"It all comes down to the person you look for in a crowded room."
I got to school a little late today, I stayed up all night babysitting Layla and Tyler, while Emily and Sam went on a date. I didn't mind, I took them out to the backyard and camped with them in a tent. Which I'll probably never get to do again considering I made Layla cry telling her scary stories a child shouldn't know. Walking into 2nd I met the face of Blake grinning at my late form but what caught my eyes was the La Push boy sitting in the back: Brady. He gave me a kind wave to which I returned with the middle finger, going to sit down.
"How was your weekend?" Blake asks me after class. I think back to the interesting weekend before quickly shoving it in the back of my head.
"Boring, what did you do this weekend?" He throws me a grin.
"I read some." Is his answer and I laughed at how he always seemed to find reading his entertainment.
"I bet you sleep with your books don't you?" A chuckle escapes him.
"When I get around to it yeah." We turn a corner and there standing around my locker are Colin, Brady, and Toby. Their head's shoot up as they spot us, not looking at me however, glaring at Blake instead. I look up at Blake's stiff form.
"I'll see you later." As I don't want to, but have to get my books from my locker for next block. A grin appears on Toby's face as he stands completely in front of my locker.
"Move meathead." I say very unkindly.
"Hm I don't think I will Fireheart." I look up at him at the nickname, the nickname he shouldn't know.
"You want another black eye to match the one I gave you last time?" I say stepping up towards him. He let's out a deep chuckle, moving his hands through his short hair, almost like he forgot he chopped it all off.
"Try me." But before I do try him, Colin turns facing him, anger clear on his face.
"Move Toby, or when Jacob finds out patrols will be doubled." I frowned at that clear threat that made no sense. Toby rolls his eyes.
"I'm only joking with her, that is the only way she'll even talk to us." He speaks as if I'm not right here. I turn to him.
"I never talked to you before, why would I change now?" It was true, I had no clue why Colin or Brady got so close to this idiot recently he was never our friend.
"Ignore him Claire, but please for the love of God talk to us." Brady says insinuating between him and Colin. I make a face like I'm thinking about it for a seconds, before I give them a glare.
"Why should I? You completely ignored me forever, and now that Quil let you off your chains you think I will just tip toe around it." Toby steps forward again and my temper is about to get flared at this idiot.
"You don't know anything Claire, that's your problem." I shut my locker, nodding my head at him.
"Okay then tell me, tell me what I don't know." That completely shuts them up and I realize they won't even try. I move around them and head off to my next class, the hurt opening back up at losing my best friends.
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." I look up from fiddling around with my camera, taking pictures up close of flowers to the still, beautiful man, Blake Dalton.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked finding no meaning in the words he just said.
"What do you think he means?" He asks me raising his brows. I lay my head down on the grass, looking up at the cloudy sky.
"Maybe it means that when someone does something, something others don't understand they're automatically in the wrong." I knew that feeling well, growing up doing things to pass my boredom and wonder not caring what exactly. A hand makes it's way to my forehead, he traces a line on it.
"Do you notice the vein that protrudes from your face when your upset?" I grin, turning my face towards him.
"You have very nice lips did you know this Blake?" I asked flirtatiously almost going to bring my hand up to trace them but a throat clears. I raise up to find what usually is a bright smile on his face, an angry one taking over of Colin Anders.
"Can I talk to you Claire?" I think it over, as to why I should and all thoughts are telling me not too. But then the others, the one's that miss my best friend and the curiosity of the talk lead me to getting up and going with him.
He walks us till were literally across the school and turns into some closed classroom, I look back to see him close the door behind us. I cross my arms and move up on the lab table as a seat.
"What could you possibly have to say to me right now?" I say trying to sound tough an uncaring, just like them. He moves in front of me, pacing back and forth but not speaking.
"I'm trying to explain it to you, without explaining it to you Claire." I let out a light, humorless laugh.
"What is it that you can't tell your best friend since forever, about?" I was already fed up.
"There's rules Claire, I can't be the one to tell you, it has to be him." I frown at him.
"Him?" He stares at me a long, enduring stare telling me that he meant Quil. I jump off the counter and move closer to him.
"Rules can be broke Colin, break them." He shakes his head at me, but it's almost like I have him convinced.
"For you I would break them, I would break all these stupid rules that have you binded and me binded but I can't." I take in a deep breath and move to walk past him but he grabs me. What is it with these boys who think they can manhandle me.
"I never told you how much I liked you, ever since we were kids I thought: I was going to marry Claire Young." I can't hide the shock on my face at his statement. I knew, God I knew he liked me, just never how much exactly.
"But now, now that won't happen and I just wish while we were still so innocent that I took that time and spent it with you, and showed you how much I cared about you." I frown at him.
"Why can't you now?" He looks up at me in his own surprise.
"What?"
"I mean, why can't you still spend that time with me? Why are you talking about us like we're over?" Tears are about to flood if he does what I think and ends our friendship.
"We always will be friends, as long as you'll have me. But you will never be mine, that fantasy for me, it is over."
"Ugh what does that even mean?!" The door opening, ends whatever he was going to say in the form of Mr. Daniels.
"Care to tell me why you two are alone in here?" I don't spare him a glance as I stare at my best friend waiting for an answer.
"It means that you don't even know the half of it."
Afterschool I parked my car in the driveway and without a second thought head into the path towards the beach. My head was full of wonder about earlier, not only did I get stuck in detention with Colin for the rest of the day he wouldn't even speak to me in it. Like whatever conversation we had was completely done.
I think I got too caught up because the path I usually take to the beach wasn't where I was heading. I think this one heads out to Effie's house so I make my way to turn around. The sound of a twig breaking and the sudden quietness of the usual chirping birds makes me falter. I take one look around but don't see anything, so I keep walking. The groan however is what makes me stop again, it was a person groaning and I freeze considering what I should do. I went with the option of following the sound, and what I come up to is the body of a man laying on the ground.
I take in his camo appearance and gun laying at his side, but it's his face that I recognize it was Tom Jacobs, Hallie's dad. The blood coming out of his mouth and covering the side of his neck earns a blood curdling scream from my throat as I drop to his side bringing my hand up to the side of his neck instantly.
"Claire." He's talking, he's alive he's going to be okay. But that hope soon disappeared as it always does, as his eyes go wide and stilled. I hear the people coming up behind me but I stay there with my hands on his neck, hearing my heart in my head thumping away. My body is suddenly snatched up from the ground and brought into warm arms but that doesn't throw away the coldness I feel. I don't tuck my head away and hide from the world like I want too, no I look up and see the blurring faces passing by me as the person holding me walks faster and faster.
"Hallie needs to know, take me to Hallie." I finally look up at Quil's face and he's staring ahead, ignoring me.
"Hallie! Quil take me to Hallie!" And then like they do in the movies when the spinning finally stops, the cameras goes black.