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He hadn't come back since being called away, Sam had run out shortly after I had gone back indoors. He had held a somewhat knowing look on his face as he ran past me and it didn't take a genius to know that he had heard us talking, he had probably heard the silence that passed as Jared had kissed me and he had most probably heard my heart hammering a thousand beats too fast. My heart hadn't settled much as I cuddled back against the cold sofa trying to figure out what the hell had just happened, what his words had really meant, or the kiss or the hands, or worse, the 'sorry,friends' comment he had made before leaving. We were just friends, but we were also more than that, we were imprints. That had to create these feelings, he had got caught up in the feelings his wolf had for a minute. It was the only explanation I could fathom.

"So, he kissed you" Emily's soft voice danced above me and my eyes came into focus on the mug she was holding out for me, steam rising from inside. "Tea, apparently it helps when you're stressed or something. I'm more of a coffee girl but we can give this a go" She shrugged and lowered the mug toward me, my hands grasped at it and sipped without blowing. I was thirsty, real thirsty. The hot liquid didn't even burn as it slid down my throat it just made me gasp a little. "Right, so tell me everything. From the minute he arrived, to the minute he left and don't leave out the kiss" She sat beside me, a grin playing her face tugging on the cheek not scarred.

How did she know we kissed? I hadn't mentioned a kiss, I'm sure Sam wouldn't have, he never gossips, not even to Emily.

"You have the blush, the blush that only a girl gets after she is kissed by the boy who makes her heart dance" She stopped and took in my expressionless blushing face, a frown played with her smile and she laughed a little. "Please tell me he kissed you? If he didn't my skills are seriously off balance and that boy is an even bigger coward than I first thought"

I watched her silently for a moment, just taking it all in on top of the words still flying through my brain that Jared had said. Then I nodded, and she squealed before sipping her tea and making a face of disgust. She obviously was not a tea girl, I on the other hand liked tea.

"Finally, sweet lord I have been waiting for him to make a move for ages, I mean I know you've had stuff going on and you agreed for this friend thing but you so obviously like him more than a friend and he, well he is crazy about you. Tell me everything, I promise I'll be quiet" She zipped her lips shut and adjusted herself as if waiting for a big story, her eyes danced behind me though and she gave a bigger smile. "Oh, Rachel, just in time. Jared kissed Kim and she's about to give the juicy details" She wriggled slightly and I turned my own head to see Rachel bounding in wearing shorts and a jacket so obviously Pauls, it swamped her much like the one currently swamping me. Her eyes bugged out and she leaped toward the sofa.

"Shut up, he actually did it? Hall-eh-freaking-lullah" She squeezed herself in between Emily and I and grabbed Emily's mug gulping it down before turning to me. "Come on, tell all, after the day I have had I need some girly gossip"

I just stared at them both for a minute, they were crazy. Especially when it came to gossiping about the guys, they loved it. I had a feeling they had waited from the moment Jared imprinted on me for this moment, however it wasn't going to be the moment they had thought it would because I wasn't even sure he had meant to kiss me let alone what it meant, he had then said friends afterward. I took a long sigh and settled myself down against the cushions of the sofa before going into my story, not leaving a single bit out, I started from the moment Quil let slip about Jared failing, neither girl interrupting me as I spoke but just mumbling insults about how stupid Quil was, then how much of an ass Corey was and finally about how confusing Jared was. And then I stopped, I stopped and turned to them hoping for some input that would help but they were both just staring at me, a little dumbfounded.

"So what does that mean?" I squeaked when neither one of them offered any words of wisdom, Rachel looked to Emily before settling back on me, a frown playing her pretty face.

"Well, I'm not sure but I think he freindzoned himself" She spoke slowly, confusion evident in her expression and her words.

"No, I don't think that's it. I think he thought you were uncomfortable with the holding hands thing, maybe he said it to cool things off? But I'm not entirely sure why he kissed you, it seems a very odd moment to do it" Emily offered this time and I nodded with her, I had thought of that myself.

"Did you like the kiss?" Rachel leant toward me more, her eyebrows wiggling like an excited dog waiting for a treat.

I could feel myself blushing under their stares, my lips began tingling with the memory and my heart flew up high in my chest. I had liked it, I had liked it far too much. The smiles of my new friends grew and they both yipped with excitement.

"I told you the feelings were changing" Emily looked at Rachel, her expression smug while Rachel shrugged.

"You spend more time with them, I still saw them as being awkward around one another. That is obviously not the case" Rachel added and they began whispering about me as if I weren't sat directly next to them. "So, you liked the kiss, and you didn't mind him holding your hand and you had a heart to heart where he opened up first. Yep, I'm pretty sure Paul and I got engaged a week after that happened with us" Rachel nodded and earned herself a hit from Emily while my cheeks blushed, engaged?

"Would you stop it, you're scaring her. Ignore her Kim, she's just trying to say, very badly I might add, that it's only normal for your feelings to be changing for one another and you should really just go with it. Jared won't hurt you, not ever, so although it's confusing and he's sending slightly mixed signals right now, it will all work out the way it is supposed to and I believe it will work out just fine, especially from the fact he was talking about your future together"

"It was hypothetical" I cut across Emily's speech and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Girl, that was anything but hypothetical. He thinks about a life with you every second of every day, Paul told me so" Rachel added in again and again Emily hit her, this time a little harder. "Stop hitting me"

"Stop saying the wrong things. Just let it happen Kim, at whatever pace you are comfortable with. Men are confusing, but trust me, the confusion will pay off, it did for us" Both girls held their hands up, rings sparkled on their ring fingers as they smiled brightly at me. Both of them had their happy endings with their wolves, maybe I would get mine. Maybe.

I don't think this talk had really helped at all. I still felt confused, I still felt unsure of what the hell was going on, why he kissed me, why he spoke about a future hypothetical or not, why he then said friends as if he had realised he had done something wrong when in actual fact, I hadn't minded any of those things. I sighed before launching myself off the sofa, none of this was helping.

"Thanks, I think I need to lie down for a bit" I grumbled to the two women on the sofa and walked toward the stairs, my head was throbbing from the overload of words and actions, assumptions and doubts.

...

Jared hadn't come back that night, the first I had seen of him or any of the guys was when he arrived at breakfast ready to take me to school. He said nothing about where he had been all night, neither had Sam or Embry. They just grumbled about pack business before launching themselves at the breakfast Emily had set out for them. At first I had shrugged it off, I knew the threat of a vampire army was looming, any day now they would be here but as we got to school and my morning classes ticked by I began noticing something, or rather, someone. A someone who should be there that wasn't. A someone that I had been in nervous knots over this morning the whole way here, a someone who should be making me feel uncomfortable and nervous was gone. Corey hadn't been in class all morning.

"I don't care, two weeks and I am out of here and that old hag can shove her warnings up her big ass" Quil's voice interrupted my thoughts, the guys were in deep conversation about how annoying our history teacher was, Quil was constantly in trouble with her and they had a high mutual hatred for one another. I didn't linger on the conversation, instead I turned my head to the table I knew he should be sat at and I saw his friends, the guys who were immensely up themselves and annoying and the girls who hung off their every word but he wasn't there. Maybe he was off sick, maybe I was stupid for even noticing. He shouldn't cause this much interest in me, it wasn't even interest, I guess it was relief. I was relieved he wasn't here yet curious as to why he wasn't.

"Kim" A soft nudge dug into my arm and I turned back to the table, Embry, Seth and Quil were still in conversation whereas Jared was staring at me, his elbow still pressed against my arm and his face in a hard frown. "Are you ok? You seem really distant"

I focused on him, I could see the concern eating him up and the worry in his voice but I just nodded at him, I felt weird. "I'm fine, I'm going to go I have to go talk to my teacher about an assignment. I'll just meet you after school" I scrambled at my feet for my books and my bag. Without another word I got up and walked from the lunch hall. I couldn't concentrate.

The school day went past so slowly, every second felt like a minute, a minute felt like ten and ten minutes felt like an hour. It wasn't even anything I could pinpoint, I was just not myself. I was concentrating too hard on the things that had been said last night, too hard on Corey's absence, I hadn't paid the slightest attention in classes and as I walked through the hallway toward the car park I ran into no less than ten people. I was in my own little world.

The cool air swept over me as I pattered my way down the steps toward the parking lot and I walked without even thinking about it to where Jared had parked his truck this morning. To my surprise the other guys weren't stood around it or sat inside, it was just Jared waiting in the drivers seat watching me as I walked to the passenger side and climbed in. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, he simply started the truck up and pulled onto the road in a somewhat uncomfortable silence. I wasn't uncomfortable, it was more that I wasn't really with it, I just stared out of the window toward the trees.

"Kim, what's wrong?"

I finally turned to look at him; he was glancing between me and the road, worry and concern still evident on his face.

"Nothing, I'm just not feeling great"

He let out a sigh, shifting in his seat I felt the car speed up somewhat. "I'm sorry if it was me, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable I just, I don't know what happened" He spoke quietly, I missed a few words here and there but I knew what he was saying. I think he was on about last night, the kiss situation. It hadn't, it as the friends comment that confused me.

"No it's fine" I glanced over and smiled at him, he looked worried as he looked from me to the road and back again.

"I just, well I got caught up and I won't do it again if you don't want me too"

"Jared" I cut across him and he looked at me as the car slowed. "You don't need to apologise, I didn't mind" I wasn't sure where the words came from, they were the truth but I didn't think I would ever say that to him. I was getting more confident with him, it was a nice feeling yet it seemed to take him by surprise. His eyebrows shot up and he gulped a few times.

"You didn't?" I shook my head at him and he gulped again. "Oh, well umm oh" He went quiet then, his eyes focusing back on the road ahead as he sped up again.

He said nothing else until we pulled up outside Sam and Emily's, he grabbed at my hand as I went to get out and I perched on the edge of the seat, one leg hanging out of the car while my other held me up against the seat.

"Umm Kim, I've been thinking and I umm I know the time is a bit strange because of everything that's happening but well, I was wondering maybe whether you would want to go out with me? For dinner I mean, like a date? Maybe if you want, don't worry if you don't want to" He stopped, he was nervous I could see it and feel it radiating from him. I should feel sorry for how scared he looked but I just smiled, my heart started skipping and I found myself nodding before I spoke.

"That would be nice"

"Oh, ok then, well the weekend then? We can go for dinner or something, you're choice" He smiled a little now but he looked like he was going to pass out. I nodded again at him and his hand loosened on mine letting me go, I slipped out of the truck but he didn't move.

"Aren't you coming?" I was blushing as I looked up at him, he had asked me on a date. Every inch of me was skipping and tingling at the thought, he shook his head at me and my skipping heart deflated a little.

"We have a meeting with the Cullens, I'll be back later though" He smiled this time, a smile that seemed less nervous and I simply waved goodbye and left to go inside, my smile grew with each step I took, the car behind me hadn't moved and as I reached the porch steps Sam came walking down them. He offered me a smile and his eyes lifted to the truck still rumbling behind me, he shook his head as he laughed and I turned to look, Jared was watching me as I walked in. I blushed all over again, he watched me a lot. Once or twice I was sure he checked me out but I didn't want to set myself on it, after all it's not like I was anything to check out. But he was watching me as I walked to the house, that was sweet. I slipped past Sam before he could say anything and into the house, I was red all over and my smile was huge, I could feel it.

"He asked you out? Please tell me he asked you out?" Emily's voice screeched and I looked up to where she was walking down the stairs while a magazine in one hand and a candy bar in the other. I nodded and she squealed all over again dropping her magazine as he skipped down the last few steps. I felt like squealing too but instead I just giggled, he made me giggly and smiley, a date with Jared. A real date, my heart skipped again and I hopped over to the sofa with Emily ready for her questions and excitement.

Maybe things were starting to look up, it couldn't be doom and gloom forever right?

Emily had gone through all her stories about her first dates with Sam, their story was different because of Leah and how they got together but it was still nice hearing it from her point of view rather than Jared's, the way she told me she felt was similar to how I felt now. At first she wanted nothing to do with him, but then she agreed on friends but the more they hung out the more he made her blush, her heart skipped when she was around him until she couldn't bare not be with him. I was in over my head already, within minutes of being away from him I missed his warmth.

The door opened behind me and Emily grinned up at the person.

"Rach wait until you hear what little Jared did" She squealed but her smile soon stopped as she scanned her best friend. "What's wrong?" I span around in my seat at this point, Rachel was pale and sick looking. She dropped her keys on the table and walked over to where we were sat but she didn't sit, she grabbed at the wall for support. "Rach?" Emily stood up and walked for her friend who looked ready to pass out.

"I just had a meeting at school, one of the students" She stopped and looked at Emily, she had been crying, her eyes were red. "He went missing last night, parents have been looking but there's no trace, he's gone" She spoke slowly and carefully, her eyes looking everywhere but at me.

"Who?" I sat up and asked, my voice quivering. My heart was hammering and my head ran through the day, one person was missing today, one person who never missed school.

"Corey Blackmore" My heart hammered painfully as she said his name, he was gone. It didn't take a genius to know who had a motive to hurt him. "Window was open, nothing was missing, no signs of struggle, the police think he left willingly but he never came back. Parent's said he went to his room to do homework at 7ish and never came back" Rachel carried on, her words heavy with something I understood.

Jared left here just before 7 and just after knowing what Corey had done. He told me he wouldn't hurt him. There was no other explanation.

"Kim, it might be a misunderstanding" Emily offered up knowing what Rachel and I were assuming. No, Jared had done it. He had been too happy all day in school; he hadn't even looked for Corey at lunch because he knew he wouldn't be there.

"You said yourself that Jared would want to kill him when he found out" I turned to the two girls in front of me; both of them said nothing back. "I need to lie down" I whispered and walked past them to the stairs, I felt weak and shaky, my legs didn't feel strong enough to carry me but I pushed on to the guest room and fell into the bed that squeaked as I hit it. I felt sick. What if he had done it?

It was getting darker outside as I lay there mulling it over in my head. Jared had a reason to hate him, he was so angry when he found out; he lost control when he got angry. The pack would follow him as brothers; they were capable of anything if they were angry enough.

I could hear people speaking beneath me, male voices. Sam was back, but another voice was there too, an angry one. Jared. I curled deeper into my duvet as heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs and my door was thrown open.

"Kim" He near enough shouted as he fell into the room, I didn't look at him I just simply stared at the window ahead of me. "Kim don't tell me you actually think I did that?" He went on again and I could feel him getting closer until he we knelt in front of me, looking at me with desperation but I ignored it and looked away as much as I could. "I promised you I wouldn't and I didn't, I was with the guys. Kim I didn't do anything to him, I promise. You have to believe me" He kept getting closer to me as he tried making me listen but I just stared straight ahead. I didn't know what to believe. I wanted to think he wouldn't hurt anyone but he had been angry, he had left for no reason.

"I don't know what to think, I need to sleep" I rolled over but his hand came up to try pull me back, I winced away from him though and I heard him fall back. I didn't wince because I was scared; I just needed to be alone, to think.

He hovered for a minute before bending over; his breath hit my cheek as he lowered his face toward the side of mine, his lips hovering near my ears. My skin rolled in a shiver and I wanted to forget what Rachel had told me and lean up to hug him but I shivered deeper into my duvet and tried to ignore the flipping currently happening in my stomach. "Kim please believe me, I would never do anything like that no matter how much I hate someone I wouldn't" He whispered, I could feel his lips on my hair, his breath hitting my skin and he lowered himself to kiss my head before walking back. My heart clenched, maybe I was being cruel. Jared wasn't a mean person but he really hated Corey. He had gone right before 7 for no reason; he had every reason to go after Corey.

He lingered a moment more but I didn't react, my body inside was going wild but I ignored it. My mind conflicted over whether to trust him or my instinct. I had been wrong earlier; maybe my life was cursed to be gloomy forever. Nothing went right, nothing was simple.