A/N: So this is the first story I've written for Twilight. As it said in the summary it was originally done for homework but with different names so I changed them to Bella/Jasper etc. Oh and the writing in italics is Jasper's words or thoughts.
Disclaimer: obviously I don't own Twilight, sad times
Beep, beep, beep. The alarm grew more persistent and annoying with every second I ignored it. Beep, beep, beep, beep. As I blindly fumbled with the sheets, I tumbled off the bed, landing on the floor with a thump. Now fully awake and irritated I extricated myself from the duvet and bundled it back onto the bed in a messy heap. Admitting defeat I hit the snooze button on the alarm clock. With bleary eyes I stumbled downstairs and found a hastily scrawled note from my dad on the kitchen table.
Bella- work called. I'm needed at the New York branch; I'll be gone for about a week. There's cash in the jar by the phone, it should be enough. Charlie
I crumpled up the note and tossed it in the bin, bye Dad. He always did this, flying across the country in the middle of the night. Leaving no contact numbers or an itinerary. Helpful. Suddenly the phone rang interrupting my angry musings. I snatched up the phone without looking at the caller ID. Mistake. It was Rosalie. My extremely successful older sister Rosalie. My 'perfect', can do no wrong, not a hair out of place, 'why can't you be more like her?' sister. I slammed the phone down before she could utter more than a few words. I had no desire to speak to her.
Now in a thoroughly bad mood I stomped back upstairs to get ready for my morning run. Pulling my long brown hair up into a ponytail I stuffed my feet into a waiting pair of trainers, grabbed my keys off the desk and barrelled out of the door. I pounded along the asphalt, pushing myself faster and faster, running my temper out of me. Three times round the block and I was finally feeling calm enough to return home.
After raiding the cupboards for an energy bar I hopped in the shower before getting ready for a fun day of doing nothing until the evening when I would have to get ready for my first shift at my new job. A new bar had opened in Seattle, taking the place of the restaurants where I used to work and they decided to keep all the old staff. It wasn't the ideal job, long hours and terrible pay; not to mention all the inappropriate drunks, but it was still something to tide me over while I sorted out what I wanted to do with my life. I trundled back down the stairs and climbed into my rusty, beat-up, old banger. It won't last much longer; luckily the drive to work is a short one.
After about twenty minutes I pulled into the parking lot at Vibe. The garish neon sign lit up the sidewalk and gave my shoes a strange florescent colour. The door burst open and several inebriated men stumbled out. Their eyes were red and bleary, raucous laughter spilling from their lips. They started towards me, word slurring as soon as they had been thought. I slipped past them into the dimly lit bar and nipped behind the counter.
Several hours into my shift I saw him. Leaning against the old fashioned jukebox in the corner. At least six foot three with a dark brown Stetson pulled down low over his curly blonde hair. A smirk plastered across the only visible part of his face. A shout of "Jazz!" from the other side of the room attracted his attention. He strode over to the table where the call had originated from, tipped his hat further back on his head, looked over to where I was pulling pints and winked a startlingly blue eye in my direction before replacing the hat and turning back to his friends.
"Hey Jasper, wake up!"
I grabbed a cushion off the sofa where I was sleeping and threw it at my human alarm clock. It laughed as my shot missed it by a mile.
"Nice shot Jazz", heavy sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
I groaned and slid off my makeshift bed narrowly avoiding the discarded pizza box from last night's takeaway. Yawning, I shuffled towards the fridge hoping to find something edible but it was empty. Glumly I turned to the cupboards finding only a half empty packet of cornflakes. I stuffed an experimental handful into my mouth. Stale. Of course. Just as I was about to shout his name Brad appeared at my side.
"Any food?" He queried.
I shoved the packet in his face.
"No, unless you're a fan of out-of-date cereal", I said testily. I was hungry and when Emmett offered me a place to crash after my travels, I had foolishly assumed that breakfast would be included in the offer. I should have known; Emmett was notorious in our circle of friends for never having edible food available.
"Come on Jazz, let's go out for breakfast", Emmett offered, "You can tell me about your gap year."
After a slap-up breakfast at a downtown Seattle restaurant and a long conversation about my travels around the world we wasted most of the day on Emmett's Xbox before he decided that we needed to get of the flat. I had seen a flyer for a new bar called Vibe that had recently opened and we decided to go and check it out.
The neon sign flashed intensely as we strolled up to the entrance, all the colours of the rainbow pulsating brightly into the dark night sky. Inside, the bar was dimly lit but I could make out a few recognisable faces. I threaded my way through the crowd of drunks, Emmett close behind, finally arriving at a table with many friends that I hadn't seen for a while. Sliding onto the bench I began to catch up with my old friends, telling them about my globe-trotting exploits while they updated me on college life.
After a while I was despatched to the jukebox with strict instructions to pick 'a decent song, not your usual rubbish'. Unfortunately for them there were no 'decent songs' available so I chose one at random and leant back on the machine, smirking as I imagined their reaction.
I was looking towards the counter from under the brim of my Stetson when I saw her. Pulling pints at the bar. Quite short and slim with long mahogany brown hair pulled into a ponytail. A few wispy strands escaped and curled around her face. She stared at me with deep chocolate brown eyes; that seemed to see right into my soul. Suddenly a shout of 'Jazz!' attracted my attention. I reluctantly turned away from her and started back towards my friends. As I sat down I lifted my hat and winked at her. Satisfied with her startled expression I turned back to the table where I was bombarded with questions from people who would be better suited working in the inquisitorial sector of the Seattle Police Department.
I offered to get the next round of drinks so that I would have an excuse to talk to the beautiful brunette who had intrigued me with one glance.
He stood up and strode purposefully towards me. I blushed as he approached though I didn't quite know why.
"Five Jack and Coke's please darlin'", he drawled, his southern accent prominent. "I'm Jasper by the way."
"Bella", I replied shyly.
"So Bella, what's a beautiful girl like you doing working at a place like this?" I cringed at the cheesy line.
"It's just something to occupy my time while I figure out what I want to do with my life." I replied honestly. "I can't decide whether I want to go to college or travel or stay working here."
"Why don't I take you out for dinner when your shift is over and I can help you work it out? I took a few years out after high school cause I knew college wasn't for me, I was never going to be the perfect Ivy League student my parents were hoping for. So instead I've been travelling for the last few years." Maybe she could come travelling with me.
"Okay then, thanks Jasper. That sounds great. My shift's nearly over so hang on a minute and we can go." Is this a date? I don't really know. I mean, we've only just met so it can't be a date, can it?
As my shift drew to a close I grabbed my purse and followed Jasper outside. We climbed into my car and he directed me to an upmarket restaurant overlooking the bay. I gulped as I thought of the prices. Blushing, I turned to him.
"Um, Jasper. I can't afford a meal at a place like this." I said, embarrassed.
"Don't worry 'bout it darlin', my treat." Her embarrassment was endearing, did she really think I would let her pay? I was a proper southern gentleman.
"Are you sure? That's very kind of you." I couldn't believe it. Here was this guy I had only just met and he was offering to pay for dinner at one of Seattle's most expensive restaurants. As we entered AQUA the sound of a relaxing piano concerto drifted across the room. We were shown to a table and after placing our order's Jasper began to talk.
"So Bella, I think you should quit your job at Vibe." Might as well get straight to the point.
"Are you serious? I can't quit, I need this job!" I was dumbfounded, where was he going with this?
"You're obviously not happy there and I think you could be doing better things with your life. I know you said you didn't know what you wanted to do but while you're still working there you won't have a reason to do anything else because you have the security of a pay check. I think you should come travelling with me."
"Excuse me? How presumptuous! You don't know anything about my life and here you are proclaiming that it is worthless and I should go on an adventure with a person that I only met a few hours ago!" I was outraged. Who did he think he was to make judgements about my situation?
"I'm sorry if I sounded rude, that wasn't my intention at all. But I do have something to share with you that might make things a bit clearer. Have you heard of this Samuel Johnson quote? 'When making your choice in life, do not neglect to live'. This quote inspired me when I first heard it in my senior year. I realised that I had been making choices about my future based on what other people expected of me and I had not been doing what I wanted to do. So I withdrew my college applications and I've been travelling for the past few years. It has been an amazing experience and away from all the pressures of school I gained a new perspective on life. I could see things with clarity for the first time in my life. I really think that you could benefit from the same type of experience that I've had."
"But why do you want to help me?" I was confused. All this after a chance meeting in a bar.
"I'll be honest Bella. When I first saw you in Vibe you intrigued me. You were smiling but your eyes didn't match. They looked so sad, so forlorn that I couldn't resist finding out more about you. Look, I'll give you some time to think about this. I know I've given you a lot to mull over. Here's my phone number, if you decide that you want to join me just call, I'll be leaving Seattle in the next few days so don't take too long." With that I stood up, leaving some money for both meals and walked out of the restaurant, I could feel her eyes burning holes in my back but I didn't turn back.
As Jasper walked out of AQUA a single tear rolled down my cheek.
A/N: so what did you think? Please review and leave constructive criticism :)