So here it is, I was pleased with the outcome.

Also no offense to any of you with red hair, all jokes are in fact ones that my brother tells me daily, the brat.

Thank you for the reviews/alerts/faves. I truly appreciate them, thanks in particular to Skyler1510, DannieFreak, laurazuleta18, Nelle07, and invisible new york hats are awesome.

…Twilight isn't mine, only OCs. All OC names except Lou, Ann, Nick, Jamie, and Alyssa are from Tara Janzen's Crazy/Loose series.

September 4, First Day of School

Lily POV

I had tossed and turned all night, as the first day of school and the first day of my new job finally dawned. Of course the tossing and turning came after I had fallen into a fitful sleep after laying in bed and staring at the ceiling for two hours.

The feeling was deep in the pit of my stomach. I knew that once my first class started I would get over it, but until that point I would have to deal with my churning stomach. Super.

I swept my gaze around my still darkened room, squinting at my iHome to see that I still had 2 hours before my alarm would officially sound. I was trying to think of anything that would send my back to sleep for those precious hours.

My thoughts predictably turned to Paul and how I had only seen him a couple of times in the past two weeks. He all but disappeared for about 4 days, and he had finally texted me saying that something came up, a security breach on the rez.

Confused? Well I am too. However, I have been fine with my solitary nature for 22 years, and I sure as hell wasn't going to become dependent on a man for my continued happiness. Even for one as sexy as Paul.

Although I didn't feel the need to see Paul daily, I felt a little tug in my chest as each day had gone by without a word. A text would have been nice, but one didn't come and I tried to move past this. Especially due to the fact that I didn't want to become like one of those girlfriends that needed to know where their boyfriend was at every second. Trust me, being on the opposite side of that is not fun, which again is only one of the many reasons my last boyfriend didn't work out. Also, it's not like I wasn't busy.

Can someone say planning out 3 months worth of detailed pre-algebra lessons? Oooh me! Me! Yes, Mr. Berry had wanted them all done way in advance, not even stopping to consider that having them done 2 weeks ahead of time is standard procedure. Thanks ever so much for the trust you great Principal you! My thoughts had obviously not been very favorable towards him for the last few days.

As I turned over for the hundredth time, I focused on a happier time that I've had in the past week. Paul

Flashback

Last Sunday had turned out to be a great way for me to decompress. Paul had surprised me with a beach picnic the Sunday after our Tuesday date, and this also took place after he disappeared for those 4 days.

We had messed around on the beach, as we made a sandcastle, tossed a football around, generally acting like the carefree people that we could be, especially on these last days of summer vacation. For me this felt like my last vacation before I would permanently enter adulthood, a scary thought.

The sun was actually out on that bright Sunday, even if the thermometer never hit 80 degrees, I still was able to throw on a bathing suit in the hopes of soaking up some sun. I'm going to say that Paul's eyes bugging out slightly as I slipped my shirt off, revealing the grey bikini top beneath had been gratifying. What can I say? I love my boobs, definitely one of my favorite features.

Anyways, his eyes had quickly locked in on my side where a group of black swirls surrounding an abstract heart, with the words 'Forever In My Heart' and 'Caleb Alexander' scripted below. I saw the question in his eyes, and who wouldn't with the name of another man tattooed on my side.

I gave a sigh and sat down on the sand to begin my story, "Caleb was my best friend growing up. We met in kindergarten and we clicked, which was the strangest thing because I was super shy when I was younger. We grew up together, going to the same Middle and High School, sharing everything as best friends do. It was weird, you know, cuz we never grew apart even if he was a boy and I was a girl. We always wanted the best for each other. He was like another brother to me, and my siblings looked up to him as well. It was after we graduated from high school, and he was killed in a car accident. We had gone to see a movie and on his way home a drunk driver ran a red light and hit him." I took a shuddering breath, because even after all of these years it was hard to talk about.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything more on the matter, and Paul had taken this as a signal, so he wrapped me up in a tight hug, as I had started crying without realizing it. We just sat there, me crying and Paul comforting me, which had become a familiar event in my life.

End Flashback

It was the combination of my memory of the hug and the good memories that I pulled to the front of my mind about Caleb that saw me tumble back towards dreamland.

…

My alarm rang out all too quickly, but I drug myself out of bed and began the process of getting ready.

I had selected a nice pair of black pants and a green button-up blouse, with sensible black open-toed heels for my first day of school. The outfit gave off the professional look that I was most definitely striving for.

I continued on to the bathroom to straighten my hair and I also popped in my contacts. Not that I look young in my glasses, but the contacts let me look as if I'm old enough to be in control of a classroom. I continued on with the theme of making sure that I looked my age yet still professional by applying more make-up than I usually do for my everyday look. This means that there is more than just mascara for my make-up routine.

After completing my routine I headed downstairs to try and force down some type of food before heading off to school. Eating was necessary so I don't faint from hunger pains, god if that happened, well what a terrible first day it would be.

To my dismay, Jamie and Nick were both in the kitchen eating breakfast. Not that I don't care for them, but I was in no mood to deal with them or anyone else on my first day of school. Especially with their penchant for cracking jokes with me being the punch line.

"Hey ginge! Ready for your first day of school?" Jamie said teasingly.

"Call me ginger one more time Jamie and I will end you." I said in a low tone, trying to keep my composure.

He just had to keep going, "Haha yeah right Lil. You're all talk no action." Jamie said with a smile on his face. "Ginge."

"James Damien I have had enough of the fucking ginger jokes. Stop fucking calling me that, no one but you thinks it's funny. Cut it the fuck out." I was breathing hard by the end of this, seething with rage.

Jamie and Nick both had looks of shock on their faces, as I have always refrained from using that word around them. Jamie had finally pushed me over the edge, and he fucking knew it. Nick looked gleeful that my rage wasn't focused toward him.

"Geez Lily, calm down. It's not that big a deal." Jamie just had to keep going.

Is he fucking stupid? For years I have put up with the ginger jokes, but on the morning of me starting my first teaching job? I mean really? Is it too much to ask for a little comfort? What have I ever done to deserve it? Okay, well years of giving back as good as I got have happened, but I always hold back as to not verbally destroy him, and this was now a thing of the past, effective immediately.

"James you tell me I have my own ethnic group, that I could start fires, I smolder, and you give me the sign to 'flame on'," I said each word deliberately, "You think that years of this treatment are no big deal?" My voice rose to a shout.

My mother came rushing into the kitchen, "What is going on in here? I go upstairs for 2 minutes and World War III broke out? Honestly."

I refused to say another word, partly because I was so furious and partly because I didn't want to rat out my brother despite what he had done. I was looking steadily at my bagel as if it had all the answers.

Apparently Jamie was refusing to look at our mother as well. Not my problem.

Nick took it upon himself to fill in the blank as our mother turned her inquisitive look onto him. Folded like a freaking lawn chair. Pansy ass.

Nick started out cautiously, "Well you see Mom, Jamie here made one too many ginger jokes and Lily finally cracked. Don't worry about it though; it was only a verbal World War III, not a physical one!" He tried to finish it with an upbeat tone. Dumbass.

"James we have talked about you not using this word. Your sister finds it offensive and frankly so do I. I think that you need to go review those geometry cards Lily made you before you leave for school." Our mother said in a disapproving tone. Ha. Deserved.

Nick took this time to get up to do who knows what before they headed off to Forks High School. Forks apparently has the better sports teams and is in fact the school that the boys have to go to. Neither really cared, just as long as they both make their respective sports teams.

As soon as they were gone, she turned to me and leveled me with a glare, "Lily Ann, I understand that you're nervous, but 3 'f' bombs at 7:00 in the morning?" I had nothing to say even as she stood there waiting for a response. I knew that if I opened my mouth whatever would come out would be a whine.

She continued on once realizing I had nothing to add, "You are going to be a great teacher Lily. You are a compassionate and caring person who doesn't take any bullshit. You've been preparing for this day since your first day of kindergarten when you came home and started teaching a 2 year old Alyssa the alphabet and numbers. You can do this!" With that I felt marginally better as she plopped a kiss down on the top of my head and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

I sighed, "Thanks mom. I really appreciate it."

…

After the breakfast blowup, I made my way to La Push Middle School and was currently sitting in the parking lot, not quite ready to get out of my car.

Silently freaking out and suppressing the overwhelming need to throw up, I about jumped out of my skin as the sound of 'Percussion Gun' by White Rabbits filled the cab of my truck.

I looked down at the screen of the phone and saw Paul's name flashing.

"Hey." Was the only word I could force out past my lips. I couldn't even wince at the pathetic tone that I had produced.

"Hey babe." Paul's deep, husky voice rasped out, almost as if he had just woken up and was still lolling about in his bed. Sigh.

"What, did my worry and anxiety rouse you from your slumber?" When I'm stressed the big words come out frequently, not that I really see this as a flaw.

Paul chuckled, "As a matter of fact it did. I know you were nervous when we were talking last night, and I wanted to try and cheer you up before your first class."

"Well I truly appreciate it," I sighed into the phone, "I've already had a blow up at Jamie, which occurred after one too many ginger jokes. A subsequent pep talk from my mother helped calm me down, but it lasted about as far as the time it took me to get here."

"Lil it took me all of 5 minutes to figure out how great you are, I'm very confident that you be able to charm a group of 12 and 13 year old kids. I also have it on good authority that Claire will be in your first period class, so hey you will at least know one of them." Paul's voice had a reassuring quality to it.

"Well you'll turn my head with that type of flattery Mr. Prade," I said teasingly, as both my body and voice had warmed throughout the conversation, "Thanks for the reassurance and now I'm off like a sacrificial lamb towards the teacher's lounge." I said dramatically.

Paul barked out a laugh, "Sacrificial lamb? Wow Lil, I would have never guessed that you have actually met these people before, especially after that statement. That was truly an inspired dramatic touch."

"Thank you very much! I worked very hard for it." As we continued the conversation, I had gotten out of the truck and retrieved my purse and the red tote that carried all of my teacher paraphernalia. I felt buoyed by Paul, something that seemed commonplace when we spoke on the phone or hung out.

"Well I know you have to get going but do you want to come over on Saturday to celebrate your first week of teaching? We can do dinner and drinks and watch a few movies?" Paul asked, rather enticingly if you asked me, as if I needed to be enticed.

I had just about reached the doors to the front of the school so I paused before going in, "Yeah that would be great. Something to look forward to for sure. Now I hate to cut this short but I'm about to enter the lair."

He laughed again, the sound filling me up with warmth, "Okay. You'll be great Lil, I know it. I'll see you later babe."

I responded in kind, took a fortifying breath, and entered the building.

…...

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