"Goodbyes, they often come in waves."

– Jarod Kintz

Shay watched the Frisbee land about twenty feet to the right of her intended target and frowned. At least it hadn't landed in the ocean.

"Shay, don't take this the wrong way," Seth called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "But how is someone so bad at throwing a Frisbee?"

"It's windy!" Shay protested her voice an octave higher in defense. She would've had a more sarcastic retort for anyone except Seth, who she knew didn't usually have a mean thing to say.

She saw Jacob holding in a laugh as she crossed her arms, glaring at the two boys across from her.

"I think she's getting better," Jake offered, grinning widely now.

"Keep it down, Black!"

"Me? I defended you!" he argued, pressing a hand to his chest.

Shay pointed two fingers to her eyes and then back at both of them.

Seth chuckled and ran to get the wayward Frisbee, throwing it to Jacob with such ease and speed that Shay almost groaned.

It had rained in the early morning, but the sky was bright and clear now. The sand was cool and still a little damp beneath her feet as she shifted.

Leah wasn't overly excited at the prospect of Seth and Jake joining them at the beach, but even she snorted at the situation from her place on the towel, happily eating from a giant bag of cheese doodles.

Shay sighed and walked over to join her, ignoring Jake's pleading for her to come back.

She plopped next to Leah, stealing a cheese doodle before Leah could swat her hand away.

"Sorry I brought them," Shay apologized, mostly joking as she watched the boys throw earnestly now, using their strength to make the Frisbee soar farther than she thought possible.

"Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum," Leah agreed, smirking.

"Is Jacob Tweedle Dee or Dum?" Shay asked, squinting. "Actually never mind. I don't want to know."

"I just want to remind you that we have the same enhanced hearing as you do, Leah!" Seth called, waving at her from his spot by the water.

"I wasn't trying to be quiet, brother!"

Shay smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back on the towel to let the sun warm her arms. She had worn a long sleeve light blue shirt for La Push's changing weather, but pushed up the sleeves as she got warmer.

Leah seemed content to relax beside her, so they sat for a few minutes, the only sounds the waves and the occasional grunt of one of the boy's as they ran to catch the Frisbee.

After a few moments of total silence, though, Shay felt the chill of the sun leaving her skin and opened her eyes to see Jacob in front of her, blocking the light.

"Yes?" she inquired, watching as his strange, distracted expression morphed into one of mischief.

She then noticed that his body was wet, his hair matted on his forehead as drops of water slid down his skin. Her eyes widened.

"Don't you dare—"

In a moment he was tackling her into her towel, wet hair nuzzling into the side of her face.

"Jake!"

He continued to rub his head back and forth, laughing at her shrieks as droplets of water scattered everywhere, sliding down her neck into the back of her shirt.

"It's not even that hot! Now I'm going to freezing!" She groaned.

"We can fix that," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he settled down next to her. He didn't even fit on her towel, so half his body was in the sand that now clung to his wet legs.

Jacob seemed to think that being friends meant openly flirting with her, and Shay was too busy blushing to chastise him.

Leah had walked or maybe run away sometime during the encounter and was now at the water's edge with Seth, who was trying to splash her and receiving slaps in return.

"Thanks for inviting me," Jake suddenly said, fingertips squeezing her shoulder as he looked at the ocean. "It's a good distraction."

Remembering his mom and the real reason she had wanted to get him out of the house, Shay squeezed his leg back before reaching for her half open bag.

"I actually brought something for you. That I do for my grandpa. But you don't have to do it if you don't want." Shay extracted her notebook from her thatched bag, digging around for her pen. She found a Sharpie instead and turned to a blank page, as Jacob watched her with interest.

"What is it?"

"I write him a letter, of things I would say to him if he was here. And then I burn it, so if he's somewhere, he can get the message." Shay felt her ears burning and avoided Jacob's gaze, hoping she didn't sound stupid. "I mean, it's kind of silly, but it makes me feel better."

Shay felt his arm drop from her shoulder and felt sure he was about to say he didn't want to when two warm fingers pressed underneath her chin. Jacob pushed her head up to make her look at him.

"It's not silly." His eyes were dark and deep, and Shay felt for sure her knees would be wobbling if she was standing. "But...what should I say?"

"Whatever you want," Shay said, tucking her legs underneath her. "Is there something you'd want to tell her if she was here?"

Jake's mouth danced with a half smile, even though it was a joke he seemed to be having with himself.

"Yes," he finally said, eyes still on hers.

"Good," Shay breathed, handing him the notebook.

Their stare was broken by someone clearing their throat. Shay jumped in surprise, but tried to cover it by pushing her hair out of her face as she regarded Seth, who now stood in front of them with a sheepish look.

"Sorry, I overheard..." he said, shrugging one shoulder. "Um, can I do one?"

Shay's eyes flicked behind his slightly hunching form to Leah, who was standing about five feet behind him with a cold look.

"Sure, of course," Shay said, reaching to tear a sheet from the notebook she'd given Jake. "Do you want to, Leah?" she asked, more tentatively, her voice high as she moved her gaze to the tall girl in front of her.

Leah didn't answer, except for a low growl, and then she turned on her heel and stalked off toward the rocks on the other side of the beach.

"Uh," Seth trailed off, the paper crumpling in his hand as the wind blew, "I can get her."

"No, you sit with Jake and write," Shay argued, rising to her feet and brushing sand off her legs. "I'll go."

She gave Jacob a gentle smile, seeing his furrowed brow. He nodded back at her, eyes still dark. She felt cold now that she wasn't next to him, but just pulled her sleeves over her hands and walked in the direction Leah had stormed off.

With much longer legs and supernatural speed, it took her a few minutes to reach Leah's now seated form. She was perched on a small rock, legs drawn underneath her, watching the ocean crash with just as stormy eyes.

"Hey," Shay said, even though Leah could've heard her come up from a mile away. She lowered herself to a rock to Leah's left, trying to seem nonchalant. "Nice view."

Leah hissed, rubbing a hand over her face.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I don't want to talk about it either," Shay said, nudging Leah's bare foot with her flip flop. "Just wanted to see if you were okay. I'll accept a monosyllabic answer."

"I'm fine."

"Two words. It's my lucky day," Shay commented, keeping her voice light.

Leah probably sent her a scorching glare, but Shay didn't even look in her direction.

They stayed silent for another minute, while Shay watched a flock of birds flying over the churning water.

"Hey, do you think there are other things?"

"What things?" Leah asked, her voice a little less harsh than before.

"Like, there are vampires and werewolves," Shay elaborated, holding her hand over her eyes to block the sun. "What about mermaids?"

"Never seen a mermaid," Leah said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah well until this year, I'd never seen a werewolf," Shay bit back. "Now I seem to have a collection."

"Is that why you're over here?" The usual snark was back in her voice. "Because I'm just part of the collection?"

"I'm here because you're my friend. Although most of the time I wonder why," Shay shot back, rolling her eyes as Leah looked away from her, eyes flashing guilt.

It took another few moments for Leah to speak again, and this time all malice was gone from her voice. With the rising wind, Shay had to struggle to even hear her completely.

"What am I supposed to say to him?" Leah asked, putting her chin on her drawn up knees. "Sorry I killed you?"

"What?" Shay asked in confusion, before realizing Leah was talking about the reason Shay had come over.

The letter to her dad.

"He had a heart attack when he saw me phase," Leah explained, her voice still a mix of quiet and angry. "He's dead because of me."

Shay's image of Leah was constantly shifting, puzzle pieces always fitting themselves in when she didn't have the clear picture. Now, even more of them fell together.

"You can't know that," Shay argued, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah?" Leah's laugh had no humor. "Well it sure seems that way."

Shay sighed, twisting so she was facing Leah's profile.

"If he had a bad heart, it could've happened in another week or month or year," Shay tried to reason, her eyes watching Leah for clues. "Just because it was at that moment doesn't make it your fault."

"That doesn't help."

Shay looked away, feeling Leah's palpable emotions. She twisted her hands in her lap, opening and closing her mouth a few times and trying not to make Leah feel worse.

"He was surprised you were the first girl wolf," Shay finally settled on. "But I bet he would've been proud of you. Sometimes when I'm feeling like a coward, I pretend I have your courage."

The words hung between them. For once, Leah didn't immediately bite back a retort, but instead slowly turned so she was facing Shay also.

"The pack hates me and I complain about every duty." Leah's eyes were downcast, her voice holding no anger this time. "I don't think he'd be proud of me."

"Ok," Shay said, shrugging her shoulders. "So change that."

"What if I can't?"

"You can."

Leah locked eyes with her and for one small second, her mouth upturned into a smile.

After sitting with Leah for a half an hour, they decided to trudge back.

As they came in view of the boys, however, Shay realized they'd multiplied.

Seth stood with Quil, absently throwing the Frisbee as he watched them approach. Jared—and Kim! - Shay brightened, seeing them sitting next to Embry on an outstretched blanket. Jake stood to the side of them, his eyes immediately locking with hers as they approached.

The sun was lowering now, the wind picking up a little and Shay shivered. She hoped the new influx of people wouldn't break the tenuous peace she'd just achieved with Leah.

"You're cold?" Leah asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft as they approached the group.

"A little," Shay admitted, pulling down her shirt sleeves.

"I have a sweatshirt in the car. I'll get it."

Leah made a beeline for the parking lot and Shay watched her, unsure if she should follow. Deciding she might need a minute alone, Shay kept walking toward the guys, Jake meeting her in the middle with a questioning look.

"She's fine," Shay offered, giving him a small smile.

"Good," he said, eyes flickering to Leah. "I, uh...finished the letter."

"Oh! I have the lighter in my bag," Shay said, jogging back to her towel. She didn't bother to greet everyone yet, but rooted through it as Jake reached her, his shadow falling over her back.

"Do you have it?" she asked, walking a little in the opposite direction of everyone to give him some privacy. When they were thirty feet away, she kneeled in the sand, throwing aside a seashell that dug into her knee.

He unfolded something from his pocket, crouching next to her. She could see where the Sharpie bled through the paper, but couldn't make out any words. Not that she would ever read it- it was personal, and between him and his mom.

"Do you want to do it?" she asked, watching his eyes take on a heavier expression.

"You can light it," he said, swallowing as he held the paper in front of her.

Flicking the switch, Shay blocked the wind with one hand so the paper would take the flame. It took a few tries, but eventually it caught and Jake held the letter for a few moments before putting it in the sand.

They watched the paper writhe and shrink in the flames, turning black as it curled into itself. In seconds, it was just ash, the wind mixing it with the sand and the air.

"Thank you," Jake said, his eyes still on the ground. "It was nice to...say things to her. My dad talks to her, sometimes, but I never really tried."

Shay smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder.

"We can do it whenever you want. I mean, you don't have to wait for me or anything, but I'm...here," Shay finished, lamely, willing herself not to stutter.

"Thank you," Jake repeated, this time his gaze on her.

They both stood, sand on their legs and small smiles on their faces.

"When did the cavalry show up?" Shay asked, starting to walk back to the group, Jake following.

"I thought Seth could use a little distracting too," he said, grabbing her hand. "We're going to play a game of soccer."

Her heart skyrocketed as he squeezed her fingers. She was ultra aware that he was ultra aware of his senses. She felt flooded with embarrassment that he must know how she reacted to him, so she lightly tugged her hand away and tried not to notice the flash of hurt on his face.

They reached the guys and Kim, and Shay nudged Kim's leg with her toe as she blinked up at her with a grin.

"Hey. Sit with me," Kim said, patting the space on the opposite side of her.

Shay obliged, watching the guys all stand up and Embry try to break a record of hitting the soccer ball with his knees.

"Okay, me and Jake are captains," Jared said, clasping his hands together.

"What? Who decided that?" Embry asked, fumbling, then frowning as the ball hit the ground. "Uh, my streak!"

"My first pick is Kim," Jared announced, ignoring Embry as he pointed at Kim, who rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Whipped!" Embry coughed.

Shay laughed, watching Embry dodge Jared's fist by an inch before going to hide behind Quil.

Jake, still with a smile on his face, locked eyes with Shay.

Before he had a chance to speak, Jared was looking over to Jacob.

"Quick, before Leah gets back...rock, paper, scissors to see who is stuck with her," Jared said, holding a hand out to Jake.

Shay's stomach sank and she narrowed her eyes. Just because he was dating her best friend didn't mean she wouldn't give Jared a piece of her mind. He didn't even know the day Leah was having.

Dusting her shorts off and rising to her feet, she had just opened her mouth when Jake hit Jared's hand away.

"C'mon man, be nice," Jacob said, shrugging. "She's had a rough time. She can be on my team." Jake turned to Shay now, his eyes twinkling. "And you—get over here," he said, pointing in her direction and then to the space next to him.

Shay's stomach went from sinking to floating in less than a second, her pride in Jake becoming a tangible feeling in her body. Crossing the gap between them, she didn't care who the hell was there or what supernatural senses might be sensing.

Pulling him down by the still damp T-shirt, she kissed him quickly, taking a little pride in how he stumbled forward. It was just a few seconds, and she only had the feeling of brief warmth pooled in her stomach before she pulled back, tapping him on the chest once.

Her heart still racing, she chanced a look at Jake who stood with wide eyes and red cheeks. Everyone else looked at her with surprise, but she almost didn't care—they could see in his head, anyway. They'd always know too much.

Embry winked at her, and she turned away, finding her breathless voice.

"Jared? Your turn," Shay said, gesturing to the rest of the guys who still hadn't been picked.

Leah was walking up to them now, a maroon sweatshirt loosely in her hands.

"Uh, what'd I miss?" she asked, looking at everyone's faces.

"Nothing," Shay said, her voice almost back to normal. "You're on our team."

Sorry for the delay! I had such writer's block with this one, but hopefully it's sorted out now. Whenever I get stuck I read your reviews for motivation, so thank you to everyone who takes time to leave one!