Hey! I'm Alexis. Thanks for reading. This is Little Too Late. enjoy!
Point of View: Jasper.
"Jasper, you're sure about this? It's a big move, ya know." My bestfriend Bella was so naive, not understanding the severity of my wretched homelife.
I didn't have to think twice. "Positive. My strung out mom can manage on her own." Just the other day, my mother hit me for the first time. Tweaked out on a mix of pills, I doubt she knew what she was doing. But, for me, it was the last straw. I decided that night I was gone.
Luckily, my cousins shared a house on the other side of Forks. If I moved in with them, I could stay at the local high school.
Bella packed the last box into the bed of my sturdy blue truck, with a sigh of relief. She took the liberty of getting in the driver's seat, not even asking, because, let's face it; I can't say no to Bella. Bestfriends since seventh grade, she was my partner in crime, my other half, the ying to my fucking yang. I tossed over the keys, and we pulled out of the steep driveway, not looking back.
Forks is a small town, so the drive was only about fifteen minutes away. I held onto the door handle the whole way, as Bella drove a good 20 miles over the limit.
"I'm excited to meet your cousins. I still can't believe you never introduced me."
"Eh, I love 'em to death, but you don't want to get mixed up with them. They're pretty shady guys. Take a right here," I instructed, and we turned into a quiet little neighborhood, with houses that all looked the same. Most one story, some two, with white and beige walls. Variety was a rare thing in this town. I scanned the mailboxes for the right address, finding it on the very end of the road. "You can leave the boxes for a while. I'll get the guys to help me out later."
We approached the front door and rang the bell, both laughing at the feminine ring that echoed through the house.
In a matter of seconds, the door swung open, and before I knew it, I was engaged in a giant hug. I was almost lifted off the ground. "BROOOO," said a deep, bellow of a voice.
"Hey, Emmett. I really appreciate you letting me crash here, man."
The big doof smiled and gave me a nod. "It's nothing." He looked over in Bella's direction. "Ohhh, hello. Jasper, I didn't know you we're bringing company."
Something about the way he looked at her got to me a bit. Maybe I was just being overprotective.
"Right, right. This is my friend Bella. Bella, this is my oldest cousin, Emmett."
"I believe you mean favorite cousin. And don't make me feel old. I'm only nineteen," he laughed.
"So where is Edward?" I asked, trying to get his attention off of her.
Emmett didn't move his eyes as he spoke. "Uh, I think he's at the store. His shift lasts 'til seven. Can I interest you two in some lemonade?"
Edward was 17, and had a job at the grocery store down the road.
Bella perked up at the prospect of sugar. "Lemonade sounds great, actually." That girl has the biggest sweet tooth I have ever seen.
We both followed Emmett into the kitchen, where he poured two plastic cups to the brim with lemonade.
"Here you go, sweetie."
My head snapped in his direction. Did he just call my Bella sweetie? And more importantly, did I just think of her as my Bella? What is up with me today?
"Thanks," Bella said with a smile.
"We better start unpacking, Bella," I suggested.
We went out to the truck, and Emmett followed. He stopped at the porch and pulled out a cigarette. Emmett was a complete chimney, smoking sometimes a pack a day.
Bella was trying to carry two boxes at one time, against my advice. I grabbed a heavy box and my bookbag, when I heard a noise.
My head immediately snapped over to where it came from.
sound made me sick. A groan of pain mixed with a shriek. I ran towards her, but Emmett was already there.
Clothes were astray all over the driveway, and blood was dripping from both of Bella's knees.
"BELLA, are you alright?" I asked in a panic. It looked like she had fallen over her own feet again.
"I'm fine. It just stings," she said in a soft whine. I couldn't stand seeing her hurt.
Even worse, Emmett scooped her up and began to carry her to the house. Once we were all in, Emmett got a small first aid kit from the cabinet and I sat next to Bella, rubbing her back.
Emmett came back with a roll of bandage, and gently rolled it around her knee. "Looks like you'll be fine, little lady," he said, and smiled up at her.
I didn't like this one bit.
I pulled her up into my lap. See this, Emmett? She's mine. MY best friend. Step off.
"Can Bella sleep over here tonight, Em?" Her dad's was going to be out in La Push for the night, and I don't want her at the house alone.
"Yeah, she's welcome to my bed."
I gave him the roughest glare I could, and flipped him the double bird.
"Jasper, chill. It's a fucking joke, man."
Bella laughed along with him, but I didn't see the humor.
"Anyway, I gotta pick up Edward from work. Jasper, you coming?" Emmett asked.
"Sure. Bella, are you okay here for a few minutes?"
Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl, Jas. I'll be just fine."
I hopped in the passenger seat of Emmett's Civic, not a car I would have put with the big old beast.
"Sorry about the joke, man. Didn't realize you were hitting that. Niiiice, by the way."
I laughed. "It's not that. I'm not into her like that. She's my best friend."
"WHAT THE FUCK. Are you kidding me right now?" Emmett said, outraged. "How are you not with that? I mean, have you seen her? Shit, if I spent all day around her in her little shorty shorts and v-necks, I'd go crazy with blue balls. How do you do that?"
"I mean, yeah, she's pretty and all..."
"She's fucking smokin'", Emmett chimed in.
"but I just love her like a best friend. She's wild, though. I try to keep her away from jerks, but you know, she's really hard headed."
Emmett got a wide grin. "How wild are we talking here?"
"Emmett, I want you to stay the hell away from her. You hear me? She's only sixteen," I warned him.
"Damn, that's illegal. Oh, wait. I DON'T CARE," he yelled, laughing.
"I care. Don't touch her."
"So, how wild is she, exactly?" Emmett asked, the smile returning to his face.
"She's a party girl. She just messes around with the wrong guys, and too many of them."
"Jasper, you sound like her dad, man."
I had to laugh at the thought of me being like Charlie. "Nah, I just watch out for her. So, what have you been up to lately?"
Emmett smiled. "Well, me and Rosalie are over, so the past couple of months have been gettin' high and gettin' with girls, ya digg?"
"Emmett, you're white."
"Whatever man, here's Publix."
Pulling into the parking lot with a sharp turn, Emmett's driving was almost as wild as Bella's.
Edward was already on the curb, apron in hand, finishing up a Newport.
"Put that shit out, and get in the damn car!" Emmett bellowed out the window.
Edward laughed, stomped it out, and got in the backseat. "Hey Jasper, long time no see."
"Edward, guess what?" Emmett asked. "Jasper brought a little friend with him to stay the night. I'm tellin' you man, this chick is fucking hot. She goes to your school."
"What's her name?" Edward asked.
"Bella Swan, she's a sophomore." I answered.
Edward laughed. "Robbing the crable, huh, Emmett?"
"She's so worth it. You'll see what I'm talking about. But according to Jasper, I can't touch her."
I smiled. "That goes for both of you."
When we got in the house, Bella was lounging out on the couch, in a black camisole, tiny little boxers, and a pair of black fuzzy boots. Her hair was tied up in a neat ponytail. She got up immediantly to hug me. "I took your car over to my house to get a few things. I told my dad I was staying at Alice Brandon's house. She lives in this neighborhood, you know."
Bella was always trying to hook me up with Alice. Sure, she was hot. There was no chemistry there, though.
"holy shit." I heard Edward mumble under his breath. I couldn't blame him. Even I had to admit that Bella looked...well, hot. When she got up for a drink, there were three pairs of eyes following her ass, which was so close to being visible out of those silky shorts. I shook my head. I shouldn't be thinking about my best friend like that. And neither should my cousins. But, damn was it hard to look away.
"Emmmmett," Bella coo'd. "Do you have any candy?"
Emmett laughed, unsure if she was serious. "Uh, yeah, there shoud be some cotton candy in that drawer."
"Score!" Bella ran for the drawer, opening it at lightning speed. She took out the bag, and helped herself to a handful. It was enticing to watch her suck the sticky off her fingers. I felt a tingling in the crotch, that felt amazing.
"Anyone want some food? I'm starving." Emmett said. That was no surprise.
"Nah, I think me and Bella are gonna unpack. Which room am I in?" I asked.
"Third door on the right."
The room was nice. Bigger than I had expected, it was a dark navy color, the floors a dirty mangled beige room had obviously been out of use for a while. I dumped the boxes in the corner for now, and lounged out on the bed. Bella came and snuggled against me. When she ran her fingers through my hair, I groaned in pleasure. She knew me, everything about me. What called me down, what excited me, and what I couldn't stand.
"Bella, I hope you know that I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. I insist you get the bed, alright?"
She shook her head and laughed. "If you insist. Well, I'm actually pretty tired. I'll see you in the morning."
Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and planted a big smooch on my cheek. My gaze flits to her eyes. Those deep chocolate eyes.
I murmed a sentence under my breath.
"Goodnight, my Bella."