CHAPTER THREE – PARTY CRASHERS

BELLA POV

I pulled up outside the Cullen's house. I'm guessing by the excessive white ribbons and fairy lights tied around the porch that Alice had gone to a lot of trouble. I could hear loud music from coming from inside so I guess the party had already started. I knew exactly what I came here to do but how could do it with a house full of people. I parked up behind a shiny new silver Lexus, from that I mean Alice's graduation present. I climbed out my rusty old truck and headed up the porch. Before i could open the door Alice was already opening it for me.

"Bella!" she squealed pulling me into a hug.

"Hey Alice"

"Your late" she scolded me "And what are those?" she pointed at my shoes.

"Alice its 7.30 and these are shoes"

"Those are hideous take them off or you're not coming in"

I didn't have time for this I had more important things to worry about then shoes.

"Fine ill party on the porch"

"Edward was right you're so stubborn" she smirked.

Just hearing her speak his name sent shivers down my spine. Her smirk disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

"Sorry" she whispered dropping her head.

Why was she apologizing for she had every right to talk about him regardless if she was thinking about my feelings.

"Alice, don't apologize I'm fine, now are you going to let me in or what?"

She lifted her head up and smiled, with that we went inside.

Being back in his house was strange every time I set foot in here it made me feel uncomfortable. I have never been in his room or the music room since the accident in fact I have only set foot in this house three times since and that was because Emmett's movie nights he planned for all of us. All the downstairs rooms were covered in white ribbons and fairy lights. There was a DJ with decks that occupied the far corner of the living room. The living room was crowded with students talking and drinking out of red paper cups.

"Come on let's dance" Alice pulled my arm.

"No, you carry on I'm going to get a drink first" I tried to say over the loud music.

"What?"

I gestured with my hand for her to go into the living room then another gesture of having a drink with my other hand. She nodded and disappeared through the crowd of people as I walked towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was more crowded, the kitchen sides and dining table was covered with mountains of food. I scanned the faces of everyone in the room but the person I was looking for was not in here.

"Hey Isabella" Mike waved at the other side of the room.

Great I huffed to myself. I watched as he squeezed past everybody and came to halt in front of me.

"Hey Mike"

"Great party huh?"

"Yeah great, listen have you seen Jasper"

"Huh?"

"Jasper"

"Jasperrrrr" he said extending the letter R.

"Jasper Cullen, Mike you're in his house"

Honestly Mike got into Harvard I smirked to myself.

"Oh um, I don't know he might be outside"

"Thanks" I said rolling my eyes.

I walked back outside the kitchen and down the hall to the glass doors. I slid them open and descended the steps between the basket ball court. A sea of people occupied the swimming pool that decorated with more fairy lights and Chinese lanterns. I was surprised at how many people were here considering there weren't even this many people in our graduating year.

"Bella!"

I scanned around the pool for the culprit who called me.

"Bella over here"

My eyes fell onto Rose who was standing by the pool house talking to a few girls who was in her maths class. I walked around the side of the pool looking out for anybody who thought it would be a good idea to push me in.

"Hey, don't bother" I put my hands up in protest as Rose went to hug me.

I wouldn't have minded but she was in her bikini and dripping wet.

"This party's off the hook" she beamed.

"Yeah, um do you know where the other guys are?"

I didn't want to ask her flat out where Jasper was because I knew she would want every detail as to why I wanted to speak to him.

"Alice is inside, Jasper's at the store to get more booze and Emmett is ..."

Just then Emmett appeared from behind her and picked her up in his arms. She screamed as he threw her in the pool.

"Ha ha" Emmett roared with laughed.

"Emmett you idiot" Rose scolded him.

"Hey sis, you getting in" he grinning

"No, I'm good thanks"

"Ah come on sis, pretty please" he said fluttering his eye lids.

I couldn't help but smile at his child like qualities.

"Maybe later, I'm going to mingle first"

"Ok" he said taking a step back.

"INCOMING" He shouted before jumping into a cannon ball in the pool.

I walked back around the pool and started to ascend the steps to the house.

"I heard he jumped off a cliff"

I stopped as I overheard the conversation Lauren and Jessica were having at the side of the basket ball court.

"I bet he was pushed" Lauren laughed.

"What do you mean?" Jessica chuckled back

"Come on let's face it Edward was so out of Bella's league, he probably went out with her for a laugh and she took it seriously then when he dumped her she couldn't stand seeing him with anybody else so she killed him"

"You're so deluded do you really think Isabella couldn't have killed him?"

"Maybe or it could have been his farther"

"Carlisle, no way" Jessica scoffed.

"Picture it, his dad is a doctor he could have being giving Edward free prescriptions and he became a drug addict and commit suicide" Lauren laughed.

"Yep so deluded" Jessica laughed with her.

"I'm not deluded all the Cullen's are freaks, hot freaks but still freaks anything could have happened to him"

I gripped the railing for support as I tried to swallow the huge lump in my throat. How can they speak so horribly about him? Did they have no feelings, remorse or conscience?

"It's a shame really" Lauren continued.

"What is?"

"Of all the people's life to be cut short it had to be Edward's I mean come on he was like, so fine. We could have had beautiful children together" She laughed.

"Stop Lauren your killing me" Jessica laughed harder.

Rage filtered through me and before I could comprehend what was happening I was already walking back down the steps towards them.

"Hey Bella" Lauren smiled.

Before I could stop myself my fist connected with her face. She flew backwards onto the court and went crashing to the floor causing her drink to spill all over her.

"What the hell Bella!" Lauren shouted cupping her face.

"Say something else, WELL, COME ON!" I shouted standing over her.

He paused and looked back and forth between me and Jessica.

"Not such a loud mouth now are you!" I spat.

"Bella!"

I didn't even look around to know it was Rose and Emmett that had called me at the same time.

"What going on?" Emmett growled coming up behind me.

"She just punched me for no reason" Lauren hyped up.

Without thinking I dropped down on top of her, I pulled my fist back but a strong pair of arms stopped me and pulled me up.

"LET GO OF ME!" I shouted.

"Emmett take her inside" Rose ordered.

I fort against his grip but he was too strong, the crowds of people parted giving Emmett room to manoeuvre me through the house. He held me tightly with his one arm as he opened the front door with his free hand.

"Let me go Emmett I'm fine" I ordered.

He let me go then closed the front door behind us.

"What was that back there?"

I sat on the porch steps and held my head in my hands to wait for the adrenaline to subside.

"Bella" He said sitting down next to me.

"She was just being Lauren with her big mouth as usual"

"Look whatever she said it's not true"

Emmett wasn't the type to hit a woman but I still wasn't going to tell him what was said because he would have annihilated everybody at the party if he was to find out somebody was talking trash about his family.

"Your right, she just upset me that's all, I'm alright now"

"Good because I don't like anybody upsetting my sis" he grinned putting his arm around me.

"Thanks Em"

"I mean it Swan I'm here for you anytime, anywhere"

"Thanks"

"Well you said you were coming in the pool later and guess what it's later so come on" he said standing up.

"In a minute, you go ill catch up"

"Alright" He turned and walked back into the house.

"Oh and Bella"

"Yeah" I turned around to see him half hanging out the door.

"That punch was awesome" He grinned.

"Thanks" I laughed.

He went back inside as I sat there gathering my thoughts. I didn't know what made me act so aggressive towards Lauren. I have never had a fight in my life and I wasn't the sort of person to go looking for one. Maybe it was her assumptions as to what had happened to him that got me so mad or maybe it was because for the first time in my life I felt the sharp pain of jealousy because she actually considered herself worthy of him. Whatever the reason was I didn't care and I didn't care if I was in the wrong, because it felt good.

My eyes squinted as a set of headlights flashed in front of me. I noticed the BMW straight away as it parked up behind my truck. Thinking back to what Rose said earlier Jasper went to the store for booze, I quickly scanned around to see if we were alone and I thanked God that were. I waited for him to step out but instead he sat there for a moment. I couldn't see through the tinted windows but all I could make out was a light that must have come from a phone.

I stood up and descended the porch steps whilst crossing my arms. I waited a bit longer then he finally got out.

"Hi" he smiled walking over to me.

I couldn't help but notice his was empty handed.

"I thought you went to the store?"

"Yeah I did"

Jasper always had a way with words but for some reason I had a feeling he was lying.

"So where's the booze?" I questioned him.

He immediately caught on to what I was thinking and shook his head.

"I forgot my wallet"

"Oh, ok well go and get it and ill come with you"

"Nah, it's ok Alice rang and said we didn't need any after all" He informed me

That would explain the phone light from the car but still I had my doubts.

"Are you coming in?" he said jogging past me up the porch.

"Jasper wait" before I could finish he was already inside.

He was lying to me I could feel it in my gut but why? I knew I wasn't over reacting because this wasn't the first time this has happened. Jasper used to be so relaxed, laid back and carefree but over these last few months I have watched him change into a machine. He rarely spends anytime with us by that I mean me, Alice, Rose and Emmett and when he does spend time with us it's only for short period of time before dashes off somewhere else. On top of him becoming really secretive I get the feeling that he has being avoiding me.

Putting all my evaluations together I didn't know which one of my assumptions was worst. Either he was cheating on Alice or he was hiding something from me about his brother. I hated the idea of the former but I was petrified about the latter.

What if Edward was dead but Jasper was tiring to wait for the right moment to tell everybody? What if he is alive and he told Jasper he doesn't want anything to do with me? If Jasper knows then Emmett must know? Does everybody know before me? That was it I couldn't take all these question anymore I had to have an answer. I ascended the steps and through the front door.

I spotted Alice straight away talking to the DJ on the podium. I squeezed through the crowd of people until I got to her.

"Alice" I shouted through the music.

"Bella, this party's ..."

"Yeah it great, have you seem Jasper?" I interrupted her.

"I sent him to the store, we need more booze" she informed me.

That's funny considering she told him not to bother.

"Ok"

I squeezed past more people until I got to the kitchen again. Jasper was hovering over the table grabbing a plate of food. If he wanted to play games then I should be a good sport and join in.

"Alice is puking upstairs she needs your help" I informed him.

"Where is she" he growled.

"Your room"

Without a word he dropped his plate and shoved past everybody rushing towards the stairs. I followed closely behind him as we ascended the first flight of stairs. He rushed into bedroom and into his on-suite. I closed his door behind as he came stalking back out the bathroom.

"Where is she?" He snarled.

"She downstairs and she's fine"

He relaxed a little but confusion washed across his face.

"Then why the big charade"

Having witness his response after telling him that Alice needed him I began to doubt my first assumption. Jasper loved Alice with all his heart and I was stupid into thinking that he could possible cheat on her so that left me with my last assumption, the one I feared.

"I'm going to ask you one question and if you are my friend then you will tell me the truth. I have been through enough to last a lifetime and I can't carry on like this anymore. I need answers and I know you have them. So please just help me"

"Bella"

"Jasper please, just tell me, is he dead?"

"Bella I don't .."

"Please" my voice was no more than a whisper.

His voice was stern and his face gave nothing away. The tears began to flow as I slowly fell to my knees. I have never begged before in my life but I guess there is a first thing for everything.

"Please Jasper" I pleaded.

"No"

"Why not!" I shouted.

He didn't answer me instead he looked away from me and stood there with his arms folded.

"Jasper I am on my knees begging you, why won't you just answer my question?"

He stood frozen like a statue the only thing that moved next was his lips.

"I just did"