Jasper's POV

Body, body, body wanna feel my body,
Body, body, body gonna thrill my body,
Body, body, body don't cha stop my body,
Body, body, body it's so hot my body-

I groaned, rolling over and smacking the "Off" button.

"Fucking Cullen." I growled at his latest joke. Asshole loved to set my alarm to play homoerotic tunes. At least this was better than his Olivia Newton-John phase. I'd had "I Honestly Love You" stuck in my head for days. I stretched, yawning as I scratched just under my navel.

First day of senior year. Whoop-de-fuckin'-do. Another year of watching my best friend whore himself out while trying not to laugh. He was bound to catch something this year. I hoped it was crabs. I smirked at the thought. Oh please, Lord, let it be crabs.

I quickly dressed, giving little thought to the plain dark green t-shirt and khakis as I threw them on. I ruffled my hands through my hair before brushing my teeth. Taking the stairs two at a time, I saw Mom's latest note by the front door.

Jasper- came home for a few hours. Leaving for Baltimore. Be back in two weeks.

I sighed. And after those two weeks, she'd spend maybe a day at home before jetting off to another adventure. Sure, it was an advantage to have the house to myself pretty much all the time, and it was nice to have no one to answer to. Still, I found myself feeling lonely more often than not.

Slamming the door behind me, I waved to our gardener, who was knee-deep in flowers. I kick-started my bike, unable to restrain a satisfied smile as I heard it purr. Climbing on, I tore through the streets of Forks, only going the speed limit on the road right by the school. Chief Swan delighted in parking in a little alcove nearby on slow days, and I'd been pulled over numerous times. Luckily, he didn't have it out for me, so I rarely got a ticket. Edward, on the other hand, had a collection of tickets that the Chief would merrily write for him.

I pulled into the parking lot, carefully cutting the engine. I almost laughed out loud when I noticed who I'd parked next to. Rosalie. She and Alice were some of my closest friends. They were the only two girls in our circle that could hold a conversation, true. But more importantly, they'd never given it up to Edward, which infuriated him. The little part of me that always resented Edward's need to sleep with every attractive girl in the school was always pleased to see how frustrated it made him to be refused by two beautiful women.

I strolled to the front of the school, raising my eyebrows at the crowd. Huh. Unusual, to say the least. I recognized Rose and Alice standing near Edward, who had the weirdest look on his face. He looked like someone ran over his puppy for a moment, then like he'd hit the lottery the next. I followed the direction of his gaze, watching...

Damn.

So there was a new girl. That explained Edward's fascination. My eyes widened as I took the time to really look at her. Light hair, great body, but her face... She was gorgeous. And she was looking back at me. I started for a second, then cursed myself for my interest. She was new, which meant that Cullen had dibs. We never outright discussed things like this, but I'd seen the way Edward treated other guys who challenged him, like James. Plus, none of the girls at our school motivated me to want to rock the boat. Let Edward have his fun.

This girl was another story. She bit her plump lip, drawing my eyes to it. What was she doing, looking at me like that? I was no stranger to girls' eye-fucking me, but never when Edward was right next to me.

"What's going on?" I whispered. He ignored me.

"Jasper," she said my name in a soft, smooth voice, "We should catch up." She smiled, "Leave your hubby behind, though," she nodded her head towards Edward before winking.

As she turned to leave with James (no wonder Edward looked so pissed), her skirt fluttered slightly in the breeze, exposing the back of her smooth thighs. I almost choked.

"Edward, who the hell was that?" I asked.

He ignored me again, his eyes still on her retreating back. The entire school body seemed to be outside providing a commentary. Emmett was laughing so hard that I thought he would turn purple, and Alice and Rose were both sporting bright smiles. Irritated, I wondered what I'd missed. She knew my name. Who was that?

"Edward!" I exclaimed before he stormed off towards the parking lot. I gaped, open-mouthed. I'd never seen him like that.

Frustrated, I turned towards Alice. "Who is she?" I asked, pleading. She looked at me appraisingly before grinning.

"That, Mr. Hale, was Bella Swan." She raised her eyebrows up and down playfully before kissing me lightly on the cheek. She waved goodbye as she and Rose meandered into school. I stood still.

Bella Swan?

A frown took hold of my face as I remembered her. How could I not? I'd known her since I moved here in third grade. She was always quiet and shy, but very sweet. I never talked to her much, but I'd had a small crush on her. She was so genuine.

Then Edward moved to town. Suddenly, I went from barely speaking to Bella to not speaking to her at all. Edward entered Forks (and my life) like a tornado. We'd bonded over the same games, made each other laugh and become best friends almost instantly.

Edward had been so different from me- where I was quiet and reserved, he was gregarious and social. Even as a kid, he'd immediately charmed half of our elementary school. When he'd decided that we were going to be popular, I'd happily gone along for the ride. But I didn't approve of his treatment of Bella.

I winced, vividly remembering moments that I'd tried to repress. Bella crying after Lauren or Edward made a cruel joke. Bella scurrying around the halls, looking afraid to look up from her feet. Edward definitely outdid himself there. I'd never been brave enough to call him out on his cruelty. When I'd heard that she moved, I'd felt very guilty. Edward was remorseful, but not as much as I thought he should have been.

Now she was back.

"And hot. Very, very hot!" my brain reminded me.

She didn't seem upset to see me, but what was going on? Was she angry with me? Of course she'd be out to get Edward, but what did she think of me? I felt the urge to apologize. I'd always wanted to, and now I had the perfect chance. I took a step forward, determined to talk to Bella at some point today.

Bella's POV

High school in Forks did not disappoint. Apparently I was the new shiny plaything, because everyone (including teachers) was staring. Word had gone around that Chief Swan's daughter was back, and I could feel eyes burning into my all through my first class. I ignored them, flipping through the syllabus.

Read that, read that... read that one in sixth grade...

It looked like it would be a fairly easy year. I'd always gotten good grades in Phoenix without trying, so this year wasn't intimidating. The girl next to me kept trying to make tentative eye contact. When I looked at her, she flinched in surprise.

"What?" I asked, bluntly but not rude. She shivered a little.

"Are you really Bella Swan?" she asked, her voice quivering. I nodded, impatient.

"Oh," she hesitated, "My best friend said she used to know you-"

I interrupted her, "That friend wouldn't be named Lauren...?"

She smiled, "Yeah! Lauren Mallory."

I smiled back, "Did she say how she knew me?" The girl frowned, puzzled as she shook her head.

"No, she just said she knew you." Her voice was grating on my nerves.

I kept smiling, lulling the little lemming into a false sense of security, "Tell her to come and say hi."

She nodded eagerly, probably congratulating herself on getting into the new girl's good graces. As the bell rang I stood up, ignoring whatever else the girl wanted to say.

"My name's Jessica!" she called out.

I rolled my eyes and gave her a little wave as I continued to walk away. I smiled genuinely as I saw Rosalie's blond hair a few feet in front of me, by the lockers. I came up from behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned with a hostile expression on her face before grinning.

"Oh, Bells. It's you. I thought it was another weirdo. You wouldn't believe how many people have tried to ask me about you." She said, reaching to pull me into a quick hug, "How are you doing?"

"Good." I answered simply, looking from her to Emmett. He smiled exuberantly, dimples on his square-shaped face.

"Nice to meet you! I wanna thank you for embarrassing Cullen like that. It made my life." He held out a giant palm for a high five. I giggled before complying as Rose looked on proudly.

"So, what're you doing tonight, Rose?" I asked innocently. She gave me a look, but I continued. "I heard there's a new Thai place that just opened. You should go." I squinted at Emmett, who looked from me to her, confused. "Emmett, that was a hint for you to take her there. Pick her up at eight." He looked shocked for a second before nodding as he chuckled.

"I guess I'll see you then, Rosie." He smiled, squeezing her hand. She blushed furiously as he walked away.

She turned on me, aggravation and happiness both on her face. I can't believe I just saw her blush.

"I can't believe you just made him ask me out!" She whined, but the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. I shrugged.

"You're too intimidating. He probably would have taken at least a week to work up the nerve." I said, smirking. She groaned, covering her face in her hands before peeking at me through them.

"I kind of want to kill you and kiss you at the same time." She muttered, finally dropping her hands and smiling exuberantly.

I smiled back before scowling at the clock. I groaned, "I've got to go to Bio. See you at lunch." She waved, still in a state of shock. I was hoping for Biology to pass quickly, but my ears perked when I noticed Edward Cullen's name being called by the teacher. Cullen was in my class? Excellent.

I looked around casually, seeing that he wasn't there. Probably still brooding out there somewhere. The smack of a binder on the table next to me caused me to look up into familiar eyes.

"Hi," I smiled winningly, turning to face him. Jasper seemed hesitant, still standing by the chair next to mine.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" I shook my head, inwardly swooning at his accent. I'd forgotten that he had a slight Texan twang.

He sat down slowly, turning to face me in his chair. I subtly perused his body. He wasn't as tall as Cullen, but he still a good four inches on me. Lanky muscle peeked from under his fitted green shirt, and I had to force my eyes not to widen slightly. I raised my eyes to meet his, and he still looked a little upset.

"What?" I finally asked, feeling defensive. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally speaking.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, immediately looking down. I squinted slightly, confused. Jasper was sorry?

"For what?" I asked. He looked at me, irritated.

"You know what. I'm sorry for letting Edward do those bad things to you. I was a little chicken shit and I should have told him to back off. So, I'm sorry." He spoke quickly, like he'd been rehearsing. I smiled, feeling touched.

"It's okay." He looked at me like I was crazy.

I rolled my eyes, "What? I forgive you. Besides, you didn't do the damage yourself."

"Still-" he began. I rolled my eyes again, instinctively raising my hand to press it over his lips.

"Stop." I said sternly. "You are forgiven. Now stop being emo about it, and tell me how your life's been for the last few years. Okay?" He nodded slowly, his eyes searching mine.

With a start, I realized that my fingers were still touching his lips. Withdrawing my hand like it was on a hot burner, I looked towards the tiled floor, trying not to blush. How I found myself in these awkward situations, I'd never know. I looked up to find that he was still looking at me, amusement and something else in his eyes. I looked back, a small smile on my face.

"Your table mate will be your partner for the duration of the year-" The teacher droned on in a nasal tone. I eyed Jasper conspiratorially.

"You okay with that? Or are you gonna abandon me for Cullen?" I playfully puffed out my bottom lip in a mock-pout. He chuckled.

"No offense to Edward, but you're much nicer to look at everyday." He smiled as he said it, but I could hear the sincerity behind his words. I knew he was flirting, but it affected me more than I would've liked. I smiled.

"Then we're partners," he nodded, reaching to flip through the text book. I could see the corner of his lip still smiling slightly. I bit my lip before I followed suit, trying not to look at him.

***

Lunch was awkward at first, but very comfortable. I don't think I've laughed that hard since the Mike Newton incident. It started when I sat down between Rose and Alice, smiling at Jasper and Emmett as I sat down. James waved at me from across the cafeteria, beckoning me over. I pursed my lips and shook my head, before smirking. He laughed, mouthing "Tease" before going back to talking to his friends. Emmett grinned at me before quizzing Rose on what she was going to wear that night, but Jasper held my gaze with a soft smile that made my heartbeat increase slightly.

I looked away, down at the salad I'd just bought. Ugh, a side of Ranch. Gross. I set that aside as I stabbed a cucumber slice on my fork, casually listening to Alice reenact to a sweet-looking blond girl what Edward's face had looked like.

"Hey, Bella." A shrill, feminine voice was suddenly in my ear. Before turning around, I noticed Jasper looked very apprehensive and Rose looked furious. Emmett looked like he'd won the lottery, sitting back in anticipation of another show. I turned, meeting the cold blue eyes that I'd been expecting. She smiled patronizingly at me, "Jess said you wanted to talk to me. What?"

I bit my lip and looked down, trying to do my best impression of my old self. "I-I... well, Lauren, I was wondering if I could, um, maybe, hang out with you sometime?" My voice was small and shaking. She smirked as if she'd been expecting as much.

"Maybe. We'll see. I mean, you did clean up nice, but I'm not sure anyone can recover from looking so hideous-" I held up a hand to stop both Rose and Alice from bitching her out.

Allow me.

"Actually, Lauren." I began in my real voice, assured and calm, "I was kidding. You're still an ugly bitch, and I wouldn't want to associate with the likes of you." I popped the flimsy plastic cover of the ranch container before jolting it upwards. It flew, seemingly in slow motion, and splattered everywhere: in her hair, on her face, and on the front of her pink sweater.

She stood very still, her mouth open as the gooey white dressing dripped down her face and sweater. Narrowing her eyes and emitting an angry shriek, she stomped away to the bathroom, leaving flecks of salad dressing in her wake on the floor. My entire table broke out in laughter, especially Emmett.

"Bella, you're better than reality TV!" He wiped a tear from his eye. I laughed.

"I aim to please," I chuckled before going back to eating my salad.

"So if she got pelted with Ranch, what've you got for me? Italian?" I froze at the sound of the crooning voice behind me. I turned in my chair, my expression blank as I looked at him.

"I don't know, Edward. You tell me what you deserve."

The table fell silent.