Chapter 3: Kim Facts

I was excused patrol that night so I went to bed early, tossing and replaying the night over and over again. Watching Kim cry was the most painful feeling, worse than turning into a wolf. I had nightmares, most of them including Kim running away from me.

I woke up just past 6:30am completely groggy but desperate to see Kim. I showered, grudgingly removing the rest of Kim's smell from my skin.

I heard my mother's heavy breathing in her room and I quietly made oatmeal, the way she likes it with buttermilk, honey and almonds. I ate a huge serving with two small bottles of Sunny D and cleaned up, leaving a good amount of oatmeal for my mom and dad. I'm a pretty good cook; in fact I kicked most people's ass in home ec because I can also cross-stitch like a fiend.

My mom shared all her hobbies with me growing up. I'm an only child and my dad spent most of his time working. My specialty is baking, something Paul loved to make fun of me for, but was definitely a good topic discussion with Emily.

I placed some oatmeal in my grammar school Scooby-doo thermos and fished out another small bottle of Sunny-D, then I thought it might not be enough. So I toasted half a dozen pieces of whole grain bread, buttered them and placing them inside a large Tupperware, then I washed off two bananas and added a pouch of cinnamon pop tarts.

I had a plan.

I knew 5 Kim Facts…

1- Kim (the world's most amazing, beautiful, fabulous, perfect, outstanding, terrific, wonderful, fantastic girl) was a student in my European history class. Class year unknown.

2- Kim was at least mildly attracted to me or a nymphomaniac (both of which were good for me).

3- She lived with an abusive alcoholic bitch mom and a young boy, relationship as yet undetermined.

4- Her tongue was like heaven.

5- And the words 'I love you' were offensive to her.

And I was going to use these Kim Facts to woo her. I wasn't really sure how her tongue was going to help me win her over, but it was the first fact that kept popping up when I thought about her.

I was going to be the nicest, most considerate, caring, friend in the world and she was going to have to fall for me, there was no way around my charm (or at least that's what my mom always told me). At half past seven I walked to her house with a picnic basket full of food.

I rang the bell and a small boy no older than 10 answered.

"Yes?"

"Is Kim here?" I asked, and he looked at me for a long time before he spoke.

"Who's asking?" I giggled and held out my hand to shake, but he flinched and I took it back.

"I'm Jared, I-"

"What the hell are you doing here Jared?" Kim asked pushing the boy away, he swore loudly but trudged back inside the house, still wearing pajamas.

"Get dressed," she screamed after him.

"I wanted to drive you to school. I brought you breakfast, just in case you…" I trailed off unsure how to finish.

"In case what?" she asked coming outside and closing the door behind her. I didn't really have an end to that sentence so I just passed her the basket feeling like an ass.

"What's with you Cameron?" Kim asked placing the basket on the stairs and crossing her arms in front of her chest. I wanted to hold her so badly.

"Kim, why can't I do something nice for you without you freaking out?" I asked, crossing my arms too, but smiling playfully.

"Oh, so you think what we did yesterday was some sort of favor to me?" She asked glaring and I had no idea how to respond. How could I describe how just touching her face was the most incredible thing I had ever felt? How could I express to her that I felt lucky to just stand in her presence—to have her look at me at all?

"No," was all I could get out.

I tried desperately to express my emotions with my eyes. Her lips, which were pulled in a tight line, loosened back to their normal perfect double curve, so soft and plump and pink. I closed the distance before I could think straight and Kim blushed adorably.

"Sorry," I said shaking my head.

"Seriously, what is this?" she said waving her hand between us.

"It's nice right?" I said smiling. She smiled back, the most stunning smile I had ever seen.

"Come on," she said picking the basket back up. I grabbed it out of her arms and followed her through the front door. The house was very simple, and the furniture was a little old, but it looked clean. I noticed there were no pictures or paintings or embellishments anywhere.

When Kim turned to look at me her face changed.

"Sorry it's not the Ritz, Cameron we don't all-"

"Could you call me Jared, please," I begged, sitting down at one of the tall stools at her kitchen counter.

"Jared, look you don't need to wine and dine me for sex okay? This whole act is creeping me out," she said opening the basket and smiling momentarily before turning her face back to stone. She pulled out the Sunny-D and opened it, taking a swig.

Her eyes were smiling, they were so expressive, so beautiful.

"Do you like Sunny-D," I asked, happy I got something right for once.

She shrugged, "yeah it's alright."

I pulled out the Scooby-doo thermos unscrewing it and passing it to her.

"I made this, it's my mom's special oatmeal," I said as if I was presenting wine at a restaurant.

"Hah, you're old Scooby lunchbox," she whispered.

How did she know about that? How or why would she remember something like that? She pulled out a spoon and dug in, just as her brother came back in the room.

"Hey, eat up," she said throwing him the pop-tarts and continuing to scoop up oatmeal. She was enjoying it and she couldn't deny it.

Kim Fact #6 she liked my mom's oatmeal.

I was so happy my smile was hurting, but I was distinctly aware of her brother's stares from the other side of the room. He chomped on his pop-tarts greedily but his eyes glared at me.

He was a cute little guy and I was pleased to see he worried enough about Kim to be concerned about me but I got the impression having Matty on my side was crucial. I smiled at him and he ran out the room.

"Stop scaring my brother," Kim joked. I felt high, joking with Kim, feeding her and making her happy.

"If you like the oatmeal, you should eat my mom's food, she's a great cook, or my friend Emily. Wait, what are you doing tonight?" I asked holding my breath for her answer.

"Going out with you apparently," she said standing up.

"Alright, I gotta call my friend, give me a second," she left the room. I jumped and shimmied around like an idiot till a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Who the fuck are you?" Kim's mother asked wrapped in an old bathrobe. I stopped hopping around like an idiot and straightened myself out.

I would have liked nothing more than to smack the bitch, something I never thought I would want to do, hit a woman, but I smiled and introduced myself.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Jared Cameron, I'm driving your daughter to school today."

"The Jared? Hmm, okay, well that's good," she said groggily heading to the fridge.

Kim came in then and I looked between the two of them, other than her high cheekbones she bore no resemblance to this broken woman.

"Let's go," she said grabbing the Sunny-D off the counter and my hand, pulling me out of the room.

When she touched me my stomach flipped and danced.

"Matty, get down here, we gotta go!"

"How old is your brother?" I asked trying to acquire as much information on the target as possible.

"Matty's a nine, soon to be ten year-old, pain in my ass," she said as he entered the room.

Kim fact #8: Kim had an adorable nine soon to be ten year-old brother.

I watched her smile softly as she adjusted his shirt and carefully zipped his thick coat.

"Kim this is damn hot," Matty whined.

She giggled but her face turned very motherly and she said in true mother form,

"It's going to be cold today and I don't want you getting sick again," but when she saw me looking she added, "I don't have time to watch after two puking idiots."

Kim Fact #9: She loved her brother very much, more than she wanted to admit and Kim Fact #10: She was going to be a good mother… hopefully to my children.

I stopped in front of the grammar school and Kim hopped out, unbuckling Matty in the back seat and walking him to the playground, where I peeped her giving him a kiss on the cheek. He made a face and rubbed the spot she kissed but smiled.

She came back to the car with a grin and I had to focus really hard on keeping my eyes on the road. She was so shockingly beautiful my eyes kept drifting to her, and the fourth or fifth time I found her staring back at me.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," I said putting my eyes back on the road.

"What are you sorry for?" She asked, he tone was neutral, so I didn't know if she was preparing for an attack or not.

"I don't know, I made you upset," I said trying to look apologetic.

"Don't apologize if you don't know what you're apologizing about. I don't like bullshit or bullshiters!" She added, "and stop giving me that puppy-dog face," before I could speak.

Kim fact #11: Kim did not like bullshit or bullshiters, and Kim fact #12: My patented sad face did not work on her… this was going to be tough.

"Sorry," I said automatically and she glared at me before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Look, let me give you some advice," she said as I parked in the school parking lot. "Don't try to play me, I'm not an idiot… and if you hurt me, I'll hurt you back."

She was serious, she had turned her body in the seat looking at me full on as if she was challenging me to protest.

Kim Fact #12: She could be a little scary.

Again I had no fucking idea what to say. How did she do this to me? I had a novels worth of things to say to her, but when it was an important time for me to open my mouth I was speechless.

"I don't want to hurt you." Great, Jared—that was like understatement of the fucking century.

"Then what do you want, Jared." God I loved when she said my name!

"You." Again with the one word answers, good job numb-nuts.

"You had quite a bit of me," she said looking me full in the eyes. I couldn't concentrate when her eyes were focused on me like that. I had to look away. I prepared myself to make a speech, but she interrupted me, "Let's go."

She hopped out my car and looked back at me.

"No. Wait… please," I added politely, she smirked.

"Look, I don't want you like that—I mean, I do but—shit! I can't talk to you. Do you have to be so mean? I really trying."

"Trying to what Jared?" She asked stomping her feet impatiently.

Kim Fact #13: She had a talent for asking questions I had no idea how to answer.

"Be your boyfriend—or friend, whatever you want." I said throwing my head against the headrest.

"Friend?" She asked grinning evilly, she was so amazing to watch.

"Yeah, sure, if that's what you want," I said honestly.

"Just friends?" She asked again with a chuckle. My heart was beating so hard the sound filled the car. Was that what she needed? What she wanted?

"Yes. I could be a very good friend—the best even."

"Why now? Jared we've been in school together for like ten years. You disappear for nine days and all of a sudden you want to be my friend. Are you trying to tell me this doesn't have something to do with the Chlamydia incident," she asked crossing her arms over her chest again. I hated when she did that, it made me feel so much farther from her.

"I didn't have Chlamydia you know," I informed her desperate for her to believe me.

"I know."

"Then why did you say it?" I asked hoping to stump her for once.

"Cuz I'm a bitch sometimes and I'm sorry, okay? So let's just drop it, we're even," she said putting her hand on my knee. I hated to hear her apologize.

"Stop saying we're even. There's no debt, okay? I wasn't mad, it was funny. Don't worry." I placed my hand over hers and she flinched away.

I felt the shocks of energy pulsing from the spots that our skin had touched. I begged internally for her to turn back to me, to let me see her feathery eye lashes kiss her high cheek bones but she seemed deep in thought.

"So you'll come out with me tonight?" I asked confirming our plans and forcing her to look at me.

"Where we going?" She asked skeptically.

"I want you to come to dinner at my friend's house," I said trying out my 'mom-I-need-something' face, to see if it had any more effect on her than the puppy dog face.

She chuckled. I grabbed her bag and followed her to the door waiting for an answer.

"I don't know, I don't like to leave Matty with my—" she stopped herself and I grabbed her hand squeezing it lightly. She looked up at me appraisingly and sighed.

"We could bring him too," I suggested with a smile but she dropped my hand quickly as Paul arrived. I could have hit him right then, why did he have to ruin it for me?

"It's true!" He howled, laughing like a maniac.

"Kim, this is my friend-"

"Hey Paul," she said stiffly.

"Kim," he nodded.

My eyes darted between them for over a minute before I realized why I was shaking, understood the way she blushed and turned away from him. Before I could interpret the nervous way he was rubbing the back of his neck.

Kim Fact #14: She had at some point in time been physical with Paul!

"No fucking way! You two?" I asked pointing between the two of them trying hard to keep breath even.

"It's was just a thing that-" Paul started.

"It was not a thing, it was nothing! Less than nothing," she shot back. I was vibrating, I could feel it, the trembling heat burning through me.

"Like yesterday was nothing?" I shrieked, but I didn't wait for an answer I ran out the side door.

*:*

It took me more than three hours to phase back. When I was dressed again I rushed out of my house fighting the clock to get to European history and see her again. When I pushed through the door the class was already in full swing and the teacher scolded me as I found my seat next to her.

She was pointedly looking away from me, with her arms crossed two of the things I hated most, but even then she looked cute. I pulled out paper and a pen pretended to take notes as I tried to pour my heart out without A) Making her angry or B) Looking like a sissy-bitch—much easier said than done.

Dear Kim (No, too formal.)

Kim, look I don't know what happened between you and Paul and maybe that's (No, shit! Too personal, don't bring up Paul, just pretend that never happened)

Kim I think about you constantly, you are the most beautiful amazing girl I have ever met, all I want is to be by your side (No, too stalkerish)

Kim, you keep asking what's going on between us, well it's sorta like magic cuz I'm a werewolf (No, too crazy)

My page was now so covered in crossed out starts that I didn't have room to write anything decent. I ripped out a new page from the back of my notebook and took a deep breath before I scrawled (in my best possible handwriting)-

Kim, I like you a lot, so can you just give me a break here,
I'm a pretty decent guy no bullshitting you…

-Jared

I folded it in three and placed it on her lap, where it stayed for a few seconds before she rolled her eyes and finally opened it. Her eyes scanned it once, twice, three times before she giggled under her breath, rolled her eyes and nodded.

I watched as she flipped the paper over and wrote something quickly. She tossed it back to me and my heart pounded.

Fine, but not tonight, I made plans when you went MIA. I'm hanging out
with my friend Crystal and our little brothers. It's sort of a Friday tradition. Tomorrow?

I smiled like a huge idiot, she wanted to see me on her free time but then the realization that I wouldn't see her until tomorrow night hit me. I shook my head.

Can I come? I like kids, kids like me :)

She took the note looking disgruntled but she smiled again when she read it. Her eyes brightened when she nodded and whispered, "yeah, fine".

I practically skipped through the school for the rest of the day. I waited by the front door after last bell until I smelled her again, smiling even wider than before.

"You're like a trained dog," she said looking at me with a playful grin.

"A cute trained though, right?" I asked grabbing her bag.

"Adorable," she said sarcastically but without a second thought she walked to my car. I let her in first and when I was settled in the driver's seat I pushed my luck and placed my hand on her knee. She didn't move or make a face; I was ecstatic.