Author's Note:

Okay, I just want to get this out: I do not like this chapter. Sure, it has got its moments, but otherwise...blech. The next one I will DEFINITELY be humorous; I don't think I'd be able to survive, otherwise.

I would have posted this chapter yesterday if not for these things:

My nephews and nieces came over to spend the day. [Don't be fooled; I'm only fifteen.]

I was in mourning: I let the kids play with my precious fagoogly [It was like this awesome silly puddy that was all squishy 'n stuff], BUT then as the morning progressed, the oldest [spitefully] said he threw a piece of it away 'cause I got on his nerves; and my other nephew and one of my nieces just demolished it. Pieces were missing and the ones I found later were all clumpy and nasty. Needless to say I had to throw those away. I only had my fagoogly for a count of TWO DAYS. And lastly:

The Chapter wasn't finished. Yes, I know, bad, bad author. BUT, I finished it early this morning--one o'clock--and I tried to upload the chapter, but the document manager was down.

So, that's it. But, I would like to thank the people who reviewed. I can't list them out like some of the times I do it, but you know who you are, and I would really LOVE it if you guys kept reviewing, even if it is to cuss me out for my suckishness or if it is just to sympathize for my precious fagoogly.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Twilight, just the set and the clothes on my back.

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Two Days Left and Counting

I had been right: I hyperventilated most of the night and hardly got but an hour of sleep before Al came jumping on my bed.

"Oh my gosh! Cassie! Embry is perfect!" she squealed in my ear, and I threw my pillow at her. "Cassie, get up! I. Have. To. Tell. You. About. Last night!" Al whacked my head, and I groaned, sitting up.

Al gaped at me. "My God. You look terrible." I scowled darkly at her.

"Yeah, I just love hearing that from people when I wake up." I said sarcastically, smoothing down a huge cowlick of hair.

"Well, back to me—"

"Good morning to you, too, Selfish Sally." Al glared at me before choosing to ignore my sardonic statement.

"Last night was perfect. Embry was such a gentleman. I wasn't ready when he came by, and he waited for me, without complaining, if you could imagine! And when he was driving, he asked me if I was hungry and if I wanted something to eat!

"But of course I said no—I was to nervous to eat and we had things to discuss. So, when we got to his house, he opened the door for me, both to the truck and the door to the house!" she paused for a minute, to edit something out.

"Well, he had to go a little after eleven, and I was sad to see him go, but he said that I could stay over, and he let me sleep in his bed!" she squealed, and I cringed. "And, when I woke up, I was in his arms! Oh my God…oh my God…" For five minutes straight, she repeated that sentence like it was a mantra, fanning herself. I was glad for her, don't get me wrong, but my night was so much better in my mind.

My daydream was interrupted when Al spoke. "So, how was your night?" she asked slyly. I smiled tauntingly at her.

"I suppose I should thank you for taking all of the junk food, otherwise Paul wouldn't have come over." Al gaped at me.

"What?!"

"Yeah, I told Paul how you took all the edible food and left me to starve, and he came over and brought an ass-load of junk food and movies." I gloated, and I couldn't keep the pride out of my tone. Al grabbed my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin.

"Tell. Me. More."

For a whole hour, I went into full detail of last night, and Al would squeal over certain parts, such as how Paul comforted me when I cried, how nervous he got when he admitted to me that he called to ask me on a date, and especially when we kissed.

"W-ow." Al said, falling back onto my bed beside me. "So, you guys are going out, now?" she asked, and I snorted.

"No, Al. We're just going to be friends with benefits." I said wryly, and she stuck her tongue out at me. "So, does this mean you and Embry are going out again?" Al immediately sobered.

"Yes, we are, but we're going to take it kind of slow so I can get used to…it." She said, and I was curious as to what she meant. I was about to ask her when my cell phone started to ring. I snatched it off of the nightstand eagerly, hoping it was Paul. But, I was disappointed when I read the caller ID: Tommy. Then, I felt guilty for feeling that way towards him.

"Hey, Tommy." I said. Al eyed me suspiciously, but I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Hey, there. I was getting worried because you haven't come in, yet." He informed me, and I mentally smacked myself.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, Tommy. I totally forgot. I'll be there in about…an hour." I said, and he chuckled.

"See you then."

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I walked into the café, and looked around. It was very nearly empty, except for a group of adults talking in the center of the restaurant. I sat down in my usual table, and tapped my fingers nervously against the tabletop. I don't know why, but I wasn't really excited to tell Tommy about Paul.

"Hey there, Cass." Tommy said, bringing my order over and sitting down. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much." I said, taking a bite of my bagel. Tommy looked at me strangely, then narrowed his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked. I looked up at him guiltily.

"Paul asked me out on a date." I said, barely containing the cheer in my voice. This was no time to brag about it. Tommy looked at me confusedly.

"And you said yes, I take it?" Tommy said, and I nodded. After a moment of silence, Tommy smiled.

He snapped his fingers. "Oh, damn. Looks like he won, after all." I looked up at him, and he had the same mischievous sparkle in his eyes like he always did. He was either genuinely happy for me, or he was a damned good liar.

"So," I said slowly. "You're…not mad?" Tommy thought about this for a minute, before replying in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Not mad, just a little disappointed that I didn't get to you first, is all." I furrowed my eyebrows at him, and he laughed.

"So, you're not pissed off at me, are you?"

"Of course not, Cassie dear. How could I ever be mad at you? Granted, I am a little saddened by your lack of taste," he teased, winking, making me laugh. "But, I trust you to know what's good for you."

I felt myself tear up, and I blinked away the tears. "Aw, Tommy. You're the best guy friend a girl could have." Tommy laughed at this, placing his hand over mine.

"But, you have to agree to something for me," he said, and I looked at him suspiciously. "If you two ever break up, you have to swear to me that you'll come straight to me so I can seduce you in your distressed state."

I chuckled, and placed a hand to my heart. "I swear to it, Tommy."

Tommy smiled, satisfied. "Good. Now, how about we get off of this topic? What else is new for you?"

"Al and Embry are back together, I think." I said, and Tommy smiled. "That's great that they can put difference beside and overcome obstacles."

"Yeah, but we've talked so much about those two. Tell me, how's life for you?" I asked. Tommy thought for a minute.

"Well, my sister just had twins—both boys, her husband's a jerk on ice, and my parents just finalized their divorce." I looked at him, shocked.

"Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell me this before?" I asked. God, it must suck to have a brother-in-law like that, and have your parents divorce. I wouldn't know what to do if my parents separated.

Tommy smirked, rolling his eyes. "It's nothing big, Cass. It's not like my life's coming to an end."

"B-But your parents are getting a divorce." I said, making it sound like a dirty word. Tommy laughed loudly. "So is about half the population of the United States, Cass. Really, it's no big deal. It's been coming for a long time, and they just couldn't salvage what they used to have."

"But, aren't you just a little, I don't know, shocked?" I asked. Tommy turned my hand over, and fiddled with my fingers.

"Not really. Almost all of my relatives are divorced: aunts and uncles, grandparents, parents; the only people who are still married are my sister—which is heading down the drain, if you ask me—and my six year-old cousin, who believes that he's married to Hannah Montana." He said, and I could only stare at him, mouth agape. He looked up at me, grinning. "Don't act so surprised, Cass. I mean, my whole life isn't as bad as it sounds. I've got a family who loves me—with the exception of my brother-in-law, of course. We may be clinically insane, but that doesn't affect our social standing.

"So, it isn't really bad. On the contrary, I've got a good life."

I looked at him skeptically. "Name one other excellent thing in your life to convince me that you actually do have a good life."

"Well, I met a wonderful girl who has given me the honor of being her best guy-friend, and she swore to me that I can seduce her after her and her boyfriend break up. Now, if that isn't a damned good life, I don't know what is."

"Fine, just shut up. You're making me cry." I snapped, wiping my eyes. Tommy chuckled, smiling at me. I checked the time on my cell phone, and it was getting late. Al would be wondering where I was.

"I've gotta go." I grumbled standing up. Tommy smiled sadly at me, standing up, too, to give me a hug.

"Tommy?" I asked. "Were you serious about what you said?"

"Of course, Cass. You know I'm not the type of guy who hands out insincere compliments just to get in a girl's pants; I'm way more crafty than that." I laughed, and he did, too, but I had to leave and he had to get back to work with his mom. We said our goodbyes, and I went out to my car.

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The Night of the bonfire

I didn't know why I was so nervous. Why was I so nervous?

I wrung my hands in my lap, biting my lip. Al was chattering on about something, nonsensical to my wandering mind. She was throwing clothes about, critiquing each one, before she shook her head and threw whatever it was across the room.

Paul kept crossing my mind. I kept thinking of how we met at Emily's, and how weeks after that I was convinced that him and Embry were out to get me. The thought made me smile through the anxiety, but it didn't last long. It had been two days since I last saw Paul. So, what if he had changed his mind about me? Met some other girl that was better looking than me? Or, oh my God, had bigger boobs than me?

"Cassie! Are you even listening to me?" Al asked, hands on hips. Embry had invited her, too, and I couldn't help but wish he hadn't. She was now utterly convinced that we had to wear only our best clothes and insisted that I should dress up. Yeah, right.

"No, Al. I am not listening." I said, staring out the window. It was drizzling slightly, but it would clear up before we left.

A shirt hit me in the face. "Cassidy, do you or do you not want to look good for Paul?" Al asked, and I raised an eyebrow. "So you're calling me ugly now?" I teased.

Al growled a sigh and flopped down beside me on the bed. "You're not helping my sanity; there's only so much I can take before I go coo-coo in the cocoa puffs, Cass." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I don't like dressing up, Al. You know that. Plus, I've already got my outfit picked out and everything." I said matter-of-factly. Al turned her head to eye me critically. "What are you going to wear, Cassie?"

I got up off of the bed and went into my room, and brought back a plain black tank top and a pair of cut-off jean shorts. When Al saw them, she groaned, falling onto her back on the bed.

My eyebrows furrowed angrily. "What's wrong with these?" I asked indignantly, and Al scoffed loudly.

"They're so…plain, Cassie. How are you going to stand out in those?"

"Maybe I don't want to stand out." I snapped. I couldn't help it; I was already nervous about the whole thing, and Al was just making it worse.

Al glared at me. "Cassie, you're being ridiculous. Don't you want to look good for Paul?" I felt my blood boil, my eyes narrowing into slits.

"So, what you're trying to say is that I don't look good?" I knew it was petty of me to bitch about it, but I wasn't in the mood for her criticism. Al's expression quickly into horror, her eyes widening. "No, Cass! You know I didn't mean it like that! I—"

"Whatever, Al. Just hurry up and get ready." I shot back, grabbing my clothes and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me. As I made my way down the stairs, I immediately felt guilty for being so rude, but I just couldn't help it. It just…irked me, the thought that I couldn't look good for Paul without going all-out in my choice of wardrobe. If he didn't leave me for not being pretty enough, then he would certainly leave me for being a hormonal bitch.

After I had dressed, putting on the shirt and shorts, I slipped on some black flip-flops and pulled my hair back in a messy ponytail. I applied some eyeliner and mascara, making sure that it didn't leave my eyelashes clumped. I could hear Al shuffling around in her room, mumbling angrily to herself. Whether it was because of me or the lack of clothes, I couldn't be sure.

About an hour later, as I was flipping the channels on the television, Al slunk into the room, looking at me sheepishly. We both spoke at the same time, saying our apologies.

"I guess we both acted like idiots, huh?" Al joked, and I glared playfully at her.

"Speak for yourself." I teased, pushing her shoulder lightly.

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"Quit doing that, Cass. You're making me nervous." Al said, and I stilled my arms. It was five minutes until seven, and the guys were due anytime. I was starting to see what Al had meant by plain, especially when I stood next to her. She was dressed in bright colors—all stylishly coordinated, damn her—and her hair was total and utter perfection. I looked towards the clock anxiously, and I briefly wondered if it was too late to actually give a damn about my appearance and fix my hair and make-up a bit?

There was a loud knock on the door, and I resisted the urge to groan. Shoot me now. Please.

Al all but ran to the door, unlocking and opening the door with quick jerks of her wrist. Paul and Embry were there, both dressed in wife-beater shirts—I couldn't help but notice how the black shirt Paul wore emphasized his muscles—and jeans.

Embry grinned at Al, reaching forward to wrap an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead, and her answering smile was radiant. I looked away and towards Paul, who beamed once he saw that he had my full attention. He didn't wait for me to come to him, instead just taking long strides to get to where I hung back. Warm arms encircled me, and he lifted me to kiss me on the lips. The slight pressure of his lips sent tingles down my spine, and set my face on fire. I happily complied, wrapping my arms around his neck and moving my lips against his.

"Oo, get freaky." Quil walked inside the house, his arm wrapped around a petite blond. "But, compared to me and Claire-bear, you guys can't kiss worth—ow! Claire! I was just sayin'! No, baby! Not the look! No!" Quil said, falling to his knees. "I'm melting! Melting!" The blond—Claire—just rolled her eyes and laughed.

Paul quirked an eyebrow inquisitively. "He have sugar?"

"Only for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack-time, dinner and supper." Claire said, eyeing Quil appreciatively. I, however, was caught on what she had just said. Did the guys really eat that much?

"Are we going to meet Seth and Jake there, too?" I asked. Quil looked up at me from the floor, and nodded his head enthusiastically. "Jake's bringing Nessie, so you'll get to meet her, too."

Jake has a girlfriend? Named Nessie? Like, after the Lochness Monster? I was tempted to ask, but I decided against it. It would have been rude.

"So," Embry said conversationally. "Cassie, how long are you going to stay like that?" It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about, but then I felt Paul against me, and I could only imagine how it must have looked.

With color surging through my cheeks, I hopped down from Paul's embrace. Quil chuckled at me, about to say something that was obviously meant to degrade me but was cut off by Paul's death glare.

"Are you ready to go, Cassie?" Paul asked me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I looked up at him—I had to crane my neck just to look at him, he was so damned tall—and smiled weakly.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Quil hollered, marching out the door with Claire in tow. I could only imagine what she had to put up on a day-to-day basis.

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Okay, I feel like I need to explain a couple of points:

1. Al is trying to take things slow with Embry, which I highly doubt will continue

2. I decided to have a fight between Al and Cassie because neither of them are Mary-Sues and that would have just been...boring if they along all the time.

3. Cassie was irritable because she was nervous about what was going to happen with Paul--she was very unsure of herself, at the time.

4. Tommy couldn't throw a hissy fit; he's Tommy! Like I said in the previous chapter, Tommy only has a minor crush on Cassie. Nothing huge. So, that means he can let go of her easily; they'll only be friends in this story.

5. Claire and Nessie are grown now---it's been years. I would say Claire is around...seventeen. [Or at least in my story. The math is off, but I think she should have a relationship with Quil. It's too cute!

6. Seth will not have an imprint in this story; I'm saving the idea for another story, and I'm going to make that one humorous, too.

Okay, so I think that'll be all. If there's anything you guys are confused about, leave the question on a review and I'll post the answer on the next chapter.

Next chapter will be the bonfire, and I have yet to get started on it. So, I'm afraid it'll be a couple of days [two, or maybe three].