Kim's POV

"Should I ask out Jacob Black?" I take a much needed break from my homework spread out on the kitchen table in a heap of highlighters and papers. I've been busy rereading the same question for the last ten minutes.

"You should ask that nice Ateara boy out. His grandfather Quil Senior made sure he is a nice boy." My dad nods along as he peels some potatoes in pretty twirls.

"Should I ask out that Lahote boy?"

"Oh, god no. He's nothing but trouble. Do I need to tell your mom?" My dad nearly drops the knife in shock, needing to pull at his collar.

"Tell mom what?" My mom walks through the front door, kicking off her work boots caked in dry mud, while letting down her long brown hair from her dust covered hardhat. Mom's job at the lumberyard pays for a lot of the nice things we have, but even with Dad's part time job as a cook at the local diner-The Lodge-is another good reason why I have to be a straight A student.

"Kimberly wants to ask out the Lahote boy." My dad immediately gives me away. "The one who keeps picking fights at the school, then gets suspended all the time."

"Kim, please don't tell me you're going through a bad boy phase." She sighs, dropping down in a kitchen chair next to me to rub her sore feet.

"Does this mean you're over Jared Cameron?" My dad knows I'm not boy crazy, but he's fully aware of how big my crush is for Jared Cameron since I was six. Now I know why I'm stuck on my homework, I'm still in disbelief that Jared asked me out of nowhere, literally can' believe.

"Yes," I answer to quickly. "Er...no." I try again, earning a bored look from my parents.

"Do you like the Lahote boy?" My mom rolls her eyes.

"No, the Ateara boy." My dad corrects. "Wait no, Kim do you like Billy's boy?" I've had such a massive crush on Jared for so long it honestly sounds out of the usual for me to like any one else.

"No." I shrug. "What if I don't like them or anybody else?"

"You'll like plenty of guys." My dad gives me a sympathetic look.

"What if I don't? What if I'm only interested in Jared Cameron?" I can't tell whether I'm asking if I'll die alone or if I'm just going through the weirdest school girl crush phase.

"You don't have to like every boy. You can simply be attracted, because not every guy is Prince Charming , and you're not going to love him." Him being... the one or just a casual flirtation. My mom's words feel like a comforting hand caressing my head, and resting assure whatever was bothering me.

The school is quiet on the weekends, so quiet that you almost miss the ruckus of slamming lockers and loud teenagers. Saturday mornings at the school are for detention, a few extracurriculars like sports and whatever the teachers do.

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I cut across the empty parking lot, my free hand going to adjust my heavy, overstuffed backpack that I could barely zip shut this morning. It's too early for my PSAT study group, the sky still cloudy and dark, with the morning still a bit chilly before summer hits La Push full force.

Before heading into the school I take a second to yawn, then do a double take to make sure I'm not wearing my slippers, just in case. The building is dark, all the fluorescent lights turned off to lower the electricity bill or another good reason. The school holds detention at 7am sharp to really punish the kids, my PSATs study group gathers barely an hour later.

Just before hitting the flight of stairs that leads me to the back of the school, I let my eyes peak into the cafeteria where detention is held and notice the Lahote boy resting his chin down on his folded arms. Then my eyes slide over to his left, where Jared is balancing his chair back on its leg.

"Jared," I mumble to myself, watching Jared's head snap in my direction with his brown eyes finding mine. The chair lands back on the floor as he straightens up, trying to get a better look at me over Paul's head.

I want to wave hi, but my nerves keep my hands glued to my side. I still haven't answered him when he apparently asked me out. I'm still not sure if he really, seriously asked me out or if it was just a joke he thought of because he was bored. Jared is usually at the back of mind but the thought of him kept up at night, and bothered me all weekend. While I'm still thinking my next move over, Jared decides for both of us by trying to sneak out.

He crumbles up a spare sheet of paper into a wad, and hurdles across the cafeteria so hard it blurs. I hear a ruckus echo through the cafe, and before I know it Jared is ducking out out of breath.

"Hey Kim," Jared coyly grins, his hand rising up to push down his hair, only to fall short when his fingers don't comb through his missing long strands.

"Hi." I give a very collected greeting, my usual enthusiasm no where in sight, but at least I don't sound weirded out. Jared pauses, picking up on my frayed mood.

"Why are you here on a Saturday?" Jared asks, trying to start a conversation.

"PSATs study group." I answer. "What did you do to get detention?"

"Paul got in a fight, and I kept ditching school." He explains, trying not to look cocky about it. I nod in response, keeping all my questions to myself. I still haven't asked why he left school, and I don't bother with why he's suddenly ditching all the time now.

"Hey, Kim?" Jared starts, an anxious look bright in his eyes for a brief moment. "Um, why did you say no?"

"I didn't say no."

"You defiantly didn't say yes either." Jared points out with a sore look. A part of me is still wondering why I didn't give an immediate yes too. I've been dying for a date with Jared Cameron since I can remember, and when he actually does, I suspect it's a prank.

"Why did you ask me out?" I brave the question that's been weighing me down. That stumps him. His jaw locks up like he's biting back something I don't want to hear. His shoulders hunch up towards his ears, his eyes big and worry filled. I try to hold back how disappointed I am, but I can feel my eyes giving me away. "I'll see you later." I shrug.

"Kim, don't." Jared reaches out a hand, but lets it drop at his side. "I really do want to take you out, let me take you out, please."

"I'm—"

"Mr. Cameron. Get back in here or you'll be spending next Saturday here." We're interrupted. I catch Paul Lahote giving the two of us a sorry look as if he knows what we're talking about.

"Just—" Jared lets out a frustrated breath, taking a heavy step back towards the cafe."Just think it over."

Jared told me think it over, and now I can't think about anything else but him.

I'm starting to wish I never ran into Jared. Now I can't concrete on anything but him. I frown down at my practice test, knowing the mock score I'll get by the end of it is unfair since I'm so distracted. And I know that I have this set of vocabulary words memorized. I woke up too early for this to get a bad grade.

I'm getting more frustrated by each question.

Then I hear it, a light airy tap against glass. I risk looking like I'm cheating to follow the noise. My brown eyes widen when I spot Jared tapping a knuckle against the door. The corner of my mouth threatens to spread in a grin, but I remind myself he's too upsetting even if he snuck out of detention to see me, so I hold it back.

He offers me a wave when he catches me looking, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he won't get caught. With a precision, he throws something my way that lands on my desk a little too smoothly. A paper ball. Not wanting to get an earful, I busy myself with smoothing it out as quietly as possible.

"I know you said no, but can I call you this weekend?"

I glance back at Jared, feeling the disbelief on my face. My heart does little excited jumps at how Jared keeps trying to win me over, something I didn't know I wanted till now. It can't be a joke if he keeps trying so hard right He gives me that coy Jared smirk he's known for, and makes his fist into a pretend phone by his head, mouthing "call me."

Jared's POV

"You're so good at that."

After being cooped inside all day long, the heat of the sun against my skin and the sound of the outdoors in my ears is the best feeling. Well, second best to Kim. She meets outside with a set of thick textbooks clutched to her chest, this being a rare moment where she towers over me because I'm sitting on the front steps of the schoolhouse.

"Good at what?" I smirk knowingly.

"Doing those Jared moves of yours." She's flustered, but there's an excited gleam in her brown depths.

"I am, aren't I?" I smirk, lazily throwing my head back to glance up at her. This is our first interaction since the imprint that I'm not a nervous or anxious mess. The familiarness of my confident attitude helps me keep calm this time. "So is that a yes?"

She stills for a moment, seeming needing to catch her breath. Her little sighs makes me want to jump up and kiss her till she's out of air completely. It's as surreal for Kim as it is for me. I never thought I'd end up so head over heels into Kim, who use to be obsessed with me, like this.

"You can't call past seven." She tries to play it cool, but I can hear how hard her heart beating, sweetly sounding like a hummingbird flapping its wing to my ears.

"Why?"

"Because I'll be busy."

"With what?"

"Homework." She grins to herself.