"Namoquayalis"

ϟ

It had been a week since Tama's first date with Mason and since then, they had went on two more, the boy offering to drive her to and from school despite her having her own vehicle. He was nice enough, the ordinary boy a distraction to her adding list of problems that seemed to be never ending. He had a normal life, despite a dead mother and an often absent father, and that was something Tama needed right now in the midst of her own personal chaos. He was the calm in her storm, forcing her back down to reality whenever she seemed to drift too far away from the real world. They both exited the boy's dark blue Camry, though Tama would be the only one leaving since Mason didn't attend school on the reservation. A few stares were thrown their way, whispering about the sudden appearance of a pale face at their school. Tama shrugged them off, though she could tell the boy opposite of her quite nervous under the gaze of so many offended people. She offered him a comforting smile and a shrug, turning to look at a few that stared a bit longer than others before she looked back at him, "you get used to it."

He nodded, seemingly unconvinced, before he offered her a smile. "Seems I don't have a choice. I'll come by after my last period of the day, take you to practice and then...maybe the beach?"

Tama smiled up at him, pretending to think about it as she felt familiar eyes on her, "maybe..." she trailed off, allowing him to come closer, the two never breaking eye contact. He placed his hand in the crook of her neck, reaching down ever so slightly to place a kiss on her forehead before offering her another smile and a childish wave. The boy waited until her friends scooped her up, the girls a giggling mess as they pressed her for information as he drove off.

Kim stared fondly at his retreating car, picturing Jared taking her to and from school in a similar manner. He still hadn't shown up to school, or even his favorite spots in town; she had checked, multiple times. Her sigh turned into a scoff when Tallulah interrupted with Seth and Jacob by her side, "so, you two fuck yet?"

Jacob gagged childishly while Seth's cheeks burned at her casual mention of sex around him. Kim covered the younger boy's ears and Seth allowed it, the girl had become somewhat close to them in Jared's absence, the feeling that they were connected to his disappearance in some way pulling her closer to them. She was right. Leah pretended to scold her, though she smiled mischievously as she pressed her best friend, receiving a shove from a blushing Tama, "I haven't even kissed him yet, get your minds out of the gutter."

"Never," a new, prepubescent voice chimed in. Quil Ateara appeared with Embry Call on his side, the former looking at Leah in a way that made Tallulah send a warning jab to his ribs as she muttered, "get in line, kid." Quil glared at her retreating figure before he approached the group again, Embry silent as he stole an occasional glance over at Tama.

She smiled at the boy, always remembering him fondly as she tutored him for over four years now. His grades had improved, he told her proudly yet still with meekness. They'd known each other for so long now Tama didn't understand his resilient awkwardness but shrugged it off, congratulating him on his recent grades, even offering to put them up on the chalkboard in the cafe if offered a copy, much to Quil and Jacob's amusement. Tama was quick to point out their grades then, the boy's shutting up instantly. "I could tutor you guys sometime, I need the extra cash anyways since..."

"Since your mom is a control freak and you've been avoiding her since you died and came back to life so you haven't been making as much money since you don't come to work as often since you work with her?" another boy Tama had tutored every now and then, Brady Fuller, chimed in with a stoic expression. He shrugged, "my mom gossips with my aunt all the time, they're so loud."

Leah paused to glare down at her younger cousin, the boy immediately shrinking back as she snapped, "I will step on you, and I mean that literally you little piece of shit." The boy raised his hands in defense, he and Collin Littlesea, Jacob's younger cousin, diving into conversation with Seth to avoid any other insults thrown their way.

Tallulah offered a smile to ease her friend's mind, "I could actually use some help with algebra, if you don't mind. I have a test coming up on Monday and I know I'll probably fail..." she trailed off, not wanting to get into how stressed she was, worrying about bills now that she and her mother were the only ones working since Sam took it upon himself to go awol. Tama placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, assuring her she would be delighted to help before she let her know her work schedule, "you can just come in whenever I'm working, my mom can't say anything about me helping you out and it gives me an excuse not to be around her."

Kim frowned. She and her mother had a great relationship and she assumed Tama and her mother did as well. She couldn't imagine not wanting to see her mother and vice versa, the thought pained her. "So what, are you just never gonna make up with your mom again?" she seemed almost hesitant to ask, not because it was semi-intruding but rather, she was afraid of her answer. She couldn't imagine a world where a mother and daughter didn't get along, didn't talk to each other daily. The idea of working with her mother everyday was a dream to her.

Tama shrugged dismissively, the bell pulling her attention away, "that's up to her," she said, biting her tongue from saying anything further as harsh words threatened to spill, directed at both Kim and her mother. She found herself with a bad attitude as of late, though she believed she was keeping quite the lid on it. Leah thought otherwise, offering her a smirk as they entered the school building. "Cat got your tongue?"

The girl scoffed, playfully nudging her best friend away as they bid each other farewell's. Tallulah offered Tama a slip of paper before she and Jacob ventured off to their first class of the day, leaving her alone with Kim as she looked over Tallulah's schedule. Kim got her attention as she took her required materials out of her locker, "hey, have you figured out the topic for your project with Paul yet?"

Tama winced, muttering a curse which Kim took as an easy no. They walked alongside each other as Kim rambled on about her topic, her enthusiasm fading as she mentioned Jared and his absence, "maybe he'll be back by the time it's due..." she avoided Kim's hopeful glance her way, knowing there were no words of encouragement she could offer the poor girl, only sour words that threatened to spill if she opened her mouth.

Under the harsh lights she felt her head ache slightly but she ignored it, making a note to take some Tylenol before it got out of control. She pondered the thought, hoping it would get worst and she could opt out of track practice today. She decided against it, feeling rather odd as she deduced she somewhat liked running. She got to listen to music and drown out the world around her, only focused on the rhythm in her ears and her heart beating in her chest. She could pretend her and her mother's relationship was fine, she could pretend that she wasn't  keeping Mason and her friends at a distance, she could pretend like she wasn't turning into someone or something unrecognizable...she could even pretend she didn't see Paul constantly staring at her whenever he got the chance.

He did so now, as he entered the classroom. He did it immediately, as if it were second nature, and she turned away from his gaze. He was directed to sit next to her instead of Kim, as all students were, while the teacher made her morning announcements. Mrs. Chubbuck clapped her hands once to gain everyone's attention, knowing barely anyone paid her any mind as she went on about the local news and whathaps that went on in school. Tama looked up at her, having written everything being said into her notebook before closing it. "I'll be giving you all this class period as time to work with your partners on your projects. A few of you have yet to inform me of your topics and you cannot start on your reports until you've gotten confirmation from me."

She released them then, into their own worlds before she returned to her desk, at peace with not having to teach for the whole day. Tama almost smiled, but she failed to do so when she felt Paul staring over at her, "I saw your little boyfriend drop you off today," he began tauntingly, failing miserably at his attempt to hide his pain. He wanted to flip their desk over and scream in frustration but he couldn't.

Tama smiled, raising an eyebrow curiously as she egged her notoriously hot headed ex on, "are you jealous, Paul?" She asked with mock concern, tilting her head to the side as she awaited his answer.

He avoided her gaze before scoffing, his tongue poking at his cheek rather adorably if she did say so herself. "Oh yeah, real jealous of the white boy that wears beanies and drinks lattes."

"He drinks cafe mochas," Tama corrected him with the audacious click of her tongue, smiling sweetly at the seething boy next to her, "he actually hates lattes; and beanies frizz up his curls."

Paul sent her a look of annoyance, resisting the urge to get up then and run out to his car to let his frustration out alone, in silence. "Who the hell cares, can we please just work on this stupid assignment so we can move on?"

Kim turned in her seat then, the girl all alone as Jared still had yet to turn up. She ripped out a piece of paper before she placed it between the two with a soft smile, "here's the list that I made for all my options, I crossed out the one that I ended up choosing but maybe you can pick one of these instead."

Paul said nothing as he looked over the paper, uninterested. Tama thanked the girl, looking over the paper gratefully before she stood up and made her way over to her teacher. The woman peered up at her from her purple cat eye glasses, waiting for her to say something. Tama read off every name on the list, her good mood lessening as every one was given a response of "taken" over and over again. When she reached the end of the list with no topic left, she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She was handed a book of legends by her teacher, the object on its last leg as most pages were ripped out and written in.

Her ex frowned at her downcast appearance, attempting to at least pretend like he was looking for a topic as well. She lazily looked through the book, struggling to come up with a topic that hadn't been chosen yet. She smiled as one came up, pointing to it happily as she said, "what about the shapeshifters? My mom used to tell me that story all the time as a kid."

Kim shook her head, pointing to a group of two boys in the corner that didn't seem interested in their project in the slightest, making light conversation with a nearby group. "Isaac and Aaron already took that one...sorry Tama."

She turned away, focusing back on her own paper, leaving the pair to their own devices. Paul tried to think of a way to lift her spirits as he saw her overthinking, knowing exactly what was going on in her head. She was beating herself up, no doubt, blaming herself for their lack of options and their possible failure on this assignment. He nudged her as her shoulders slumped even further upon hearing the bell ring, "how about we go to the library after practice and see if we can find something there, yeah?"

Tama looked up to face him, her mood not changing as she said, "I already tried the library, here and in Forks. Nothing." He hated seeing her like this but couldn't say anything that would brighten her spirits unless he had suddenly conjured up a solution to the looming threat of an F. "We'll find something," was all he could say as he watched her walk towards her next class.

Her mood stayed the same for the entire school day, despite attempts from her friends to lift her out of her teen angst. Despite the anger and distance she felt towards her mother, she couldn't help but feel slightly anxious at the thought of her bringing home a failing grade, especially so early in the year. She tried to pretend as though her mother's views didn't bother her; when she dated Paul and he had managed to sway her briefly and she gave up her lifelong A-average for a few months, she still held onto that core belief that besides her grades, she had nothing really to offer.

She frowned as she made her way outside following the last bell, trying her best to conjure up a smile as to not put a damper on Mason's mood, the boy happy to see her walking out towards him. He noticed, his smile faltering as he opened his arms, beckoning towards him. She allowed him to embrace her, steadying her breathing and trying to reassure herself that everything would work out, like Paul had told her earlier. Usually he would've taken her somewhere out of her comfort zone to get her mind off of school and her overachieving attitude; cliff diving was her least favorite though it brought some of the fondest memories. She looked up at Mason hopefully, "have you ever gone cliff diving?"

He stared down at her with a frown, shaking his head in disapproval, "no, I haven't. I've seen a few people do it though...batshit crazy," he trailed off, unaware of how his words had affected her. He guided her towards the car after placing a comforting kiss to her tear stained cheek, oblivious to the fact that he was on the receiving end of a glare from Paul.

Paul continued to shoot him looks that could kill during practice, almost missing a shot here and there as he was so distracted. He watched Tama walk her appointed two miles around the track, frowning at her depressed figure. Mason also watched, racking his brain as he tried to figure out what he could do to help her feel better. The coach's whistle blared through Tama's ears, catching her off guard as she brought her hands up to her ears protectively, clutching her eyes shut. That's one way to snap out of it. "Hawk, what the hell? Don't go soft on me now, we got a meet coming up and I can't afford to have you be all mopey on the track. Pick up the pace or I'll add another mile."

The teenager scoffed, plugging her earphones in and pressing play on the playlist she had put together specifically for practice before she was off at a quicker speed than she normally allowed. She made sure to not raise any suspicion during practice, the girl making enough effort that coach wasn't on her ass constantly and she was making her goals set for her, but refused to outshine the chosen teammates that were deemed all-star athletes. She didn't want their shine. But now, she wasn't focused on any of that, unaware of the speed as well as the attention she was gaining as she continued on, until her miles were up and she came to a stop near a wide mouthed coach. She shrugged, pulling one earbud out of her ear as she stared him up and down, "what?"

"You finished in under five minutes, and you're not even out of breath..." As if he didn't believe what he had seen, the man checked his watch again before he looked at Tama, doing this once more before he scoffed in disbelief, "what are you doing this Saturday?"

It was Tama's turn to scoff as she put her hair up, the girl slowly coming back out of the shell she had pushed herself into earlier in the day, "literally anything other than what you're about to ask me."

He scoffed back, the man placing his hands on his hips and frowning over at here. Tama glanced around, noticing that her teammates were staring at her with mixed reactions, as were the lacrosse players. Had she really been running that fast? Her coach dragged on about the upcoming meet and she found her gaze floating over to Paul, curious to see his reaction. When they locked gazes, she saw a hint of a smile that widened once he had turned away, both of them knowing she had never been an athletic person, ever.

Jessica Stanley managed to worm her way between her and their coach, successfully blocking her view of Paul, making her frown. She countered Mr. Otte, though Tama hadn't been paying enough attention to what he had said in the first place. "I thought we already had enough for this week's track meet?" She asked, her smile false and leaking with anxiety, Tama having to take a step back from the overwhelming stench that suddenly protruded from the teenager.

"Oh," he replied, seemingly unbothered as he flipped a few pages and ran his tired blue eyes over the occasionally page here and there, "mmm...we'll just knock Mallory, then. Hawk, you're in for this Saturday; you miss it, you're off the team you hear me?"

She went to protest, ripping out her other earphone from her ear as she paused the music blasting from her iPod, her mouth wide. Lauren Mallory, who had overheard the conversation, came to stand next to Jessica with a similar look, "what?" The three girls echoed simultaneously, Mr. Otte rolling his eyes before he turned away from them. Lauren shouldn't have been surprised considering she was close to Tama in terms of her athletic abilities and considering the fact that she was now holding back to not cause any attention to her newfound supernatural abilities, it wasn't looking too good for her.

They followed him closely, shouting protests at his retreating figure. He blew his whistle suddenly, the girls quickly covering their ears in response. Tama flinched harder than Jessica and Lauren, crouching down and squinting her eyes shit at the sudden shrill sound, her ears covered protectively by her hands. This stunned them into silence, waiting for the man to continue as their verbal tussle had issued an audience. Most members of the team crowded around them, some too close for comfort and some just far enough away that they were still within earshot, much to Tama's annoyance. Great, she thought. Not only was she forced to attend an athletics event, the worst kind of event, on her only day off, she had more eyes on her than she liked.

As much as she had liked to stay in her fantasy world, believing no one would recognize her and she could easily "start over" she was wrong, and she was reminded of the fact every single day she was forced to attend Forks High School. It was hard not to remember the native girl that their star lacrosse player constantly paraded around before, during, and after every single game. A lot of the girls gave her less than kind looks, unhappy that a boy as talented and, rumored to be as 'blissfully endowed' as Paul was parading around a girl from the Rez, especially one that didn't seem to keen on assimilating to their culture, or lack thereof. She found comfort in Angela though, as well as Ben and Eric, the four having flocked together and forming a sort of club amidst the overwhelmingly white student body they were surrounded by.

"It's suffocating," Tama had said once she joined said club, along with Mason, on the bleachers. Angela's camera dropped to her lap as she made eye