Sine I love you guys so much, I have decided to update, again! 11 pages of greatness and 10 more seemed good, right? You know I love your reviews so show me what ya got! :)

Bella

Ali had her own bathroom. It was attached to her bedroom and had a tub like a swimming pool, plus a shower with glass doors. There were drawers and drawers full of makeup, hair products, and perfumes and the music she was playing in her room, pumped through the speakers in her ceiling. It was paradise.

I stood in the mirror, staring at my smoky eyes and bushy hair and fitting shirt with a tiny, ripped denim skirt. I would never dress like this, but Ali had literally thrown the too small clothes at me.

"Found it!" She suddenly cried, bounding from her room. She grinned at me through the mirror then ran the pink lipstick over her mouth. She then grabbed another lipstick and held it up to me, painting it on my lips. Then she rubbed cat eyes onto my eyelids and I glanced into the mirror. I looked better than I felt. The deep red lipstick made me feel like one of those old-time pin-up girls, "You have nice lips, but it would help if they stood out more." She said, "And it matches your shirt." I had a cowgirl thing going on. A checkered red button down and cowboy boots that I had been hiding in the back of my closet for awhile.

"Almost time." She announced with another grin.

"What're you guys doing tonight?" I asked, trying to convince that the person in the mirror was me.

"He's taking me to dinner somewhere." She explained with a shrug, "But after that, I'm taking him to the diner for coffee."

"The diner?" My eyebrows furrowed.

Ali nodded, running a delicate hand down her neck to play with her diamond necklace, "Yeah. Emmett's gonna be there."

Hang on. Back up. "Emmett?"

Alice heaved a sigh, like I was so irritatingly naïve, "Bella, if Em doesn't see me and Jasper together, then what's the point of the whole charade?"

Charade? What the hell was she talking about? "I'm sorry, are you only going out with Jasper to get back at Emmett?"

"Well, to get Emmett back, but yeah. That's the plan. Why else would it be?" Ali asked with a snort, "Jasper Whitlock is such a geek."

A geek? A geek? Was she kidding? Jasper was the least geekiest guy I knew. And okay, maybe he didn't hang out with Edward, but he was really smart and down to earth. Which made him, in my book, not geeky.

"What?" Ali asked.

"What, what?"

"You're all red." She told me, "Do I offend?"

"You're using Jasper." I hissed.

Ali laughed, "So?"

"Well—"

"Jasper is getting exactly what he wants tonight," Alice said, standing, "He's getting to go out with me. And who knows? Maybe I'll let him kiss me for real. He does have the softest lips." she grinned mischievously then turned and strolled out.

Jasper and Ali had kissed a couple times for rehearsal, but I didn't miss the way he hugged her a little too tight and they kissed way too long for someone to enjoy watching. It made me gag. But her kissing him for real? It made me want to pick up the straightening iron and chuck it at her. She was using him. I gripped the granite counter for support and saw the trickle of tears hitting my cheeks. I wiped them away hastily and thanked God my makeup was waterproof.

"Speaking of kisses," Ali popped her head in the door again, "You should really talk to Rosalie. When she kisses Alec, it's like she's a blowfish. The audience is going to laugh."

"Ya know, Alice, people are getting a little sick of your notes." I stated angrily. She paused, her grin disappearing.

"Like who? Charlotte? The Drama Twins?" She asked with narrowed eyes. I said nothing and she smirked, "They're just going to accept that I'm the star." She shrugged and slipped on her fitting, leather jacket. The doorbell rang and we both tensed. She grinned again, "Action." I glared after her. They were so right. Her ego was out of control. If her head got any bigger she would look like a Blow Pop.

Her heels click-clacked as she walked down the steps. She threw open her glass front door and there was Jasper, "Hey, Alice." He greeted.

She smiled, "One moment. I'll be right back." She dashed up the stairs and I was hoping she would trip over those ridiculous heels. She didn't.

"Hey." Jasper smiled at me and that same intensity in his eyes shined.

I smiled back timidly, "Hey."

"So what're you doing here?" He glanced around the house then back at me. He stepped a little closer and his hand mussed my hair.

"Jasper! Stop it!" I cried, smacking him away so I could fix it.

He grinned, "Sorry. But seriously, what're you doing here?"

I fixed my hair and glared at him, "I have a date with Edward and Ali wanted to help me dress."

He shrugged, "I think you dress just fine."

"Yeah, well…" I trailed off. My heart squeezed. Maybe I should tell him the truth, that she was using him, that she really wanted Emmett. That all our seed sowing had resulted in a sickly, wilting, mealworm-riddled crop.

"Hey, thanks for this. I wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for you." He told me quietly, his eyes shining. I gulped. He was right. Crap. This was all my fault. But maybe it would be alright. Maybe Ali would see how great Jasper was and break up completely with Emmett. Ali had to be blind to not see that.

But still…I couldn't hurt him.

"Jasper…" he looked up at me, "I…I…"

"Yeah?" His eyebrows merged.

"I…um," I'm completely pathetic and hate myself for this and I really, really, really like you…, "I just wanted to say…good luck."

He snorted, "Thanks. That's a lot coming from you." He told me sarcastically. I tried to laugh, but my frown stayed permanently on my face. He watched me carefully, "Bella? Is something wrong—"

"I'm baack!" Alice sang and looped her arm through Jasper's, "Time to go." She turned to me, "You can wait here for Edward. My mom already knows you're here, so…have fun." She smiled and started out the door, but not before throwing me a sly wink over her shoulder.

XOXO

The movie was perfect, more than perfect. I was still wearing Edward's varsity jacket, which he had draped over my shoulders when I had shivered. He was so sweet and Jasper was pushed to the back of my mind, though my stomach did flip-flops whenever I thought about him.

I was shocked when Edward drove to the diner after the movie. Not that I thought he wouldn't want to be seen with me, but how long he could stand my presence when I was always giggling at his lame jokes and smiling at him when he told me a boring story.

"Masen! Whaddup!" One of his basketball friends called to him across the room. I jumped, but Edward just laughed, chewing loudly on his wad of gum while he brushed back his perfect hair.

"Hey, fucker!" he crowed back then turned to me, "Wait here."

I couldn't believe he just left me in the line alone. A couple of girls in front of me glared at me over their pale shoulders then whispered something.

I rolled my eyes.

"Bella!" I whirled around to see Ali waving at me. I slid past the waiting crowd and over to her table. Jane and Carmen were there and glared at me when I stopped at their table. Jasper was sitting next to Ali, and as I focused on him, I saw he was toying with the plastic salt and pepper shakers, stacking them up then knocking them down. Was he not having a good time?

"Hey. What's up?" I asked, tucking my hands in Edward's jacket. Jasper attempted a smile and lifted a hand, but the same intensity was back in his eyes, reserved only for me. His smile didn't reach his eyes though.

"I have to talk to you." Ali explained, standing.

"We'll be at our table." Carmen sneered, glaring back at me before grabbing Jane's arm and pulling her towards the other side of the room.

"I'll stop by in a few." Ali yelled behind them then grabbed my wrist, dragging me towards the restroom.

"I'll be here!" Jasper called behind us, sarcasm laced in his voice.

The bathroom door swung closed behind us and Ali grinned at me, "Ohmigod! Jasper is the goods!"

My eyes popped wide, "What?"

"He is so sweet! You have no idea, Bella!" she gushed. Actually, I kinda did, but I didn't say anything, "He's been opening doors for me all night and holding out my chair. He didn't even get mad when I sent the food back at the restaurant." She wiped lip gloss over her lips as she leaned into the mirror, "Emmett has, like, a meltdown when I do that."

"Well, that's…" I couldn't say anything positive, so I didn't say anything at all.

"Of course, we'll have to do something about his clothes." She stated with a shrug and my eyes widened. I liked his clothes! "C'mon!" She grabbed my wrist again and dragged me back outside. Edward was sitting with a bored Jasper. Edward smiled when he saw us.

"There are no other seats…unless you want to wait…?" He crooked a brow at me and I opened my mouth to say something, but Ali plopped me down in the chair beside Edward and grinned.

"Don't be ridiculous! Sit with us." She sat down next to Jasper as Edward obeyed her and shifted in his seat.

Jasper sighed suddenly and shook his head. He placed the salt shaker on a rather large, impressing condiment pyramid he'd constructed.

"Something wrong?" Ali asked.

"Just wondering if we're going to get five minutes alone tonight." He grumbled flatly and looked at her as the pyramid fell all over the table. The tension zapped as our table went quiet. I blushed and started to fix the dozens of condiments on the bench.

"Um, maybe we should just go…"

There was suddenly commotion at the door and Edward appeared out of nowhere, his face crimson with fury, "I knew it!" He shouted, storming towards us.

"Emmett?" Ali gasped, feigning surprise flatly.

"Oh, you've got to kidding me," Jasper groaned in exasperation, lolling his head back.

Emmett stopped at the table, "Get up." He snapped his fingers at Jasper.

"Why?" Jasper asked calmly, sighing.

"So I can kick your ass, twerp." He snapped at him. I wanted to punch him.

Ali slid out of her seat, "Em, don't make a scene."

"Gimme a break, Ali. You live for this shit. I'm just giving you what you want." He growled back.

Jasper huffed, his shoulder slumping, "I'm outta here," Jasper said, standing. Emmett reached right around Ali and grasped Jasper's shirt, yanking him back. Ali shrieked dramatically while a few busboys waited on the sidelines, checking if they needed to break anything up. I jumped out of my seat, my face surely red with anger.

Edward grabbed my arm tightly, holding me back.

"You're not going anywhere until we finish this." Emmett insisted with a sneer.

"Save your energy, man. I'm not with your girl," Jasper scoffed calmly. He turned and looked right at Alice, "In fact, I have zero interest in being with your girl."

It was so blunt, even my heart broke. The kids at other tabled laughed and hooted. Ali looked like she was going to throw up. Emmett, confused, released Jasper. I relaxed instantly. Thank God.

"You set this whole thing up, didn't you?" Jasper asked Ali while grabbing his jacket, "You wanted to make him jealous. I'm so stupid. It's so obvious you had no interest in me. I mean, you talked about yourself seventy-five percent of the night and spent the other twenty-five checking yourself out in every reflective surface you could find. That way really fun." He said sarcastically.

That got an even bigger cackle. Even Edward laughed. I didn't. I was worried about Jasper.

"Well, you wanted him. Here he is. You got him," Jasper thrust his hands at Emmett, "And he can drive you home." With that, Jasper turned around and left. His exit was followed by appreciative applause.

XOXO

"I can't believe he did that, man! Who knew Jasper Whitlock had such balls?" Edward crowed gleefully as he turned the car onto my street, "That was classic! I mean, that's gonna go down in Washington history."

I stared out the window shield, hoping he would stop talking about it. Ever since Jasper had left, I'd had hard time concentrating our my date. Ali and Emmett had left the restaurant screaming at each other while the others in the diner gossiped about them. Meanwhile, all I worried about was seeing if Jasper was okay. I knew how much he'd like Ali. He couldn't be okay.

"You're up here on your left, right?" Edward asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah." I whispered.

My heart stopped. We were almost to my house. Which meant we were almost saying good-bye, which meant…Oh shit.

"This is me," I said.

"Oh, right." He made a quick, speeding turn and parked the car successfully. My father's car wasn't there. It was alreadyten o'clock. If my dad came in the driveway, he would probably mortify me, just after beating up Edward then ground me for life. I had to get Edward out of here as soon as possible.

"So," Edward started.

"Thanks for tonight." I told him, reaching for the handle, my foot hitting the concrete.

"Wait," Edward grabbed my arm and suddenly his lips were on mine.

My eyes widened in surprise. My heart seized then froze up while the car pinged uncontrollably. After ten seconds of lips-mashing, it was clear Edward wasn't going to give up. This was it. This was my first kiss. It was actually going to happen this way.

So I tried to kiss him back. I closed my eyes and moved my lips. the second I did, his tongue shot into my mouth and I almost gagged. What was happening? This was nothing like I dreamt it would be. There was no fireworks. Just the strain of my neck from the awkward position, the taste of ketchup in his mouth and the terror of any second that my dad would pull up and pummel Edward for trying to maul his daughter.

And then, he released me. It was over. I had to stop myself from rubbing my lips on my sleeve. Edward grinned at me, "I guess I'll see you later."

"Okay," I whispered, "Night."

I turned away and slammed the door shut behind me, blinking back tears.

He drove off.

XOXO

I don't know why I was crying. But I was.

I threw open my bedroom door and slammed it closed behind me.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Like a pin-up girl, gorgeous and perfect. But that wasn't me. That was what Ali made me into. I could now see what I had become; Alice. The crimson lips, the mean look, the fashion-y clothes and overdone makeup. Why did it take me this long to see that? My neck felt empty without my BFF necklace and I yearned to call Char and apologize for everything then yell how Edward was the worst kisser. Then I would see Ben and Peter at school and say how sorry I was. They would laugh and I would happily take the half eaten cookie from Ben, agreeing to eat it later for Peter's sake.

But now, I had ruined everything.

And it was all thanks to my stupidity.

I roughly wiped the makeup from my huge eyes and lips and threw the hairpins out of my wildly curled tresses. I threw off the disgusting clothes and grabbed my favorite gray, baggy sweatpants then threw on a tank top with my black jacket. I stepped into my old converses then made my way out of the house.

It was so dark. I was now walking around my sister's swing set, trying to see if anything looked familiar. It didn't. All the trees looked the same. I was halfway into the woods when I realized what a bad idea this was. I had no idea where I was going and it was pitch black. I took a wrong step and I crumbled to the ground, my ankle twisting painfully.

"Ow!" I cried loudly. My voice echoed. It was probably sprained, "Ugh!" Now I was lost, cold, and badly kissed. As I sat up, glancing down at my smarting foot, I heard a twig snap. I shot my head towards the sound as my heart galloped in my chest, "Hello?"

"Bella?" I knew that voice.

"Jasper?"

He emerged like a white night, but he was wearing black and gray. Just behind him, I saw the bridge. So I wasn't that far off.

"What're you doing here?" He asked. He held out his hands and helped me up, but the pain in my foot made me stumble into him. He caught me, of course, "What's wrong?"

"I fell." I groaned and he grabbed my hands to help me over to the bridge, "I was walking to the bridge, the injury was just an added bonus."

Jasper laughed, "C'mere." He sat down then assisted me so I could get comfortable next to him. I peeled my shoes off and moved my toes. It was just my ankle, but it ached painfully, "It doesn't look so bad. I'll help you walk back." He insisted. He was such a good friend, trying to make me feel better even though I had one of the worst nights of my life.

"Jasper…I'm so sorry about tonight. That must've sucked." I whispered.

He shrugged, "Whatever. I don't really care anymore."

My heart panged when I saw something blazing in his eyes, "I'm sorry. I should've never let you go with her."

"Bella," his eyes held mine, cue the intense stare, "Stop apologizing."

"Sorry." I muttered and he chuckled. My eyes widened, "Sorry!" Again. "Sorry…I'm just…sorry." He laughed again.

"I asked for your help, Bella. It's fine. It's not your fault."

I bit my bottom lip, "Except that it is."

"How do you figure?" He raised his brows at me.

"Before you left tonight…she told me." I whispered.

Understanding lit up his face, "That's what you were trying to tell me before?"

"Yeah." I said, feeling all sour inside, "And I wanted to tell you, but…I wanted it to work out. I mean, you looked so happy—"

"Unbelievable. She's unbelievable." He groused. He sighed and looked back at me, "Don't worry about it, Bella. If you'd told me, I would've gone anyway."

My eyes popped wide, "Why?"

He grimaced, "I really liked her. I thought she was, like, an original, ya know?" My heart skipped a beat. I looked down at the water, "But I've been thinking about it and I realized I barely knew her. I just sort of made up all this stuff I thought she would be like. It sounds totally pathetic."

"No, it doesn't." I almost shouted, thinking of Edward's disgusting kiss, "Believe me. It doesn't." He smiled and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer and mussing my hair again. I smiled this time.

We sat there for a moment, listening to the water drip and spread. I took a deep breath. It was really nice here.

"Dude," Jasper said suddenly, "How psycho is Emmett?"

I laughed loudly, "I was gonna jump in. He looked like he was going to flatten you."

"Yu-huh!" Jasper was wide-eyed. "Have you ever actually noticed how big he is?"

I nodded, my face lit with mirth, "He does have impressive girth."

He chuckled, "You couldn't have pointed that out before I went after her?"

"Hey," I pretended to be offended, "You were all 'She deserves better than biker dude', who was I to stop you?"

Jasper laughed and hugged me closer, "You know what, Bella? You're the original." I blushed and looked away. I hoped he didn't what full affect his words had on me. When I looked back, he was still watching me. With those eyes. His face was closer, his breath on my face.

There was suddenly a screech of tires somewhere in the east and we both jumped away from each like we had been burned. The moment was gone and my face was burning up. Jasper shifted awkwardly then stood, "We should be heading home."

"Yeah." I nodded. He hoisted me up and suddenly scooped me right up like I weighed nothing, "Agh! Warn a girl first!"

He smirked, "Scream in my ear, why don't you?" He carried me back on a clearer path. My stomach was doing flip-flops. Were we really gonna kiss? I didn't know. It seemed like it. I blushed at the thought. The easy rhythm of Jasper's shoes suddenly stopped and I grasped his shirt to keep from falling over.

"Oh, my God." His eyes were wide.

I think I already knew what it was before I saw it. My blood froze in my veins. Police officers. Ambulances. The shattered glass. The flashing lights. The crooked telephone pole. The scrape of blood. And my dad's car.

Crashed.


A review is a ride from Jasper.