A/N: Jasper got busted and now he is trying to figure out how he and Bella are going to go forward, however, something is coming. Not only that, but depending on how Bella wants to handle it, they may be facing everyone at school. We will see what happens… Enjoy!
Chapter 8 – Spreading the Word
Bella slowly woke up, feeling more rested than she had in a long time and she knew the reason for it lie with the man who was still in bed with her. Waking up with him there and with his arms circling her just felt right, like he belonged there and she belonged in his embrace.
"Hey darlin'," Jasper spoke softly as her brown eyes locked with hers.
"Hey," Bella whispered.
They stared at each other for a moment, neither wanting to break the contact or allow the real world to enter in, but soon Jasper's expression became a little more somber and Bella noticed, "What?"
Jasper didn't know why he felt uncomfortable or nervous about asking; it should be nothing to ask a simple question, but he could only stop himself from projecting his emotions onto her. Clearing his throat, he leaned into the hand she had lifted to brush his cheek and finally got his question out, "I am about to leave, but I wanted to ask, how did you want to handle today?"
Frowning in confusion, she queried, "What do you mean?"
"Well darlin', we have school today and I for one wasn't lookin' forward to pretendin' that we don't associate."
Bella nodded, "I have to agree with that. So, what do you suggest?"
"You have already told Mike and Eric about knowing me before, right?"
"Yah, because they asked."
"So, they already know that we know each other… now we just do whatever comes natural in and out of school."
Grinning, Bella decided she could agree to that plan, "Alright, and if they ask what is going on?"
"Then tell them that in findin' each other again, we realized there was a spark," Jasper smirked and then thought, "That should keep the boys at bay for now… if they know what's good for them."
The brunette rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face told her bed partner that she completely understood his unspoken thoughts. Snickering, she said, "I believe I can agree to that plan."
Jasper moved in with ever intent on kissing the woman who had captured him so fully, but she moved back before he could. What was wrong? Did she feel his hardness? Just being next to her seemed to cause his lower regions to swell and grow uncomfortably, and he would not deny that he has imagined her writhing under him in passion as he buried himself deeply into her wet heat. Forcing the thoughts from his mind before his cock could become too painful, he cleared his throat and asked, "What's wrong?"
Covering her mouth, Bella explained, "Umm, I need a human moment."
He wanted to laugh at how adamant and apologetic she sounded, but he was able to hold it in… barely. Nodding, Jasper released her from his embrace and let her get up for her "human moment". Unfortunately the moment he heard the shower turn on, her alarm started to blare inside the small room and he turned it off. Knowing he would see her soon, he grabbed a sheet of paper from her desk and wrote her a little note before sneaking out the window so he could go home and get ready for school himself.
Bella got out of the shower and returned to her room only to feel the stirrings of disappointment envelop her when she found an empty room. Looking at the bed where she had hoped to find her… what was he: boyfriend, friend, protector, confidant, or rescuer? In actuality, he was all of those things and more. More? Smiling, she realized "more" sounded really good as she noticed a folded piece of paper lying on the pillow where Jasper's head had been resting. She quickly grabbed it and opened it up, her smile increasing as she read his words, "Bella, Sorry I couldn't stick around, but your alarm went off and we still have school today. I will meet you in the parking lot when you arrive… and maybe later we can pick up from this morning. See you soon. JW."
Anxious to get to school, she rushed through her morning routine as quickly as possible; however, she couldn't help but to glance at the letter a couple more times before she was ready to head out the door. Rushing may have not been the best thing to do as she soon found out. Taking a step off of the porch she slipped and landed on the cold, wet, and icy concrete because two things were against her: she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and she was a klutz (or gravity challenged as her mother would say).
"You alright Bells?" Charlie rushed to her side as soon as he saw her going down.
"Yah, I just slipped. This weather doesn't exactly pair well with people who are a little accident prone," Bella grumbled.
Chuckling, Charlie shook his head, "Just have to pay attention to where you're walking."
She tried to stop herself, but she was unable to stop the eye roll, "I'll keep that in mind."
"Hey, I put some new tires on your truck since the others were bald. Just be careful out on the roads. I'm going to be late tonight since I have to help another department with a wild animal case."
"Wild animal?"
"Some bear or something killed a man in the next county?"
"Bear or something?"
"This ain't exactly the city, Bells."
Nodding, Bella called out to him as he was about to get in his cruiser, "Be careful."
"I always am," Charlie gave her a small smile and then was gone.
Bella couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that an animal had mauled a human being and killed him. What kind of animal would do that? Was this really where she wanted to be right now? Thoughts of Jasper entered her mind, and then she thought about her mother and Phil, and she knew she was exactly where she belonged… she would just stay away from the woods and anything else that seemed dangerous. Snickering to herself, she got into her truck and muttered, "Some might say JW was a hazard to my health."
Pulling into the school parking lot, she immediately spotted Jasper and before she turned off her engine, he was opening her truck door and greeting her with a small kiss. It was nothing like what she had looked forward to this morning, but it was better than nothing and something that she had not anticipated on school grounds… not that she was complaining though, far from it. Bella loved the feel of his lips on hers and could only imagine how it would feel to have his mouth on the rest of her body.
"You ready for this darlin'?" Jasper asked, his voice a little husky.
"Yah, I think I am," she grinned. What was the worst that could happen? Not much in her book. People might be jealous, Mike and Eric would probably leave her alone, and a story might be written for the school newspaper; she could handle all of that. That would be easy, but what awaited her towards the end of the day… that might be more difficult; she just didn't know what was coming.
Helping her out of the vehicle, Jasper wove their fingers together and started walking Bella to her first class. So many stares, glares, bewildered expressions, and jaw drops followed in their wake; and with the number of double takes from students, he had to wonder if anyone would be suffering from whiplash. It took effort to contain his amusement, and it seemed he was more successful than the woman standing next to him. There were a few times he heard a distinctive snort as she tried to hold in her mirth, and yet, amusement she felt projected in waves off of her and Jasper got to experience it all. It felt like a breath of fresh air… her emotions. One could argue that hers were much like others, but he would argue that they were different because she was Bella… his Bella.
All in all, the brunette would say that going to school had never been quite as enjoyable as it had been this morning. Normally she hated to be the center of attention and did what she could to shy away from it, but it had been different this time. This time, she had not minded so much; maybe Jasper made the difference. She didn't know or understand the change, but she relished in the fact that after today, no one would question who he was currently with… and it was definitely not Alice. So maybe she was a little jealous and didn't like to think of people associating Jasper and Alice together romantically, she felt like she was justified in those feelings. The trek to class had actually been rather smooth until Mike decided to intervene.
"What's… what's going on here? I thought you said you only knew each other from childhood," Mike tried not to sound nervous, scared, or peeved. He had wanted Bella for himself, and Jasper Hale had swooped in to take her.
Jasper narrowed his eyes and noticed in his peripheral vision Bella turned her head towards him. Looking down at her and locking eyes, he gave her a small nod and then faced Mike once again. This was one of the boys he couldn't stand because he had designs on getting Bella for himself, well that wasn't going to happen because she belonged with Jasper, and not some punk kid that didn't know how to treat a real lady. Smirking, the southern man explained, "We did meet when Bella was ten, so we already had that connection, unlike someone starting from scratch." He knew it was a dig at the teen, but Jasper didn't care. Glancing at Bella again, his expression softened ever so slightly, "Well, since we already knew each other and there seemed to be a spark, we decided that we wanted to be together and date."
"But aren't you with Alice Cullen?" Mike questioned, irritation taking over his emotions.
Lifting an eyebrow, Jasper retorted, "Did I or Alice ever say we were together?" He pulled Bella with him when Mike just stood there opening and closing his mouth, but called over his shoulder, "Assumptions can place people in awkward situations… and you know what they say about assuming."
When they had put a little distance between them and Mike, Bella chastised her escort, "That was kind of mean."
"He was kind of irritating, and his emotions were getting away from him. He needed to be put in his place," Jasper explained. Indeed he did not like the feelings of ownership and lust that had come off of Mike in regards to Bella. The other student needed to learn quickly that just because he was an athlete, popular, and thought he owned the school did not mean he got everything he wanted. Mike would not get Bella, she belonged with Jasper.
Scowling, Bella inquired, "What was he feeling?"
The Texan shook his head indicating that he would not answer her, "I'll tell you later." He grinned, eyes twinkling, "Maybe. Now, have fun in class and I will see you in a little while." Kissing the side of her head, he dropped her hand and left her at the door to her first period class. Something inside him felt unsettled and he needed to talk to Alice, and fortunately, she was waiting for him, "Do you see anything happening to Bella?"
"Today?" Alice snickered.
"Listen here shorty, this is not the time," Jasper growled and ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry."
Shaking her head, she brushed him off knowing already what had transpired with Mike… and she hadn't been present. Carefully phrasing her words, she said, "Nothing from Mike, but I think something else is going to happen later. I just see woods and eyes."
"Is Bella in danger?"
"Not that I can see."
"Thanks, Alice."
The petite girl, placed her hand on her best friend's arm, "Hey, it will be alright. You and Bella were made for each other." Giggling, she walked away before Jasper could question her further.
Jasper chuckled and muttered under his breath, "I have to agree with that one."
The rest of the day past by smoothly. People questioned Bella and wanted to know how she had snagged one of the elusive Cullen boys. She lost count of how many times she had to repeat the story, and got a little unnerved by the deadly glare a certain blonde Cullen sent her way, but she held up for the most part; and during lunch, when she and Jasper could reconnect, she felt more at ease. Bella could not be sure if he was helping her, or if it was just his presence, but she felt better with him.
And then on the way to her last period, Bella was kidnapped.
