A/N: Alright, here it is! The next chapter! Sorry for the bit of a delay in this chapter - I suddenly had the biggest urge to pick up a story I'd been writing months and months ago (it's a Harry Potter fanfiction called "Life Goes On" if you're interested) and it completely took over my life last week. Expect the next chapter update for "Then Came the Spark" Friday evening! In the meantime I'd love to hear some of your thoughts and feelings on Jared and Kim, reviews would be much appreciated!

Chapter 10

Kim's POV

The rest of the school day flashed by in the blink of an eye; Jared never met me at lunch but Lily explained in study hall that he had swung by looking for me. Rowan, usually so upbeat and excited about boys, seemed rather stoic and unsure of how to handle the situation. Regardless, I was too worried about getting home and straightening up before Jared came over to focus on Rowan's sudden attitude change. She doesn't keep things to herself, so I'm sure I'll hear about it sooner rather than later.

"Have a nice weekend Kim!" Lily called as she rushed past me towards her bus, "Call if you need anything! Oh! And say 'hi' to your gramma for me!" In a blur of black hair, swinging book bag, and flying papers she rushed by me and through the double doors.

As I double checked the books still in my locker – I was always nervous to leave school on Friday without all of the books and papers I'd need over the weekend – I felt a presence come to a stop behind me. Nervously shifting from one foot to the other, I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to see none other than Rowan… I guess that conversation would be happening even sooner than I anticipated.

"Have everything you need for the weekend?" she asked as she swept her hair back into a sleek ponytail.

"Yea, I think so…" I nodded, shoving the last of my textbooks that I'd need into my large shoulder bag.

She snorted, "Do you really need all of those?"

A small smile crept across my lips – she knows me well. "Not exactly…"

"Always a nerd, Kim. Always!"

We laughed as we headed out of the building; we didn't walk home together very often. Rowan was very involved in extracurricular activities, so she usually stayed after school. Today was one of those rare occasions that we were able to walk home together.

"Jared still coming over tonight?"

I took a deep breath and contemplated my wording. "I think so; he mentioned doing dinner then taking a walk on First Beach…"

Rowan smiled at me, "That does sound really nice… What're you doing for dinner?"

"That, I'm not so sure of. He just mentioned dinner and the walk… I was thinking that if I got home earlier enough I could probably whip up some pasta and garlic bread." Dinner is all that had been on my mind since I'd spoken with Jared earlier. I was excellent at analyzing other people's comments and statements, and it struck me as slightly odd that Jared hadn't asked me 'out' to dinner. But, I'd been reminding myself all day that this entire situation was overwhelmingly odd and asking someone 'out' to dinner implied a date… Which Jared had most definitely not implied by any stretch of the imagination. I had to be careful not to get ahead of myself.

"Psh, screw that… It's Friday and it's not the 1950's – order in, go out to dinner, make him cook for you, but I wouldn't be bothered to cook for him."

I couldn't help but laugh, "What? Why not?"

"Don't set the precedent now, that you'll cook for him! My mom always says that she learned that the hard way… I swear that's part of why my parents fight so much. Mom hates cooking and always wants to order in, Dad can't stand it." Rowan rolled her eyes dramatically. "What're you planning to wear tonight?"

I feigned mock horror, "You mean this outfit isn't good enough?"

"Well," Rowan said as she jokingly stroked her chin in her best Tim Gun imitation, "maybe something a bit more formfitting?"

Now that caught me off guard… "Really?" I looked down at my outfit. Sure, it was modest and comfortable… Did I really need to change into something tighter?

"Isn't this kind of a date?" Quirking an eyebrow at me, Rowan was watching my face carefully, waiting to see a flicker of anxiety… I'm pretty sure she just saw what everyone else does: Pathetic junior girl who's so unaccustomed to dates that she wouldn't know one if it bit her in the ass.

I adjusted my bag, reflexively checking that I had my core subject textbooks. "I don't think so…"

"But it's dinner and a walk on First Beach?" Rowan wondered, absentmindedly scratching her head. "Doesn't the imply 'date'? No… doesn't that scream 'date'?"

"Is it a date if it wasn't specified as a date?"

"Maybe?" Rowan was beginning to look genuinely confused now. "I mean… I don't know… If there wasn't a label on it when he talked to you about, I wouldn't want to go labeling it."

"Exactly." I nodded in total agreement. "I don't want to get my hopes up for something only to find out it was a figment of my imagination."

I'd begun to walk a bit faster, the anxiety of whether or not this was a dating pulling me forward to my home where I could panic in privacy; Rowan reached forward and grasped my shoulder, gently but surely pulling me to a stop.

"Now, hold up Kim. Don't sabotage yourself." Her eyes rolled upwards to the sky, almost as if she was looking for the right words to say from some source of divine inspiration. The two of us stood in the damp dirt path that led towards our neighborhood, Rowan looking for the right words while I was just looking to get home before the rain hit. "The past two days have been really strange, ever since he saw you in Legends class… but I'm going to give Jared the benefit of the doubt: just because he never bothered to take the time to talk to you before his absence does not mean that he isn't being sincere. Judging by your phone call last night after he left, he seems to have… somewhat suddenly and strangely, no offense, developed a sudden interest in you… And quite frankly, as your best friend, I feel like it's about damn time! You've been interested in him for years Kim – you're a good, sweet person! Karma seems to be working in your favor at the moment, so don't psych yourself out of something that may be exactly, and all, that you've been hoping for!"

My jaw had hit the ground somewhere between the middle and end of Rowan's little tirade. Rowan may have been my best friend and all, but she wasn't an overly emotional type of person. She usually preferred to maintain a safe distance from drama and observe with interest while she analyzed all parties involved. This was very unlike her – of course I'd always known she was fiercely protective, but I'd never expected her to be such a fierce defender of me… I had the sudden urge to dig some paper out of my book bag and try to write down all of what she'd just said – it was beautiful and empowering, and something I couldn't help but wish I heard more often. I knew the second I got home and had a moment to myself I'd be frantically trying to scribble down and recreate all of what Rowan had just said; it was something I wanted to read every morning before school and every night before bed. I couldn't help or even be bothered to try to overcome the overwhelming urge to lean in and pull her into a fierce hug.

"Wh- what is happening Kim?" Rowan asked startled as she patted my back, awkwardly but undoubtedly in an attempt to be soothing.

"Thanks for that… I really needed that reminder today…" I whispered into her shoulder while I squeezed my eyes shut tight trying to stop the tears from overflowing.

"Holy shit… are you crying?"

"No…" I stuttered sloopily, my voice overcome with emotion that betrayed the tears pooling in my eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so girly about it," I chuckled pulling away and doing my best to keep my tears from falling down my face, "it's just… what you just said? It meant a lot…"

Rowan threw her arm around me and hugged me tight to her side as we continued our walk home, "Yea… sure thing Kim… I love you too."

Eventually Rowan and I went our separate ways; we may have lived in the same neighborhood, but LaPush was fairly spread out. The second I'd stepped into the house I dropped my bag by the door and winced at the resounding thump it gave. Normally, had my mom been home, she would've commented that carrying all those books to and from school wasn't good for my back, but then she'd smile at me warmly and call me her 'little bookworm'. The house felt notably colder without her there; but I didn't have much time to contemplate how much 'homier' home felt with her – I had Jared to worry about.

Racing upstairs to my room, I threw my bedroom door wide open and bee-lined it towards my closet. I didn't have too many clothes - I preferred to spend any spare money I had on books – but what Rowan had mentioned before we separated resonated with me. Whether or not tonight was technically a date was completely out of my realm of comprehension, but that didn't mean I couldn't at least look nice. Form fitting clothes weren't my typical staple, but I did have a clean camisole that I could wear under my ballet cardigan… I'd pair it with skinny jeans and flats to keep from looking like I was trying too hard. From there I was rushing to apply a bit more makeup then I usually would – foundation to even out my russet skin tone, a tinted lip balm, and some eyeshadow that would make the mascara I'd put on this morning pop. Nothing too flashy – my mom always told me it was better to wear less, in case you over applied and wound up looking like a prostitute. Thinking quickly about some of the looks I'd seen girls at school sporting, I had to agree with my mom – she wasn't wrong.

I'd rushed through getting ready and was surprised to find that my clock indicated I'd only been home for half an hour… I'd never found Jared after he missed our lunch to decide what time we'd meet up, and the pit in my stomach was something I knew would be there all night until he turned up or reached out. So, I did the only thing I could think of and headed downstairs to straighten the house up… In case he decided to come in… In case he actually turned up.

As I began the tedious process of straightening up I turned up the radio and opened some of the windows to let a nice cool breeze float through the downstairs. Nothing makes cleaning quite as tolerable as blasting some good music and dancing around.

Jared's POV

Try as I might I couldn't seem to catch a fucking break. Paul claimed that he talked to Kim in their art class, but the conversation hadn't lasted long. Whether that was because Paul couldn't carry a conversation, Kim was too shy, or the teacher had required silent work, I wasn't sure I'd ever know. I just knew that Kim had managed to get out of school before I'd seen her again, which meant our plans for tonight hadn't been solidified and I was left feeling like the biggest douchebag in the history of the world. On top of being detained during lunch I was also being kept after school by my college and career advisor who seemed to think I had college or a career to look forward to… God… Life could be such a fucking joke sometimes. What I had to look forward to was my future with Kim, who I'd just missed leaving school… College? Not likely with the sudden influx of fucking vampires.

I didn't even get out of my advisor's office till fifteen minutes after the final bell had rung and by the time I'd reached the school parking lot it'd all but cleared out with the exception of some teacher's cars, and a few random other students. And of course Paul. Who was leaning up against my beat up truck looking like he was ready to punch something.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Paul growled at me as he stalked around the truck to the passenger side, throwing his book bag in the trunk and slamming the car door.

"Don't start that shit with me, Paul." I snarled at him as I through the car into drive and sped out of the little senior parking lot.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Getting college and career guidance from a total idiot." I shot Paul a look, "Have you been called in yet?"

"Me?" He started laughing, "Uh, that'd be a strong no. I don't know if the school would even bother wasting their time calling me in for that – I've never had the grades for college, even from before the change."

"Yea, well…" I couldn't find the words. "Consider yourself lucky. It pretty much sucks to hear people tell you, you have all this potential when you know that there isn't a chance in hell of it working out."

"Not under the regime of Sergeant Sam." Paul snarled.

"Don't be like that – he's tough, but he's not an asshole on purpose."

"Could've fooled me." Paul and Sam don't have the best relationship. Sometimes I wonder if I only phased to keep them from killing one another.

"And I don't think Sam would keep us from college if he didn't need us… Sounds like there might be more of us soon if you listen to Old Quil and Billy Black."

There was a near deafening silence that filled the truck cabin before Paul spoke lowly, "You know… I really hope not… I wouldn't wish this shit on my worst enemy."

"Same, man. Same."

Kim's POV

Dancing through Beyonce's album had put me in a better mood… That's not to say that it erased my memory and made me forget about Jared, but it did its job. My endorphins were running high and I suddenly felt like I could take on the world – or at least the family room, which was now the cleanest it'd been since mom's last spring cleaning… Three years ago.

I chanced a quick glance out the front window. No Jared.

But there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind – I was forgetting something. My phone! I gave Jared my phone number yesterday!

Racing, much like a lunatic, towards the front door where I'd dropped my bag after school I fell to my knees and began frantically searching for my old cell phone. It was old… And heavy – not like the cool new iPhones that some of the richer kids at school had, but it did the job and it had a full keyboard for texting which was all I really needed. And there it was: seven missed calls and twelve text messages. All. From. Jared.

My heart was pounding as I scrolled through the messages; I wasn't used to getting calls or messages from anyone other than Rowan or Lily, or my mom for that matter, but I should've been smart enough to keep my phone with me. God, was I the worst teenage girl, or what?

Seven missed calls from Jared. Twelve text messages from Jared. What I'd learned? He was already on his way over.

Fortuitously enough, just when my heart's pounding had reached its fever pitch, the doorbell rang.