Longest chapter so far follows. Please enjoy this newest instalment of JaredxKim

Kim

"KIMMMMMM!" shrieked a whined voice from outside my room

"God, leave me alone Viv!" I yelled through my closed bedroom door, "I need to do homework!"

"I'M HUNGRY AND IF YOU DON'T MAKE ME SOMETHING TO EAT NOW I'M GOING TO TELL MUMMMMMMM!"

I groaned and slammed my textbook closed. The regrets of not being an only child, number three hundred and four- little sisters don't shut up until you've fed them. I was one of five children, and the second oldest. My brother Kyle moved to Portland a recently with his girlfriend so I his absence I am the one who has to look after the little terrors, my younger siblings- Zach, fourteen and so believed himself to be a teenager capable of everything, Vivien, my psyco annoying seven year old sister who had severe ADHD, and her twin, Sammie, who had asthma along with so many alleges that she could barely go outside without coming back with hives.

Because of my massive family, plus the fact that Mum became a hotel for her alcoholic sister Gretchen and her three kids whenever she left a boyfriend, which currently was running at two a term, I was used to being unnoticed, a quiet achiever. I was mostly invisible at meal times, over Vivvy's screaming, Mum telling Zach to get off her phone and Sammie wheezing into her inhaler, and most other times I was in my room studying. Ever since my dad died in a hit-a-run incident in Seattle with a carfull of hammered teenagers, Mum had been working most nights, and during weekends in the hospital as a nurse, to feed our massive family, accommodate for Aunt Gretchen and keep the house under some sort of control in the meantime. I was appreciative of all the things she did for us, but she wasn't around much. I sort of wished she'd just been happy with me and Kyle.

"KIMMMMMM!"

"Shut up Vivien, I'm coming!" I yelled, and stormed out of my room before the neighbours heard her wailing and called the police in assumption someone was being murdered. It had happened before.

Vivien hung off my arms as I jogged down the steps to the kitchen, "Mrs Cross told me I was very good today and she wrote a note for mummy that said so and Rosie was sooo jealous that got a star today for my drawing and she didn't and Mrs Cross said it was beautiful and asked me if I wanted to stick it up on the wall but I said no because it was for you so I brought it home, and look at it, look at it Kimmy!"

I spared her painting a small glance. It was a bunch of wobbly shaped piled on top of each other and smeared with green and blue paint. A smiley face was drawn on the top shape, and it was surrounded by love heart stickers.

I smiled patiently, 'That good, Vivvy. What is it?"

The little girl beamed at me, "It's you!"

Now, most people would say, Aww, that's so sweet, but if you counted the amount of Vivien's paintings I had to stick up on the fridge to stop her shrieking, you won't be smiling. Her doctor told us we had to be patient with her, but it was incredibly hard.

She tugged my sleeve, 'I want a biscuit."

I handed her an apple, "Eat this and you can have a biscuit."

Vivvy pouted, "I don't want to eat an apple. They're yuck. I want an orange."

"Then have an orange."

"Rosie doesn't have to eat fruit. Her mummy makes cake for her and she gets to eat all of it."

I thought of Vivvy's chubby frenemy and didn't doubt it.

"Well, I'm not Rosie's mummy, and you're not Rosie."

"Why doesn't Zach have to eat fruit?" she pointed to my brother, slouched in his seat while tapping at the computer, probably playing some virtual role playing game as usual, "I saw him take a biscuit and he didn't have an apple."

"Zach's older than you."

"That's not fair."

See what I mean by incredibly hard?

"Eat a piece of fruit, and I'm sure that Zach will too," I threw an apple at Zach, who woke up from his daze just in time to catch it, startled. I gave him a pleading look.

"I don't like apples," he complained.

I threw my hands up in surrender, "I give up! Don't have a piece of fruit. See if I care! You'll be sorry when you end up as fat as Rosie and her mummy."

Vivvy wasn't even listening to my childish rant. She was leaning over the counter toward the cookie tin. I groaned, grabbed an orange and stalked out of the kitchen with it. Sammie was over at a friend's house, thank the lord, but Vivvy was a handful enough without her twin. And Zach was no help at all.

It was a wonder I was still an A student with this family. With this life.

My phone sang out from my pocket. I was still wearing my dull school uniform, but I usually was too busy with homework to change ever. I often fell asleep at my desk with my uniform on.

It was Lana, "Girl, where'd you disappear to at lunch? I had to face the Fields of Punishment…"-our pet name for what others call the cafeteria-"…on my own. You said you'd be a second, and I waited so long…"

Oh god. I'd completely forgotten that I'd told Lana I was only picking up a study booklet from the office. She would have had no idea where I was for the rest of the day.

"Lana, I'm so…"

"Forget it. But, you owe me. What happened with Jared and Uley today? Harriet was doing in school suspension and tweeted that she heard about some sort of fight."

My heart beat increased, "No. Why would I know anything about that? I was in Calculus. I don't have Twitter, I…"

"You're a terrible liar Kim. Plus, she said you were there. Correct me if I think that's a little weird for Miss Goody two shoes."

I groaned, "Fine. I'll tell you everything in the morning, I'm about to run out of credit."

"I'll be waiting."

I hung up, pressed my head against the wall and groaned.

There was a smashing noise from the kitchen, followed by Vivvy screaming. I raced over there to find her in tears, standing surrounded by shattered glass and biscuit bits. She looked up at me, water streaming from her eyes and bottom lip trembling.

I felt like screaming at her. Be patient.

"Don't move," I warned her, "You might cut yourself. Don't cry," I demanded more than pleaded this at her inhale to let out a scream, "Zach, get me a brush and dustpan."

His eyes didn't waver from the screen.

"Zach?"

"Get it yourself, I'm busy."

On top of Vivvy, Jared, Lana, Jared, missing Calculus and Jared, I couldn't take much more. I'm happy to say I handled my building hysterics in the mature and adult way.

Um, not.

"Well, you can clean it up yourself and listen to her frigging screaming at you until you do!" I shrieked at him, "I going out, and this better be cleaned up before I get home or I'm telling Mum you're using her computer to play frigging Minecraft! And do your homework, I am not leaving class again to back up your stupid lies about frigging religious festivals ever again!"

I hadn't said frigging, if you know what I mean. I wasn't completely known for frequent swearing. If I do, you've really had to piss me off. Zach looked startled by my outburst. He quickly got out of his chair and almost ran to the pantry. Vivvy's eyes were wide, and before she could burst into tears again, I grabbed my house keys and fled.

First Beach had rough sharp sand and pebble lying everywhere, but my tough Quileute feet could handle them as I stalked across the bay, fists shoved in my pockets hoodie pulled over my stupid hair. I remembered when Dad took us way down south during one summer holiday, to find a 'real beach'. It took us a week, but we finally discovered Hatter Basin, a beach with the softest sand, the calmest, coolest water and sand dunes that loomed around us. No one else was there- it was like our private little bay. Mum sun baked, Kyle threw the twins, both of them shrieking happily like banshees, into the water and gave them piggy backs in the waves. Zach was off his phone and body surfing until he got a rash all up his stomach. Dad pulled me out so far I thought we were caught in a rip, then towed me back in. There were no asthma attacks, no technology, no arguments, no crying besides Vivvy bursting into tears when she was told we had to leave. I got sand in places I never knew sand could go, lost my best earrings and my legs were red from sunburn, but I didn't utter a single complaint. How could I? Everything was so perfect.

It was three weeks later that Kyle moved out. Four weeks later Aunt Gretchen moved in again. And only a month later, we had to organise Dad's funeral.

First Beach was mostly abandoned, besides a group down east of the beach, where the sand was less pebbly and softer, playing some sort of touch soccer game. I started to wander down to them aimlessly. My phone vibrated- a text from Zach, asking me which cupboard the broom was in. For Vivvy's sake- she was probably still standing there shrieking her head off- I texted him back.

The brown one. May be a little late tell Mum that Sammie is at Georgie's. Good Luck.

I picked up a pebble and threw it into the ocean. Maybe it was a good thing I'd lost it. I was a very quiet person, so when I got louder, people tended to do what I wanted them to. I knew I had a pile of History homework and a Calculus Quiz the next day, but for once, I didn't care.

Now that I was closer to the soccer players, I could recognise the small gathering was the council. Billy Black, Quil Ateara III, Joshua Uley and Harry Clearwater. Sue Clearwater was there too, along with the Clearwater children- Seth and Leah, both of who I knew vaguely from school, neither of them were in my year. Paul Lahote was part of the extreme-contact soccer match, which I was surprised about, seeming he'd been away sick from school for the past week. Jacob Black was playing to, with Quil V and Embray Call, all in my year, all hardly what I'd call acquaintances, besides Embray, who sat on the same table as me in Biology. Sam was sitting lounged in the sand with Emily, his fiancée, who I knew from the paper had very recently been tragically mauled by a bear in the woods. Leah was shotting them some very irritated glares.

My heart nearly leapt out of my throat when I saw Jared, tackling Seth to the ground while they fought for control for the ball. I immediately told myself to run, but I'd been noticed.

"Kim!" Embry yelled, grinning like the Joker, his shoulder length hair bobbing as he ran over to me, "Hey! I didn't know you liked it down here!"

I blushed as the soccer game paused and the entire party looked my way. I waved nervously to Embry. That was probably the best excuse I'd have for just happening to crash their gathering- I saw Embry, my over enthusiastic lab partner and wandered down to say hello.

"Kim, come play with us!" Embry called.

I blushed deeper, "No thanks. I just wanted to say hi. Contact sports, not my thing."

I didn't miss the fact Jared was staring at me.

"You've got to play better than my team," Embry scoffed, to which Quil responded by punching him, quite hard, in the arm. I snorted.

"You guys know each other?" Paul piped in- I was shocked by how much deeper his voice sounded. He was looking from me to Embry, to Jared.

"Lab partners," I said weakly.

"My ticket to an A. You should see her dissect a frog," Embry laughed, "She really gets in there. It's terrifying."

"Shut up," I wanted to strangle Embry. Now the whole Quileute council and their families, and Jared, would think I was a psyco who enjoyed ripping out amphibian guts. Not something to be particularly proud of, "And someone has to do it, would you're standing at the waste bin puking your insides up."

Seth juggled the ball between his feet before kicking it into the back of Embry's head, "Quit flirting loverboy. And you're right, our team does suck. Save us Kim, you can use your feminine influence on the opposition!"

Seth was a sweet boy, about thirteen and was still a self-proclaimed innocent. I didn't expect his choice of words- I choked on my tongue, "What?"

Jared was still standing at the far end of the field, staring at me. At Seth's mention of flirting his eyes shot up to glare at Embry. Seeing that I was in dire need of saving, Leah stood and brushed sand off her shorts, "Ah, you boys leave her alone. I'll play."

"Go for it! You don't have any feminine influence!" Paul teased.

Leah's hands curled into fists, "Say that again. I dare you."

I had to admire Leah's bravery. Paul was standing at an impressive 6 foot 7, almost comparable to Sam, with muscles bulging through his top. What was with the reservation boy's lately? What was this mystery illness that was turning them into body builder bean stalks? First Jared, now Paul. Who was next? Embry?

Pft. Like a scrawny weak stomached kid like Embry could ever get that hot. He was nice, but whatever was going on with the councils kids was not normal in any means.

"Play Kim," Emily's voice sounded like velvet behind me. She leaned against Sam, smiling. Her once beautiful face was pulled down by the three long claw marks ripping through her skin tissue into a sort of half scowl. She clung to Sam's arm, "We'll join too."

Leah's fists tightened. I sensed some rivalry there, some I probably shouldn't go near.

Leah and I joined Embry, Quil and Seth's team while Sam and Emily joined with Jared, Jacob and Paul. I spent the first few minutes trying to avoid the ball and any contact with all the other players, but after a while I got into it. The local kids were really treating me like one of the family, even though none of them had ever paid me any attention before. Jared played mostly down the other end to me, so I didn't have to worry about bumping into me. My feminine influence certainly didn't work on Jacob or Paul, and defiantly not Emily. When I landed on my butt trying to pass the ball to Quil, I actually laughed, something I hadn't done in a while since dad had died. Embry helped me up, and I was still laughing when Paul tried to give me a penalty kick.

The boy frowned, "What's wrong with her?"

"It's called happiness Lahote. I realise you've never felt it, but…" Jacob's words were cut off as Paul threw a playful swing into his kidneys.

I wiped tears out of my eyes, "Sorry. Here," I kicked the ball to Quil and the game continued.

I was so focused on my position I didn't see Jared appear beside me. Not until he said, "I've never heard you laugh."

I didn't look up, "I'm not surprised. You'd never heard me speak until this afternoon."

"You still think I'm making fun of you."

"No normal person," I put my hands on my hips and stared at him, "Sits next to someone for three years, is in the same class as someone for nine years, never talks or even looks at that person, and then suddenly falls in love with that person."

"I think we've realised this is not a normal relationship."

"What relationship?" I asked, "Seriously Jared Cameron, what is going on with you? I don't under…"

"Heads up!"

Just as Seth calls this, I feel a hard leather ball make contact with my forehead of my head which propels me backward as a flash of white cover my vision. I feel light, dizzy, and that even before I have time to register the pain. Even Jared's arms aren't enough to stop me falling into the blackness.

Christ, this is embarrassing I think as my brain stops registering thought and I black out.

Woahmyhandsaresosore. 7 hours. Arg, I put in so much for you guys. Thanks to all my reviewers and followers and everyone else who has read my story- I'll be back soon