~o~

He met Jasper one day after school. Emmett insisted the new kid in town would be perfect for their small gang so Edward agreed to meet him. They'd met in a field two miles from town, near a forest where there was an old cabin and bridge. Emmett had decided that Jasper's initiation would be to cross the bridge and even though he'd known it was a bad idea, he had agreed.

Jasper had made it across but on his way back, his foot went through one of the boards. He'd scrambled, his large ears turning red with surprise and fear as he began to run across the bridge, the rotted boards giving out beneath his feet, and the other's had shouted that he needed to hurry.

He'd been three feet from where they stood when the rope holding the bridge up gave way. Edward had lunged forward, grabbing Jasper's hand just as he began to fall and Emmett had shouted, grabbing Edward's jeans, yelling at the others to pull them up.

Jasper had been trembling and Edward had laughed, even as his heart slammed into his ribs, saying, "Shit, you got some balls, man..." as the others laughed along with him. That was when Edward began to realize that he could have any one of these boys die for him with a look.

He didn't know if he wanted that kind of power.

He found himself in charge of the lives of these boys and he wasn't sure if he felt okay with that. After all, he was a kid himself but these kids, these children like him would look at him with awe and hero worship in their eyes, especially Jasper. He didn't know if he could walk away from that.

He didn't know if he was strong enough.

~o~