A/N: Here's chapter 7, y'all! Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!

Chapter 7: Taking Chances

Raegan's POV

I woke up from a great slumber, probably one of the best I had ever had. Paul and the rest of Sam and Emily's friends had joined us for dinner last night, and I had a really good time. Leah didn't show up, and I asked about it (much to the surprise…of well, everyone), so it was a very mellow, tension free atmosphere. I sat between Paul and Kim, and both of them argued with each other as they unintentionally interrupted one another as they spoke to me, both trying to grasp my attention. Kim was very nice, and I could tell her boyfriend, Jared (who was also very nice) really loved her. We both talked about me starting school, even though it was mostly her talking, and soccer team tryouts. Paul and I basically spoke about anything he brought up, which was usually something very random, and an attempt to learn more about me.

Paul.

I don't really understand what was wrong with me. In the last week, he had gotten me to come out of my shell more than anyone has ever done before. And the point was, he tried. I really liked being friends with him, he was really fun to talk to, and he's probably one of the few people who I've had full blown conversation with. He always looked interested in what I had to say, although I gathered from some of the conversations we've had, he probably had no clue what I was talking about. But it was the thought that counted. As weird as it was to say and believe, he always looked at me like I meant something, and I wasn't really sure how to feel about that. But the point was, I liked him a lot, and I can only hope he thinks of me as a friend as well.

Stretching in my bed, I took a shower, and put on one of the outfits I bought, which consisted of a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a white collared button up, a green and off-white striped cardigan, a light brown scarf, and brown moccasins. I left my long, dark waves down, and only added a little eyeliner. Deciding I looked nice for my first day of school for the first time. Walking somewhat confidently into the kitchen for breakfast, I saw Aunt Emily flipping pancakes, and Sam at the table, drinking coffee. Looking up, Emily put the pan down and she covered her mouth with her hand. After a few seconds of my confusion, she smiled brightly. "Well don't you just look like a little fashionista today?! Sweetie, you look awesome!" she exclaimed. I blushed, and gave her a good morning kiss on the cheek. She soon sat me down, placing a plate of chocolate chip pancakes and milk for me. I immediately thanked her for making breakfast, and began to eat. Sam was solely invested on his coffee and the newspaper, which only caught my attention because I saw he was reading an article about recent attacks in Seattle, whatever those were.

I started on my second pancake, when I felt a warm, hot hand on my shoulder. I jumped, almost spilling my glass of milk before the same hand caught it with super-fast reflexes. "Whoa there, just wanted to say good morning!" said the voice I realized was Paul. Looking up at him, my heart still on overdrive, he stared at me with concern and amusement in his eyes, his infamous smirk clear as day. I breathed out a good morning, and he plopped down in the seat next to you. "Paul is going to take you to school and back, is that okay?" Aunt Emily said to me. I nodded, much to Paul's delight, and felt my cheeks turn red as he stared at me as I ate. Finishing quickly, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Brushing my teeth, I looked at myself in the mirror, and suddenly, my eye caught the shower caddy. I immediately washed out my mouth, and reached inside, pushing loofa's and Emily's scented bath salts to find the razor blade. Grinning, I pushed the blade into my skin, making even, think red lines across my arm. I almost moaned at how good it felt, my self-inflected pain a reminder that I was in control. No one else.

I quickly made my way back to the kitchen, not wanting to look suspicious. I grabbed my messenger bag with all my supplies, said goodbye to Emily and Sam, and Paul and I left for school.

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The car ride wasn't all too pleasant. The minute we got in, he kept sending me worried glances, and I had a feeling they didn't have to do with it being my first day of school. I didn't know how to respond to them, so I just looked out the window. Paul had some classical music on the radio (what a coincidence), so I felt somewhat at ease.

We arrived at the school, and it wasn't much bigger than my old school back in South Dakota. I still gazed up at it, starting a new school was much more intimidating now than when I thought about it these last few days. "Cold feet yet?" Paul asked as he ran over to the other side of his truck to open my door. I carefully stepped out, my legs slightly wobbly from nervousness. "J-Just a little bit." I whispered to him. He flashed me a reassuring smile, which, if anything, made me shake a little more.

Paul led me to the office, where a bored-looking woman practically slapped my schedule in front of me, interrupting my introduction. Paul started to shake, his nostrils flaring and mouth in a tight line, but I laid a tentative hand on his bicep. "I-It's okay." I said softly. His shaking seized abruptly, and he sent me a…loving?...gaze.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that I was a junior with advanced classes and Paul was a senior with average and remedial classes, we didn't have many courses together. Much to my relief, we both had music, lunch, and study hall together, so at least I wouldn't be alone for 3 periods. He showed me to my first class, which was psychology, and assured me if anything was wrong or if someone made me feel bad, to tell him immediately. I assured him I would be fine, so with one last glance, he made his way to his own class.

Stepping in the class, I quickly introduced myself to the teacher, who looked like she could have cared less, and scurried to an empty seat. I didn't recognize anyone in this class, but suddenly, a slip of paper was pushed onto my desk. Hey paleface was written on it in boyish, scribbled writing. I looked around, and noticed a boy in the back of me smirking playfully at me. He was somewhat attractive; only having a few splotches of acne and had a buzz cut. I blinked at him, turning back around to pay attention to the teacher when another slip of paper was placed on my desk. You new? It asked. I crumpled up both pieces of paper when he wasn't looking, shoving them in my brown leather messenger bag. After a few minutes, I was happy to see he hadn't written me another one, when I heard a psst sound. I glanced back around, keeping a blank face but internally frustrated. "Yes?" I asked monotonously. He grinned. "My name is Tyler, Tyler Cross. What's yours?" he asked. Uncomfortable, but somewhat curious, I complied. "R-Raegan."

"Raegan?"

"Yes."

"Like Ronald Reagan?"

"….No."

And with that, the conversation died, and I continued to write down what the teacher was telling us. I felt a tap on my shoulder, but ignored it, and for the rest of class, I wasn't bothered.

Looking at my schedule in the hallway for my next class, I bumped into Kim. Looking pissed, she looked like she was about to chew me out, but then noticed it was only me and smiled genuinely. "So how's your first day so far?"

"…It's only been one period, but it's okay, I guess."

"Cool, so where are you off to now?"

"Um, I think I'm going to math with Ms. Stone."

"Awesome, Brady and I have that class, too! Come on!"

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Math class had been a lot of fun, Brady and Kim had argued about answers, and really just about anything. I was starting to get the feeling Kim was a bit defensive, but I didn't mind. We all left class, meeting up with Collin in the hallway on our way to lunch. Suddenly, I felt a finger tap my shoulder.

Turning around, I saw four girls, all dressed in different shades of pink and purple, wearing slightly provocative clothing. The girl I assumed touched poked my shoulder seemed to be the leader of sorts, wearing hot pink pumps with jeans tighter than a glove. She looked like many of the other girls on the reservation, but had faux blonde hair that was straightened to the extreme. "Hi! You must be the new student. I'm Sarah." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She thrusted her hand in front of me to shake, and timidly, I did. The other girls smiled at me in the same way their leader did, making me feel slightly uncomfortable. Sarah looked me up and down, scrutinizing me noticeably, when she looked back at my face with the same, crooked smile. "Well, you certainly have a lot of potential. Just a little bit of makeup and a new wardrobe, you will be the talk of the class! What did you say your name was?" she asked, despite the fact I never told her my name in the first place. "R-Raegan." I said quietly. Her face contorted into one of pity, and she turned back to the other girls, a laugh threatening to escape her lips. "Well, Raegan, is it? You should eat lunch with us today. That is, if you want to assure your place here." She stated. My eyebrow rose. "Um, sorry, b-but place where?" I asked. Her friends giggled behind her, and the same look of pity was on her face. "Aw, aren't you adorable? Place in high school, silly. Don't you want to be popular?" she asked.

To say I was put off was an understatement. Not quite angry, but not quite thrilled at the situation, I honestly didn't even feel like acknowledging her. "S-Sorry, I'm going to sit with my friends." I stated in a whisper. The smile fell right off of Sarah's face, and I immediately knew my honesty was a mistake. "I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, looking as if I was playing a practical joke on her. My gaze lowered to the floor, and as much as I regretted what I said, I didn't change my answer. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm g-gonna sit with my friends." I stated, a little more boldly. She scoffed at me, staring me down. "Understand this: if you aren't my friend, you are my enemy." She said venomously, making me flinch in spite of myself. "I-I'm sorry you feel this way." I said softly. Just as I started to walk down the hall, she called my name. Turning around, her friends muffled their laughter as she wore a mean smile on her face. "Well, charity case, it looks like you chose your own fate. I look forward to see you get shoved into lockers!" she exclaimed with a nasally voice. I spun back around on my heel, ushering for my new friends to head to the cafeteria.

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"And then she was all like 'I'm sorry you feel that way', and I was all like 'Oh! Burn!'" Brady ranted, much to the amusement of everyone at the table. I blushed, not realizing how it looked from the bystanders. Paul hadn't shown up to lunch yet, but it was still early. Everyone that had been going to Aunt Emily's lately was sitting there: Jacob, Seth, Embry, Quil, Jared, Quil, Brady and Collin, and of course, Kim and I. "It was absolutely hilarious. The look on Sarah's face! You should have seen it!" Collin exclaimed. My blush darkened even more, chuckling at their praising. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I saw the familiar huge, muscular, intimidating figure of Paul. I swiveled around in my seat, and saw that he was carrying a pile of books. Some appeared to be textbooks, one was definitely a dictionary, and the rest were literary works.

Unintentionally slamming them down on the table, Kim slid away from me to make room to Paul. As if she knew he would want to sit there…Anyway, everyone stared, slack jawed, as Paul said hello to me, then opened up 'Animal Farm', where the bookmark I made him was nesting between the pages.

Probably sensing the intensity of the gaping that was going on, Paul looked up from his book. "What?" he asked, slight annoyance in his tone. "Is that a…Is that a book?" Quil asked, an amazed smile spreading on his face. "Yes, is there a problem?" Paul replied between his teeth, threatening to lose his temper at any moment. Embry burst out laughing, which was quickly followed by Jacob, Collin, Seth, and Brady doing the same. "What?!" Paul seethed, looking ready to tear the book in his hands apart. "Oh, man, you are sooooo whipped!" Embry boomed, making everyone erupt all over again. I merely blinked; completely confused. Looking at Paul for answers, I turned my confused gaze to him, only to be ignored. "I AM NOT WHIPPED!" Paul shouted, making a majority of the cafeteria stop and stare at our table, much to my embarrassment. Embry chuckled again, shaking his head. "Dude, you're so whipped, you don't even realize you are. Come on, who are you trying to fool? Paul Lahote does not read books!" he said between fits of laughter. Paul's face became red with anger, and he stood up slowly. Carefully, I laid my hand over his, and slowly removed 'Animal Farm' from his death grip. Paul closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself down, as I lightly squeezed his hand reassuringly. Apparently, Embry found this gesture even more hysterical, and tears were now pouring out of his eyes as he let out laugh after laugh. "Oh my God! You are such a pussy!" Embry shouted.

And that was about all it took for Paul to completely lose it. Wrenching his hand out of my light hold, he stormed out of the cafeteria like an angry bull, his whole body shaking so violently he started to blur. Instinctively, I started to get out of my chair, but Seth moved over to me, a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Not now. Paul needs some time to calm down." He said softly. I felt slightly hurt at the way Paul had completely shrugged me off, but I tried to understand.

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Paul's POV

Not able to control myself, I ran to the woods near the school, trying not to rip off my clothes as I removed them and phased. Now in wolf form, I began to take my frustration and anger out on the nearby trees and shrubbery, ripping everything I saw in my line of vision into shreds. "Whoa there, calm yourself!"

"Dude, chill the fuck out!"

"Paul, I was only kidding-"

I tuned out the thoughts and voices of my pack mates, my friends. They had come looking for me, probably not out of guilt, but out of the fear I would cause irreplaceable damage on my surroundings. As the most temperamental of the pack, I was used to the assumptions my friends made, partly because I knew these assumptions were no less than the truth. Embry stood away from me at a safe distance, which was probably the wisest thing to do. "Listen, man, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Don't even fucking dare to try and justify what you said, joke or not, asshole." I growled. He genuinely looked sorry, but I couldn't give less of a shit for an apology. Jared stepped towards me, his thoughts pensive and…pitiful? "Paul, what's the real reason you got so offended? Why are you being more…studious all of the sudden?" he asked with a voice that I already kind of told me he knew the answer. "Fuck you all. Do you realize how hard this is for me? I'm…I'm trying so hard!" I snapped. Jared looked at me sadly, and Embry's expression of guilt deepened. Jake, Quil, and Seth merely stayed in the background, watching all of this unfold. "What is? Why are you trying?"

"Dude, you don't get it. Raegan is so…so perfect, and smart, and beautiful, and I don't have any of that. I'm not smart, I don't really have any talents, and I may be hot as hell but at the end of the day, that's not going to win over a girl like her. I don't deserve her." I thought quietly, my insecurities pouring out.

Quil had sent the others to leave, and I felt their minds leave my thoughts as they phased back. Quil rubbed his head into my back, his sorrow for my predicament evident. "Listen, you may not be the best in school, you may not be able to play an instrument or even make a joke, and you are a really stubborn hothead-"

"What the fuck, Quil, shouldn't you be trying to make me feel better…?"

"Let me finish. You may be all of those things, but you are also one of the nicest guys I know, even if you don't show it all the time. You are brave, and you can be gentle when you want to be, and you are also a great friend. If you put emphasis on trying to show her Raegan these qualities, I assure you, you won't need to try so hard for her, because she will accept you as you are." Quil explained. Looking at him with sad eyes, I sighed.

"But Quil, what if she…what if she finds someone else? What if she finds a guy that does all the things I can't? A guy that knows a lot, makes her laugh, a guy who actually has plans for college? I, I couldn't take it. It's enough I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in the friendzone for a while, but I don't think I would be able to cope…"

"Dude. Do you hear yourself? You're Paul Lahote. You take shit from no one, and you are one of the toughest guys around, but with a really soft heart. The guy you are describing is basically you. As her protector, you will be whatever she wants you to be, and you will have to live with whatever that may be. But on the other hand, the closer you get, the stronger the pull of the imprint becomes. No guy is going to steal her from you, because you are the only guy truly meant for her."

Feeling ten times better than I did when I arrived in the forest, I thanked him, and wondered off to change back in my clothes.

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I was just in time for music class, which I was excited about since it was one of the few courses I shared with Raegan. I walked in the classroom, completely puzzling my teacher since I hadn't seen her since September, and plopped down in a chair next to my imprint. "Hey, sorry I took off like that. I was upset." I whispered in her ear. A light blush coated her fair skinned cheeks, and she looked into my eyes. "A-Are you okay, Paul? You seemed so angry…" she trailed off, almost sounding sad. I nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, the guys were just being guys and I let it get to me. Not a big deal. So what are we doing in this class?" I asked quietly. She giggled, and started to explain the assignment to me.

Write the key signature of each note in each problem. Sounded easy enough, I mean, it was a pretty straight forward assignment, right?

Wrong.

I sat at the table, gripping my hair in frustration as I couldn't even do the first problem. Looking next to me, I saw Raegan was almost done, barely even taking time in between each note to think about the next one. I guess she must have noticed my appearance, and shifted her chair over closer to me. "See, all you have to do is remember the pitch translation table. Because this is treble clef…" she continued to explain, but I no longer heard her. She was very close to me. Her hair smelt like vanilla and coconuts, and her skin had the same lingering scent. He big, blue-green eyes stared into mine, full of innocence and warmth. Her small, pouty lips were hard to restrain from; every thought in my mind telling me to embrace them in my own. Her freckles gave her doll-like face a healthy look, emphasizing her facial features. And her beautiful, dark waves cascaded down her back in a soft way, almost too naturally, giving her a semi-exotic and different look.

"….Paul? Paul? Are you listening to anything I'm saying?" said a bell like voice with the slightest raspiness to it. Called to attention, I nervously cleared my throat and nodded my head. With a smirk, she moved my paper back over to me. "Good. You should be able to do this without a problem" She said with a satisfied sigh.

Shit.

I spent about 15 minutes filling in little scribbles to make it look like I had really answered the problems, but my hand writing was bad. The teacher wouldn't know, like I've said, I've never done work for this class before. The teacher, who I realized was pretty chill, let us talk quietly for the remainder of the period as she spoke to someone I assumed was her boyfriend over the phone, and I was grateful.

"So, how's your first day of La Push High School?" I asked curiously, wanting to hear every word. Unlike the response I hoped I would get, Raegan gave me a nervous shrug. "I-It's okay." She said quietly. My eyebrows furrowed together. "Only okay? No one made fun of you or anything, did they?" I asked, anger rising in me. Her reply made me even more anxious; she averted her gaze and didn't acknowledge the question. "No one did, did they?" I asked, my volume increasingly getting louder. She shook her head, trying to wave it off with a nervous smile. "I-It was probably nothing, just some stupid girls…"

"I want names, Raegan. Tell me who they are. I don't care if they are a boy, girl, hermaphrodite, I will give them a beat down for harassing-"

"Paul, it's alright, I'm fine. Her name was Sarah, that's all I know. She tried to get me to eat lunch with her but I turned her down, and she got upset. It wasn't a big deal."

Sarah? My Sarah? I mean, not my Sarah, but the Sarah I used to date? I knew she was a bitch (which was partly the reason I broke up with her), but I didn't realize she was a bully, too. My temper flared inside me, my wolf instincts telling me to rip the slut to shreds, but instead, I just plastered a forced smile on my face.

"So, in 'Animal Farm', this Napolean guy…."

I trailed off, making Raegan's eyes light up in excitement of the new conversation. God, I loved her.

A/N: Onto chapter 8! Review people, review!