Hey hi hello! Welcome to chapter five :) I'm honestly not sure if i have any readers anymore, since I'm only at 6 reviews. Buuuut, I write for fun not for the reviews. So I'm happy no matter what. Enjoy the chapter!

We spent the rest of the day talking, getting to know each other. I told him about my passion for cooking, and how I loved turning regular food into something healthy. He told me about his friends, and how I had to meet them sometime. After I cooked him dinner (meatloaf with salad and grilled vegetables) he told me that he had to go. So for the first time in 24 hours, I said goodbye to him…and the pain that occurred afterwards was almost unbearable. The pain that his absence caused me also confused me…I had known him for only a few days and yet I felt this bond with him…this need, this hunger, to be around him at all times. As the evening faded away and turned into night, I decided to curl up in bed and watch movies (I had my television plugged in so I could watch movies, but I didn't have cable) until I fell asleep. Jared had texted me at around 10, telling me to sleep well. Seeing his name on my phone gave me butterflies. As confused as I was about my feeling for him, I decided to just let everything happen the way it was meant to happen. Come what may. (Yes, I was watching Moulin Rouge…it's one of my favorite movies.)

I was woken up at around 2 by my phone ringing. I picked it up and answered groggily, not bothering to check to see who it was.

"Yes?" I asked, my voice making it obvious that I had been sleeping.

"Kim? Kim…are you there?" Rae asked frantically. The urgency in her voice made me sit up.

"Yes, I'm here…Rae, what's wrong?" I asked, worried, "It's almost 2 in the morning!"

"I-I-Todd and I got in a fight and I need to get away," she stammered, and I could tell that she had been crying.

"Rae, come up to La Push," I told her; there was no question. This was my best friend.

"T-Thank you," she said, "Kim…I'm sorry…I'm already on my way there…I'm in Oregon now."

"Honey, how long have you been driving?" I asked her.

"Only a few hours," she said, "We were staying with his cousins up in Shasta County…so I'm not far from the Oregon stateline."

"Oh, honey," I said soothingly, "Don't worry. I'll be here waiting."

"Thank you, Kim," Rae said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Rae," I told her. After we hung up, I stared at my phone. What could have happened between her and Todd that would cause her to leave so hastily? I jumped when I heard my phone go off again; this time, though, it was Jared.

"Jared?" I asked, confused; why was he calling me at 2 in the morning?

"Hey, Kim…I saw that your lights were on…everything okay?" Aww…he was so sweet.

"Well, my friend Rae called me," I said, "She got in a fight with her boyfriend and she's on her way up."

"Oh," he said, "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so," I said, "But if you're not doing anything you can come over. I'm going to stay up until she gets here."

"Of course, baby, I'll be right over." Literally twenty seconds later there was a knock at the door.

"That was fast," I remarked, as he pulled me into his arms.

"I was already up," he explained, "And when I saw your lights on I knew that either some was wrong or you were up waiting for me." He winked after he said the last part, and I laughed.

"A little bit of both, I guess," I told him, leaning up to kiss him.

"So do you know what's going on with your friend?" Jared asked me. I shook my head.

"No idea," I told him, "She's never really had problems like this before…something where she had to come see me. I mean, not since she was little and her dad was abusing her." I saw Jared's eyes widen in shock. "One of the reasons why Rae and I became friends is because we were the outcasts in high school. We were both abused by our parents in some way."

"Wait, I thought your parents just reflected their anger onto you?" Jared asked, shocked. I shook my head again-this, too, was hard to talk about it. Rae was the only one that knew this.

"No. My dad would hit me. I tried to confront him about him cheating, and he blew up. Said it was none of my business. He hit me, then told me that I should remember the pain; maybe that would stop me from ever bringing it up again."

"And did he hit you again?"

"Yeah," I said, "Numerous times. My face got bruised up pretty badly a few times." I noticed that Jared started to shake. I put my hand on his arm, and said soothingly, "Baby. It's fine, it's over now. I'm here…with you. It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't," he said roughly, "If he ever lays a hand on you again…I'll…I'll.." I cut him off.

"Jared. Calm, please. It's over, I promise." He seemed to calm down a little, and I kissed him. As scary as his anger was, it was endearing in a way. It was nice to have someone actually care.

We spent the next few hours cuddling, kissing, and talking. Even though it was simple, it was one of our best moments together. So far, anyways. At around 5, I got a call from Rae, saying that she was almost to La Push. Jared decided to meet her at the border, just so she wouldn't get lost. When he left I got some blankets and pillows out and put them on the couch, in case Rae fell asleep. Besides, I figured that we would be having girl talk all night. I made some hot chocolate for her and I, since that was our comfort drink. Whenever something went wrong with either of us, we would always find ourselves drinking hot chocolate together.

About thirty minutes later, Jared came back with Rae. When I saw her car in the parking lot, I literally ran towards her, barefoot and in my PJs, trying not to scream. As it was, I squealed her name as I ran at her, literally attacking her with a hug. She laughed and hugged me back.

"I missed you," she told me, smiling. It was funny…in high school, I always stood out because of how I looked. I was dark skinned, tall, and lean. But here, Rae stood out. She was pale, had long black hair, and was short and thin. Unsurprisingly, she had dyed the bottom layer of her hair purple, which she had always done randomly since she was able to dye her hair. We were the oddest pair of best friends I had ever seen, and yet we went together perfectly.

"Oh, Rae, I missed you too. So much," I told her. She grabbed a duffel bag out of her car and followed me inside. When we got to the porch, I turned around and saw Jared by the cars. "Babe, you coming?" I asked him, smiling.

"I don't want to intrude," he told me, looking sad.

"Honey, you're not intruding. Come inside."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Jared. You're not intruding. Now get your ass inside because it's cold out here!" Rae yelled. I laughed; that's the best friend I know and love.