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Chapter 7: Secrets

Kim's POV.

Jared was hiding something.

I was an idiot for not realizing sooner. Since the moment he came back to school looking like a body builder he had been acting strange. First of all, he was hanging out with me. He had gone from hardly knowing my name (I don't think he even knew it began with a K) to following me around like a happy, very cute puppy. Then he stopped talking to all of his friends, then he started to hang around with Paul and Sam (according to the rumours), then he asked me on a date, and now he was acting like a freaked out cat towards a wolf howl.

I had been so ecstatic about Jared actually being interested in me I hadn't taken notice to his behaviour. But the more I thought about it, the more weird and unexplainable things I noticed about him. Like the way he always nervously glanced at the woods like he was waiting for something, or how he acted like an overprotective momma bear at a loud noise, or the way he watched Jacob Black and his friends like they were about to explode.

I hadn't picked up on any of the things before. I had been too busy watching the way his deep brown eyes sparkled when he was happy and how he held my hand like he just couldn't stop himself from touching me. Every moment we had spent together started to play through my mind as I laid in my bed after our date. Hours passed by and I couldn't will myself to sleep, so of course I started to pick out every little thing Jared had done that was even remotely strange.

I didn't want to believe it was true. I wanted to believe that he was perfect and that he wouldn't lie to me. Why, I didn't know. We hadn't been "friends" for very long and everyone had the right to keep secrets (hell, I was keeping a secret from him). However, I felt like this was something big, something that involved me in a massive way. I hated being out of the loop, especially when it concerned the possibility of Jared and I.

I had the intention of confronting him when I got to school, I was going to demand answers, only he wasn't there. In fact, he wasn't there for the rest of the week. My anger departed after a few days and turned into worry. Was he sick? Was he avoiding me? Had I done something wrong? The weekend dragged by slower than I thought time could ever go and then it was Monday again. I rushed into school with my eyes wide open for any sign of Jared.

"You're getting ridiculous," Erin said as she joined me. She threw some books into her locker and turned to me, her hand on her hip. "I know you've been obsessed with him for years now but you're acting like it's the apocalypse."

"I'm just worried," I muttered in slight embarrassment. If Erin had noticed, the girl who was so oblivious to everything around her that it borderline rude, other people must have realized my strange behaviour. I was practically twitching.

"About what?" she slammed her locker shut. "Marisa Harnet swears she saw him on Friday with Paul near the woods. I'm sure he's fine."

"What? Marisa seen him? Why didn't you tell me?" I hissed.

"I just heard her gossiping to her friends near the back," Erin smirked, apparently finding my hysteria amusing. "Chill out, Kimmy."

Chill out? What was I, a penguin?

However, I surrendered and sluggishly made my way to class, cursing when I remembered that Jared wasn't going to be in any of them… again. As much as I tried to tell myself Jared was fine I couldn't stop that nagging worry in the back of my head. I acted normal to keep the little sanity I had left, but my heart still searched for Jared when I thought no one was looking or when I was by myself. By Wednesday I was a few days away from marching over to the Cameron's house and demanding to see Jared before I exploded, but I didn't have to.

The minute I got to school I grabbed some books for my bag and was just about to shut it when I felt a presence behind me.

"Kim."

I knew that voice anywhere. Hell, I could have been in space and I would still be drawn to that voice. Immediately, I turned and basked in the glory of Jared unharmed and smiling at me. Whether it was the fact that I had been worried for over a week or that he was just so beautiful, I forgot everything and jumped into his arms. They instantly wrapped around me and I savoured the heat radiating from his muscular body on such a cold day.

"Are you okay?" I asked, still holding tight.

"Of course I am," he replied. "I missed you, though."

My inside turned into mushy goo.

"Me too," I murmured into his shoulder shyly. I let go of him and awkwardly hoisted my bag further up my shoulder blade. He was grinning so wide I thought he may faint. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I had a… family problem, I suppose you could say," he answered after a small pause. "I needed to sort that out before I was allowed to come back to school again."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was nothing bad."

"Well, that's good."

He nodded, his eyes never straying from me. Intimidated by his dark brown eyes, I looked away and watched as a group gathered by the lockers sent us curious glances. No one had mentioned mine and Jared's date so I supposed no one knew about us yet. I had only told Erin and my siblings and, as far as I knew, they had said nothing. It must have been weird to see me jumping in his arms like a pathetic stalker. I blushed and looked to the floor at the thought.

"I had fun on our date," Jared said and my blush deepened. "I'm sorry I had to leave early… I had something important to do that I'd forgot about."

"Its fine," I shrugged.

"No it's not," he replied strongly. He took a step forward and took my hand in his, I smiled nervously. "I'll make it up to you next time, promise."

My heart skipped at his words. He wanted to go out with me again! I felt like singing and dancing down the corridors.

We walked hand-in-hand to lessons and I didn't even care when people whispered and giggled. We ate lunch together, along with Paul and Erin who fought about which band was better (Aerosmith or The Rolling Stones), and chatted about nothing in particular. It was the end of the day when he was walking me to my car when he stopped us.

"What about this Friday for our do over date?" he questioned.

My heart fluttered. "Okay," I nodded shyly.

He kissed my cheek and ran off to his truck while I sat in my car waiting for Mike and Anna-Marie. When I knew no one could hear me, I squealed and did a little happy dance that was really hard considering I was sat down. My blissfulness carried on all night, Thursday and Friday. I had finished my homework on the Friday afternoon after school and was making the tea for my brother and sister when the front door opened. My parents rushed into the kitchen, both in their suits and their phones clutched in their hands.

"Kimberly," mom called out in relief. "Thank God you're home. We need you to look after Anna-Marie and Mike tonight, alright? We have a really important client in Seattle that wants to see us tonight."

"Mom!" I cried as she began to retreat up the stairs. "I can't! I have plans."

She scoffed. "So? Cancel them."

"Mom—"

"There is no say on the matter, Kimberly. You're looking after them and that's final."

I couldn't argue anymore as she disappeared up the stairs and into her bedroom. My heart sank to my feet and I stood staring at my parents closed bedroom door in shock and anger. Why did they expect me to drop everything when they wanted to go away? I was sixteen, for God sake, I was meant to be out with my friends on a Friday night, not looking after my siblings because my parents were over obsessed with money! With a heavy heart, I got my cell phone from my bag and dialled Jared's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jared, it's Kim," I muttered into the phone. "I'm really sorry but I can't come tonight."

"What?"

He sounded so disappointed I wanted to cry.

"My parents are going away for the weekend," I explained. "I have to look after Anna and Mike while they're gone. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "No, it's alright. I just wanted to spend time with you."

"Me too, Jared, but my parents don't like us to be in separate places when they're away."

"Another time then?"

"Definitely."

"Okay. Bye, Kim."

"Bye."

Sometimes, I really wanted to punch my parents in the face.

Ten minutes after arriving my parents ran down the stairs, my mom's heels clicking against the floor, and out the front door. Thanks for saying goodbye, I thought bitterly when I heard them roar off down the road. Sighing, I finished the tea and then got changed into my pyjamas and cuddled on the sofa with Anna-Marie. She sympathetically patted my shoulder and Mike shrugged his shoulders in a 'what can you do?' way from the beanbag near the fire.

Suddenly, there was a bang at the door and I got up to answer it, expecting a neighbour or a salesman. With the mood I was in I got ready to scream at the person and put my best pissed off face on. However, when I opened the door, it was the last person I expected.

Thoughts?

Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favourites! I love you all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I know the ending isn't the best (it's so obvious) but I had the next chapter with this one but it would have been nearly 4,000 words and considering the length of the other chapters, it would have seemed out of place, so I hope you like my obvious cliff-hanger!

-Laylax