Emmett wasn't at school on Friday, but Kit had expected that. He had informed her the day before that he and Edward were going camping in the Goat Rock Wilderness for the weekend. He had dropped her off at home, kissed the top of her head much to her surprise, and bid her a nice weekend with a wide grin before he took off.

Though she was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be at school, there was still a pep in her step as she walked alongside Bella; a small smile on her face.

Kit wore a black puffed short sleeve tie knit stretch top, tucked into a vibrant mint green high-waisted circle swing skirt with micro black dots and a black faux button front. On her feet, she wore a pair of black kitten heels with black bows on the toe and a simple mint green bow in her hair.

"I'm really glad you're feeling better," she said, looking at the other brunette.

Bella blushed, "Thank you. Were you able to finish that project?"

Kit shook her head, "Willa and I are hoping to finish it, today. We need to do the poem and then we're all set."

"Great," Bella sounded sincere, "Let me know if you guys need help. I've read The Great Gatsby before."

"Thanks," Kit beamed.

"Bella!"

Kit closed her eyes for just a second, taking in a shaky breath when she reopened them. The forced-perky voice of Jessica only got louder as the curly-haired girl approached, calling Bella's name again.

"Hey, Jess," Bella greeted with a smile.

"Hi," Jessica grinned, the expression faltering when she saw Kit, "Hi, Kit."

"Hello," Kit whispered, clutching the strap of her bag.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Jessica questioned, looking around the parking lot. Her eyes found the shiny silver Volvo and she frowned at the lack of Cullen's she saw, "Emmett's not here, today?"

"No, he's not," Kit said quietly, not bothering to correct Jessica on the status of her and Emmett's relationship. There was no point. Whatever she said didn't matter to her.

"Too bad," Jessica whined, but then she perked up, "Hey, Lauren's been looking for you. I think she wanted to ask you something? I don't know, but she told me or Katie to tell you, but I found you first! So, I win!" she giggled.

The unbelievably cheerful tone in Jessica's voice made Kit want to start crying and she could feel her throat tighten. Was this their plan? To pretend to be Kit's friends in front of other people to cover up what was really happening? It would have been better if they just ignored her. In fact, Ashley had even let Kit borrow a pencil when Kit had forgotten hers, but had called her a 'stupid whore' later that day as she shoved her aside.

"Um, I'll see you later, Kit," Bella called as Jessica dragged her away towards another building, no doubt wanting to question her about the blood-typing the day before.

"Okay," Kit whispered, though she knew she wasn't heard.

Jessica had said that Lauren was looking for her. What did that mean? What did the blonde want? Kit tried her best to stay out of the popular girl's way. She never spoke to her or even looked at Lauren if Kit could help it. It only caused more problems, but it seemed that she was out of luck either way.

"Hey there, girly!"

Kit managed a small smile when Willa grabbed her arm,"Hi, Willa, good morning. You're here early."

"Am I?" Willa looked around the parking lot, "Huh. Well, I did need to turn in a late assignment. Want to come?"

"Because we're not going to see enough of each other this weekend?" Kit asked.

"I know," Willa bemoaned, "You're stuck with me for two whole days."

"I don't know how I'm going to get through the weekend," Kit said in the same dramatic tone.

"Come on," Willa snickered, tugging lightly on Kit's arm, "To the History building, we go."

"But that's my first class," Kit protested, "You can give me your assignment and I'll hand it in for you."

Willa looked at Kit, appalled, "You'd do that?"

Kit nodded, "Of course."

The black-haired girl looked at Kit for a moment before she smiled and handed over the sheet of paper, "Thanks, Kit."

"You're welcome," Kit squeezed Willa's shoulder, "See you in second hour and did you get your half done?"

Willa grinned, "Finished it before breakfast, this morning and I have some ideas for the poem."

"Great, me too," Kit smiled and waved, "I'll go hand this in, now."

"K," Willa wiggled her fingers before she took her leave.

Kit adjusted the strap on her bag as she headed off towards the right building. She was excited for the sleepover. Willa was starting to become one of her best friends (besides Indigo and Everly, of course) and that was a new experience for her. Different. Indigo seemed to like Willa and that's what really mattered to Kit. The little girl liked Emmett too and that made Kit feel both happy and relieved. Indigo was Kit's first priority and Kit would give her life for her sister. She'd give her life for all three of her family members.

The door to Mr. Jefferson's room was closed and Kit paused outside, unsure if there was a teacher or another student in the classroom having a private discussion. She tried to peer in the small window and could only see the back of someone's head and hear muffled voices.

After two minutes, the bell rang, signaling the passing period to get to class and just as Kit was about to go in, the door to the history classroom opened.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Jefferson," Lauren said, "I really appreciate it."

Ashley and Katie snickered and then narrowed their eyes almost simultaneously when they saw Kit, holding her gaze as they left the classroom.

"Oh," Lauren gasped in false surprise and held the door open, "Hey, Kit," she grinned, gesturing for her to enter the classroom, "I didn't know that this was your first class. Go ahead, go on."

"Yeah," Ashley sang, smiling warmly, "Go ahead, Kit. You have to get to class or you'll be late," she said this in a baby voice.

Kit gnawed her lower lip, wincing when Ashley gave her a small push. Seeing that other students were starting to eye them or wait for her to go in, Kit walked forward, unable to hold in her gasp when Lauren stuck her foot out, tripping Kit and sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Ms. Algren?" came Mr. Jefferson's worried voice.

"Awww," Ashley cooed, "She fell. Did you see that, Kaite? Poor thing..."

Katie nodded stiffly, her eyes trained on the floor.

"Oh my gosh, Kit!" Lauren cried, rushing to her side, "I'm really sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Kit managed to push herself up on her knees and she looked up at Lauren who held a hand out.

"I'm really sorry," Lauren continued, wiggling her fingers. She shook her head, "I didn't mean to. Here, need help up?"

Kit nodded slowly, unsure if Mr. Jerfferson was still watching or not. Just as she reached for Lauren's hand, the blonde snatched it away.

"Yeah, right," Lauren snapped quietly, while the girls behind her laughed, "Bitch," she whispered.

"She's fine, Mr. Jefferson," Ashley poked her head back into the classroom, "I guess that's what happens when you wear heels to school and can't walk in them. It's tricky."

"Mhm," Mr. Jefferson hummed boredly as he shuffled some papers on his desk.

Kit sighed and smoothed out Willa's paper that she had accidentally crushed in her fist. She went into a crouched position, then pushed herself up to stand, fixing the way she stood in her shoes. She brushed off her skirt and jumped when the door closed. She could still hear the girls laughing.

Her hands were shaking as she approached Mr. Jefferson's desk and she placed the piece of paper on it, "Sir, this is Willa Korai's late assignment. I told her I'd give it to you," she spoke quietly, keeping her eyes trained elsewhere.

"Thank you, Ms. Algren," Mr. Jefferson placed the paper atop the others.

More students began to trickle into the classroom and Kit shuffled to her seat. She had been surprised when she saw Katie leave with Lauren considering that history was the redhead's first period, but Katie managed to stumble in just as the final bell rang, taking her seat and looking out of breath.

"How nice of you to join us, Ms. Marshall," Mr. Jefferson quipped sarcastically as he handed out worksheets, "A second later and you would have had another tardy on your record."

Katie grumbled under her breath, scrawling her name atop the paper. She had walked Lauren to class with Ashley and had met Jessica halfway. Katie had practically ran to class so that she wasn't late again.

"Please turn to section six," Mr. Jefferson instructed, "That is where you'll find the answers to the worksheet in front of you. It is due by the end of the class. You may work with partners if you wish, otherwise, no talking."

Kit flipped open to the correct page and began to work immediately. She crossed her legs under the desk, wincing when her knee brushed against the underside of the old wood. Her knees were probably bruised and she was glad that had worn a skirt that went past them even though the weather was slightly warmer. Almost sixty.

When the bell rang forty-five minutes later, Kit took her time putting her things away, waiting for Katie to leave before she did. There was no doubt that Ashley or someone was waiting for the redhead to exit the classroom and Kit had no desire to run into them again as she already had all of the girls in at least one of her classes.

"Fat bitch," Katie whispered as she passed Kit's desk.

That was a new one.

Kit sighed heavily and she tried not to think about the name-calling. She always tried to keep her thoughts on her parents, her sister, or even her violin, but that had become harder lately and she found herself thinking about—well, herself and all the text messages, shoving, and name-calling. She always managed to squelch the thoughts before she could start feeling down and that worked...most of the time. Night time was harder. She didn't have any distraction from her thoughts at night as everyone was sleeping.

She was able to get to Algebra without any further incident and seeing Willa at her desk, made her smile. Kit went over and sat in the abandoned chair.

"I turned in your assignment," she said.

"Great, thank you," Willa smiled, "How was class?"

"Worksheets, today," Kit told her, "Section six. Partners are optional."

"Oh, I hate those," Willa complained, "See? That's when I start falling asleep."

Kit chuckled, "At least you stay awake enough to keep your grade at an 'A'."

"'B+'" Willa corrected.

"I turned in your assignment, remember?" Kit asked, "Shouldn't it go up?"

Willa shrugged, "Check after school?"

"Mhm," Kit agreed, standing from the chair when she saw someone approach the desk, "We'll talk later."

"Okay," Willa place her cheek in her hand and began drawing loops in the corner of her notebook with her pencil.


"Cullen's not here?"

Kit turned her head. She had been about to shoot the basketball with hopes of it going through the net, but the expectant voice had stopped her from doing so.

"No," Kit said to Mike, "He's not."

"Oh," Mike seemed relieved by this, but he was surprised by the short tone. Usually, Kit greeted him with with a warm smile.

He tried again, "So, you two are dating, then?"

Kit frowned at that, unsure of how to answer. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and mess things up.

Instead, she shot the ball, smiling widely when it went into the net. She clapped for herself, "Yay!"

"Nice shot," Mike complemented, "So...you and Cullen?"

Kit exhaled softly, "Mmm," she hummed, going to retrieve her ball. She didn't mean to be rude, but she had no answer for the baby-faced blonde.

Mike followed, glancing back at Bella who was picking herself up off the floor again. He had tried speaking with her, but the klutz had seemed too distracted to hold a conversation. He had seen Bella sit at lunch with Edward the day before and had heard that Cullen had driven her home much to Mike's annoyance.

When it came down to Bella and Kit, Mike wasn't sure who he preferred. True, Jessica liked him and he was pretty sure that they would be attending the dance together, but that didn't mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend. He could still keep his options open and right now his eyes were on Kit.

Just as they were leaving the cafeteria, Mike had come to Bella's defense when Lauren had badmouthed her, but he hadn't done so with Kit when Lauren and Jessica had both said horrible things about her. It was fine, wasn't it? Kit seemed like the type who could handle herself and Bella didn't. Besides, Kit didn't look to be bothered by it. So, it was fine. Jessica might be mad that he was still speaking with Kit, but she'd get over it.

"Got it," Kit murmured to herself, "Oh," she looked up when the bell rang, "Darn it, I was hoping to get to five."

She went to put her basketball away, going into her 'rush-home' mode. It was routine that she showered at home after school and she would need to hurry since Willa was coming over.

"Hey, look, it's your best friend!"

Mike's hand shoved playfully into Kit's back causing her to stagger right into Jessica while she was putting away her own basketball.

Jessica caught herself on the basketball cart and she looked around before she turned slowly, looking at Kit as if she had two heads.

"Did. You. Just. Push. Me?" she asked in a dangerously low tone.

"N-n-no," Kit stuttered, shaking her head. She looked behind her to see that Mike had left. Probably to the locker room. She turned back to Jessica and swallowed thickly, "N-no, Mi—I-I was...pushed."

"Are you freakin' kidding me, you weren't pushed!" Jessica snapped in the same low tone, "You just pushed me!"

"I-I didn't-

Jessica shoved Kit backwards and then lurched forward on her foot making Kit jump, "That's what I thought," she sneered, her face livid, "That was a dumb move, Kit. Watch your back."

Jessica made Kit flinch once more before she glared at her and stomped away, banging her shoulder against Kit's making the girl stumble once more.

"...better if she wasn't even here..." Kit could hear Jessica grumble, her voice echoing in the gym, "...no one would miss her..."

Kit ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out through her mouth. So, it had been one of those days? First, she had been tripped and now Jessica was completely furious with her—even more than she already was because Mike had pushed her. Sure, it had been a joke, but he knew of the teasing as Kit had heard Jessica and Lauren telling him about it. Why would he do something like that?

Was it because Emmett wasn't here? It did seem that Lauren and her clique were a lot more...forward when Emmett wasn't waiting for her before and after school, walking her to class or sitting with her at lunch.

"Ms. Algren," Coach Clapp approached her, an odd look on his face, "The gym is empty, that's a signal for you to go home."

Kit blinked, slightly startled at seeing the gym teacher.

"I was—I couldn't," she sighed, cutting herself off, "Yes, Sir."

She left after an irritated grumble from Coach Clapp and didn't bother to change, folding her clothes quickly and placing them into her bag. Usually, she would wait for Bella and they would walk together, but Kit left the locker room and headed straight for her car.

"Kit!" Alice wrapped herself around Kit's arm, Jasper next to her as always, "Hi!"

"Hello," Kit mumbled.

Alice frowned, letting go of Kit's arm. It wasn't like Kit not to greet her with the same amount of enthusiasm. Sometimes, it was more.

"Are you all right?" Alice asked.

"I'm fine," Kit promised, "Tired. How are you two?"

"Great," a frown was still on Alice's face and she looked at Jasper who looked concerned as well.

"Is somethin' wrong, Kit?" Jasper asked, his accent thick.

Kit was surprised at hearing Jasper's Southern accent. He must have worked to keep it out of his voice, but it was pleasant to listen to and she managed a small smile.

'Keep it together,' she thought to herself, 'Don't lose it.'

"It's...quiet without Emmett here," she supplied, smiling shyly, "That's all."

A wide grin spread across Alice's face and she laughed, a silvery bell laugh.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" she asked, laughing again when Kit looked away, "I'm sure he'll be glad to know."

Kit forced a chuckle and nodded, "When he returns from camping, tell him I said hello. Have a nice evening."

"You too," Alice smiled and waved, "Bye, Kit."

"Bye, Alice, Jasper," Kit returned the smile, but it faltered when she approached her car and saw someone waiting for her.

"Hey," Mike greeted.

"Hello," Kit forced a polite smile.

"Um, I'm sorry about gym," Mike said sheepishly, "I didn't mean—I was just messing around."

"Yes, I know," Kit forced a wider smile, "It's fine. Jessica and I laughed about it."

The lie scared Kit—terrified her. She hadn't meant to say it, she hadn't even thought of saying it. So, why had she? Why was she lying for a girl who so clearly couldn't stand her very existence? It had been so easy, too. Was she that desperate for everyone to believe that she was okay? That she could handle this?

"I have to go," Kit whispered. Her throat was starting to tighten, "Willa's coming over for the weekend."

"What!?" Mike cried much like a child, "Does that mean you're not coming, tomorrow?"

Kit tilted her head to the side and cleared her throat, "C-coming…?"

"To La Push," Mike said this like it was obvious, "First Beach? We're all going, tomorrow. Bella, Tyler, Eric, Jess, Lauren, Angela, Katie, Conner, Lee...everyone in our friend group."

Kit was sure the shock was obvious on her face, "Oh…I didn't hear anything about it."

"Well, you're invited," Mike told her, "And I guess your friend can come to the beach with us."

"Oh, maybe I'll take my sister," Kit was smiling a real genuine smile now, "She'd like that. Yes, I think I'll do that. I'll probably see you there, though."

Mike looked devastated, "You won't come with us?"

"I already had plans for the weekend," Kit said gently, "But I'll see you there and I'll make sure to say hello."

Mike nodded sulkily and after mumbling out a dejected goodbye, he left.

Kit sighed for the millionth time that day and climbed into her car, placing her bag in the passenger seat and buckling her seat belt before she drove off. School had been rough, more so than usual and she just wanted to go home and hug her parents, take a warm shower, and get ready for the weekend.

The idea of taking Indigo to the beach was making Kit's day a little brighter. Indigo would be bouncing off the walls with excitement as it had been sometime since she had gone to the beach to add to her seashell collection and it had been awhile since Kit and Indigo had really played together and it always brought Kit joy to see her sister smile.

She was unbuckling her seat belt before her car even came to a full stop in the driveway. She pulled her keys out of the ignition and ran to the front door, huffing in irritation when she dropped her keys.

"Mom?" she called loudly once she was inside the house, "Daddy?"

"In he-

Blake barely got the word out before Kit barreled into him, hugging him tightly and burrowing her face in his chest.

"Whoa there," he said gently. He cupped the back of her head and returned the hug, "Hey."

Everly went to the pair, placing her hand on Kit's back, "Kit Kat? What's going on?"

Kit shook her head, "Rough day," she said, her voice muffled and shaking.

Blake gently pulled Kit up by her shoulders and he rubbed them gently, "What happened, Kit Kat?"

"I don't know," Kit said tearfully. She hung her head, "I just..." she cut herself off with a shaky sigh and shook her head.

Everly looked at Blake, her eyes wide and irritated. This is exactly what she had been talking about in bed some days before. She knew there was something going on other than some sort of teenage phase.

"Honey," Blake placed a knuckle under Kit's chin and tilted her head up, looking into his daughter's misty eyes, "What's going on?"

Kit shrugged and rubbed her eyes before the tears could fall.

"I think you do know," Everly said in a stern voice, "Is it your project? I know that's been-

"Willa!" Kit gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, "Oh, what time is it? I still need to shower before she gets here. Oh, and I was thinking of taking Indi to the beach. You know, it's supposed to be sunny and it's been awhile sin-

"Slow. Down," Blake placed a hand on Kit's shoulder and squeezed, "You sound like a buzzing bee, right now. We can't understand."

"Sorry," Kit flushed and took in a deep breath, holding it in before she released it a few seconds later, "I need to take a shower," she repeated slowly, "Willa will be here soon."

"But, Kit," Everly protested, "What about you? You're so upset..."

"I'm okay, now," Kit promised, rubbing her eyes again, "I just needed a hug, is all."

"I like to think that we know you better than that," Blake said, stroking Kit's hair, "Hm?"

"Yes, you do," Kit nodded, "Maybe I need one more hug. Both of you, this time."

Everly and Blake both smiled, pulling their daughter into their arms.

"You sure you're okay, sweetie?" Everly kissed Kit's head, "You can talk to us."

"I'm fine," Kit whispered, "And I know I can talk to you guys, I'm just...I'm fine."

Though she wanted to tell her parents, she just wasn't sure how.


Edward shut his sleek black cellphone and slipped it into his pocket, taking a seat on a convenient boulder.

"I'm not quite sure how necessary that phone call was," he said through clenched teeth.

Emmett grinned widely, showing off his dimples. The shirt he was wearing was destroyed, torn and bloodied, sticky with sap and covered in fur. His dark curly hair wasn't in much better shape.

'To know that my girl is missing me?' he thought. He couldn't wait to get back and see Kit, 'That call was very necessary.'

Edward arched a single eyebrow, his eyes wide, "She's 'your girl' now? Very classy."

Emmett snorted, 'You know what I mean, kid. Cut me some slack. This is all new to me.'

"What?" Edward asked, "Being a gentlemen?"

Emmett laughed, deciding to speak aloud, "You know me so well," he frowned at Edward's attire of a smooth clean white button-down, "You didn't get your mountain lion?"

"Of course I did," Edward said, "I just don't eat like a savage because I'm not a child."

"Someone's in a mood," Emmett sat on the rock beside Edward, "Sorry. I know you're in a tough spot, bro. You're so serious all the time. It's no fun and you're killing Jazz with these weird mood swings."

"How do you do it!?" Edward demanded, frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even further, "You're not worried about her?"

"Kit?" Emmett asked, "Why should I be worried? She's having a sleepover with her friend. What should I be worried about? That she'll inhale too many fumes from the nail polish or study too much?"

He snickered, but Edward ignored his joke.

"You of all people should be concerned about how fragile mortals are," Edward snapped, "I saw Kit holding your hand, yesterday. Did you ever consider, one wrong move and you could shatter every bone in her body, kill her in an instant before you could even blink?"

Emmett wasn't fazed, "Before I got to know her, yeah. But it's all good, now, I guess. Just gotta be careful and think about some things."

Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I'm glad it's so easy for you."

Emmett frowned, "It's not, not really. I guess I see what you mean though, about humans being fragile. I wasn't much of a match for a bear that first time around, was I?"

"Bears," Edward muttered, adding a new fear to the pile, "That would be just Bella's luck, wouldn't it? Stray bear in town. Of course it would head straight for her."

"Wow..." Emmett whistled lowly, "Stray bear in town? You sound like a crazy person, do you know that?"

"Think, Emmett!" Edward snarled, "Quit with the jokes for one second! You love Kit, don't you? What if she went hiking and ran into a bear or something? She could get hit by a car...or lightening...or fall down stairs...or get sick—get a disease!" he was shouting now, the words spilling from him, "Fires and earthquakes and tornadoes! Ugh! When's the last time you watched the news? Have you seen the kinds of things that happen to them? Burglaries and homicides. Is she going to La Push? What if she drowns!?"

He wasn't really talking about Kit, he was talking about Bella, but he didn't understand why Emmett was so casual. This was something that he and Emmett should have seen eye-to-eye on. They were both destined to fall in love with humans. It was dangerous with Bella's blood smelling so sweet and Kit being so...well, human. They could easily be killed by the both of them and Edward couldn't fathom why Emmett didn't see that.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up, there, kid," Emmett held up his hands, palms facing outward, "They both live in Forks, remember? So they get rained on. Most of the time, Kit forgets a jacket and I'll give her mine. They won't melt," he shrugged.

"It has to be something else, Emmett," Edward said, his tone quiet again, "Really, out of all the places in the world, they end up in a town where vampires make up a significant portion of the population. What kind of luck is that?"

Emmett still wasn't convinced, "Yeah, but we're vegetarians. So isn't that good luck, not bad?"

Edward shook his head, "Isn't this the worst luck any human could ever possibly have—to have a vampire fall in love with them?"

Emmett narrowed his eyes, "Thanks, I'll make sure to let Kit know that when I tell her about me."

Edward made an apologetic sound in response.

"I'm fine with Kit being turned," Emmett shrugged again, "So, I don't see a problem with this. Honestly, once you get around to accepting the inevitable, everything is going to be fine."

"You think this is inevitable?" Edward repeated, "What if Kit wants to remain human?"

"I haven't heard that one, yet," Emmett said simply, "And if she wants to stay human, that's cool too. Whatever. Just as long as she's happy. Isn't that what matters?"

Edward rolled his eyes. He had asked the wrong person.

Seeing Edward's reaction, Emmett sighed, "It solves your worries about mortality, doesn't it? And then you wouldn't want to kill her, either. Isn't that the best way?"

"For us or them?" Edward asked.

"For both, maybe," Emmett answered, "I really didn't mind it and from Alice's vision, it seems like they might not mind it, either."

Edward finally snickered, "Are you sure you're not the one sounding like the crazy person?"


Author's Note: I've been getting a lot of complaints on how Kit is handling the bullying and you need to realize that is how a lot of people in high school handle it. It's not denial, it's a coping skill. From my own experience and others telling the principal only made things worse as the victims name would usually be mentioned in the confrontation with the bullies.

Kit's not playing dumb, hoping that someone will save her, she just doesn't want the bullying to find a way into her home life or personal life. She's sort of trying to contain it, if that makes sense. I don't think that makes her any less mature.

If it's that big of an issue, there are plenty other stories to read.

Thanks,

FictionChic