Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Twilight saga in any shape or form, only Allison, Cassidy and the plot. But, if Mrs. Meyer is feeling generous enough to donate... ; ]

Okay.... quite a couple of hits, which was good. Two reviews is a miracle for me [by the way, thanks for that. Those reviews made me giggle like Michael Jackson at a Harry Potter convention. I know, creepy.], zero favorites...eh. My self-esteem is taking a serious ass-beating guys, but hopefully Jeanne Anne the Dream fairy will grant me my wishes and make them come true so that this story will get slightly popular. Slightly, of course. Nothing big. But I could always hope....

Oh, yeah. In this chapter, some La Push men make their debut. :O

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High Schoolers, Creepy Guys and the Woods, oh my!

I groaned as Al tugged on my arm, getting harder and harder with every pull.

"Can't you be nice for once in your life and let me stay home, huh?" I asked. "Please, God, I'm begging you, let me sleep!"

"Nun-uh," Al growled. "There will be hot guys there, and we need boyfriends, like, desperately."

"I'm not seeing the logic."

"You don't have to. What you have to do is go to that damn bonfire!"

I scowled unimpressively at her. "No, I don't. Free country, remember? Fourth of July mean anything to you?" I received a smack across the head.

"Look, Cassie, if we don't go out and party and socialize, what do we have to show for our summer?" she asked, quite reasonably. I raised an eyebrow.

"We have a house that we bought, Al. I think that would be enough for me." I said, turning back to the television, flipping channels. Allison groaned, plopping down on the seat next to me. She propped her legs up on the old coffee table, and leaned her head back against the couch. It was quiet for a few minutes, besides the clicking of the remote as I zoomed past the channels.

Allison sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Please, Cass, I would really like to go," she said softly. I grunted noncommittally, but she continued. "But, I can't go by myself. I mean, I wouldn't know anyone there, and I would look like a total dork. So, please, Cassie, I'm begging, please don't make me go by myself." Damn, she knew had to play her cards right. She was guilt-tripping me.

I stared at her from the corner of my eyes, and she hastily spoke. "Please, Cassie, I'll owe you for, like, ever. But please, please come with me! Please?" I turned my gaze back to the television set, letting her sweat a bit. I could see her gnawing her bottom lip nervously.

"Well," I said, drawing the word out. "I guess I could," Ally squealed and wrapped her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. "But, you will owe me, big time. Big time, I'm telling you!" I ranted. Allison nodded.

"But first," she said. "Makeovers."

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Oh, God, why did I ever agree to such a heinous idea? Why didn't I just stay and watch old re-runs of I Love Lucy! on my comfy couch instead of going to the beach where we were being stared at like peacocks on display at the zoo?! My cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment, and I hid behind Allison's confident moving body as we neared the bonfire. A cute-looking guy immediately approached us, or, at least, approached Al.

"And who you might be?" he asked 'seductively'. I gagged behind Al, earning me a kick in the shin.

"I'm Allison," she said, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously. "And this is Cassidy." she gestured towards me grandly, and I barely restrained myself from rolling my eyes. The boy drank all the attention up greedily.

"I'm Lewis, and these are the guys," he said, vaguely gesturing to the group behind him. "You new here?" I didn't miss how he left me out of the conversation. Loser.

"Yes, we're new here," Al confirmed. "We're staying here in La Push so we'll be close to the college we'll be attending." I didn't miss how his smile faltered.

"College, huh?" he asked, his voice going up a pitch. I raised an eyebrow at Ally, and she seemed to catch my drift.

"You're still in high school?" she asked, disappointment evident in her tone. Lewis grimaced, nodding his head. "Oh, well, that changes things." Allison moved past him, heading towards the bonfire. I smirked at the shocked boy, shaking my head slightly. Stupid boy.

Two hours and three plastic cups of beer later, we were having a miserable time. Boring. Mundane. Monotonous. All these words could hardly describe the long, dragging minutes that we spent there. And, naturally, I was begging for mercy every second.

"Can we go now?" I hated how whiny I sounded, but I was really bored, and I really, really wanted to go home. Al sighed, eyeing the pathetic sight disdainfully. Everyone else was tipsy, there words slurring and the stench of beer evident on their breaths. It was pathetic, really, that they could get drunk so easily.

"Sure," she said. "Why not? Let's blow this popsicle stand. This was the worst way to waste our time." Allison stood up from the ground, wiping sandy grains from her legs. I followed suit, tossing my cup into the garbage bin.

We walked past the crowd of laughing idiots, ignoring the whistles and the catcalls. Sand was getting in my shoes, and it was making me irritated. Why, oh why didn't I just stay home?

As we walked up the boarded sidewalk, going to our car, there were two tall, muscled men blocking our car. One was actually leaning against it and laughing. My blood boiled, and rushed to my face. Allison's face was pinched, eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Hey!" Al called, nostrils flaring. They didn't hear her. Her hand tightened around her cup of beer, and within a second, it hit one of them square in the back of their head. The talking ceased, and they glanced incredulously in our direction. The guy who she hit—the one leaning against the car—started to quiver, shaking the car. He craned his neck around slowly, to glare at Allison.

My body locked, muscles tensed to run. I didn't like where this was heading. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for something bad to happen. Nothing did.

Cautiously, I opened one eye, and was met with a shocking sight. The guy was drenched, but he didn't look angry any more. In fact, he looked awed. I could see him taking Ally in, her angry, pink-tinted face, fists balled.

"Get," she snarled. "The hell off of our car, moron." The guy blinked once, then twice, before a look of comprehension flickered in his eye.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, quickly picking himself off the car. My eyes raked across the vehicle, relieved that there wasn't a dent or scratch marring the shiny exterior.

The guy rubbed the back of his head nervously, but his eyes still hadn't left Allison. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "My name's Embry."

Embry held out a large hand, waiting for her to shake it. The pink slowly faded from Allison's face, but she didn't rush over to shake his hand.

"My name's Allison, and this is Cassidy." she introduced. Embry dropped his hand, a look of hurt flashing in his eyes. The guy behind him cleared his throat, bringing the attention to himself.

"Well, since my friend over here won't introduce me, I'll just have to do the honors myself," he joked. "My name's Seth." Seth had a big, infectious grin on his face, one that was hard to ignore. Both of the guy's had shaggy hair, ending at their jaw lines. They were well over six feet tall, nearly seven, and had pretty russet colored skin.

Allison smiled slightly. "Well, if you guys could be so kind to move, we would really like to go home now." What an understatement. I walked over to the passenger side, Al going to the driver's. Embry looked horrified, and his mouth opened and shut, making him resemble a gasping fish.

"What my friend is trying to say," Seth said, grabbing my door so I couldn't get in. "Is: would you like to come over to our friend's house tonight?"

I glared at him, the word no on my tongue. "Yes."

I shot a disbelieving look at Allison, but she didn't spare a glance in my direction. Instead, she was getting an eyeful of Embry, an appreciative smile on her face. Great. At least I know now where my best friend's loyalties lie.

Embry's face lit up. "Yeah, the house is in walking distance from here; we'll be there in no time." He eagerly started walking, both Allison and Seth on his heels. They were heading towards the woods…in the dark. Nun-uh. No sirree. This is where I cross the line. There is no way I am going to go traipsing into the woods with two macho men who could easily overpower the two of us and murder us. Oh, Lord, I can see it now: headlines about two all American teenage girls who were found murdered in the woods, and hadn't even a chance to go to college; newspapers with our faces on the front page, our names in bulgy lettering. Oh, my parents would kill me!

I don't know how long I had been staring after them with a horrified expression until I heard Allison calling my name. "Cassie! Come on! Are you coming or not?" My feet planted firmly in the ground, and I stood stock-still in fear.

Allison stomped over to me, tugging at my arm, trying unsuccessfully to pull me towards the direction of the big, dark, scary woods.

I shook my head vehemently. "Nun-uh, Al. I am not going in the woods."

Seth and Embry walked back towards us, Embry with an irritated scowl plastered on his face. Seth grinned lazily at me, lips pulling back from sharp, white teeth. "Yeah, come on, Cassie. I mean, it's not like we're planning to kill you guys or anything." I yelped, hiding behind Allison. I heard a smack, and then a, "Hey! What did I do?!"

Allison petted my hair, and I instantly hated myself for acting like such a scaredy-cat. "Cassie," she whispered in my ear. "If you don't want to go, it's fine. I'm tired anyway; we could go home, if you want to." I knew what this was: a way out. She wanted to go to their friend's house, but she was being nice and trying to let me have my way.

It was awfully tempting, the thought of laying on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, watching Roseanne or The Beverly Hillbillies, or some other absurd comedy show. But, I still didn't want to be the buzz-kill, either.

I shook my head slightly. "Nah, we could go, I guess." I mumbled, less than half-heartedly. Allison smiled largely at me, pulling me into a giant hug.

"We'll try to make this quick," she promised me quietly before turning back to the guys. "Lead the way."

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Okay, so I don't believe this chapter was half-bad [humor me, people.] So, please help Jeanne Anne out with my dreams, and hit that pretty green button below and review. Please? I'll sing Thriller for you guys. : ]

Oh, and Paul comes next chapter. Dun dun dun!