Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.
A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's already reviewed and alerted this story! It means so much to me :) Here's the next chapter for you all, I hope you like it - and I hope you really like my rendition of the one and only Seth Clearwater, too. Please don't forget to give me some more feedback after you've read this!
2: Lack of Sunshine
"What about this one?" Kate asked hopefully, holding up a slinky blue dress that was a little too revealing for a birthday dinner.
I shook my head and said, "It's an Italian restaurant – not a seedy nightclub, Kate."
In response she pulled a face at me and carelessly flung the dress back in her overflowing closet. Over the past few weeks Kate and I had become what I could only believe resembled close friends, and now we were even helping each other pick out clothes. It was the sort of friendship I'd missed since leaving everyone I had ever known behind in San Diego.
"You've got to pick something. Are you sure there's nothing back at your house?"
"Absolutely nothing," I told her, and sighed.
We had been looking through clothes for the best part of an hour and my legs were beginning to ache from sitting cross legged on her bed for so damn long. Kate turned to me, flinging her arms up to emphasize the hopelessness of the situation. I could tell from the expression on her face that her usually upbeat mood was quickly waning.
It was fair to say that most of the girls I'd befriended at Forks High School had been looking forward to Carmen Arana's birthday meal all week, considering it was an excuse to get all dressed up. Carmen wouldn't settle for anyone arriving at her birthday dinner in jeans either so I knew that if Kate didn't help me find something - and fast - then I would most likely find myself uninvited upon arrival.
"I hate you," Kate stated, and collapsed next to me on her bed. "Why are you so picky?"
"I can't help the fact that I have a refined taste!"
"Well, I need to start getting ready soon. Penny, please just pick a damn dress," she said, glaring at me.
A couple of minutes later Kate disappeared to take a shower and I was left with the hard task of making a decision. I forced myself off of her bed and made my way over to the large built-in wardrobe that lined one wall of Kate's bedroom. After rifling through a few of the dresses she'd already shown me in vain, I decided to wear the next one I picked up and all of a sudden there was a lacy white dress in my hands.
I looked the dress up and down, trying to determine whether or not it would actually fit me. Giving in, I pulled my blouse above my head and attempted to put the billowy thing on.
"That looks great on you," Kate said from behind me ten minutes later. "You should have just chosen that dress in the first place!"
She grabbed her own outfit - which she'd probably chosen days ago - and headed back to her en suite bathroom to get changed. Eventually we were ready to leave for Port Angeles, and to avoid being any later we headed out in Kate's car at a speed that was probably way over the limit.
An hour later we finally ran through the doors of a tiny place called Bella Italia and rushed over to the first waitress we saw, hoping that she'd be able to tell us where the Arana party were sitting. Kate had sworn under her breath for the majority of the car journey, stating about a dozen times that Carmen was going to skin us alive for being more than half an hour later.
"Just over there," the waitress told us, gesturing towards three tables that had been pushed together. I recognized most of the people from school, although there were a handful of people I was pretty sure I didn't know at all. Carmen, of course, was sat in the centre of the group. Unfortunately she saw us making our way across the restaurant, and all of sudden her pretty round face darkened.
"I can't actually believe you two are this late," she muttered as we reached the party.
"We're so sorry," Kate said, enveloping her in a quick hug. "We had some issues with clothes and then there was traffic-"
Carmen cut her off, pointing to the two free seats that were left. "Save the excuses and order."
Kate took the seat nearest to Carmen, and I was relatively glad as I knew that it was because she didn't mind bearing the brunt of the Birthday Girl's ruined mood. It was then that I realized the only vacant seat available was on the end of the third table, next to a Native American guy that I had never met before. Far away from anyone I felt remotely comfortable talking to.
"Happy birthday, Carmen," I offered sheepishly as I sat down next to the guy.
She flashed me one of her cruel smiles and turned back to two other sophomores, Louise Armstrong and Megan Whicher, who were in an animated conversation about some cute guy who worked at the bowling alley back in Forks.
The waitress came back to offer Kate and I menus, as the others had already finished their starters and were waiting for an assortment of main courses that had probably been ordered before we even made it onto the highway. I glanced at the guy sat next to me, noting that he had the nicest bone structure I'd ever seen, and couldn't help but wonder how Carmen knew him.
Before I could look away, the guy turned towards me and smiled. It suddenly made his face appear much younger, and I blushed furiously because I realized too late that I'd probably been staring at him. He was most likely finding the obvious attention hilarious.
I turned back to the menu in front of me, scanning through numerous dishes that I probably wouldn't have the guts to stomach or even try.
"Try the salmon pasta - it's delicious," said a deep voice near my ear, and I almost jumped straight out of my seat to find that the Indian guy was still smiling at me. "My sister used to work here, so trust me."
"I'm a picky eater," I told him lamely.
"And I'm Seth. It's nice to meet you, A Picky Eater," his smile widened into a grin.
I blushed again. "No, I meant... I don't... my name's Penny."
He laughed loudly, attracting a few glances from the other end of the table. Seth said, "I was only messing around, Penny."
For what seemed like an eternity I tried to avoid meeting his gaze and eventually the waitress came back, bringing the first of the main courses for Carmen, Louise and a boy from school called Derek. She then took Kate's order before turning to me, pen and paper at the ready to jot down my choice.
"I think I'll have the salmon pasta," I told her, and handed her back the menu.
Seth seemed very pleased that I had taken his advice, and folded his muscled arms across his chest as if to highlight the small victory. The action caused him to lightly brush my shoulder and - even though it was the smallest of touches - goose bumps appeared on the freckled skin of my arm. Why was I so damn flustered all of a sudden?
"Could you pass the pepper, Seth?" Carmen called across the table and her flirtatious drawl was unmistakable.
"Anything for the birthday girl," he replied, and handed her the small grinder.
Once again I wondered how they knew each other, considering Seth looked as though he'd finished high school already. Had they dated in the past? Did they grow up on the same street?
"So, Penny, how do you know Carmen?"
I turned to him and frowned. I said, "I moved to Forks about a month ago and we met at school. How do you know her?"
"She dated a friend of mine a while ago and we still get on pretty well, even though they've broken up now,"
Well, judging by the flutter of Carmen's eye lashes every time she glanced our way, they seemed to get along very well.
The waitress came back once again and handed the rest of us our food. Seth grinned as he watched her place the salmon pasta in front of me, and I noticed that he had ordered two whole pizzas for himself.
"How can you eat that much?" Louise exclaimed when she realized that both plates were his.
"It's a secret," he laughed, and dug into the monstrous amount of food.
I tried to ignore my sporadic aversion to seafood as I tried the pasta and was half-surprised to find that it was, in fact, delicious.
Seth grinned at me again and said, through a mouthful of pepperoni and cheese, "Do you want my advice on the dessert menu, too?"
After finishing up our food and paying, Carmen suggested that we catch a late movie at the local theatre. Worried that my parents would freak out if I was home any later than ten o'clock, I declined the offer before realizing that Kate was my ride home.
"Oh, shit," I said under my breath as they started off down the street. "Kate! Wait up!"
She spun around; furrowed her brow, and then obviously caught on because her expression changed instantly. Kate said, "Are you sure you can't stay for a movie? It's got Aston Kutcher in it!"
"My parents wouldn't be cool with it, Kate..." I told her, my tone verging on desperate. Ever since Adam's funeral, Mom had become a total wreck if I pretty much blinked without her permission.
"Can't you lend her your car?" Carmen asked.
Kate seemed to toss around the idea for a moment or two, and then replied, "I can't. I'm sorry; Penny, but I need it for work tomorrow morning."
"I'll drive you home," Seth said suddenly, surprisingly pretty much all of us. "If that's cool?"
The idea was instantly approved by the others, Kate even stating that he was a lifesaver because she'd wanted to watch New Year's Eve since the trailer had come out. I was a little less outwardly ecstatic, considering Kate had promised a few days ago that she'd drive and therefore I wouldn't have to take my car, although the idea of a long car journey with Seth was a more than slightly attractive proposal.
Seth said his goodbyes to Carmen (which consisted of a few whispers and a quick, tight hug) and the others, and then beckoned for me to follow him down the street. I waved to Kate once more and then reluctantly headed after him, finding it hard to match his long strides. Despite the cold breeze that was coming from the marina, Seth only wore a t-shirt and didn't seem to mind the horrific weather at all.
Part of me wished that I'd brought a thicker coat with me; however Kate had said that my heavy-duty Parker wouldn't have complimented the white dress I was wearing. I cursed her mentally for encouraging me to choose style over practicality.
"I'm parked just down the block from the restaurant," Seth told me, glancing back to see if I was still following. "Are you cold?"
I nodded sheepishly and said, "I'm still not used to the lack of sunshine here,"
"I think I have a blanket somewhere. I'll have a look when we get to the parking lot, OK?"
"That'd be great,"
Seth shot me a small smile. "So where did you move from?"
"San Diego - the most beautiful place on this earth," I replied a little bit too quickly.
"I'll bet I could show you places that'd make you take that back,"
I didn't reply, instead turning away to hide the flush that was rising on my cheeks. What the hell was with this guy and his ability to make me feel even more like a fish out of water than I already did?
It didn't take us long to reach his pick-up truck and I stood there, shivering in all my glory, while Seth rooted through the bed of the Vauxhall. A minute later he handed me a woolen blanket, informing that it was handmade by a friend who ran craft classes at the school on his reservation.
"I think I'd like to do this again sometime, Penny,"
"What do you mean?" I asked as Seth started the engine.
"You, me and a nice dinner. Isn't it obvious that I'm asking you on a date?"
I glanced sideways at him and suppressed a smile that would probably have broken my jaw. "You've known me a few hours, Seth, and you're already asking me out?"
"You can't play that card," he said, "considering we've met once and you still trust me enough to drive you home."
Turning my attention to the view out of the windscreen, I racked my brain for a reason why I should say no and came up blank. Why are you even looking for a reason to reject him? A voice asked somewhere in the back of my mind, and I couldn't help but sigh into the soft wool of the blanket.
"So is that a yes, or am I going to go home broken-hearted?"
With a smile, I knew I'd already made my decision the moment I'd sat down next to him at Bella Italia. And, besides the obvious physical appeal, my parents hadn't raised me to inflict unnecessary pain on really nice guys.