Kim's POV
"What's this week's theme?" I ask, pushing the cart behind my dad.
"I'm not sure yet. It's a tie between citrus and all pink food. You and your mom could use some more vitamin C. Flu season is coming up. I could roast a small turkey dinner with an orange rub-marinade, with a tangerine and walnut salad, also maybe bake some orange and cranberry scones. But then I was thinking we could eat all pink foods. Wouldn't that be fun?
"I defiantly think pink has more options than blue foods. We ate too many blueberries that week." I beam. Dad lives vicariously through our meal plans, experimenting with menus he's dreamed of testing out in cooking school if he got to go. Unfortunately his job at the Lodge, the local diner, is mostly making pancakes and chicken fingers all day.
My dad is the market's best customer. We don't have supermarket giants all the way out here. More of like a farmers markets with locals whose families have been farming in La Push for generations. The vendors who've known me since I came home from the hospital have grandparents who feed my grandparents and so on. The best part we don't get sold those over priced artisanal trendy gimmicks, but get fresh organic produce, sometimes a head of cabbage is bigger than a small pet dog. There is a small connivence store close to the shore that sells just normal brand name snacks, but it's a slightly more expensive than a bag of chips should be.
"Watermelon, radishes, peaches, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, jello, pomegranates, grapefruit, shrimp, salmon—" I see the lightbulb pop on in his mind. "How about beet pickled delved eggs, a bed of steamed rhubarb, and pink macaroni salad?!"
"What makes the macaroni pink?" Sometimes his menus are incredible, then sometimes they're undeniably bad ideas. Growing up, I skipped the picky eater and dinosaur nuggets phase completely. Although, I did have the coolest boxed lunches in the cafeteria.
"More beets."
"Too many beets." I wince.
"Now oranges feel too boring." He sighs, balling up his list.
"Crab is pink and not boring." I suggest, happy to see my dad light up again.
"I could call Harry Clearwater and see what he caught! I could cook paella and shrimp tacos and—"
"Penne vodka is also pink. You make a great penne vodka." I mange to hint that in before he dreams too big again. If we don't stop him while he's ahead he'll end up making his own taffy or something.
"KIM!" Just as we round the corner, both my dad and I nearly jump back down the aisle. Emily Clearwater practically jumps to hug me. Sam Uley hangs back behind her, manning three shopping carts overbrimming with food. His massive stature is like a skyscraper, filling up the entire market despite being very still. Given how tall he is I should have seen them earlier on.
"Oh, hi," I manage a wobbly smile, but hoping I don't look as confused as I feel. La Push is a small town, and even though every one here knows everybody, I've barely spoken to Emily Clearwater. I don't know why she's acting like we're good friends all of sudden.
"It's so good to see you!" She beams a smile so bright I can't help but grin back in thanks.
"Thank you Emily, hi Sam," My dad nods at each, clapping a hand over my shoulder.
"How have you been?" Emily asks, still in that friendly tone. Usually we just wave at each other and move on. I try to ignore the three carts of food, even though Sam looks like he eats a lot, that's still too much for any household.
"Um, good. School has been good." I nod along, while my dad agrees with me and talks about how my mom is busy with work but fine too. We take our turn to ask how she's been, which she tells us how she and Sam are trying to fix up her house, maybe considering an addition.
"Em." Sam grunts lowly, signaling to her how they should keep shopping.
"Oh, we have a long shopping list." Still? After that much? "We'll be here all day if we don't hurry up." Emily excuses herself.
"It was nice running into you." I wave, while my dad says goodbye to Sam.
"It's always nice to see you, Kim. You gotta come up to the house. Come over for dinner, we always have plenty." Both my dad and I pause. We exchange a quick glance, silently double checking if she meant to invite my parents instead. The look in my dad's brown eyes confirms she was addressing me. Why would Sam Uley and and Emily Clearwater invite over a high school girl they ran into at the market?
"Oh, thanks." I say anyway.
"Just have Jared call me ahead so I make something you like." She waves off with Sam following behind with a cart in each hand. My dad's jaw drops just as my face goes bright red. Now that makes sense since Jared is Sam's cousin.
"When have you been seeing the Cameron boy?" My dad asks.
"But that's the thing... we haven't even been on a date."
"Hey!" A librarian immediately shushes me. Managing a lopsided grin that she frowns at, I try to make my steps smaller while I aim for the table Kim is at.
"I don't think she likes me very much." I grin mischievously as I settle down into the chair across from her. Kim already has a stack of textbooks and homework laid out on the table, her pens in neat little rows that I just want to play with to get her to crack a smile. The expression on her face reminds me of when she was always too nervous whenever she was around me.
"Hi." She nods, chewing on the end of a pencil. She started that habit around me as early as kindergarten.
"What's up with you?" I nudge my chin at her, smirking at how now I find it cute. Before the imprint it would just make me roll my eyes.
"I ran into your cousin today." She starts.
"Sam?"
"Yeah..." she nods slowly like she's trying to understand it herself. "Then Emily Clearwater invited me over for dinner."
"She did?" I say after a long pause. It takes everything in me not to react, but instead think first. I try to keep my breathing even, but I can tell it's too harsh. Telling myself not to panic isn't helping to keep me calm either. "...Did she say anything else?"
Emily isn't like Paul, she's got a self control that I'm jealous of. She would never tell a soul about werewolves. But... with Kim who is suppose to know as my imprint... I double check with myself that everyone knows that I haven't told Kim, going down the list from my parents to Old Quil. No, Emily is aware Kim doesn't know anything else. Emily and I talk about how I'm worried over how Kim will take the news, and I'm sure Kim will rather move away from me than talk to me again if I do tell her. But Emily doesn't know we're not seeing each other, to her she probably thinks Kim and I are dating.
Kim and I do see each other everyday... but that's not the same as dating. Kim hasn't even said yes to when I asked her out. Thinking about our title makes me grip onto the table a little too hard, and I have to stop myself before I break something.
"No, she just really wants me to come over. It's not just me who thinks that's weird, right?" Kim's face is a mix of sheepishness and worry, but her eyes are steady on me, watching me for the answer.
"I, ugh, go over Emily's and Sam's place a lot." I admit, not sure how to fix Emily's mess.
"Do you talk about me to them?"
"Um, I've might have brought you up." Her face goes completely red now, but not a cute blush. More like a harsh burst of color spreading over her features. "No, no! Nothing bad!"
"So what did you tell them about me?"
"That I like this really smart girl from school," I try to do that smirk I know she likes, but only half my face lifts up. She goes from looking mortified to shy, and it takes everything in me not to reach over to tell her how she really makes me feel. I want to tell her so many things; I want to tell her she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, I want to tell her she's my best friend, I want to tell she's mine.
"I've never brought up a girl before, ever." To keep my hands to myself, I busy them by running them through the nape of my neck and up my head. I miss my long hair. "I guess Emily and Sam took me too literal and ugh, thought that meant we're dating or something."
Now her face is all scrunched up like she's thinking too much. Still red but knotted up.
"Look, I'll clear things up with them."
"Now my parents want you over for dinner." Kim finally speaks up, clumsily scoffing by trying to brush everything off.
"Okay." I immediately nod.
"Okay?" She pauses, confused.
"I'll come to dinner. I'd love to." I can feel the excitement in the lines of my face. I'm beaming.
"You wanna meet my parents?" She asked, still confused. This time I register the confusion in her voice. I just pulled the same thing Emily did earlier today. Why would you ask to meet a girl's parents if you're not dating her? Because that's what it looks like to Kim.
"Well, I mean," I shrug, "You see my parents all the time when you come over."
"I guess," She fumbles with her pencil. "But I don't really talk to them—"
"SHHH" We both jump at the librarian's sharp shh, Kim dropping her stuff and me jumping straight out of my chair. I thought I had control but, I didn't realize how on edge it was nearing.
"Jared?" Kim whispers, her eyes pointing back to the chair. She doesn't want me to leave, right? Taking a deep breath, I carefully lower back down, saying "Sorry, sorry." under my breath.
"Lets just do that biology work, we have a test on Friday, right?" I try to grin, but I just feel like a big bundle of tightly winded emotions ready to burst.
"It's on Wednesday." Kim clarifies, looking sorry for me.
I curse again. And the librarian shushes me again.