Chapter 12
I pulled Seth down the stairs and into the kitchen with Amber. "So, are you going to tell me what happened at the beach today?" Amber asked, eating another pickle. I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't that big of a deal. We got there and some guys were being total pricks so we left." Amber raised an eyebrow at my poor description. I really didn't want to relive what happened at the beach.
Seth, on the other hand, had no problem recounting everything that happened. Seth went into complete detail, keeping Amber's total attention. I rested my head on the table and saw how animated he got with his story and how Amber would flip out over every little detail.
After the story was finished, Amber stood up. "I have a good mind to go and tell those bozos to never mess with my sister again." I laughed at her. She was beautiful enough to be a model. She wasn't someone that you'd expect to go and try to initiate a fight with two eighteen year olds.
"Calm down, Amber. I'm pretty sure they've left the beach," I said in between laughing. She was about to respond when her cell phone rang. She took one look at the screen and answered immediately. "Hi, babe. No, I told you, the ultrasound was moved to next week. Yes, you have to call off work. Look, you can stay at work and then I'll get that nice new mail man to go with me to the doctor's office. You know, the one with the strong arms." I laughed at Amber and Nate's playful banter. She left the room still arguing with Nate. They were such a perfect couple.
The minute that we heard her footsteps going up the stairs, Seth scooted closer to me. "I think you're cute," he whispered in my ear. I fought the smile that was creeping on my face. I lost the fight and all of my teeth were showing in an uncomfortable grin. "You've said that already," I said, biting my lower lip when he tried to kiss me. He kissed me on the cheek and whispered, "You seem to forget that. I just want you to remember."
I looked into his light brown eyes and smiled again. I was doing that a lot more often since Seth walked into my life. Now, I was more confused than ever. Last week, he was a very good friend. This morning, he was my crush. Now, I had no idea what he was.
"Seth, what are we?" I asked looking up at him through my eyelashes. He shrugged. "Whatever you want us to be." That was just it. I didn't know what I wanted us to be. He was so young. I would be labeled a pedophile forever if people knew about us. However, when we were together we didn't worry about age at all.
"I like you a lot, Seth…" "But…" he said, his face falling. "I don't know how others will react to us being together. I mean, you're a great guy. I don't exactly have the greatest track record with social relationships. Not to mention, Melissa still really likes you. I'm not the most innocent person on the planet. I've been in a ton of trouble before and I'm prone to getting into shit. I have emotional issues and I wake up in the middle of the night screaming when I get worked up during the day. I'm not worth the trouble." I looked up at him and his face was emotionless. "I really like you, I just don't think that you like me enough to put up with all of my issues. Besides, you're so young…"
Seth cut me off by pushing his mouth onto mine. He put his hand behind my neck and brought my face closer to his. His lips moved against mine and I thought that I would melt. "I really like you, Samantha," he said in between kisses. "Don't call me that," I said smiling into the kiss. I pulled away from him and smiled up at him. "Amber is still in the house, you know?"
He laughed. "I know. I just get carried away sometimes," he said pecking me on the lips. "However, I think you have a good point." I raised an eyebrow, letting him know that he needed to explain. "I don't know how everyone's going to react. Maybe we should keep this under wraps for a while, until we figure everything out."
"I agree," I said giving him a small smile.
Amber's footsteps started descending the staircase. "I'm not cooking anything tonight, so if you kids want to eat something, you'll follow me to Sue's," she said reaching for her car keys. "I don't know, Amber. Seth's been avoiding his house like the plague," I said, following her to the door. "Why is that?" she asked. "Too many chicks in one house," Seth replied. Amber laughed at Seth's reply.
"Speaking of chicks, aren't you the least bit worried about where Melissa is?" Seth looked at me warily and I gave him the same look. She hopped in the driver's seat while I hopped in the passenger's seat and Seth got in the back. After a long awkward silence, Amber broke out in a fit of laughter.
"You don't have to answer that Seth. I know you don't like Melissa." Amber gave me a sideways glance and a very obvious wink. I rolled my eyes and heard Seth trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh. Yep. We made the right decision to keep this under wraps. I just didn't know how long we could keep the charade up.
As we were driving and Amber was listening to her stupid Pussycat Dolls CD, I felt my phone vibrate. I looked down at my cell to see a text from Seth. I think you're cute.-Seth. I stared at my phone and smiled like an idiot. "What's got you so smiley?" Amber said suspiciously.
"Yeah, what's gotten into you?" Seth questioned, knowing the answer to my happiness. "I'm just texting this really cute guy," I replied, trying to keep my cool. "Yeah? Do I know him?" Amber asked, instantly interested. I nodded my head. "Mike Newton has definitely grown on me," I said smirking to myself. Amber squealed in delight and Seth started coughing trying to cover up his laugh.
"I knew you'd come around. He's such a nice guy. I mean, how could you turn down blonde hair and blue eyes like that?" I rolled my eyes at Amber. "Earlier this morning, you were so sure that I was in to Rock Gods. Mike doesn't exactly fit into that category."
"Hey, it's always good to keep an open mind. Before I met Nate, I never dated a white guy." I tuned out Amber's long history of dating. I had heard it millions of times before.
Hey Mike. ;) I text back. Seth chuckled in the back seat. Thankfully, by the time Amber was talking about Pierre, the Italian/French artist, we reached Seth's house. I jumped out of the car before she even had it parked. I couldn't bear to stay in there another second.
Before I reached the front door, Leah yanked it open. Tears were streaming down her face and she was running at full speed. She nearly knocked me over, but I jumped out of the way. Kaitlyn was right behind her. Kaitlyn had a scowl on her face. I knew that something bad had happened.
I looked back at Seth and he was just as confused as I was. He walked ahead of me and entered the house. "That was weird," I commented. The minute we walked into the house, we heard a slap.
Seth's cousin, Emily, had just slapped the hell out of Sam. She looked pissed off. Sam was shaking from anger and looked like he was about to hit her back. Seth and Mr. Clearwater intervened immediately. They tried to hold Sam back, but it wasn't necessary. Emily made a beeline for the door and exited just as quickly as Leah and Kaitlyn had.
"What the hell is going on?" Seth asked, staring at his mother. Sam shook Mr. Clearwater and Seth off of him as if they were little bugs. Sam looked a lot bigger than he did the last time I saw him. He looked much more muscular and taller. He looked like he was taking steroids. I felt like a grain of sand compared to this guy.
Sam stormed out of the house, pushing past me and nearly knocking me over. I was not a domino. I did not want to be knocked over by everyone.
Amber ran in after that. "Sue, is everything okay? Did we just miss something?" Sue sat down in the chair in the kitchen. She looked like she was on the verge of hysterics and Mr. Clearwater didn't look much better. They looked like they had just seen ghosts.
As if being shocked or awaken from a coma, Sue looked up at Amber with a forced smile on her face. "Sam and Leah just got into a little argument. Nothing unusual. You know how these teenagers can be." That looked like a lot more than a little argument. Amber and I exchanged looks. She felt the same way that I did.
Suddenly, Kaitlyn came back into the house. Her eyes were puffy, which was a clear sign that she had been crying. She looked uncomfortable with all of us staring at her like this. "Is it okay if Leah stays over at our house tonight?" She asked, looking between Amber and Mrs. Clearwater. "It's fine with me," Amber answered, looking at Mrs. Clearwater for confirmation. She just nodded her head.
With that, Kaitlyn exited the house again, probably going to relay the message to Leah. Amber tried to start several conversations, but it was obvious that no one was responding. She finally gave up and stood up. "Well, I'll call you later, Sue," she said, walking out of the house, feeling defeated.
I gave Seth one last glance before I left. He still looked confused, not at all pleased with his mother's explanation. He looked at me, and gave a small smile and wave. I mouthed the words bye and followed Amber out the door.
Leah and Kaitlyn were standing by the car. Leah had her head in her hands and Kaitlyn was trying to console her. I felt so bad for her. Leah and Sam had been together for years. I wondered what could have been so bad to make everyone react so crazily.
Amber hopped in the driver's seat and I hopped in the passenger's seat. Leah and Kaitlyn were in the back. We rode in silence, save for the few sniffles from Leah. "I think I'm going to order pizza. Is everyone okay with that?" I was the only one that responded. Leah seemed dead and Kaitlyn was too busy trying to revive her.
We pulled up to our house. "Leah, you can sleep in Melissa's bed. She's sleeping over a friend's house," Amber said, jumping out of her car. "Thank you Mrs. Thompson." Leah deadpanned.
The minute we got in the house, Leah and Kaitlyn ran up the stairs. Amber gave me a worried look and I gave her what I thought was a reassuring smile. "I'm sure she'll be better once things calm down." She shook her head. "It must've been really bad. Leah and Sam DON'T fight. Ever" Amber said, still confused.
Nate got home a few minutes later with Chinese food. Thank god for Nate. I stood at the kitchen counter and ate a plate of eggrolls while Nate and Amber were in the living room watching Grey's Anatomy. My cell phone buzzed and I looked at the text message that I received from Seth.
So, I didn't get to kiss my girlfriend goodbye. –Seth
Ha, she should dump your sorry ass. :P
I hope she won't. I'll just have to make it up to her the next time I see her. ;)-Seth
How are things at your house?:/
Dead. Emily has been crying non-stop and Sam has called at least seventy times. How about you?-Seth
The same. Leah and Kaitlyn have locked themselves away. It's just really awkward. All this tension is getting to me. I think I'm going to go lay down. Goodnight.
Goodnight Baby Doll. –Seth
I looked up from my phone to see Kaitlyn come into the kitchen. Amber, Nate, and I stared at her expectantly. She just walked over to my plate and grabbed an eggroll.
"Sam's in love with Emily," Kaitlyn said with no emotion. Amber shot up from her seat and ran to Kaitlyn and shook her. "What do you mean, 'he's in love with Emily'? He's supposed to be in love with Leah."
"Yeah, I'm going to assume that that's why they're not together anymore," I said obviously. Amber rolled her eyes at me and continued bombarding Kaitlyn with questions. "What do you mean they're not together? What did Sam do? I thought they were supposed to be getting married next year; is that still happening? Is she pregnant?" Amber's eyes were as large as saucers.
"Look, I don't know anything other than what happened just a few hours ago," Kaitlyn said, still maintaining her emotionless voice. Kaitlyn's eyes were puffy and red. She had obviously been crying, but it looked like she was about to fall over from being tired.
"Well, what happened?" Amber asked, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. Kaitlyn took a deep breath and prepared to tell us the entire story. I suddenly felt totally awkward. I wasn't a big fan of drama. I avoided it with all of my power. I didn't want to hear what happened because it was honestly none of my business. On the other hand, I felt so compelled to do something for Leah. I wanted to help her get better. Seeing the ever confident Leah Clearwater look lost, confused, and heartbroken was enough to make the most nonchalant person care.
"Well, we were all at Leah's house," Kaitlyn began. "Everything was fine. Emily, Leah, and I were having a blast. I mean, it was probably the most fun I've had in a long time. Anyway, the only reason why Emily was here in the first place was because Leah was so dead set on her meeting Sam."
I visibly flinched at the sound of Sam's name. I instantly remembered seeing how confused, pissed, and sad he looked at the Clearwater's. He honestly looked like he was crazy. Just a few weeks ago, he looked like a normal guy. Now, whenever I think of Sam, I'm going to always imagine him being the steroid using, anger management issues having prick that broke my twin sister's best friend's heart.
"Emily and Leah are best friends, so it only seemed right to have them meet each other before the meeting," Amber commented. I guess she was right. If my best friend didn't approve of my boyfriend, I don't know if I'd be able to tie the knot. However, in my case, my best friend is my boyfriend. He wouldn't be able to not approve of himself. Right?
"The weird thing is, is that Sam had gone completely AWOL before tonight. Like, he was nowhere to be found. Leah was a complete mess because she didn't know where he was and neither did his mom. Then, all of a sudden, he shows up to her house looking like a freaking body builder." I knew I wasn't the only one that noticed Sam's change in appearance. The guy looked like a beast.
"He gave one look at Emily, and it was like he completely forgot that Leah was in the room," Amber said, with her eyes downcast. Her cheeks started to redden. "He was openly undressing her with his eyes." My face became red, too. I was only hearing the story. I couldn't imagine being in the room with such lewd activities going on in front of me. I would've died.
"That doesn't sound like Sam at all. I mean, I've only known him for a few years, but he's always been respectable, especially to Leah. Maybe he's on drugs?" Amber offered. It was hard for me to believe that this Sam was the nice guy I met a few weeks ago, too.
Kaitlyn laughed drily. "Well, he'd have to be for what he did next." I felt uncomfortable again. I knew I wasn't going to be able to do something and that bothered me. I knew that whatever Kaitlyn was about to say was going to be pretty bad.
"He asked Emily out on a date in front of everyone. When she asked him about Leah, he broke up with her. Right then and there. He didn't give a damn about her," Kaitlyn said with a few tears gathering in her eyes. "She was so hurt. Ugh! If I was Sam's size, I'd kick him in the balls," she said with a fire in her eyes.
Amber had the same look in her eyes and I could only imagine that my eyes mirrored theirs. "Nate is closer to his size than any of us are. Nate, go kick Sam Uley in the balls!" she said, walking into the living room.
"That's not necessary, Amber." Everyone looked up to see Leah Clearwater with tears still falling down her face. She wiped her face and sniffled. I had never seen her so vulnerable before.
Kaitlyn ran up to her and hugged her tightly. She hugged her back just as forcefully. Amber sighed in annoyance and frustration. "Well, how can we just let him off Scott-Free without so much as a nice slap in the face?" Amber asked, flailing her arms in the air.
"Actually, Emily did slap him in the face," I said, staring down at the ground. After hearing silence for a few seconds, I continued. "After I walked in the house, I saw Emily slap Sam really hard. Then, he started shaking really hard. He looked like he was about to kill her. Then, she ran out of the house."
Leah sighed in frustration. She rubbed her fingers on her temple, as if she had a pounding headache. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. She was dealing with heart break.
"Why don't you relax, Leah? We'll sort things out later," Amber said hugging Leah like she was a sister. Leah lazily draped her arm around Amber as well. If the hug would've been under any other circumstances, it would have been really awkward.
I wasn't the hugging type, so I just gave Leah a small smile. She returned my gaze but the frown remained on her face.
After Amber and Leah finished hugging, Leah and Kaitlyn returned upstairs. I was tired from all of the events that progressed that day. I couldn't imagine being in Leah's position. I only hoped that I never would be.
I walked to the freezer and grabbed my favorite ice cream. Coffee Haagan Dazs ice cream could cure any kind of unwanted emotion. I grabbed two spoons from the drawers and headed up the stairs.
I knocked lightly on Kaitlyn's door to her room. I could hear Leah still crying through the thick wood. I wondered when her tears would run out. They had to eventually, right?
Kaitlyn answered the door, her eyes still puffy from crying so much. I held up the ice cream and spoons, giving her a small smile. "I know it won't fix things and it might not help much, but I figured that it might make your taste buds happy." Kaitlyn returned my smile and took the delicious treat out of my hands. "Thank you," she said, her voice raspy from crying so much.
I walked back into my room, changing into my pajamas. I brushed my hair out and removed all of the makeup from my face. I couldn't help the blush that appeared on my face after removing my lipstick. This lipstick was my favorite for a completely different reason.
I cut my room light off and jumped into my bed. I snuggled under the cover and hugged my pillow to me. Before I completely knocked out, I swore I heard the faint howling of a wolf. Today was the first day that I saw a wolf, in person, or in Forks. I didn't know if I should be worried or afraid, but I wasn't either.
Sometime during the night, I had to use the bathroom. My weak bladder and addiction to coffee and water has its drawbacks. After using the bathroom, I went to go check on Kaitlyn and Leah. The room light was off so I assumed that they were sleeping. Not wanting to wake them, I didn't bother knocking. I just opened the door slightly and peeked in.
They were both sleeping, as I expected. I walked into the room and put the covers back on Kaitlyn. It was too cold to be sleeping without a blanket. Kaitlyn has always been a very restless sleeper. I remember waking up with random bruises and aches in my body because Kaitlyn decided to take up kick boxing in her dreams.
As I was placing the covers back on Kaitlyn, I saw something run across her window. Startled, I grabbed my chest, my heart beating out of it. I walked over to the window slowly. I could've sworn that I saw the same wolf that I had seen earlier.
I blamed my lack of sleep, the events that had happened that day, and my vivid imagination on the apparition of the giant black wolf at 3:00 in the morning.
I walked back into my room and continued sleeping.
When I awoke the next morning, I felt the best that I've felt in a very long time. I stretched my arms high above my head and yawned. I glanced at my clock and saw that it was noon. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I jumped out of bed.
I was a self-proclaimed lazy bones. Oh, who am I kidding? Everyone knew that I was a lazy bones. I hated sleeping in though. I guess my body was more tired than I thought it was.
I walked to the bathroom and started my daily routine. Teeth were brushed and flossed, hair was brush, face was washed and moisturized, and I skipped out of the bathroom.
It was Sunday and I didn't have anything planned, so I decided to stay in my PJs all day. I was wearing a tank top and too long pants that scraped the floor every time I took a step.
I walked down the stairs to see what the rest of my family was up to. As I walked in to the kitchen, my heart nearly stopped. Seth was sitting at my kitchen table eating a sandwich and laughing at something that Nate had told him. What the hell was Seth doing here when I looked like shit?
Amber was making sandwiches at the counter and Leah and Kaitlyn were standing by her talking about some new chick flick that came out that weekend. Melissa was back home, too. She, of course, was looming near Seth. I tried not to get jealous. She did, after all, like Seth long before I did.
Amber was the first to notice my presence. "Well, well, if it isn't sleeping beauty? I'd like to know how the prince got to your room to kiss you awake." I rolled my eyes. "You just missed Mike. I'm sure he's jumped out of my window and he's probably down the street and around the corner by now," I said, playing along.
Everyone laughed but Melissa who had an extremely lost expression on her face. Her eyebrows were knit together and her lips were in a slight frown. "I'm telling Dad that you're harboring guys in your room," Melissa promised, her confused look now becoming smug.
"She's just playing," Amber said, still laughing. "Besides, if she was harboring guys in her room, none of them would be Mike Newton," Kaitlyn added on.
"You didn't know, Kaitlyn? Baby Doll is totally into Mike Newton," Seth said, smiling at me. The look on Kaitlyn's face was priceless. She looked confused, disgusted, and surprised all at the same time. I couldn't help laughing at her.
"I knew you were into Mike. All of that attention he gives you, I knew it was only a matter of time before you gave in to his charm." Kaitlyn had regained her composure was now making fun of me. I rolled my eyes at her and walked towards the cupboard. "Speaking of charms, where are the lucky ones? I'm starving."
"Well, that's what happens when you sleep for more than 12 hours," Leah said, smirking. I stuck my tongue out at her and proceeded to fix myself a bowl of the Leprechaun's delicious charms.
"Don't you want a sandwich?" Amber offered. I shook my head. "I'll just stick with my cereal."
I sat down next to Nate at the kitchen table, because Melissa was sitting next to Seth. I looked up at Melissa as she started speaking to Seth. "I've been scared so much lately." Seth raised an eyebrow and asked her why. "They were talking at school about how these wolves have been attacking these people by Port Angeles."
I nearly choked on my cereal. Port Angeles was only an hour and a half away. Is it possible that the wolf that I saw yesterday is the one eating people in Port Angeles?
"Come to think of it, I did hear some howling last night," Amber commented. My face was starting to go green. I felt sick knowing that the wolf that I was so close to yesterday was capable of murdering dozens of people.
"Are you okay, Baby Doll?" Seth asked, noticing the discoloration of my face. I shook my head. I felt like I needed fresh air, but I was too chicken shit to go outside alone.
"Do you need some fresh air?" Kaitlyn asked, almost like she was reading my mind. I nodded my head.
"Well, you're not going outside alone," Amber stated, acting motherly again. For once, I didn't bother arguing her maternal instinct towards me. I didn't have enough desire to do so.
I stood up and walked towards the door. "Come on, Seth," I said over my shoulder. He jumped up and followed me outside.
As soon as I stepped outside, I regretted going to sleep so scantily dressed. It was freezing outside. I quickly wrapped my arms around myself trying to warm myself up. Regardless of the pain that my arms and feet were going through, the cold air felt good on my flushed face. I really needed that.
"Do you need my jacket?" Seth asked, already shrugging out of it, revealing a plain white t-shirt. I shook my head. "If I take your jacket, then you'll freeze." My teeth started chattering, but being outside felt so good that I didn't care.
"We could share?" Seth offered. He put his jacket back on and opened up his arms to me. I usually hated hugs, but I didn't mind hugging Seth.
I hugged him back and he laughed at me. "That's not what I meant," he said after seeing my confused face. I raised an eyebrow and he wiggled out of my hug.
I couldn't help the frown that appeared on my face. That only made Seth laugh harder. He wrapped his jacket around both of us so that we were extremely close and very warm. We looked like much more than friends. I didn't care, though. True, if my family came outside and saw us, there would be questions that I would regret having to answer later. However, right now, life was awesome.
I looked up at Seth, to see him smiling down at me. "Better?" he asked. I thought for a moment and smiled back up at him. "Almost," I replied before kissing him softly on the lips. He returned my kiss without hesitation.
When we finally broke apart, Seth rested his forehead against mine. "What are you doing here?" I asked him, still blushing from the kiss. He shrugged. "There's a number of reasons, I guess." I waited patiently for him to continue.
"Well, for starters, things were pretty tense around the house. My parents keep eyeing me suspiciously and I've been unsuccessful in consoling Emily. I wanted to check on Leah, you know, to make sure she was okay. Last, but not least, I was hoping to catch you in your pajamas. Mission Accomplished." He finished his explanation with a wink and a blush from me.
"You're a perv, Seth," I said, through laughs. He kissed me again and I forgot about the perverted comment completely.
"So, what are the plans for today?" he asked. I didn't know and I honestly didn't care, so long as Seth was involved in them. I shrugged. "I know that Amber wanted to go see that new chick flick with Jennifer Aniston. She might make it a family outing."
Seth's smile dropped from his face. He was obviously not a fan of chick flicks. Little did he know, when Amber wanted to have a family outing, there was no way to avoid or get out of it. Also, if I was being forced to go, that meant that I was forcing him to go. There was no debating. I smiled cheekily up at him.
"It'll be boring and stupid, but it could be worse," I offered. Seth raised an eyebrow at me, not believing me. "How?" he asked, frown still present on his face. "Amber could be in a 'Family Monopoly Playing' mood," I stated emotionally. "Anything's better than that," Seth stated before sighing.
