★

Lita begrudgingly walked down the stairs, Jade in pursuit, descending slowly behind her. The loud sound of goodbyes prompted both Lita and Jade to head downstairs, much to Lita's relief, as their conversation about love would have to come to an end.

Lita mentally groaned as she saw Jade's mother still seated on the couch, engaged in conversation with her own mother. "Lita dear, it's lovely to meet you," the woman said, grabbing Lita's hands and patting them softly.

"Nice to meet you too," Lita replied, forcing a smile.

"Some friends are having a barbecue at the reservation; you two must just come!" the lady said, completely ignoring Charlie, who sat alone with a beer in hand. "Oh yes, and Charlie too," she added, causing him to raise his beer in acknowledgment, which made Lita laugh.

"We'd love to, Kate," Lita's mother said. After much convincing from Jade, her mother agreed to let the girls drive with them.

"So, Lita, how are you enjoying your summer break?" Jade's mother asked.

"Uh, it's been good. I just got a job, so it'll probably become a bit worse," Lita replied, eliciting a laugh from Jade.

Parking in an unfamiliar driveway, Jade led Lita inside a house she had never been to. The smell of cooked meat lingered in the air. Lita stood awkwardly behind Jade and her mother, who were instantly greeted by an older woman. Despite not knowing Lita, the lady gave her a tight hug.

"Oh, welcome, dear. You must be Maria's daughter, a lovely woman, just lovely," she said before kissing Lita on each side of her cheek. Lita's eyes widened at the unusual affection and her strange words; it seemed her mother had fooled almost everyone in this town.

"Go eat, there's plenty of food," the woman said, directing Lita to a glass sliding door. She could see several groups broken off into their own separate conversations. Dads were huddled around the barbecue, including Charlie, who had a genuine smile on his face, something Lita had never seen.

Her mother, on the other hand, stood around the food with another woman, apparently judging the offerings as they both laughed at what others had brought.

Sliding open the door, Lita was also greeted with the sight of her friends huddled around a table, laughing as Quil told some story, mimicking surfing moves.

"Since when do you surf?" Lita asked, causing the group to whip their heads around, looking surprised to see her.

"Since never; he's making this shit up," Embry said with a laugh.

Seth scooched over on the table, leaving a space for Lita, smiling brightly at her. Taking a seat, Lita ruffled the boy's hair, feeling a warmth reminiscent of Mateo. He was kind and sweet, and Lita knew Seth would live a good life.

The group laughed as they listened to Quil's fantastical story. "And that's when I punched the shark," Quil said with a proud shrug.

"Bullshit," Jacob said with a laugh.

"Haters gonna hate," Quil said, flexing his non-existent muscles.

"Bro, there's nothing even there," Seth said, causing the group to laugh.

"Oh yeah, like you're so buff," Quil retorted, rolling his eyes.

Jacob laughed before abruptly stopping as he caught something in the corner of his eye, smacking Quil on the shoulder. The group followed his gaze to see a trio entering the backyard.

"Who's that?" Lita asked, eyeing an older-looking man who was tan and had a tattoo on his shoulder that matched with the two boys behind him.

"Sam Uley..." Jacob said, sounding pissed off.

"Is that–"

"Yup... Jared and Paul, following around their leader as usual," Quil said, rolling his eyes before aggressively biting into his burger.

"Ew, dude," Embry said, eyeing the sauce that had gotten all over Quil's face.

"Okay, sorry, Mr. Perfect," he said, wiping it off.

Lita watched as Paul trailed behind Sam, not daring to take his eyes off her. The two shared long eye contact, and Lita felt a strange tension in the air.

"Hey, are you alright?" Seth suddenly asked, breaking Lita's stare. Looking slightly embarrassed, she turned to nod at Seth, and when her eyes went back to Paul, she was greeted with the sight of Jade coming out to greet her boyfriend.

Paul, yet again, was not looking at Lita. Instead, he smiled, wrapping his arms around Jade, and when they separated, she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

Lita gulped thickly, looking away, feeling more uncomfortable than she ever had in her life. Quickly glancing over, she saw them apart, and she felt Paul's gaze on her again, even as Jade began to speak to him.

"Don't worry about Paul," Embry said, noticing her stare. Bringing herself back to reality, Lita felt slightly sick.

"Huh?" she asked with slight confusion.

"Trust me, you dodged a bullet," Embry said with a laugh. Lita smiled and nodded to herself but couldn't help but think that was nothing less than a lie.

The atmosphere at the barbecue grew tenser as Lita tried her best to avoid Paul's persistent gaze. The unspoken tension between them hung thick in the air, and Lita couldn't shake off the discomfort that lingered.

As the evening progressed, Lita found herself drawn into conversations with her friends, attempting to distract herself from the magnetic pull of Paul's presence. Every time she glanced his way, he was engaged with Jade, their laughter and shared moments intensifying Lita's unease.

Eventually, Lita excused herself from her friends to search for the bathroom. Pushing her way through the slightly crowded lounge, Lita didn't notice that someone had followed her until a voice broke through.

"Lita," she turned at the sound of her name being called, only to see the one person she had hoped it wouldn't be.

"Seriously? Weren't you just telling me to back off yesterday, and now you're following me to the bathroom?" Paul shook his head. "It's not like that."

Lita crossed her arms. "Well, make it quick. I have to pee," she said. Paul laughed at her bluntness before speaking.

"I'm sorry for yesterday. It was a dick move, and... well, Jade really likes you, so I guess I can't be that against you being friends."

"I have that effect on people," she said with a shrug. Paul laughed. "Yeah, I know. Also, just thanks for not being a jerk to her."

Lita raised her brow. "What, you thought I'd attack her over you?" Lita laughed before walking past and patting his shoulder, whispering, "You're not that special," she said before continuing down the hallway.

"Wait!" he said, causing her to turn on her heel and raise a brow. "The bathroom's that way," he said, pointing down the direction she was originally going.

"Right, I knew that," she said, her confident demeanor disappearing as she hurried down the hallway.

Lita quickly adjusted her outfit before walking out of the bathroom. She was offered a slice of cake, and how could she even refuse?

Deciding to head back outside to where her friends were, Lita's path was suddenly stopped by her mother, who was surrounded by her group of friends.

"Oh, honey, you don't need that," her mother said in a sickeningly sweet tone before taking the cake from Lita's hands and putting it on a nearby table.

Lita stood stunned, her face burning slightly from embarrassment. "I mean, I can't have a fat bridesmaid, right?" her mother said before laughing loudly with her friends. Feeling a tight knot in her stomach, Lita lowered her head.

"Bridesmaid?" Lita said, deciding she didn't want to hear the other thing her mother had said.

"Oh yes!" her mother said, clapping her hands. "I would like you to be one of my bridesmaids!" her mother said happily.

Lita gave her mother a blank stare as she looked at her expectantly. "No."

"What?" her mother said, her smile frozen but not reaching her eyes.

The ride home was uncomfortable, and in a cliché manner, it had begun to rain. Lita's mother was not happy after Lita's simple no; what followed was a series of yelling that Lita had to endure in front of everyone. Her face was hot with embarrassment, and she felt sick.

"How could you embarrass me like that?" her mother suddenly said. Lita couldn't help but feel bad for Charlie as he was caught in the middle of their fight. It was clear Lita brought out the worst in her mother even when she wasn't trying.

"Embarrass you? What about you calling me a fucking fatty in front of your friends?"

"¡Estaba tratando de ayudarte!" her mother yelled out in Spanish, trying to say she was just helping her.

"Help me? You're the one who needs help, you crazy bitch!" Lita yelled out, causing her mother to gasp, tears filling her eyes.

"Get out," her mother said.

"What?"

"Charlie, stop the car!"

"Maria, please, just calm down—"

"Oh, so now you think I'm some psycho bitch?" she said, her anger now directed at him.

"I never said that."

"Well then, stop the damn car!" she said, and with a sigh, he reluctantly slowed the car to a stop.

"Mama, please, I don't know how to get home."

"Don't use that bullshit sweet tone on me," she said, glaring at her daughter. "Get out."

Angry, Lita pulled the door open before slamming it shut and raising her middle fingers angrily at the car as it drove away. "Fuck you!" she yelled out, her voice cracking, tears running down her face.

Lita had never felt so pathetic in her life; her only surroundings were large amounts of forest. Switching on her phone, Lita tried to use her maps only to be met with no signal.