seth and Stacy would look perfect together. Those two know each other inside and out so while his crush on Stacy might be puppy love right now, if given time, it has the potential to grow into something so much more meaningful.
"So who's this guy you're going to the dance with Sierra?" Seth asks from across the living room where he's taking up the entire couch. His huge brown hands gently play with Stacy's pitch-black hair from her position on the floor in front of him.
"His name's John and he's a sophomore." I drape my legs over the armrest of the black recliner I'm stretched over. "He's a nice guy. Cute I guess, but he's no Paul. He'll be a fun date though I hope."
I know people have always spoken of love at first sight, but I honestly believe that I fell in love with Paul William Chehalis the moment I laid eyes on him. Oddly enough, it was also the first day of Stacy's and my friendship. We were five and playing in the sandbox together at the elementary school when Paul came to get her because their mom was waiting for them in the car. Consequently, that was also the day I stopped believing boys had cooties. Since then, I have only grown to like Paul more and more. Sure he's a hothead at times and his over protectiveness of Stacy can get in the way of our fun at the least opportune moment, but the sight of him shirtless more than makes up for any hard feelings I may harbor when he tells us no. His rock hard abs, those long muscled arms and that dark sculpted chest — shit he can get me to do anything as long as he's shirtless when he asks. A smirk unwillingly forms on my lips and my eyes close in a lazy manner as I imagine the most beautiful man I have ever laid sight on.
"Uh-oh Seth, now you've done it!" Stacy giggles from her spot on the floor.
"Done what? What's wrong with her? All I did was ask about her date to the dance." Seth looks between Stacy and I, clearly under the impression that I've gone insane.
"You got her thinking about my brother shirtless." Stacy's laughter increases as I continue to think about the best image possible: Paul, a bottle of chocolate sauce, a can of whipped cream and me. My own Paul sundae. "She's going to have that stupid look on her face for a little bit. Just give her a minute."
"Um, okay." Seth shoots me one more puzzled look before turning his undivided attention back to Stacy. "Oh and you need to let me know what color your dress is, since you know, you're making me get you a matching corsage." He rolls his eyes, attempting to seem bugged by this minor detail. If I have Seth pegged correctly the way I think I do, he's actually beyond excited to do something that will make Stacy so happy. I attempt to stifle a snort under my breath.
"Oh hush. You know you're excited about this dance." She turns around to face Seth completely and nudges him in the shoulder. I look over just in time to see a smile stretch across his face from the contact. Predictable. "And Paul is taking Sierra and I shopping next week so I'll let you know then. All I can tell you right now is that the dance starts at 8:30 so you gotta be here by at least 7:45 so we can take photos. Paul will drive us from here."
"Alright I'll be here." He glances at his cell phone, checks the time and jumps up from the couch. "Oh shoot I gotta go. Leah's going to eat my dinner again if I don't get home soon. I know she's a teenage girl and all, but I swear she can eat more than any guy I know. Stacy, call me when you know more. I'll see you guys later."
"Okay, bye Seth," Stacy chirps out excitedly after Seth's retreating back, waving a small hand as he flies out the front door. I laugh loudly as the door closes, Stacy seating herself on the now-empty couch.
"'Okay, bye Seth,'" I mock in Stacy's voice. "My goodness woman can you be more in love with him?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not 'in love' with Seth Clearwater. I mean yeah he's cute but ..." She cuts off her sentence upon noticing the critical look on my face. Stacy and I have been best friends since we were five, if she thinks she can pull a fast one on me she most definitely has another thing coming. "Ugh, I don't know what I feel. When I'm not with him, I'm super into Quil but the moment I even think of Seth, nothing else can enter my mind. Like okay, we've always had a flirty relationship right? But lately it's felt like more than just flirting. I can't explain it but I just feel so ... connected with him, like some invisible rope is pulling me to him and nothing can go wrong as long as he's with me. That doesn't make sense. Does it make sense?" She pulls her head up from its position in her hands, a look of complete helplessness on her face. Wow, she's got it worse than I thought. I rush over to sit next to her on the couch, throwing my left arm over her thin shoulders. "I'm going crazy aren't I?"
"No, you're not going crazy but damn Stace, that's pretty intense. For starters, do you think Seth feels the same way?" I'm almost afraid to ask her this question for fear that she'll break down in a fit of self-consciousness.
"The strange thing is, I think he does." A confused look crosses her normally bright face and her hazel eyes narrow in uncertainty. "But maybe not as strongly as me? I don't know for sure because it's not like we've ever talked about our strange relationship to being with. I mean we act more like a couple than a pair of friends so that's gotta count for something right?"
"Well I would think so seeing as how he can't ever keep his eyes off you. Sweetie he's obviously into you as more than a friend and he must have good intentions because Paul and crew haven't attempted to rip his face off yet," I try to comfort, even though I'd be just as lost if our positions were switched. I'm awarded a small smile for my crack at Paul's goal to keep all boys away from her. In part, the joke is only funny because it's so incredibly true. "Look, why don't you just talk to him about all of this? You guys have always been extremely close, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on. But take a few weeks to get your head straight and decide what you want before talking to Seth. Okay?"
"Yeah you're right. I'll talk to him after the dance. What would I do without you?" A smile returns to her face as we give each other a hug.
"Be stuck with a shitty best friend who is not even nearly as cool as I am," I retort.
"Yeah but at least then I'd have a best friend who doesn't have creepy thoughts about my brother. Hopefully," she laughs, pushing me into the couch. I stick my tongue out at her in response. Hey, Paul's hot. There's just no getting around that. "But seriously though, did you get a good look at Seth's muscles? God he's gotten so hot lately."
"Who's gotten hot lately?" Paul asks, looking seriously between Stacy and me as he enters the living room, Jake following behind him after closing the front door.
"Me. Don't you think Paul?" I answer sweetly, batting my eyelashes and flashing him a bright smile.
I never miss a chance to flirt with Paul, especially since he looks so cute when he's awkward. He stares at me open mouthed for a moment, attempting to catch his composure while I take a quick glance at Stacy, asking her with my eyes how the hell we're going to get out of this one. He may be stunned now, but it'll only be a matter of seconds before he realizes we're hiding something. Normally Paul and his friends are so loud when they approach the house, always laughing and shoving one another, that it's impossible not to hear them coming. We must have been too caught up in our conversation about Seth to hear Jake and Paul approaching this time.
"What's that Mom?" Stacy yells, her right hand cupped over her ear as if strenuously listening for her mom's voice. "You want Sierra and I to go to my room? Kay no problem. C'mon Sierra, let's go." She grabs my hand in a rush, pulling me up the stairs as I stumble in her wake.
"See you guys later," I call down to Paul and Jake, still standing in the entryway of the living room, confusion etched in their features. I bust out in loud laughter as Stacy finally yanks me into her bedroom, slamming the door in a hurry before Paul follows us. "Ooh Paul is so going to grill you later on that one!" I manage out over my laughter as I flop on my back onto her bed.
"Yeah well your laughter certainly didn't help anything," she says, throwing a pillow from her bed at my head. I roll to the side and barely miss getting hit. "Come on, let's look at dresses online so we have an idea of what we want for next week. Hopefully I can manage something with a halter without Paul throwing too big of a hissy fit in the store."
We both look at each and crack up all over again, knowing that whatever she chooses Paul will still throw a tantrum.
