AN: What's up, guys? Sorry I've been kind of MIA- college just started back up and I've been really stressed out. I am the epitome of a broke college student with a piece of shit car, bills and a dad who just wants all of my money. I haven't really been in the creative mood, if you know what I'm saying. BUT. I signed up for a creative writing class and it is utterly amazing. I've had it twice, but I literally wrote this whole thing this morning and I can feel the creative writing juices flowing faster and better than ever. Enough of me rambling, enjoy chapter two and tell me what you think at the end! xx

"I bet it's a trick."

My heart clenched at her words. "Why would it be a trick?"

She gave me a look. "Let's get real, Kim. Jared Cameron. Jared Cameron. And all of a sudden, he just wants to talk to you? It just seems weird to me."

"You don't think he could like someone like me." My voice was shaking, not only in anger, but in fear. I feared her words, because they could be true.

"Not at all. Why wouldn't he like you? Just why now? Why does he have such a sudden interest in you?" She shrugged her shoulders. "That's all."

I sighed as she shut her locker and looked at me. Avenue was gorgeous and a good friend. I wouldn't call her my best friend because she was easily frustrated and always wanted to be logical about everything.

Sometimes I just wanted someone to squeal with.

She patted my hand and smiled at me. "Things will get more clear. Just be careful. You don't know him, so you don't know what he's up to. Just be on your toes."

I nodded and waved goodbye as she turned on her heel and left. I'd been nervous and fidgety for the rest of the day, although I hadn't seen Jared once since class this morning. I was waiting for Dean to pick me up from wherever it was that he went for lunch- and never returned for the rest of his classes. I sat down in a chair by the office and front doors, where I had a clear view of the parking lot where Dean would be picking me up.

"-Sam is going to freak out when I tell him!"

"-shit's supposed to be rare, man, what the hell?"

"I don't even know-"

I looked up just in time to see Jared and Paul Lahote, Jared's best friend, walk into the lobby near where I was sitting. They could have passed for brothers.

Paul smirked, his eyes narrowing mischievously at Jared before nodding at me.

"Hey, Kim."

Odd.

I smiled tight-lipped and pushed my glasses up my nose. "Hi."

Paul clapped Jared on the shoulder roughly. "See you later, man. Emily's at 6!"

"See ya."

Jared's eyes followed Paul as he left the building, a breeze catching the door and pushing it open wider before it closed with a bang. He looked at me and smiled, his eyes, his face- everything molding into perfection.

Jared was sexy.

He used to be lanky. Like his limbs were too thin and long for his body. He was like a noodle, in a sense, because he moved so awkwardly and hadn't grown into himself yet.

The new Jared was nothing like a noodle. He was more like a rock.

His shoulders were broad- he reminded me of someone who'd just gotten back from boot camp. His waist was still small, but obviously toned; his shirt clung in all the right places and left little to the imagination.

His arms were questionable: it literally looked like he'd swallowed small boulders, and somehow they'd magically traveled to his biceps.

His hair, which had been long and wavy, and traditionally in a braid, like most other guys on the reservation, had been chopped short, but it was styled in a slightly lazy point up front; it was shorter in the back. It was still silky and shiny, just two feet shorter.

I had the strongest urge to run my fingers through his hair.

And he was smiling at me.

I didn't understand it, really. He was beautiful, actually. I'd never thought to use that word to describe a man- because he was no longer just a boy- but handsome just didn't seem to do him any justice.

He nodded at me. "Hey."

I tried swallowing the lump that formed in my throat. "Hi."

He had a small smile on his face, a ghost of a smirk. He sat down beside me and I could feel the heat radiating off him. The urge to reach out and touch him from my first class came roaring back and I laced my hands together tightly to keep from doing so.

"How's it going?"

"Swell," I said under my breath. He chuckled, but his face was serious.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

I glanced sideways at him and the words were out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Why do you wanna know?"

That small smile appeared on his face again- like he knew something that I didn't. "Curious."

I sighed, accepting the fact that he wasn't about to give me a straight answer. "I'm waiting for my brother."

"Where is he?" he asked. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms behind his head and making himself comfortable, but also flexing in the process. I blushed and looked away quickly.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "But he should be here soon."

I gave him a pointed look then, silently telling him that he could leave whenever he wanted. He didn't have to sit here and pity me.

"I can wait," he told me.

"You don't have to, is what I'm saying," I shot back. He raised an eyebrow.

"What if I want to?" he said quietly. I scoffed.

"Why would you want to?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I want to get to know you."

Those were the words I'd been waiting for since the day I first laid my eyes on Jared. But now I was suspicious.

"But why?" I asked, facing him.

He shrugged again, smiling wider. "Why not?"

"You're not going to give me a straight answer, are you?" I said, irritated.

He shook his head. "Most likely not."

"Right."

And I sat back in my chair, silently waiting for Dean.

Maybe it was some sort of prank, like how Avenue suggested. Paul had drastically changed, too. He used to be puny and now- now he was three times his old size and had anger issues. He didn't seem like he cared too much about anything; the last couple classes, he'd been sleeping in all of them.

But he was Jared's best friend, and his anger problems were notorious.

I snuck a quick peek at Jared who was already look at me. I looked away quickly, but the damage was done.

He laughed hard, his shoulders shaking and he slipped an arm around my shoulders.

If I was like any other teenage girl in this world, I would have sat back and enjoyed the fact that the man I was practically in love with had his arm wrapped around me.

But the heat from his skin was like a shockwave to my brain.

"C'mon Kim," he joked. "I-"

But I ripped myself away from him with a small gasp.

He was hot. Burning hot, like how he was before and I was already red in the face from this whole conversation, interaction- whatever the hell it was. Through the office doors, I finally saw the little silver car that Dean and I shared pull up.

"I gotta go," I mumbled. "My brother's here."

"Kim, wait-!"

But I booked it.

I power walked through the parking lot, dodging parked cars to get to Dean. I finally reached it, pulling open the passenger door to find the seat already occupied, but some nameless girl that was sucking faces with my brother.

There was a suction noise as Dean pulled away. He looked up in me in surprise.

"Kim-"

I didn't have the time.

"Get out," I ordered the girl. Her hair was streaked horribly with what was supposed to be blonde, but was a hideous shade of orange and her makeup was outrageous. She looked questioningly at Dean. "I said get out!"

The girl scrambled from the car and I jumped in her place instead, slamming the door shut in her face.

"What the fuck, Kim?" Dean shouted furiously.

"Drive," I told him. "Or I'm telling Mom you haven't been in school all damn day."

Grumbling, Dean pulled out of the parking lot, leaving the nameless and orange girl behind. I hoped Jared hadn't come after me but I was too chicken to turn around to check.

"Thanks for waking me up this morning, ass-wipe," I said disgustedly.

Dean shrugged, which was his normal answer for everything. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"And for helping me with Maqahla and Raven this morning. You know, the least you could have down was made their lunch or something-"

"God Kim, just shut up, okay?" he shouted. "You sound just like Mom- you're not Mom, Kim!"

"I know I'm not Mom!" I bit back angrily. "Mom isn't even Mom right now. I'm trying to keep us together!"

"But you can't, Kim," he told me harshly. When did the conversation turn to this? I was in shock, but too angry at him to notice much of anything else right now. "You just can't."

"I could if you weren't so set in keeping us apart!"

Dean slammed on the brakes and I flew against my seatbelt. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone behind us.

"What the fuck," he said quietly, turning to glare at me. "Is that supposed to mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Dean," I said coldly. I settled back in my seat and stared straight ahead. "Drive."

"Tell me what you meant!"

"Meaning you don't give a fucking shit about any of us!" I shouted. "Meaning you don't give a fuck about what happens at all! Not me, not Maqahla or Raven and certainly not Mom!"

"Are you out of your damn mind?" he cried, hitting the steering wheel. "Are you actually serious right now?

"If you cared about any of us, you would help me! You would keep a damn job, you would help me with the girls! I do this shit all by my fucking self! But no, everything is always about partying and your friends, and smoking and girls- what about your damn family, Dean?"

My throat was sore from screaming and I had tears streaming down my face. Dean was finally quiet.

"What about me?" I whispered. "Your twin, Dean. I'm your twin sister. Don't you care about me at all?"

He turned to look at me I hastily wiped at my face. This wasn't where I had intended the conversation to go.

"I love you," he said seriously. "But I can't- I just can't deal with any of this shit right now."

"Dean-"

"I can't."

And before I could even think to stop him, he had the car in park and was gone, down the street and disappearing into the woods, leaving the door swinging behind him.

"Dean!"

But he was too far away to hear me.

I sighed, hopping over the center console into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. I drove home silently.

Jared knew that he could have gone after Kim and caught up to her easily.

But he didn't. He let her go.

Maqahla and Raven were already home when I walked through the door, which meant that I was late.

Of course, Mom was home but she was sleeping and would not emerge from her room for another couple of hours.

The girls were sitting in front of the television, watching Spongebob on the fuzzy set. It was going to break soon, I knew, and it was the only TV in the house. I certainly didn't have the money to get another one and the girls would be upset when it eventually died.

I hoped they'd like to play outside more when that happened.

"Hi Kimmy," they chorused without moving or turning around.

"Hi," I said, sitting on the couch behind them. "How was school?"

Maqahla turned first and I gasped. Raven followed suit and my jaw dropped.

"I got into a fight at school!" Maqahla said excitedly.

"I helped!" Raven chirped.

Maqahla's beautifully and normally flawless skin was marred by errant bruising. She had a small split lip in the middle of a larger bruise. Raven's eye was slowly but surely turning black, but both their eyes were shining brightly. They'd never looked more prouder of themselves before.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded. "Tell me!"

"Well, it wasn't really at school," Maqahla corrected herself thoughtfully.

"Where did it happen?"

"On the bus!" Raven said.

"What happened?" I demanded again. "Who hit you?"

"Shannah Quicke!" Maqahla said.

"And Tommy!" Raven said, throwing up her little fists and jumping up and down.

I put both of my hands around Raven's and pushed them gently down to her sides.

"You never hit anyone, guys," I said sternly. "The only time you hit someone is if they hit you first."

"We did!" Maqahla protested. "Shannah and Tommy were laughing at us on the bus!"

"Why?"

"Because you packed our lunch for school," she told me. "They took our lunches and starting laughing at us. Then Tommy hit Raven for no good reason and made her cry, so I punched him. Then Shannah punched me and then Raven hit Tommy-"

"Wait," I interrupted. My head was swimming. "This happened on the school bus? What did your driver say?"

"She didn't," Maqahla said. "It was on the back of the bus."

"What were you doing at the back of the bus?" I cried out. The back of the bus was for the older grades; the lower grades sat up front. "What were you even doing back there?"

"Shannah and Tommy took our lunches, I told you!" Maqahla said. "The driver didn't see anything."

Instead of two crying and defeated children who were sad about being beaten up, they were excited. Proud.

"You're not mad at us, are you?" Raven asked, suddenly in a small voice.

I sighed, then pulled them both and squeezed them tightly to my chest.

"I'm not mad. But if something like that happens again, you have to tell your bus driver."

"Okay," Raven said.

"We will," Maqahla agreed.

"What did your teacher say? Did you get your lunches back?"

"No," Maqahla asked and held her tummy. "We were so hungry!"

"My teacher didn't say nothing," Raven said quietly. "She just gave me weird looks."

I felt like shit. "I'm going to make dinner in a little while. Don't worry about your teachers giving you weird looks or anything like that. Don't be the first one to throw a punch. You only hit if you need to defend yourself- got it?"

"Got it," the said together.

"Sweet deal, guys," I said. "Why don't you get your homework done so we don't have to do it after dinner?"

They scrambled for their backpacks and I just sat back, taking a breather for a minute. My sisters were in second and first grades. Why in the hell were older kids hitting them for crying out loud? Stealing their lunches? I felt anger building up inside, but I didn't regret telling my sisters to hit back if they needed to. Violence certainly never was the answer, but I couldn't picture my sister's cowering back in fear from someone hitting them. I didn't want to picture it and I never wanted it to happen.

I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. Jared Cameron talked to me today. Dean was gone. Mom was sleeping. I had work in two hours. My life was hectic and I didn't know when it was going to slow down.

When I was going to slow down.

And I was still cold.