Longer chapter than normal, very important though!

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Jasper

I don't think I've ever seen Rosalie so pissed about a person who didn't want anything to do with her. Alice never asked Rosalie for anything and you would think Rosalie wouldn't be as mad as she was right now, actually mad was an understatement.

"Rose, calm down." Emmett said grabbing hold of the pacing body in front of us. "Don't get yourself so worked up about it."

"How can you say that Emmett?" she yelled pushing him away. "Whether she wants to be or not, she's my friend and Maria just told all of the school my friend's business and it's not okay."

"We know but you need to calm down before you break something of my mother's." Edward said with caution. "I would never hear the end of it."

Rosalie sighed and sat down on Emmett's lap as Edward's parents walked in.

"What's going on here?" Esme said. Her motherly voice always calm us down and it was doing do now.

"Remember that new girl I was telling you both about, Alice?" Edward said and both Carlisle and Esme nodded. "Well today, Jasper's ex girlfriend Maria had one of her announcements again, about her. She told everyone that she'd gotten to Alice's students and it stated that she was with child and with HIV."

"Oh my dear lord." Esme gasped. "That's horrible."

"You mean Mary Alice Brandon?" Carlisle said.

"If that's her first name, we only know Alice Brandon." Bella said.

"You knew didn't you?" I said to him. "You had her at the hospital when she passed out."

Carlisle just nodded.

"So you knew, why didn't you tell me?" Edward asked.

"Because it's not my choice to tell you, it's hers and Maria shouldn't have done that. Those student files need to be kept safer and more confidential. If Alice wanted to, she could probably sue the school or even Maria."

"I'm sure she's going to need friends right now so it might be good if you all comfort her with this." Esme said.

No one said anything; no one knew what to say. We all wanted to help Alice but we knew from experience that she wouldn't want it.

Alice didn't come to school the next day, or the day after that and by Thursday I was finished with the collage and the seat was still empty. Everyone was still talking about what happened and Maria seemed proud of herself, but what she didn't know was everyone was actually on Alice's side.

"Okay, we have a plan." Rosalie said when I got to the car.

I waited for her to explain and when she was done I didn't know what to think.

"You want me to go to her house and talk to her?"

Rosalie and Bella only nodded with a pleading look.

"Do you even know where she lives?"

"Yes, even after this the office doesn't keep everything confidential." Rosalie said holding up a piece paper with the address on it.

I sighed and was about to disagree with them.

"We'll go with you but you're closer with her which makes you a better candidate." Bella said still pleading.

It took me a while but I agreed to it. I would go and talk to Alice because I wanted to know, not for them for me.

We were going to go during the break before our football practice but I had a feeling I wasn't going to want to go.

We arrived in the apartment complex with the same name as the one on Alice's files. I felt so wrong for finding her home this way but I really did want to see how she was doing.

Rosalie told me the plan twice so I would understand it better and I did. They all followed me up the stairs not saying a word. I could feel my heart accelerate and my palms get sweatier. I wonder what Alice would think or if she would even answer the door, would she let us in if she did? At least we're trying and care.

We stopped in front of the apartment that had the number eight on it. I knocked without thinking and waited. I could hear someone unlocking the door in three different ways then it actually opened and a small girl poked her head through the door.

"Can I help you?" She couldn't have been any older than twenty. She had short dark brown hair and her eyes matched Alice's. She had the same features as Alice but they were also different.

"Are you Alice Brandon's sister?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yeah why?"

"We're from her school and we wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Are you the ignorant kids that had to do with what happened Monday?" she said harshly.

I shook my head, "No we had nothing to do with that."

She looked behind her and when I leaned over I could see another figure on the couch. It was Alice and she was smiling at the baby that was bouncing in her lap.

"Alice isn't feeling that well." She lied. "Thank you for stopping by though."

I nodded. "No problem, but could you tell her that Jasper stopped by." I said my name loudly so Alice could hear it.

"Sure." She smiled and started to close the door.

"No Cynthia there okay." I heard Alice's voice and my heart immediately skipped.

Alice appeared beside her sister and opened the door all the way. Her hair was in a messy bun and she had no makeup on. She was definitely a different person here than she was at school, so vulnerable and weak unlike the strong and independent. Her eyes were red, she had been crying but she still had a small smile on her face.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay." I said to her.

"We?" she asked.

I gestured behind me, "They wanted to come too."

She sighed and stepped out all the way. "Look, thank you for coming but I'm fine. I'll be back at school next week; I was home because of Lainey, she was sick."

"Lainey?" Rosalie asked behind me.

"My daughter." Alice looked down.

I put my hand on her cheek then down to her chin and lifted it.

"We don't judge you." I said softly. "We think you're an amazing person for going through what you've gone through."

She took my hand off her chin and held it. "Thank you."

I nodded, "We should be on our way then if you're okay."

She bit her lip. "Actually, I think you should come in."

"We don't want to be a problem for you."

"No." she protested. "You won't be." She opened the door for all of us to walk in. "Have a seat on one of the couches."

The walls were blue connecting to the ocean theme. There were paintings and photography all over the walls. On the farthest wall there was a mural of an actual ocean.

"Did you do that?" Edward asked like a child in a candy store.

Alice nodded, "My sister too."

"It's beautiful." Bella said still looking around still. Edward grabbed her hand so she would sit down next to him. Emmett and Rosalie sat on the love seat by the mural and I sat in the single chair, how ironic.

"So everyone I would like to introduce you to my sister first." Alice said pulling the girl who opened the door out into the light of the living room. "This is Cynthia."

Cynthia waved and looked straight at me. "So you're the boy Alice spent lunch time in the car with that one day."

"What?" Rosalie and Emmett said in unison.

"You didn't tell me about that." Emmett laughed clearly in his x-rated mind set.

"Me either." Rosalie said a little angrily and looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

"Nothing happened." Alice defended. "We just talked and listened to music. Cynthia likes to exaggerate some things."

I nodded in agreement.

"I'll get her." Alice said when the faint sound of a baby's cry came from the back rooms were heard. She disappeared and was back quickly with a baby in a pick and white tie dye shirt, a diaper and had a pacifier in her mouth.

"This is Lainey, my daughter."

Rosalie gasped. "She's adorable."

"Thank you." Alice smiled kissing the baby's cheek. "Can you say hi Lainey?" She picked up her hand and waved making the baby squeal in excitement.

"She's such a happy baby." Bella said smiling.

"Yeah she is." Alice said.

Emmett looked at his watch, "I think we should get going for practice."

He and Edward got up but I didn't budge.

"Jazz?" Emmett called me.

"Tell coach I'm not feeling well." I said not taking my eyes off of Alice holding the baby.

"Dude, you'll have to miss the game."

"Not if I'm sick." I said then made a fake cough.

Emmett shook his head, "Alright kid. I'll cover for you but you owe me."

"Don't I always?"

"True." He laughed.

Rosalie and Bella left with both of the guys but not until letting Alice know that they would baby sit whenever she need someone to.

"So why don't you want to go to practice?" Alice asked sitting on the couch next to the chair.

I shrugged, "Not really in the mood. Is that okay if I stay here?"

Alice shrugged, "If you want to." She looked down but I could see the smile that stretch across her face.

Her sister left for work a couple hours after everyone else had left.

"Are you hungry?" She asked me not taking her eyes off of Lainey who was playing with a bear on the ground.

I shook my head, "Are you?"

She shook her head, "Not really."

I sighed and got up earning a confused look from Alice.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Every guy knows that when a girl says she's not hungry, she's lying." I grinned. "I'm going to make you food."

"You don't have to do that." She protested.

"I insist." I said continuing to walk into the kitchen.

I could hear her following me.

"What do you not trust me?" I laughed.

"No, I just don't want you to burn my apartment down." She smiled still paying attention to Lainey.

I shook my head and started getting out the material I would need.

"Is this really all you can make?" She asked when we were done eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I had made.

I nodded then laughed. "Ever since I was a kid."

"Yeah but you're in high school, you should at least learn how to use the microwave."

"And what, make hot peanut butter and jelly?"

She laughed, "It could work."

Lainey yawned in her lap and nestled her head into Alice's stomach. Alice excused herself and went to lay her down in the play pen.

"She's had a long day." She said looking at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I said folding my arms on the table.

"What made you come here?"

That was a good question, why did I come here? I barely knew her and she barely knew me but yet I cared so much about her and what she was feeling and the way Maria hurt her made it worse than it had ever been.

"Because I care." I said. "Even if you don't think people do, they care about you."

She didn't say anything. Her facial expression said she was in deep thought and like she was fighting herself about something.

"Can I tell you something now?" she said finally.

I nodded.

"I haven't told anyone this whole story so excuse me if it makes me you know, emotional."

I nodded again and she sighed.

"His name was James. He was almost all I ever wanted. Nice, sweet, cute and my dad even liked him." She laughed. "We started dating my freshman year but something was off. He wasn't like everyone thought he was. He became angry at everything and began to go missing from his home for days at a time then he told me. He was a drug dealer and user." She was still looking down but I still watched her eye lids open and close every once and a while.

"My sophomore year, I got into that stuff too although I really didn't want to but I didn't want to lose him. I really had no one else. My mom worked all the time and my dad is in the army, so he was always away. Cynthia was away at college so he basically was the only person I wanted. I lost my virginity to him and it wasn't anything I wanted. I was high or drunk when it happened.

"My junior year I found out I was pregnant when I went to the doctor to get birth control and James was the father. I also found out that I was HIV positive because James had been using needles and I didn't know.

"My mom was furious with me and kicked me out, I moved in with my grandma until she died then once my sister graduated and had a stable home for me to stay in she got granted legal custody of me or I would have had to go into the system and I would have Lainey. It was a long fight but I'm glad I'm here."

I didn't know what to say, she just poured everything out on me and I didn't know what to say.

"Wow…" Came out and I felt like an idiot.

"Yeah, wow." She sighed.

"Does Lainey have, you know. Is she positive too?"

"No thank god, I don't think I could live with myself if that happened to her." She closed her eyes again. "I took the prenatal medicine that would make sure she was free of it and I didn't breastfeed."

I nodded. "I think you are a very strong person Alice," I smiled. "I don't know what I would do if I was in anything similar to that."

"Thank you."

I looked at my watch and sighed. I still didn't want to leave but it was almost five and I did have homework.

"I should go call Rose." I said about to pull out my phone.

"I can drive you home if you want." She said.

"But Lainey is asleep."

"She's a heavy sleeper, she won't notice and if she does she'll go back to sleep because of the car."

Lainey was asleep the whole ride there while Alice and I sat in silence until she pulled up into my drive way.

"Thanks Alice." I said opening the door.

"Jasper wait." She grabbed my arm.

Our eyes locked again and I sat back down.

"What is it?"

She fixed her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

The space between us was getting smaller without us knowing, she wanted it and so did I. My lips grazed hers but she pulled away quickly when the Lainey sneezed and giggled. We both sighed and I really got out the car now.

"Jasper." She called again and I turned back. "Thank you." she said softly.

"You're welcome." I smiled and probably blushing. "Be safe."

She nodded and I closed the door. I watched as she drove in the direction she came in then walked up to my house.

The TV was on in the living room and my mom was cooking again. I wanted in everything to avoid everyone in the house so I quickly said hello to my father and mom then went upstairs to my room.

I closed and locked my door then turned around only to be startled by the four people on my bed.

"You have a lot explaining to do." Rosalie said.

"Yes you do." Emmett said excitedly.

Bella nodded in agreement and Edward smiled.

I wasn't really paying attention to them. I only thought of Alice and how much she smiled tonight and I had something to do with that. She let me in, all the way. There was no bearer between us.


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