Disclaimer: Hugs to all of you gorgeous people!

Chapter 10

Kim`s POV

"When I was your age, boys did not show up naked at my front door." Mom leans a hip against the doorframe, raising an eyebrow at Jared and me.

Oh for the love of pete, you think he`s naked now... "Mom, Jared`s not naked. He`s just... not... fully clothed to social standards." I mumble. I fold my hands carefully on the table, waiting for her to make her move.

"Let me see if I understand." Mom smirks. "You bring a barely clothed young man into the house and expect me to allow you two to socialize without supervision. Correct?"

Yes. "Ah Ma, we`re not doing anything inappropriate." I hear Jared snort softly, wiping a hand over his mouth to hide his smile. I pinch his leg. Bastard probably didn`t even feel it. "He`s a friend, no more." Jared stiffens, his fists curling. I hold my breath.

"Uhuh." Mom points a lavender fingernail at Jared. "Do not step into this house with a shirt again young man."

Jared nods quickly. "I won`t Miss Mandy."

Mom smiles, straightening from the doorframe. "Now if you`ll excuse me, I must get a mop to wipe Kimberly`s drool from my floor."

Oh good grief, it`s not like I`ve been gawking at him the entire time!

I rest my forehead in my hand, breathing in deeply and trying to hide my embarrassment. A burning hand rests on my back. "Drool huh? Didn`t know you had it in you Kim." I growl, making him laugh. "So can I pick you up for school tomorrow?" I push myself to rise into a slouching position. Jared`s watching me with the most eager expression on his face. How can I say no to those puppy eyes?

"Sure."

"Kimerly!"

Whack.

.

Whack.

"Kimerly, wake up!"

Whack.

"Mph." I open one eye and look blearily at Lisa. She`s got a pillow poised over her head, ready to bring crashing down to my head. "Go back to sleep. Sleep`s good for you."

"You`re late! It`s 8 and a 4 and 0!"

8... 4...0? 8:40? 8:40 AM? I jerk my head up and read the numbers on my clock. 8:41 AM on a Friday morning... OH SHIT!

"I`m late!!!" I scramble out of bed, my treacherous blankets twisting around my ankles, causing me to fall at Lisa`s feet. "Liz, grab your stuff and I`ll dump you off-"

"Mom`s driving me. I`f got mys haircut." Haircut, right right.

"Kimberly! Jared`s here!" What! I rush to the window to see Jared`s beat up truck pulling up the driveway. Perfect.

Liz watches in fascination as I scramble around the room, grabbing random clothes (clean? I can only hope), homework, bag, and finding a brush.

"He`s here Kimberly!"

Time`s up.

Dang it.

Jared`s POV

I`m just about to get out to meet Kim when my angel comes racing out the door.

I do a double take.

She looks absolutely breathless. And more beautiful than ever.

Her wavy dark brown hair whips about her face as she leaps into the truck, her hair framing her cheekbones. Kim pushes her blindingly white glasses up on her nose. "Don`t... wheeze... ask." She puffs, bending over to tie her boot laces. I grin, pulling out of her driveway.

"Sleep in?"

Kim pulls out a toothbrush and toothpaste. I burst out laughing. She glares at me. "Shut up and drive."

I shut up and drive, after securing the image of her dishevelled appearance in my memory.

Kim`s POV

I ignore Jared`s maniacal grin as he pulls up to the school. I double check to see my boots are laced before opening the door and hopping out. I glance up to see Jared frowning at me.

"Whath?" I ask around a toothbrush and a mouthful of toothpaste.

"That`s my job."

I spit on the cement. "To brush my teeth?" I don`t have time for this, I need a bathroom to repair all damage control. "I`m your imprint, not your two year old daughter."

Jared shakes his head, giving me a small smile. "I`m supposed to open your door."

"No girl waits around for the guy to open her car door. You`re a couple generations behind, buddy."

Jared stubbornly shakes his head. "It`s my job."

"Well I open my own doors. Let`s go."

Jared frowns down at the steering wheel. I internally wince at his lost expression, like a wounded puppy. Ah shit.

"Oh for the love of cookies n cream!" I hop back into the truck and slam my door closed. I stick my toothbrush back in my mouth and glare angrily at him as I brush.

Jared`s brow creases in confusion. "Is there somewhere else you`d rather be?"

I growl, shaking my head. "Open the friggin door." I brush ferociously, my teeth are going to be sparkling white like... like... like something that`s white and sparkles. I gesture with an impatient hand. "Today would be awesome, thanks!"

Jared`s mouth breaks into a wide grin as he leaps out of the truck and happily bounds to the passenger`s side of the vehicle. He proudly opens the door, extending a hand to me. I grumpily accept, swinging my bag onto my shoulder as I continue to brush. His hand nears the strap. I spit on the cement, millimetres from his big foot. "No touch."

I ignore the stares we receive as I brush with Jared happily walking beside me, his stupid grin making me want to grin myself.

I strap my boot laces tightly together. Lindsay laughs as Emily finishes her paint job. "You do this often?"

Emily smiles. "At least once a month, sometimes twice."

Penny cackles, rubbing her hands in a maniacal way with Rachel. "Luke is so going down."

"Is he the one with shaggy hair?" Leah asks, double checking her gun.

"No," I reply. "That`s Nathan, Luke`s the cuddly football player you like so much." Leah rolls her eyes as everyone chuckles.

"Cute Connweller."

"So, what do we get when we win?" Penny leaps to her feet, pointing her gun to the ground.

"We get an all expense paid dinner." Emily says. "The guys have always had the advantage. You girls ever play?"

"Never." Lindsay lifts the gun against her shoulder, peering through the eye piece. "I assume I aim in their direction and pull."

"Basically yeah, just don't get yourself caught."

I glance around. We`re a pretty tough lookin group of girls. Unbeknownst to Lindsay and Penny, the rest of us girls were the guys` imprintees. Emily and Leah haven`t spoken directly to each other but there`s a restrained peace between them. Rachel winks at me as she zips her army green coat. The guy`s team consists of Sam, Paul, Jared, Jacob, Quil, Embry, Luke, and Nathan.

8-6

They`re going down.

Jared`s POV

"Ha! I shot you in the butt!" Penny crows, doing a weird jig of pumping her fists and legs in the air.

"Yeah, yeah I felt it." Luke mumbles, plopping down to the ground. "Hey guys, be on alert! Penny aims low!!"

I raise my gun to aim at the blue spiked girl. Penny whirls around, screeching and diving to the right as I pull the trigger.

"Oh no you don`t."

"Freeze Jerry- boy." My Kim`s voice melts around my body, causing my arms to instantly relax my hold on my gun. I turn around to smile down at her.

"Jerry-boy?" Who told her that? Paul. Paul, I`m gonna knock you in the junk.

"Yeah!" Kim`s nose wrinkles in a cute fashion as she grins. "Leah Clearwater here`s been telling me some things about you. I kinda like Jerry."

Kim looks so hot in army green pants and jacket. I just wanna whip her hat off her head and kiss her senseless.

"Quit socializing with the enemy Kimberly! Shoot him already!" Leah hisses loudly behind a tree. She has Embry in her line of vision.

"Oh right, I`m supposed to shoot you." Kim grins cheekily. "But I like conspiring with the enemy."

I slowly drop to my knees in surrender. I tilt my head back ever so slightly, smiling into her eyes. "So why not stay with me? I`ll even let you gun me down first." I grip her hips and tug until her chest`s against mine, my nose brushing her chin.

"I think..." Her minty breath brushes against my face. I want to kiss her so bad. "I think I want a free dinner... you`re a goner." She lifts her wrist and pulls the trigger.

I glance down at my chest as the red paintball drips. "You shot me."

"Sucks to be you doesn`t it love?" Kimberly laughs as she turns and runs away.

Behind me, Luke shakes his head, laughing. "You`re whipped Thane!"

I plop onto the ground. "Yeah, yeah, shut up."

Kim`s POV

"Thought I`d lost you back there." Leah mumbles, taking another shot at Quil. As soon as our paintball war began, Leah had grabbed my wrist. `You`re with me.` I understand now. Rachel got shot within 10 minutes of the game, Lindsay lasted for 25 minutes before being gang shot by Jacob, Embry, and Quil. If it hadn`t been for Penny watching, Emily would`ve been shot long time ago.

We girls have managed to gun down Sam, Jared, Paul, and Luke. We haven`t seen much of Nathan.

"Ah crap. Kim, Leah! Emily and I are out!" Crap. 2 against 4. What is with the odds always being against us?

"Quick retreat." Leah mumbles, grabbing my elbow. I follow before coming to a stop.

"This way."

Embry`s POV

I`m gonna getcha, I`m gonna eatcha. I`m gonna getcha, I`m gonna eatcha! I glance over to see Nathan stick his head out from a bush. How that lanky guy can fit himself in a bush is beyond me.

"Giiiirls, come out come out wherever you are!"

"I smell em, but I can`t see em." Jacob mutters, his eyes scanning right to left. To the left, Quil shakes his head, mystified.

Splat.

Quil slowly lifts his hand to the back of his head. Red colours his fingers.

"How`d-" Jacob doesn`t bother to finish his sentence as paintballs shoot out from the trees as the girls leap to the ground. Jacob and I hit the ground at the ambush. Leah and Kimberly laugh, high fiving each other.

"I am looking forward to that dinner."

"Well deserved I thought it was."

Jacob grins, shaking his head. "You still have to get Nathan."

"Which you never will." I taunt. "He`s kept himself under cover for quite some time now."

Leah`s eyes narrow into slits. "Very well." Without taking her eyes off me, she lifts the gun and shoots. A howl sounds from the bush before Nathan pops out, clutching his eye.

Leah turns to a horror stricken yet very amused Kim. "Now I want dinner."

Shit, she`s hot.

Kim`s POV

"It makes you look tough Nathan!" Lindsay exclaims as Penny carefully applies concealer around Nathan`s bruised eye.

"That bitch did it on purpose." Nathan says darkly.

"Do not insult my future wife, Nathan!" Luke yells from behind the bathroom door. Leah`s not about to be the future Mrs. Luke if Embry Call has anything to say about it. But why burst his bubble? Nathan silently flips the bird to the door.

Lindsay tsks over my wardrobe. All of us had agreed to dress for dinner at my house and she didn`t like my closet. "We`re eating Italian in Port Angeles Kimmy. The least you can do is wear something besides cargo pants."

I purposely rattle my hair, clinking the curlers loudly. Penny`s doing, the heartless bitch. "There, you can barely see it now." Penny scrutinizes her work carefully before sitting back in satisfaction.

Nathan glances at himself in the mirror, nodding happily and pushing his hair to the side. "Thanks beautiful."

"You don`t own one freaken skirt! How is your mother a clothing designer and you don`t own one skirt!"

"She creates wedding dresses Lindsay. I get as far away from skirts as I possibly can! We all can`t dress like you." I watch Lindsay with envy as she clicks about in her high two inch little strappy black heels. Her black spaghetti strap dress stopped just above her knees, flaring at the tips. Her hair was compiled into a playful toss, her eyes and mouth carefully painted in smoky colours. Lindsay looks ready for a runway than dinner in Port Angeles.

"You should try to dress up Kimmy, it is Italian." Penny has dressed in a loose summer white skirt and a bright yellow halter top. She was a bit nervous with how the shirt held her boobs but decided to wear it for the first time, a wise decision on her part. Her hair has been tamed a bit so only the back of her head is spiked, the front and bangs smoothed with gel. On her feet are spotlessly white flats.

"I`m gorgeous!" Luke exclaims, completing a circle as he enters my bedroom. Nathan rolls his eyes.

"You`re still the ugly numbskull we all know and put up with."

Luke sniffs, being preppy. "You`re just jealous."

"Here." I turn back to Lindsay as she thrusts clothes into my hands and pushing me towards the bathroom. "Change into these."

I wrinkle my nose. "Skinny jeans Lindsay?"

She points a blood red fingertip at me. "Out." I`m out.

I pull the dark blue skinny jeans on, doing the butt wiggle to make them fit. Then I slip on the dark blue top with a scooped neck on. I glance at the heels. Black and only an inch. Could be worse.

"Hurry up Kim! We still gotta fix your hair!" Penny bellows.

"Yeah Kim, lets see some hussle!" Luke and Nathan shout as one.

Assholes.

Technically, this will be Jared and Kim`s first "date". I apologize for my lack of updating, school and life has been hectic. =)