tongue twister • paul lahote

iii

T H E B E A C H W A S calm that night. The small waves crashed gently against the shore as the sunset peeked from behind the clouds. Tiffany had been correct, the rain had stopped not long after starting and the only reminder it had happened was the wet ground and looming clouds. The two had stayed at Embry's house only a short period of time before making their way to the beach. They made a mutual decision to go to the bonfire. After all, there wasn't much else to do for fun in Forks.

The sand was still semi-damp when they took their first steps on it. It clung to their shoes , but dried and fell off not long after. Santana figured they were early when they arrived and no apparent fire was burning, until the boy pointed out a glow and a few rambunctious figures in the distance. With reassurance that it was alright she was there, Embry led her down the shoreline, walking closer to the grass beside the sand as they went. The beach became slightly rockier and harder to walk on the closer that you got to the water. The two avoided it like the plague, knowing Santana's clumsiness would not have liked that very much.

The less distance put between the two and the group, the clearer she could hear the laughing and joking going on between them. It put her at ease, knowing they at least had some sense of humour. The dim light of the fire and the gold rays of the setting sun revealed the logs pulled around the fire, and some people sitting on them. A few people were up and kicking around a soccer ball, and a few were sitting on the ground. They were only noticed when they were a few feet from the crowd. A couple of the boys erupted into cheers as they recognized Embry.

Santana did her best to hide behind the slender boy, still feeling slightly out of place. She looked at her feet as her friend was greeted, and stayed silent. There was a guy and a girl sitting on the logs, and what seemed like a couple sitting on a blanket on the ground. She observed the strangers, and listened to Embry as he spoke with his friends.

"Tana!" A familiar voice called out, and the girl snapped her head up and noticed a body running towards her. "Never thought we'd get you out of your house again. You've been a little dull lately." The boy who she recognized as Quil picked her up in a hug.

"Very funny—now could you do me a solid and put me down." The boy laughed, but complied. "Thank you." She huffed and straightened herself out. She noticed she had caught a few of the others attention by now. She gave a small wave, and a girl sitting on the ground with a scar running up the side of her face laughed at her.

"You're Santana, aren't you?" She questioned. She nodded, and the girl smiled. "I'm Emily. The boys never stop talking about you. It's great to finally put a face to the name." She stood up, sauntered over to her and pulled the smaller girl into a hug. Santana only reached a whopping 5'4, and everybody else seemed to tower over her. "I'm Sam's girlfriend. I'm sure you know him." She pointed to the large man she had been sitting with on the blanket. He nodded his head at her. She copied him, nodding back, and caused him to give a low chuckle and shake his head.

"You'll fit in great here." He said more to himself, and she bit back a grin. Sam seemed like such a hardass, so it was nice to feel approved by him.

"I'm Kim," a girl spoke from the logs. "And this is Jared." She pointed to the boy sitting beside her and smiled warmly at the newcomer. She gave them both a wave, and then turned towards the boys who had previously been playing soccer. They had stopped by the time her attention was back on them, and they started walking towards them.

Quil stood beside her, and Embry on the other. They both made her feel like a dwarf next to them. They both stood close to 6 foot, and the boys walking towards them didn't seem far off from it either. Emily had returned to her spot next to Sam, and Kim and Jared seemed engrossed in each other as they were caught up in their own little conversation. She smiled to herself, watching them. They seemed really in love, and it made her happy for them.

She looked back up, and it felt like she had been punched in the stomach. So much for what Em had said earlier, as it was clear that Jacob was indeed there and hanging around them. He had lied to her. Where was his new friend? She thought Embry said that he only spoke to Bella. She grabbed onto Embry's hand subtly, and looked at him. "Em, I think I have to go-"

"Santana?" Jacob asked, shock seeping from his pores.

"Hey, Jake." The girl said awkwardly. "You cut off all your hair." She stated the obvious, slightly angry that it had been so long since she had seen him.

"Yeah, not that long ago." He admitted. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?" He seemed a bit more excited to see her now. She looked at him and raised both her eyebrows in blatant distaste.

"What?" She was more than a little ticked off at his words. She couldn't believe he was just acting like he hadn't ignored and ditched her for the last few months. It was completely preposterous, and it absolutely baffled her.

"You never come around anymore! We all miss you." He said, warmly. Her jaw clenched as she grabbed onto Em a bit harder. He squeezed her hand back for reassurance that she was fine before he spoke up.

"Didn't seem to bother you much when you were spending all your time with the leech-lover." Jacob was taken back at Embry's words, and Santana went into a state of confusion. What on earth did he just call Bella?

Jacob opened his mouth to retaliate when Sam cut the two off like a responsible father. "Enough, you two. We're here to have fun." The tension was still thick in the air, but within seconds the two had seemingly let it go. Deciding not to let it bother her anymore, Santana looked up, and caught sight of the other boy who had been playing soccer with Jake and Quil.

She was caught off guard with what she saw. His hair was slightly tousled from the wind, and his dark eyes sparkled from the light of the flames. His darker skin was illuminated as well, causing her breath to catch in her throat. He was shirtless, and his biceps and abs were showcased in the dwindling daylight. The tribal tattoo on his upper arm mingled beautifully with the colour of his skin, and she had an unfamiliar feeling bubble in her stomach. His smiling face was could only be described as beautiful as he lit up in laughter at something one of his friends had said to him. Santana bit her lip as she looked him over as a whole, and stood on her toes to reach Embry's ear.

"Who is that?" She whispered, not letting her eyes leave him.

"Him? That's Paul Lahote. Why?" He looked down at her, and raised an eyebrow in question.

"No reason." She mumbled and her eyes left the boy instantly. He stayed quiet for a second before letting out a giggle. "What?" She snapped.

"You like him," he taunted.

"You're crazy." She shut him down, but she couldn't even convince herself she was telling the truth. "It was an innocent question." She told him, a little stronger this time.

"Are you sure about that? I think you have a crush."

"I barely know him!" She whispered, shrilly. "How can I like someone I don't even know?!" She asked him, but she was asking herself the same question. She couldn't deny he was gorgeous, and something tugged at her heart when she looked at him. She didn't believe in love at first sight, but she also knew he was no ordinary boy.

"Then why don't you get to know him?" A smirk crossed the lanky boys face.

"Em don't you dare call him over here, I swear to god." She hissed.

"Why not? It's all in good fun, Tana. You totally don't want to bang him at all, right?." He poked her in the side, causing her to laugh.

"God I hate you sometimes." She was still giggling at the sharp, tickling feeling that was spreading up her side. She looked back up, and made eye contact with the breathtaking boy who had now taken a seat next to Jared on one of the logs.

His eyes burned into her, and she felt her heart speed up. Her palms broke out into a cold sweat, and she wiped them on her jeans as he held her gaze, unwavering. She was the first one to break it, looking down at the ground quickly. His eyes. There was something so different about them. They made her feel a way that was just unexplainable to her, and she knew that Paul was going to turn out to be someone very special to her.