Jessica Stanley is not the kind of girl who wallows in self-pity because of a boy.
In fact, she's not the type of girl to do anything for a boy.
So when Edward Cullen, the gorgeous boy who recently moved into town with his equally gorgeous family, turns her down during the first month of sophomore year in front of what feels like the entire school, she swallows through the lump in her throat, tosses her hair over her shoulder, and walks away with her head held high. When she sees his sister, the blonde one, smile with mockery written in every inch of her face, she doesn't cry or break her stride. Alarm bells are ringing inside her head and it feels as if there's a fault line cracking into place beneath her lungs, but she is and always has been her mamie's granddaughter, and so she doesn't let it show.
In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have asked him out in the quad right when everyone was arriving to school. Well. Consider this her lesson learned.
The good thing about having to sit through an entire day of classes after the aforementioned horrible display is that she doesn't have time to waste on coming up with all the reasons why she isn't good enough to date Edward Cullen. Lauren and Angela help too, of course. They spend the entire day trying to cheer her up, and although their methods differ greatly, Angela tending toward showering her with complements and Lauren toward insulting everyone else, she appreciates both of them.
Even Tyler helps. She knows he wasn't there to witness her embarrassment, but gossip spreads fast in a small school, so by second period, he's offered to beat Edward's face in. She says no, of course, but thanks him anyway. And then she laughs, because really between the two of them, Jessica is the one who can crush a watermelon with her thighs, so if either of them is going to beat up someone else it's her.
To be entirely honest, she just wants this day to be over.
She spends the night working on homework and studying for an upcoming Spanish test. When she's not working, she's retelling the story of her shame to every family member she can get ahold of until it no longer sends a rush of heat across her face to remember.
The rest of the year passes as expected. Weeks pass and eventually no one even mentions that day anymore.
The volleyball team wins State. She joins her first club.
Edward Cullen remains dateless.
No one repeats her mistake.
She's over it.
She's been over it for months.
Junior year starts after a summer full of workouts and late nights getting drunk in the woods, and she's ready to go through the year ignoring Edward Cullen's existence, as per their unspoken agreement. That is, until she walks into second period English with Mr. Collins to discover that Edward Cullen has been assigned to sit right next to her.
This might actually be a problem.
Jessica doesn't have time for problems.
She's co-captain of the volleyball team this year and she's just started a part-time job at the local news station as an editing intern. Luckily for her, however, Mr. Collins doesn't seem very inclined to assign partner work, so she and Edward can continue not acknowledging each other.
It's fine. It's working.
And then Bella Swan happens.