THREE. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

"You know, you never said thank you the other day," Paul grumbled as he took his assigned seat, realising that it was beside Eli. Naturally, he assumed she'd be at the very front of the class right where the teacher could see her, but instead she was tucked in the back row next to him and his window that overlooked the school field. He wasn't particularly happy about the surprise, though maybe if he'd shown up on Friday he'd have known.

Eli glanced up at him with a quirked brow, music from her mp3 player blasting through her ears. She clearly didn't care enough to be listening, somehow already knowing that whatever the boy had to say was rude or accusatory. "Huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Paul reached over and ripped her earphones out, staring her dead in the eye. Eli winced at the sharp pain in her ears from the sudden movement, flashing Paul a cold glare. "Where's my thank you for pulling your ass out the water?"

Blinking a couple of times as she was caught off guard, Eli swallowed. Thinking about that day wasn't a particularly wonderful experience for her, as after her little accident, she'd returned home to her mother, who'd finally said more than five words to her. It wasn't exactly pretty, and she ended up staying with Quil over the weekend. "I would've made it out just fine."

"Yeah, right," Paul scoffed, tapping his pen against the surface of his desk. He had been a fidgeter since he was a kid, but still, Eli tried her best to ignore the irritating sound of plastic against wood. "You were always a shit swimmer, Tiny."

Eli pursed her lips, her face void of expression as she faced the front of the class. "Thanks."

Paul didn't seem entirely satisfied with her answer, his eyes searching the side of her face to see if she'd put up a fight like she'd always done when they were little. But, he didn't receive the usual backchat. He scoffed and sat back in his chair, averting his gaze to the window, waiting for the lesson to end despite it not having begun yet.

"Alright guys, project time!" Ms Matteson held her clipboard in the air, enthusiastically waving it around in hopes to spur some joy amongst the tired teens. Eli straightened up a little (Paul rolled his eyes at that), watching the woman turn to write the words 'Much Ado About Nothing' on the board. Eli had discovered that the day she started school was also the day the class was finishing up The Handmaid's Tale course, which sucked, because she thoroughly enjoyed that book. She was assured by her teacher though, that they'd be picking it up again when it came to midterms. "I sorted you all into pairs last week but I had to mix them up a little because of our new addition to the class; now we're at an even number so everything's fallen into place."

Eli shrunk down a little in her seat. She didn't exactly want to be the reason people didn't like their groups.

Ironically, it turned out she would be the one to not like her partnership. People were paired with their friends, leading to excitable chatter and discussion, while she sat in an intense stare off with Paul. Ms Matteson had to awkwardly get between them to hand them the assessment sheet, a slightly guilty expression on her face. The two clearly didn't look comfortable, but she knew that Eli was a competent student, and she was tough enough to put the Lahote boy in line.

When the teacher returned to the front of the classroom to explain the project, Eli leaned forward a little and dropped her voice into a low whisper. "If you leave me to do all the work, I swear-"

"Don't worry yourself, Tiny," he plastered a grin on his lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

★☆

"You're...Elise, right?" A petite, dark haired girl approached Eli in the girls changing rooms before gym class late run the day. Eli was in the process of tying her right shoe when she looked up to see a face she didn't recognise. The girl beamed enthusiastically, sticking out her hand. "Hey, I'm Kim."

Eli extended her arm to accept the greeting, a polite smile on her face. She was happy to make new friends, especially ones she hadn't grown up with. She loved Embry, Quil and Jacob, but there was something special about meeting a stranger who knew nothing about your life. "Hey. You can call me Eli."

"Eli," Kim grinned, shoving her hands in her hoodie pockets. It was cold out, though that was hardly a surprise considering the weather in the Washington town. Eli couldn't remember a day when she'd seen the sky void of clouds. "That's a nice name. You probably don't know who I am. I was born out of state but my parents moved back to the Rez when I was little. We aren't super invested in the Quileute Legends and all that, so we keep our distance. You're Grace Kamai's daughter, right? Nick's sister?"

Nodding as she straightened her posture, Eli tucked a stray piece of her behind her ear, a nervous tick she had acquired over the years. The first thing on her mind was the fact that she was associated with her mother and brother. They were well-respected members of the community, but she hadn't exactly established herself to be of the same excellence. "Yeah, 'cept I took my dad's last name, Stutfield."

There was a hint of sympathy in Kim's face, probably having known the widespread rumours about her parents' separation. It appeared to be common knowledge in the Rez, and though Eli said she didn't mind, a small part of her wished there was an aspect of her life she could've kept in the dark.

Eli decided to stick to Kim's side as they walked into the gymnasium, only to be pointed towards the field by their teacher, instructed that they'd be playing softball that afternoon. Kim had inwardly groaned, but Eli brightened a little, her love for sports getting the best of her. There was a slight skip to her step as they entered the cool outdoors, wind whipping the untied wisps of hair around her face.

"So, how're you liking your Junior year so far?" Kim exhaled in relief as Eli took the weight of the ball bag from her shoulders. She was surprisingly strong, which was admirable to see, especially in a known bookworm. Then again, her brother was a walking beefcake and she had channeled her anger over the years into sports, so it should have been expected.

"I mean, I've only been here two days," Eli joked, before shrugging. Truly, she was indifferent to the move. She loved Portland, but it was just another place. She'd gotten used to not having somewhere concrete to call home. "It's good. I've always loved school, so it's just getting used to all the new classes and faces everyday."

Kim opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by loud howls of laughter from further along the field. The smaller girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, crossing her arms across her ribcage in irritation. "Great. We must be merging with Leikman's class today. He's got all the popular kids."

Eli's eyes followed where Kim was looking, before she tipped her head back in utter annoyance. "Ugh. I don't think I'll ever get a break from this guy."

"Who?" Kim asked, her gaze scanning the group until she spotted Paul throwing cones at one of his friends. "Paul? I heard he saved your life the other day."

Eli frowned deeply in response, dropping the heap of equipment she was carrying onto the grass once they made it to the pitch. "Everyone knows about that, huh?"

"He's friends with Jared Cameron, right?" Kim could see the vexation in the girl's face, so she changed the subject. Eli spared a look in her direction at the question, quirking an eyebrow. Kim flushed a little and averted her eyes to the ground. "He's in my Chemistry class. He hasn't been at school for a few weeks now."

"I haven't seen him around," Eli hummed, recalling the Cameron boy. He was nice enough; he was one of the kids who turned up on her mother's doorstep when they were all kids, asking if she could come out and play. But as they grew older, they grew apart. She didn't remember seeing him at the bonfire, so she couldn't say much to reply to Kim. "Maybe he's sick or something."

"Yeah, maybe," Kim muttered. Eli's lips quirked a little and she looked at her new friend momentarily, seeing the distracted expression on her face.

"You like him, don't you?" she poked Kim's side, and the girl's eyes widened considerably. Her mouth fell open as she tried to form a response, causing Eli to laugh. "You're not exactly keeping it on the down-low."

"It doesn't matter anyway, he'll never notice me," Kim shoved her lightly, and Eli reached over to pat the girl's flat, dark hair. "I just hope he's okay."

Eli smiled confidently. "I'm sure he's fine, Kim. Us Quileutes have some tough blood in our veins."

★☆

"There's pizza in the fridge," Grace Kamai muttered in passing as Eli stepped through the door that evening. The woman was in a pair of scrubs, heading to her late night shift at the hospital in town. The teenager nodded in response and dropped her backpack, wandering into the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks when she saw none other than Jared Cameron, shirtless, devouring said pizza straight from the box, his mouth covered in grease and tomato sauce.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room. Jared froze and looked up at the girl, his eyes wide in surprise. "Last I checked, you lived down the street."

"Hey, Eli," he responded, his voice muffled due to the amount of food in his gob. He managed a grin, though it wasn't exactly something that made her swoon. "Uh, Nick said I could help myself. Sam's picking us up at five."

"Sam?" Eli quirked an eyebrow, stepping forward and looking over his shoulder to see that there was nothing left in the box. She sighed through her nose, before glancing back up at him. "You're hanging out with him too? You never used to like him when we were kids."

Jared rolled his eyes. "He's a good dude, he's been helping me out lately. Nick, too."

Eli resisted the urge to scoff. The word considerate wasn't the first thing that came to mind when she thought about her brother. Then again, maybe he treated other people differently to how he treated her. "That's...nice of them. Are you coming back to school anytime soon? I know a couple of people who'd like to see your face again."

Jared opened his mouth to answer, but a whooping sound came from outside. He looked out the window in the kitchen and saw Sam walking out of the nearby forest. He didn't have a shirt on, which made Eli quirk her brows. "How come none of you guys wear shirts?"

"Are you kidding?" Jared turned around and pouted his lips, sticking his gut out. "Why would I keep this hot bod under wraps and leave the world miserable?"

Eli poked his stomach in response, laughing softly. Jared squeaked, recoiling at the tickle before tossing the empty pizza box on the kitchen bench. "Yeah, okay, tough guy. Tell Nick I'm borrowing the truck, I'm gonna head into town to get some dinner, seeing as you've eaten mine already."

Jared grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Eli took a step back and reached into the bowl by the shopping list, picking up the car keys. She had sold her car in Portland to put towards her college fund, knowing that there was public transport available, and she could hitch a ride with her friends from around the Rez. Nick had an old pick-up that their mother had bought from one of the nearby families, and Eli had been told she could use it if she wanted.

"I'll see you later, Jared," Eli sent the boy a two-finger salute, before spinning on the heel of her shoes and wandering back out the front door. Jared yelled a farewell as she shut the door behind her, trudging back through the slippery yard to get to the car. She pulled herself inside and dug the keys into the ignition. The car shook as it was brought to life, and Eli quickly reached for the heater knob, turning it up all the way. 

The Buzzcocks began blaring through the radio station, and she tapped her hands against the steering wheel as she pulled away from her house, turning onto the gravel road. To be perfectly honest, she couldn't really remember the way to town, but she assumed she'd figure it out.

She always did.

★☆