Chapter 3

The problem began eight years after I met Seth. Between that time, we had become best friends. It was because of the huge crush I had on a nine year old Jacob Black. Yea, he was four years older, but like I cared!

It was a month after I moved to the small village of La Push. The elders always had bonfires, inviting their close friends. It was almost like a little clique they had. Sue Clearwater would always invite me and my mom. My mom usually declined. See, she had met a guy on a shopping trip to La Push. She spent all her time with him. Literally all of it.

She often left me with the clique, which I was extremely glad about, and no one seemed to mind. I was always in a better mood when I wasn't suffocating under my mom's fakeness.

At the bonfires I loved to hang out with Jacob Black, Embry Call, and Quil Ateara. They were a little pack by themselves, but really fun. So I guess it was pretty obvious to the adults that I had a crush on him; they discussed it often. And he must have over heard because one day I was playing with Seth, surpervised by Leah, and he marched right up to me, followed by Embry and Quil, and said, "Do you like me?"

I remember just thinking 'oh no.' I looked up at him, his long, straight black hair falling a little past his shoulders and his midnight black eyes staring into my blue ones. So I just smiled. "Yep! You're cute!" I told him and giggled slightly.

Everyone around me stared with an 'are you crazy?' look. Jacob laughed, thankfully. "You're cute too." A grin spread across my face and after that we were some how a couple in the adults eyes.

That's how I came to become best friends with Seth. Both of us were often at Jacob's house and Jake was usually playing with Embry and Quil, so Seth and I would hang out together.

I remember how much I started to like him, as a friend of course. He was so funny, and the way his dark eyelashes would close over his brown eyes in a scrunched up way and his peach lips open wide and his dimples playing perfectly into his cheeks- not to mention the way his shaggy black hair would shake up and down- would always make me smile.

So back to the trouble. Eight years later there were a few guys, Sam Uley, Paul and Jared had this little gang. They called themselves the Protectors. Embry, Jacob, Quil, Seth, and I all thought of it as a load of crap. Then they somehow got Embry. He got the flu one day and next thing we knew his long hair was gone and he was hanging with the "Protectors".

The elders thought of them as the greatest thing ever. So after that Jacob started hanging out with some girl named Bella and it was just Seth, Quil, and me. Then they somehow got Jacob. And before me and Seth knew what was happening, Quil was gone to. It happened the same way for all of them. There must've been something about the flu.

Me and Seth were pretty pissed at them. They wouldn't even hang out with us. So we made a promise to each other. We swore we would never leave each other to join the "Protectors". I thought it was a pretty legit promise. Then Seth broke it.

I was sitting in my algebra class one day. I wasn't paying much attention, mostly doodling on the paper, thinking about when I was a little kid. I was wondering if I was jealous that Jake liked that Bella girl. Finally I shrugged. "Nah." I muttered. I liked him eight years ago. No big deal.

My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. The teacher pranced over slowly, the hole classroom leaning forward, hoping to be called from the boring math room. Luck was with me that day.

"Sky Niigato." My teacher said when she hung up. "You're needed in the office." I grinned and quickly gathered up my stuff and hurried out the door, getting glared at by people wishing they were leaving. I chuckled and closed the door behind me.

That's when I saw Seth run past me. He glanced at me as he ran past. His shaggy black hair hung in his face as he was half bent over. Seth's redbrown hands covering his peach lips, his face looking sick to his stomach. His brown eyes showed slight pain and dizziness. He hurried into the bathroom and I stared at the door worried. Finally I sighed and hurried to the office, praying he'd be ok.

The day passed slowly after that. I looked for Seth at lunch but I heard he was sent home sick with the flu. I chewed on the tip on my pencil, waiting for the bell to ring so I could go call him.

Finally the bell did ring and I hurried home to an empty house. My mom was apparently at her boyfriends house- again. I didn't care. My only worry was Seth. I picked up the phone and quickly dialed his number.

He picked up quickly. "Hello?" He said, sounding as if he was in a daze.

"Seth?" I asked, I could tell my tone was worried. He sighed. "Sky…" His voice came out sick and raspy. "Sky, I'm really sick. Sorry, but I can't talk." There was a silence, then Seth broke it.

"Look Sky, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it." He said, his tone harsh. "Seth… What's wrong?" I asked, suspicious. This didn't seem like him. "Look Sky, I'm sorry, but I'm done being your friend." My jaw dropped as a small gasp escaped my lips. My eyes widened and burned, flowing over with tears. I hadn't cried in who knew how long. And I refused to now.

"It's just… Nothing to me." I felt my eyes sting even more. "Seth, what's going on?" I heard my voice trembling. "I just told you." I blinked back the tears. I refused to cry. Before I could reply, the dial tone rung in my ear. I stared at the phone.

After that day I would call his house often, and finally they stopped answering all together. It hurt Sky really bad. She would look for him at school, but rumor was he dropped out.

It was a few weeks after and I fell into a total depression. I spent most of my time alone in my house. My mom and her boyfriend were pretty serious. That's when she came in one night with a big grin on her face. "Sky, I have wonderful news!" I looked at her, my face like it was the day I met Seth- unamused. She was looking at me expectingly.

When she got nothing out of me, she sighed. "This will be good for you… We're moving!" I blinked, taking in her words. "… Moving?" I looked at her as if I didn't understand. My mom nodded again. "That's right! We're moving in with Jim! He got a new house in Port Angilis to fit us all! Aren't you excited!?" She was expecting me to grin, or something. Instead, I shot out of the chair, outraged. "WHAT?!"

My mom was taken aback my reaction. She stumbled backwards and stared at me. "You're nuts if you think I'm going to move in with you and your stupid boy friend! No way in hell is that going to happen!" My mother glared at me. Slap!

I stared at her with wide eyes and moved a hand to my cheek. "Don't talk to me like that!" I had half a mind to knock the crap out of her right then. I glared up at her.

"I'm sick of your moppy attitude! "We're getting you out of this city!" What the heck did she know?! She didn't bother to find out what was wrong with me either way. I kept my fists clenched to my side, turned and stomped up the stairs. I tried to call Seth.

Again, he didn't answer. So I called Jacob, and for the first time in years, I started crying. He hurried over, cooing me gently. "It's ok… You'll be alright…" He assured.

He tried to smile. "We'll have a going away party and everything!" I smiled as he hugged me and nodded. A while later he left and I dreamed about Seth.

He didn't come to the party… That day on the phone was the last time I talked to Seth Clearwater.