The Cullens

Jasper's POV

When I landed in Port Angeles Charlie was waiting for me with his police cruiser. It was also raining, but I have a feeling that's going to become a moot point, so I may as well stop mentioning it right now. Mom had told me that I didn't have to go; yes this was my idea, but it was more complicated than that, much more complicated. Let's just say I left Texas covered in scars that I didn't have before living there. It was not ideal. I hated my scars and how I got them. They showed just how weak I was, how I could be easily manipulated, how I would never speak up for myself, but I was going to turn over a new leaf in Forks. I would be a new me.

"It's good to see you, Jasper," Charlie said, smiling at me and I could tell he was happy I was here. "You're getting so tall now and not as scrawny anymore either."

I rolled my eyes. Of course Charlie would mention that. I had actually started lifting weights just trying to gain some muscle mass. It was tough going, but I wasn't going to give up.

"I'm glad you're here," he said, squeezing my shoulder.

"Me too, Dad." This would be good. I would get away from all the darkness and pain in my old life and be able to move onto something more positive.

"I found a good car for you," Charlie said on the way to Forks. I turned to look at him. "Really cheap too."

"What kind of car?" I asked.

"Well, it's a tuck actually, a Chevy. Your mother told me you had a truck back in Texas, so I thought you might want another one."

"What color is it?"

"Black," Charlie said and then smiled. "It's Billy Black's old black truck." He chuckled to himself at the irony. I shook my head. "Do you remember him from down at La Push?"

"No," I answered honestly.

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer, but he's in a wheelchair now. He can't drive so he offered the truck to me. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will." I was glad it was black and not some outlandish color, like red or orange. "As long as it gets me from point A to point B it'll be fine," I reassured him.

Charlie let out a grunt of acceptance and we stayed silent for the rest of the drive.

"I want you to be happy here," Charlie said, just outside of Forks.

Although we were similar there was one main difference. I was good with everything to do with emotions, dealing, handling, accepting them, but Charlie not so much. I noted he did better with me around though, so hopefully soon he would settle down and not be as awkward.

"I'm happy to be here too," I told him. "I think it will be good for me."

And nothing more was said on the matter.

We pulled up to the small two-bedroom house Charlie had bought with my mother. It had hardly changed; I was certain Charlie was allergic to change, so it didn't worry me. I spotted my truck instantly and smiled. It sure did remind me of my old truck, but this one looked slightly newer and I liked the black.

"So you like it, huh?" Charlie said and I responded by smiling widely at him and nodding my head. It was a great truck.

I quickly ran from the small bathroom I shared with Charlie back to my room, towel wrapped around my waist. I had forgotten to take my clothes with me and I didn't want Charlie to see my scars at all. When my bedroom door was firmly shut I looked down at my chest and all the scars that littered it. I hated them. That was one benefit of living here; long sleeves and jackets weren't considered out of the ordinary, so I could easily cover up. I got so many odd looks in Houston, wearing long sleeves on a hot day, but it was easier that way. No one knew about my scars except me and the person who gave them to me and that's the way it would stay.

I went downstairs and noticed that Charlie was already gone. I grabbed a quick breakfast before finding the keys to my new truck and driving to school.

I parked my truck in the lot and then went off to find the office. I could tell that everyone was staring at me, but I kept my head down, focusing on my feet.

Forks High was small, but I thought it would be a welcome change for me. Less people were good. I could keep to myself and work on making positive friendships and relationships and stay away from the destructive kind.

"I'm Jasper Whitlock," I said to the lady in the office. "Chief Swan's son."

"Whitlock?" she questioned me.

"Mother's maiden name," I answered simply. I wasn't sure why I had Renee's name, but in the end it didn't really matter.

"Oh, of course," she said, grabbing everything I needed and explaining it all to me.

I took it all in and headed for my first class. No one bothered me and I liked that, but the moment class ended and I stepped out of the classroom I was approached by a girl with brown hair. I didn't want to get sucked into whatever she was trying to sell me, but I stopped anyway.

"You're Jasper Swan right?" she asked.

"Whitlock actually," I answered and she frowned before shaking it off.

"Okay then, Jasper Whitlock. I'm Jessica Stanley. What's your next class, maybe I can walk with you?"

I looked at my schedule and noticed that it was just down the hall and decided it was better to nip this in the bud right now.

"Thanks for the offer, darlin', but I've got this covered."

She blushed at my use of the word darlin', but it didn't matter. I had used it to describe my last girlfriend and she was anything but, so now it held no meaning, it was actually more of an insult, but Jessica didn't know this. She let out a set of giggles and then left me. I was thankful she was gone.

I walked into my next class, I was early and Jessica was already there; so much for avoiding her. She waved me over and I took the seat next to her. She was very excitable and I had to admit that it was refreshing to witness.

"So, this is a lot different from Texas, huh?" she asked.

"Sure is."

"Does it rain there?" she asked next.

"Yes, mainly during the winter and spring."

"Oh."

Did she really think it was sunny all year round?

Thankfully the teacher came in and I didn't have to answer any more of her pointless questions.

Class passed and Jessica kept on looking at me. It was unneeded. Unfortunately for me we had the next class together as well. This was turning out to be hell. Jessica wasn't that bad, but I didn't need another woman in my life, not after just getting rid of Maria.

Lunch, finally, but I still couldn't shake Jessica. She walked me to the cafeteria and we grabbed our food before sitting down at the same table. It was not ideal, but it was unavoidable. The table was full of her friends and I was introduced to them all. They weren't my usual crowd at all, but maybe that was a good thing. I was polite, but I tried to focus on my food and not everyone staring at me.

"He's so tan," Lauren said, but I didn't even bother to look up.

"I know," Jessica replied.

I could feel someone looking at me, eye drilling into my back. I looked up and glanced around the cafeteria. My eyes landed on a table in the corner and I frowned. There were five teenagers sitting at the table and they did not look like high school students at all. They looked at least twenty if not older. What was this, 21 Jump Street? I kept looking at them, trying to figure them out. The girl with short brown hair looked up and met my eyes, smiling at me. I frowned again.

"Oh," Angela said. "I guess you all owe me five bucks because Jasper's already noticed them."

What? I turned away from the strange teenagers and focused back on my table to see everyone giving Angela five dollars.

"Sorry," Angela said to me, "but we're starved for entertainment here."

"Who are they?" I asked when no one offered an explanation.

"The Cullens," Mike said. "Dr. Cullen adopted them all. The blonde girl and the dark haired guy, that's Rosalie and Emmett, and they're together." I saw Jessica shudder at the thought, but if they were adopted then it hardly mattered. "The one with the weird colored hair is Edward. The short haired girl, that's Alice. And the last one, that's Isabella."

Well that was overly descriptive, not.

"Bella?" I questioned and I don't know why. I had felt something when she was mentioned, it almost felt like something was pushing me in the back and then frustration, I shook it off.

"Oh, no, no, no," Eric said quickly. "Her name is Isabella and you better remember that. Mike tried to call her Bella and she got this murderous look on her eye. We all thought she was going to kill him."

"It was not that dramatic," Mike said, clearly embarrassed.

"He peed himself a little," Angela said and Mike glared at her.

I laughed at that lovely visual. I turned to look at Bella. If she was fierce enough to make Mike piss himself then she must be something special. Bella didn't look up at me, so I decided to roll the dice and try my luck. That was me after all, always trying to get a reaction from people.

"Which one's Bella?" I asked, using her nickname and not her full name.

I kept my gaze on Bella and she looked up at me, she sure did look pissed off. I held her gaze and her face intensified, her eyes hardened. I could sense the fear and panic around me, but I didn't allow it to affect me. I just kept on staring at Bella, daring her to do something, anything, but nothing happened.

I don't know if it was because of me and my actions, but they all stood up as a group and left the table. I watched Bella go and even when she was outside the cafeteria she turned to glare at me. I smiled. I was clearly stronger than Mike because I didn't piss myself. The big guy, Emmett, somehow got left behind and he came walking past our table. I admired him, he was very well-built and I immediately wondered if he could give me some tips on bulking up. He stopped by our table and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Watch what you're doing," he warned me, "there's a reason you don't pull the pin out of the grenade without holding the lever down… It goes boom."

I don't see why he needed to add the last part, but he did anyway. I wasn't worried. I always played with fire and I usually got burned. I know I said I was going to change this time around, but why should I? I was wiser now, I could surely handle this. Emmett stood back up and smiled at everyone before leaving the table. He sure did have a dazzling smile.

"Oh my god," Jessica said. "What did he say to you?"

I cocked my eyebrow at her, why was that even important?

"The Cullens don't talk to anyone, only each other," Angela informed me.

That was so strange. Something was definitely going on here and I was going to figure it out. I kept my mouth shut, I didn't owe these people anything.

Lunch ended and so did my next class. My last class of the day was Gym and according to Mike we were playing basketball whilst the girls played volleyball. I got changed into my gym clothes; long sweat pants, a long sleeve grey shirt, and a blue basketball singlet. The moment I stepped into the gym I noticed Bella was here. She was dressed in short blue shorts and a tight grey t-shirt. She looked fucking hot.

"Hey," Mike said, throwing the ball at my back. "Get a room," he said and Bella looked up at me. I smirked at her. "Dude," Mike said, grabbing another ball and attempting to throw it at me.

I turned just in time to catch it and he look surprised. I wasn't slow, I was quick, and I was good at sports. I quickly formulated a plan to play well today to show off in front of Bella. I would show her just how good I could be, how quick. She would be powerless to resist me.

"Dude, stop staring at her," Mike said. "She is way out of your league. She's out of everyone's league. I heard Edward tried to get her and he's basically on the same level as her, but do you know what? She turned him down. She's an ice princess or something."

I ignored Mike's comments and just kept on staring at Bella as she stared back at me.

Class started and I got distracted. We started playing and I was so into the game, dominating everyone, and I didn't even feel a little bit sorry for it. I kept on glancing at Bella to see if she was watching me, but she was focused on her game of volleyball, but I did note that she sucked at it. I had the ball and was about to do a layup when I heard everyone's gasps. I turned just in time to see Bella whack the volleyball unsuccessfully and it came hurtling towards me. She was smirking, so I knew she did it on purpose. I had enough time to deflect it, but I didn't even bother. I would make her pay for trying to hit me.

I reacted by lifting my arms, so that everyone didn't think I just took the hit, but I did it slowly. The ball hit me in the face, right on the nose. It stung and my nose started bleeding, but I didn't even react. Pain was the one thing I was used to and I wanted Bella to know this. I looked at her and she seemed impressed, but also confused. The blood from my nose began dripping and Bella's face scrunched up in disgust. What was her problem? Everyone surrounded me, but I kept my gaze on Bella and watched as she used the commotion to escape unseen, but I had seen her.

I smiled. I think I won that round.