seven, meeting paul
twilight

Clover wasn't sure what to expect when Charlie mentioned Paul. She'd agreed to help without thinking much about it, but now, standing outside the small diner near the reservation, she felt the weight of it. Not even the weight of it, the whole pressure that she needed to do a good job and had to make sure he passed.

Meeting new people had never been a problem for her before. But this wasn't just meeting someone — this was stepping into a part of Forks she didn't know, sitting across from a stranger who needed her help. The nervous energy in her stomach buzzed as she followed Charlie and Juno ( who had agreed to accompany her ) through the door.

Paul was already there, stretched out in a booth near the window, his arm draped lazily over the backrest. He had a sense of confidence about him, not forced, just natural. His dark hair was slightly messy, his tan skin warm under the low diner lights.

"Paul," Charlie called as they approached. "This is Clover, the one I told you about."

Paul's gaze flicked to Clover, holding there for a beat before he sat up a little straighter. More presentable. His expression was unreadable, neither welcoming nor standoffish. "Hey," he said simply, nodding once. As he moved slightly, he turned his attention to Charlie, "Thank you, for bringing them over Charlie."

Clover slid into the seat across from him, resting her hands lightly on the table. "Hi, I'm Clover as you know and this is my sister, Juniper, but she prefers Juno."

Juno took the seat beside her, already half-tuned out, focusing on her old phone that didn't offer her much, but an endless scroll though facebook. She wasn't rude about it, just uninterested, this was Clover's thing, not hers. She just came for moral support.

Charlie stayed standing, awkwardly as he shifted from one foot to the other. "Figured you two should meet first before we throw math into the mix, yeah? Paul, Clover's great at this stuff. Smart kid. She's been helping Juno too, so there may be times where she helps you both."

Paul smirked slightly. "That supposed to make me feel better? That someone else sucks as much as me?"

Charlie chuckled. "It shouldn't, she's much better than you, kid."

Clover sat back, crossing one leg over the other. "I promise I don't bite, Juno might."

Paul huffed out a small laugh, shaking his head. "Good to know." His teeth flashed in a smile.

Juno glanced up briefly, the corner of her lip twitching in amusement. "She's weirdly good at math. Like, alarmingly good. Like win a prize good."

"Lucky me," Paul muttered. "I get a nerd."

Clover raised a brow, ignoring the jab about her being a nerd. "What about you? What's your deal?"

Paul leaned back, arms crossing loosely over his chest, puffing it out slightly to look cool. "Nothing special. Work on cars sometimes. Hang with my friends. Get into trouble."

Juno snorted. "At least you're honest."

Paul shrugged. "No point in lying."

Clover smiled a little, tapping her fingers against the table. "Fair enough."

Paul's gaze flickered toward her again, curious now. "What about you? Math genius, sure, but what else?"

Clover hesitated for a moment before answering. "I write."

Paul raised a brow. "Like stories?"

"Yeah," Clover said, brushing a stray curl out of her face. "I want to be a famous author one day. But realistically, I'll probably end up teaching. Like my dad."

Paul didn't say anything right away, just nodded slowly. He seemed to file that information away like he was still piecing together what kind of person she was.

Juno, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "She's being modest. She's obsessed with writing. I swear, half the time she's staring off into space because she's mentally writing some story. Me on the other hand, I want to be an aerospace engineer and work for nasa."

"You don't have to expose me like that." Clover nudged Juno with her foot under the table. She then turned to Paul, smile still wide. "She'll go to space one day, as soon as she gets her math grades up!"

Paul smirked. "Sounds kinda cool, actually."

Charlie checked his watch from where he sat at the counter, fresh coffee in hand. He slid a few bills across the table towards Clover, so she could pay for whatever the group was having. "Alright, you kids get to know each other. I'll be back in a bit." He gave them a nod and stepped away, leaving them at the table, alone.

Clover glanced toward Paul, deciding she wasn't done figuring him out yet. "So, what's your deal with math? Just don't like it or...?"

Paul exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Nah, it's more like — it doesn't make sense to me. Never has. I can rebuild an engine, fix up cars, but numbers? They don't click."

Clover nodded, filing that away I  her head for another day. "Okay. That actually helps."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Helps with what?"

"With how I teach you," Clover said simply. "Like for Juno, I teach her by using science terms — somehow, since I kinda suck at science. And I can use car and such terms with you, after doing my research."

Paul chuckled, shaking his head. "You talk like a teacher already."

Clover shrugged. "Practice, and a teacher dad."

Juno stretched her arms, sighing. "Alright, math talk is boring. What else do you actually do for fun now that Charlie is gone?"

Paul smirked, leaning forward slightly. "I mean... usually something dumb. Probably stuff Charlie wouldn't approve of."

Juno laughed, interested now. "Oh, I like that answer, share a little more."

Clover shook her head with a sigh, but she was smiling. Maybe this would work out after all, maybe she could slowly find her place here, make a difference. It was something she wanted to do, make a difference.

"I stole a car once." Paul told Juno, his expression calm, compared to her wide and excited eyes.

Juno threw her hands up, "No, way!"