All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.

This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.

The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.

AN: The Christmas gifts just keep coming! Here's the next chapter...still have one more under my sleeve but I go back to work tonight which means I can, once again, get ahead two or three chapters...especially because I already have the next chapter in my head.

Gaby -you're so wonderful with your reviews I can't help but give you more chapters. I hope you're able to read and review before I head to work but if not, I will when I come back from work on Friday.

Inosolan -thank you lovely. You too Lette and Moani.

Everyone else -enjoy as you read and make sure you review! I deserve them after giving you a triple update, don't you think?

Chapter Thirty-Eight
June 28th
4:28PM

He moved through the forest trees with long, confident strides, birds chirping back and forth as the sun slowly made its' way towards the ocean.

It was a warm day with just a hint of a breeze, the heavy foliage over them keeping the surrounding area cool. The soft clinking of jars sounded with every step he took, his hands secure around her small sneakered feet as he stepped over a crack.

"Mou," she tugged at his hair, grinning down at him when he looked up at her, "Yes Princess?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Just a little further," he easily stepped over a fallen log, chuckling at the rain of pine needles over his head –she had stretched her arms up over her head to touch the high branches that were now within her reach, "It won't take long."

"Okay."

The silence between them was comfortable, Emmie having no need to fill the silence with chatter as she looked around, able to see so much more from her high vantage point.

"Here we are."

She let out a soft gasp as he broke through the trees into a clearing filled with wildflowers of all colors, the sun slanting across the meadow, "It's beautiful!"

Embry laughed as he lifted her off his shoulders, setting her on her feet before him, "I knew you would like it. How about you find the perfect spot for our picnic?"

"Okay!"

Embry watched her run across the meadow, stopping every once in a while to tilt her head back for a few seconds before moving to another spot.

Minutes passed as she kept searching but he didn't hurry her up, simply set the bag of jars by his feet as he leaned against a tree, loving the sight of her careful examination of every inch of the small clearing.

"I found it," she yelled, spinning around to grin at him, the sun bringing out the blue of her eyes as she waited for him to reach her, "Put the blanket here."

Chuckling, he lowered the bag of jars before taking off his backpack where he had the blanket, food and whatever necessary items she insisted on bringing along.

Undoing the clips that held the blanket to the top of the backpack, he spread it out as she carefully began to pull out the jars from the burlap sack, setting them neatly next to each other in a row, "What do you say we eat our sandwiches before we start hunting?"

Emmie looked over at him, her hair in two braids down her shoulders with purple ribbons at the end, "Did your mama make ham sandwiches?"

"Yep," Embry began to pull out the food, two wrapped sandwiches in a Ziploc bag, a thermos of lemonade, two snack sized bags of chips and another Ziploc bag with eight cookies, "She also send some of her cookies."

"Yummy," Emmie turned to finish setting her jars on the ground –she had brought ten of them –before scrambling to sit cross-legged on the blanket, taking the sandwich he handed her.

They ate in comfortable silence, Emmie halfway through her sandwich before she put it down, taking one of the chip bags and pulling it open, "Mou."

Embry swallowed the food in his mouth, taking a sip of his lemonade before answering, "Yes Princess."

"Do you think it's weird that I like bugs," she tilted her head to the side, her blue eyes looking across at him with honest curiosity, "The girls at school think I'm strange."

Embry chuckled as he uncrossed his legs, lifting his knees to his chest to rest his forearms on them, "No, I don't. I actually think it's the coolest thing ever –you're very smart, Emmie…smarter than some of the kids in your class –it makes them uncomfortable and they don't know how to act about that."

"Lili doesn't like bugs," Emmie picked up her cup of lemonade in both hands: "She likes clothes but she's not mean to me because I like bugs. The girls in my class…they all looked at me funny when I took my crickets to school for show and tell."

"I'm sorry, Emmie," Embry could feel the twinge of pain that thrummed through her, wishing he could protect her from the taunting she was going to get for being such a unique little girl, "I wish I could say it's not a big deal but kids…they can be mean, especially when they don't understand something. It doesn't mean you should change yourself just…keep the friends who really care about you and ignore the rest."

"Like Lili and you?"

"Exactly," Embry grinned at her, reaching across the space separating them to tap a finger to her nose, "The ones who really know you…they're the ones who'll let you be who you are without judging or criticizing."

She nodded, taking one of the cookies to munch on, tilting her head back to look at the position of the sun, "The fireflies should be coming out soon. Did you know that the female ones don't fly, just the males?"

Embry laughed as he put the food away, watching her move towards the jars to pick one up, struggling to open the lid but he didn't offer to help –she would just tell him she could do it on her own and more than likely, she could, "Did you know there's a species called Photuris fireflies where the females light up to attract males so they can eat them?"

Emmie spun around to give him a wide eyed look, "Just like the praying mantis! Do you think we could find one of those?"

"I don't know if they're around these areas –most mantes species are tropical."

Emmie wrinkled her nose in disappointment but she didn't whine, simply moving towards the edge of the trees.

Pulling out the collapsible net he'd bought for their butterfly expedition, he picked up a jar and followed behind her, "How about we catch a couple of butterflies and dragonflies while the sun goes down?"

Emmie gave him a big grin, nodding in agreement right before her eyes opened wide. Pointing a small finger behind him, she whispered excitedly, "There's one over there!"

And off they went on their hunt.


July 10th

"Are you fucking insane," Brad looked over the edge, certain his sister had finally lost her brains, "There's no way we're jumping this."

"Don't be such a baby," Bailey kicked off her worn sneakers, pulling off her socks, colored threads weaved into a braid tied around her left ankle, "It's not like we're jumping from there."

She pointed at the cliff fifteen feet above the one they were at, Marc tightening the straps of his swimming trunks as Brad looked over the edge again, "We're so totally gonna die."

"No, we're not," Bailey yanked her shirt over her head, throwing it over her sneakers, the navy blue one piece suit she wore a bit tight around the chest –she'd had it since she was nine, "We're Uleys –that means we're invincible."

"And I'm a Laskaris," Gabe stuffed his socks into his shoes, hanging his t-shirt off a branch before he moved to the edge of the cliff to look down at the crashing waves, "Untouchable."

"You're all fuckin' idiots," Marc moved to stand next to Gabe, all three looking down as Bailey removed her jean shorts, "If we get caught, the rest of our summer break is screwed."

"But we'll always have the rush of this," Bailey pulled at the bottom of her suit before moving to stand beside her brother, "Ready?"

"Let's all jump at the same time," Gabe rubbed his hands, adrenaline already rushing through him as he kept his eyes on the crashing waves below, "So no one chicken's out."

"I'm not gonna chicken out," Brad shoved Gabe, rubbing his hands on his swimming trunks as he eyed the rocks at the base of the cliff, "But maybe we should take a running leap? To avoid the rocks?"

"We probably should," Marc stepped back, elbowing Gabe in the ribs to give himself more space, "Everyone knows how to swim, right?"

"It's kind of a given when you live by the beach," Bailey took the hair tie around her wrist and tied her hair back, swiping her long bangs out of her eyes, "A running leap, we all jump at the same time."

They all nodded, taking ten steps back from the ledge before Gabe yelled out, "Go!"

Running, the edge coming fast, all four jumped into nothingness, their screams echoing throughout the reservation as they dropped the ten feet into the ocean, the cold water closing over their heads, the tide pulling them down a couple more feet before they kicked, swimming up to the surface.

"Awesome," Gabe yelled as soon as he broke through the surface, his heart beating hard against his chest, Brad popping up several feet to his left, "We totally need to do that again!"

"That was fuckin' insane," Marc yelled, shaking his shaggy hair out of his eyes, looking around for Bailey before swimming towards shore as soon as she popped up out of the cold water.

"Totally bitching," Bailey yelled, throwing her arms up over her head, going under briefly before she came up for air, her breaststroke strong as she headed towards the shore, the guys already walking out of the ocean, shaking the salt water out of their hair.

"What the fuck is wrong with you four!?"

Bailey froze, the waves crashing around her legs as she looked up along with the three boys, her dad bearing down on them as he stomped across the pebbled beach.

Yeah…summer was officially over.


July 14th
1:45AM

The sun was bright, touching everything with warm pools of light, the red hue of her skin almost shimmering as beads of water rolled down her throat, the pulsing beat of her rushing blood visible under the delicate skin of her throat.

He could feel his mouth watering, his body tingling strangely as he watched her move to the edge of the cliff, her dark hair sliding over her shoulders as she looked down, briefly hiding her face.

He stood still, holding his breath as she tossed her hair back, exposing her throat to him before she lifted her arms up above her head –he could see her pulse beating against the pale skin stretched over her wrist bones, the delicate color of her veins beautiful as they made their way throughout her body, carrying the bright red blood that was her life source.

Stretching her arms over her head, she arched her back, the sun slanting over her face, her lips red, her eyes dark as she turned to look at him –

Marc jerked awake, his breathing harsh as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts –what the hell had that been?

Lying back onto the bed, he couldn't figure out why he was feeling so strange –his body was so tight it was shaking.

Taking a deep breath, his eyebrows lowered as he sat up, pulling his bed sheets aside. His face flushed as he gingerly touched the wet fabric of his pajama bottoms –had he actually wet himself?

Climbing out of bed, he stripped the sheets from his bed, grabbing a clean pair of underwear and pajamas before heading to the bathroom, softly giving Einstein the command to stay.

Stuffing the sheets into the hamper, he tossed his clean clothes onto the sink, turning the hot water on in the shower before stripping, hiding his soiled clothes between the crumbled sheets in the hamper –he hoped his aunt didn't ask, it was just too embarrassing for the eleven year old boy.

The hot water sluiced over his body, muscles tight as he fought with the strange achy feelings inside him, spitting out venom that kept pooling in his mouth.

Grabbing the washcloth and soap, he hissed as soon as the rough fabric touched his skin, completely surprised at how sensitive he was.

Scrubbing harder, he bit back a groan at the sharp stab of pleasure that zapped through him.

What the fuck was happening to him?


Two Days Later
2:33PM

The smell of wet dirt always had a calming effect on Marc but he didn't know why –for some reason, the musty scent made him think of home…but he didn't know where just…home.

"Hey Marc! Wait up!"

He flushed at the sound of her voice keeping his eyes on the ground as she reached him, Einstein several feet up ahead.

"Your aunt told me you were walking Einstein," Bailey shoved her hands into her jeans' pockets, smiling as Einstein trotted towards her as soon as he heard her voice. Reaching out, she scratched between his ears before he trotted off again.

"Yeah," Marc didn't look at her or even teased her the way he normally did, moving away from her so he wouldn't accidentally touch her.

"We usually do that together," Bailey looked over at him, Einstein further up the path, nose to the ground –it was almost like he believed if he tried hard enough, he would be able to smell.

"I have a lot of stuff to do today," Marc kicked at a pine cone, watching it skip and bounce along the forest ground, "I couldn't wait around for you."

"Oh," Bailey looked at him, wondering why he wasn't looking at her, "Okay."

The silence was tense, both of them feeling awkward in a way they hadn't felt since the bear attack.

"Why won't you look at me," Bailey asked, her blunt question not surprising Marc but definitely making him blush as he shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"When you talk," Bailey moved to stand before him, forcing him to stop walking, "You won't look at me. Why?"

"No reason," he lifted a shoulder, moving to step around her but she blocked him again as she asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he shook his head, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes, "It's nothing Bailey."

"You're acting weird –"

"Will you stop nagging," he finally snapped, his eyes dark as he looked at her face for the first time, "It's not like I like you or whatever."

It was brief but he saw a flash of pain in her dark brown eyes before she scowled at him, "You're right –it's not like we're friends."

"Bailey –"

"You're an asshole," Bailey spun on her heels, running into the trees as Marc's head dropped back with a groan before chasing after her, "Bailey! Hold on!"

"Go to hell!"

Picking up his speed, he tackled her onto the ground, grabbing her wrists to keep her from punching him in the face, "I'm sorry –"

"I don't care," Bailey tried to throw him off, his voice cracking slightly as he growled, "Stop –moving!"

Something in the way he said it had her freeze in place, Marc scrambling off her as soon as she did, drawing up one knee to rest his forehead on it, his words muffled yet audible, "I had this…this weird dream…"

Bailey sat up, her ponytail lopsided from the struggle with Marc, her long bangs falling over her eyes, "About me?"

"Yeah…"

She stared at him but he wouldn't look at her, "So what? You think I'm gonna think you have a crush on me?"

Marc's head snapped up, "No!"

Bailey rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the forest ground, "You need to talk to someone about your stupid dream."

"Bailey –"

"Don't talk to me until you stop being a dick."

He watched her walk away, burying his face into the crook of his elbow with a groan as Einstein pressed his cold nose to his cheek.

She was right –he needed to talk to someone…but whom?


July 20th
8:45AM

The look of intense concentration on her little round face had him biting back a laugh, his words slightly choked as he encouraged her, "Kick it right down the middle, moro mou."

Wrinkling her nose, Tyra kicked out with her left foot, the blue ball flying towards Zaky, who let out a cheer, "Good job, Ty!"

Tyra clapped her little hands, a big smile blooming across her face as the breeze played with the fine blond curls that framed her face, "You go, Zak."

Zak kicked the ball towards Rick, laughing as Tyra jumped up and down in excitement, "Me Daddy! Kick to me!"

Laughing, he punted it towards her but she still missed it, the blue ball rolling into the forest, Rick calling after her as she toddled after it.

Marc stepped out from the trees, the blue ball in his hands as Einstein bounded playfully towards Tyra, the little blond giggling as he sniffed her neck.

"Hey Marc," Rick grinned at him, laughing as Tyra chased after Einstein, the dog staying within the backyard boundaries, teasing Tyra by slowing down then skipping away just as she was about to grab him around the neck, "What you up too?"

Marc lifted a shoulder, dropping the ball before kicking it to Zaky, the five year old punting it towards his father, "Just walking around…"

"How's your summer going?"

"Boring since I'm not allowed to hang out with my friends," Marc easily stopped the ball, kicking it towards Zak again as Rick laughed, "You four did such a good job of proving to Sam you're a danger to each other when you're together."

"It was just a ten foot drop," Marc muttered sullenly, still certain being banned from hanging out together for the rest of the summer wasn't a punishment befitting the crime, "And we didn't get hurt."

"But you could have," Rick arched an eyebrow at him, Zaky leaving the ball to help Tyra catch Einstein, the bluetick hound letting out a happy bark as he now evaded the two of them, "Just because nothing happened doesn't mean it's okay to do it."

Marc shrugged, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, dragging the toe of his sneaker across the dirt –Uncle Rick always made it so Marc could see the other side of any situation, "I guess…is Aunt Leah in the house?"

"Go right on in," Rick walked across the backyard to pick up Tyra, the little girl having tripped on a rock, her big brown-green eyes filling with tears as Zaky kneeled beside her, the empathy he felt for her evident in his bright blue eyes, "The twins are at their grandmother's and Emmie's with Embry planting pumpkins in his backyard."

"Where's Gabe?"

Rick didn't answer, simply arching an eyebrow as he examined Tyra's little hands, brushing the dirt and pebbles from them before pressing a kiss to each little palm, "You're okay, agoraki. Do you want to go get some ice cream?"

Tyra sniffed, rubbing the back of her hand under her nose as she nodded, looking over at her big brother then at her Daddy, "Zak too?"

"Yep," Rick lifted both of them up into his arms, their giggles high as he headed around the house, the two little ones waving good-bye to Marc and Einstein.

The eleven year old boy stood there for a few seconds, wondering what he should do –he really wanted to talk to Leah but Gabe was over at his house playing with Vivi…probably holding her hand.

Letting out a frustrated growl, he stomped towards the back door, deciding this once, he was going to have to let that go –he really needed to know what was going on with him so he could make things right with Bailey.

She had become his friend –something he valued very much because she knew exactly who and what he was but found something good enough in him that she would be his friend.

Leah looked up from the laptop on the kitchen table where she had been doing a bit of research, smiling as he closed the door behind him, "Hey Marc! What a surprise to see you here."

Marc lifted his shoulders in a shrug, pulling out a kitchen chair to sit across from her, "I can't hang out with Brad, Bailey and Gabe so…"

Leah laughed, closing the laptop and pushing it aside before standing up to get a couple of glasses and the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator, "I know it seems like a harsh punishment but you only have one more week left –hopefully, you four will learn your lesson."

Marc arched an eyebrow in response, taking the glass of lemonade from her, "You think?"

Leah chuckled, taking a few of the chocolate chip cookies from the cow shaped cookie jar and placing them on a napkin for him before she sat down with her own glass of lemonade, "I can only hope. So what's got you worried?"

Marc nibbled on a cookie, the toe of his sneaker rubbing against the tiled floor, "I just…Bailey is mad at me…and I…I…I don't know how to fix it."

"What happened," Leah gave him a soft smile, dark hair framing her face in a way that made Marc let out a sigh –she was always going to be the most beautiful woman to exist for him, "I had this…weird dream…and she was…I don't like her or anything so I don't know why she's in my dream but now I can't look at her because it's embarrassing."

Leah chuckled softly, looking down at her glass of lemonade before she took a sip, "This dream you had about Bailey…what happened after you woke up?"

Marc's face flushed, his dark brown eyes dropping to the table as he rubbed his finger against the grain of the wood, his other hand tight around his glass, "I, um…I had to take a shower 'cause…uhm…I…I wet the bed."

"Oh Marc," Leah stood up, moving to sit on the chair nearest him to reach out and squeeze his shoulder, "You didn't talk to your Uncle Seth about this?"

Marc shook his head, still not looking up, his dark hair falling over his eyes –he really needed a haircut, "It's too embarrassing."

"Marc," Leah waited until the young boy looked up at her, smiling into his chocolate brown eyes, "What happened was completely normal…it's part of transitioning from a boy to a young man. It's part of puberty."

"Puberty," Marc's voice cracked slightly, his eyebrows lowered into a deep vee.

"You know what puberty is, right?"

Marc nodded, gnawing on his bottom lip for a few seconds, "Our PE teacher told us about it last year 'cause some of the boys in my class smell really bad."

Leah laughed, ruffling his hair, "That's one of the many signs of puberty –your hormone levels are starting to change and it causes all sorts of changes –from the way you smell to that crack in your voice."

"What about the dream?"

"It's called a wet dream," Leah gave him a gentle smile, the deep red blush on his cheeks reminding her this was not going to be the last time she'd talk about this, "You somewhat understand why, right?"

He nodded, his bottom lip tucked firmly between his straight white teeth as Leah kept explaining, "It's when your body responds…sexually for the first time."

The look of utter horror on his face almost made her laugh as she held up her hand to keep him from interrupting, "It doesn't mean you have sexual feelings for Bailey…it's just that your body is starting to develop…you're starting to notice that girls' bodies are doing the same."

Marc blushed as he dropped his eyes to the table, his voice low, "Bailey's…getting…boobs."

"They're called breasts, Marc."

His eyes flew up to look into Leah's brown-green eyes, "The boys at school call them boobs."

"The boys at your school are dumb," Leah gently cuffed his chin, "And I know you're not."

Marc flushed with pleasure, a pensive expression appearing as he bit the inside of his cheek, "I don't…have to have a girlfriend, do I?"

"No, you don't," Leah grinned as she finished her lemonade, standing up to take the glass to the sink, "But you might want too someday. You're a very handsome boy, after all."

"The girls at school," Marc looked down as he swung his foot, his laces undone, "They're real pretty…and they smell…really, really good."

Leah could hear the slight tremble to his voice, could understand the fear that seemed to roll off him in waves, "Marc…this is going to be twice as hard on you as it is on any other boy."

"Why?"

She moved to sit down before him, covering his smaller hand with hers, "Because there are two sides of you that are changing…warring against each other. You crave human interaction –you find value in friendships, see beauty in emotional connections. You give your loyalty without hesitation; you open your heart to the ones you love without any consideration for yourself."

Marc kept his eyes on her hand, his pinky playing with the platinum rings on her third finger, watching the diamond capture the light before letting it go in forms of rainbows.

She studied him for a few seconds before reaching out to cup his face and tilt it up to look into his eyes, "But you also have another side of you, one that craves blood."

Marc couldn't hold back the shame that washed over him, his eyes closing as he nodded, "It's the part that would turn me into a monster if I let it."

Leah's jaw tightened as she captured his chin in her hand to make sure he wouldn't turn away, "Look at me."

She had to repeat herself before he opened his eyes, Leah able to see the fear he carried inside him, "You're so strong, Marc…much stronger than you believe. You have something that will keep you from ever losing your humanity."

"A soul," the skepticism in his voice had Leah mentally shaking her head as she continued, "Your heart. It's so full of love –a monster can't love…ever. You'll always have the memory of your mother's love…your father's, your sister's, your aunt's…your uncles, cousins, friends. Most importantly, you love them back."

Marc nodded, a lone tear making its way down his cheek, "I do…so much."

Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss against his forehead, running her fingers through his shaggy hair, "Don't ever let me hear you call yourself a monster or I'll kick your butt."

Marc chuckled, hooking his foot behind the chair's leg, "Aunt Leah?"

"Yes Marc."

He blushed as he picked up his glass, taking a long swallow before setting it down, "Why did I wet the bed? The dream wasn't scary or anything."

Leah's cheeks flushed slightly, "Well, uhm…you're a smart boy so I guess I could explain it to –oh! I know! I'll have my mom lend you the book."

"The book," Marc arched a dark eyebrow as he looked at her the way he always did –with complete and utter adoration.

"Yep. The book. It'll answer all of your questions…in great…detail."

"Sounds good."

"Yea…it does…"


First Week of August

Bailey took the bleachers two at a time, the bill of her baseball cap shadowing her face, her long black hair down around her shoulders as she caught sight of her brother and cousin.

Today were the Forks Middle School try-outs for the seventh and eighth grade baseball team and since Marc was giving it a shot, they had all come to cheer him on.

Stepping over a couple of people, she plopped beside Gabe, elbowing him when he grabbed a handful of her popcorn without asking, "That's mine."

"Whatever," Gabe shoved some of the popcorn into his mouth, his blue eyes moving over the sparsely populated bleachers, "What took you so long?"

"Flat tire," she moved the bag of popcorn out of his reach as he went for more, scooting away from him, "Maybe if you ask, I'd give you some."

"Can I have some?"

Bailey gave him a smirk before taking a long pull through the straw from her soda, "No."

Gabe rolled his eyes at her, abruptly standing up and sticking his two index fingers in his mouth, a loud sharp whistle splitting the air.

Rolling her eyes at the way he was waving his arms over his head like an idiot, she saw who he was inviting to join them, "Oh God. Do they have to sit with us?"

"Vivi's my friend, so yeah," Gabe gave her foot a kick before turning to give Vivi a big smile, the long legged redhead wearing a beige sweater with a brown corduroy skirt and brown Uggs on her feet as she moved up the bleachers to sit next to Brad, Nika –wearing a mint green sweater with black skinny jeans and black ballet flats –sitting next to her.

Gabe nudged his cousin's shoulder, "Hey, Brad, switch places with me."

Brad rolled his eyes as he did what his cousin said, Vivi laughing at something Gabe leaned in to say into her ear, her porcelain skin flushing as she reached up to tuck a long curl behind her ear, the brown headband she wore keeping the long red-gold tresses from covering her face, "He's got it bad."

Bailey looked at her brother, wrinkling her nose as she watched her cousin make a fool of himself just to make her laugh, "He's a moron."

"I don't know about that," Brad looked over at Vivi, giving Nika a smile when he caught her peeking a look at him, just like at school –he knew she had a crush on him but he didn't really care much for girls right now so he tried to be nice without being too nice, "Vivi's real pretty."

"Oh please," Bailey rolled her eyes, taking a long pull from her drink as she looked down at the field, watching the kids milling about, easily picking out Marc in his blue hat, the t-shirt and black baseball pants he wore from t-ball, "She's totally wrong for him."

Brad scoffed as he watched two girls –both from Forks Middle because he didn't recognize them –sit in the bleacher at their feet, "No wonder you and Marc have been getting along lately –do you two plot how to keep them apart?"

"Marc says Gabe's doing a good job of that for now."

Brad cocked an eyebrow, pointedly looking over to where Gabe and Vivi –sitting so close to each other no one could see they were holding hands –were talking, "Sure looks like that to me."

The coach blew his whistle, all the boys –seventh and eighth grade –lining up to be split into two teams.

This was her favorite part of sports try-outs –getting to see a game while the coach judged, picked and announced the ones that he wanted on his team.

Halfway through the game –with Marc's team ahead by two runs and currently out on the field where he was between second and third base as shortstop –she caught the conversation the two girls sitting below them were having.

"He's so cute," the blond told her friend, "I wonder if he has a girlfriend."

"I doubt it," her friend, a brunette with her hair up in a ponytail turned to look at the blond, Bailey able to study her profile, "He's really quiet in class."

"I've seen him around town, riding his bike with a girl and two other boys."

The brunette rolled her eyes as she turned her face back towards the field, "She's just a friend –I mean, have you seen her? She's always wearing jeans and those ratty shoes."

Bailey looked down at her sneakers, biting her lip as she wiggled her toes, able to see her bright pink socks –she had let Lili pick them out for her –through the worn canvas on the side, the laces dirty and frayed, tied in knots on the sides instead of the front.

"I bet he likes pretty girls," the blond tossed her long hair over her shoulder, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, "I mean, have you seen his little sister? She's gorgeous."

"I know," the brunette let out a sigh, watching as Marc scooped the ball the batter had hit, tossing it to second base who tagged the runner before tossing it to first base thus getting the last two outs needed, "Probably likes them smart too…which is why I'm sure that girl is just his friend –she's from the reservation…a dumb Indian –oh my God!"

Brad bit back a laugh as the brunette jumped up, arching her back like a cat, her pink sweater soaked with cold soda. She turned to glare at Bailey who gave her an innocent smile, "Sorry…my hand slipped."

The Uley twins watched in amusement as the brunette's face turned a deep red, her mouth opening like a big mouthed fish but nothing came out so she turned to stomp away, her blond friend following after her.

Brad looked at his sister with a big grin, "Remind me never to piss you off."

"That was nothing," Bailey shook her foot where some of the ice and soda had splashed her; "I was seriously contemplating scalping her."

"You're a savage."

She gave her twin a grin, "And don't you forget it."

"He got in," Vivi exclaimed, standing up and clapping as the coach continued to call out names, the ones called moving to stand behind him, "He made it!"

Bailey rolled her eyes, standing up as she readjusted her baseball cap, "As we knew he would –this is why I hate girly-girls…they're catty bitches and too damn peppy."