Jared's POV

"Detention again, huh?" Paul lowers down next to me, "Sam isn't going to like this."

"He can patrol for an extra hour." I shrug. I thought when I snuck in during lunch I could catch up for at least half the day, but I was caught jumping the school fence. I was trying to hurry to see Kim before afternoon classes started, I rushed too much and wasn't as careful as I usually am since I changed. The rattling of the fence gave me away before my feet even touched the ground.

"So, what did you get caught for?" I ask, trying not to sound too bummed.

"I haven't handed in any homework in a month." Paul admits. Crap, Sam asked me ages ago to help Paul to catch up. I could use the study time too. Even with Kim's tutoring, all my assignments are a week late.

"Didn't you have patrol last night?" I ask him. Now looking at him up close I can see the tired lines between his brows and the dark circles under his eyes, deep and discolored.

"Yeah. I have another shift after school." He yawns into his palm, leaning his head against the wall. "The principal said I'm suppose to use this time to work on that homework. By the end of detention I have to hand in at least one assignment."

"Lemme help you out man, maybe start on the easy stuff first—" Paul is already out cold, fast asleep on the wall like it's the comfiest bed in the world.

"You're lucky you got that face." I roll my eyes, emptying his book bag out. I don't know when the last time he opened it was. A pile of paper drops out, but not a single pencil. I try to make sense of it, but there's overdue work from Christmas; it's spring already.

"Detention's over." I shake Paul awake, and he barely opens his eyes.

"Shit." He yawns, already falling back asleep. This time I hit him upside the head. "I was suppose to do homework." He blinks awake.

"Well, you're lucky I didn't change while I was taking freshmen biology."

"You did all of it?" Taken off guard, now Paul is awake. His dark eyes keep getting wider and wider the more he flips through the stack. He was so behind, I made up all his biology work for most of the school year.

"I remembered what I could, then googled the rest." I shrug off, "You still have algebra, lit class, social studies, and Quillayute class."

"And woodshop. I have to make like ten bird houses now. And somehow I'm failing gym?" Paul sighs.

"How does someone even fail gym?"

"If you don't show up that's how. The coach says I'll be retaking it in summer school." Paul admits while everyone exits out.

"I didn't know gym class was even offered in summer school." Shouldn't summer school be teaching Shakespeare or SAT prep or something?

"It's stupid." He growls, the grogginess making room for his frustration. "If I don't do summer school for freaking dodgeball then I'm repeating the whole year."

"No way—" I'm cut off.

"Mr. Lahote," the school's guidance counselor has dismissed everyone else, just waiting on us two now. In a school this small we only need the one. I expected Paul to be arrogant and proud when he hands over the entire stack, but I can tell he's too tired to gloat.

"Ask Sam to help you with the stupid whittling—"

"Bird houses." He corrects, throwing his head back.

"If you tell him you need help, he'll do it. Sand them down and paint them and everything." Emily will probably paint them.

"Look, don't tell Sam anything." Paul bites, then shuts his eyes to try to calm down. "I haven't told him how behind I am."

"He has to know you might be held back." The look on his face is so angry, I can tell it's more wolf than him. "You know I won't tell him."

"Thanks." He sighs, struggling to calm down. "I'll tell him... I'll tell him eventually."

"Go home idiot," I roll my eyes. "I'll take your patrol shift. Go home, sleep, then do some homework."

"I can do it." He growls.

"I know you can," I start, trying to avoid his anger before he changes right in the middle of the school. "But you got shit to do. A lot of it. Go do your homework."

He hesitates for a minute. He's trying to put up a fight, but his eyes are already drooping shut. Then he finally gives in. It's hard to watch, Paul is always stubborn, doesn't matter what form he's in. "Don't think I'm trading for one of your shifts. This extra one is all yours."

"Go home, Lahote." I roll my eyes.

It's already dinner time by the time I finish Paul's patrol. I should probably go home and shower, eat dinner then try to do some homework, even if it's just writing the date and my name. When I really should go to is Emily's and Sam's, tell them to check in on Paul, make sure his mom is sending him child support, and if his dad stocked up on food before leaving the rez again, but Paul told me to keep quiet so that's what I'll do.

Instead, I'm at Kim's. Struggling in the bushes, fighting to pull on my clothes on with out them snagging on jagged ended sticks. Even with supernatural durability I still try to avoid the little things like scratches and pinches.

When I think my clothes are on straight, and not inside out or backwards I try not to look to weird crawling out. It was even harder than usual with the sun down for the day. But as long as I don't dirt on me or look too wrinkly I think I look good. It wasn't that long ago where all I had to do was be in a hundred feet of Kim and she would weak in the knees. Now, I'm always the nervous one.

Kim's house is an old farm house, the kind with a worn in front porch and a faded old fashion blue you don't see around anymore. The barn and surrounding farmland was cleared out generations ago, but the wideness and openess are unmistakably farm land.

I would knock the front door, but I didn't come to see her parents. I came to see her. Instead of tossing pebbles at her window, I call her. The ring of her phone is easy to hear through the walls with super hearing. I can everything, every step she takes across her room till she picks up.

"Hey you," I instantly melt at the sound of her voice, any of the bad of day instantly fading away into good.

"Hey." I smile into the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Helping my mom talk my dad out of cooking something totally weird for dinner. It's like a hostage situation. What are you doing?"

"Uhh," Scratching the back of my neck, I struggle to come up with a normal sounding excuse. "Just went for a run." I lie.

"Isn't it cold out?" From down here I can see her pause in her window, her tan face knotting up in confusion. She's right. It's that time of the year where it's freezing in the morning, pleasant in the afternoon, then freezing again as soon as the sun goes down. I just don't feel it anymore.

"That's why I stopped running." I think quick. "Actually, I'm outside your place."

"You are?"

"I am." I wave up at her, and she slowly waves back down at me. "I came to see you." An excited smile fills up her face, and she struggles to pull on her coat on one arm, while trying to hold her phone without dropping it.

"I'll meet you down in a minute." A minute later she's coming out her front door. I have to stop myself from reaching out and hugging her as she nears. The impulse is strong, but I have to remind myself she still doesn't know about being my imprint, to her I'm just Jared.

"It is cold." She hums, and I finally notice when her breath forms into a cloud whenever she speaks. My hand twitches at my side, stopping it from reaching up to warm her hands. "You don't have a coat?"

"Don't need one." I shrug which I can tell she doesn't like. "I'll be quick." I amend. "You know Paul, right?"

"Paul Lahote? The freshman?"

"Yeah." I nod. "I know how crazy busy you are already with everything you have, but do you think you can help tutor him?"

"Tutor Paul Lahote?" Her body flinches back. "I don't think I can help him."

"I know he skips a lot, and in detention most days, but—"

"No, but that too now that you mention it." She chews on her lip, that little pinch between her eyes forming as she thinks it over. "I'm not a tutor."

"You do tutoring after school."

"I get SAT prep tutoring after school." She clarifies.

"You tutor me." I point out.

"That's a study group. We sit down together and do our homework together." She looks so damn cute it's hard to be frustrated with her.

"More like a study date." I smirk, and she immediately fumbles on her words.

"Copying my notes and me bringing you your homework after skipping isn't a date." Her cheeks go from a pink, to a flustered red.

"Then I'll take you on a real one," I remind myself to get back track. "After you help tutor Paul."

"I'm not the tutoring type." She shakes her head.

"Are you kidding me?" I chuckle. You're the smartest person I know."

"Tutors are brilliant. I get good grades because I study my butt off. I'm not smart enough to be a tutor, I just work hard for my grades. If I work for them all the time, imagine how long it'll be for me to help Paul."

"You're the smartest person I know." I reaffirm. She hushes over, looking at me like I just called her the most beautiful woman on earth. I've never noticed before, but Kim is constantly worrying about her grades. Before I imprinted on her I've always thought she was just nerdy. I've never took seriously how she always puts school before her friends or even herself. I never thought it was weird how she wouldn't go out unless she had most of her homework done, or doesn't see her friends unless it's a study group, or how she stays behind school everyday till she gets some work done. She's never said what she likes to do for fun because she's always worrying about school.

"You're the smartest person I know, who also can use a break." I want to give her hug. Tell her she's doing great and she stop being so hard on herself, but I don't have the right to tell otherwise. I haven't exactly made it easier on her either, she's the only reason I haven't flunked out yet.

"Would it be okay if I bring Paul the next time we meet up to study?" I ask. Her eyes narrow around the corners, thinking it over.

"Can I ask why you're asking for Paul?" It is a bit out of the ordinary that I'm constantly with a freshman, no matter how bulky he is.

"He's my friend." I shrug. He's my only friend right now besides Kim. I had to give up my friends, and I'd kill to be normal again with Jacob, Quil and Embry. But those days are over. Now I have to do what's good for the pack.

"You can bring him." She nods. "How behind is Paul?"

She takes my wince for an answer.

"Maybe together we can help, but no promises. Especially if I get behind." I can see the panic in her brown eyes just thinking about it. "And I'll ask around. I know some of my friends either need a tutoring gig or have a crush on him."

"I won't let that happen. I'm just trying to make sure the guy doesn't get held back." I promise, all humor and smirks gone.

"You know, I've always liked you, but you're so much nicer than I ever thought." She turns red as she says it, an adorable, delish looking red. I thought I had something snarky to say back, but I'm taken off guard. I've never felt that way about someone before.

"Thank you." I grin at my shoes.