A/N: Sorry it's been so long! You readers are as amazing as always! I wish I could've given you a longer chapter but this is more like a cute little transition! Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Alarm

The next day, I was not happy. My ankle and head were still throbbing. Sleep had offered very little rest. When Seth came to pick me up, he immediately told me to get back in bed. I'd protested, but after really thinking about it, I decided he was right. He looked pained as he left my room to head to school. We really needed to have a talk about his separation anxiety. I chuckled to myself, and then regretted it as my head responded with a flare of pain.

My mom brought me some water and the bottle of ibuprofen. Then, she icily informed me that she was "running errands" all day and wouldn't be back until almost dinner. Just lovely. I was being ditched so she could get her nails done and visit friends, on top of the fact that I could barely walk. Oh, and did I mention babysitting Lily later that day?

Seth texted me: I miss you.

I smiled and replied, Miss you too. Mom's left me home alone all day.

Alone?! When you can barely walk?

I sighed. As if I needed to be reminded. Yep. So I'm pretty much stranded on the second floor. Stairs = Bad.

He didn't reply to that, so I figured that class had started. I closed my eyes and dozed. I woke abruptly when someone opened the squeaky front door. Strangely, Daisy didn't bark. My heart beat rapidly. Was someone in the house or was I just hearing things? I was stuck in bed. My door swung open, and there was Seth, grinning widely.

"Hi Kayla!"

"You scared me half to death!" I yelped, not quite over the shock. "Why aren't you in school?"

"Mom is letting me skip to take care of you." He said, his eyes softening as he gazed at my disheveled appearance.

Tears sprung to my eyes. "That's so sweet." I said, my voice cracking and betraying my emotion.

He came and sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Well… We could watch a movie. But first, do you think that my parents will be okay with you being here?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But it's not like we're up to anything bad." He replied, blushing lightly.

I blushed too. "Alright, as long as you leave before Lily comes home. Or at least leave and come back like you were never here before. You know what I mean?"
"Of course. So, can I carry you downstairs?"

"I don't know, can you?" I challenged, stifling a giggle.

He grinned and scooped me into his arms. "I think I can." He whispered in my ear.

I tilted my head up and caught his lips in a surprise kiss, pulling away before he could react. He looked dazed. "My giant werewolf who could." I said, giggling.

His booming laugh shook the floor. He took me easily downstairs and set me on the couch. "What'll it be, some happy chick flick?"

After a minute or so of pondering, I decided on A Bug's Life. I stretched out on the couch. "You can use my dads La-Z-Boy."

"I think I'd rather sit on the floor next to you." He said, sitting near my knees and grabbing my hand.

We passed the afternoon watching movies and chatting. Lily called from school to tell me that she was spending the day at her friends' house. That made me happy, because Seth could stay now. It would just seem like he came after school.

Once we ate lunch, I decided that I'd elevated my ankle long enough and asked Seth to sit on the couch with me. He did so willingly, but I didn't snuggle up to him right away, aware of how volatile my emotions seemed to be. Just then, my phone beeped, alerting me that someone had sent me a message. It was my dad.

Hi, sorry you missed school. I have meetings all day, be back sometime after dinner.

Ok. Seth is keeping me company.

That's fine. See you later.

"My family has abandoned me." I told Seth.

He frowned. "Do they do that all the time?" Absentmindedly, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

"Not really, up until recently. I guess they figure I've got someone to be with now."

"So they don't car that their barely fifteen year old daughter is spending most of her time with her almost-seventeen-could-be-twenty boyfriend?" He said, his eyes searching mine for the truth.

"Nope. Mom never cars, but I think Dad knows you're taking care of me." I paused briefly. "And I can take care of myself.

He chuckled. "Well, now you'll never have to worry about that. We'll take care of each other."

"I like that."

"Me too." He said, placing a small kiss on my forehead. Then, he pulled me into his lap. I was just looking at his face when he was suddenly kissing me, gently, as if he was worried about my reaction, our lips barely touching. I wrapped my arms around him, bringing us a little closer together, with a few inches between us. Seth took that as his cue to kiss me a little more intensely, capturing my lips completely. He pulled me closer, just a breath of space between us. And it just figured that his phone had to ring.

"It's Jacob. I'm sorry Kayla, this might be important." Seth said sadly.

"It's okay." I assured him a little breathlessly.

"Hey Jacob. No, I'm at Kayla's. What?! Okay, okay, I'm on it. What should I do with her? Are you sure? Okay, I'll leave right now." Seth turned to me. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"What's the matter?" I asked, alarmed.

"Nothing you need to be worried about. I just need to go run some patrols. Stay in the house, I'll be back as soon as I can." He slid me onto the couch and stood up. Then he pulled me up and hugged me tight. "You might want to lock the doors. If you need anything, call Alice or Emily. I'll explain later!" With that, he ran out of the room, shrugging out of his shirt.

A/N: So, any predictions? Oh, and I think the end may be coming up soon, so let me know either through the poll on my profile or in your review, if you'd like a sequel or a Quil x Claire or a Jared x Kim. Thanks!