Author's Note: First I'd like to thank all of the new readers following and adding this to their favorites. It really encourages me to keep writing. And I know things have been kind of slow so far but I will be doing some time skips very soon. So hopefully you guys stick with me.
Stinker126: I know. I want to get to Jasper really quickly too but I'm trying to be realistic and have Jude really establish relationships with others too. I've read a lot of fics where an OC just jumps into the Cullen's lives like they've always known them. But don't worry your wish will be granted in the next chapter. Then their relationship will steadily start to progress.
X'sDarkenedGrace: Well thank you! I'm glad you still like it. There's some Jude and Jasper in the next chapter!
meridajane: Thanks for taking the time to review.
Chapter Five – A Normal Routine (Sort of)
Saying Alice was happy to see me was a huge understatement. Before we even got inside the door I could see her hopping in her seat and waving us over with a huge smile. I quietly laughed and walked over to the table she'd saved us, but before I could take a seat she got up and gently hugged me like it'd been years since our last encounter.
"I'm glad you two have gotten along so well," she directed at me and Jimmy.
"How could we not get along?" I asked her, "With you two dating, some of your bubbly, happy personality had to have rubbed off on him."
"Yeah, she has that effect on people," Jimmy said as he and Alice shared a very loving look. It was really sweet but also kind of sappy. I'm all for romance but it's crazy how perfect they seemed for each other. It was like they were soulmates.
Mr. Joplin had us quiet down as he explained some of the projects we would be doing for the year and told us we would be needing a sketch pad by the end of the week. The rest of the period was spent with Alice, Jimmy, and I doodling on computer paper. Well I was doodling but it looked like Alice and Jimmy were creating masterpieces you could compare to the Sistine Chapel.
Jimmy was drawing a very detailed log cabin in the middle of the forest. A chimney with smoke billowing out of it, window boxes overflowing with flowers, and a long list of many other small details, like the chipmunk perched in one of the trees, decorated his paper.
Alice's paper was filled with faceless models wearing what looked like very pricey designer clothing. The outfits were very pretty and the paper probably consisted of every article of clothing known to man.
"Alice are you planning on becoming a designer? Because you should."
"I've made a lot of my own clothes," she answered me without looking up from her drawings, "I'll make some for you too sometime."
"Oh no Alice. Please, you shouldn't go through all that trouble."
"I think I do," she said with a knowing smile.
"You can never say no to Alice," Jimmy spoke up. He also didn't look up from starting his second drawing, "Well, you can but she won't listen."
The remainder of school was spent with me watching them complete beautiful drawing after drawing. I could have drawn too but I can't draw anything that isn't already drawn out. Still life and landscape were my enemies.
When the final bell rang the three of us made our way outside to the parking lot. I saw Edward waiting for them by a silver Volvo. Jimmy and Alice went to a black Aston Martin which almost made my jaw drop, that is until I spotted Jasper looking at me out of the back window.
"You want a ride Jude?" asked Alice politely.
"No thanks. I don't live to far from here and I like to walk." I mostly didn't want to get to close to Rosalie in case she decided to go in for the kill, or have to officially meet Jasper and make a fool out of myself.
Alice looked like she wanted to protest but Jimmy cut her off, "Alright. I guess we'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye guys." With that I took off making my way through the maze of cars trying to get out of the parking lot. Luckily enough it wasn't raining this time and I was able to walk back home. As soon as I opened the door I could smell something baking, specifically something chocolate and my mouth immediately started to salivate.
My mom popped her blonde head around the door of the kitchen, "Hey sweetie, how was it being back at school?"
"I made some new friends," I said as I walked to the small table in the kitchen and sat down. "A bunch of siblings just moved to town so they were kind of like the shiny, new toy that everyone paid attention to, but I get along really good with two of them."
Her face lit up with a smile, "Oh, those must be the Cullen children."
I gave her a strange look but before I could ask she cut me off, "You know how it is in a small town. News travels fast. Now here," she said as she bent over to take brownies out of the oven, "I slaved away all day to make these for you. I thought you'd need a good chocolate fix to get over having to go back to school."
'Oh no' I thought.
"Mom that's really sweet but I ate a big lunch and I'm not really hungry right now. I'll have some for dessert later."
"Well okay then," she pointed her finger at me, "but you better eat some because I made these out of love!"
"I will."
"Now tell me about these new friends you made."
I then proceeded to tell her all about Alice and Jimmy and the rest of the Cullens. But for her benefit I left out all of the weirdness at lunch, just telling her I didn't really know the others because I didn't have any classes with them.
When she'd finally had her fill I decided to make my leave, "I'm gonna head upstairs and pick out my clothes for tomorrow, then I'll probably be down in the basement working out," I told her as I moved to the stairs. Downstairs was dad's man cave/workout room and our laundry room, and where I spent a lot of my time.
"Alright, but don't work yourself to hard down there, we don't want you fainting on us again."
I didn't answer to that, mostly because she and dad thought I'd just exhausted myself. If she knew I had barely eaten that week she would have gone nuts with worry. That had been a particularly bad week for me.
That's how the rest of my night went. I worked out down stairs for about two hours, pacing myself but doing the hardest exercises to make up for the slow pace. Dad came home in a pretty good mood, asking me how school went, me basically repeating what I'd said to my mother. I ate just enough to make it look like I'd eaten at all and then retreated upstairs to my attic room.
By then I was tired and ready for sleep but thoughts of Jasper and how his siblings acted towards me plagued my mind. I'd never really had a guy be interested in me. Yeah I've flirted but nothing ever came of it. But it seemed to me that Jasper liked me. I mean if I stared at someone like he did to me it'd be either because they had some strange bug on their face and I was terrified, or I liked them. And I'm sure I didn't have some exotic bug on my face because Jessica would have been freaking out about that instead of the new kids.
And those feelings that just popped up on me when we first locked eyes. What the hell was that? I felt at peace, calm. It was hard to explain. It was like I just melted into a puddle of comfortableness. If that even makes any sense. Everything seemed right in the world in that moment.
But on the flip side, when he looked away I felt very unnerved about the strange situation. How could someone I'd just laid eyes on make me feel like that.
In my head it was a never ending cycle of giddiness because he could possibly like me and then self doubt because I couldn't think of anything he could possibly see in me.
All of the thoughts must have been what finally tipped me into sleep because I woke up the next day wearing the same clothes I wore to school the day before.
The next day went on the same as the first with the exception of Edward and Rosalie not constantly looking over at me during lunch. But Jasper still stared over for brief periods of time before turning to talk to Alice or Edward. It actually wasn't as annoying as it was the day before.
The only thing that broke up the routine of chatting with Alice, the weirdness in the lunch room, and bonding over books with Jimmy, was when Edward decided to properly introduce himself to me during the last five minutes of Speech.
He had discontinued his staring at the back of my head all throughout class but evidently during our last free minutes of class he got Ray Presley to switch seats with him and when I heard his voice right behind me I jumped and whipped around in my seat.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm Edward, Alice's brother."
"Yeah I know who you are," I spat out and when I realized how rude I was sounding I backtracked, "Sorry I just . . . I didn't know you were behind me."
"No I apologize, and not just for scaring you just now. I know I've come off as rude not introducing myself to a friend of my sister," he seemed to hesitate trying to figure out what to say, "and for giving you dirty looks. Moving has been harder on some of us than others and Alice's constant happy attitude wasn't helping."
"Well I guess it's alright, as long as we can maybe start over and if not become friends, at least get along."
"I would like that. And I know Alice would love it," he responded with a smile.
"Good. I'm happy to know I didn't do anything wrong, that I didn't offend you in anyway. Seeing as I'd only seen you twice."
"No you didn't do anything," he said just as the bell rang, "I'll see you around."
"Yeah." Huh. Well that was interesting. At least he doesn't hate me.
The next two days were normal as usual, just with my three new friends added to it. I guess Edward was a friend. We weren't as close as I was with Alice and Jimmy, but he didn't give me the death stare so I decided to count him as a friend.
It was Friday when my routine was shattered. The day had been going fine, everyone exceptionally happy because of the coming weekend, when Alice decided to practically accost me at lunch.
"So what are you having?" she asked me as we both looked over the undesirable choices we were given.
"I was just gonna have a small salad," I told her. If I ate that I'd be good for most of the day.
"Well hurry up," she told my while grabbing an orange and a small portion of macaroni salad, "I want us to have as much time as possible before we have to go to class."
"Time for what?"
"For me to introduce you to the rest of my siblings of course," she said with a triumphant smirk upon her face as my eyes widened. It was like she knew how horrifying this would be for me.
I didn't even have any time to protest before she had grabbed my wrist and started practically pulling me towards her table. And just my luck, the person whose eyes I met first was Jaspers.