Author's Note: Ohmagee guys you have no idea how sorry I am for not updating in like forever. School is about to start and i've been doing so much shopping and getting the rest of my summer homework together. Plus my birthday and two of my brothers birthdays were this week and I've been going to a lot of partiesss and my best friend just came back from oversees and I've been hanging with her nonstop. I'm also starting high school and I've been having to get my schedule and go and check out the school and all that poop.
*IMPORTANT*
I know you guys probably don't care about all of that stuff but I want you guys to know that I'm going to end this a little earlier than I had expected. With school about to start, I don't think I would be able to keep updating like I should. Sorry guys :/
Dedication: ForeverBlondeandCrazy. Not necessarily because she asked me to, but because she is such an inspiration. She reviews so much and she makes me smile all the time (: see? haha, thankss gurliee. And thank you everyone else who leave a review. You guys mean everything to me and you're the only reason I keep writing. Remember thatt.
Playlist: Yea, I just want to get this chapter up. No playlist for noww. :(
Fight: To contend with physically or in battle
I opened the door and tried to have an open mind about tonight. I didn't know what to expect from tonight, but I had a distinct feeling that something was going to go totally wrong. Gabe was standing on my porch sporting a large grin and a handful of yellow lilies.
Note to self, as of right now, I hate the color yellow.
"You realize that this is a bonfire and not prom, right? We're not going on a date, Fabio," I said, in the most derisive voice I could have mustered. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, letting him know that I wasn't going to accept anything from him.
"I don't even get a 'hello'?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
I cocked my brow at him, "You should be glad that the door's still open," I said, moving aside to let him. He walked in like he owned the place and I was astounded by the audacity of this boy.
He placed the flowers on the kitchen table and I wondered if it would be going too far if I just threw the flowers in the trash right now.
I refrained, barely.
"So is there a reason why you wanted to come over to my house a full hour before the bonfire? What do you wanna do, sit on my couch, eat some popcorn and watch an episode of 'Cribs'?" I asked snidely, really letting him have it.
I was really being a bitch.
I could tell that Gabe was a little miffed by my tone as well, but then his face turned dark. "We're meeting my brother after the bonfire tonight and we need to have made some progress by now. So tonight, I'm going to need you to talk to Sam about going 'fishing' in two days at four thirty on the dot. You have to get him to agree with the plan tonight,"
He said, looking down at me with glowering eyes. He knew that I was being forced to do things against my will and I think that he secretly loved forcing me to do this, which was just one of the many ways why I hated him. I nodded, acting subdued. I still had two days to think of what to do. It was quiet for a few minutes before I retorted.
"So… we now have forty seven minutes of my life to waste… you have any more commandments to hand out? Should I tell Embry to come as well or is it Sam exclusive?"
What Gabe didn't know was that while I may be scared of his vampire brother, Gabe didn't scare me in the least. I wasn't normally a sarcastic and crude person, but even I had my limits. I didn't want him near me and I really didn't want him in my house.
"Let's go get something to eat," He said, looking at me meaningfully, like he really expected me to say 'OK! Let me get my purse!'
I looked at him and very plainly said, "Better yet, why don't you go get something to eat," I said smiling.
He should have been catching on right then. You know, he should have been getting the picture that I really wasn't enjoying his company.
But he wasn't.
I sighed and grudgingly told him that he could look around the fridge to see if he could find anything to tide him over until the bonfire. Even though I couldn't fathom why he couldn't wait the next forty-three minutes. I didn't care though; all I had to do was throw out any and everything he touched.
Easy.
He grabbed a few crackers and sat at the table looking up at me expectantly. I gave him a 'What the eff are you looking at' glare and then smiled. "You know that if Paul comes over here any time in the near and foreseeable future, he's going to be able to smell you," I said, not knowing exactly why I used the word 'foreseeable'.
It had sort of felt right at the time. Made me feel badass and witchy. I did take pleasure though, in the fact that Gabe's face lost its color for a moment. I knew he was thinking the same thing that I was. If Paul walked in right now, all hell would break loose. He had already been pissed enough today at school and I really didn't think he would be able to handle seeing Gabe in my kitchen.
Plus if he did come over here, he would most likely be alone and there would be no one to pull him off of Gabe. I mean, I knew he wouldn't hurt me intentionally, but if he's beating the crap out of Gabe and I try to sneak my way and pull him off, who knew what would happen.
Great visual that I had, by the way, of Paul beating Gabe. Very graphic, if I do say so myself.
"That'll only make things worse for him," Gabe said, biting another cracker which was true, I had to admit. If Paul did beat up Gabe, his brother probably wouldn't be too happy about it.
"You may be right, but think about it this way," I said, leaning against the counter and leering at Gabe. "If that happens and Azriel gets a hold of Paul, then the wolves would know that something's up and then your brother would have no way of getting to Sam."
Gabe seemed to mull over that for a minute and then shot back his own retort. "But if that comes to pass, then there would be no hope for Paul. Either way you lose. Paul or Sam, it's your choice," He said, finishing up his snack.
I thought about that a little more, but what Gabe didn't know was that if I told Paul and could kept him calm, he could tell the others and warn them. The one problem with that though, was Sam's reaction. If Sam found out there was no telling what he would do and there was no one that could stop him.
I told him to stay where he was and went to my room to grab my phone that I had put on the charger. I turned around to go back into the kitchen and saw Gabe standing in the middle of my den, looking around. "I told you to stay in the kitchen," I said hotly, but of course he didn't listen to me.
Gabe walked into my room, a curious light in his eyes. "God you are such a creeper," I told him, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Again, he ignored me which was really starting to get on my nerves. I sat on my bed while he looked at the pictures that I scrapbooked onto my wall above my bed. I wasn't much of an artistic person but I had to admit, it looked pretty good to me.
"Who is this girl?" Gabe asked looking at a picture of me, Brooke and my baby sister Aleia. He was pointing to Aleia with a small smile on his face. I told him that she was my little sister and he nodded.
"I have a little sister too, her name's Tally. She means almost everything to me," He said a faraway look in his eyes. This was a guy who clearly loved his family and would do anything for them. I saw now, why he followed Azriel so blindly.
We didn't say much after that he just kept looking over my pictures and the little things that I had in my room. I was a little worried though, Paul would clearly be able to tell that Gabe had been in my room now and he would blow a fuse. I for one wasn't looking forward to it.
After about fifteen minutes, Gabe told me that we should head on to the bonfire and I got up and led him out of the house through the door in my room. I didn't bother locking neither the front door nor the one in my room. The Quileute were very close people and there was no worry of anyone breaking in the house.
We walked through my backyard through the forest to the bonfire, watching as the sky darkened and I was lost in thought. It was amazing how just about a week ago, I had been on my way to a bonfire that would change my entire life. I could only imagine what the second one would bring.
We heard the voices before we got out of the forest and my lips couldn't help but turning upward at the smell of the food, no doubt cooked by Emily, and the happy chatter. We broke through the tree line and I was amazed at how many more people were at this bonfire than the other one.
Most of my peers were there, even though I could still name only a handful of them. Younger teens and little kids were there as well and just about the rest of the people that lived on the reservation. There was a huge fire burning in the middle of the beach and a huge ring of people around it laughing and talking.
I saw where Emily was, with Kim and some other people, cooking food and setting out hotdogs and marshmallows to roast. There were a lot of people up on the cliff as well, jumping and pushing each other off. I thought it was kind of weird for this thing to be held on a school night, but it wasn't like it was my decision to make.
I saw the pack instantly standing by the fire, they could easily be found in any crowd due to their height and just by the way they held themselves. They didn't have a cocky attitude per say, but they did have a small arrogant look to them. I saw Paul and as I was watching him I saw him lift his nose in the air ever so slightly and after a moment, he looked directly towards me, a smile lighting up his features.
Until he saw Gabe pulling me away from the bonfire into the forest a ways to a group of people that I recognized from school. I looked back and gave him a wan smile and a look that told him not to start anything. As soon as I could, I would slip away from Gabe and go to him, but for right now, I would have to play the part that Gabe wanted me to play. Gabe exchanged some friendly words with some of the people in the group and I noticed that one of the girls was staring at me intently.
Finally she spoke up, "So what's going on with you and Paul? It's hard as fuck to get one of them to even look our way, but it's like the first day you move here, he's all over you. What the hell is your secret?" She asked her crude language taking me by surprise. She was an average Quileute, with dark hair and eyes.
She was about my height with a pretty figure and nice complexion, but there was something in her eyes that reminded me of the girls back home. The ones that did drugs, or drank or partied all the time and held their legs open for anyone with a pulse.
I never particularly liked girls like this, but I wasn't going to just write her off because I didn't like the words she used. "There is no secret other thanwe are going out," I told her, feeling a little weird. It was hard to declare us as a couple and use words like boyfriend and girlfriend when we were nothing short of soulmates.
She didn't like my answer and scowled at me, "It's probably nothing anyway. He's probably just using you for a quick fuck since you're the new bitch in town. He'll be done with you soon," She said, glowering.
I took a step back, thoroughly shocked at this point. She seriously just referred to me as something to being used and tossed around like I was a common whore. I went from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not some slut to be 'tossed around'," I growled at her, seeing red. I had never been so angry. How dare this female dog insult me like she knew who I was.
How dare she talk about Paul like that. I was beyond livid and she didn't know when to stop. She kept running her mouth, talking all kinds of crap and no one in her little group was doing anything about it. Not even Gabe. They were all silent, as if they were used to it. But I'd be damned if I'd let someone talk to me like that.
She was about a foot in front of me and without thinking twice about it, I launched myself on her, taking both of us to the ground. I grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled, before balling my fist in hitting her square in the jaw…
It hurt like a mother!
I tried to ignore the pain though, as I had read in so many books, but it was harder that I thought. Worse though, the chick grabbed a handful of my hair in her hands and gave a vicious tug, digging her fingers deep into my scalp. "Let go of my fucking hair, you bitch!" She snarled at me, trying to buck me off of her.
I was getting tired of her calling me names and I told her such, as well as informing her that she should get her hands out of my hair before I really did some damage. I had never really been a fighter, I usually wasn't so easily provoked, but she had crossed the line when she started running her mouth about Paul.
We rolled around in the ground, biting scratching and cursing at each other, all the while maintaining the death hold that we had on each other's hair. My eyes were watering because she had run one of her hands down my face, her nails biting into my skin and in turn, I wrapped my free hand around her neck. I didn't intend to choke her and I wasn't squeezing her neck too tightly or anything. Just enough to cause her to panic.
She really went psycho then, thrashing about and pulling my hair even tighter. I was about to let her go to hit her again when I felt at least two pair of arms pulling from the girl I had in a fake choke hold. I let go of her neck but since she still had a hold on my hair, I kept hold of hers as well, ignoring the voices telling me to let her go. I felt other people pulling her away from me as well and now we were only locked by our hands in each other's hair.
"Let me the fuck go!" She screeched and it felt like she was going to rip my head from my neck. My fingers were starting to ache from the grip I had on her, but I wasn't going to let go.
"You first," I returned, bringing my foot and intending to kick her in the stomach. I missed though and got her in the hip. I felt other hands in my hair and on my fingers in hers, trying to pry them loose. I fought to keep my hold on her, but the people who were trying to pry us apart were too strong.
I looked up, my hair free to find the girl being held back by Jacob and Seth even though she was fighting them trying to get to me. Her hair was messy and all over her head, much like I suspected mine looked as well and her face was blotchy and bleeding from me hitting her.
I saw that Gabe and the other people that were with her, were standing back, they're mouths open wide like they couldn't believe what had just transpired. I kept yelling at the girl, trying to get to her and the person holding me, who I assumed to be Paul, had their hands tightly around my front and held me effortlessly off the ground.
I kept fighting uselessly against Paul's hold on, trying with all my might to get to the girl who kept on snarling insults in me, half in Quileute. I was so angry I half expected to explode into a wolf.
Cassie had been ignoring me all day. It was a little understandable since all I had been doing was yelling at her and trying to get her attention but still. When I heard that Gabe and Cassie were coming to the bonfire together, I all but went into a rage. Now we were at the bonfire and I saw her, right before Gabe grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the forest where some of the kids from our school were hanging out.
I didn't like that particular bunch of kids, most of the girls in that group always tried to throw themselves at me and my pack. It was shameless and made me cringe every time one of them was around. Jake noticed to and we walked a little closer to the tree line so we could keep an eye on the situation. As much as I wanted to, I wasn't going to go to Cassie. If she wanted me with her then I would be with her. But was going to make sure Gabe didn't touch her.
All seemed fine until one of the more promiscuous girls in the group, Jade, starting running off at the mouth. I wasn't pleased with what she was saying and it was obvious that neither was Cassie. I couldn't see what was going on since the trees block my view, but I could smell Cassie's agitation. Then I heard something that really shocked me.
It was the sounds of fighting. There were loud voices drifting to my ears, muffled shouts and threats, but no one else was close enough to here. Jake motioned to the rest of the pack and soon, Seth, Sam and Quil were beside me and we were all heading into the forest.
Cassie and Jade were on the ground rolling around with their hands dug deep in each other's hair. With their free hands, they were hitting and scratching at each other and kicking fiercely with their feet. They were pretty good scrappers, each of their blows making contact, but I was pissed at the scratches that marked Cassie's perfect skin. I had never hit a woman and never thought I would feel the need to, but I wouldn't allow anyone to touch Cassie like that, woman or no.
Sam shot me a look before he both moved to drag Cass off of Jade. We tried to pull them apart, but they wouldn't let go of each other's hair, each of them yelling insults. Jake and Seth moved to grab hold of Jade and Quil was prying their hands off of each others' hair. Sam moved to let me have full hold of Cassie and she struggled fiercely in my arms, trying hard to get to Jade.
I talked to her and after a while, I felt her calming. She sagged limply against me, her arms coming up to wipe her face, her arm coming away slightly bloody. I pulled her into my arms, much like I had the first night she had come here and looked at Sam who was trying to calm Jade down and then to the others who had been with Jade.
Gabe was looking at me with a sneer on his face which I gladly returned. I hated him even more now, for watching Cassie fight Jade and not trying to do anything to help. I turned and started to walk away from them all, taking Cassie deeper into the forest. I sat her down by a small stream, putting her down by the bank and looking her over.
"Why the hell did you pull me away? That girl really needs to be taught a lesson," She snarled at me, dragging a hand through her hair and wincing. Her hand came away with half a handful of hair. I couldn't stand the disgusted look on her face. I didn't answer her, but I grabbed her chin gently, angling her face so that I could look at her better. She jerked her face out of my hands, her cheeks suddenly growing hot and looked away.
"I'll be fine," She mumbled, looking at her reflection in the water.
I reached for her again and she dodged my hand. "What is wrong with you?" I asked her gently, trying hard to keep my anger in check. I hated looking at her battered face. Nothing like this should ever happen to my Cassie.
"I told you, I can take care of myself," She insisted, trying to finger comb her hair into order even though it obviously pained her to do it.
"I know that, Cassie. But right now, I want to take care of you," I told her, taking her hands away from her hair. I grabbed her chin again, this time forcing her to look at me. I was gentle though, not wanting to cause her unnecessary pain.
She faced me, but her eyes were still casted downward. I frowned but didn't comment. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her face was swollen on the left side and scratches littered her face. Her right eye was red and watering, her lip slightly swollen and she had a bruise forming on her cheek under her right eye. I was shaking so bad, I could hardly keep my hold on Cassie.
I forced down my anger so I could check for any other wounds. Her hand was swollen from hitting Jade and there were a few other bruises on her. Her hair was an absolute mess and her clothes were dirty and unkempt. I let go of her and clenched my fists. I could hardly look at her like this without seeing red.
I had worn a shirt tonight, even though it was hardly needed, so I took it off and soaked it in the stream. I wrung it out and washed her face, clearing away all the blood and dirt, trying to be as gentle as possible. Cassie didn't say anything, but her jaw was locked and I could tell that she was in pain.
I didn't even know where to start with her hair and I knew that her scalp must be tender. Cassie leaned her head down and awkwardly wet it in the stream. She squeezed the excess water out and tried to finger comb it into some kind of semblance of control. She grabbed a hair tie from her wrist and wrapped her wet hair up into a weird messy bun. She looked almost normal; someone would have to be looking really close to her to see any of the bruises and scratches on her face and considering that it was dark, she should be ok until I could get her home and clean her up properly. I knew if I even suggested that we leave now she would look at me like I was stupid.
I helped her up and looked her in the eye. "You look as beautiful as always," I told her, but I could tell that she wasn't convinced.
"You're only saying that because you always see me in this weird light and you think I'm beautiful. Just because you think I am, doesn't mean everyone else does as well," She retorted drolly.
"That's not true. Even if I hadn't of imprinted on you I'd still think you were the most beautiful woman in the world," I told her, reaching out to brush away a few strands of hair from her face.
She didn't say anything else, but she grabbed my hand and we walked back to the bonfire. I noticed that the rest of the pack were by the bonfire and Jade was a little ways away with her group of friends, bitching them out.
I also noticed Gabe sitting near the bonfire staring intently at Cassie. Their eyes met for a brief second and something passed between them. The next thing I knew, Cassie was hitting me in my stomach and pinning me with a glare.
"What?" I asked, not knowing what I had done wrong.
"Would you stop growling? People might hear you," She hissed at me and I was taken aback. I hadn't even noticed. Some days I felt more like an animal then I cared to admit, but seeing him interact with her really made me want to tear open his throat with my teeth.
I apologized to her, all the while keeping my eyes on Gabe. I didn't trust him at all and I was going to find out was Cassie was hiding and why she felt the need to hide it from me.
My entire body felt like it was on fire. My scalp was sore and tender to the touch and face felt blotchy and enflamed. I hated it. I knew how hideous I looked andI hated being in public looking like that, but I really didn't know what else to do. I couldn't just leave and go home. Not with what I had to do tonight. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed a junior I recognized from school conspicuously drinking something out of a red plastic cup. No one else was drinking out of anything like that and I knew that she wasn't drinking punch. It wouldn't be the end of the world I sipped a little would it?
I certainly didn't think so. I kissed Paul on the cheek and told him that'd I'd be back in time for the bonfire which was set to start any minute now. He nodded and said that he'd needed to go and talk to Sam anyway, so I ducked away toward the girl. She was a little ways from the bonfire that she shouldn't be able to see my face too clearly.
She was cute, with lighter brown hair than most Quileute's and her eyes were almost black and I could see that she already had a buzz. She saw me approaching and narrowed her eyes at me warily. "I come in peace," I said, holding up my hands.
The girl relaxed slightly and she asked what I was doing. Her voice was smooth and she held the cup tightly in her hands. "My name is Cassie. What's yours?"
"Spencer," She said, leaning against a tree. "You're the chick who got into it with Jade aren't you?" She asked smirking. I grimaced and nodded. Without me even having to ask, she handed the cup over to me. "You look like you need this more than I do."
I smiled and took it, downing the contents without a second thought and immediately choked. "What the hell is this?" I asked, forcing the burning liquid down my throat. It tasted worse than vodka and brandy combined.
Spencer laughed. "Oh you don't wanna know, I'm sure."
I looked at her, seriously wondering if she had drugged me but I doubted it. It tasted like normal hardcore liquor, just one that I couldn't name. I choked down another swallow and then passed the rest to Spencer. I could already feel the buzz setting in and I didn't want to get trashed. I talked a little more with Spencer who I'd seen in the hallways more than once and then I saw the Elders call everyone together. I told Spencer I'd talk to her later and made my way over to Paul, my head already starting to spin.
I sat down next to Paul on a log and he looked at me weird. "Sweetheart, are you ok?" He asked, looking at me closely. I nodded and leaned against him. I didn't think I would be able to hold myself up that much longer.
What the hell did I drink?
The Elders started on the Legends, the same ones that we had all heard since we were little kids, but this time it was like they were speaking Urdu. The bonfire was starting to look a little blue in color to me and the waves from the ocean were sounding a little like elephants mating. I was wasted. It took all of my willpower not to turn around and throw up all over the chick and her daughter sitting on the other side of me.
About five minutes into the Legends, Paul froze and turned his head a little bit and I could feel rather than see him take of deep sniff, his breath tickling my neck. I pulled back from him sharply, my head spinning a little bit at the movement and I met his dark eyes.
"You've been drinking," He stated plainly, his voice soft, so that only I could hear him. I swallowed thickly, trying not to heave. I could only look up at Paul with pleading eyes and hoped that he wouldn't freak out. Paul sighed and pulled me to him, rubbing soothing circles into my back and after a few more minutes he took my hand in his and got up, walking over to the tree line. No one really noticed since we were sitting in the back of the bonfire and as Paul led me further and further into the forest I could just feel my stomach turning and rejecting the drink in my stomach.
It got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I collapsed where I was beside a tree and threw up everything I had eaten that day, hating the entire day. My face throbbed, I had a pounding headache and my throat burned savagely. Tears streamed down my throat and I sobbed as I extracted all of the liquor from my body. Paul was right beside me, dutifully holding any stray hairs away from my face and robbing my back soothingly. He handed me a bottle of water and I rinsed my mouth out with half of the bottle and drank the rest, feeling filthy.
I tried to get up, but I stumbled into Paul, who held me against him. He was saying something, but I could hardly understand him. My vision was blurry from my tears and the fact that I was completely trashed. I stumbled around a little before collapsing again, Paul helping me down to the ground. I put my face in my hands and sobbed. Paul's voice drifted to me,
"Cassie, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong." His voice was gentle, but stern and the concern in his voice threw me over the edge. I couldn't take it anymore.
"What's wrong? Everything's wrong! I've failed almost every test I've had since I've been here, I hardly talk to my mother anymore, Gabe won't leave me alone. Everything hurts, my face, my hair, my hands. I look terrible and I've never even got into a fight before. I got drunk at a bonfire and I know I must've made a fool of myself!" I wailed knowing I must look like a blubbering fool but I couldn't help myself. Everything was just coming out. I sniffed and hiccupped a few times and then continued.
"And worse, I can't even tell you that I'm about to send Sam to his death or I'll get you killed too! I can't let you die, Paul. I can't. I don't know what to do! I've been going over and over this, but I don't know what to do. Sam can't die and I refuse to let you die. I can't live without you Paul. I can't." I sobbed against his strong chest, barely noticing when he tensed up. I kept crying and crying telling Paul that I couldn't live without him over and over, knowing I was behaving like a baby. Paul seemed shocked and couldn't form any words. His arms had stopped stroking my arms and he just sat there, seeming almost oblivious to my break down until we both heard a voice from beside us.
"What did you just say Cassandra?"
Next chapter won't be up for a while. I really want to tell you I'm sorry up front and I hope to get it to you guys in under two weeks. It's the best I can do for right now. Sorryyyyyyyyy. And please review. Oh, after I got the finished version from my amazing beta, I didn't go over it again so if there are any errorss. Sorry. I just want to get it to you guyss(: