Chapter 10
Jasper POV
I waited in the library for an hour, first working on my own homework and then moving on to the project Mary and I were supposed to be working on. Aggravated, I eventually packed my bag and left.
Everyone, even Esme and Carlisle, were at home when I entered the house. They were seated around the family room playing a board game. Carlisle was winning.
"You're early." Edward says, surprised.
"How was school?" Esme asks me, smiling. "We've just started playing, you can join, if you want."
"No thanks." I mutter, plopping down besides Rosalie. It was monopoly, Rosalie had all the railroads—she was in good shape so far. "School was fine."
"What about tutoring with Mary?" Esme asks.
"She never showed up." I report glumly. "I don't know what's with her."
"Girls are like that." Edward points out. "They do weird things."
"Shut up, Edward." Rosalie glares. "Don't make me repeat those words in front of Bella, she'll kill you in anyway she can."
"No, Edward has a point." Carlisle says. "She is ignoring Jasper, something Rosalie does often. And skipping classes Jasper is in, and skipping their tutoring sessions."
"Carlisle!" Esme says, her face horror-filled. Carlisle laughs, wrapping his arm around Esme's waist and pecking her cheek. "Jasper, don't you listen to anything Carlisle is saying right now."
I smile. "I'll come to my own conclusion."
"Or just squeeze the truth out of her and demand if she is a spy for her father."
"If she was a spy, she wouldn't be skipping the classes Jasper was in." Edward says, shaking his head. "You guys engage in these theories too much."
"Well, maybe she is targeting someone else." Rosalie says.
"You, perhaps?" I ask, poking my sister's shoulder.
"She left Calc early today and didn't even glance in my direction. Either that girl really loves math, or she just hates us all."
"Which might suggest her knowing about what happened with all signs pointing to us being criminals." Carlisle says.
"Don't share the blame, Dad." Edward says, jokingly. "We're all innocent!"
"Yes, Edward, very innocent." Carlisle responds mockingly.
"Don't be too worried about it, Jasper." Esme tells me, soothingly. "I'm sure she is just having a rough week."
"Yeah, maybe." I mutter.
My eyes snap open and I spring out of bed faster than I could imagine, running to Rosalie's room. Esme and Carlisle were already there, comforting her as she cried. Edward, thankfully, was no where to be seen.
"What happened?" I demand.
"She's okay, Jasper." Calisle tells me.
"That's not what I asked." my voice was sharper than I intended, but Carlisle didn't seem phased. This was too familiar to him from the years he spent at night with Esme attempting to comfort Rosalie and I. Only now, Rosalie was regressing and we all knew it.
"It's just a dream, Rose." Esme was muttering to her. We all knew that was a lie. Yes, it had been a dream, but years ago it had also been a reality that sent us both to the hospital for weeks and than therapy for years.
"Let me." despite me whispering, it sounded loud in the tension of the room. Carlisle got off the bed, allowing me to sit besides Rosalie. I pull her from Esme, who allowed to me take her, and let her rest against me. I rub her back as she cried into my shirt, clutching my hand.
"You guys can go back to sleep." I mutter.
"Jasper," Esme starts.
"I can take care of it." I snap.
Esme takes a deep breath, before nodding. She squeezes my shoulder gently before she and Carlisle leave, closing the door behind them.
"Rose," I whisper, helping her sit up. "tell me."
"I can't, Jazz." Rosalie whispers, her voice hoarse. "I know it."
"What? What do you know?"
"I'm getting worse, I know it's because of Mary. I know you hated her for it and you might hate her for it again. You can't."
"Why not?" I demand.
"Because I know you like her." Rosalie cries quietly.
"It's not true." it wasn't, right?
"Don't lie." Rosalie whispers. "Please, not to me. I swear I won't tell anyone, but I know you do. You look at her at lunch all the time and even though you are so frustrated with her, it's because you want to know her and to know that she isn't William's pawn and that she doesn't mean any of us harm."
"I want that for any person, Rose. She is so young, she can't be brainwashed that young. I don't understand why she hates us."
"Because unconsciously, you hate her." Rosalie tells me. "I'll go to therapy again, I'll be fine. You can't hate her because of me. It's not her, it's Will."
"Have you been in contact with him recently?" I demand.
Rosalie stiffens. "Jasper, he came to the library while I was in it. He came to the aisle I was in, and when I was about to leave he grabbed my arm and he told me to tell you to stay as far away from his daughter as you could. He said he heard some high schoolers talking about how you guys sometimes sit next to each other in class. I don't think he knows about your tutoring sessions."
"Which would mean that she isn't reporting back to him." I whisper.
"Jazz, I need you to be careful." Rosalie whispers. "Please." I nod. Rosalie laid against me again, her hands finding mine in the dark. "And stay with me tonight."
"I will." I promise.
Rosalie fells asleep not much later, I held her for some time before laying her down and grabbing the sleeping back and a pillow from my room. I didn't sleep though. I laid on the floor, staring at the roof for hours. I got up three more times to comfort Rosalie when she woke up again, but then I returned to the floor to stare at the ceiling.
When I woke up I knew it was later in the day. I jump out of bed, finding Rosalie still asleep in her bed. Her clock told me it was 11 AM, I was extremely late for school. I run to my room, grabbing clothes and jumping into the shower. The freezing water pulled me from my drowsiness enough for me to remember what had happened last night. The dreams, thinking about Mary, and the sleep I would never get haunted my thoughts as got dressed and grabbed my bag to go to school.
When I got downstairs, I found both Carlisle and Esme in the kitchen at the table.
"You're home." I say, surprised.
Esme smiles, she looked exhausted. "We called in sick."
"Did Edward already go to school?" I question.
"Yes, he didn't want to wake you and Rose up. I gave him a note for you two, you'll be excused from classes."
I put my bag down, sitting down on one of the chairs. "I'll need to go do the tutoring thing with Mary, we haven't met since Friday and I'm supposed to filled a number of hours a month."
"Of course." Esme says. "Do you want some breakfast?"
I shake my head. "I think I'll actually go back to sleep." I get up, just as I'm about to leave Carlisle calls me back.
"Jasper," Carlisle says. "we need to talk."
"About?"
"Please sit down."
I do.
"Rosalie isn't the only one regressing right now." Carlisle tells me.
"I can't do this." I say, getting up again. I grab my bag from the doorway, leaving. Esme called my name as I left, but I ignored her. I dump by bag next to my bed, sitting down at my desk and grabbing my iPod from its dock.
Before I could even plug my earphones in, someone knocked on my door. I sigh, knowing immediately who it would be.
I open the door, not entirely glaring, but still not happy about the visit.
"Jasper, listen to what I have to say." Carlisle tells me. Esme and Carlisle were big on giving us our own space, they did not enter our rooms unless we allowed them to. Now was one of those times.
I opened the door wider, allowing him to come inside. He does, coming and sitting on my bed. "Consider what I have to say," Carlisle tells me. I sit down on my desk chair, waiting for him to speak. "I can see very clearly how far this has gone. Rosalie is having dreams every other night, she isn't sleeping which means you aren't sleeping and you don't trust me anymore, or Esme. Among other things."
"Your point?" I question, irritated.
"I don't want for you two what happened years ago and I'm going to make an effort, but so do you."
"What are you going to do?" I mutter.
"I don't know, we'll figure it out." Carlisle gets up, leaving my room. I grab my earbuds, sticking them into my ears and then turning music onto my iPod louder than Carlisle and Esme would have liked. I stayed in my room all day, not daring to come out to even eat. I steadily watched the time throughout the day.
At two, I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my coat off of my bed and my bag and left the house. No one stopped me. Seventh period was still in when I got there. I went to the library, waiting for Mary.
It was quiet, with the exception of two other students who probably had a free period and chose not to go home. I waited, tapping my fingers against the table until the final bell rang and the halls burst to life outside the library.
Mary comes in fifteen minutes later, dropping her things on a chair and sitting down without a word.
"You're late." I note.
"Yeah, I didn't care to spend more time with you than I had to." Mary snaps. "Thankfully you skipped all your classes."
"I was excused from them." I hiss.
"Forgive me." Mary mutters. "I forget about the privileged life you live."
I laugh darkly. "Because you don't get any privileges at all."
"I don't." Mary tells me, angrily throwing her books to the table. "Your family ruins everything."
"Everything?" I scoff, standing up. "Well, in that case let's just forget about this."
"Hey, what's going on here?" Mike Newton's voice rings through the library as he walks towards us.
"Nothing." Mary and I say at the same time.
"What the hell are you doing to her, Cullen?"
Cullen. I almost laugh. He was so stupid. "Mind your own business, Newton."
He steps closer to me, glaring. "If you hurt her like your father hurt hers, I'll kill you myself."
"I haven't done anything." I snap.
"Jasper," Mike turns before me, his eyes filled with hate as Edward comes closer to us. "Newton."
"Cullen." Mike hisses through his teeth.
"I think you should leave us alone right now." Edward says, glancing worriedly at me.
"No, I think you two should leave Mary alone. You've done nothing but cause problems for her and the rest of us!" Mike snaps, jabbing a finger at Edward. Edward, who often took after Carlisle, remained calm.
"Mary, how about you and Mike go? You can meet with Jasper tomorrow to work on the project when we are all over this." Edward suggests.
"We don't have to meet anymore." Mary says, annoyed. "I'll do the project myself."
"That's not necessary." Edward tells her.
"It is now." Mike sneers.
"Newton, that's not your decision." Edward tells him.
"Watch me make the decision." Mike retorts. "Do you have any idea what happened to Mary after she was sent away because of your fathers actions?" he was getting louder now.
"Let's not discuss this here, Newton." Edward says, his voice harsh. "I understand the injustice William Brandon feels, but let's not forget about the crime that was committed."
"You have no business being anywhere near Mary!" Mike turns to me now.
"Really? I had no idea." I mutter, my voice sarcastic. But my rage got the better of me. "Listen up, Newton. You are a control freak, we all know it, but you do not control what Mary does and does not do. We were paired to do a project together, let us do the damn project so we never have to talk to each other again."
"Did you even try to get out of it?" Mike fumes.
"Yes, I did." I say.
"You did?" Mary whispers, shocked.
"Go to hell." Mike hisses at me.
"Mike." Mary gasps. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You don't understand what they did." Mike tells her, angrily.
"No, I think she understands perfectly that we did nothing." I hiss. I turn to Mary. "If you're really so clueless, go look at your family history. I hear it can get very interesting on your father's side." I grab my bag, stalking out of the library without another word. I could hear Edward behind me, though he didn't say anything.
I drive home myself, Edward stayed behind with Bella and Emmett. I wasn't sure if the atmosphere was tense at home because I'd arrived so angry, or if it was just that way the entire day. I ignored everyone, going straight to my room and closing the door. Even Rosalie didn't come up to talk to me.
I buried myself in books and music for the better part of the afternoon. A two hours later, Esme knocked on my door and told me to come to her and Carlisle's study. I obliged, despite not wanting to.
Carlisle and Esme were sitting when I entered the room. I sat across from them on the sofa, not saying anything.
"You've been suspended from school, Jasper." Esme tells me. I didn't quite understand her voice, pity, anger, sadness. "For two days."
"Why?" I questions.
"Mike Newton told the principle you two got into a fight, saying you were going to make Mary fail a project you were working on." Carlisle says. He shared the same emotions as Esme, I could tell he was doing his best to stay calm.
"I didn't say that. And it wasn't a fight."
"You never told us about this project." Esme tells me. Betrayal. I could tell, she was upset that I had not told them something when we all swore to each other that we did not keep secrets.
"It's didn't cause us to spend extra time together, we don't even talk more than we usually do when we do our own homework." I snap. I needed to calm down.
Carlisle stands up, pacing the length of the room. "Let's forget about the project right now." he says. "We all know what happens in this town, they get half the story and run with it. Whatever Mike said about what happened in that library today, it's on you Jasper. Edward was never at the scene, apparently. Even Mary has given a statement about what happened."
"Principle Greene sided with Mike, which we know is not a rare occurrence. What we are worried about now is the Newton's pressing charges, the Brandons getting involved, and even the police investigating this." Esme tells me. "It was hardly a fight, from what Edward told us. But there are so many ways they can change what happened today."
"I know that." my voice was hard.
"Jasper, we are trying." Carlisle tells me, he stops pacing. "You need to be open with us, you need to trust us. I don't know what happened that you felt like you couldn't do that."
"Rosalie's having nightmares every night." I snap.
"Yes, and we are trying to help her too." Carlisle says. "She is letting us help her. You keep yourself away from all of us when we try to help."
"It's nothing I can't work through myself."
"We know you will work through it, we just want to help you." Esme tells me. "You haven't gotten into trouble at school for years, don't start now."
"Are we done?" I ask.
"Promise me, Jasper." Esme tells me, her voice breaking. "Try to let us help you."
I don't respond, I just leave the room and close the door harder than I intended to behind me. I retire to my room for the day, ignoring Edward's call for dinner and even Rosalie telling me we were spending time together downstairs. I wasn't in the mood to be with family, as absurd as that was.