I don't own Twilight. I do claim Erin, because I love her so and thought her up all on my own. Now I would like to thank some people:
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Your reviews honestly brighten my day so thank you so much and keep them coming, I LOVE the feedback :D. And this chapter has a special treat for you all (Psst, it's in Seth's POV)!
Seth's POV
I flopped down onto my bed, letting out a long, frustrated breath.
My sister and Mom were screaming at each other downstairs, like usually. Well, Leah was screaming, Mom was trying to hush her and prove her point at the same time. Dad was over at either Billy's or Charlie's I assumed. And I was all alone, for the rest of the week; my chest ached uncomfortably, thoughts of my best friend flinting through my mind.
Erin was grounded for a whole two weeks after the party and she was only about a week and a half in. The girl was honestly starting to worry me. During school hours, when we were allowed to speak, all she wanted to talk about was Sam and his followers and theorize. Adversely, I would be happy to never hear about any of them ever again.
Sam… he freaked me out. Ignoring him would probably be better for me, but Erin was making it impossible. She was angry and felt betrayed and I guess, I understood that, but by now I wanted to just leave it all in the past.
Embry seemed okay now, a few weeks after he joined up, though he was admittedly the only one. Jacob just seemed to be constantly PMSing; Erin had said Bella Swan was back around and that Jacob was better with her, but he wasn't himself. Then Quil was just ignoring everyone that wasn't in Sam's group, not even back in school yet, just lurking around the reservation.
Propping up on my elbows, I glanced at the picture on my bedside table. It was taken when Erin and I were 11 and starting middle school. She looked cool and relaxed like always; her arm draped over my neck, pulling our heads together, an adorable smile on her face. I had this stupid, goofy grin on mine, an arm wrapped around her waist, awkwardly.
I felt like I decently good at keep my shit together around Erin, in general. Having been best friends since birth, she practically felt like an extension of myself. But in situations like that, close quarters interactions, I got all freaked out; probably something to do with the fact that I've been in love with Erin since I was about 10-years-old. Not that she knew that, because nothing would have been more fucking embarrassing than that.
I laid back, rubbing my eyes; thoughts of her instantly flooding my brain like they always annoyingly did.
There isn't one particular thing about her that made me love her; it was just everything.
Her laugh is the very best sound in the world, definitely better than any of the crappy indie bands she made me listen to. And I loved the way she rolled her eyes at my stupidity and crossed her arms over her chest when she determined. She was always cute, but especially so when she was thinking really hard, with her head cocked to the side and her fingers drumming on whatever surface was closest.
That chocolate brown hair that curled down her back and smelled like the rain; I mean, how do you make hair smell like rain? I dunno, but god I couldn't get enough of it. Those blue eyes, that she must have gotten from some genetic mutation because she was probably the only Quileute in history with those eyes. They always showed everything she was thinking, no matter how well she tried to hide it. Her soft, olive skin that was perfumed with lavender, which blended with the rain, enough to drive me up the wall.
That woman would unquestionably be the death of me. I shook my head, forcing her out for a second. I had homework to do and it was my turn to help Mom with dinner. No time to sit and play the lovesick puppy.
Downstairs, I heard the front door open. Dad's call in greeting temporarily silenced Leah, so I took advantage and jumped up, taking my textbooks out. Algebra was a breeze, my best subject and favorite besides history. It was English that ended up stumping me, as always. Erin normally helped me but she had gotten her phone taken away too, so I couldn't even call. It definitely didn't help either that Leah had retreated into her room, her crappy music blasting way too high.
I tapped the pencil against my book, hopelessly, for a while before shrugging and closing the book. Screw it, I'd just copy off of Erin in the morning before homeroom, chances were she'd need my math notes anyway.
Leah's music was harder to hear from the kitchen, I was pleased to discover.
"Hey, Ma." I said, giving her a smile as I came into the room.
"Hi, sweetie." She sounded worn out. My annoyance at Leah grew as I took in the dark circles under my mother's eyes and her worried expression. I loved my sister, but she seriously needed to get over Sam and stop picking fights every chance she got.
"Need any help?" I asked, leaning against the counter. Mom looked thoughtful for a minute, then nodded gratefully.
"Can you skin those potatoes, please?" She pointed and I grabbed the bowl and skinner, sitting myself down on the counter. I skinned them in silence while she stirred some soup for a while before she broke the silence. "How's Erin? I heard about the grounding. Can't imagine that girl being too happy about being cooped up."
"She's okay." I lied with a shrug. She was physically okay, which was, you know, important... Even if she was mentally planning the perfect murder of Sam Uley.
Mom gave me a look like she always did when I lies, that one that said she knew exactly what I was up to, but didn't say anything about it. "I probably should have grounded you, too, mister."
"Why? Leah was there and you were okay with that."
"Leah's 19, Seth. She's legally allowed to do as she pleases, as she's always reminding me. You, however, are 15 and still very much my responsibility." Mom gave me a hard look, "Leah is the only reason I didn't ground you, actually. I figured you couldn't do anything too stupid with both her and Erin looking out for you."
I snorted, "Like Leah even cares."
My mother rolled her eyes, going back to her stirring, "That's not true, Seth, and you know it. Leah loves you, even if she doesn't express herself that well. Hell, she even loves me and your father, she's just... angry."
"Who isn't these days?" I asked, finishing the last potato as Erin's icy, blue eyes popped into my head. When I looked up, I saw my mom looking at me with this sad expression I'd never seen on her face before. My mom had the strongest backbone of any woman I'd ever known, she just didn't look at people like she was me at the moment.
"Oh, baby, you will understand everything, soon," She reached out a hand and patted mine, a small smile being forced onto her face, "Very soon, I promise."
I nodded awkwardly and pulled my hand away. Moms are so weird.
Dinner was fast and easy, made even simpler by Leah's absence. Mom and Dad seemed irritated by this but we ended up talking about Dad's fishing trip that day with Charlie. Eventually, we fell into our usual roles and the tension dissipated. This allowed my thoughts to stray, as they usually did, to the subject of Erin Avery Black. I glanced at the empty seat next to me, where she normally sat when she ate with us, wishing she was there now.
A week and a half of only having 3 hours a day with your best friend, two of which you're not even allowed to talk, is not enough. Well, I guess, I don't really know, maybe it is. It's just not enough time for me with her, because no one is comparable to Erin.
After dinner, Dad and I sat and turned on the baseball game, zoning out everything else, while Mom worked on her cross stitch. She'd taught herself how to do it when I was about a year old and hadn't put it down since. She'd even taught Erin at one point, but my friend's short attention span in the craft area had made it difficult for her to stick to it beyond a week.
Later that night, Leah came trampling down the stairs, all attitude and anger. I didn't even look at her when she reached the bottom on the steps and went into the kitchen, tired of watching reruns of the 'Leah Clearwater Show'. The game was getting close anyway, so who cared what my sister was doing?
I heard a loud shriek and Leah came crashing into the living room, facing down Mom. "You threw away my dinner? Who does that?"
Mom shrugged, not even glancing up, "I called you down and you chose to stay in your room, therefore you chose not to eat what I made."
I chuckled. God, I love my mom; she's fucking awesome.
Leah sent a glare my way, "Shut up, Seth!" And turned back to Mom, "What am I supposed to do, huh? Starve?"
Mom rolled her eyes and finally set her cross-stitch to the side, "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"
"No, I do not think," Leah started but I cut her off with an annoyed mutter.
"Obviously."
My sister rounded on me, blocking my view of the TV, "I thought I said to shut up, Loser!" She growled.
"Leah, do not talk to him that way!" Mom scolded.
"Me? What about him?!" She asked, waving her arms my way, rage radiating off of her now, her hands shaking, "You always take his side!" She yelled.
Dad finally cut in. "Leah, you do not speak to your mother in that tone!"
Leah was breathing hard, shaking all over. She bowed her head and growled. The exclamation sounded authentic, like a real growl had ripped up my sister's throat. Then, in front my own eyes, she began to morph, changing and rearranging, into something else. There was a creak as the coffee table was smashed and then where my PMSing older sister had stood seconds before, was a huge gray wolf.
I will be updating soon! I'm writing chapter 8 now! Do you like Seth's Pov? Want more? I hope so!