EPOV

As we make our way to the car, I am fuming. I had no intentions of getting involved in any drama this evening. All I had wanted to do was sit, relax and drink a few beers. That was the plan. But NO….now we are headed back to our apartment, which is the last place I wanted to be tonight. Mike Newton had to go and get all shit-faced and stupid and all touchy feely. I would probably have enjoyed watching the burly dude take a crack at the jackass with his bat. Would've served him right.

"Hey…I'm sorry, man," Mike whined, "she was cute and she was just a smilin' at me…" Mike continued to slur and mumble, as if he was trying to validate his behavior or something. Eric Yorkie, also three sheets in the wind, stumbled behind Mike, like the blind leading the blind. I quickly walked to the car, fighting the urge to punch both of them in the face. Jasper, also observing Mike's stupidity, simply shook his head and unlocked the car doors.

"Did y'all see the ass on that girl? Oh my God! She was…", Mike garbled. I rolled my eyes and clinched my fists.

"Shut up, Newton" Jasper said calmly. His face looked like it was made of stone.

Mike's eyes tried to focus on Jasper. "Huh? Did ya say something, Whitlock?" Mike asked, squaring off his shoulders.

I nearly laughed out loud. Mike thinking he stood a chance against Jasper. That was comical. Physically, Jasper is tall and thin, kind of lanky. He is usually really mellow, quiet and down-to-earth. He is just the kind of person you don't piss off because, well, you never know what he is really capable of. Mike, however, is about to push Jasper to his limits.

"I said," Jasper repeated, louder this time, "you need to SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP."

Mike looked dazed for a second and, for the first time this evening, used his better judgment. He just quit talking. Finally.

As we climb into the car, Jasper turns to face Mike and Eric. "Just so you know, if either of you puke in my car, I'm going to stuff a boot up your ass. Got it?" There was no comment made. They both knew that Jasper meant business when it came to his BMW.

I chuckled. Jasper's head whipped in my direction, his eyes narrowing. "What's so funny, Cullen?" He demanded. "Nothing, man. Not a thing." I replied, trying to keep a straight face. The idea of Jasper kicking the shit out of Mike or Eric had great appeal to me at the moment. I found this to be quite hysterical. However, I did manage to maintain my composure.

The drive home was fairly peaceful, given the intoxicated state of the back seat passengers. Thankfully, no one got sick and no more drama took place. When Jasper pulled up at Eric's apartment, Mike and Eric staggered out of the car onto the sidewalk.

"Tonight was the last night I will ever go anywhere with either of you," Jasper said to them. "You both need to grow the hell up. We aren't in high school anymore. Damn!"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. Eric swayed as he tried to turn toward the apartment. With that, Jasper gunned it and we were finally on our way home.

"Man, why do some guys have to act that way?" Jasper asked. "I mean, did Mike really think he was going to get somewhere with that girl acting the way he was?" Jasper gripped the steering wheel as we sped down the street.

I leaned against the seat of the car, thinking about the incident that caused us to get booted out of the bar. "I think he scared her pretty bad, though I don't know why. All he did was grab her ass", I answered, absentmindedly.

Jasper's nostrils flared. "He had no right to touch her at ALL", he hissed through clenched teeth. "She was our waitress, not some plaything for Mike." By the tone of his voice, I could tell that I had struck a nerve with him.

Turning to face him, I asked, "Why are you getting so damn defensive? You know her or something?"

Jasper didn't bother looking at me. He kept his focus on the road. I ran my hand through my hair, thinking of what I was going to say next.

"Did you see the look on her face? She was TERRIFIED!" He spat.

From I had seen from my poor vantage point at the table, it seemed like she was going to lose her shit right then and there. I figured she was going to haul off and knock Mike out, but I wasn't expecting her to be afraid of him.

"I noticed that she freaked out," I replied. "She probably would've slugged ol' dickhead in the face if the big guy would not have intervened."

Jasper was still pissed, I could tell by the way he continued speeding down the small streets. I had no idea why he was so damned mad, but I wanted to know. He really seemed genuinely concerned for this girl.

"Say," I started, "you know her or something? An ex-girlfriend maybe?"

As we turned into the parking lot, Jasper was shaking his head. "I don't know her… personally," he answered slowly. "I just know that look. You know….the one she wore after Mike molested her. I know THAT look." I had no idea where he was going with this, so I waited patiently for more information from him.

He continued, "I've seen that look before, Edward. I have seen it in my sister's eyes." My mouth fell open. And, something just clicked. I instantly regretted my comments from earlier in our conversation.

When I met Jasper three years ago, we were just seniors in high school. Shortly after we met, his sister, Rosalie, was attacked in her dorm while away at college. Jasper was sickened when he learned of the horrible, despicable things that were done to Rosalie. She became a shell of her former self. She did, however, return to school once Jasper graduated high school. They shared an apartment up until she graduated last year. Jasper was very sensitive to Rosalie's feelings. The nights we got together with the guys for poker or football games were never at Jasper's place. He didn't want drunken morons around his sister because she was fragile. Just like that girl at the bar tonight.

Once he had parked in his usual spot, Jasper turned the car off. I could feel the tension and, realizing my obliviousness to the situation earlier, I needed to clear the air.

"Do you really think that's why the waitress acted that way?" I asked solemnly.

Jasper sighed, "Yes, I really do. I also think that is why the big dude reacted so quickly. He was over there on Mike in, like, a nanosecond. He was protecting her like I would protect Rosalie."

While he spoke, I recalled the speed in which everything happened. Jasper was right. It was as if the big guy had been carefully watching her, to protect her if he needed to. When he saw what Mike was doing, he'd handled that shit. Immediately.

As we got out of the car, Jasper turned to me. "I think I am going to go apologize to the waitress tomorrow," he stated. "I don't want her to think that I am anything like that dumb ass Newton."

"Well, I guess we'll both be going over there to see her. I really feel shitty for not having knocked Mike out right then and there," I replied. "Just hope the big guy will let us in the bar."