Chapter 12

Collin's POV

I open the front door of my house, kick off my shoes and walk into the kitchen. My parents are sitting at the table and talking quietly, so I can't hear what they're saying. My mom is leaning into my dad's left shoulder, and they look calm and in love. That's what I want. And I think that Adrienne's thoughts have started to follow a similar path.

My parents notice my presence and look up at me with wide smiles. "How did your date go?" My mom presses, standing up and manoeuvring around the table to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She has to stand on her tiptoes to do that now; I've grown at least half a foot since I first phased.

I smile back at them. I'm probably beaming. Adrienne just has that effect on me – even the mention of her name gets me excited.

"A little rough at first, but it turned out amazing. She's amazing," I add with a sigh. And I love her. But I'm careful not to say that last part out loud.

"Oh?" My mother says, her arms slipping from my torso and her eyebrows raised. "What happened?"

"It rained."

Her quizzical face is still on. "Alright then. And when do we get to meet this 'amazing' girl?"

… Hm. I completely forgot about the whole "meet the parents" thing.

"I will have to get back to you on that," I tell her, backing down the hall. "Good night!" I shout. But I stop just as my right foot lands on the first step of the staircase.

Shoot.

I do have patrol tonight.

I sigh and return to the kitchen. My mom's father was William Black, so she knows all about the pack. [AN: I know that disagrees with the Twilight Wiki, but I thought it'd be nice if his parents knew. So I made it happen. Don't kill me.] My mom has a really calming effect on people, which was helpful when we explained my… situation to my father. (That totally makes it sound like I was coming out of the closet. Please realize that I am not gay. I'm 100% into females. Such as Adrienne, whom I am hopelessly in love with.)

He ended up taking it pretty well. I was quite happy with that – I had been preparing myself for the worst. (For example, "Get out of my house" or "I'm taking you down to the station" or, even worse "… to the hospital for experimental purposes.")

"I forgot that I have to be on patrol in…" I glance at the oven clock. It reads 9:51 p.m. "Nine minutes. I'll be back around eleven."

"Okay, sweetie," my mom says. "Don't die."

My dad chuckles, but I gulp. I'm not that worried about my safety, but I don't think my father takes the fact that I'm a wolf and there are blood-sucking vampires out to get me as seriously as he should.

But maybe I'm just talking crazy.

It's not a big deal. I was going to sneak out and check up on Adrienne anyway; this just gives me an excuse.

I walk outside and head about twenty feet into the forest. There I strip and put my clothes at the foot of a large tree. Once that's done, I phase. It's a lot easier for me to control now. My mom has been a big help when I have gotten angry, which hasn't happened too often.

I trot over to Adrienne's house, running images of our date through my mind.

Hey man, you're back! So the date went well? Seth's voice fills my head. I'm still getting used to not being able to hide anything from the pack – not that I have any real secrets. (Man, if I was gay I'd be screwed.) I can see both sides of the argument though – that's what I automatically do as an aspiring journalist; I try to get all of the facts and go from there. On one hand, it allows us (the members of the pack) to be totally open with each other, to become even more trusting, honest, and close. It's also an extremely convenient form of communication – we literally share one mind. We can think as a team when we're fighting.

But on the other hand, it is really annoying to hear everyone's thoughts all the time. All of the wolves who have imprinted are obsessed with their significant others. (I suppose I'm like that too, but tough luck. I'm in love and I'm not going to hide it.) Those who haven't think really random and weird thoughts – for example, Embry is usually thinking about food. One time last week he was imagining eating a peanut butter and barbeque chip sandwich. Even I think that's gross. And then there's the Leah and Sam drama, which I'm sick of already.

Mmmm, I could really go for a bagel toasted with cream cheese… I'm starving.

In case you couldn't tell, that was Embry.

I fill him and Seth in on my date with Adrienne. It's nice to relive it; I can't wait to see her again. I arrive at the edge of the forest outside her house. I look up and see a window with a light on; she stares down at me. I think I see her murmur something but (obviously) can't hear what she's saying. I wish I knew. Then she leaves the window and the light goes out. I wish I could tell her good night. I wish I could be with her more. I miss her already.

Oh, shut up Collin, we don't need a play by play of your love life, Embry thinks.

Well I don't need a play by play of what your stomach wants! I counter.

Hmph, he thinks. I run and join him and Seth by the edge of the reserve. We walk around that area until Jared and Paul relieve us from our posts. [AD. :P]

I go back to my tree, phase, and put my clothes back on before heading home. I say good night to my parents, climb up the stairs, and then quickly get ready for bed. I spend some time dwelling on how amazing and wonderful and magical and incredible and spectacular and beautiful and intelligent and hilarious and absolutely lovely Adrienne (my girlfriend, my imprint, and my love) is.

I fall asleep quickly, and dream of her.

I wake up with "Hysteria" by Muse blasting in my ear. I roll over and am about to turn off my alarm, but instead I wait for the song to finish. Muse is awesome.

And Adrienne loves them too. She truly is extraordinary.

I get dressed and eat some cereal. Then I grab my bag, turn on my iPod and listen to more of Absolution (on shuffle) as I walk to school. "The Small Print" comes on as I enter the school. I take out my ear buds as soon as I glimpse Adrienne, though.

"Hey," I say as I pass her. She smiles and gives me a little wave.

She's magnificent.

I shove my things in my locker and walk to English. Once I'm in the classroom, I notice (it's pretty hard not to) that on top of each desk is a short stack of paper.

Adrienne is already at her seat and flipping through the pile. I sit beside her and give her a smile, which she returns (although hers is tainted with worry). I start to look through my own papers and see that Mrs. Matticarri has returned a load of work to us. I got 87% on my speech, 91% on the essay I handed in a few weeks ago, and 98% on a newspaper article we did earlier this semester. I smile when I see that; I love writing. I listen to, read, and watch the news and then write my own article based on all of the information. (This is what I do in my spare time; I know, I'm weird.)

I ask Adrienne how she did and appalled to see that she's tearing up.

Then I get a look at her marks: 100% on her speech (how could I forget? I still listen to it sometimes), 96% on her essay, and 90% on the news article. "Congratulation, Spencer! You're on fire! Why the sad face?"

She blinks at me, her eyes suddenly dry. "I got a ninety. Where did I go wrong? How did I lose ten percent?! It's not fair! I work my butt off in this class! I should have gotten more than a ninety!"

I stare at her in shock. There is obviously more to this girl than I thought.

"So," I start. "Why don't you let me take a look at it and give you some constructive criticism?"

She considers this for a moment and then agrees, sliding the article and attached rough work onto my desk. I read through it, making mental notes, and then look at the rubric to see the teacher's comments (which I agree with). "It's great, but you could move some of this information," I point at the opening paragraph, "To later in the article. You want to have the most important facts first and cut out any insignificant details."

Honestly, if I had been the one marking it, I probably would have given it an 85.

I give her a couple more pointers (I don't know who edited it, but they weren't extremely thorough – although she did a good job. Of course she did – she's a natural at this subject. She's just slightly less amazing when it comes to journalism, I guess) just as the bell rings. People flood into the classroom, glance at the papers on their desks, and silently stand for the national anthem. Whispers float in the air during the announcements, though. I observe those around me, focusing my attention on Adrienne. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she reads over the comments Matticarri made on her essay.

The teacher stands at the front of the classroom and demands our attention. "You've been working pretty hard lately, so today we're going to take a breather. You are each going to write a short story based on this photograph," she says as she sets up the overhead. She tells someone to turn off the lights and then focuses the image.

The picture is mostly occupied by a pine forest. A belt of dark sky is located at the top, dominated by a full moon. At the edge of the forest are a pair of eyes and a small girl peering around a tree.

I pull out a piece of paper and set to work.

Adrienne is scrawling furiously beside me. I keep my focus on my own writing for now, though; hopefully I can ask to read her story later.

The period is gone in an instant. I finish the last sentence at the same time as my desk neighbour. Matticarri says, "Good work everyone! We'll read a few tomorrow. Don't forget that your projects are due on Thursday!"

I gather my belongings and wait for Adrienne to do the same. Then I walk with her to biology.

"That was a great class," she says as we sit down. "I wish we could do that more often. Did you finish your story?"

"I agree one hundred percent. And yes. Did you?"

"Nearly. I still have to end the ending. I plan on doing that now."

I suddenly remember the red markings on her last test.

"No," I snap. Oh no, that sounded too harsh! "Don't you think we should focus on this class?" I say. Good save, I tell myself.

She gives me a strange look. (Maybe not as good as I thought…) "If you don't freak out while I write these last two sentences, I'll let you read it."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Okay!"

Yes, I realize that I should not be letting her do this.

But can't a guy be selfish now and then?

I mean really, my girlfriend trusts me enough to let me read her story. It took a week and a half for me to get here. (And a whole lot of flowers.)

She leans close to me and whispers, "Done," as the class is told to start copying a note. I motion for her to start writing what's on the overhead, and, after rolling her eyes, she does.

Lunch takes its sweet time arriving. By the end of class I am dying to read what Adrienne wrote.

I'm in shock when she asks to see mine.

After a minute of staring at her in disbelief, though, she smacks my arm and says, "Well? Are you just going to stand there like you've been struck dumb? Give me your story!"

I do as instructed.

Adrienne leads me to the table that she, Penelope, and Seth normally sit at. The aforementioned couple smile and greet us as we sit down (Adrienne across from me, me beside Seth, and Seth across from Penny – who is beside Adrienne). Then I start reading.

It's incredible. I am pulled in by her words, and I never want to be let go. The plot of her story is completely unexpected – the eyes in the woods aren't attached to a waiting creature (as they are in mine); they belong to the girl's brother, with whom she is playing hide and seek. They are bright because he is wearing glasses and the moonlight caught them.

The siblings explore the forest and stumble (literally) upon a rotting log, beneath which is a secret passageway – which, naturally, they climb into. They discover the hidden world of elves, pixies, and other magical creatures (all of which are described so well that I can picture them perfectly in my mind). They go on an adventure and make a few friends, but head home so that their parents don't worry. (Look at that! She even included a moral!)

And her closing sentences – the ones she must have written in biology – are as follows:

"The siblings climbed into bed and looked out the window into the cool, starless sky. Aurora whispered goodnight to the magic they had witnessed, and prayed that it would still be theirs tomorrow – but she need not have worried, as the elves danced and laughed their way into her dreams evermore."

How awesome is that? You want to know the last two sentences of my story?

"The wolf let out a snarl, and, with its jaws open wide, lunged at her with frightening speed.
She screamed."

My story is too ordinary. There's a creature lurking in the woods and it attacks someone. Ya-da-ya-da, what else is new? But Adrienne's story… It's wonderful.

"This," I start. "Is great. You could publish this! Kids would be all over it. You're an amazing writer, Adrienne. And it's easy to tell how much you love this."

She blushes. (She's so beautiful.) "Really? Wow. Thank you."

I smile and continue gushing. "Honestly. I mean, who would expect that a story starting off so menacing" (at the beginning of her story, she set the scene to be scary – but it quickly turned joyful) "With a pair of eyes in the forest and a girl appearing to seek her doom, end up so cheery and comical?" Adrienne's eyes twinkle in delight when she smiles.

"And your writing – it seems effortless. It's enrapturing, really. I loved it." I finish with a big smile of my own.

She tries to say something, but it seems like the extent of her smile is preventing her. I love seeing her so happy. And to think that I caused it! This day just gets better and better.

Finally, she speaks. "Well I loved yours too. You described the setting with such amazing detail, I felt like I was there! And who doesn't love the classic 'terrifying monster in the forest attacks the innocent girl'?"

I'm quiet for a moment. "Not monster. Wolf."

Her eyes widen. "Oh no, I didn't mean that! I just – well, you did describe it as bloodthirsty…"

I shake my head back and forth so much it hurts. "Don't worry about it. You're right. But – you don't think that we're monsters, do you?"

"Of course not! I've always loved the Quileute legends, and it's even cooler to know they're real. And how could I l-" She stops suddenly. Her cheeks are bright red now. She takes a deep breath before she continues. "How could I lie to you? Trust me – I don't think you're a monster. I think you're adorable."

Seth and Penny burst out laughing before I can wonder why she paused.

"A-HA! OH MY GOSH! YOU'RE ADORABLE!" Penny yells. Adrienne half tries to calm her down so that the neighbouring tables will stop staring at us, but half laughs along with her.

Seth is doubled over in his seat and wiping tears from his eyes. "Why be a macho monster when you can be adorable like a wittle bunny wabbit?"

I start to fume, and I feel like I'm going to phase, but Adrienne puts her hand on my back to calm me down. It works – thankfully, too, because I'm not sure I would have been able to control myself.

"Just relax," she whispers. Penny notices my heavy breathing and quickly shuts up, alarm showing on her face. "Are you going to be okay?" She asks after hitting Seth on the arm to make him stop.

I nod, more to reassure myself than them. "Yeah," I say, my breaths becoming more regular. "I'm good."

And with that, we eat.

Before lunch ends, Penny shoos off our significant others and pulls me aside. "Adrienne should come to the bonfire tomorrow. She knows the legends, but I doubt she's looked at them since she found out about… you know… you. So get to it. Okay? Okay." And then she's gone.

I gulp and make my way to my locker. I take out my pencil case and the binder that contains my trig notes and think about what Penny said. When I turn around I come face to face with Adrienne. "Are you coming?" She asks, but before I can answer, she takes my hand and pulls me behind her.

I smile. She seems so happy. Before I overthink it, I blurt out, "Do you want to come to a bonfire?"

She stops walking and turns to me. "Is this like a bonfire in your backyard, or…"

"Or."

She returns to gliding to class and says, "Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly, no."

We arrive at our destination and she takes her seat – unfortunately, we're not together in this class. "You should realize that what I said means either you tell me what you mean or I flat out refuse."

I smirk. She's so easily annoyed; but I'm only teasing her. "Indeed I do." She looks at me in anticipation, so I roll my eyes at her and continue. "The pack has a huge bonfire every once in a while. The Elders tell the legends, and we usually have s'mores and spider dogs. So will you come?"

She smiles at the mention of the legends. "Sure. I'd love to. Now sit down; you look like an idiot, and the class is waiting."

I take a look around and notice the teacher staring impatiently at me. I grimace and hurry to my spot, which is across the classroom from Adrienne, to my dismay.

But I have a perfect view of the back of her head, so I settle for that.

Trig bores me; I doodle in the margins of my homework, and draw faces on a trio of triangles (labelling them "Soh", "Cah", and "Toa").

Halfway through the period, I look over at Adrienne. She's drawing circles in her notebook. (At least I'm not alone in my boredom.) I would text her, but she sits in the front row.

I suddenly feel the need to escape, get some air. I'm surprised to see Adrienne raise her hand at the same time that I do. Mr. Higgins points at me first, and I ask to go to the washroom. I stand up and hear Adrienne ask the same thing. He looks suspicious for a moment, but lets it slide and allows her to go. I wait outside the door for her, and we walk together. "I'm dying," she says. "I just had to leave that room. I'm probably going to circle the floor for five minutes and then go back."

"I need some air. Want to come outside with me for a minute?"

She agrees, and we race down the hall. She laughs when she beats me (I won't tell her that I let her win), and I put my hand over her mouth to shush her. Suddenly we're close, so close, and I remove my hand and lean in closer. Our kiss is passionate, and she leans against the door which opens with a groan. We break apart and check to see that no one's watching before going outside.

She stands against the wall and our lips meet again. It's amazing, and I never want it to end, but after a minute or so we're both gasping for air.

"We should get back," she says, her hands pressed against my chest.

"We should," I say, my eyes flitting from her eyes to her lips and back.

She kisses me once more, quickly but fiercely, and then takes my hand. We walk quietly but hurriedly back to our classroom. I walk in first. A minute later, and she's back in class as well. I check the clock – we were only out for five minutes. I smile to myself and try to focus on my work.

Without success.

Heyo! :D If any of you are still with me, and I really hope you are, then maybe you'll be excited to hear that Camp NaNoWriMo was a success! I wrote 10 000 words of this story, which really isn't much, but I am still very proud of myself. And kudos to ardeeneethesardeenee for completing her word goal (of 25 000 :O) as well! You're the best AD. 3 (THAT. IS. A. HEART. GOSH DARNIT.)

SO what did you think of this chapter? It's kind of just fluff, I know. And sorry for the quick cut-off at the end, but I didn't feel like writing anything else in this chapter, so… :P I'll try to post more! And I know that I say that every chapter, but seriously, if y'all aren't going to review then I just can't find the motivation in me. (Well, I can, but I want more reviews. :P They are really encouraging! Even if you want to critique me, I don't care! I just want to know that someone out there is reading what I'm writing!)

So please review. And thank you very much for reading. :)