CHAPTER 2
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
Paul awoke to complete silence. He lay there for a moment listening . . . he could hear the clock on the wall tick, the faucet in the bathroom drip, and the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen . . . and that was it. The house was never this quiet. For just a moment, Paul wondered if he was dead!
Sitting up to stretch, Paul looked around to notice it was light outside, even though it was gray and rainy. A glance at the clock told him it was after one in the afternoon. Ten hours of uninterrupted sleep? Wow. Then he saw the note on the coffee table:
Paul,
Went to Forks to the Garden Show with my friend, Donna. Boys are with Sam and Emily.
Love you, Grandma
This was great! A whole Saturday with nothing to do and no one giving him orders or pulling on him or yelling at him? A grin broke out as he got up to use the bathroom. He couldn't remember the last time he had a couple of hours to himself, let alone a whole day!
After Paul used the bathroom, he made his way to the kitchen as he realized that he hadn't had anything to eat since last night around six, and that was just a bologna sandwich and a small bag of Doritos. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled as he opened the fridge and found Grandma had saved him some meatloaf from dinner last night. Yes! He loved his grandma's meatloaf . . . especially cold, slathered in ketchup between two slices of bread. After making a couple of sandwiches, he grabbed a bag of chips off of the counter and a Mt. Dew out of the fridge then headed back to the living room to plop down on the couch. Paul picked up the TV remote just as someone knocked at the door. Shit. Well, there goes the perfect day.
Figuring it was probably just Jared, Paul hollered out, "It's open!" He was shocked when Leah walked in, her black hair shimmering with rain droplets. Paul asked, "Leah? What's up?"
As Leah closed the door behind her and walked toward him, Paul noticed she was wearing a light blue t-shirt with her cut-off shorts that had a small picture of Smurfette on it. Seth had given it to her for her birthday because Smurfette was the only girl Smurf, like Leah was the only girl wolf. It had been Leah's favorite cartoon when she was little and Seth found that hilarious for some reason. Leah had smacked him on the back of the head, but she secretly loved the shirt. "You just wake up?" she asked.
"Yeah. Grandma went to some garden show and stuck Sam and Em with the boys. Ten hours of sleep! It was awesome. I feel great!" Leah smiled at that and Paul realized how much he had missed her smile. She needed to do it more often. Taking a bite of his sandwich he asked, "So what brings you here?"
Leah's smile disappeared and her scowl was back in place as she sank down into the chair beside the couch and muttered, "I, um . . . I guess I was wondering if you meant what you said last night."
Paul quickly tried to run their conversation through his mind as he chewed. What did he say?
Seeing he was having trouble remembering, Leah sighed and prompted, "About us being friends?"
Oh, yeah! He remembered he had told her he missed being friends with her. "Yeah, I meant it. You know I don't say things I don't mean. You used to be the same. I told you once that was something I liked about you," Paul replied as he took another huge bite of his sandwich.
"You have ketchup on your face, douche bag."
Paul quickly ran the back of his hand over his mouth as Leah rolled her eyes at him. "Now you smeared it. Ever heard of a napkin?" Leah huffed as she got up to walk into the kitchen, grab a paper napkin out of the holder on the table then walk back to hold it out to him.
Paul took it and swiped it over his mouth then asked, "Better?"
"Yes, thank you," Leah replied after plopping into the chair again.
After eating a couple of chips, Paul said, "So, you wanna be friends again. Is that what you're saying?"
Leah stared quietly at the floor for a moment and he wondered if she was changing her mind. Finally she turned to him and said simply, "Yes I guess I am. This whole thing is hard for me, you know? I haven't been a . . . a wolf very long, and Sam keeps trying to help me, but I don't want to be anywhere near him, the pompous ass. So, I guess, I thought that maybe . . . "
Paul stopped her with a grin. "Sure. Why the hell not? Jared spends most of his time now with Kim anyway. I could use a buddy."
Leah gifted him with her smile once again and Paul decided then he would work hard to see that at least once a day from now on. "Got any more of that?" she asked as she pointed to his sandwich.
"In the fridge."
Leah got up to make a sandwich while Paul turned on the TV and started to flick through the channels, realizing he had no idea what was on TV on Saturday afternoon. "So why aren't you working at the store today?" Leah called from the kitchen.
"Pete gives me one Saturday off a month. This is it," he called back.
Leah walked back in and this time, plopped down beside him on the couch. Setting her can of pop on the table, Leah leaned back and took a bite of her sandwich. "Oh my God, Paul. This is awesome," she said with her mouth full.
"I know, right?" Paul answered with a chuckle. "Grandma makes a killer meatloaf."
They sat there side by side, eating in comfortable silence, staring at the TV screen until Leah asked, "What the hell are we watching, anyway?"
"These guys live in a swamp and they catch alligators and sell them to companies to make boots and belts and stuff."
"Seriously? People make money doing this?" Leah asked in horror as she watched while two guys in bib overalls hauled an alligator into their boat.
"Ooh, look at that one! It's huge!" Paul called out with a grin.
With a shake of her head, Leah shoved the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth. As she swallowed, she got up to take both of their plates to the kitchen. Paul heard her run water on them then she walked back into the room to ask, "So, is this your plan for the day? Sit around in your underwear, watching rednecks catch alligators?"
Underwear? Paul looked down and suddenly realized that he was wearing only the boxers he slept in! "Um, sorry about that. I just got up before you came in. Guess I should put some pants on." Then looking up at Leah, he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows, "Unless we declare it Underwear Day and you join me."
Rolling her eyes, Leah replied with disdain, "In your dreams, Paul."
"How do you know what I dream?" Paul shot back in fun.
Then his grin fell when he watched her scowl slip back in place as she sighed, "Maybe this friend thing isn't such a good idea."
Paul stood up to look her in the eye as he argued, "Come on, Leah. Sure it is. I'm just screwing with you. You're supposed to shoot back with a "Fuck You," or some other rude comment. That's what we do, remember? Why don't you chill while I jump in the shower, OK? Maybe it will come back to you."
Finally, Leah nodded and sunk back down into the couch. As Paul walked into the bathroom he realized how uptight Leah really was. In the past, she was so carefree and wouldn't have hesitated to spit out some insult at him. He also realized she wasn't that far removed from phasing for the first time, and her dad's death. It obviously was a lot for her to handle.
As he stood under the water, Paul thought about being friends with Leah, but he wasn't sure he could be just friends with a girl and not want to have sex with her. Leah was hot, he knew that. Just like all of the guys, he had snuck a peek or two of her right after she phased, before she could run for cover. Then he quickly realized he better stop that line of thinking or this shower would take longer than he wanted it to.
Paul got out and dried off then threw on clean underwear. After quickly brushing his teeth, he opened the door and stepped across the hall to his room to found a clean pair of cut-off shorts and slip those on. He then grabbed a t-shirt and carried it out with him to the living room where Leah was lounging on the couch flicking channels.
"Do you know there is nothing intelligent to watch on a Saturday afternoon?"
"Then let's get the hell out of here," Paul suggested. "Let's go do something."
Leah sat up, turned the TV off and asked, "Yeah? Like what?"
She had him there. There wasn't a whole lot to do in La Push. Paul looked outside and saw that it had stopped raining, even though the gray clouds hung low threatening to rain again. "I don't know. I'm not used to having any free time. What does Leah Clearwater do on a Saturday?"
Before she could answer, the door opened and Tyler skulked in, head down as usual. He stopped as soon as he saw Leah and stared rudely at her. "Uh, Leah, this is Tyler," Paul said in the way of an introduction.
Tyler moved quickly to the couch to sit beside Leah and smile. "Hey. What's up? You Paul's girlfriend?"
Leah let out a laugh as she answered, "Uh, no."
Tyler nodded then with a sly smile he leaned toward her and asked, "So, you wanna hang out sometime?"
Leah looked at Paul, who was bent over with laughter, then back at Tyler. "Uh, sorry, I don't date pre-schoolers."
Tyler shrugged, then stood up and shot back, "Your loss, babe," as he strode to the kitchen.
"What the hell was that?" Leah asked as she walked over to Paul.
"That was my mutant half-brother, Tyler. He's eleven going on thirty."
"Paul! Paul! Guess what? Sam took us fishing!" Travis yelled as he ran into the room.
Paul caught him and lifted him up into his arms as he asked, "Yeah? Did you catch anything?"
"Yes! And Sam is going to clean them and Emily is going to cook them and then we can eat them!"
Leah watched in amazement as Paul laughed and asked this adorable little boy questions about his day. Finally he turned to her and said, "This is my little brother, Travis. Trav, this is my friend, Leah."
Travis looked at Leah shyly and said, "Hi."
Leah smiled at Travis, hoping to put him at ease. "It's nice to meet you. Sounds like you had a great day."
"I did," he answered with a grin.
"Yeah, well you smell like fish," Paul stated as he set him down. "Go in the bathroom and wash up and put on a clean shirt, OK?"
"OK!" Travis called as he ran off to the bathroom to do as Paul asked.
Leah looked at Paul and said, "Look at you. All mushy with your little brother. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."
"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone. I need to keep up my mean, bad-boy reputation," Paul grunted back.
"Hey, Paul," they heard from the doorway as Emily walked in with Sam, who closed the door behind him. Paul glanced at Leah and saw her scowl slip back in place and her shoulders slump a little. It pissed him off that she allowed Sam to still affect her that way. Then he noticed how Sam stared at Leah, probably wondering what the hell she was doing here.
"Hi, Leah," Emily said quietly.
"Hi," Leah returned even more quietly.
There was an awkward silence in the room until Sam said, "We told the boys we would take them back to our house to cook and eat the fish. We stopped by to see if you and Ruth wanted to join us."
"Uh, Grandma isn't back yet, and Leah and I are going to hang out, so . . ."
Sam narrowed his eyes at Paul. "Hang out?"
The door opened then once again as Ruth walked in shaking out her rain bonnet. She had just turned 72, and her hair was more gray than black now, but she was still a nice looking woman. "Well, hello everyone! How were the boys? Were they good?" she asked Emily.
Emily smiled as she answered, "Yes. We took them fishing and Travis loved it! Tyler tolerated it." Tyler huffed as he walked by on the way to his room.
"We stopped by to invite you to come along for a fish fry. Travis is excited about eating his catch," Sam explained.
"Why I would love to, thank you," Ruth told him then she turned to Paul and Leah. "Well, Leah! Hello! It's been too long since you've been around. How are you, honey?"
Leah gave her a small smile. "I'm good, thanks."
"Good. Pauly? Are you going to eat fish?"
"No, Grandma. Leah and I are going to hang out." Ruth looked between them, and Paul knew she was trying to figure out just what he meant by "hang out."
"Grandma! I caught some fish today!" Travis told her excitedly as he ran into the room.
"You did? Good. I like fish. Did you have fun?"
"Yes!"
"Um, we're going to head out. See you guys later," Paul announced. If Leah tensed up anymore, he was afraid she would explode. He slipped his t-shirt over his head and quickly shoved his feet into his shoes then he grabbed Leah's elbow and walked her to the door.
"Bye, Pauly. Good seeing you, Leah! Stop back again," Ruth called after them. Paul closed the door behind them and started to walk them toward the woods.
"Hey, Paul. Wait!" Paul turned to see Sam jog toward them. "I just wanted you to know that I took Tyler aside today and talked to him about what he saw last night."
"Shit." Paul had forgotten all about talking to Ty today about seeing him change into a huge wolf. "Sorry, Sam. They all were gone by the time I woke up and I didn't have a chance . . ."
"Yeah, I know. Look, I tried to give him the facts on a need-to-know basis. I explained what we were and what we do without mentioning the word vampire. I just told him we protect the rez, and thankfully he didn't ask from what. He was worried since he was your brother if it would happen to him. I told him I didn't think so."
"Yeah, but he is a cousin to Jared on his mom's side. Do you think . . ."
"I doubt it. That's pretty far removed from the gene, but I guess you never know. Anyway, I made him swear not to tell anyone, especially Travis. I told him we'd kick his ass if he told. Hopefully, he got the message."
"I hope so. Thanks, Sam. I'm sorry this happened. I had no idea he followed me."
"Hey, shit happens. Don't worry." Sam stole a glance at Leah, who was doing her best to hide behind Paul. "So, uh, where are you two off to?"
Paul shrugged. "Not sure, why?" he challenged. Sam had given up his rights to Leah when he imprinted on Emily. Paul felt like maybe he needed to remind him of that.
Sam stared him down for a moment then reluctantly backed off. "Well, if you guys change your mind about coming over for dinner, um, there's plenty. And you both are on patrol later. Don't forget."
"Got it. We're good," Paul answered for them knowing that was the last place Leah would want to be. Sam gave a final nod and strode back to the house then Paul turned to Leah. "I hope you don't mind that I answered for both of us?"
Leah finally let out the breath she seemed to be holding and answered, "Nope. Last place I want to be."
Paul stared at her then finally asked, "Why do you let him do that to you?" It really pissed him off that she allowed him to make her feel like shit.
"Do what?"
"Every time he comes around, you shrink into yourself and put on that 'poor, pitiful me' look. I fucking hate it, Leah."
That incited her anger. "I'm sorry, Paul, that my pain makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry that I find it hard to be around the asshole who broke my heart."
That did it! He couldn't hold back any longer. "Oh knock it off, Leah! I am so sick of your bullshit! 'Poor Leah. She got her heart broke. Wah.' Please. Why don't you start thinking about what you have instead of what you don't? You live in one of the nicest houses on the rez, AND you have your OWN room and your OWN bed! I sleep every night on a lumpy piece of shit couch so my brothers can sleep in my bed. You don't have to worry about when you're going to do homework while you're working a job that pays next to nothing just to help put food on the table. You have a mother who loves you and wants you and who would beat the shit out of anyone who tried to hurt you. I know because I was there when she showed up at Sam's after he dumped you. I saw her slap him so hard it knocked him to the ground. Do you have ANY idea how fucking jealous I am of you for that alone? You have a brother that loves you just as much, AND you have a whole pack of brothers who care about you and want to be your friend, if only you would let them. Maybe you need to get your head out of your ass and look around you. You got it pretty damn good." Paul turned away from her and ran his hand through his hair as he tried hard to calm himself. He hated yelling at her like that, but damn, that felt good to get off of his chest.
Finally he turned back to her and sighed as he found Leah, tears running down her cheeks, her arms wrapped around herself. "I'm sorry, Leah. I didn't mean to make you cry. But I'm not sorry for what I said. You needed to hear it."
Leah sniffed and ran her the back of her hand under her nose. "Don't you think I know that? I know what I have, Paul. And I know what a selfish bitch I am. Thanks so much for pointing it out." She turned away from him and said more calmly, "It's just . . . I hate how me makes me feel, but I really hate how I can't seem to do anything about it. I don't like feeling like I'm nothing when I'm around him. I just don't know . . . how to change it."
"Well, first of all, you have to realize he's never coming back to you. You know that, right?"
"Of course I know that!" Leah whipped around and shot at him. "He imprinted and we all know that's for life." Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. "It's not even that. It's . . . he's in my head . . . all the time, telling me what to do . . . "
"Well, he is our almighty Alpha, and while he is, there's nothing you can do about that either. But, you can do something about the way you deal with it." Paul reached out and took Leah's hand. "I remember you a lot differently when I first met you. You were funny and confident and so strong. If Sam or anyone poked at you, you gave it back and then some. Leah, you have to find that strength again. Find that girl and bring her back."
Leah rolled her eyes as she sniffed, "Yeah, that's just so easy. Thanks, Paul. Why didn't I think of that?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you are allowing someone else to control you right now." Leah let go of Paul's hand and took a couple of steps away from him as he asked, "You know what you really need?"
She turned and asked, "What?"
"You need to get laid."
Leah's eyes narrowed as she said, "Really? That's your answer? I need to get laid? Sex isn't always the answer to everything, you know."
"Well it should be," Paul said with a grin. "Have a little fun . . . get your self-confidence back. Confidence is very sexy."
"I'm a little sick of guys right now, thank you."
"Well, I didn't say you had to get laid by a guy. Could be a girl, if you're into that. But, I would want to come and watch . . . " Leah stopped him by smacking him hard on the shoulder. "What? So I'm curious, geez, you don't have to beat me for it."
"You know, Paul, every time I think you might actually have a brain, you show me what part of your anatomy you really think with."
"I'm a guy, Leah. Can't help it," Paul laughed as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Listen, I know that strong, sexy girl is still inside you somewhere. You just need to find a way to reconnect with her. Show Sam that you don't need him, and he's not going to hurt you anymore. Concentrate on what you want out of life and go get it. And think harder about what you have. You have a lot going for you. And if you need help, I'll be here for ya. OK?"
Leah stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds. "Huh. Now that is a shock. Something coming out of your mouth that makes sense," Leah said as a smile curled her lips. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice."
"Yeah, maybe." Paul decided then he had had enough of this emotional stuff. He grinned as he pulled Leah close. "Come on, let's get in the car and drive to Forks. Maybe we can go to the little diner there for some pie. What do you say?"
"Sure, why not. Maybe we can go trolling for chicks together," Leah answered as they walked toward Paul's car.
"Oh Leah, you don't know how much I wish you meant that!" Then they both laughed, which is something Paul decided they both needed to do more often.
Paul and Leah spent the next couple of weeks hanging out and patrolling together. The rest of the pack was very thankful that these two decided to spend their time together and away from them. The pack jerk and the pack bitch . . . made life easier for everyone.
Sam was the only one not crazy about it. But after Paul assured him they were just friends, Sam relented and realized that since Leah wouldn't let him help her, maybe she could learn things from Paul. He wanted Leah to be prepared to fight when and if the occasion arose. So Paul taught Leah some fighting techniques and had to admit she was a quick study. She almost kicked his ass that last time they worked out.
School was finally out for the summer, which was great for Paul in one way and not in another. He wouldn't have to worry about how to get homework done, but now his little brothers would be around . . . ALL the time. He had barely passed all of his classes, with help from Jared, and that just reaffirmed his decision to be done with school. Come next fall, he would have a hard time convincing his grandma of that, but by that time he would be 18 and there really wasn't much she could do about it. He could always get a GED if she really insisted.
Paul woke up this morning to Travis begging him to take him fishing. He didn't have to work until later in the day, so he found himself giving in just to stop the whining. He in turn called Leah and begged her to tag along, who gave in and brought not only the fishing gear, but Seth, too.
So now, the four of them were here at the lake, fishing. Well, Seth and Travis were fishing. Paul was dozing under a tree and Leah had her journal out and was writing in it. She had taken to journaling the last couple of months and it seemed to be helping her sort through her feelings.
Paul squinted his eyes to glance over at Leah and smile. In the last couple of weeks, she had chilled quite a bit and he hoped it was a trend. She seemed more relaxed lately, and that was a good thing for everyone who had to be around her. She still had her moments of moodiness and those times when she wanted to be left alone, but Paul figured that was to be expected.
"Paul! Look! I caught one!" Travis called out. Paul sat up and called back, "Looks like a keeper! Good job, Trav."
Leah's head had come up to look at the fish then she glanced over at Paul, smiled and went back to writing. "So, writing all about me, huh? My handsome features, my god-like body, how badly you want to run your hands over it . . . " Paul teased.
Leah's eyes never left her book as she answered, "Yeah, Paul. You caught me. This whole book is filled with my longing for you," her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Paul's rich laughter rang out as he settled back against the tree, his arms behind his head, knowing how great his biceps looked when he did that. "I knew it. Chicks dig me. I'm just too hard to resist."
To this, Leah picked up a small stone and threw it at him, hitting him in the leg, making him laugh again. "Oh, Leah. This friend thing between us is so cool."
Leah found herself smiling at that. Paul could be a jerk at times, but he was a good distraction. She really liked how he let her be whatever she wanted to be, and didn't try to change her. Since yelling at her that one time, he let her be mad or sad or bitchy, but she had to admit that those times were less and less.
Leah glanced at Paul again and saw that he had his eyes closed, but she doubted he was really sleeping. She knew he did that so he could be alone and no one would bother him. Paul craved alone time and hardly got it, so this was his way of "checking out" for awhile.
Not wanting to be late for his patrol, Seth told them he had enough of fishing, so they picked up all their gear and went back to Paul's house. Travis insisted on bringing home the fish "so Grandma could cook them for supper." They were rather small, but Paul didn't want to see him disappointed, so Seth agreed to stay long enough to help clean them, and Travis insisted on helping, too. They were all outside in back of Paul's house, Travis sitting on the ground, scaling the fish, and Paul and Seth standing at an old wooden bench, gutting them. Leah had gone into the house to get a pan for the finished fish. She walked back outside just as they started talking.
"Jake told me he's going to Bella's graduation party tonight," Seth stated.
"I thought she decked him for kissing her?" Paul asked in return.
"She did. Sprained her hand." Seth grinned.
Paul shook his head. "Man, he just doesn't get it, does he? He must really have it bad for her if he's willing to walk into a coven of . . ." Paul stopped and realized Travis was listening, "Uh, rich people." Seth smiled at that. "He's such an ass," Paul added.
"He's not going alone is he?" Leah asked.
Seth looked up. "No. Quil and Embry are going with him. You know he hardly goes anywhere that they don't follow."
"That's the truth. I think their lips are permanently attached to his ass," Paul commented snidely.
Leah smacked Paul's shoulder, saying, "Watch your mouth." She had been trying to get him to quit his cussing around Travis. She knew he idolized Paul and she didn't want him to get kicked out of the second grade for something he might pick up from his older brother.
Paul rolled his eyes at her, muttering, "Yes, ma'am," as he threw the fish he cleaned into the pan she brought out. They continued until all of the fish were cleaned then they all moved inside to the kitchen to clean up. Ruth fussed over Travis for bringing home enough fish for supper and he was eating it up. Paul was secretly happy to see it. He remembered her doing the same for him when he was little. She always tried hard to make up for the fact that she was all he had.
"Well, I gotta get to work," Paul stated as he wiped his hands on the towel.
Travis immediately turned and looked up at Paul with those killer brown eyes. "You can't stay and eat fish with me?" Paul hoped he wouldn't add the little pouty lip. The combination of the two was more than Paul could take.
"Sorry, buddy. I have to go to work at the store. Can you save me some fish? I'll eat it later when I come home."
"OK," Travis agreed sadly. Paul mussed his hair and Travis ran back to help his grandma with dinner.
Seth and Leah couldn't stay for dinner either because they were on patrol, but they couldn't tell Travis that. So, Seth said, "We have to go home and have dinner with our mom. We'll stay another time, alright Travis?" Travis just shrugged, which made Seth feel bad about making him sad, so he bent down to Travis' level and added, "I had a good time fishing today. Can we do it again sometime?"
That made Travis smile. "Yep," he agreed happily.
Seth smiled then feeling better, stood up to look at Leah. "We should get going."
Leah nodded at Seth as Paul asked his Grandma, "Where's Tyler?"
"He went over to Collin's house. I know his mother from church, so I thought maybe it might be good for Tyler to spend some time with him." Paul tried to hide his smile at how naive his grandma could be sometimes. Shelia's mom went to church every Sunday, and she had no idea her daughter was the biggest slut in school.
So Paul just nodded at his Grandma and said, "OK. See you later."
Seth and Leah offered their goodbyes and then followed Paul out the door. "You two want a ride?"
Seth shook his head. "No. I'll just phase and run to Sam's from here. See ya."
"Hey, Seth!" Paul called out and Seth stopped and turned around. "Um, thanks, you know, for today. Uh, Travis really needed that."
Seth grinned. "That was hard for you, wasn't it? Saying 'thank you?' " Paul scowled at him as he laughed. "Don't worry . . . it's cool." And with that, he was gone.
Paul turned to Leah who was now grinning. "You want everyone to think you're such a bad-ass. All anyone has to do is watch you with Travis or see how much you love your grandma. You're a big softie inside. It's kind of gross," she observed as she stuck her finger down her throat like she wanted to puke.
Paul reached out to grab her, but at the last minute, she jumped out of his reach then jogged toward the woods. "Don't you dare tell anyone," he called out listening to Leah's laughter trail behind her as she disappeared into the trees.
Paul shook his head as he realized he was actually getting used to hearing Leah's laughter. It had been so long since he heard it, and now it was becoming familiar again. He smiled as he climbed into his car and started the engine. Good for her, he thought. Good for her.