Thanks to all the reviewers and all those who have favorited or are following this story! Reviews make me happy and update! haha Here's chapter two my lovelies!
Rated M: For langauage/adult content
Disclaimer: All characters from the Twilight Saga belong to Stephanie Meyer. Except for my original characters and Paul's last name because the boy has to have one. Haha
Chapter 2: Discombobulating
" A photograph is usually looked at- seldom looked into." Ansel Adams
It was cold.
Actually, it wasn't cold. It was finger curling, skull numbing, tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth freezing. There were only a handful of nights I can remember when California got like this. Neon lights pierced through the slight haze that surrounded my vision. Caused by the fog emitted from the warm carbon dioxide exiting my lips. I stuffed my numb fingers into my jean pockets, weaving my way through the crowded streets. I neared the youth center that the state carelessly stuck me in until I turned eighteen. At least it was warm. Finally the center came into view, the usual group of assholes crowding around the entrance. I kept my head down, eyes averted to my shoes, fingers slightly curled into a fist. I silently stepped past them, hunching my already short frame to avoid contact.
" What about that one boys?" A boy with a baseball cap spoke.
" She certainly has enough ass to go around."
The voices didn't even bother to quiet their loud obnoxious tone. By the high pitch of it, I guessed they couldn't be more than sixteen.
" Nah, she's too much for me." Another hissed.
" Yeah, fat ass!"
Barking laughter exploded from the group. I could feel my cheeks flush in anger, but I kept quiet. My 'fat ass' just saved me from going through a potential rape case some social worker would try to avoid. As soon as I stepped through the door I was greeted with familiar blue eyes.
" Don't listen to them." A girl around my age stated, taking my arm.
" I know, I'm a big girl Adriana." I smirked, relieving the tension in her eyes.
With a shake of her blond curls, she laughed. Like the tinkling of a small bell. So pretty and warming, yet...extremely fragile. Wistfully I wondered if life could ever hurt a girl like Adriana. The harsh laughter of the boys behind me reminding me, very quickly, that it could. With a twirl of her small frame she grabbed my arm, leading me to the girls room. We then spent the remainder of the night giggling in our cots, parallel to one another. Telling stories about our lives before we wound up here, laughing at dirty jokes, comparing attractive celebrities. She would take my cheap disposable Kodak camera and annoy our other bunk mates with the flash. Although the pictures we took together made the reprimands totally worth it.
Adriana always made things a bit brighter.
Blue and grays swirled together.
It was another night, another freezing night. I was walking back to the center, late from a long day at the beach. It hurt to walk. I was terribly sunburned. The cheap shit they pass out at the center never did anything for me. I crossed through the entrance. Something was out of place. Something was wrong. I tried to place my finger on it as I walked back to the girl's bunk room. My eyes paused at the empty cot next to mine. A surge of fear and panic squeezed at my lungs. It was hard to breathe.
" Adriana."
The center morphed into shapeless blurs as I ran through its halls. All I could remember was the sound of my heart thrumming against my chest. Blood rushing underneath my skin. Ears ringing. I felt as though I was going to explode. All of the sudden she's there, Adriana. Curled into the fetal position on the bathroom floor.
I knelt down down, the tile was cold against my bare knees, uncovered by my shorts. She was shaking, shaking so badly. No, not shaking. Crying. My hand brushed against her shoulder.
" NO!" She screamed. " Stop! St- sto- stoo-"
Her yells crumbled into a sob.
" It's me." I whispered, hoping she would open her eyes.
After what seemed forever, she did. Accusing sapphire eyes staring back at me. They questioned me silently. Why didn't you stop this? Why didn't you get here sooner? Couldn't you hear me scream? All I could do was gather her bony frame into my arms. I tried not to notice her torn skirt. The purple-black bruises on her wrists. The bite marks. The smear of bright red against her pale thigh.
She slept with me in my cot that night. I couldn't really remembered what was said. I just remembered how she felt lying next to me.
She was cold.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I reluctantly forced my eyes open, trying to focus through the blurry haze. A mumbled curse escaped my lips, while my hand pounded against the clock incessantly. Trying to get the annoyingly high pitched ringing out of my ears. I then sat up, rubbing my hand against my eyes tiredly, trying to clear sleep from them. As well as the salty substance that had pooled around them. Soon enough I forced myself out of bed. Mentally going through the planned agenda for today, focusing my thoughts on something other then the dream... the memory. Another sigh escaped me as my eyes wandered to the duffel bag, filled with dirty laundry. I dragged my body from the warm bed, stumbling as my toe was painfully banged against the nightstand.
" Shit! Shit! Shit!" I cursed hopping up and down, cradling my foot.
Today started out great.
I limped towards the laundry as I gathered my things for the day, watching as gray light filtered through the curtained windows. I pulled it back only to see gray clouds, and more gray clouds. I prayed I wouldn't get soaked again, pneumonia was not on the to do list. I gathered the bulging sack and grabbed my room key, slipping on my flip flops I was out the door. After making sure it was locked, so any resident thieves wouldn't have a chance, I shuffled down to the the laundry room. Ruffled pajamas, bed head and all. After endless quarters shoved into slots and buzzing of the dryers I was finally done with the chore.
I hurriedly walked to my rooms and dressed for the day, deciding on jeans and a gray flowing top with white embroidered flowers dotting the sleeves and around the bust line. Adriana used to tell me it made me look like a very cute hippie girl. Especially when I braided my dark hair and wore the matching headband. I shook my head. I needed to stop thinking about it. I had just gotten used to forgetting about her.
' You only left her six months ago.' A guilty voice echoed in my head.
Quietly I shoved that voice to the back of my mind. Along with those accusing sapphire eyes that seemingly followed me throughout my travels. I finished the braid, not bothering with make up guessing that I would rain again. After making sure all of my belongings were gather and secured, I grabbed the room key and bid a silent farewell to the cramped and unimpressive room. Shuffling my way into the front office I offered a half ass wave to the woman behind the counter. Recognizing me, she put down her latest tabloid and questioned me on how I slept.
" Like a baby." I lied.
Without further talk I handed her the room key and checked out. As I turned to leave the familiar patter of rain against the rooftop announced itself. I grimaced and turned back to the woman, not looking forward to walking all the way to La Push in the rain.
" Excuse me, but is there a cab service nearby that could take me to La Push beach?"
" Oh well, we don't really have taxis here. Forks being such a small town and all." She chuckled apologetically.
' Fucking great.' I moaned internally, hitching up my duffel bag.
" Wait! Surely you're not thinking of walking all the way to La Push, now are you?" She questioned incredulously.
" Well, until I find a bus stop I guess." I mumbled, really not wanting to be another charity case to some Dudley-Do-Right, that needed to fulfill their christian duty of the day.
" It's fine, I-"
Apparently she had other ideas.
" Nonsense, my son Eric just got a car. He would be more than happy to drop a customer off." She rambled, before turning her back to an open door behind the counter.
" No really-" I started
" ERIC YORKIE!" Mrs. Yorkie's screech sliced through the quiet air.
" WHAT MOM!?"
" Sweet Jesus." I murmured under my breath.
" I need you to come here!" The woman bellowed, not paying any attention to my obvious discomfort about the situation.
" There's a girl that-"
The sound of boxes and various items being toppled over sounded from the room. Suddenly a young man with greasy hair and a not so smooth complexion came rushing towards his mother. He looked around wildly, and I could have sworn I hear him mumble a name under his breath. I think it was Ella or something.
" Eric," Mrs. Yorkie continued, unfazed from his bizarre behavior. " Could you please drive A.J. to La Push?"
He turned his gaze towards me and by the way his shoulders fell, seem disappointed. The little twerp, I could give him something to be disappointed about. I gathered my pride and turned sharply on my heel, before I heard his nasally voice call out.
" Hey wait! What's your name, A.J.?" He rambled grabbing my duffel bag from me, not before stuffing a flash of green into his jean pocket.
" I've got it." I replied, keeping a firm grip on my belongings.
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he stepped in front of me, leading the way to the parking lot. He jogged to a small gray Saturn and hurriedly popped the trunk. Throwing in my duffel bag, obviously trying to be impressive by doing so with one hand. Although I saw the way his scrawny arm trembled beneath the weight of it, the grimace that had held his face. This punk wasn't fooling anybody, least of all me.
" So La Push beach?" He stated once we were inside the car. " Not really beach weather, huh?"
Great, so the kid seemed to have inherit his mother's chatty personality.
" Yup." I replied, folding my arms and looking out the window.
Maybe he'll get the hint.
" So where are you from?" He continued. " It's A.J. right?"
I sighed, heavily.
" Look neither of us really wanted to be in this situation so how about a deal. There's an extra ten dollars for you if you get me there silently. Got it?" I replied diplomatically.
Eric nodded his head silently, with a smile. I'm glad we understand each other. With no further interruption I stared ahead at the green scenery, which was repeatedly disrupted by his windshield wipers. Not soon enough he pulled up to a lodging parking lot, sitting right on the murky shore of the La Push beach. With out a word I undid my seat belt and waited for him to pop the trunk, then closed the trunk after I had my bag.
" Here." I stated, reaching into my pocket and handing him the promise amount.
" Thanks." He answered, then paused before turning away. " Look, I didn't mean to look like a prick back at the motel, my mom is-"
" Don't worry about it," I cut in, saving his ass an apology. " No one wants to drive around strangers."
He laughed and nodded his head before saying goodbye once again. With a wave he was gone, disappearing just as easily as everyone else in my life. I then set off to the cottage looking cabins in front of me, securing a place to sleep for the night. The price was a considerable amount higher than the cheap motel owned by Mrs. Yorkie, but definitely nicer. The carpets were clean, proper locks, a pleasant smelling bathroom, and no creepy men in the next room. The woman at the counter was considerably less prying and handed me brochures of the beach, well beaches. Turns out that there are actually three beaches at La Push.
Meaning three times as more pictures for me to take.
Not bothering to unpack, I threw my things onto the bed and grabbed my camera and room key. After locking the door I made my way to the shore line, happily noting that the rain had stopped. The beach wasn't too crowded as I snapped pictures of the churning gray water spilling onto glittering sand. True to the brochure James Island sat proudly only yards away, looking as though its own private escape with the trees towering on top of it.
The salty waves stung my nose as I ventured to the second beach of La Push. I settled on a large boulder as I snapped shots of the murky waves splashed against smaller offshore islands. Coming to life with a roar as the bloated clouds above it swirled. A slight wind urging the waves higher, bending the bark of neighboring trees that towered above the shoreline.
Laughing disrupted my musings as I look to the left of me. Sure enough there were a loud group of what seemed like men, stampeding their way down the coast. They were all tan, buff, and big surprise shirtless. Some of them seemed accompanied by girls close to their age, although one had a young girl with him. While one or two rough housed with one another. I huffed in annoyance, their loud whooping and gallivanting seeming to disrupt the serene appeal of this mournful looking beach. I stomped my way from my position on the boulder, getting closer to the waves, wishing they would pass by me already. I could already hear there stupid yelling.
" Come on Seth!"
" Shut the hell up Sam!"
" Hey language!"
" Sorry Jake!"
" Emily keep a leash on your man!"
" Same for your woman Seth!"
" Cheap shot Paul!"
Soon enough the came passing by me loudly, while I look ahead through my camera-lens. I was determined to ignore them until suddenly I was knocked down onto the powdery sand. By what felt like a fucking semi! Shit, that hurt! At least I made sure to cradle my camera so no damage was done to it.
" Ow! Jeez Paul not so hard. Look what happened." A voice next to me yelped.
" Man up, Embry!" Another laughed.
My eyes finally came into focus as I came face to face with one of the men up close and personal. When in all reality, didn't look to be a man at all. Sure his stature and bulging muscles told otherwise but his face still had a boyish look about him.
" Sorry about that." Embry, who I assumed by the way the other addressed him.
Before I could tell him off, all of the sudden I was lifted up in the air by two massive hands. This punk Embry had lifted me and and set me on my feet, as if I weighed nothing. Okay, fine so the steroids paid off, I still don't appreciate some guy invading my personal space. I looked up only to see him smiling as if he knew I was impressed. That smile was soon gone as I glared and pushed him away from me. His pack of friends seem to laugh at this as I bent over to brush the sand that had stuck to my jeans. I could already hear the jokes they would come up with about me after they left.
" She certainly has enough ass to go around."
" Thanks Paul." Embry grimaced, although I knew he could really give a shit.
" Nah, she's too much for me."
" No problem." A deep voice replied.
Another round of laughter.
" Yeah, fat ass!"
" Why don't you jerks just watch where the hell your going next time!?" I snapped, glancing up at the offending group.
My statement caused most of the group to send my apologetic glances. Although I quickly made eye contact with one who wore a cocky grin. Although as soon as my brown eyes collided with his, that smirk slid from his face.
" Sorry, it was an accident." One of the boys offered.
Although I didn't pay any attention to them. I watched as this boy, no man, he looked older than the others, stared at me. His eyes widened by a fraction, his mouth opening into a small 'o.' It was as if I just transformed into a fucking unicorn right before his eyes. Those dark eyes scanning me as if he was taking in every feature of my face.I subconsciously reached my hand up to my cheek. My skin's texture was the same, loose strands had come from my braid and no doubt my bangs were ruffled due to the wind. I glanced at my clothing, finding that everything was in order, apart from the mud and sand that stained my shoes. There was some probably stuck to my butt as well. Great. Other than that everything seemed in order. I wondered if I really had gained so much weight to get a look like that from somebody.
" Paul?" A voice whispered.
The guy, Paul I guess his name is, was suddenly mere inches away from my face by the time I looked up. I realized just how tall the dude was as I tilted my head back just to meet his eyes. Well, on the other hand I am really short. I observed his dark almost almond shape eyes, that sat above a slender nose and russet colored lips. His black hair was short like most of his dude crew, yet his bangs came up in the front. I also noted that his ears stuck out a little and ended in sort of a point. It was kind of cute, not as though I'd ever tell him that. Suddenly I was very aware that I didn't have any make up on.
" Are you all right?" He whispered, his eyes conveying an absurd amount of worry.
" F-Fine." I mumbled lamely, caught of guard by his soft expression.
" Are you sure?" He replied, his gaze now freely wandering my body.
I felt a surge of blood rush over my cheek bones as I stepped back from him. I crossed my arms around my midsection, trying to cover myself from his wandering gaze. I adverted my eyes to the group behind him as the watched in what seemed shocked silence. Their expressions blank, as if only they knew the gravity of the situation. Even the two older girls that were there seemed to share meaningful glances. As I observed the group it seemed as though everyone was coupled, except for Paul whom as still staring shamelessly and that Embry. One guy even had a little girl with him. An extremely pale, yet beautiful little girl, who watched the scene with what seemed the calm air of someone much older than her.
It wasn't long before my gaze was eventually pulled back to this Paul. His eyes betraying an almost wounded look from my actions. I felt more uncomfortable by the moment, my feet finally catching up with my brain as I started walking backwards.
" I-It's fine. Forget it." I quickly mumbled, turning on my heel.
Before I could even get a few steps away from the weird ass group, I found myself running into something solid. Well solid and really really warm. I put my palms flat against the surface and pushed away. Only to see the distressed face of Paul once again. Much to my mortification, I realized that I was standing there with my hands against this guys very defined abdomen. His hands wrapping themselves on my upper arm and shoulder to prevent me from falling. Heat once again flooded my face, much to my discomfort.
" Wait," He stated, not bother to remove his hands. " I'm, Paul. Paul Neah."
' What the hell is this dude's deal? Does he really think I'm gonna fall for whatever joke he's playing." I thought angrily, like I would believe some shirtless tool would go for a girl like me.
" That's nice." I replied , stepping out of his grip.
I turned on my heel intent on going back to my hotel, which happened to be the same direction the stupid shirtless group were traveling. Before I knew it Paul Neah was at my side again. Jesus these guys never gave up on a joke did they?
" Can I help you?" I snapped, not bothering to look up at him.
" A name." He replied, I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.
" Make one up then." I answered smoothly.
I sent him a glance, only to see what I thought was a smirk fall from his face. His eyes holding a frustrated edge, that almost seemed desperate. He seemed to be taking this shit so seriously.
" Okay, I give." I stated, as I neared the first beach. " What kind of game are you playing?"
This seem to confuse Paul as he quickly stepped in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. That serious expression gracing his handsome features once again.
'Wait. Handsome? Ah shit. Get it together girl!'
" I'm not playing anything." He answered, no trace of a smile or teasing glint in his eye.
Whatever, I'm going back to my cabin and away from this freak. I looked behind me to see his group staring at us intently, their eyes going back and forth between us like a freaking tennis match. Yeah, it's time for me to book dick, metaphorically speaking. I side stepped the giant muscle man, called Paul, and continued on my way in silence. Funny enough he just walked next to me, like some sort of lost puppy trying to follow me home. The only sound was the whistling of the wind as is whipped around us. Paul seeming to be content to travel next to me. I didn't really say anything though, because as it were his group was going this way anyways. I shivered slightly as goosebumps rose up on my arms, and I couldn't help but feel the body heat of the guy next to me. He inched towards me little by little, as if he knew that he was warmer than me. But it's not like I could just snuggle up with someone random stranger. Let alone the fact he looked to be about twenty-six at the least! No way, La Push is beautiful but I'm not sure if the picture are worth all the weirdos around here.
Finally my cabin came into view and I was able to put distance between the coast line and these group of teenagers who should really invest in some t-shirts. I started up the slight hill before Paul caught my attention once again, seeming to reach my side in record speed.
" Hey, you never told me your name." He stated, waiting.
' Was this guy for fucking real? Why the hell not, it's not as though I'll see him again. I'll be out of this state in a week's time anyways.' My thoughts reasoned.
" It's A.J." I answered, continuing my climb up the sandy hill.
" A.J. what?" Paul called from behind.
I sighed, wondering how much longer I have to talk to him.
" A.J. Prado." I answered, my tongue rolling with 'r' sound as Nana had pronounced it.
This seem to finally satisfy the guy as he joined his group of friends. Hurriedly I entered the cabin and locked the door, watching from window to see what the reaction would be once he joined them. I mostly expected them to just laugh and joke about the girl who though she actually had a chance with Paul Neah. Instead I saw him join his group, with a small smile as some of the boys punched his arm and slapped his back. All of the sudden he looked back at my cabin, as I let the curtain fall and moved away from the window. When I looked back, they were finally leaving, although Paul seemed to shuffle his feet and his posture was slouch; he almost looked as if he was defeated.
" What the fuck?" I said aloud to no one in particular.
That night when I was in a warm, comfortable, clean bed I still couldn't get to sleep. I pulled blankets from my duffel back, dressed in flannel pajama bottoms and added a sweatshirt. Yet, as I laid in my cocoon of blankets, I still felt... cold.
Adriana flashed through my mind.
I squeezed my eyes shut and willed her away. Only to have her be replaced by Paul. I sighed and turned on to my other side.
I was still freezing.
Woo! Extra long chapter since I haven't updated in months! I hope you guys will enjoy and please review if you would like to see more. Now that I'm on spring break I can update much faster than before, but that will only happen if you review! So go hit that button and I will shirtless Pauls! =)