Jumper

A/N: Thanks to all my reviews, they made (and are making me) giddy, excited, and all smiley lol. And a big thanks to you whoever you are for sticking around for the latest installment of Jumper. --Enjoy--

"Need a hand?"

I opened my mouth several times, only to find breath coming out of it. She just laughed at me-I swear that laugh was enough to disarm Freddy Krueger, Jason, Chucky and then some- and grabbed my hand and hauled me up. Now I found myself not only talking to her, but having her hand on mine, it was almost too much for me, and I felt my knees go a little weak. I finally worked up enough courage to raise my eyes from our hands (still entwined) and meet her own eyes. She was wearing a small smile, and my head began to swim as her perfume invaded my senses, flooding my system. Whether or not I meant to, I felt a large grin appear on my face as the smell registered; Lilacs. She laughed again and let my hand go as she stepped back, surveying me as I stared at a rather interesting crack in the sidewalk next to her feet. Her voice startled me once again.

"I was just gonna play guitar, care to join me?"

The request didn't even register, but I felt my own head – now feeling freakishly large and heavy-move up and down as she smiled again, pleased. She jerked her head to her left, in the direction of her usual spot and I followed her mechanically in silence. When we finally arrived, she motioned for me to take a seat on the pitchers mound as she sat at my feet, taking her guitar from her back and placing it in her lap. She began to quietly strum the guitar, occasionally tuning, with her brow furrowed in thought.

"So, how longs it been since you've been watching me? A month in another couple days I think."

I didn't say anything, but I felt my cheek's catch on fire and I'm sure my cheeks looked like it too. She just laughed at me, and I felt time stop for a second or two, God, she was one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen... Her voice broke me out of my inward praising again.

"Don't worry about it, I thought it was pretty funny myself, in that creepy sorta stalkerish way y'know."

My mouth moved without my brain fully giving it's consent, and my insides screamed at me to stop before I really screwed things over, but when my mouths in gear, it takes more then common sense to stop it.

"I'm so sorry. I mean, I really didn't mean to be all stalkerish, it's just that you know, your a really good guitar player and all and-"

All coherent (or not so coherent) thought and talking stopped as she put her hand on my knee, giving it a light squeeze, that I was assuming was meant to be as a sign of forgivness, and I heaved a relieved sigh.

"It's no problem really, and thank you, that's sweet that you think I'm good."

I only smiled at her as she returned her concentration to her guitar, trying to tune it again. Finally, my mind had worked out a reasonable strategy and conversation in my head that sounded pretty reasonable to me.

"So... how long have you been playing guitar?"

She looks up at me, and I almost fall into those eyes. She shrugs her shoulders as she returns to her guitar.

"Dunno, I've had a pick in my hand for as long as I can remember. My dad is a guitar fanatic you could say, so the house was full of em' all over the place. Y'know hanging on walls, leaning on stuff, I even remember finding one in the fridge one time."

She pauses for a second, smiling at the memory before continuing.

"But anyway, I got bored one day, so I just picked up the nearest guitar..."

She points to the one she's holding.

"And gave it a shot. I couldn't play jack for a long time, but I finally convinced my dad to give me some lessons, and here I am, sitting on the pitchers mound with a girl I've known for about ten minutes."

I blushed at the last part as she began to softly play, and automatically, my head snaps up, and I began to descend into the trance that always happens when she plays. Suddenly, she stops. I look at her confused, and she just grins at me.

"You any good at singing?"

"Me? No, no, nothing but shower singing for me." Did I just say that??

She laughs again and shakes her head.

"C'mon, I bet your pretty good, you seem like you have the right voice for it anyway."

I open my mouth to protest, but pause, as I try and think of what that means.

"The right voice for it?"

She looks up at me, another smile, and I almost faint right there.

"Yeah, you know, you have that nice soft voice, and when you talk, your in like the perfect pitch of C."

I frown at her, all of the words flying over my head, but I still smile and blush a little bit, from what little I could understand, it was a compliment.

"I have no idea what that means but..."

I look up and she's looking at me with pleading eyes, you know the kind of eyes that baby deer have when they get caught in the headlights and in that splitsecond before they get hit by the car, and I felt myself just kind of give away, and before I know it, I only smile and laugh at her face before agreeing.

"Ok fine, but if you get a head-ache from my voice, that's your fault not mine."

She only smiles at me as she turns back to her guitar.

"Sorry, but I don't think that's possible."

My grin only widens.

"So what do you have for me to sing?"

She pauses for a moment, in thought, before her face lights up.

"Ever heard of the Hush Sound?"

I nod, they were one of my favorite bands, I loved the lyrics and the piano.

"Echo?"

"Yeah sure."

She only smiles at me before placing her fingers on the guitar and strumming. The sound that comes from the acoustic sound just like that in the CD, and before long, I swallow the huge amount of nervousness in my throat and open my mouth to sing. I cringe at myself, but when I pause to tell her "I told you so", she just smiles and shakes her head at me.

"That was perfect, try it again, don't stop though."

I can only smile as she begins the intro again. This time, when I sing, I feel so much more comfortable, and before long, I'm staring at her, by accident as I sing. She feels my gaze and lifts it from the ground to lock stares with me, and I almost stop singing again when I see those eyes.

Echo, my voice is an echo,

Of places I don't know

And stories I've been told.

Echo, we all are connected,

A light house, a voyage,

For history's sake

Will you please take notice.

Ashley joins in on the last refrain on the song, and even as I sing, I am amazed by her voice. If I were to die and go to heaven while she sang, I'm sure the angels would be singing Echo exactly like she was right then.

Echo, my voice is an echo

Of places I don't know,

And stories I've been told.

Echo we all are connected,

A light house a voyage

For history's sake,

Would you please take notice.

We both stop on the same note, and I feel my face probably frozen in that smile that hasn't left my face. She only throws back her head and laughs.

"That was perfect, really it was, you have a great voice."

I can only blush at her and avert my eyes to the ground, afraid of cracking under that gaze.

"You were really good, you have a really pretty voice."

She only smiles.

"Care for another round of songs?"

I laugh too, and now that I look back, it was my first real laugh in a very very long time.

A/N: Short short, yes I know, but I think I might be able to turn out another chapter or two even, I've got tons of ideas spinning around in my head. Song credits: from chapter one...

Sympathy, Goo Goo Dolls

Jumper, Third Eye Blind

Chapter 2:

Echo, The Hush Sound

all great artists, I demmand that you buy their CD's right now!!