"Lucas" he looks my way, it's the after part of the funeral for Keith. What I can't believe is Jimmy would kill Keith, I mean I get killing himself but Keith? Jimmy left the tutor center after we managed to talk him down, he was going to turn himself in. But something must have happened, because we heard two gun shots "I know how you feel"

"You"

Cutting him off before he argues "My dad in my eyes was murdered just like my mother. There isn't anything anyone can say to you that will make you feel better. Keith was basically your father, loosing a parent is hard"

"Doesn't ever get easier?" He asks

"Someday will be harder than others" sitting down on his bed, Lucas sits down beside me "for instance the first day of school or in your case college? Keith won't be there, I know the pain for the first day of beginning of the school year a few years back was the first time without my mom. Our basketball games? You might feel pain because Keith won't be there and he was always there. The day you get married, knowing your parents aren't there...the day you have kids? For me these are moments that will be painful. Hold onto the good memories you've had with Keith because it's the key to making it through this pain, in time it will get easier but not right now"

"Do you think there's a heaven?" He asks

"I call it Peace" I've seen it, when Hope collapsed and brought me with her in death we saw our moms. Both mine and Hayley. They told us how they are at Peace "and if you're asking me, I think Keith is at Peace. You and Karen. Brian and me. His parents. His family. We're what brought him his Peace"

Wrapping my arms around Lucas, he puts his head on my shoulder crying. Rubbing his back as he holds me, some tears run down my face because I cared for Keith. Keith was an amazing man, he was more of an uncle than Charlie. Sure Charlie cared but Keith cared more, I overheard a conversation where Keith wanted Charlie to take Bella to a specialist since how Bella is acting is worrisome.

Hearing a knock on the door, Brian is here. Last we saw him was down in Race Wars where the girl he fell for? Mia? She found out he was a cop along with this guy named Dominic Toretto. Brian is now on the run because he gave Dominic the keys to his car and allowed him to escape. Brian also wanted to know if Haley was pregnant since when he heard how Nathan got married, first thing anyone is thinking. Especially with this family.

I mean Dan and Deb got married because of Nathan. Brian's mom and Dan got married because of Brian but divorced because Dan cheated on Brian's mom. Karen and Dan almost got married but Nathan was here so Dan married Deb instead. Then you've got Charlie and Renee who got married because of Bella. My parents got married because of me. Come to think of it, if Nathan and Haley don't have a kid in high school or before the end of college it'll be a first for this family!

"Brian" Lucas looks up when I say his name.

"Hey" Brian and Lucas hug "I heard...I'm so sorry" when Brian and I hug, he whispers "We are talking, about how you had the shooter almost shoot you"

"You know?" I ask

"Haley" of course, yeah my crazy side kind of came out then. I regret that, I apologized for making them feel more scared since I'm not use to being around defenseless humans. Sure I've been around them for a year, but this was something I forgot about.

"Later" we follow Lucas out of his room and we see many people come, going over to the picture board where there are pictures of Keith from when he was a kid to recently up here. There's a picture of him, Brian, Lucas and I in his auto garage "Do you know what will happen to his auto garage?"

"No" shaking his head no, after some time we are in the kitchen with Whitey and some of the guys from the River Court along with Brooke "Keith was more of a dad than Dan, he was there for my mom and me growing up. Sure it was hard since we lived in Florida but Keith always managed to be there. He's the reason I got into cars and became a cop"

"Keith is why I'm playing basketball" when Whitey came up to me and offered me a place on the team, talking about my dad how he did it. I wasn't sure till Keith and I played ball and it felt like my dad was there "I almost didn't join the team but Keith and I played a game, we both sucked but he said I was better than him. It was the first time it felt like my dad was there" wiping away some tears "he then told me all these stories about my dad because my mom barely had any"

"They expected two hundred people" Bevin looks around at how many people here "at his wake, they got like two thousand"

"Good thing I brought extra food" part of me knew Karen and Lucas was going to need more food, Karen told me she had food but I assured her that there was no such thing as too much food for this.

"People loved Keith" Junk stands next to her "you know? I was the worst mechanic on the planet" he lets out a laugh "but he gave me a summer job because he knew I needed the money"

"We hung out" Fergie smiles "that whole summer talking about old school basketball with him. Me, Skills, Mouth"

"And Jimmy" Mouth adds "his funeral is on Tuesday"

"Mouth" shaking my head as I rub Brian's arm since the mention of Jimmy is sore on the wounds "not here, please"

"Jimmy Edward's" Lucas appears enraged "killed my uncle. Do not talk about him, not in my mother's house" grabbing the counter trying not to think about him. Jimmy.

"Remember the time I stole a zebra?" I ask, the others begin to smile.

"What?" Brian looks down at me "what do you mean stole a zebra?"

"Oh man" Skills points to me "there was this dare night and she, she was supposed to borrow an animal from the zoo. So she went and grabbed a zebra" Brian looks down at me flabbergasted.

"Do" Brian's eyes widen "you know that's a criminal offense?"

"I put her back before anyone noticed her missing" the others laugh as Brooke shows everyone the pictures she took of us with the zebra "you not the only criminal in this family"

When we leave Brian is walking me to the apartment I share with Brooke and Haley. I moved out when Edward kept spending nights with Bella and freaking me out, I couldn't keep the barrier up since I don't want the Cullens know what I am. Don't need them hounding me for a daylight ring or Bella or having anyone find out about what I am.

"How's Bella?" He asks

"Should be committed" shrugging my shoulders "but Charlie won't do that, Charlie is begging for me to move back in but only to help take care of them"

"I can't believe you stole a zebra" he says "you've been lucky Mal" looking his way as he has us stop "but you having a shooter almost shoot you? You have way too much hubris, it's dangerous and it'll get you killed one day. If I was still a cop and not technically on the run, I would suggest you live with me. But all I can say is this, don't think your life isn't worth it"

"Sometimes it feels like that" I want to argue but this day is just really hard "I feel like the universe is punishing me for being born. First with my mom almost dying after having me. Then my uncle, on my mom's side. I've never met him but still. Then my dad in the car accident. Then my mom. My stepmom, my cousin's mom who married my mom. Then my uncles" tears run down my face "now Keith...I don't know how many more deaths I can take before breaking. It hurts Brian, sometimes I barely sleep"

Brian pulls me into his arms hugging me, hugging him back "Live your life Mal, you've got people who love you. One day you'll find a love and do whatever to keep him or her since apparently you are attracted to women too. You're still young, don't give up. You have a whole future ahead of you"

❤️‍🩹

"Skills" bringing his huge suitcase to the car "camping isn't that bad and the off chance we do see a bear, I'll protect you"

"Have you not" he demands "been seeing the reports? Hikers and campers have been going missing. Bear attacks. Bear not found"

Rachel invited us all to her family cabin for a weekend get away, something to help heal from the loss of Keith and Jimmy. My friends are still a bit mad at me because I kept taunting Jimmy and then yelled at him to shoot me to prove that he wouldn't shoot me. This will also be the time to tell them all my decision that I made.

"With me you'll be fine" I assure him

"Last time I was with you" he reminds me "you almost got shot at" it's silent all around, no one looks at me. Not even Skills since after he said that he looked away apologizing "sorry"

"You're allowed to feel what you feel" looking around at them all "you all are, that day I was out of line. Even though Jimmy wasn't my friend he was yours and...I'm the one who should be apologizing"

"I have a feeling" Nathan break the silence after my apology, helping Mouth put the bags into the car "this will be a great weekend"

"Yeah" Skills agrees "it'll be kind of nice to get away, take a break about you-know-what for a while"

"Does anybody" Haley looks around "know about this place we're going to?"

"We'll be far away from Forks or La Push, away from the bear attacks" looking to the big suitcase "which begs the question as to why Skills needs so much stuff"

"Bear attacks" he repeats "we just been over this"

"And we won't be in the woods that the bear attacks have been happening in" shaking my head, I was about to make a comment about hunting but stopped remembering that hunting means guns and we can't talk about it.

"All Rachel said" Peyton brings over her back "is that it's some kind of cabin"

"Does Rachel" Lucas and Brooke appear, Brooke complains "really have to come? Can't we just leave her?"

"Given how it's her family cabin?" Giving her a look "I'm going to go with yes"

"Yeah" Peyton agrees "I don't really think we have an option for leaving her behind"

"I'm just saying" Brooke shrugs her shoulders "think about it"

We hear a car honking, Rachel and Bevin appear in an SUV "Hey party people!" Rachel smiles

"Hey baby" Bevin looks to Skills "you ready to conquer the great outdoors?"

"If you say so" shaking his head as he puts his suitcase in next.

"Skills!" Lucas gives him a look

"Didn't sound too enthusiastic" Nathan says

"Where" we look over seeing Paul Lahote, after the one time that we met Paul has all but acted like a jackass to me but stares at me every now and then "are you all going?"

"Paul" Lucas wraps his arm around Brooke "what are you doing here?"

Paul ignores him and looks at me "Where I'm going is none of your business, is there something you need?"

"Yeah" he says "can we speak in private?"

"Make it quick" walking away seeing he wants to talk about something important, everyone is whispering about what Paul wants to talk to me about "well?"

"I never wanted you to exist" I'm sorry? What? What did he just say? "But now that your here I haven't been able to do a damn thing with any woman I like"

"How is that my fault?" I ask

He sneers "Because you existed and if I had it my way, you wouldn't exist" great, so someone who doesn't know me thinks what some random people from my old life thought. Like Greta "and Billy Black made a mistake all those years ago and you holding it against him isn't fair, if your going to be a bitch about it then do us all a favor and leave and never come back"

I punch him hard in the face, a crunching sound is heard from my wrist since fuck his face is hard. He ends up with a black eye and snarls at me "Stay the fuck away from me wolf shifter" He looks at me surprised and he grabbed my arm "Let go"

"Who the fuck told you?" He demands

"I don't answer to you" I go to walk away but he slams me into the house grabbing my throat tightly and is growling. I would do more but humans are around, plus the guys rush over here.

"Hey" the guys push Paul away as he demands "Who told you?! Was it your leech loving whore of a cousin? Huh?"

"Paul" Jared and Sam appear pulling him away and towards the forest.

"Are you okay?" Haley asks

"What the hell was that about?" Skills asks

Shaking my head "You don't want to know" I start to cry because what he said hit me deeply "I...I don't think I should go on the trip"

"Come" Rachel asks

"What did he say?" Peyton demands

Shaking my head "I don't..." covering my face with one hand, the girls hug me as I break down crying. I'll ask Dyson about it later because he's a shifter, so he probably knows.