CHAPTER SIX
❝ the problem ❞

HAYDEN WASN'T SURE what the boy was doing at her door, let alone how he had known her name. She furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side as Bella made her way down the stairs. Jacob's eyes fell on Bella, immediately lighting up at the sight of her. Hayden could have asked him about his obvious crush on her, but she wasn't about to get too personal.

"I'm not so sure why you're here," Hayden chuckles, leaning on the door frame. "Or how you got my address, or know my name."

"My father knows your parents," he replies steadily, expecting her questions. "He suggested that I come down to meet you."

"Well, I'm Hayden," she says, holding out her hand. "But you already knew that."

"Yeah," Jacob seems amused, taking her hand in his.

Jacob's black hair was cropped, his body well-built. He looked younger than Hayden, but was taller by nearly a foot. But one thing that Hayden noticed, and couldn't seem to get out of her mind, was the utter hotness of his skin. As they shook hands, his felt like she was touching a heater.

"Hey Jake," Bella says from behind Hayden. "I figured you'd be with Quil and Embry. Or Sam, at the least."

"They're cliff diving at the moment." Jacob states, relaxed as Bella began to talk. "Paul and Jared tagged along, too. It's not my favorite pastime . . . although I didn't expect you do be here."

"Paul, as in Paul Lahote?" Hayden asks, breaking their conversation.

"You know Paul?" Jacob asked, seemingly surprised.

"I met him as La Push the other day," Hayden nods. "I wouldn't mind going to see him right now."

"I could show you," he suggests, looking between the two girls. "It's not too far from here."

There was a silent agreement between them as Hayden grabbed her car keys and her jacket. "I'll drive."

"But what about the Chinese food?"

"Well," Hayden pauses, thinking for a short moment before she shrugs. "My parents will wake up if they knock enough."

---

"It's beautiful up here," Hayden says in awe, looking to the forest around her. "I've never been around so many trees before."

The sun was beginning to fade around them, prepared to duck behind the mountains at any given time. The sky had turned to pink, the wind picking up around them. Hayden tucked her car keys in her jacket pocket, pulling the material closer to her chest to block out the cold.

She had to admit; the weather in Forks was decent. But every now and then, she knew she would miss the heat of Georgia. And at the moment, she wished the sun was bright in the sky.

"I don't see how anyone could stand the water when it's this cold," Bella shivers, leaning into Jacob's side. "I can barely handle being out here."

"Tell me about it," Hayden mumbles, finally hearing several voices in the distance.

She could hear Paul, too, a smile making its way onto her face. In only a few hours of talking to him the other day, she had grown fond of Paul, and looked forward to seeing him again. Hopefully, he felt the same way, and held no problem with listening to her problems.

A group of boys came into sight soon enough, all of them shirtless and laughing. She picked Paul out from the group at once, watching as he shoved someone backwards. And, as if they could sense their close presence, all of them turned to Jacob, Bella, and Hayden.

"If it isn't my favorite person," Paul spoke up, grinning as his eyes fell on Hayden. "I missed you."

"Did you really?" Hayden raises an eyebrow as he makes his way over to them. "It's been less than twenty-four hours, and I'm starting to think you have separation anxiety."

"Probably," Paul replies, draping an arm around her. "Guys, this is Hayden. She just moved to Forks with her parents."

"I'm Embry," a boy was in front of her in an instant, pulling another boy along with him. "And this is Quil."

They all looked similar; dark hair, russet skin, and were built to perfection. Their similarities reminded Hayden of the Cullens . . . of Emmett, and his reaction at the mention of Paul earlier. Why had he acted like that?

"It's nice to meet you," Hayden shoots them a smile, listening as each and every one of them introduced themselves.

Sam was the leader of the group, from what she could tell. And Jared seemed like he had a high position in their group, along with Paul. But something was off about the group, even though she couldn't place it.

"Will you be cliff diving?" Paul asks Hayden once everyone is finished.

"Absolutely not," she shakes her head, scrunching her nose as the wind picks up again. "I'd rather not get pneumonia."

Paul opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Embry yelled and shoved Quil off the cliff and into the water below. Paul rolled his eyes at their antics, grabbing Hayden's elbow.

"Lets get away from these guys." He says, leading her to an empty spot of the forest. They sat down on a log, side-by-side as he stared at her. "What's wrong?"

"My parents," Hayden clears her throat, her gaze finding the ground. "I was supposed to spend the afternoon with them, but they got too caught up in their work and forgot. I guess I'm just a little disappointed."

"Don't you see them on a regular basis?" Paul seems confused.

"They're always gone or sleeping," she sighs. "I wish they'd understand. I miss spending time with them— the way things used to be until they got these stupid jobs. They work all day, sleep when they get home, and forget that I exist."

"I'm sure they're trying their best," he pauses, trying to assure her. "At least they made an effort to make plans."

"That's the problem," Hayden tells him, swallowing back her pent up anger. "They aren't trying hard enough. If they really wanted to spend time with me, don't you think they would put in the effort?"

"Hayden . . . " he trails off, finding the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry, you don't deserve this."

She placed her head on his shoulder, her bottom lip quivering. But she wasn't going to cry— she was too strong for that. If her parents were going to miss out on her life, that was their fault. She wouldn't go on bothering herself about it, let alone show her weakness. Hayden wasn't going to wait on them to figure out their faults.

"We should do something tomorrow," she says. "I need to get out of the house, I'm always closed in. I took up softball in Georgia for a reason."

"Wait, you played softball?" He chuckles, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe we should play some baseball. I could get the guys to play, and I could pick you up after school. We can even go for lunch, so you don't have to see your parents."

"You'd do that for me?" Hayden sits up, looking him in the eyes.

"Of course," he smiles, his brown eyes soft. "Anything you want."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squeals, jumping into his arms and latching him in an embrace. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah," he holds back a grin, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Now come on, I think you should be getting home."

"Just a little bit longer," she insists. "I don't want to go home. And besides, Bella and Jake seem to be having fun."

Jacob and Bella walked along the cliff, talking away. Bella's hands were stuffed into her jacket pockets, laughing along to something the boy had said. Hayden was a bit confused- wasn't she with Edward?

"He has a crush on her," Paul tells Hayden. "He has for a while now, and never stops talking about her. Bella just doesn't return the feelings."

"She seems pretty content with him, so maybe she does."

"She's with that Cullen kid," Paul shakes his head. "Bella has turned him down too many times, I wish he'd just give up. But he's dead-set, even if it won't work out like everyone tells him."

"Speaking of the Cullens," Hayden bites her lip, not finding his eyes. "I was talking about you earlier, while I was sitting with them. And Emmett got . . . upset."

"We don't get along with the Cullens," he grits his teeth, suddenly growing angry. "And I don't think you should be around them. They aren't good for you- for anyone."

"And why is that?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Paul states, standing up and pulling her along with him. "Now come on, you really need to be getting home."

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