Changes In La Push

Chapter Two: A Friend

It was seven o'clock. I was on time, as always. But I was still sitting in my car, across the dirt track from Leah's house. The house was like ours, just bigger – probably because they had more family. After five more minutes of waiting in my car, I decided to get out and actually knock on the door.

There was music coming out of an open window. It was indie music, and I was impressed at the rare good choice of music. I hardly ever agreed with other peoples' tastes in music. I had to knock loudly on the door.

I heard the thudding of feet coming down the stairs (I have good hearing) and sure enough, the door was opened, but not by Leah. It was a guy a couple of years younger than me. He looked very like Leah, so I realised it must be her brother or something.

"Hey, you must Holly. Come in." I entered the house. "I'm Seth, her brother. Leah's still getting ready upstairs. Her room is the third on the right." Then he added darkly, "The one with all the music."

"Thanks," I said, and ascended the stairs. The first door I came to was shut, but the second was open. I was feeling nosy, so I looked inside. There were three guys, lounging about in the room, which I'm guessing was Seth's bedroom. And Holy Sweet Baby Jesus, Jacob was lying on the bed. I was about to sneak off before he could see me, when his gaze suddenly flickered upwards. I tried to walk away, but I found I couldn't. We continued staring at each other until the other two guys looked up too. And boy, were they fit!

"Hi there," said one of them. "...And who are you?"

It was quite refreshing to have met someone who didn't know me before I knew them. I finally seemed to be able to break away from Jacob's lethal stare and I turned to look at the speaker instead. I was about to tell the guy who I was when Jacob spoke instead.

"It's Bob Chance's daughter."

"I'm Holly," I added, not allowing Jacob to do all the talking for me.

There was a brief pause in the room, but then the guy started talking again. "Oh yeah. We've heard about you. I'm Embry, this is Quil and that old grouch is Jacob."

Quil waved and I smiled back. "Actually I've already met Jacob," I said to Embry.

Embry and Quil looked at each other, then Embry covered it up and said to Jacob, "Jake man, why didn't you tell me that you'd met a girl?"

I noticed the opportunity to tease Jacob and get him back for snubbing me at his place. A sly grin crept onto my face. "Oh yeah, I've met Jacob. In fact, I had dinner with him...and he showed me all his bikes... Didn't you Jacob?" There was a coy look on my face as I faced Jacob, who was looking stunned.

Embry and Quil turned shocked, but amused faces to their friend.

"Jake? What the hell?"

I laughed loudly. Then there was a hand on my back and I spun round to see Leah. She was grinning too. "Come on Holly, let's leave Jacob to clear that one up. I've left my bag in my room, just let me get it. Hang on."

I waited in the hall for a moment until Leah came out of her room. This was at the same time that her brother was about to enter his room, carrying a tray of drinks. Leah paused outside her brother's room and said "Seth?"

Her brother's head popped back out of the door. I was busy trying to avoid Jacob's eyes, but I saw Embry looking at me.

"What?" said Seth ungraciously to his sister.

"I'm going out with Holly for a bit. Can you please behave until we get back. I'm not sure what time that will be."

Seth rolled his eyes. "I'm sixteen not six. I'll be fine."

Leah narrowed her eyes. "I think I'd trust you a bit more if you were six years old."

"Whatever. See you in a bit," said Seth grumpily.

"Bye Holly!" called Embry from the room. I smiled and waved, a blush creeping onto my cheeks as, when I walked down the stairs, I heard woops and wolf whistles.

"Okay!" Leah yelled up the stairs. "Try to keep your hands out your pants!" Then, to me, she said with a grin, "Are you ready? Leah's Tour Bus of La Push leaves in one minute!"

X

"Right," said Leah, when we were out of the house. "This is what we're going to do. There's a diner on the High Street. We'll go there first. Then I'll show you the woods and I'll show you how to get to Forks. The shops are slightly more decent there...but only slightly. I can introduce you to a few people while we're out. I'll take you to the lake as well."

"Sounds good," I said. Leah sure was full on, but I quite liked that. I didn't like to talk all the time and it was quite clear that Leah did.

"Here's the diner," Leah said, after about ten minutes of us both walking, her talking and me listening. She was funny and had me laughing as she told me stories about her and her brother trying to liven up La Push. She pointed to the building that we were now standing outside of.

The Rusty Fork Diner (seriously) was quite...unique. Inside, there were paintings and dream catchers hung up all over the place. It smelt like a mix of dogs (I could see another correlation there too) and burning incense. There were loads of bean bags and comfy chairs instead of the usual hard back ones. The fabrics must have been colourful once, but were now faded and slightly dirty. The overall look of the diner was homey, but not really a place where I would trust someone to make me a good meal on a clean plate and give me a drink in a clean glass. Seeing my doubtful expression, Leah assured me, saying, "It's not as bad as it looks. They make good food and I've yet to find a place that makes better coffee than here."

I perked up at the sound of coffee. I loved coffee. As in loved it – I couldn't get enough of the stuff.

"So, I've been thinking – what we'll do is have a drink and then we'll carry on. Does that sound fine?"

"Sure," I said, nodding dutifully, not wanting to go against her.

We ordered our coffee and Leah introduced me to the waitress (Chloe) who was serving us. We got the drinks, and, God, Leah wasn't lying – the coffee was amazing.

I could have stayed there longer, but Leah announced that we were going to continue the tour.

Outside, she led me down an adjoining street. "My car should be parked somewhere around here somewhere...where did I leave it?" A moment later, she cried, "Aha! Here we are."

I looked where her gaze was directed. My eyes widened when they were met with a vibrant green Volkswagen Beetle. Leah dragged me over to it.

"Here we go. I'm gonna show you the woods."

We drove for a while, chatting about how our final years of school had been and other small talk. There was a precarious yellow sign, barely hanging from the beams at the clearing that served as an entrance. It read 'La Push Wood'.

I was sure I had seen it somewhere, but I couldn't place it. I thought it might've been in a dream. "I think I've seen this place before."

Leah pulled up, then looked at me intently. "What?"

I pointed through the windscreen at the wood. "Yeah, I recognise that yellow sign."

Leah frowned. "Well, I wouldn't go in there alone if I were you. There's...dangerous animals in there."

Now it was my turn to frown. "Dangerous animals? Like what?"

Leah shrugged evasively. "Oh like...wolves and stuff."

"Wolves?"

Leah grinned. "Yeah...y'know...they're hairy creatures, like big dogs and they have really sharp teeth."

I laughed. "I was just wondering, that's all. I've never seen a live wolf."

"Really? Well they're quite common around these parts. You're dad will know how to deal with them, so I wouldn't worry. But don't go asking for trouble by going in there, okay?"

"I guess," I said. But this had sparked my curiosity. The woods had implanted a seed in my brain now.

"Anyway," said Leah, starting up the car again. "Next stop is the lake."

X

We drew up alongside a mountain of earth, rubble and sand, behind which was the lake that I could just about see from my bedroom window. The water was calm, and a very deep blue in colour. On the far side of the beach cove, there was a small bonfire, around which were four figures.

"Oh great," I heard Leah mutter. "We've got some company," she said to me.

She parked the car by the mound and got out the car. "Come on," she said, rather resignedly. "You've got to meet them sooner or later."

I followed a bit behind Leah as she walked over to where the group of guys were. I was seriously beginning to doubt whether there were any other girls in the town, except for me and Leah.

Before we had come close enough to be heard, I saw a couple of the group look up. They angled their heads strangely, their noses pointing high into the air. It reminded of an animal hunting. I wasn't entirely comfortable with it all – it somehow looked menacing.

"Hi Leah," one of them called. Then he added, "And friend."

"Hey guys," she said. I wasn't sure, but her voice sounded...wary, perhaps? I had been sure that they wouldn't be able to see me and that I could escape from yet more introductions. "This is Holly Chance."

They all turned to look at me. "Hi," I said quietly.

"Hi Holly," said the voice nearest to me. I had to do my best of not face palm myself...all the guys in this weird little town were far too attractive for their own good. He had wavy dark brown hair that hung down carelessly over his eyes. He was smiling at me, his teeth dazzling white against his tan skin. "I'm Paul Keane. It's really nice to meet you." His voice was rich and deep, like a mix of chocolate and honey.

I didn't reply and Leah decided to fill the silence. "That's Paul, that's Tyler, that's Fisher and...er...this is Sam," she said, rushing through the last introduction. It was like she was hiding something. Again. Deja vu. "Yeah, well...so I thought I could just introduce Holly to you all and now I have, we'll be going."

Sam looked up at her. "So soon?" He sounded disappointed at hearing this.

I saw Leah hesitate. For the first time, she didn't seem to know what to say. "Oh...okay then...well, maybe we can stay for a bit longer...just a...just a bit." She sat down on the sand with a bump, a slight defeated look on her face. Her eyes kept shifting to and from Sam and I realised there must have been some history between them both.

I sat down slowly too, following Leah's example. Paul took a seat next to me and I felt my legs turn to goo. I was thankful to be sitting rather than standing. "So Holly," he said to me. "How are you liking La Push?"

"It's cool," I said shyly. "I only got here a couple of days ago, but it's good."

"Well, we like it. Have you met many people?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I met you guys and Leah, obviously...her brother, Embry, Quil and Jacob and his dad. I've not really met anyone else properly."

Paul looked interested. "You've already met Jacob, huh? Was he as grumpy as he usually is?"

I smiled. "Well, if he normally acts like a spoilt kid, then yeah, he was."

Paul looked down at his hands, with an amused grin on his face. "So you didn't like him then?"

I blinked. "Like him? As in like him?" With hindsight, this probably wasn't the most intelligent and mature answer I could have given Paul. "What I mean is...I just don't know him very well. And anyway, he's really not my type."

"Alright," said Leah from my other side. "I think it's time for us to go, Holly." She was giving Paul a very stern glare that seemed to be even scarier with her icy blue eyes.

Leah stood up and pulled me with her. She turned to walk back the way we came. "Bye," I said to Paul, sort of surprising myself with my lack of shyness. Paul smiled casually and waved back at me. "See you around, Holly Chance."

In the car, I asked Leah, "Why did you want to leave so quick?"

Leah didn't mean my eye and I knew she was evading the answer when she said, "It was time for us to go. Hey Holly...d'you wanna stay over tonight?"

I blinked and Leah continued. "My parents are out and Seth's mates are probably going to be there until late. I could do with some saner company."

I still wasn't replying.

Leah looked slightly disgruntled and apologetic. "You don't have to if you don't want. I know you're quite shy-"

"No!" I said quickly. "I do want to come round. I just don't normally get asked to stay longer with people...they're normally quite quick to get rid of me!" I smiled.

So did Leah and she said, "Well, Holly Chance, I like you!"

X

At the house, Leah's great indie music had been replaced by blaring rock music. Leah and I exchanged an unimpressed glance at each other. In that moment, it felt as if I'd known Leah for years and years, not just a day.

"SETH!" Leah yelled from the hallway, having to shriek in order to attempt to be heard over the din. The music was paused suddenly and I heard the guys chatting. Seth told them to shut up and he called back to his sister.

"Yeah?"

"Keep the music off. We're putting a movie on. Want to join us?"

"Is Holly Chance still there?" called a voice that I thought was Embry.

"Yeah, I am!" I shouted back.

"Well, I want to join you for a movie then," said Embry.

I laughed and I heard feet coming down the stairs. Leah showed me into the sitting room and sat down on the couch, drawing my knees up against my chest. We had decided to watch a good horror film and stuff our faces with popcorn. Leah went to get the food and then the door opened, revealing Embry, closely tailed by Seth and Quil. Jacob wasn't with them. Embry took one of the spaces beside me on the huge couch, looking at the case of the film we were watching. "Ooh, a horror!"

"Don't sound so excited...I don't get scared by films."

Embry grinned. "Damn."

Jacob came into the room, his expression grumpy. "After this film, I think I should probably be going back. I've got stuff to do for the shop."

Seth chucked a pillow at him, "Don't be such a killjoy, Jake. You said you'd stay over."

There was a teasing tone in his voice. Jacob rolled his eyes and sat in a chair opposite me on the sofa.

Leah came back too, armed with three huge bowls of popcorn. "If anyone spills this, then they can pick it all up by themselves one by one. And if, after that, I find one piece of it, I will kill them. Mum would kill me if I trashed the house while she was away." She dimmed the lights and sat down on the floor in front of me. "Start up the movie," she said to her brother, who sighed dramatically.

The film was good. It was pretty creepy, but that sort of thing doesn't freak me out. Embry was pretending to be scared much to my amusement. He was hiding his face in my neck, clutching me in 'terror'. I noticed that Jacob didn't seem to be too amused, unlike the rest of the guys and added party pooper to the growing list of bad things about him. He was making me look like the most exciting person on Earth.

The film finished. I got up and stretched, yawning noisily. "I think I'd better call my dad. I'll be back in a minute."

I went into the kitchen, and called dad from my mobile. He answered after keeping me waiting. "Hello?"

"Hey dad. D'you think you could have answered the phone any slower?"

My dad laughed. "I'm an old man, honey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. In fact, everything is going really well. It's okay if I stay over at Leah's right?"

"Yeah!" said my dad excitedly.

"It sounds like you're trying to get rid of me," I said teasingly.

"If only I could," he replied, equally teasing. "So, I'll see you tomorrow morning, yeah?"

"Yeah, cool. See you Dad."

"Oh, wait, honey?"

"Uh huh?"

"Billy and Jacob are going to come over tomorrow evening. It's our turn to give them dinner. You can help me make it, alright?"

When my dad asked me for help, I knew it basically meant 'You can do it for me, alright?' I didn't want to. Jacob didn't deserve it. But I liked Billy and it meant something to Dad, so I begrudgingly agreed and hung up the phone.

Back in the lounge, I was met with the sight of all four boys on their hands and knees and Leah standing over them, hands on her hips.

"What the hell?" was all I could manage to say.

"Seth thought it would be funny to test me when I said that I would make him pick up popcorn. Next time, they'll think twice. Won't you boys?" Leah shot a sickly sweet at the four guys on the floor.

They didn't meet her gaze and continued picking up the popcorn that was scattered over the floor.

"And," added Leah, "For every piece of popcorn I find after you say you've finished, I get to break one of your rubbishy CDs. I mean it."

Ignoring Seth's outburst of indignation, Leah climbed over the bodies and pulled me up to her room.

There were loads of the dream catchers that I had seen in her shop hanging all over her ceiling. I had hung mine over my bed, so I could watch it while I slept. I had started to unpack the boxes that were mine that afternoon too. Gradually my bedroom was looking more and more like a place that I could actually stay in, rather than a hospital cubicle. I had drawn on the white walls (my Dad didn't mind that much) doodling crazily...after all – I couldn't let my endless years of art in school go to waste, just because I had decided not to do it at college yet. I stuck posters on the walls (mostly of the music bands that I liked) and, on the west facing wall, were all my Polaroid pictures. I wanted to be a photographer, favouring a job where I could do what I wanted to, like my dad who was a writer.

Leah and I stayed up late, just talking – the usual sorts of things that people talk about when you first meet them; learning what they like, what they do in the spare time, that sort of thing. She was very like me, or at least, like me before my mother had died. Leah had put me in a good mood, and I thought that I could get used to having her around. She told me that the few friends she had made in school all lived in Forks, where the school was. Most of them were going to college and the others were getting jobs. This, Leah told me, meant that she had no one to hang out with in La Push, except Seth and his friends and they couldn't count for much. "There's a very low female birth rate," Leah explained. "There's something in the La Push genes that means that boys get priority." Leah's tone was dark, as though there were more meanings to her words than how they first appeared.