NOTE:

This will be its own timeline. Bella is getting married and Jake leaves, but I tried to just plop that into my story, so the times/seasons might not be accurate.

Also, Jared, Paul, Jake, Kim and Shay will be seniors!

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shay twisted her key in the lock, shoving open the door with her hand and dropping her suitcase with the other.

"Mom?"

Looking around, Shay could almost imagine she hadn't been home in days. Her mother would be a great spy; she was all quiet footsteps and never left a trace of herself behind. The pillows were all straight on the couch, the table void of everything except a bowl that they kept their keys in.

Shay took her boots off as a force of habit, leaving her suitcase next to them until later. She wandered farther in, her red socks sliding on the wooden floors.

"Mom?"

Still no answer. Shay couldn't hear anything, so she decided she probably wasn't home. She rubbed her stomach. She felt the same sort of tired queasiness that always plagued her after a plane ride. She walked toward the kitchen, fingers trailing beige walls.

"Mom?"

The light wasn't on. Shay flicked up the lightswitch. Her mother was unsurprisingly absent, but she'd left a note.

It was the only thing on the counter, and probably the only thing in the kitchen. Shay had inherited her mother's dark hair and eyes, but certainly not her lack of appetite. She picked up the small, lined paper.

Working late. Money for pizza in envelope.

Shay's mother had forgotten that there was no place that delivered to their house, or maybe she'd forgotten that Shay's car had broken down (again) or maybe she was delusional and thought Shay would brave the freezing cold to bike to the pizza place, but no matter which one of these it was…her mother had simply forgotten.

Shay stood in the kitchen for a moment. Even though green was the first adjective that came to mind when she thought of La Push, everything outside was winter gray. The light filtering into her white kitchen only made everything seem sadder.

And it was so quiet.

Sometimes she swore she could feel her insides moving in this house, like they wanted to escape her skin. She felt like letting them sometimes. Silence always reminded her of her parents. It was in the silence that everything had started to go wrong.

Determined not to let this ruin her day, Shay thought of another place she could bike, where there was bound to be warmth. And food. And some goddamn noise.

Shay let her bike fall to the ground near the porch as she hopped up the stairs.

She'd been told numerous times to just walk in, but she still pushed the door open hesitantly and looked around.

Shay loved Kim's house. She loved the half broken rocking chair in the living room. She loved the yellow quilt that draped across the back of the couch that had a stain in the corner from Kim's pen exploding on it. She loved the photographs on the walls, even the ones that didn't hang straight, and the green pendant light in the kitchen, and the deer statue on the fireplace even though its shadows scared her at night.

Shay breathed it in and vowed her future house would be this way-used and loved and lived in and loud.

"Kim, Shay's here!"

Shay cringed at Kim's little sister. Helen's voice was like a fog horn. But in a good way. A preteen, happy, loud way. She smiled at Shay before darting back to the phone, her voice lowering as she chattered happily.

"Shay!" Kim bounded down the stairs, her hair flying in wisps behind her. "I thought you got back later."

"Couldn't miss New Year's with you, so I flew home early." Lie. Her dad was going out with his new wife and Shay wanted to be far away. But Shay decided to keep that to herself as Kim landed on the last stair. "How was your break?"

"Boring." She pulled Shay's sweatshirt sleeve toward the couch. "What about you?"

"Awkward," Shay shuddered, letting herself be led toward the flannel cushions. "Step monster-"

"She's not that bad," Kim cut in, giving her a look.

"Step bitch-"

"That sounds worse!" Kim interjected, but a smile tugged at her lips.

"Step terror? Step-never-calling-her-mom? Step villain?"

"What about her?"

"She organized all these activities." Shay knew this didn't sound bad, but Sandra was just hoping to fill all the moments that could be awkward. It just made things worse. "I almost lost a tooth ice skating. And it turns out, mall Santas are really creepy if you're not seven."

"I'm pretty sure they've always been creepy."

"True. It's just like...she treats me like a kid from a sitcom or something. She doesn't really grasp that I'm seventeen, and that my dad would rather wax his chest than have an actual conversation with me."

Kim frowned. She preferred to see the better in people and the bright side of things. Shay had countless lectures on how she 'shouldn't talk that way' because she was 'a great daughter' and her 'parents were just angry at themselves and not her'. Shay cut her off before her mouth opened to spill out rainbows and puppies and other nice things that would undoubtedly make her feel bad for trash talking her new step mother.

"Can we go upstairs?"

Shay nodded toward Helen, whose volume had grown on the telephone, and Kim nodded, her words lost.

"So how was your grandma's birthday?" Shay asked, seeking to change the subject.

"Fine. She insisted on pineapple upside down cake, which nobody likes except for her."

"Anything else interesting happen there?"

"Well, we went to the diner for dinner. And Jared and his friends were there."

Kim blushed, and Shay grinned. Kim had had a crush on Jared since she could remember. Jared, the russet skinned, handsome boy in her history class who had yet to really look at Kim.

It was one of Shay's greater goals in life to make Kim happy. Kim, who had been her friend when she was twelve and awkward and gangly and the new girl. She would be completely alone without her.

Therefore, Jared would see how amazing Kim was even if Shay had to pummel him.

"Did you guys talk?" Shay prodded, as Kim shouldered open her pink bedroom door.

"Define 'talk'," Kim said, ducking away from Shay's gaze and settling on her white bedspread.

"It's typically when you open your mouth and actual words come out," Shay laughed, sitting across from Kim and crossing her legs.

"Well I kind of waved. And by wave, I mean I started to wave and he didn't see me so I pretended to have an itch on my head."

"Kim," Shay groaned, grabbing her friend's knees and shaking them.

"I know, I'm the worst," Kim groaned back, covering her face with her thin fingers. "But I was with my whole family. I would have died if he'd talked to me anyway."

Shay rolled her eyes.

"I did overhear them a little. Apparently, Jacob Black skipped town," Kim offered, tempting Shay away with gossip. "Heartbroken."

"Heartbroken by who?" Shay asked, raising an eyebrow. She'd gone to school with Jacob Black, knew his name and face, but he was older and she hadn't really talked to him since...well, probably ever, come to think of it.

"Some girl from Forks. He's in love with her and now she's getting married."

"Wow," Shay said, frowning. "A little young."

"I thought so," Kim said, absentmindedly playing with the ends of her hair. "It's kind of sad though. He left La Push just to get away from it."

Shay shrugged. Except for a minor crush she currently held on Simon Hote, the brother of her self-proclaimed enemy Kala, she had no romance in her life.

She'd certainly never felt a love so bad she wanted to skip town. But seeing her parent's desolate marriage, and seeing the pain on Kim's face when Jared ignored her, Shay couldn't help but feel like maybe it was for the best that she'd never been in love. What did she really need with it anyway?

A few hours later, Shay looked Kim, the eraser of her pencil dangling near her mouth. She squinted at her, as if that would help make her list grow longer. Kim's eyes flicked up to her gaze, and suddenly her cheekbones were even more prominent as she moved her mouth to stick her tongue out.

"Stop staring at me."

"I'm just thinking, and your head happens to be in the way."

Kim rolled her eyes and continued scratching down her list with her own pencil, which was nowhere near her mouth. Shay bit her lip and smiled, looking at her pad of paper.

Every year her and Kim would write down New Year's resolutions for each other. It was easier, somehow, than doing it for themselves. Plus, it was fun to see what they wanted each other to do. No matter what happened, even if it was December 31st, they had each completed each other's lists every year.

In a few minutes, Kim triumphantly stopped scribbling, holding her pad in the air.

"Done!"

"Okay, give me yours first."

Kim handed Shay her torn out list, Shay looking down at Kim's small, precise handwriting.

Shay's New Year's Goals

1. Enter the writing contest in school

2. Make a new friend (But not better than her best friend)

3. Get revenge on Kala once and for all

4. Drive a functioning car

5. Pass gym class

"Kim, that's no fun," Shay growled, throwing her list aside. "They're so serious. And attainable."

"That's the point, Shay!" Kim fixed her with a look. "Why? What'd you write on mine?"

"Um...nothing," Shay said, snatching her list before Kim could grab it. "Give me another minute."

"No, I want to see!" Kim's hands were moving towards her as she almost pulled out her back twisting in the other direction.

"Just, let me add a few more!" Shay protested, hitting away her arms.

"You were writing for five minutes, what does it say?"

Shay was about to get to her feet when Kim plucked the book from her hands, turning it over to see Shay's not as lovely or nice handwriting.

Kim frowned, her cheeks glowing bright despite her skin being many shades darker than Shay's.

"Seriously?"

Shay grinned sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

"I thought that was attainable."

Shay ducked as Kim threw the book at her head.

"Alright, alright, we'll make you a new list!" Shay defended, laughing as she held her hands up in surrender. Kim's glare only increased as she chuckled. "Um...try out for track? Take a trip! Go shopping more!"

Kim continued to stare at her.

"Uh...read more books! Go to a concert! Visit colleges with her very best friend in the whole wide world?"

Kim's look softened-it always did-poor girl couldn't hold a grudge. It was one of their main differences. Shay realized she was winning, and grabbed Kim's arm, pulling her up.

"It's almost midnight. Let's make some popcorn and watch the ball drop, and write down your new list?" Shay smiled hopefully, nudging Kim's shoulder.

"Okay," Kim conceded, finally smiling at her, but not without an eye roll.

Shay smiled back, linking her arm with Kim. Just for good measure, she toed the book she'd written in far away, so it almost slid under the bookshelf.

But, if anyone came in at that moment, they'd see Shay's list for Kim, written in large, looping letters.

Kim's New Year's Resolutions

1. Make out with Jared Cameron

2. Make out with Jared Cameron

3. Make out with Jared Cameron

4. Make out with Jared Cameron

5. Make out with Jared Cameron

So there it is! Just a short beginning. I know the kind of Jake resisting imprinting is around, but I've been playing around with it in my head.

Should I keep going? Let me know your thoughts!