A/N: Firstly a big thank to all of you who review the chapters. It means a lot and is very motivating. I might not individually reply to each one of you but I do read and try to make my story better by keeping in mind what you think of the characters and the plot line. Now to answer the question of why I made Bella cry in the previous chapter during the council meeting- If you see the childhood that the Bella in my story has had, it has been a very sheltered one. Her mother and brothers made sure that she never had to deal with the cruel real side of the world and so this is somewhat her first experience of a world where people don't hold back from criticizing and putting you down and giving their own opinion without considering your feelings. Yes, Bella is confident in her own skin but still she is a sixteen year old Kid in more ways than one. She is still young to have the 'I don't care what you think of me because I know who I am' thinking/acceptance. In my opinion generally adults who have seen a bit of the world or even teenagers who have had a hard life have that and Bella falls under neither. And yes, I will be showing her as a strong alpha in the coming chapters but metaphorically speaking she needs to learn to walk before she can run and right now the Bella of my story is learning how to be an Alpha wolf and more than that how to be an adult before you actually become one. So please give her a chance. Now on with the chapter, I hope you like it and I know that it has been a while since I last updated but things came up. I hope to be more regular in the future.

Also a Happy New Year to all my readers, Hope you have a great year ahead!

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 7- The first step is friendship

Paul POV-

"Bella, can we talk" I asked as I saw Bella turn and look at me, the low melodious humming she had on suddenly stopping as her expression turned to one of embarrassment at being caught unaware.

Damn! She looked so cute when her face turned red due to embarrassment. Her face would scrunch up in an adorable manner as she tried to hide her face, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone. It was somewhere between a blush and a frown and if it wasn't the cutest thing I had ever seen, I don't know what was.

"Paul?" she asked hesitantly as I grinned wide like a Cheshire cat at my stray of thoughts, no wonder making her tad bit uncomfortable as no one grinned that wide for any good reason "Did you want anything?"

Her eyebrows rose in question when I failed to answer in first go before I realized my mistake and quickly opened my mouth to answer, chastising myself for being an idiot "Umm yeah, do you have a soda?"

Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

This was where I was supposed to say 'yes I wanted to talk to you' not ask for a damn soda which I did not even want in the first place.

Being around Bella Uley sure did weird things to my brain… like make my cells leave for a vacation…. Crossing the oceans and countless cities, countries and continents before it settled somewhere in the thick snow of Antarctica….

"Right… Soda" she said with a nod of the head disbelievingly as she walked up to the fridge to take out the soda from it "Kim has Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper…"

"Coke will do" I said interrupting her and accepting the can from her outstretched hands.

"So" she said after a few minutes of silence as I noticed the tub of popcorn that she had originally entered the kitchen to refill was now completely full "I should get back. I don't want to miss the movie. The next scene is particularly my favorite"

I rolled my eyes at her words knowing well that they were just said for the heck of it as an excuse to get out of here. Anyone with an eye who was even paying half attention to the surroundings would know that Bella had not even seen a minute of the movie going on, as her mind was somewhere else only. I had caught the glazed lost look in her eyes way too many times to count in the past one hour to know of this.

"Bella wait" I said stopping her as she took two steps in the direction of the door. She turned to look at me with an expression of confusion, fear and annoyance in her eyes before it was masked by indifference and nonchalance almost as if she was hiding her real self and feelings from being exposed.

I flinched at her behavior. I hadn't known that she would need to put a mask over her real self when she was around me and this realization hurt terribly.

I had thought that we were friends and friends didn't mask their true feelings around the other.

"I wanted to talk to you" I said after taking in a deep breath preparing myself to say the words out

"Okay" she said with a nod "About what"

I groaned out. This was not going to be easy "You know about what"

"I do" she said, her voice taking on an edge I did not even know she possessed "But I still want to hear it from you"

Okay, if be it so "About what I told you the other day of why I stopped replying to your emails and I also know that you have been ignoring me since…"

"If you know so much why are you asking" she said surprising me with the rudeness in her voice

"Bella" I called out trying to get some sort of clarity on the matter

"No Paul" she shouted firmly "You do not get to storm in, in here and demand answers from me. It does not work that way. I need time okay. No one prepares to deal with stuff like this in their life. I need time to think and understand and react"

I nodded my head in understanding yet somewhat reluctantly. Patience had never been one of my virtues. I had always been the kind to want and do things at the moment as one never knew what the future would bring in its unpredictability.

"I know you are hurt…" I started to say

"Hurt?" she questioned with her eyebrows rose "You are damn right I am hurt. I feel like I mattered so less in your life that you just picked me up and threw me out without even giving it a bit of a thought as if I was yesterday's newspaper that you no longer required"

I flinched at her words. I knew her anger was justified but still it hurt to hear all of this.

"I am not done Paul" she said sternly making me look up at her "Do you want to hear more? Do you want more answers in life of how less I feel right now, how I feel as if our friendship that I had thought meant something, meant absolutely nothing to you…"

"I did not want to do this okay" I said losing my calm. It was tough for me too to just stop talking to her but I had been a fool in 'love' who had thought that he was doing the right thing at that time. "I was trying to save my relationship. I thought I was in love"

She sighed closing her eyes before she opened them again, a firm determination in her eyes "Why does it matter to you?"

"Why does what matter?" I asked in confusion

"Me" she replied "Why do you care of whether we are friends or not? Why does it matter in your life if we talk or not. You don't talk or did try to reconnect with everyone on the res, why am I an exception?"

I looked at her for a few minutes, not knowing how to answer that. Why did Bella matter in my life?

I had no fixed answer to that. Yes, we were friends but like she said, I did not go around trying to reconnect every friendship I had lost over the years.

Maybe it was because she was Bella, not because she was just a friend I had lost due to my own bad decisions. She was different. She had known me in and out and never once judged me. She had not cared that I had a crappy home or a father who could not have cared less of whether I was living or dead. She had not cared that I had a reputation that preceded me or that I was known as the bad, without any future boy of La Push. She had just cared of who Paul Lahote was as a person and maybe that was what had pulled me towards her or maybe it was something else but all I knew was that I needed her in my life, more so after I had moved back here. It was like a constant nudge in my brain which wanted to make everything alright with her, which worried about her at all times and wished to be close to her.

"Because…because you are you" I stuttered not knowing how to explain all this to her but still trying to.

"Glad to know that" she said sarcastically putting the tub of popcorn on the counter beside her and covering her face with her hands, almost like she was tired and drained out of energy.

An impulsive, irrational thought within me wanted to just pull her into my arms and see to it that she was never stressed or upset in life again but I pushed that like I said irrational thought away. She was already upset. I did not need to make it worse for me.

"I know I made a mistake. I screwed up" I said knowing well that I had goofed up and I was man enough to admit that "But come on all of us make mistakes and we are friends…"

"Friends" she scoffed "No Paul, we 'were' friends. As of now we are just two awkward strangers or rather acquaintances who are trying to live in the past and correct whatever wrong happened between us four years back"

"How could you say that?" I asked shocked by her minced unapologetic words "We are friends"

She shook her head taking a deep breath as if trying to build up her courage "Do you know what I want to do after graduation? If I want to go to college or not"

I shook my head slightly. No I did not have an answer to that. We had never spoken of 'so far' in the future at the age of twelve and thirteen.

"Do you know what is my favorite color or my favorite food or my favorite movie?"

Of course I knew that "Your favorite color is Black, your favorite food is pizza and your favorite movie is Titanic" I answered simply

She shook her head "Yes, my favorite color was Black, my favorite food was pizza and my favorite movie was Titanic when I was twelve" she said emphasizing on the 'was' "But people change with time. Likes and dislikes change. You grow up and mature out. Like you don't know anything of me today, I don't know anything of who Paul Lahote is today. I can guess but I don't know with full surety like a friend would know. We drifted apart Paul"

I sighed knowing that her words were the truth. We had drifted apart in these past four years.

"But we can start again, can't we?" I asked a bit impatiently. A feeling in me was craving and begging to make this better in any way possible.

"Yes we can" she said after a minute of silence making me leave a breath out in relief "But how do I know that this time around I won't be treated like crap when you get tired of me? How do I know that I am not subjecting myself to another round of hurt and vulnerability? You know Paul when you stopped replying to my emails, I was distraught. I felt like I had done something wrong to push you away, only if I had known" she laughed out a bitter laugh "It took a lot of energy out of me trying to think of what I did wrong. I can't and won't do it all again. I am not exposing myself to this again. If we become friends I demand respect from you. Respect is very important for me and I want to know that I am not someone who you keep on the sidelines to just push away when you 'fall in love' again" she said her eyes closing in pain and a shudder leaving her body as she said the last words.

I sighed. She was not a second option or a used newspaper in my life. She was my friend, my best friend but unknowingly I had hurt her the most with my one wrong decision. I knew how much respect mattered to Bella. She was self respecting but not egoistic and she wished for that same bit of respect from others too which she offered them with.

"I understand" I said with a nod

"You make a mistake once Paul. The next time you make the same mistake it is a habit" she whispered

"Can we be friends?" I asked hesitantly "Give me one chance to correct myself"

She nodded her head after a few heavy never ending seconds before putting her hand forward for me to shake.

I looked at her outstretched hand in confusion before meeting her eyes which were glistening with unshed tears as if this entire conversation had taken a toll on her and had left her completely drained out.

"Hi I am Bella Uley, nice to meet you" she said putting her hand up for me to shake

"Paul Lahote and the feeling is mutual" I said with my best charming smile kissing her outstretched hand instead of shaking it.

She smiled, a small smile though, but I knew that our second round of mending bridges had begun. The first step to any relationship no matter between whom and how was friendship and here we were out to take the first step, once again all these years later.

"Bella" said Kim looking worried as she stood at the door of the kitchen "What happened you took a while to come out again. They boys are going crazy demanding popcorn" she laughed though her eyes kept shifting between me and Bella with the same worried look on her face before he eyes met mine in an 'I don't like you and stay away from my best friend' glare which I dutifully ignored like always.

"Yeah sorry" said Bella "Lost track of time talking"

"Yeah I understand" said Kim sweetly with a nod "Some people just like wasting other people's time no matter if they are liked or not" she said looking at me as if pointing the words at me. I rolled my eyes. I still had no idea what I had done to face such 'ire' in my life but knowing that this was Kim Connweller it was probably something ridiculous and childish just like her. Whenever I looked at her, I was reminded of a stuck up child throwing a temper tantrum. It was a shock to me how someone like Bella could be best friends with Kim but then again, I guess like they say opposites attract and empty vessels make the most noise which was true in the case of Kim.

"Let's go" said Bella picking the tub from the counter again and walking towards the door.

"Oh by the way" said Kim giving Bella a worried look "Sam and Leah left"

"Together?" asked Bella in an hopeful tone

Kim shook her head with a sympathetic look on her face "Leah left first storming out. Sam followed behind"

"Oh" said Bella looking low

"I don't think the plan worked" whispered Kim

Bella nodded her head "Well at least we tried"

Kim then took Bella's hand and led her outside to where the others were leaving me in the kitchen alone.

'What plan?' I wondered taking the sip of the now warm soda. Knowing Bella it was possibly a plan to reunite Sam and Leah. They were her real life OTP, one she rooted for desperately and would do anything to bring back together.

"Well, to each his own" I said aloud with a shrug to my shoulders as I walked out of the kitchen to the living room, a new stride in my steps and a smirk on my face.

X-X-X-X-X

'How to be a good friend' I typed slowly in the Google search box in the opened page on my laptop as I sat on my bed with my laptop placed firmly in my lap.

I knew it was stupid. I should not have to read an article to figure out how to be a friend but this time around I was not ready to take any risks whatsoever. I was determined to be a good friend and prove myself worthy to Bella and if the way to be that was through reading a damn article, then so be it. There was no place for mistakes here and knowing my track record, it was very likely that I would be making some and so like they say, when in doubt Google it out.

Okay... 'Here are nine ways you can become a great friend'

Perfect! I clicked at it waiting for the tab to reload and open.

'Nine tips for being a great friend' hmm… that is what I am here for.

I scrolled down quickly ignoring the given introduction in an attempt to reach the points.

Be real-

Okay, that is something I was. I was unapologetically real and believed in being the way I was no matter what others thought. So no problem there and one point ticked.

Next….

Be honest-

Okay I generally always called a spade a spade and was in fact brutally honest. I was reliable too well at most times and ninety percent of the times said the truth. So no problem there too and another point ticked.

Take an interest in the details of your friend's life by being a good listener-

Hmm… something I will have to work on, my past conquests always pointed out that I was a terrible listener and Cherry did not care of these things enough to point out, so yeah one cross.

Next…

Make time for your friend-

Hmm… okay point noted. But what if Bella isn't free like she isn't these days? Wait Google I need an answer…

Moving on….

Keep their secrets-

Aha now we are talking. I was trustworthy and never told one's secrets to the other no matter how much they coaxed. Point ticked and we go to the next point.

Encourage your friend-

Hmm… something to work on, another point crossed.

Be loyal to your friend-

Okay big cross coming up there and the entire reason why I am here reading through this article.

Be willing to work through conflict-

Okay… can be done…

Watch out for your friend-

'Stop your friend from making mistakes' read the article. Wait does dating Jasper Hale count in this?

The shrill ringing of my phone pulled me out of my determination to go and somehow stop Bella from dating that creepy creepster and I quickly picked it up answering the call.

"Yeah?" I answered failing to see who was on the line

"Fucker, what are you doing?" said a cheery familiar voice that no doubt belonged to the one and only Cherry who first cursed then spoke.

"Was online, searching how to be a friend" I said without thinking it through, realizing my mistake a minute after the words left my mouth.

"What" she laughed loudly making me wince at my stupidity of telling her "Which girl is this that has you by the balls enough to do this?"

I scowled, though I knew that she could not see me "No one you need to worry about and anyways it is a long story. I will tell you later"

"Oh touchy" she said with another round of giggles "And for your kind information, your later is about to come sooner than you think"

"What" I asked confused

"Well let's just say in around four hours I will have my answer"

"Uh what" I tried again exasperated

"I am in Seattle. Just exited the airport, taking a cab for La Push"

"Are you serious?" I shouted as a huge grin broke onto my face

"Yup" she said and I could hear the happiness in her voice "I was missing you so here I am"

"Cool I am sending you the address" I said, the smile on my face never once leaving and after talking to her for a few more minutes I cut the call waiting for her to arrive in La Push.

Life was finally looking up, Cherry was on her way to La Push and 'mission- to be a friend' was about to commence.