Chloe's POV:

It's probably one of the last warm enough days to go to the beach without the winds being too strong. I'm not a big fan of the summertime but I do love the beach. I love how calming it is when you're alone and how fun it can be with your friends. I avoided the beach at times this summer out of fear of running into my old friends, how awkward that would have been. I do like to go and maybe read or just tan, but today I really just wanted to escape everything that's been going on. Living with Quil just got a lot harder so my home space isn't really a place of peace for me. I do like to visit my dad sometimes to unwind, but he has a new girlfriend and I want to give him space to explore that.

The beach is completely empty today and I love it. I'm sitting on my blue towel, my hair whipping past my face. It's cloudy today, moody. It's my favorite sort of weather. La Push is known for stormy days, but days like this are hard to come by. Clouds with no rain.

I'm watching the waves crash against the cliffs and I feel utterly at peace for the first time in days.

I let out a heavy breath and to my surprise a sob follows it. My lip quivers and my eyes squeeze out tears that I didn't know were coming. I tuck my knees to my chest and hold on tight, letting it out. I realize now how heavy things have been weighing on me that I have been ignoring. It's not just Quil, it's everything.

I feel like I've finally gotten the answer I've been begging for from the universe and I don't like it. I know why I've been left behind and now what? Nothing is going to make up for whats happened, but it's not like anyone's racing to come spend time with me. Embry's not rushing out of the house anymore but he's not asking to hangout. Kim hasn't texted me, none of the others have either.

I'm guess the truth is I'm not completely miserable because I've been imprinted on by Quil. It's more like I'm miserable because Quil imprinted on me against his will too. He may joke around and want to suddenly have sex, but it's not like there's a real connection he feels for me. He feels what he feels because some tribal god is making him feel like that. Probably just so that Quil can create wolf babies for the pack. There's nothing genuine about that.

And yeah, Quil's not my "ideal" mate either.

I've always dreamed about my future but I never had it all planned out. Long term planning is stupid, it leads to disappointment. I just wanted me finding my soulmate to feel special and magical. Like you spot a guy in a coffee shop and he instantly has eyes for you. He yearns to be with you and makes it a mission to make you his. I wanted a guy who would only see me, not other girls. I wanted a guy who chose me, actually chose me, and continued to choose me everyday after that.

Quil didn't choose, I'll never be satisfied by that. Plus he's also like the worst pick of the litter.

I don't feel love towards Quil like imprinting should make me feel. My body reacts to him, but I don't think my heart ever will. How is that supposed to work? That's not fair.

Nothing is fair.

Another sob escapes me and tears continue to slide down my face. I sniffle, wiping them away with my sleeve. It feels stupid to cry about this stuff, but it also feels so damn good. I clearly needed this.

I think the worst part is not having anyone to go to. Quil's never been able to take things seriously enough for me to rely on him. Kim's out of the picture. I can't explain this to my dad. It's just me. All alone.

"I thought I was the only one who likes to cry here." A girls voice comes from behind me. I flinch in response, thinking I was completely alone here. I strain my neck to see a dark haired girl giving me an awkward smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

I sniffle, wiping my face again before managing a small smile. "It's okay. I'm Chloe." I lift a hand to wave at her.

"Bella." She smiles awkwardly before sitting in the sand near me. "You okay?"

I shrug, letting out a heavy sigh. "Not really, but I will be. How about you?"

Bella shrugs her shoulders too, looking ahead at the ocean. "Yeah me too. I think I know you, are you friends with Jacob Black?" She points to me. "He's brought me around the Res a few times, you just look familiar."

I nod my head. "Oh yeah I know Jake. Are you Charlie's daughter? Bella Swan?" I've loosely heard of Bella being Jake's friend from Forks, newly moved back to the area. I know of Charlie, my dad works with him from time to time. I know Charlie's ex wife and him had a kid, but she didn't live with him until now.

"Yeah, that's me." She grumbles, leaning back on her hands. "He took me here once for a bonfire and ever since I've been coming around on days like today to clear my head. Boy troubles." She laughs a little at that. "Sounds stupid, huh?"

I shake my head quickly. "Not at all, same here. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"It's really complicated, more complicated than it should be I guess. What about you?"

I snort at that. Complicated to say the least. "Same with me. Boys fucking suck." She laughs at that nodding her head. "You graduated from Forks right?"

"Yeah I did last year. Now I'm taking a few classes at the community college because Charlie wanted me to, not really sure college is for me though. What about you?"

I thought about going to college, my dad really wanted to. I think I wanted to initially too, but I had no idea what to take and it's a huge commitment. I figure I'll go back if I ever really want to or need it. Now seeing everyone away at college and making friends makes me feel a bit jealous with how stuff has been, but I can't leave La Push. Especially now I guess. "I work at the library in town for now."

Bella's eyes seem to light up. "Wait really? I go there all the time!" She smiles at me. "It's actually a really nice library for this town." She's right, there's only a few remodeled buildings in town and the library is one of them. It's three floors tall and newly renovated, but it still has that classic library feel to it. It's a cozy place.

"Yeah it really is."

"Am I interrupting your alone time? I'm sorry, I just haven't had a lot of social interactions in a while." She asks, looking nervous all of a sudden. She chews on her bottom lip, looking around at the otherwise empty beach.

I shake my head quickly. "No actually I'm glad you came up to me. I've been lacking with my social interaction lately too. My friends all sort of ditched me the past couple months." My shoulders slump a bit as I talk.

"What happened?"

I let out a heavy breath. "It sort of happened slowly but one by one everyone stopped talking to me and started ditching our plans, even my best friend Kim. They recently told me why they did it, but I don't think I can really forgive them. No ones actually reached out since I found out anyways." It's hard because even if I wanted to tell Bella everything, I can't. It's all a secret and no one outside of the pack and imprints can know. Like a shitty little club.

She looks nervous and her body stiffens a bit, but she keeps talking. "That's really terrible, I bet that was hard. I was really close with my boyfriend and his family but then he sort of broke up with me because things were complicated. I was depressed for a couple of months and was just going through the motions of things. I didn't really have someone to talk to."

It's honestly nice to hear someones dealt with something similar. "What got complicated?"

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, not making eye contact with me as she plays with the sand around her. "It's a lot. He..well he had a lot going on and didn't think I could handle it. He didn't really stop to ask me how I felt, he just assumed. I've talked to him recently and he wants to move on like nothing happened all this time, I'm not so sure how I feel."

I nod, giving her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry things got messed up. You don't think you want to be with him anymore?"

She rolls her neck. "That's the thing, I don't know. It's like all I wanted for so long but then I think about what he made me go through, yanno? I feel betrayed I guess. It's not what I pictured when I wanted a boyfriend."

I nod eagerly. "Oh yeah I get that completely. Guys are so inconsiderate. What's his name?"

"Edward, Edward Cullen." I pause in my tracks, realization dawning on me. After finding out Quil imprinted on me everyone also told me the entire backstory of the phasing. The Cullen's moved into town and that triggered it for everyone. Jake says the Cullen's can't pass through La Push and are only allowed to roam around Forks. There's a treaty with clear lines for where they can and cannot enter, same with the guys in wolf form. I don't remember Jake mentioning Bella being mixed up in all of this too. I can tell she's not a vampire by the way she's breathes. She looks gentle and fragile in a human sort of way. I wonder if she knows..

"Jake's told me about him." I decide to say. I watch closely for her to react, and for just a moment I see her looking hesitant. Does she know? How much does she know?

"He did? What did he tell you?" She tests me. Does she want to know if I know?

I clear my throat. "Everything." We're both in a staring contest, maybe waiting for the other one to explain further. How can I find out? How can I know she knows without admitting it myself and potentially fucking up the secret.

"How much of everything?" She presses.

"What do you know about Jake?"

"Everything."

Simultaneously our lips curl upward into smiles and we're both laughing at ourselves.

"The legends." I manage to say.

"They're true." She nods her head, staring at me. "Are you.."

I shake my head. "I'm not like Jake no, but have you heard about imprints?"

Her eyebrows raise and she nods her head. "Wow yeah, who imprinted on you?" Instantly I feel excitement to tell someone everything. I didn't expect to find someone who actually knew about this stuff that wasn't already a friend of mine. Maybe fate brought me Bella, knowing I would need a friend. A better friend than Kim at least.

I let out a heavy breath of relief. "Quil, do you know him?"

"I met him once, how do you feel about it?" She bites her, smiling.

I laugh a little, shaking my head. "I don't know, not good. Quil and I have a long history of not liking each other. I definitely didn't expect for this to happen, it's only been like three days."

Bella prompts me to spill the tea and I do. I tell her all about Quil from the start. Seventh grade sparking my crush, eighth grade admitting it, him asking me out sophomore year, and then the imprinting plus everything in between. Bella listens along and makes comments, clearly into the story. It feels amazing to tell someone all the details from start to finish, it also helps me to get it out and direct my thoughts clearly.

"That's a lot of history you guys have. Do you really not feel anything for him now that you've imprinted to each other?" She asks, shifting her legs so she's faced me properly.

I let out a sigh. "I don't think I do. I feel physically attracted to him, but Quil's not an ugly guy, yanno? I just feel so angry and frustrated with him, nothing beyond that."

She gives me a sympathetic look, patting my knee. "I'm sorry you're in that confusing situation. Maybe you should tell Quil you want to have a really serious conversation with him about what to do next so you're on the same page. Jake told me imprints can move forward as friends and hold off on any romantic stuff, maybe start there?"

She has a good point, Quil and I haven't really been friends in years. I think if we're gonna be trapped together forever we might as well get along. At the very least getting along as roommates would be nice. Setting boundaries is important too, I don't want another situation like yesterday. Even know I get a warm blush on my cheeks thinking about how embarrassing it was that he called me out like that.

"I think I will, thank you. So tell me all about Edward."

I get home from the beach after hours and hours of talking with Bella. We exchanged phone numbers and we're going to hangout again soon, which I'm already really excited for. I really needed to have a girl friend around again and it felt good to vent.

The first thing I do is take a hot shower to warm up and get the sand off of me. Even just sitting on the beach the sand managed to trap onto me. I take a long shower before getting out and doing a little self care to end the day. It was the first good day I've had in a long time, thanks to my new friend. I wrap myself up in my robe and collect my dirty clothes, walking back to my room.

Sharing one bathroom with two guys isn't ideal, but Embry's a really courteous roommate. He always cleans up after himself right away and keeps up with his fair share of the chores. Quil..not so much. It's not as bad as I expected it to be, but he still needs to work on it. He always leaves dirty clothes in the bathroom and his dishes can really sit in the sink.

When I'm nearly to my room Quil emerges from the front door, looking tired. His shoulders are slightly hunched, his hair a little dampened, and his clothes are dirty. "What happened to you?" I ask, pausing in my doorway.

His eyes flick to mine and he seems to lighten up a bit. His eyes have an excited shine to them and his posture fixes. "I was on patrol with the pack, where were you?"

"I was at the beach." I shrug a little, shifting in place.

He nods his head, kicking off his shoes by the doorway. "How was that?" He tussles with his hair, moving it from his face.

"Fine, I made a new friend." I hold my dirty clothes tightly to my chest. "Bella Swan."

His eyebrows raise and he nods to himself. "Oh yeah? The vampire lover, huh?" He jokes, laughing a bit to himself.

I roll my eyes, not wanting to start a fight. "She's actually really great. It was nice having someone to talk to, since my friends are assholes." I comment sourly. Quil knows more than anyone else in the group, aside from me, what it's been like to be an outsider all of a sudden. Unlike me though he's bounced back quickly, falling right back into spending time with the guys. Not me though.

"So you guys talked about all the vampire and werewolf crap?" He starts heading over to me. His bedroom is right next to mine, whereas Embry's is across from ours and the bathroom next to him. It's a tight space but the bedrooms have a good amount of space to them at least. Plus none of us have been using the living room much.

I nod as he approaches me. His natural musky scent washes over me, it must be all the sweat from phasing. His grey t-shirt is dampened with sweat, clinging tightly to his body. Quil carries most of his muscles in his arms. His stomach is toned but not overthrown with abs, which I guess I'd prefer on a guy. The whole 6 pack thing really never did it for me. Not that Quil does anything for me, at all.

"Talk about me?" He leans closer to my face, flashing me a white smile. His fangs are more pointed now, looking quite sharp, but still humanly.

"You wish." I joke, standing my ground. Quil made it clear he likes the back and forth, so I shouldn't enable it. I need to shut it down before things get "flirty" for him, though he's the only one flirting.

He shrugs his broad shoulders, leaning against the wall near my door frame. "Maybe I do?"

I roll my eyes. "Enough of the flirty stuff Quil." I pause. "Why don't we have a serious talk when you're ready about what to do next, because to be very clear with you we're not together. We're not a couple." I say everything in a calm and clear tone, not wanting to fight, but not wanting him to continue joking around. We're talking about the fate of both of us, shit is serious.

"I would love to, when can you pencil me in?" He winks, jokingly.

"When you don't smell god awful."