Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful comments, y'all are amazing!

Well, I don't want to spoil the story by revealing too much, but no, Paul imprinting on Kim wasn't my intention, especially because I have an idea for a new story which should include Paul and an OC. So, I'm sorry if I misled you.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this part!

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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The truck was full of empty beer cans and had seen better days when it came to cleanliness. It smelt similar to the inside of Paul's house, a sour smell, again masked with a cheap, pine-scented car freshener. Kim didn't try any small talk, so they drove in silence. Paul was one of those natural drivers, the ones who easily turn the steering wheel with the base of their palm and only gently support its position, rather than gripping it.

Kim was envious of his skills but couldn't admire them for very long as their drive was cut unexpectedly short because they came across Sam along the way, approximately half way to the place where Kim had last seen him. Again, he seemed like he'd just got out of the forest. Paul must have thought the same, because he said,

"The fuck does he do in that forest every day? I swear, that guy is a serial killer or some shit."

"He helped me."

"Well, maybe he killed Akuna and his buddies, and buried them in the woods. Maybe you got lucky.

"Shut up," Kim said, even though she wasn't sure if they should exclude that option.

They pulled over and approached Sam, who didn't look any worse for the wear. Not a single scratch. Maybe he'd managed to reason with Ricky?

"I was just coming over to check on you. You ok?" he asked Kim.

"Are you? What happened?"

"Nothing a bit of talk can't solve. He won't bother you anymore."

"Thank you so much. I…"

Sam just waved it off and, with that, his interest went straight to Paul.

"You're Tom Lahote's kid?"

"What do you care?"

Sam ignored the rude comment and continued eyeing Paul, as if he were trying to find something in him, a mark, a sign, a secret; something he hoped wasn't there. Under Sam's gaze, Paul blanched, but he still lifted his chin and straightened a little. He squared his jaw and tightened his fists, taunting Sam. They stared each other down for a few moments, then Sam finally shook his head and turned to Kim.

"Don't wander around the forest. You can come across all sorts of things," he said, glancing at Paul again. Then he turned and left.

"Wait! Do you need a ride?" Kim shouted after him, but he just gave her a wave and disappeared into the forest again.

-0-0-0-

They were driving home when Paul suddenly said, "That guy creeps me out." Then he blinked at Kim and shook his head, as if he were surprised that he'd said anything.

"The council love him. Billy Black and Old Quil Ateara always praise Sam."

"They can praise him all they want; I'm telling you what I see. He's a creep. He's hiding something. He keeps staring. He always stares at me. And it's not just me. One time, I saw him eyeing Cameron, too. He looked… I don't know, like he was waiting for Cameron to burst into flames or something. It's weird."

"That doesn't make sense. The tribal council would look into it if they thought he was suspicious. Anyway, why would he stare at you?"

"I don't know, Connweller, maybe he's a gay serial rapist. I'm not in his head."

"He's engaged to Emily Young. They're practically glued to each other," Kim scoffed. "Are you sure you aren't imagining it?"

"Why would anyone imagine such things? Besides, you saw him 5 minutes ago, you were there!" He thumped the steering wheel with his right palm. "If you don't trust me, fine, but don't make a fool out of me. I'm telling you what I saw."

"Geez, testy much? I believe you, ok? I just don't get it. He doesn't look gay to me."

"Oh, yeah? You're talking from experience, because you've met so many gay people?" he said and Kim blushed. Her assumption made her seem shallow and ignorant and in front of Paul Lahote, none the less.

"Are you psychologically predisposed to be a jerk all the time or is that just a personal preference?"

"It's not my fault I'm always right and people just can't handle the truth."

Kim just rolled her eyes.

-0-0-0-

They reached Paul's house in no time, but before Kim could even get out of the truck, Paul had already got out and lifted her bike into the back, then returned to the driver's seat. He did it with such ease and so fast, even though Kim knew for a fact that the bike was pretty heavy. Must be all the basketball practices.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I'm driving you home." He cleared his throat. "And I thought we could start the project tomorrow."

"Really? Are you feeling guilty about what happened?"

"What? NO. Don't be dumb." He flustered. "Is 10 okay?"

"I can't at 10. I have a weaving class then."

"Aaand saying things like that is why you don't have a boyfriend. Seriously, Connweller. I'm honestly surprised that you're one of the least lame people here. It speaks volumes about this fucking place. Because you sure seem lame. What about 11:30?"

Kim blinked at him. Did he just insult her and give her a compliment in a single sentence? How was a person supposed to respond to that?

"And you're a bag of fun yourself. 11:30 works for me," she finally said.

-0-0-0-

As soon as she got out of the truck, Kim saw curtains in her living room move. So, her mother saw who drove her home. Kim sighed and hurried inside, ready to face the music. She didn't manage to take off her shoes yet when she heard her approaching mother from the living room.

"What were you doing with the Lahote boy?"

"Hello, mother. How are you today?"

"Kimberly, I've asked you a question. What were you doing with him?"

"Mom, chill. We are doing a biology project together, it's fine."

"Oh, that's what you call it these days? I will not chill. I've told you a thousand times to stay away from such boys. I thought you were smarter than that."

"Smarter than what?! We didn't do anything! The teacher paired us up for the project, that's it! Besides, he's a decent guy, actually."

"Honey, a boy like him is like a stray dog. Once he starts following you, you won't be able to get rid of him. Mark my words."

Kim wanted to scream. Was this her life now, this constant drama? And to think she'd only wanted to do her biology project. She wanted to tell her mom everything. About Ricky Akuna and his friends, about Sam Uley and his strange behavior, about Paul and the fact that he wasn't actually an asshole, just pretended really hard. She wanted to put her head into her mom's lap and cry and stay there for hours. But looking at her, at her angry, disappointed face, Kim couldn't make herself do it.

"Whatever you say, mom. I'm going to my room."