California Girl

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Cross Promotion Time: I have another story all about Scarlett and Seth, so if you like Seth/OC stories, check it out :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize, but I own the characters of The Bird Family, The Hunter Family and friends. Thanks!

All mistakes are my own, I'll try and correct any as I see them.

Chapter Song Eric Clapton

6. Tears In Heaven

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees,
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please...

Carmen POV

I went to my room and started on some homework. I was never really one for doing schoolwork, but in a town where the most exciting thing to happen was befriending a wolf, I had taken a liking to it. I glanced at the time. Three-thirty. I went to the kitchen and made myself a sandwich, before returning to my room to finish my homework. I nearly dropped my plate when I looked out the window.

My wolf was back! I grinned and ran out of my room and to the backdoor.

"You came back." I couldn't not be happy. As stupid as it was, he was awesome!

He walked forward and sat in front of me. I immediately started to scratch his ears and stroke his head. He lay down, so I followed and sat on the ground in front of him.

"How've you been?" I asked, making myself laugh. He, being a wolf, did not reply. "You're so beautiful." I said, absentmindedly, stroking his head. He did a wolf-grin. "My grandparents have a cat. They live in Puerto Rico. My mom's from there but she moved to San Diego for college, like my dad... wait here a second, okay?"

I went back inside and picked up the sandwich I made, along with a couple of bags of chips and cookies, and my notebook and a pencil. He was still lying down, but I swear he'd moved closer to the house.

I sat back down in front of him.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, lifting up the sandwich, then not knowing what to do.

How the hell do you feed a wolf? What if he bites my hand off?! Do I put it on the ground? I don't want him to eat the grass...

"H-Here?" I held it out and he gently plucked it from out of my hand. I opened the bags of chips and emptied them onto the plate.

If you feed an animal they always come back... Do I want him to come back?

I pushed the plate forward. I decided that I would feed him and then he wouldn't eat me... then we could be friends.

"So, do you like me or the fact that I feed you?" I asked, opening a bag of cookies and my notebook. I figured that I could get his fur done now while he was here- it kept looking wrong as I drew it today. "I think you like me, I mean, I didn't feed you yesterday and you came back."

I closed my notebook and put it back down. I shuffled closer so that his paws were either side of me.

"I don't really have any friends here. I guess you're my only one... I sort of have a few friends... I know this girl, Scarlett, but she doesn't like me all that much... She likes Nessie... I don't mind Nessie... I'm not her favorite person, though."

I felt stupid that I was telling my life story to a wolf, so I stopped talking, but he bumped his nose into my leg, as if telling me to continue.

"I guess I have Quil, but he's got new friends... I don't think they like me very much, either."

He bumped me with his nose again. I scratched his ears again.

"But now you're my best friend, so that's good... it's good that my best friend is a wolf..." I sighed. "I need a shrink."

He licked my arm.

"Ew! That's so gross!" I rubbed my arm until it was dry. "How'd you like it if I licked your arm?" He held his paw up, as if asking me to lick him. "You're a freak, Mr Wolf."

His head shot up to Quil's house, before he stood up. I followed and stroked his head.

"I'll see you soon?" I walked back to the porch and turned back around. The wolf was gone and Quil's backdoor was opening.

"Carmen?" It was Quil and Jacob. I waved my hand lightly.

"What are you doing out here?" Jacob asked. Something told me that they knew exactly what I was doing out here...

"Nothing..." I opened the door, but was stopped by Quil's voice.

"You left your stuff." I turned back to see my notebook and the plate still lying there. I gave a small smile and ran and grabbed them.

"Thanks." I walked back inside to find Grammy sitting watching TV. "Hi, Grammy."

"So, you and Embry Call are dating?"

"What?" I stopped dead in my tracks, turning around to find her still looking at the TV. "No! I don't even know him! What gave you the idea-?"

"That's not what Quil says."

Quil. I should have known!

I'm going to murder him.

"Quil!" I yelled as I walked into the house. He was standing in the kitchen, his head in the fridge. He turned to look at me with a confused look on his face.

"What?"

"You've been telling my grandmother I'm dating-!" I began to yell at him, when I realized that it wasn't just us in the room. Jacob and Embry had walked in through the living room.

"Dating who?" He said, a grin spreading across his face. He knew exactly what he'd been saying. I just shook my head and walked back to the front door. I was about to open it when I felt heat behind me.

"Hi." I turned to see Embry standing there. "How are you?"

"Fine."

"That's good." He smiled, nervously. "Are you going to the bonfire tonight?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I didn't know there was one, I don't know where it is, and I haven't even been invited."

"Oh... well there is. It's at the beach. You should come, it'll be fun."

"No thanks."

"Why not?" He seemed to actually be saddened my me not going.

"I don't want to." I crossed my arms over my chest. I wanted to go home.

I wanted to go home and call Juliette and tell her to come and pick me up from the town where only one boy liked me and even then, he was a total stalker who's friends told my grandmother we were dating.

"Oh... maybe we could go to Port Angeles or something-"

We? WE? He was probably the one who told Quil that we were dating!

"What do you mean 'we'? We're not... we're not a 'we', okay? I'm going home." I practically ran out of the door and up onto my porch. I could see him standing on Quil's porch out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't turn to really look at him, I just went inside and straight to my room.

God, I hate Washington.

I don't know how long I was lying in my bed when warm arms pulled me up and over their shoulder. I screamed as I was carried out of the house, but Grammy was nowhere to be seen. I only realized who my kidnapper was when I was thrown into a truck.

"Quil! What the hell is going on?!" I was in his truck with him and Jacob.

"I told you we should have just left her." Jacob said, sighing.

"Shut up, Jake. Carmen, we're going to the bonfire-"

"I don't want to go to the bonfire."

"Well, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Too late, we're already here."

La Push was too small. I could have walked to the beach in no time. I was pulled out of the truck by Quil and dragged onto the beach. It wasn't like the ones at home. It was cold and gray and it looked like it was ready to rain at anytime. San Diego beaches were hot and orange and full of shirtless hotties.

At least somethings never change.

Quil's friends stood by a big unlit bonfire, most of them shirtless.

He ditched me within seconds and ran over to a little girl. Jacob was already gone, over by Nessie, who was talking to a pretty Quileute girl. I saw Scarlett and Seth lying on the beach together, but they looked pretty intimate, so I didn't want to interrupt.

I stood with my arms crossed at the top of the beach. I didn't move, even when Collin waved me over. I wanted to make it very clear that I was only on that crappy beach by force and that I wasn't moving without more force.

"Hey!" The pretty girl that had been talking with Nessie walked over. "You must be Carmen, I'm Rachel."

"Hello." I didn't want to be rude to someone I didn't know, so I smiled politely.

"Want any food?" She asked, motioning to a table that was just next to Quil's friends. I shook my head. "Quil's told us a lot about you."

"Can't say the same for you guys." I had barely even spoken to Quil.

"Well, come and get acquainted, then!" She pulled me towards the food table, where a woman was putting food out. "Emily!"

The woman turned around, and my jaw dropped. She was a beautiful Quileute woman, but she had ugly scars down one half of her face.

She's the second bear attack girl. I didn't realize that Scarlett meant she'd been clawed on her face!

"Oh my god." I slammed my hand over my mouth, but she didn't seem affected by it.

"Hi! I'm Emily, you must be Minnie, I've been waiting to meet you!" She pulled me into a hug, which usually, I would pull away from and tell her to 'leave me the hell alone', but she seemed sweeter than most and almost motherly, despite being young and a total stranger to me.

"It's Carmen." I mumbled, pulling away and looking into her eyes, trying to ignore the scars that distracted from how beautiful her face truly was.

"You wanna try telling the Pack that." She giggled.

"The Pack?" I had a feeling I knew exactly who she was referring to.

"The boys, of course!"

They refer to themselves as a 'pack'? Losers.

Which animal travels in packs? I'll Google it later.

"Come on, you have to meet Sam. He's my fiance!" She almost squealed at the fact and pulled me over to a man taller than all the rest, but nonetheless totally hot. "Sam, this is Minnie!"

"Carmen." I murmured again, before stretching my hand out to meet his.

"It's nice to meet you, Minnie. I'm Sam Uley." He did a small smile, but he still looked a little terrifying. He was probably the leader of the whole steroid-cult-pack-thing.

"You too." I said, quietly. I let 'Minnie' slide- this guy could call me whatever he wanted, he was an extremely buff giant who scared the crap out of me.

"Minnie!" I turned around to see Quil running over, holding the little girl from earlier in his arms. "Minnie, this is Claire, Claire, this is my friend, Minnie."

"Hi Minnie." She said, quietly, then whispered something in Quil's ear.

"No, definitely not, Claire-Bear." He kissed her cheek.

"I wanna play in the sea!" She declared. Quil glanced to Emily, who nodded. He took off running towards the sea, holding Claire.

"Is she yours?" I asked Sam and Emily.

"No." Emily said, somewhat sadly. Wow, you are amazing at making people uncomfortable.

"We're waiting for the wedding, right, Em?" Sam asked, grinning. She looked up and smiled, before nodding her head.

We stood in an awkward silence for three minutes and fifty-two seconds, until Emily went to yell at Paul for stealing food from Nessie's plate, and Sam went with her. I walked to the bottom of the beach, right by the sea, and sat down. I stared at the ocean for a little while, when a football landed right by my feet. A white guy came running over.

"Sorry about that." He grabbed it and smiled. He was cute, I must admit. He had shaggy red hair and bright green eyes. I smiled back and nodded. "I'm Lucas, by the way.

"Carmen." I held my hand up and he shook it.

"You at Sam Uley's bonfire?" He asked, glancing at the 'Pack' party. I thought for a second, before shaking my head.

"Not really."

"Wanna come over and play?" He held up the ball. I must've made some sort of face, because he chuckled. "You can sit with the other girls."

"Sure." I smiled. He helped me stand up and we walked over to some white people and one tanned person around my age.

"Guys, this is Carmen. Carmen, this is Bentley and Juan, and over there by the towels is Nina and Natalie."

"Nice to meet you." Juan said. I grinned. Finally, something familiar.

"Juan?" He nodded. "Where're you from?"

"Florida, but my abuelos come from Cuba, you?"

"I'm from San Diego, but my mother and her parents are Puerto Rican."

"Finally, someone familiar, huh?" He chuckled. I nodded, grinning.

"Who's this?" I turned to see the girl by the towels walking over.

"Carmen." Bentley said. The girls nodded and smiled 'hellos' at me, which I returned.

"You go to our school, right?" Nina asked. I nodded. "Yeah, you're in my Math class."

"Oh?" I felt bad for not remembering her, but she didn't seem offended.

"I'm in your Study Hall and Spanish." Natalie said. She did seem a little annoyed. "You're friends with Scarlett Hunter." Okay, now she was pissed. Nina's face dropped too.

"Yeah, at lunch yesterday, didn't you sit with Lexi Morton?" Nina sounded pissed too.

"Not really my choice... I don't like any of 'em much." I said. That was half true. I actually didn't mind some of the Pack or Scarlett or Kim, but these new potential friends didn't need to know that. I lied well and the two girls smiled.

"Good, they're nothing but gossiping little-" Nina started, but was cut off by Bentley.

"We're Juniors." He motioned to the three guys.

"If you want, on Monday, you could sit with us at lunch." Lucas suggested. I nodded.

"And on Sunday, we're all going to Port Angeles to catch a movie, wanna come with?" Juan asked. I nodded again.

"Awesome, I'll post on your Facebook with all of the details-" Natalie started, but stopped when she looked at something behind me. The rest of their faces dropped too.

"Hey, Carmen." I turned to see Scarlett and Lexi.

"Hi." I waved.

"Oh, hey Nina." Lexi said in a fake-friendly voice. "How's Michael Phelps doing?"

"I didn't start that rumor!" Nina nearly screamed.

"Whatever."

"Everyone was worried you'd left." Scarlett said. I rolled my eyes.

"I did leave."

"Oh... well... Embry's looking for you."

Embry. Ugh.

"You're dating Embry Call?" Natalie sounded extremely hurt. I shook my head. "So you're the bitch who he dumped me for?"

"No-!"

She stormed off, grabbing her towel and bag. Nina shot me a glare before running after her.

"Sis!" Bentley called, running after them.

"Uh... they're our ride. Sorry." Juan murmured, before turning and shooting off after the group.

"Sorry, Carmen, see you, I guess?" He ran off after them.

"Thanks a lot." I scowled at the two girls, before walking passed them and back to the bonfire, which was about to be lit.

"Carmen!" Embry ran over to me. I rolled my eyes and walked passed him, back to Quil and Jacob, who were talking, while Nessie played with Claire.

"Thank you very much for dragging me here against my will. I'm leaving." I didn't wait for a response before walking off of the beach.

"Carmen, wait!" I didn't need to turn around to know exactly who was following me.

"Leave me alone, Embry." I said through gritted teeth. He was in front of me within a second, putting his hands out to stop me from walking.

There they were again. The butterflies that made me feel sick.

"Just talk to me, please." He begged. I stopped and crossed my arms.

"What do you want?"

"Scarlett said you were upset."

"I am upset!" I threw my arms up in frustration. "I finally make normal friends and you ruin it!"

"What did I do?"

"You were 'looking for me'? Why were you even looking for me?!" I was yelling and I didn't care.

"Well... I-I just wanted to see you..." His voice was small, but I pushed away the feelings of immense guilt that were forming.

"Why? We're not dating! We're not friends! We're not anything, okay?!"

He looked heartbroken, which made me feel guilty, but I ignored it and walked around him. I was pulled back by his hand on my arm.

"Why can't we be friends?"

I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.

"Why can't we be friends?" He asked again. I stayed silent, hoping he'd just leave me alone, but his grip on my wrist tightened slightly and I was getting nervous.

"Let go."

"Answer me, Carmen."

"Let go." I repeated, pulling my arm back, but he didn't release me. He just pulled me closer.

"Why can't we be friends?" His voice was quiet and soft. He sounded like he was practically begging for an answer.

"Let go of me." I tried again to pull my arm away and he finally let go. I took a step back rubbed my wrist. It was bright red and sure to be bruised in the morning. His face looked mortified.

"I'm sorry, I..." He sounded horrified, and he reached out to grab me again. I flinched back, out of his reach, before turning and walking up the street.

I got home without being followed and went straight to my room. I looked out of the window, hoping that my wolf would come back and make me feel better, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! I'll definitely take what you all said in the reviews into account :D Thanks everyone who read, reviewed, followed or favorited this story! It means the world to me!

If you read I Saw Her Standing There, I have informed a lot of you of my slight writers block, but I think writing this story is helping and your reviews are definitely helping! :D I'll update soon! Promise!

Thanks again!