Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful comments, they really made my day.
I'm sorry for such a delayed update, but I was struggling with this chapter
I hope you understand and continue reading 😊
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Kim checked her phone. 10:30. Paul was already 30 minutes late. The tutoring wasn't going to work, that much was clear. How can you be a tutor if the person you're supposed to help doesn't even show up for the tutoring session? Kim had had the idea to get a head start on the biology project and Paul had agreed. Well, he shrugged and said 'k' but that was a confirmation, right? He wanted their project to be good…right?
Standing on the side of the road, next to a narrow trail that led into the forest, Kim wasn't sure why she was surprised. After all, Paul had told her that he didn't plan on doing any of the work. She was a fool to believe differently. Suddenly, she felt the urge to stomp her feet and hurl her backpack into the forest. Then she felt bad because the planet was polluted enough without random assholes throwing their shit around. The forest was one of the last beacons of hope that the future wouldn't be so bleak, that the plants, the animals and the waters would pull through the mistakes of the destructive machine known as humanity.
She had been so proud of the small walking trail she had picked. It was relatively close to her house and familiar enough so they wouldn't get lost, but still deserted enough so they could find the plants they needed in peace. Kim had had doubts about going into the forest with Paul on her own to collect the plants (hadn't she read that Native American women still had the highest rates of rape and assault in the country?), but the project had to be done and sadly, Paul seemed like a better alternative than going alone. She wished she had the bravery of Cheryl Strayed. To be brave enough to walk a forest trail alone, even if it is a small one 2 miles away from her home. Wishful thinking. She turned to give the trail one last look, then took her things and got on her bike. Better safe than sorry.
It was cold, Paul was a jackass and she hadn't started the project like she'd intended to but it was hard to be upset on a Saturday when the air was so fresh and the sun so bright. She was pedaling slowly, enjoying a rare sunny day in La Push. She inhaled deeply and smiled. All was well.
Just as she reached the first road curve where Mattie Stone's sneakers still hung from a high branch of a tree where some idiots had thrown them last year, a car appeared behind her. The driver gave a honk, so she moved a bit to her right to make room. The driver honked again, passed her, then changed his mind and slowed down, appearing on her left. The passenger window rolled down and she almost fell off her bike when a leering face appeared in the window. It was Ricky Akuna.
Ricky Akuna was very beautiful and very addicted to various drugs. He was a few years older than Kim and rarely seen without his loyal entourage: Johnny Penn from La Push and two white guys from Forks that Kim didn't know. They did stupid things, dangerous things, mean things. You didn't want to meet them, ever, especially if you were alone.
With her heart somewhere in her throat, Kim was trying to decide whether to speed up or stop altogether, hoping they would only drive by. But Ricky spoke.
"Heeey. Would you look at that. You're Connweller's baby sister, right?"
Kim's heart rose up, threatening to escape her body through her mouth, so she stayed silent and continued pedaling. Stay cool, everyone knows everyone here. Just ignore them.
"Not so chatty, huh? I dig you. Sometimes it's good not to talk. Hey, you seem tired. Boys, I think we should give this lovely lady a ride." The rest of them mumbled various sounds of agreement and Kim gripped the handles tighter, trying to speed up, even though her legs were burning.
"Wow, girl, you training for a triathlon? Take a break, join us for a ride."
Kim gripped the bike handles so hard that her knuckles turned white and she still didn't know what to say or if she should say anything. Afraid that her voice would break and betray her, she stayed silent, praying someone would show up. A car will show up. They're just messing with you. Take it easy. You'll be ok.
"Now you're just being rude, chica. Ben, pull over," said Ricky and the guy behind the wheel obliged, going slightly sideways and blocking Kim's path, so she had to pull the brakes quickly and her poor bike squealed at the sudden action. She barely kept her balance and the bike fell down with a loud clang, scraping her left leg.
The boys got out of their car and sauntered towards her. Kim couldn't help but notice that Johnny held back a bit and stayed behind, not looking at her. Ricky, however, came much too close for her liking and reached for her bike.
"Here, let me help you with that. And then we can drive you home," he said in a saccharine voice.
"N... no. I'm fine. I'll just take my bike and go. My friend's waiting for me. Thanks, though." Kim couldn't believe she was actually thanking him, but as her nana always said: fear has big eyes and Kim felt that hers were about to pop out of her head.
"Don't be like that, girl. We just wanna help. Right, boys?" Ricky moved to grab her bike. Kim should have let him take it and run as fast as her legs could carry her. But she didn't. She grabbed the closer handle and squeezed it as hard as she could, as if the bike were a lifeline, a rope one throws to a drowning person. She and Ricky stood there awkwardly for a few moments, each of them pulling one side of the bike, unwilling to let go.
Ricky's hyenas still hung on the side, jittery, but silent. Kim wondered if every assault felt like that – surreal and ridiculous, yet frightening at the same time. She suddenly felt like laughing. Her house was less than two miles away. She had spent her entire life in La Push. She had ridden her bike down that road too many times to count. She just couldn't wrap her head around it.
Ricky's smile faded and he pulled the bike more forcefully, so Kim wasn't able to hold onto it anymore. He pushed it to the side of the road and let it fall with a clang once again. Then he looked at Kim and nodded towards the car.
"Come on, stop wasting our time."
Kim started going backwards.
"Don't do this. You don't have to do this," she pleaded, trying to catch Johnny's eye, but he was focused on a small car dent.
"You're really starting to get on my nerves," Ricky spat out and reached to grab her arm. Kim screamed at the movement and tried to pry her arm out of his grasp, but suddenly, there was rustling from the forest and a tall figure emerged from the trees. The man was at Kim's side in two giant steps and he didn't even touch Ricky, he just said: "Let go." and Ricky did.
Both Ricky and his friends seemed dazed by the man's sudden appearance. Ricky actually took a step back, warily eyeing the man whose shoulders were shaking slightly.
"Uley," Ricky only managed to spit out. It was only then that Kim realized that the person standing next to her was Sam Uley, a young man she only knew through gossip and his connections to the tribal council. Something flooded her entire body and she just wanted sink into the road and stay there forever. Sam had different ideas.
"Are you ok?" he asked. Kim nodded, even though she felt tears filling her eyes.
"Good, take your bike and go home. I'll just have a chat with these boys and I'll see you later."
Kim just stood there, staring at him. Sam was a giant, but there were four of them and he was alone. How was she supposed to just leave (even though she really wanted to)? Ricky and his gang also stared, then started laughing.
"Oooh, Uley, we're so scared! Please don't tell my mom! Please don't!" Ricky mocked.
Sam gave them a look and they stopped laughing instantly. It felt like the air got slightly colder, slightly heavier and it pressed on all of them. Under that look, Kim wanted to stop laughing, even though she hadn't been laughing to begin with.
"Give the bike back. Now." Sam almost growled. Johnny was the first to come to life and he took the bike and brought it back to Kim.
"You have your bike and you go home now."
"But, how- "
"Don't you worry about a thing. Go on now." Sam said, almost gently.
Kim took one more look at Sam and he nodded. She couldn't look at any of the others, so she just passed them, pushing her bike, first slowly, then faster and faster, until she was running. It never crossed her mind that she could have got on the bike and ridden it home. She ran until her lungs started hurting, not turning to look back, not even once.
As soon as she reached the first houses, she started crying. The mere sight of people, of their modest houses, of children's bicycles in the front yards seemed like a beautiful photo from a different, better life she had once lived. She was breathless and covered in snot and tears. Was she supposed to call the police? How long would it take for them to get there? Would Ricky and his idiots injure Sam? Should she run into one of the houses and ask for help? As soon as she thought it, she saw it – a beat up, grass-green truck, parked in a messy front yard. Paul's house. Before she could hesitate or change her mind, she ran into the yard, left her bike and started banging on the door.
"Paul! PAUL!"
After a minute or two, a very puffy faced, very bleary-eyed Paul opened the door. He was wearing boxers and a T-shirt that said It's a beautiful day to leave me alone. Somewhere from inside the house, a man yelled "What the hell is going on?!".
"Connweller? The fuc- "
"LIAR!" she screamed and flung her backpack at him. He blocked the hit easily and blinked at her.
"The hell is the matter with you, Connweller?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "All that studying is finally taking its toll?"
"Everything would have been fine if you had shown up! But you chose to be an asshole, like always! And now Sam is going to get hurt, and it's your fault, and it's also my fault, and I don't know what to do…."
"I'm going to forget for a second that you'd just called me an asshole. We'll come back to it later. What the hell is going on? Who's Sam? And why the fuck would you and I meet?"
"Our biology project, 10 o'clock?!"
"You really thought I would show up for that?"
"It doesn't matter anymore," she sobbed.
Paul looked her over, rubbed his chin and sighed. Then he moved from the doorway, gesturing for her to get in. She hesitated.
"I don't have all day. You woke me up, the least you can do is tell me why."
Kim followed him inside his small home, which was in a complete state of disarray. Paul led her straight into the kitchen, quickly passing by the living room, where a man with a large belly lay on the couch. The house smelt faintly of beer and something tangy, as if somebody had tried to mask a smell with an air freshener.
The kitchen was small and dark. It was also ascetic, free of all the surplus furniture and cutlery Kim's mom liked; this kitchen contained the bare basics: a table, three rickety chairs, an old, loud fridge, a greasy looking cooker and a sink filled with day old dishes. Paul motioned for her to sit. He remained standing, leaning onto the counter.
"We only have water. And beer."
"Water's fine. Thanks."
"I'm listening."
Kim didn't know where to start. Her anger had subsided a little when she saw Paul's dad and his house.
"You stood me up," she finally said. "You said 'ok' and never showed. I waited for half an hour like an idiot. And then fucking Akuna showed up and Sam Uley…" Her voice broke and she started sobbing again. "I didn't know what to do…"
"Hold on. What does Akuna have to do with Uley? I can't understand you when you're bawling like that."
So, Kim tried to explain. She talked for what seemed like a long time, even though the situation wasn't that complicated. Paul turned out to be a good listener. He was quiet, didn't ask any questions and he looked at her the whole time. By the time she finished, he hadn't left his spot by the counter. He remained silent for a few seconds, then straightened out and said, "Let's go."
"Where?" Kim asked, but he was already out of the kitchen. He went straight into the living room and she followed. Paul approached his now sleeping father and, with one fluid movement, he fished out a set of car keys out of the man's pocket. His father stirred, but didn't wake up.
"Where are we going?" Kim whispered.
"To see if Uley is still alive."