I really hate to say it, but my break is over and I will not be able to update as often as I did at first. I'm really going to try to get everything out of the way so that I can write, so please don't get impatient with me. Enjoy your chapter, everybody!

Last time:

I turned around and walked towards my room, backpack in hand. Falling in love with a werewolf or not, I still had to do my homework. I stepped into the room. Sophie was standing just inside the door, looking very interested in something, and a little devious.

"So," said Sophie finally, "when did this happen?"

"When did what I do get to be any of your business?" I snapped, flushing.

"Oh don't try to weasel your way out of this. You've been a social reject for like, ever. It's about time you went out with someone." Jeez, talk about harsh. I'd never really considered myself a social reject, I just spent most of my time alone and didn't have that many friends. Dang it, I was.

"Don't exaggerate, Soph. I'm only fifteen, so what if he's my first boy…" I blushed again. Wow, I couldn't even say boyfriend. I tried again. "I'm allowed to have a boyfriend." Success.

"Duh, but you have to tell me about freaky-tall-guy."

"His name's Seth," I spat out. "And I don't have to tell you anything. There's nothing much to tell, he lives on the reservation with his sister and mother, he's sixteen, and he's nice." I was lying through my teeth. There was so much more to tell, perhaps starting with the fact that he was my werewolf soul mate (according to him, at least).

"Just tell me…"

"Sophie just go away," I interrupted. "You really know how to put a damper on things."

"Just tell me if he's a good kisser." She looked incredibly sly, smiling innocently. She dropped onto the foot of my bed.

I stared at her. Then I burst into giggles. I couldn't help it; the expectant look on Sophie's face was absolutely priceless. This was ridiculously awkward.

I loved Sophie and all, but she just… There was no way to describe it. She had a tendency to try to embarrass me. Not in public like my dad seemed to like to, but she always knew what would make me squirm. And she used her knowledge. She knew me too well.

"Sophie," I choked out between giggles. "What kind of question is that?"

"An honest one," she replied. "I want to know."

I looked her in the eyes. Was it possible that a thirteen-year-old girl had more experience kissing than I did? I thought back to some of my middle school classmates. Yes. It was.

"Yes," I sighed, blushing yet again. What was up with the blushing thing? I'd blushed more since I'd met Seth than in the last year. I didn't exactly look good when I did, just blotchily red. "Any real reason why you wanted to know?"

"Well I need to know, you know, for when a boy kisses me." Thank God. I had a semblance of normalcy after all! Well, somewhat.

I smiled shyly at Sophie and sat down next to her. I put my arm around her shoulders, ignoring her when she tried to shrug them away halfheartedly. "You really want to know about him?" I asked.

Sophie gave me a sarcastic look. "Are you kidding me? I've only been pumping you for info the last ten minutes!"

"Well," I said. I had no idea where to begin. I needed to tell her about him, without letting her in on the key details, like the fur. "He's honestly the kindest person I've ever met. He always pays attention to things, not like some imbecilic guys, like in movies. He treats me like…" I trailed off.

"Like what?" Sophie blurted eagerly. She was such a gossipmonger.

"Like I'm special. You know, pretty, smart, funny, nice, the whole enchilada."

"But you are," Sophie insisted. Jeez, the kid was really nice when she wasn't going through an early onset of teen angst.

I raised one eyebrow at her. "You're the best, Soph, but you don't really have to make me feel better."

"Okay, you're obviously not going to listen to me, so I'm out. The new episode of Secret Life of the American Teenager's on and I don't want to miss it because I'm trying to fix some lame self-esteem problem of yours." She shook my arm off. Ah, she's back. The Sophie I know and love. Right.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Do you have multiple personalities or something?"

"You caught me. See ya." She breezed out the door in a fashion I'd thought belonged to only the most stuck-up at school. Oh crap. She was becoming one of them (insert sarcasm here).

I flopped down on my bed, grabbed my enormous backpack, and set to work with a sigh. I'd rather be daydreaming about Seth, or reading. Better yet, I could steal one of my mother's cheesy romance novels and do both at the same time.

I tried to keep my mind on Chemistry, Algebra, and Spanish, but I kept spacing out. Every time, I back to the forest, where I had first heard his secret. We were walking again, the quiet bond between us apparent. He kept glancing at me, when he all of a sudden… I had to stop this! I couldn't concentrate on anything today! This sucked, big time.

Then, every time I snapped myself out of my daydreams, I would remind myself how undeserving of Seth I was. I'd just shown up at the beach, and wham! : found the most amazing guy I had ever met. All he got out of the deal was an invisible bond that left him powerless. In the real world, without all the freaky wolf stuff, he'd be far out of my league. We were just too opposite to really be compatible. Leah was right.

But then, if all that was really true, then why did I feel so much for him? If I broke up with him, I'd break both of our hearts. Maybe I was doing the right thing.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. This homework was obviously a lost cause. I needed to try, though: force of habit. I'd always fulfilled my obligations as soon as I could get them over with.

Later that night, I tossed and turned even more than I had the night I found out about the existence of wolves and vampires. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, but my mind kept racing, preventing me from getting any sleep. It seemed like I was trapped. If I stayed with Seth, it would be immensely unfair to him. If I left, we'd both suffer.

I knew that the choice I'd made was incredibly selfish. I'd always had a problem with indecision. I told myself that my decision was made, and that I was going to stick to it, hoping that it would allow me to get some sleep. It didn't.

I awoke the next morning even more tired than I had been the night before. I never remembered falling asleep, my overtired mind and body must've crashed. I groaned. At least it was Friday. I thought I could handle one more day of school.

I glanced in the mirror. Holy shitake mushrooms! I looked like I'd slept in a torture chamber. My eyes were puffy and distinctly purple, my skin looked completely washed out, my hair was a frizzy mess, and I could barely keep my eyes open, even with the horrific sight in the mirror.

I'd never been a beauty, but this was ridiculous. Sophie walked over to the mirror to apply her make-up.

"What happened to you?" she asked, horrified.

"Couldn't sleep," I croaked in a dry, tired voice.

I staggered to my dresser, put on the first things in the drawer, and slid down the stairs on my butt.

"Move it, Haley, you're going too slowly," Dan glared at my back. He was trying to get down the stairs too, apparently. Too bad for him, I had one speed this morning: snail.

I didn't bother eating breakfast. I was too tired to be hungry, and I didn't even know that was possible.

"How late did you stay up reading?" my mom asked. That would have made me laugh if laughing didn't take so much precious energy. I certainly did stay up too late reading sometimes. Most days, she would've hit the nail on the head. She always knew when I'd stayed up too late.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "Won't do it again."

My mom rolled her eyes as if to say Well, that's Haley. I resisted the urge to roll my own eyes at her.

Sophie and Chris had to practically drag me to the bus stop after breakfast. The rain woke me up somewhat. There's something rejuvenating about standing outside in the cold rain. I took my hood down and let the rain fall on my face, trying to wake myself up before I got to school.

It didn't work. The feeling of being recharged was short lasting, by the time I stepped off the bus, I was almost back to my old practically catatonic state from earlier and my energy was draining fast. I had very little tolerance for sleep deprivation.

I headed for my first class. I planned on getting a seat as far away from the teacher as possible and avoiding being called on for answers. For the most part, it worked. I tried to focus my attention on writing everything I could down, since my listening skills were not quite up to snuff at the moment. I never raised my hand and tried to raise my head as infrequently as possible.

All of this took more energy than I'd thought it would. By the time I got to Spanish, I was completely deadbeat. I must've gotten maybe an hour of sleep last night. I had to at least close my eyes. It was so peaceful. Even with my chin resting in my hand, I was as comfortable as if I were lying in the softest of beds.

I was awakened by a quick, but loud, tap on my desk.

"¿Por qué usted està dormiendo? demanded the teacher, a small middle-aged woman with mousy brown hair.

"Parce que j'ai sommeil," I said sleepily. I sat up with a jolt. Oh no! I'd slept in class, pissed off the teacher, and now I'd just answered her question in French. I was doomed. I was dead meat. Though I had a bit of an excuse for French/Spanish mix-up. The word for sleep sounded really similar in both languages.

The teacher looked at me strangely, then got back to teaching. I opened my eyes as wide as they would go and tried to take notes as diligently as I could.

I went to my usual lunch table and put my head on the table. I was not getting up until the end of the period. No one could make me.

"Haley, are you okay?" I heard Allie say.

"Uh-huh." I didn't feel like using real words at the moment. Allie was a really nice, caring girl, but I didn't feel like talking to anybody right now.

Mason butted in, "Hey! Haley! Time to wake up!" I felt him tap my shoulder. I made no response.

"Hay! You alive in there? Do I have to get the nurse?" He pulled my head slightly off the table.

"Get off," I grumbled. "Please, I really will need to be taken to the nurse if I don't get some sleep. I'll collapse or something."

Cassie elbowed Mason. "I think you might want to put her down, now."

Mason grinned like the Cheshire cat and let go of the shoulder he was holding on to.

"Thanks," I mumbled, barely audible. The din around me seemed to get quieter than usual, until suddenly, I wasn't in the cafeteria of Forks High School anymore.

Seth was there. We were at First Beach at La Push. Miracle of miracles, the skies were marvelously clear, and I could see the blue of the sky marvelously reflected off the glassy surface of the water. All the colors seemed less subdued, brighter in the sun.

But even the sun's rays couldn't compare with the look Seth was giving me. He was smiling, beaming, like it was the best day of his life. His bright smile was directed at me. No, it was burning right through me. I thought I might collapse again, like I did that day in the woods. He leaned in to kiss me…

I was shaken gently awake. "Haley. Haley, wake up. You're going to be late. Come on Haley." It was Allie. I couldn't believe that she's stuck around to wake me up. I slept like a log, and logs don't often wake up.

"Thanks, I'm up," I said. I pushed myself to my feet, using the cafeteria table as support. "Did I snore?"

Allie laughed and shook her head. "No, you sleep like the dead."

I grinned. "When I'm asleep, I'm dead to most of the world. Be proud that you were able to wake me up. Not many people can."

Even though I couldn't have gotten more than half an hour of sleep, the rest of my day went more smoothly. I knew my batteries were running low, but at least I wasn't running on empty anymore.

I heaved myself onto the bus and waited for it to start. When it finally did, with a rumble that showcased exactly how old the contraptions were, I leaned against my window and looked out.

It might have been my imagination, wishful thinking, or even just sleep deprivation, but I could've sworn that I saw a flash of a sand-colored animal through the trees. I smiled to myself before getting off the bus, entering my house, climbing up the stairs and crumpling onto my bed. I stayed there until the next morning.

Note: For those of you who don't speak Spanish or French. The first line (in Spanish) means "Why are you sleeping?" and the second line (in French) means "Because I'm tired."