Edward struggled to stay quiet as he stopped himself from screaming in outrage. Because…really? Out of all the places Jacob could have hidden the flash drive, he had to choose his hospital room?
When Edward truly thought of it, though, that strategy was actually kinda smart. The hospital would be the last place anyone would think to look for a USB, especially one that apparently held documents that can make his family lose the firm.
He quickly shook his head and tried to listen better. Now wasn't the time to be praising Jacob's evil genius.
"Oh really," Rosalie sounded totally unimpressed. "And you don't think anyone would have noticed it by now?"
Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. "You know, I really don't appreciate how you're underestimating me."
"Well, I wouldn't be doing it if you came up with better ideas. Or at least had competent goons working for you."
"No one's noticed it or taken it, okay?" Jacob sighed. "It's inside Edward's old stuffed penguin."
A few days ago, Esme had read somewhere that comatose victims have better chances of waking up when they're surrounded by objects that hold memories for them. Willing to try anything for her son, Esme had brought many of Edward's old childhood toys to the hospital, one of them being the stuffed penguin he received when he was five.
You little shit, Edward fumed in his head. First, you and Rose betray me, then you plan on taking over my family's company, and now you're saying that you're using Mr. Pengatron to help you screw me over?!
"Esme would never tear that thing apart or throw it away, so the flash drive's in a safe place." Jacob continued.
"Good," Rosalie nodded. "But we have to get it tonight. With the USB being in a place that Carlisle can access, I can't risk it. We worked too hard for this, Jacob. I'm not taking any chances."
"Let's get out of here, then. I'm starting to get bored, anyway."
"Wait, I can't leave right now," Rose sighed. "I still have stuff to do at the ball, and I'm pretty sure Carlisle and Esme would think it's strange if we both have to disappear."
"I'll go by myself, then. Tell both of them that I have to deal with an important client right away; Carlisle will know what I'm talking about."
"Alright. Just be sure that when you come back, you'll have the penguin with you."
"Not if I get to it first," Edward mumbled as he tried to wedge himself out of his hiding place. He was almost completely out when his leg bumped the clay pot where the plant resided, effectively knocking the whole thing over.
"What was that?" Rosalie asked at the loud crash.
"Stay here. I'll go check it out," Jacob declared.
"Crap. Fucking…crap!" Edward whisper-yelled as he righted the tall shrub. Some soil had spilled to the floor, and he was about to clean it up then make a run for it, when Jacob appeared.
Well...shit.
"Jasper?" Jacob questioned as he came closer. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I was sent up here," Edward lied convincingly. "Car – er, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen are looking for…Miss Hale, so they asked me to come and get her."
Jacob looked at him suspiciously. "And you just knew that she would be here?"
"I asked the others if they've seen her, and they all said that they saw her heading to this area."
"Jake?"
Both Edward and Jacob turned to see Rosalie's figure standing by the balcony's double doors.
"What's going on? Is someone out there?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it. It's just some waiter," Jacob replied, glaring at Edward from the corner of his eye.
"Who?" Rose asked as she walked towards them. She stopped moving once she saw her lover's companion.
"Wait, is that…Jasper Whitlock?"
Why does she remember who Jasper Whitlock is? Edward wondered silently. Jacob and I didn't, and it's not like we ever talked about him.
Apparently, Jacob was thinking the same thing. "You remember him?"
"Of course," Rosalie resumed walking, a big smile on her face now. "How can I forget our expert photographer from high school?"
She knows about the whole photography club thing, too?
"You know about the photography club?" Jacob once again spoke Edward's thoughts out loud.
"What, you never heard of it before?"
"No, I know we had a photography club back in high school, but…you know Whitlock used to be a part of it?"
"It's difficult to forget the former president."
When Jacob continued to stare at her in disbelief, Rosalie rolled her eyes. "In case you forgot, I was the secretary of the student government, Jake. I'd see him and all the other organization presidents every month when you and Edward would hold meetings."
"Right," Jacob still sounded dubious despite her plausible explanation. "Well, anyway. It was him who made the noise."
"Yeah," Edward cleared his throat. "I…ran into this plant here, and kinda made a mess." He laughed awkwardly and gestured to the scattered soil.
"Oh," Rose looked at the floor then at Edward. The look in her eyes sent the warning bells ringing in his head. "So, Jasper. How did Forks High's most promising shutterbug end up as a server?"
"Uh…"
"Carlisle and Esme are wondering where you are. They need you back at the party, apparently," Jacob spoke before Edward could think of a good lie. "That's why they sent him up here…or so he says."
"Well, we better not disappoint them," Rosalie said smartly. "Jacob, I'll see you after you get it. Jasper, do you mind escorting me back to the ball?"
Edward really, really wanted to tell her no, but he wasn't so blinded by his anger towards her to be stupid. Forcing a grin, he offered his arm. "Not at all, Miss Hale."
"No, wait," Jacob grabbed Rose's arm. "I…I need to talk to him for a sec."
Rosalie looked over at him with a confused expression, but shrugged. "Whatever. I'll go look for Carlisle and Esme myself, then."
When she was out of sight and earshot, Jacob turned his venomous glare at Edward.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," he hissed.
Edward was too riled up from overhearing his and Rose's devious plan to take the high road. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."
"Oho, you know exactly what I'm going on about," Jacob growled. "I know you didn't come here at Carlisle and Esme's order. You were eavesdropping."
Though inside he was panicking, Edward maintained a cool façade. "Why are you so worried if I overheard anything? It's not like you and Rosalie were talking about doing anything despicable, right?"
Jacob's face comically contorted in anger, and Edward would have probably laughed at him if the man hadn't grabbed hold of his collar and shoved him against the wall.
"You have no idea who you're messing with. I suggest you mind your own business if you know what's good for you."
"Funny, you can't seem to do the same. Oh, wait, yes you can. I forgot it's actually taking someone else's business from under them that you can't seem to help."
Jacob sputtered and stepped back, releasing Edward from his grip. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out – kinda like a fish, Edward thought, especially with his eyes being wide open as well.
"You…" Jacob began when he finally found his voice. "You better watch where you step, Whitlock. Because I'll be watching you."
Really? That's the best threat you can come up with?
"How very Orwellian of you, Black," Edward replied sardonically. "I'll keep that mind."
The two men stood and stared each other down for a beat more until Jacob finally stomped away. Edward watched him leave the hallway and back to the room where the ball was being held before sprinting to the emergency exit. He knew for sure that Jacob was going to be using the elevator, and the stairs were the nearest way out.
It was a good thing the journey was all downhill, because Edward had somehow forgotten that the hotel ballroom was on the twentieth floor. Still, he was winded when he was finally outside.
"Jasper, you really need to work out more," he panted. His real body was toned and muscled from weekly visits to the gym, so being stuck with a host who was unfit was a hassle he still wasn't used to.
Fifteen minutes later when the bus that passed by the hospital arrived near the hotel, Edward all but flung himself into it. He had to get to his room before Jacob, and with the latter having a head start and better means of transportation, he was beyond anxious. He knew the right bus to ride in now, at least. His previous hiccup with public transport certainly pushed him to be more aware of how the Chicago bus and subway system worked.
Edward felt like a millennium had passed before the bus finally reached Northwestern. Running past the front desk, he took the elevator up to his floor and sprinted to his room. He stopped abruptly when he was in front of the door and tried to listen for any movements inside. When he heard nothing but silence, he wrenched the door open and stormed in.
His first destination was the opened toy box near the kitchenette. A lot of the toys he found, like the Optimus Prime action figure with a missing arm and a green light saber, made Edward feel a wave of nostalgia, but he didn't have time to look at each item and reminisce. When it became apparent that the toy box didn't house the stuffed penguin, Edward stood and looked around the room.
Three more boxes were scattered around, all of them labelled with his name and a year – most probably the year when he acquired and played with the things inside.
Leave it to mom to be sentimental, he thought absently as he began to rummage through the first box. After coming up empty, he was just about to move on to the next when the distinct sound of the door opening made his spine stiffen.
"Crap, what now?!" he asked himself, frantically searching for a good hiding spot. He hurriedly entered the bathroom, but kept the door slightly open to see what was happening outside.
Edward watched as Jacob strode into the room like he owned the place. He headed straight for the third box placed by the foot of the bed, and it didn't take long for the ratty old penguin to emerge at his hand.
Dammit, Mr. Pengatron, why wasn't your box placed in the front room?!
Edward let out a long breath. With the flash drive out of his hands, he wanted nothing more than to just get back to Jasper's apartment and commence the sulk fest he could feel was coming on. He mentally willed Jacob to go, but his former best friend decided that then was a good moment to answer a text, leaving Edward stuck in the bathroom.
"Great," he muttered to himself. "Just what I wanted – a brooding party with myself at nine-thirty PM in a hos –"
Edward stopped talking as soon as he realized what he just said.
Nine-thirty…half an hour until ten…
Shit, my curfew!
His heart began to pound faster and faster as his mind raced to think of a solution. He couldn't just leave Jasper's body – not in a hospital lavatory, and definitely not with Jacob right outside. But he didn't want to know the consequence of staying past ten either.
Why the fuck can't I manifest any ghost powers while I'm in this body? I wouldn't be having this dilemma if I could just go back to being invisible and slip out.
A moment after those words were thought, a nurse decided to enter the room. Edward could see from the narrow gap between the jamb and the door a rather portly, older woman with bright red hair tap Jacob on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, young man, but what are you doing here?" she asked, not a hint of friendliness in her tone.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Jacob Black, Edward's friend," Jacob put on his most charming smile. "Just stopped by to check on him is all."
"Visiting hours ended hours ago," the nurse informed him bluntly. "Only direct family can stay beyond that. Now if you would be so kind as to leave..."
"Oh, of course," Jacob smiled again as he held the stuffed penguin against his chest. "Have a good night."
It didn't take long for the nurse to finish her job, and once she was out the door, Edward was, too.
"That was too close," he said as he brisk walked out of the hospital. "Way too close."
Still high on the adrenaline pumping through him, he waited impatiently for a bus to arrive. For some reason, none were passing by, and after eight minutes of just standing there, Edward decided to just make a run for it. He still held the high school track record, so maybe it was the best idea.
He just hoped that Jasper's body could handle it.
…
It was nine-fifty-nine when Edward reached Jasper's apartment building, and he was tired as hell. The muscles of his legs were aching so much that he thought he might collapse, but he knew he had to keep moving.
Maybe you can just leave Jasper here, his brain suggested helpfully. I mean, we're already in his building, so we know he's safe, and when he wakes up, maybe he'll just think he sleep walked out here.
While he was so tempted to take that piece of advice, Edward still pushed himself to climb the stairs.
Thirty seconds later, he was finally fumbling with the keys to the apartment, and in the next ten, he collapsed haphazardly on the sofa and hurriedly closed his eyes.
The clock just stroked ten when Edward finally managed to leave Jasper's body with a gasp. Slowly, he could feel the tiredness fade, and his usual neutral state return.
"Okay, I take it back," he announced out loud. "Escaping Jacob wasn't too close. That was too close."
"Ya think?"
Edward looked towards the source of the voice.
"Oh, uh, hey, Scheduler. Long time, no see!"
"Edward Cullen, you have a lot of explaining to do!"