Thank you all for giving this story a chance and adding it to your story alerts/favorites lists! And also thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate all the great feedback :)

Here is a new chapter for all of you! I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2

I'm Allergic to Bullshit

The best part about having a bedroom on the bottom floor was the fact that it made it easier to sneak out of the house at midnight. It wasn't like this was my first time, but it was a new house. I've done this so many times before it has practically become my profession. I should get a medal for most consecutive escapes without being caught.

I walked out the front door, remembering to bring a key along with me so I wasn't locked out when I got back. I clicked the door shut behind me and was immediately smacked by a huge gust of wind. My t-shirt and shorts allowed the freezing cold air to hit my skin and I cursed myself for not having warmer clothes on. Could you blame me though? It was the end of August! Usually at this time Arizona would be blazing with heat. Not this place I guess. It's like La Push just attracts the cold weather. How great for someone who's used to sweating at this time of night.

I wandered down the street and strained to see much in the little light that the street lamp provided. While I walked I took in the sight of the thousands of stars filling up the sky. It was something I've never witnessed before. I was prone to seeing only a few stars out at night, but this was just amazing.

My eyes stayed glued to the sky as I made my way to the beach. I remembered seeing it while we went to the store. It gave me a slight glimmer of hope that I could possibly feel like I'm back in Arizona right here in Washington.

When I finally reached the beach, I immediately took my shoes off and let my feet sink into the soft, damp sand. I closed my eyes, taking in the scent of dew and salt water and listening to the sound of the waves rolling up to shore. My hands curled around the wind that blew up against them. I let the misty air from the storm fill up my lungs. It was one of the most serene moments I've ever had in my life.

I looked out into the water, and the only thing I could see was the moon bouncing off of the ocean's surface here and there. I took in the rest of the beach, noticing a bunch of driftwood scattered around the sand and a bunch of rocks over to the far left side of the beach. I headed in the direction of the rocks, letting my mind become completely free of any negative thoughts for now.

I used to do stuff like this all the time; my preferred spot was the park a couple of blocks away from our house. Now I was officially marking this beach as my spot to get away from life and let my thoughts go in any direction they please.

I climbed up onto one of the bigger rocks and felt determined to find the perfect place to plop down and let my mind drift. A few rocks later and I sat down without hesitation, taking in the full beauty of the scene in front of me. The moon hung full and round smack dab in the middle of the sea while the stars were scattered around it, looking as if they were creating a wall between the moon and the rest of the world. The water hit the rocks with a loud crashing sound, and I was instantly covered in water. For some reason I didn't mind it as much as the rain from before. This felt completely peaceful.

I could live in this moment forever.

I sat there with my legs pulled up to my chest, just listening to the sounds and enjoying the sights. My head stayed quiet until the thought of my father popped up out of the blue.

That's when my mind churned and my heart thudded in my chest. When my eyes felt damp and my knees felt weak. I was thinking about it, again. About that stupid gene that I might or might not have.

It was like a horrible tumor in the back of my head, always there lurking quietly, waiting for the right moment to strike me again and again. The fear that I might have Huntington's was too much to bear now. I've been worrying about it my whole life, and for some reason a dreadful feeling settled deep in the pit of my stomach while I thought about it at this moment. It was like I was too afraid to admit it to myself that I already knew I had the gene, too scared to think about what would happen if it turned out that I did have the disease. I would be tested and then bam my life would be changed forever. I would live in fear of losing the life I've created for myself. Everything would crumble down to pieces if I had this stupid disease.

I would become moody and see things that weren't actually there. Depression would set in, and if I'm lucky the pills will help calm that part down. Then I wouldn't be able to speak right or walk normally. Worst of all, I would eventually lose sight of who I was, losing every memory I've ever created. That was the most painful part about it. When my dad went through it I hated seeing him forget simple things that anyone would know by heart. Like our address or our phone number, even his name. Watching his head become empty was like watching someone kill him in an excruciatingly slow and painful way. It was the worst experience I have ever been forced to live through. When he thought I was a neighbor that lived down the street instead of his own daughter I just about burst into tears.

My vision blurred from the water that wanted to escape. I didn't let it have its way though. I wouldn't let myself become weak. I had to stop thinking like this or else it would surely tear me apart. I had a fifty percent chance to stay healthy and live a long and happy life. I still have to go to college and pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian. There was no way I was going to have that gene. No way in hell.

A harsh growl and distinct footsteps coming towards the beach made my breath hitch, and I forced myself to stay completely still. The figure stepped out of the woods in only a pair of shorts, looking extremely flustered and pissed off. He was cursing left and right, coming straight towards the part of the beach I was on. For some odd reason my heart almost leaped out of my throat when I caught sight of his face. His hair was messy and the moon let me get a glimpse of its dark brown color. His lips were pulled back in a scowl that seemed to be plastered onto his face, and his eyebrows were knit together in frustration.

Even though he looked like he was ready to kill anything that came in contact with him I felt the urge to ask him what was wrong. I wanted to comfort him and listen to him as he told me what was pissing him off so much. I wanted to get lost in his muscles and...

Wait.

What did I just say?

I wanted to get lost in his muscles?

A blush creeped up on me, and I looked back out at the ocean, praying he didn't see me. It was weird enough that he was here in the first place, I couldn't handle the way my heart was speeding up like it was enjoying having his presence here. He couldn't see me. He just might kill me if he did.

"God damn it! Why can't I do anything right to you? You selfish piece of shit! You take us all for granted and put on an act in front of her! I hate you! I'm going to rip your fucking throat out one day I swear to God I will!" the shouting went on like this for what seemed like forever. I just listened to the nonsense, trying to figure out if some of the words he was spitting out were actually in English. I cringed when I saw him shaking almost exactly like the way that horny Jared guy was before. Was he having a seizure? Should I be concerned? Aw hell.

I was getting ready to make a run for it when the screaming finally stopped. My mouth clamped shut as soon as he turned in my direction, and I stayed frozen in place when he took notice of me. Then, when we made eye contact, everything changed.

His expression turned from cold and harsh to warm and content in a matter of seconds. I couldn't stray my eyes away from his no matter how much my head was screaming at me to turn around and go home. All we did was look at each other, no words spoken, just staring. I took notice to how he looked like he was just given the best gift of his life, like he won some sort of reward or something. All I knew was that I was shocked by the way my leaped just from seeing him, and I honestly can say I have never felt this way about a stranger before. It was like I was being chained to the rock I was sitting on, forcing me to stay here and enjoy how gorgeous this guy was.

What the heck is happening right now?

We stayed that way for a few more minutes, and after a while I couldn't tell if he was staring at me because of what I heard him shouting about or because he was glad I was here. I erased the second guess from my mind. How could that even be possible?

As soon as I thought that, his gaze dropped down to the sand and he cursed again, his shaking subsiding as suddenly as it started. The spell I was under let me go and I placed my hand over my heart to try and get it to slow down. I'm pretty sure it was ready to burst from how fast it was beating. Damn you stupid source of life.

"Did you hear all of that?" I looked over and watched as he started heading closer to me. My head was telling me to keep my distance, but everything else wanted him snuggling up next to me. I had to sit on my hands to stop them from reaching out and touching him when he was close enough. Shit, I'm losing it.

"It depends," my voice was shaky, "if I say yes, will you hurt me?" I knew that this one stupid joke could possibly turn out to be a serious question in the end. He was huge and if I had pissed him off even more by being here then he could want to beat me up. Why didn't I just run?

A sound came out of his mouth, a chuckling sort of happy sound. And all of a sudden, a brilliant smile took over his face, making him look even more perfect than before. My stomach started to flip flop now, practically doing back hand springs. I sucked the drool back into my mouth that was threatening to embarrass me.

"I'm sorry about that," he took one more step towards the rock I was sitting on; "I didn't mean to scare you."

I shrugged, not even daring to say anything else. Who knows, this guy could have a short tolerance for snarky comments.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's a girl like you doing out here at this time of night?" he stepped up onto the huge rock I was on in one swift movement and I scowled at the fact that it was so simple for him when I was out of breath after I climbed that thing.

When I got over the fact that this guy was standing no more than seven feet away from me, his abs practically touching my face, I took in what he said. I blinked myself back into reality and really thought about where I was, what I was doing, and how the hell I got caught up in a conversation with a half-naked hot stranger. Why did I feel so compelled to talk to this guy?

"I…I…," I found it a little hard to speak with the way he was looking at me, "I just came here to think I guess. It is a public beach you know."

He nodded, his eyes darting rapidly between my face and the rock. I was assuming that he was mentally asking me if he could sit down, but I acted as if I was oblivious to it. I gazed back out at the ocean and prayed that he would take the hint and leave me alone. I couldn't handle this weird feeling inside of me anymore.

He didn't leave though, he just stood there staring at me.

"So," I daringly looked at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing that his hands now resided in his pockets, "you must be new here, because I'm pretty sure I would've noticed your beautiful face anywhere."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion, and all of a sudden I was turning back into the mean and snarky Ellie again, "Is that supposed to be a pick up line or something? Or is it the way all the guys act here? Because really I don't know if I should be extremely creeped out by that or flattered that some random guy is paying me compliments on a beach at almost one in the morning."

He seemed taken aback by the way I flew off the handle, his mouth hanging open and his eyes making him look like a deer in headlights.

I stood up and turned away from him when he didn't speak, ignoring the fact that it felt as if some physical force was trying to tug me towards him. I resisted the pull and headed down the rocks so I could get away from this stupid feeling, away from him. Far away from him. But a voice inside of me screamed to stay put and talk to him, which made it harder to run away.

"Wait," I heard him starting to follow me which only motivated me to move faster, but me being the clutz I am I slipped on my way down. As I fell backwards, the stranger's huge arms wrapped around my waist and prevented me from cracking my head open. For a second, I relished in the warmth that was coming off of his skin, enjoying the way our body's seemed to meld together in perfect harmony. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, feeling the weight of his-

Wait a minute.

My eyes shot open and I scrambled to get out of his grip, but it seemed as if he had no intention of letting me go. His arms practically weighed ten tons, and I flailed and thrashed my body around in an attempt to get away from him. It didn't seem like he even noticed with the way he was sighing like he was completely content.

If I didn't get away from him I was either going to get raped or kidnapped. By the looks of it, it seems like the outcome could only be bad.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to me.

"Can you just let go of me?" I snapped.

He tensed up for a minute and then finally took his hands off of me. I was ready to run again when his voice stopped me dead in my tracks, "Wait, don't go. Please, I swear I'm not a creep or anything."

My feet stayed glued in place and I cursed myself for going paralyzed just because of how desperate he sounded. I slowly turned back towards him, taking in how hurt he seemed to be from the way I reacted to him.

"I don't know you, ok? Look, all I want to do is go home and forget any of this ever happened," his face fell even more. I felt like an idiot when my heart sunk as well.

"My name's Collin Rivera. I'm seventeen and I live a block away from here. I've lived in La Push all my life. I have a younger sister named Madison and she's twelve. My favorite color is red, favorite animal is a wolf, and I love playing football. I'm allergic to chocolate and hate pumpkin pie-,"

"Ok," I put my hands up in surrender, "I didn't ask for your whole life story, damn."

He cracked a smile. Somehow he went from looking heartbroken to extremely happy. I didn't think I was exactly being nice to him. What is up with this guy? "You're the girl Seth, Jake and Embry helped out today, aren't you?"

I was only slightly shocked that they were his friends, with them all coincidentally walking around half naked with six packs that could kill innocent girls everywhere it just seemed to click.

"I guess I am?" I shrugged.

"Your name's Ellie, right?" he took a step closer and I somehow didn't cringe.

I nodded, "Did my charming comebacks give me away?"

He smiled again, making my heart speed up, "You could say that. I'm sorry I freaked you out. I guess I would feel the same way if some random guy started spewing out crap that sounded completely perverted."

A small grin appeared on my face without permission. I could feel that stupid pull tugging on me harder. Let's just say I didn't have the energy to fight against it, "I guess its ok. Although you having no shirt on definitely boosted you up a few points on the creep-o-meter."

He seemed embarrassed, slightly blushing, "Life's too short to bother with putting on a shirt in the morning."

I tried as hard as I could to hold in the laugh that was daring to come out of my mouth, but it became too much to handle and I laughed in spite of myself. He laughed right along with me too.

"Good point," I commented, "So, you're allergic to chocolate? How does that work out?"

He furrowed his eyebrows at me and then snorted, "It's not difficult to avoid chocolate when it causes your throat to close up. What about you? Are you allergic to anything?"

I nodded, "I'm allergic to bullshit, but that's irrelevant."

He shook his head, "I have a feeling we're going to get along really well."

My smile faded a little at that. His words made me really absorb everything that was happening. It's one in the morning and I'm actually having a full conversation with a stranger? Well, now that he's practically told me everything about himself he's not exactly a stranger but still. What was I getting myself into? Why do I feel so obligated to find out more about…Collin?

"Look, I know this is probably weird for you and all," he put his hand on my arm and I almost flinched away from the jolt that went through me, "but I really hope I can see you again sometime, when I'm not creeping you out."

I stared up at him, feeling like I could stand there forever, "I think I overreacted just a little," I had no idea where that came from. I should be scared of what's happening. I should be running from this. I should be at home and in bed, without any knowledge of who he was, "As confusing as this all was, I'm glad it happened," what did I just say? I'm glad it happened?

I think the real question here is what is happening to me?

He sighed, and his brown eyes were all I could see anymore, "Ellie," he whispered, looking like he was repeating my name over and over secretly inside his head, "I can't believe this happened to be honest."

Ok, no idea what that means. Just nod and pretend to know what he's talking about, "I should probably be getting home before my mom finds out I left in the first place," I broke my gaze away from his and started walking down the steep rocks again.

"Be careful, these rocks aren't really all that safe," he gently placed his hand on the small of my back.

I looked back at him over my shoulder, trying to convince myself that this was only a dream and I would wake up soon. None of this could be real, because then that would mean that this hot guy is actually having some sort of effect on me, which never happens. As we both journeyed our way down onto the soft sand, I got the feeling that he wasn't going to depart from me just yet. My assumption was confirmed when we were away from the beach.

The silence between us allowed me to really hear how much wildlife there was at night in La Push. You could hear all of the insects making their presence known with their beautiful symphony of chirping. I walked to the beat of the sound of a few crickets, watching as Collin did the same. There was a slight chill to the air, which really shouldn't be there when it was August.

My teeth were literally chattering now, "How can you stand not wearing a shirt? It feels like its forty degrees outside."

I wrapped my arms around myself to try to keep warm. Collin chuckled at me before he stretched his arm out and practically engulfed me in it. I couldn't find it in me to protest since it felt so damn good. Should I find it strange that it feels like he has a fever? Probably. I figured I shouldn't ask.

"Where are you from? Because here this type of weather is considered warm."

My eyes widened. I definitely was not going to get used to this anytime soon, "Arizona, where this is considered winter and August is full of humid nights with no sign of rain for days."

"Yeah, you're definitely out of your comfort zone then. It's a miracle if this place can go two straight days without rain."

"Great," I mumbled.

We didn't say much the rest of the way to my house. Yes, he walked with me all the way home. I know I really shouldn't be doing this since I didn't know him. I just couldn't shake away the voice in my head that kept telling me I needed this.

I pulled the key out of my pocket for the front door, and turned around towards Collin. He stared at me with a permanent smile on his face. I don't think I can forget that smile even if I tried.

"Well, uh, thanks," I sounded so awkward, "for walking me home, I mean."

He nodded, "No problem. See you around Ellie."

"Bye…Collin," even his name made me go crazy inside.

I watched him slowly move away from me inch by inch, taking notice to the way it seemed like he hesitated to keep walking after every few steps. When he was out of sight I opened the door and closed it firmly behind me.

I leaned up against the frame and reeled through the night in my head, letting it play over and over again until I finally managed to convince myself that it all actually happened. Part of me wanted that to be just a dream, while most of me actually loved everything that happened tonight.

I have just gone through one of the weirdest experiences of my whole life so far. Not only that, but I also met another one of the half naked locals of La Push, who seemed to completely rule my heart already…

Crap. I'm losing my mind.

I parked next to the curb and looked at the building out of the passenger side window. Staring between the address in my hands and the sign in the window I confirmed that I was in the right place. After getting completely lost about seven times I thought I would never make it here. I wasted almost a full tank of gas that I will have to replace for my mom later. I cannot wait until my ford gets here already. Borrowing her car felt like I just ordered one ticket for an endless ride on the lame bus. It was a minivan, so that was understandable right?

I turned off the ignition and stepped out of the van, reading the dark green letters that spelled out 'Peninsula Friends of Animals' over the door. It was pretty small, smashed in between a computer repair shop and a coffee house to the left and right of it.

I walked in through the door and listened to the bells that chimed above my head. Immediately, I heard the barking of dogs that wanted nothing more than to get out of their kennels and the meowing of cats that would rather be anywhere but where they were.

"Hello," a girl about my age stood behind the desk. She wore a smile that reached her eyes, "Welcome to PFOA, I'm Layla. Are you looking to adopt today?"

Her hair was a chestnut brown color and curled perfectly around her face, almost blending in with her naturally tan skin. Her eyes were a mix of blue and green, making her look slightly less Native American. Maybe, possibly, hopefully, I won't stick out so much when I start school. But so far I've just been a blond haired blue eyed sore thumb.

"I was actually looking into volunteering?" I asked.

She bobbed her head up and down, the smile never disappearing from her face, "Of course! We're always looking for volunteers. We can use all the help we can get. Let me go get Nancy for you and I'll be right back."

I didn't even have time to respond before she disappeared. It took me a minute to register what happened when I was finally left alone. She seemed like an all around happy person, it was almost sickening in a way.

I stood around looking at a few guinea pigs and rabbits that were scattered around in cages in the front. On the computer behind the desk I could see the logo of the shelter light up the screen. A swinging door led into the back where I assumed the animals stayed.

Before I knew it Layla returned with a middle-aged, curly haired woman walking right behind her.

"This is Nancy the shelter director," Layla introduced us, heading back to her spot behind the desk when the phone started to ring.

"It's nice to meet you," I shook her hand, "I'm Ellie."

Her hair was dark brown with a tinge of gray in it. Her facial features practically screamed Quileute, and I couldn't help but feel like a ghost when I saw how much darker her skin was than mine.

"It's nice to meet you too," she grinned, "So I see you're interested in volunteering."

I nodded, "I absolutely love animals. My dream has always been to become a vet and, well, I figured this was one step in the right direction."

"You've obviously come to the right place," she headed over towards one of the cages where a dwarf rabbit was nibbling on some hay, "We don't get many volunteers around here. Most kids your age are looking for part-time jobs instead."

She carefully removed the empty water bottle that was attached to the side of the cage and started walking towards the back. With the wave of her hand I immediately followed after her.

"I find this much more interesting than those jobs. Just knowing I can help a few animals in need is good enough pay for me."

She let out an amused chuckled, leading me into a closet sized room full of various types of animal food. Nancy went to the sink to the back of the room and filled up the bottle with water.

"You sound passionate," she glanced at me, "and that's exactly the type of people we want here," when she finished filling the bottle and turned off the sink, she didn't move right away. She just examined me up and down, only looking slightly intimidating, "Volunteering here includes taking care of the animals, which means feeding them, cleaning their cages, and sometimes even bathing them. We also walk the dogs whenever we can, and try to include some fun play time for all of the animals. There's only a few of us here, so it's hard sometimes."

I felt excitement burning inside of me. I've always been a nature freak and completely fascinated by animals. Let me loose in a pet store and I go crazy. I could stay there for hours. Helping out in a shelter has always been something I've wanted to do.

"I'm willing to do whatever you need me to."

She raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I think you're going to fit right in here," she started walking back out of the room and I followed her again, waiting for her to put the water bottle back onto the rabbit cage.

After that, she led me to the back rooms where the animals were. I've been in animal shelters before, and it has always been a bad experience for me. I never fail to cry when I see all of the sad faces of these animals who have gone through so much. Right now, all I knew was that I had to suck it up and realize I was going to help these animals in any way I could.

She took me to see the dogs first. There were only a couple of empty cages, but most were filled. Some of the dogs jumped right up on the chain linked fence while others cowered back into the corner. It was terrible to see the look in some of their eyes. How desperate they seemed to want to get out, and how much they pleaded with you to make all of their pain go away. I became overwhelmed after I left the room, leaning up against the wall in the hallway when I felt like falling over.

"Those were our dogs up for adoption right now," she seemed to know that I was slightly bothered by what I saw, so she stayed behind with me for a few minutes and led me to where the cats stayed. The feeling in the pit of my stomach after I saw that room wasn't much better than before, but I forced myself to stay composed.

Even when it got worse, when I had to see the dogs and cats not ready for adoption yet, I stayed calm. It wasn't until we were completely finished with the tour of the shelter that I realized how much I wanted to start now. I wanted to jump right in and help out as best as I could. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of those animals. It would make me the happiest person in the world.

And I knew that somewhere, wherever he was, my dad was looking down at me and smiling. I could almost hear him tell me he's proud of me, to keep my dreams alive. And all I can think is…we'll see how that works out.

Originally I wasn't going to make her find him creepy but then I thought about how I pretty much would find that sort of thing creepy especially when its on a beach where its only the two of them and at that time of night. How about all of you? haha

I also hope you liked the ending part? I am in love with animals like Ellie and pretty much aspire to do exactly what she wants to do with her life. I have also only gone to one animal shelter before with my class. God it was so depressing and I wanted to adopt all of the animals there :(

I also have adopted a shelter dog and I do reccomend it since it is not only saving one life but two. You're saving the animal you adopt and opening up a spot for another animal in need (heard that somewhere don't remember where found it extremely true) Last October we got our 5 month old puppy Sadie and now she's a happy little one year old baby who loves toys :) and shoes...not that you care or anything...

Question for all of you: Have you ever been to an animal shelter? (if yes) What was the experience like? (and) Have you rescued a pet from a shelter?

Don't feel obligated to answer I'm just curious cause I'm an animal freak :P

(Pointless sidenote) My avatar is amazing because Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) is amazingly amazing...

I rambled too much in this Author's note...

~KK