"KT, we can't be together. What happened last night..."

Jacob and I were walking down the beach. It was a cool day and the sand felt good between my toes. I wanted to hold his hand, but I was afraid to. He didn't seem happy about what happened Friday night.

"Why? Am not pretty enough for you? Do I not have big enough boobs?" I asked angrily, folding my arms across my chest.

He laughed, though I didn't find it funny. "KT, if you were any prettier, you'd be a goddess. And are you kidding me? Not everybody thinks like Paul. I mean seriously, if someone truly loved you, they would not just love your boobs."

I turned my face away and out toward the ocean. "So I guess your saying that you like my boobs but your not in love with me?"

He stopped and grabbed my arm. He turned me so that I was facing him. His face was inches from mine. "You think I don't have feelings for you? If I didn't have feelings for you, then why did I kiss you back?"

"I don't know..." I silently trailed off. His eyes closed and I wanted to run my fingers across his face.

His eyes opened again and he held my face with his hands. He sighed and whispered lightly. "But we cannot be together."

I stared at him, confused. "What?"

"I love you KT, but I'm in love with someone else."

I immediately pulled back and glared at him. I could feel my anger flaring up inside me. His face became somber.

"I'm in love with Bella. I always have been, and always will. I don't really see anyone else but her."

I could feel tears building up in my eyes. "But everything she did to you! Your still going to go back to her?"

He bowed his head in a guilty way. "I'm sorry. It's the truth. Don't get me wrong, I like you, a lot, obviously. But there's something more in Bella that there isn't in you. I can't see you more than a really good friend. I mean come on, Embry likes you, why can't you just like him back?"

I pulled my hand back and slapped him across the face. I was surprised at how hard his face was but I decided not to show the pain that was now erupting in my hand. He lifted a hand up and rubbed the side of cheek.

"Wow, you pack a punch. I guess I deserved that."

With anger, I spun on my heel and stormed off, fuming. I ignored his cries after me, apologizing, saying my name, whatever. I didn't care what he had to say. Do I just get rejected all the time? I almost kiss Embry, he walks away, I kiss Jacob, and he's in love with someone else. What is this place? Hello, welcome to Rejection Reservation. Enjoy your stay, but don't even think about trying to hook up, because you know what will happen? YOU'LL GET REJECTED!

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't realized where I was going. Suddenly someone was right in front of me and I slammed into them, knocking us both over.

"Watch where you're going!" I snapped, when my eyes met the girl I had knocked over.

She was quite pale and looked really fragile. She had large brown puppy eyes that seemed to burst out of her head. I guess you could say she was pretty, but in a childish sort of way. She seemed to be upset as well because she glared at me. But I didn't give her any chance to reply because I stood up and quickly finished making my way up the steps and into my jeep where I slipped on my flip flops.

"Damn bitch," I muttered as I start up the jeep. "Walking on the wrong side of the railing."

The whole entire drive back to Emily's house, I had my music cranked up, blaring, and I was speeding. I had slipped on my aviators since for once it was actually sunny outside. I was pissed, and I didn't care.

As soon as I hopped out of my jeep, I strutted to the house nonchalantly. Oh, I wasn't angry, I was furious. Jacob was such a little pussy. But I wasn't going to let that run my smart-ass good mood. Ha.

I walked over to the sink and ran my wrist over warm water. When I fell I had skinned it against the step. Now I have to say, it wasn't the least bit pleasant. I tried to hide the pain but my poker face wasn't holding up quite so well. Emily walked in and looked me up and down.

"Did everything go alright with Jacob?" she asked kindly, carrying a basket of clothes.

I cringed angrily at his name but I swallowed my angst. "Yeah, just great."

She could hear the forced sarcasm in my voice. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," I said, popping the P.

I carefully walked over and dried my skin mark off with a towel. It stung.

"What happened?" she asked, taking my hand in hers.

"Some girl ran into me on the stairs and I fell," I muttered, looking over at the TV. Paul was sitting quietly on the couch, focused on the football game. And of course, he was shirtless.

"Let me go get a bandaid," Emily said quietly before hurrying down the hallway.

"Why are there always random people in your house Emily? Geez, I feel like this is some kind of hang out for chippendales," I said snidely.

Paul slowly turned his head to glare at me. "Oh, I would have thought you like'd half naked men in your house all the time."

"Really? Men? Well, I'm sorry to burst your little cocky bubble, but not every girl is attracted to you Paul. Sorry." I winced sarcastically.

He snorted. "KT, I get more action a day than you would in a week."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh my bad for not wanting to be a slut."

He scoffed. "Well I was just telling the truth."

"Yeah, right, the truth. I don't think this whole time I've known you, have I ever once heard a word of truth come from your mouth. I just don't think your brain can process all those informational facts. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the principal was considering putting you in summer school. Cause right now, the way you act does not sound like someone who has an education."

I sighed dramatically, shaking my head as I saw his face turn a shade of red, than blue...

"You better shut the fuck up!" Paul shouted, standing up and walking towards me. I stood my ground.

"You can't make me! I'm intellectually smarter than you. Anything you say, I'll have something to say back!" I shouted at him.

"If you weren't Embry's imprint, I would have smacked the fuck out of you already! And you better be god damn lucky, your girl too!"

"Paul that is enough!" Emily's voice rang out in the room and made us both jump. Paul instantly stopped shaking and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He went and sat back down on the couch, his hands in fists. My heart was racing, and I was trying to slow my breathing down.

"If you cannot control you anger, than you can get your ass right out of this house. Do you understand me?"

Emily's face was flaring with anger. And I, I was scared shitless. It's one thing to make Emily mad. It's another to make her cuss.

She then turned to me. I swallowed.

"And KT, leave Paul alone. Don't you have something better to do than get in an argument?"

I hesitated. "Uhh...yeah."

She grabbed my wrist in her hand and gently squirted some Polysporin on my cut before placing a bandaid on it.

"Alright," she said softly. "Now, you can watch TV with Paul if you want, but I better not hear you two arguing. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," I said almost immediately before taking my phone out of my pocket. "I'm just going to step out and make a call."

She nodded as I slipped out the front door as I dialed the number. I walked silently back and forth on the porch until they finally picked up the phone.

"KT! I thought you'd never call!"

"Hey Matt," I replied, smiling when I said his name. Boy I missed him.

"How are you doing baby? I've been so worried, you haven't been answering my texts."

I sighed. "It's been a little busy around here these days. With...half naked guys and all..."

"Oooo! Matt likes!"

I snorted. "I bet right now you probably want to switch places with me. But I'm being serious. I miss Hawaii, I miss the warmth, the sunshine. I miss you guys. Especially you and Ray."

He sighed. "Oh Kitty, I truly pity you."

"Why can't you come save me?" I whined.

He laughed. "Honey, I would if I could. Trust me, surfing is just not the same without you. So what's going on that is so busy?"

"Oh," I groaned playfully. "My coach is making me start dry-land. You know how much I hate it. I have to do like, a hundred push ups in less than five minutes, tons of crunches and sit ups, and ab shit that you wouldn't even imagine. God, how I have forgotten how much I hated the beginning of swim season."

"I see. Sounds very terrible. You know, the best thing to do is take some ice baths. Those help a lot."

"Yeah," I sighed. "I skipped today because I had to talk to a...uh...friend."

There was silence on the other end. "Kathryn..."

I stomped my foot lightly like a little girl. "It was just a little crush!"

"How many times do I have to teach you how to control your crazy girlish hormones?" he said in a flat monotone voice.

I giggled. "But he wasn't the only one. That's why I've been so busy!"

"I knew it!"

"It was an accident actually. I don't know how to explain it. I like this one guy, a lot, but this other one just feels more natural. But don't worry, I'm not going to be some stupid slut of a player. One of them, the one I was talking to, is in love with someone else."

He sighed. "This is your third week in Washington and you have already got two guys strung to you like puppies."

"Actually, it's more like the other way around."

He sighed, and I could almost see him shaking his head.

"Kathryn Owen Player. I miss you terribly. I have to hang up now because we are having a bonfire and they are all waiting for me. I love you darling. Please take care of yourself and don't do anything absolutely crazy. I'll call you later baby."

I sighed, my slightly good mood leaving quickly. "Ok. I love you too Mattie. Have fun without me."

"Love you," he whispered before hanging up. I clicked 'end' on my phone and slipped it in my pocket.

I looked up and was ready to walk inside when I saw Embry standing in the middle of the driveway, agonized pain streaked across his face. I gave him a quizzical look before he turned and practically ran into the woods. Had he heard my whole conversation? Sam walked from the woods and looked behind him in confusion. His eyes met mine and they seemed questioning. I shrugged and gave him my best innocent look. Two other guys followed him. Jared and Jacob. I quickly turned and walked into the house.

"KT will you help me with this?" Emily shoved a stack of plates and forks in my hands.

I blew the hair out of my face and softly groaned.

This was going to be a long night.

The next week went from bad, to worse. While I ignored Jacob completely, I was getting no attention from Embry whatsoever. I tried to talk to him twice but he wouldn't even listen to me. It made me so mad. Because of this, I depended more on Leah as a friend, and she seemed to like me better now that I was just as pissed as her.
Kim and I became closer friends. We went to each other's houses after school a lot to study for different tests and things to get ready for finals. She always asked me why I had moved here so late in the second semester and how she didn't know that they'd let people come in after this point. I would answer that I was a special exception. Living the life of a surfing celebrity had it's ups and downs.
Other than that, I was completely jealous about how happy she was with Jared. They were almost like a mini Sam and Emily. He never seemed to be able to take his eyes off her, and whatever she decided to do, he'd do it. Not a single complaint from him if she wanted to do homework instead of going to a party. He would pick her up whenever she needed him to, he would come and watch her at swim practice. And yes, I have run into them making out in the girls locker room after everyone had left, multiple times. I envied them, and I envied their love.

It wasn't until Saturday, a week later, that my life dramatically changed.

There was a little get together at the Clearwater's house. It was supposed to be a nice party because it was Sue's birthday. Emily and Leah had planned a surprise party for her since it was her first birthday after Harry had died. I felt bad for her, so I thought this party would really be a nice thing to do.
When I had moved here, I had only brought one dress. It was a short yellow dress that reminded me of the bright summer months in Hawaii. It might have been a little too short to be exactly modest, but it really brought out the nice toned shape of my legs. The boyfriend I used to have back in Hawaii was in love with my legs. He just loved running his hands up and down them.

A shiver traveled up my spine.

I had had swim practice that morning, and I actually was able to go swim. I was afraid to climb in, see the visions of my parents disappointed faces and pass out, but I soon realized it was only jumping in from the blocks that made me nervous. Climbing down the stairs and into the water didn't bother me. I had missed the water a little bit, so swimming laps back and forth made me feel a little better about myself.
Sam and Emily had already left for the party, so I was home alone. I took a quick shower then dried and curled my hair. I put on light makeup and put on my dress. I looked like a ray of sunshine, but a sad ray of sunshine. What I really wanted was for Embry to notice me again. Ever since that night he heard my conversation I feel like he's been avoiding me. Maybe over the course of the week, he's realized what kind of person I am, and doesn't want to be with me. He is probably in love with someone else too.

I sighed, playing with my hair in the mirror before grabbing my purse and heading out the door.

As I ran out to my jeep, it had already started raining. It was a light sort of drizzle, but from the dark color of the clouds, I knew there was going to be a storm. And you know what? I was right. Five minutes later, my eyes were straining to see out the front window shield that was currently covered in pounding raindrops. My window shield wipers were on high and I still couldn't see. All I could see ahead of me was white. I turned my lights on bright, but it didn't help.
We get typhoons in Hawaii, which are about ten times as worse as this, but still. I had never actually driven in one before. This seemed about right. Pouring rain, loud thunder cracks. Yeah, this was the life.
One of the things that was making it harder was that while I was trying to concentrate on the road, I also had to keep control of my jeep, which was a stick-shift, and currently, very hard to handle. It kept getting jammed when I tried to change gear. I grumbled. This was just great.
Angrily, I yanked back on the shifter and I heard a loud grinding noise from underneath the car. There was a pop from the engine and my jeep quit on me. I slowly steered myself to the curb than but the brake on, shoving it into park.
I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel and cursed. I grabbed the umbrella from the passenger seat and ventured out into the pouring rain. I propped open the hood and a whole billow of smoke came from the engine. I cursed again and tried to remember what I had learned in my mechanics class. But with the pouring rain and the stem and smoke, there was no point in trying to see anything. I kicked the front of my jeep with my toe and cried out when it actually hurt me more than it did the car. I slammed the hood down and walked over and crouched down so I could look underneath the car. I saw the shifter had come undone and was hanging limply under the jeep.

"Damn," I muttered.

Angry and defeated, I threw the umbrella, letting it fly away into the storm. The tears started streaming down my cheeks as I slid down the side of my jeep and sat on the ground. My head leaned back against the door, my hands covering my face. Why was the world so cruel to me? Why couldn't people accept how I was? Why did Embry have to reject me so many times? Why did my parents have to die? Why? WHY? I slammed the back of my head against my jeep several times. I was stuck here. I'm soaked to the bone, freezing, and I had no where to go. I didn't get back into the jeep. I didn't care. I didn't care anymore. Just leave me here to die.

It was then that I saw headlights in the midst of white. I didn't even bother to get up. I watched as the car slowed and pulled off onto the curb on the other side. The door opened and a tall man got out and ran across the street.

"What the hell happened?" he yelled at me through the pouring rain.

It was Embry.

"My jeep died on me!" I yelled back.

He crouched down so that his face was level with mine. "So you're just going to sit here and not get in your jeep to stay warm? It's freezing and you're wearing a dress!"

I shrugged. I hadn't really noticed the cold. "I didn't want to get the seats wet."

He grabbed my arm angrily and yanked me gently off the ground. He then crouched down and looked under my jeep. Standing up he walked over to the hood and propped it up.

"You killed your engine!" he shouted. "You skipped a gear when you were downshifting which caused the grinding of your synchronizer. It's really bad for your car."

"Well thanks for letting me know what I did wrong!" I yelled angrily. "I'll try not to do it next time it's pouring rain and I'm trying to get to a party!"

He gives me an incredulous look before slamming down the hood.

"If you want, you can catch a ride with me. I was just on my way to the party."

I stomped my foot as he walked past me and started crossing the street toward his car.

"Do you have to be this stuck up all the time? Why do you always act like I don't exist?" I yelled after him, but he gave me no acknowledgment.

Then I surprise myself by blurting, "I might be falling in love with you."

He stops, but doesn't turn.
I freeze, terrified that he actually heard me.
Suddenly, he turns and walks back fast. My heart pounds. His jaw is set, and his eyes intense.
He takes my face with two hands. His eyes drink in every part, and then a slight pause, hesitation perhaps. For a moment, he turns away and then with the same intensity as when he closed the distance between us, he pulls me against him and kisses me. He kisses me firmly with his soft and hungry mouth. He tastes salty and sweet, and I fall into a blinding torrent of wonder.
He pulls away slightly, still holding my face with two hands, and my legs feel like they might not sustain my weight. The rain is still pounding around us but I can no longer feel it. His warmth is consuming me.

"What did you say?" he whispers, close enough so that I can hear him.

"I might be falling in love with you," I whisper, finding it hard to focus on his face.

"KT," he says, almost sadly.

"What? You might be falling in love with me too?" My voice is hopeful, pathetically hopeful.

He shakes his head.

"You aren't falling in love with me?"

He doesn't respond. I touch his face carefully with the tips of my fingers. His skin is incredibly soft above the line of hard jawbone. I touch his silky black hair. His eyes close and I want to kiss his eyes, but I'm afraid. Afraid of all of this. This could destroy me.

He opens his eyes. "KT, I'm already in love with you."

eepp! I know everyone has been waiting for this to finally happen... :) :) I got the idea from a book I read. lol but anyways, hope you enjoyed it! If you want to see what KT's dress looks like there is a link on my profile page to photobucket where I have a album of pictures. Please review! :)