Dinner goes so smoothly, it's almost too good to be true. Dad and Mom take separate cars with their respective children. We arrive at McCall's the only restaurant that's open enough to seat all the graduates. They serve the best southern food in North Carolina.

There's not one disagreement or anything, even though Dad hates crowds and just wants to eat and leave and Mom loves them and sticks around hours after she's finished eating to talk. But Dad is patient and Mom moves quickly and instead of hours, we leave an hour after we finish.

I'm so pleased driving home, I don't notice my mother's discontent until she reaches forward and shuts off the radio playing Top 40 hits. I glance away from the road for a second to see her face all screwed up in disappointment.

"What's wrong Mom?" I ask, making up for the last ten minutes of silence that I didn't catch onto. She's obviously been upset for a long time.

"Did you see it?" She asks in disgust, crossing her arms like a child.

"See what?"

"Them. Their whole relationship is completely unhealthy. He's too controlling. He wouldn't let her out of his sight. He's got this whole possessive look. I don't like it. And have you seen the weight she's gained. At least fifteen pounds."

I saw the looks, but there were no warning bells going off in my head. The abusive relationships I'd seen, that I'd helped girls out of, were nothing like this. Yea, he had a possessive quality, but there was no look of anger as she'd walked off, just loneliness. He didn't know anyone around and it seemed like he was out of his element. That was all.

Then we got to the source of her problems. I didn't notice it until Mom mentioned it just now. Val was bigger; in her hips, in her thighs and in her breasts. No tummy bulge, no muffin top, just tighter fitting clothes. And that's something my mom can't stand. Val's not a stick, like Mom's worked so hard to become.

I sigh, and inwardly shake my head. Image is everything to her. It's why she's such a good publicist.

"I saw, Mom. But can we please not bring it up to Val? Today's been a good day. You and Dad even got along," I say desperately.

Mom sighs and nods. "Yea, Val, I'll keep my mouth shut. For now. But I want you calling me every day while you're in Forks. If one thing seems amiss, you tell me. I'll be out there faster than you can say Val's in trouble, OK?"

I nod my consent, agreeing to my mother's own set of conditions.

Forty-Eight hours later, I was on a plane destined for doom. Ok, that was a little melodramatic, but really? I was giving up my whole summer! The summer before I went to college, where I was supposed to live it up on the beach, hang out with my friends and blow all my savings shopping with Ali and Marcus. Marcus would complain the whole time until we bought him Dippin' Dots and Pretzels. I'd get sunburn, like I do every year, have total boy drama that Ali would get me somehow tangled up in, and when August rolled around, I'd start my online classes.

Speaking of Ali, she was pissed when I told her yesterday.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me." She'd said. "Our first beach trip was supposed to be in a week. She couldn't wait that long?"

"I tried." I said. "But something about her fiancée and his family and God, I don't know Ali. She's getting married and she's freaking out, ok? She needs me."

She'd plopped down on her bed, growling into the covers in frustrations. "Ok. Fine. I'm still pissed you won't be here. I'm not happy."

I had to resist rolling my eyes. She could be such a drama queen sometimes. And if Ali's not happy, nobody's happy.

"I'm not too thrilled about it either Al."

I ate dinner with her last night, but had to leave after. She cried.

And now I was starting to cry. I turned my head away from Val so she wouldn't see. It would make her feel bad and she'd practically try to stop the plane if she knew I was crying.

I could see the ground below, watch my home growing smaller and smaller. I had an overwhelming sense of dread weigh down in my chest as it disappeared. I quickly dried my tears, blinking rapidly and taking deep breaths. When I was sure my face was dry and no longer red, I turned back to Val, only to find her leaning against Embry, already asleep.

I sighed and settled back into my seat, pulling my legs up underneath me and laying at angle onto Val's arm. I was small enough that I could curl and wrap my jacket around most of my body in the seat.

Six Hours Later

It was chilly outside, barely seventy degrees.

Its MAY for Christ's sake! I thought to myself angrily.

Ok, I was cranky. I glared at nothing while I waited for whomever to bring around the car that was picking the three of us up.

"Will you quit looking so angry?" Val asked, glancing back at me. I just stared at her blankly.

Yea, definitely a cranky flyer.

The plane ride had lasted entirely too long for my taste, and the second one too bumpy. But really, I'm just tired and antsy from sitting too long and being around Val and Embry's complete gag worthy lovey-doveyness.

I rolled my eyes when she'd turned back around.

Stop it! I ordered myself. You are here to make this time pleasant for Val. That includes your attitude. Now knock it off.

I forced a smile and walked forward to stand next to Val. "Sorry," I said quietly. "I'm just a little tired." I paused. "Who's picking us up?"

She smiled back at me and nodded towards an oncoming truck. "Jacob. He's a good friend of Embry's."

The black F-150 rolled to a stop and out jumped a large Native American man that could have been Embry's brother. His large muscles were prominent underneath his black t-shirt. He could probably snap me in half with a twitch of his pinky.

He looked out of place in the large crowd, uncomfortable as Embry had been in North Carolina. The two of them easily handled our luggage, throwing it in the truck bed and lowering the lid. Embry and Val opted to sit in the back together and Dad got in the front. I was left to choose the front middle seat, to awkwardly shift around my father while he tried to make small talk, or the more spacious back seat next to the love birds. I chose the back.

I tried to ignore their obvious PDA even as they tried, for me, to tone it down. This was their territory now, and even though our agreement still stood, it was hard to expect them to stick to it when they were so used to being…. themselves.

We reached my old house soon enough, faster than normal, by a whole 30 minutes. Jacob was a fast driver.

It was almost exactly the same as it had been eight years ago. Two tire swings still hung from the two trees in our front yard. I had broken my elbow on those swings. The grass was still just a little too long because Dad was too busy to mow it. The house was small and yellow, a two story house with a dark blue door and dark blue shutters. It was the house of my childhood, of my hell.

I swallowed the memories and took one of my bags from Embry. I walked in, knowing the place well. My old room had been the first on the left. It still was. The room was exactly as I had left it, the bare bed in the right corner, devoid of sheets and pillows, the walls a very pale purple with small holes where I'd had a corkboard, dry erase board and shelves full of books that wrapped around two of my walls. It was a sad little room. I tossed the duffel bag on the bed and returned to get the rest, only to see Embry and Jacob coming up the stairs with them.

They set the bags on the floor next to my bed, returning two more times. I immediately began unpacking.

I started with my first bag, the sheets, pillows and blankets. I was lucky my two rooms were almost the same color and that my stuff from my room at home matched the stuff to my old room.

I was just tugging the corners of my comforter into place when there was a light knock on the door, the same knock Val and I'd had as kids.

"Come in," I called softly and Val slipped in, shutting the door gently behind her.

"Hey lil' Sis, I thought I'd come help you unpack. Embry just left and Dad's cooking dinner." She said, walking over to my freshly made bed and plopping down.

"Sure," I replied, sliding a suitcase over to her. She smiled and reached inside, pulling out a pair of jeans. She knew how I organized everything and walked over to my closet, folding it over a hanger and setting it on the bottom row of my closet.

We worked in relative silence, only speaking briefly when she didn't quite know where something went.

It wasn't until Dad called us to dinner and there was only one suitcase left that she spoke. "Listen, after dinner I think we should go over to a friend's house. Her name is Emily. We spend a lot of time together, with a bunch of other girls and the rest of Embry's friend. So, I figured you should go ahead and get used to them you know? There's probably some sports game on or something. Anyway, there's going to be food and games and a lot of fun." She sounded like a commercial, or a birthday invitation. I could see no way out of it, even if I said I was tired, she'd probably find some way to convince me, just as she had about the wedding.

I smiled. "Sure, why not?" I was so going to regret this later.

Yes, I was definitely regretting it. I had been to plenty of parties back home before, ones of the crazy, drinking kinds, and ones of the chill, laid back kind. This was definitely one of the latter, although this didn't have the "party" feel. More like a family reunion feel. It was loud and it was hot.

I'd met several people, too many to really remember, although I was constantly going through the mental list as people tried to speak to me.

Emily and Sam were the hosts tonight. They were in their mid-twenties. Emily was hugely pregnant with their first child, a boy she said. They were naming him Sam. She had huge scars across her face, a bear attack Val had said. Then there was Jacob and Nessie. Jacob was the one who gave us the ride to Dad's and Nessie was his girlfriend. She was incredibly beautiful; it put every girl in the room to shame. She had pale white skin and long, curly brown hair that hung nearly to her back. When she spoke, everyone listened.

There was a boy named Quil with a younger girl, about nine or ten years old. And another, bitter looking girl name Leah. Paul and a girl Rachel. Names and faces were jumbled after those few, even as I tried to sort them out.

I could feel my face flushing in the heat as more and more people piled in the room. It was so hot. I grabbed Val's arm. "Sorry," I mumbled as she jumped. "I need to step out. I need some fresh air." I didn't wait for an answer, just quickly rushed out, although I'm sure I saw her nod her head.

There were people sitting on the porch, mostly couples looking for privacy, sitting in the rocking chairs and whispering or kissing. I made a face of disgust and rushed down the steps and into the streets.

Finally, able to breathe, I slowed my walk to one of leisure. The house was tucked into the forest as were the others, almost all obstructed from view. I walked the length of the road, where it stopped and turned into more forest. Just as I was reaching the end of the road, two figures popped out and from the looks of it, they were two Native Americans on their way to the party up ahead. They were goofing off, pushing each other and laughing loudly. I heard one say, "Look, its Valerie."

There was a long pause and one of them stopped and stared at me a long time while the other stood next to him, waving his hands in front of his face and calling his name. Finally, the guy spoke. "No man, I don't think that's Val."

They began walking towards me, the one who had identified me as not Val leading the other one.

I stood there awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do. Should I just stand here and wait, like I was already doing? Should I go meet them?

I didn't have time to answer, they were in front of me faster than I thought they'd be. "Uhm, hi," said they second one, while the other simply gawked, his mouth hanging slightly open. The second one elbowed him. He shook his head and smiled hugely at me. "Hey," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

I consciously folded my hands over my chest, remembering from an online article that it gives the unwanted, closed feel. "Hello," I said, still being polite.

There was an awkward silence.

"Do we know you?" The first one asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'm here with my sister Val." I answered, knowing this might help the situation, since they obviously knew my sister.

"Oh, that's why you look familiar," said the second. "You two look exactly alike. I'm Embry and this is Seth." I tucked their names and faces into the list of people I'd met tonight. The first one, Seth, smiled at me.

"Kat," I said. "I'm here to help my sister plan her wedding."

"Nice to meet you Kat," Embry said, shaking my hand, it was unusually warm, like he had a fever. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of you around here."

I nodded. Seth reached out to shake my hand and I when I grabbed, my world exploded completely. His hands, like Embry's were warm, yet when we touched, there was fire. It spread through my fingers and up my arms, all through my body. I glanced up at his face and was immediately lost in his beautiful dark eyes. I could feel my cheeks heating in embarrassment as our hands held just a moment too long.

"Nice to meet y'all," I said after swallowing quickly and lowering my gaze from Seth's.

"Yep, there's that North Carolina accent Val came with," Embry said, chuckling lightly. "We're headed to Emily's, care to join us?"

I shook my head. "Not particularly," I said, throwing a glance at the house behind me, remembering the crowded rooms, the hot atmosphere, all the couples, happily staring at one another. House parties weren't particularly my thing back home either. I preferred the beach-y bonfire types.

I realized how bad that must have sounded, and quickly covered my unenthusiastic, semi-sarcastic answer. "I mean, it's not you. I just, I'm not very fond of the atmosphere. Uhm…" I paused, trying to come up with a way to word it. "I wasn't having much fun back there, I needed some air." I gave them a weak smile, feeling defeated. "I'll go back with you."

We started walking, the boys losing their playful manner. It was awkward.

"So uhm, Kat," Embry said, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't say anything else, just looked over at Seth. I watched the two as they seemed to have a private conversation without speaking.

I twisted my fingers awkwardly as they exchanged looks back and forth, looking back at me, then towards each other. After about thirty seconds, Seth finally turned to me.

"Are you here for long?" He asked nonchalantly, but there was something under that, it sounded like hope hitched deep down in his meaning.

I frowned. "Unfortunately. I'll be here for a few months."

"And that's unfortunate because….?" He pried, stepping closer to me.

I shrugged. "Let's not talk about it." I said shortly, crossing my arms back over my chest. He held up his hands in a way that I'm sure was meant to calm me down.

"No problem. What do you want to talk about?" He asked. He was getting closer to me and it was getting just a little bit uncomfortable.

I shrugged again. Definitely uncomfortable. And Embry was now several paces ahead of us. "Uhm, it doesn't really matter," I mumbled, just ready to get back to my sister. I glanced up at him and forced myself not to gasp. He was so gorgeous. He wore his hair shaggier than Embry's, which was cut much shorter, barely touching his ears. Seth's was messy, as if he didn't bother to smooth it out when he woke up in the morning. It flopped midway down his forehead and stuck up in all different places. He had a sort of boyish look about his face, very sweet like. Oh gosh, his eyes…

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked away. Don't do that, I chided myself.

I picked up my pace, wanting to get back to the house desperately.

"Let's talk about Emily then," he said.

The woman's scared face and huge belly popped into my head. Safe enough subject. "Okay," I agreed. "She's very pretty."

"And very pregnant." He added, chuckling slightly. "I call twins, even though they say there's only one kickin' in there."

I shook my head. "No, I say one. One very big boy."

"Nope," Seth said, shaking his own head. "Two kids, two very large twins."

"No way," I protested, smiling just a little. "My English teacher was pregnant last year and her stomach was so huge, she literally sat two feet away from her desk. And that was at six month. One boy popped out in May, ten pounds, eleven ounces. I call big baby."

"Oh yea? You wanna bet on that?" He asked, daring me to accept the challenge.

"I wanna bet on that," I agreed. "Ten bucks says it's a baby boy. And a big one. Another ten that he's at least nine pounds."

"You're on," he said with a mischievous smile. "Twenty says its twins. Another twenty says identical."

"It is so on," I say, giving him my own mischievous smile. I have never lost a bet, and didn't plan on it now.

He held out his hand, still smiling at me. "Shake on it."

I was nervous to touch him again after what happened earlier, the whole heat thing and the tingles. I could still feel them. I swallowed hard and grabbed his hand, expecting it this time. And happen it did. The warmth spread all the way down to my toes and I could feel myself smiling stupidly. We held hands just a second too long, and in that instant, I knew there was something more. And I was scared.

Seth seemed genuinely pleased with himself as we came up on the house. Embry had already gone in a few minutes before us and when we walked in, someone whistled at Seth and another guy slapped him on the back, boasting out a loud, "Congrats man."

I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion and he looked down at me, gave everyone a pointed look and rolled his eyes at them, as if to say, "don't listen to these dorks."

Then I noticed Val, fuming in the corner, shooting daggers at Seth while Embry stood in front of her, looking as if he were trying to calm her down and failing miserably.

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