First Love Lost
Chapter 11 - Barracuda

Six o'clock came too quickly. I dreaded my date with James. The last day and night with Jasper had been so perfect, and I didn't want it to end. We laid on the dock for hours sharing stories as we enjoyed the warmth of the sun. I learned so much about him in those few short hours. It was one of the best days of my life.

We left at four, which was really pushing it. It left me with only two hours to get back to Forks and get ready for my date. I dropped Jasper off in front of the grocery store in town. His plan was to call Rosalie and have her take him home so he could get ready for his evening of spying.

I showered quickly and noted with irritation that I was sunburned from my afternoon at the lake. It was not bad, but it could lead to questions. I dressed casually as I always do. My style of jeans and a t-shirt wasn't going to change for anyone. Makeup wasn't an issue since I didn't own any. My hair was another story. I usually left it down, but I decided I had to put it up in a ponytail. I knew that Jasper liked it down so he could play with the ends, and the thought of James doing the same thing left me cold.

At six o'clock on the dot, my date knocked on the front door. I greeted him warmly, and we headed out to his car. Like a gentleman, he opened the door for me. It was a nice touch that would have impressed me before I met Jasper. He always opened my door and made it look natural. With James, I could tell that it was an act he put on to impress me. If we made a habit of dating, he would grow comfortable with me and such niceties would stop. Jasper would continue to do it as long as we were together, be that five days or five lifetimes.

James took his right hand off the steering wheel and patted my leg. I really hoped he wouldn't do anything like that with Jasper around. It would not be good. His tolerance for James touching me would only go so far. A certain amount of contact would be expected on any date, but I knew that some things would push my secret friend over the edge. If James touched my neck or tried to kiss me, all bets were off.

"What kind of movie are you in the mood to watch?" James asked.

My mind raced through the possibilities. Romantic comedy was out. It would be too uncomfortable. Action seemed like a bad idea depending on the level of physical violence. Why tempt fate? Horror might prove difficult for the same reason.

My mind finally settled on an option. "Sci-fi sounds good."

James seemed to like the idea. "There's a time travel movie out. It's received some good reviews."

"Sounds perfect," I answered with a smile.

"So, did you enjoy the game last night?" he asked changing the subject.

I shook my head. "No, it's too hard watching you guys get hit. I spent the whole game worried that one of you would get hurt."

"Injuries happen. You worrying about it won't change things. Next week, try to let yourself enjoy just watching the game. I think you could really get into it if you let yourself."

"I don't know about that," I responded honestly.

"I think as the season starts picking up you will. When we make the playoffs, the excitement will keep building. By the end of the season, I'm willing to bet that you'll be obsessed with football."

I had my doubts but kept them to myself. "How many games are we talking about here?"

"We'll play at least ten, which leaves us with at least seven more games, but I have no doubt it will be more than that. We played fifteen last year, but we won state so that's why."

My jaw dropped. "Wait. What? You won state. How did I not know this?"

"Bella, we're the number one team in the state. Some of us are even being scouted by Division 1 schools."

"What does that mean?" I asked completely lost.

"It's your big football schools like Notre Dame and USC. Emmett and Jasper are both being watched very carefully. They've received several offers. It's just a question of where they choose to go."

I felt sick, not for Emmett but for Jasper. I was finally starting to understand just how big this football thing was for him. It was such a huge deal, and he had only talked about it that one time. How could he have not said anything?

James glanced over at me with worry. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't know how big this football thing was around here."

"That's why your brother and his friends run that school. They get anything and everything they want. Emmett isn't so bad, but Jasper is like a king around here. You should see the line of girls at practice. It's ridiculous. The guy is such an ass, and he has every female within an hour's drive panting over him. Every week he has a new girl, but you won't see a hint of it at school. They are good for a night of fun, but he won't even acknowledge them afterwards. It's disgusting."

Please, please, please shut up. My mind was screaming with rage.

James couldn't have done more damage if he had kicked me in the stomach. I physically hurt from his words. Countless images ran through my head of Jasper with girl after girl. It was too much for me to handle. I wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out.

I tried to refocus my mind. I pictured Jasper's face and the way his smile made me feel warm inside. I imagined his voice and how it sounded when he said my name. I remembered the feel of his arms and how they held me close. My Jasper was not the guy James was talking about. I wouldn't allow James to change how I felt. I would judge Jasper on his actions with me, not his past mistakes.

We pulled into the theater parking lot, and the devil appeared as if by magic. Jasper and his friends stood leaning against a black SUV. They all looked relaxed as they talked and joked around. Edward was playfully tickling Alice's ribs as she tried to talk to Rosalie. Emmett was yelling across the parking lot to a boy I recognized from school while Jasper looked on in amusement.

The parking lot of the theater looked like a popular hang out. More people were standing outside chatting than there were people going inside. Groups of teens hung out in different sections talking and listening to music. I watched with irritation as several of the girls stood giggling and staring at Jasper. He was ignoring them, but it still got under my skin.

We got out of the car and were noticed immediately. Edward saw us first. He hit Emmett's arm and pointed in our direction. Jasper jerked his head up and looked at me. I didn't want to get caught staring so I turned my head away and looked at James who had walked up to my side.

He had a worried expression on his face. "Are you ready for this?" he asked.

"Sure," I lied. I glanced over at Emmett and saw Rosalie rubbing his arm. It looked like she was trying to convince him to not come over to us.

James placed his right hand on the small of my back and guided me forward. My eyes flashed over to Jasper who was frowning with disapproval. He quickly hid his emotions and turned to say something to Emmett.

We reached the ticket counter and bought tickets for the 6:45 showing. That left us with thirty minutes before the movie started. Rather than go inside, we walked over and stood against the wall of the theater.

James seemed relieved. "Emmett is reacting much better to this than I expected."

"Well, I kind of got into a argument with Rosalie yesterday. After that, I told all of them to stay away from me."

"It doesn't look like they listened. They're on their way over here," he explained before stepping closer and wrapping an arm around my waist.

I had a brief flashback to that first day in Study Hall when he wouldn't let go of my hand. I should have realized James would be the touchy-feely type. Call me crazy, but I preferred a little more distance on a first date, unless my date's name happened to be Jasper Whitlock. Asking him not to touch me would be like asking pigs to grow wings. It wasn't going to happen.

Everyone in the group except for Jasper, who was purchasing tickets, walked over to us. Emmett didn't appear to be mad about my being with James. It was a disappointment considering my plan for distraction was riding on his being upset. I needed this to work, and knew that Jasper would never let me hear the end of it if it failed.

My brother stopped about five feet away and folded his arms across his chest. "Bells, did you suffer a concussion today to go along with that sunburn?"

I laughed at his strange question. "What?"

"A concussion. Cause it's the only way I can explain you being with this fool," Emmett answered.

Good. He was mad. My plan might just work after all.

"That's funny coming from the guy whose dating the world's only blond barracuda," I smirked.

James laughed and pulled me closer into his side. He then leaned his head down and whispered in my ear. "Nice. Now every time I hear the song Barracuda I'll picture a blond haired fish chasing me while it tries to bite me on the ass."

I started giggling. Unfortunately, Jasper walked up at just that moment, and he was pissed. I could only imagine how things must look to him. James had his arm around me and was leaning down next to my face as I giggled like a schoolgirl. This was just terrific. I was screwed.

Jasper looked ready to commit murder. "Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Um, yeah," I answered hesitantly.

I stepped away from James and went over to Jasper who grabbed me by the elbow. His grip was tight as we walked a good fifty feet away. I turned back once to look at James and saw that my brother's friends had surrounded him. They looked like they were trying to put the fear of God into him. No one was paying us any attention. When we finally stopped walking, I glanced up at Jasper who was not doing anything to disguise his anger.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "No."

"I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, Bella," he said angrily. "You could stop letting that jackass put his arm around you, and you could stop giggling at him like a groupie watching a rock star. Either of those would be real fuckin' nice right about now."

I ducked my head in shame. "I know it looked bad, but it wasn't like that."

"You know what would look bad. Me breaking off his arm and beating him with it. That would look real damn bad."

"You're overreacting."

"Yeah, well. What would you do if I snuggled up to some girl right in front of you?"

That was the wrong thing to say. After having just heard James' version of Jasper's very active sex life, images of it were fresh in my mind. Having the man himself taunt me with another one wasn't the best idea.

I stomped up to him and punched my index finger into his chest. "You know what, I've had just about enough of your bullshit for one night. If you want to grab some cheap girl and snuggle up with her, go ahead. You'll get to see exactly what I would do, but if you're smart, you'll shut your mouth and not put any more pictures into my head. James has already provided me with plenty."

After saying my peace, I left a very shocked and worried Jasper standing all by himself. Everyone had seen our argument, but luckily, no one had been close enough to hear it. They actually looked slightly amused by the whole thing. Alice was especially happy. Her witnessing Jasper and me arguing was definitely a good thing. She was the one who would pick up on things the quickest, and it could only help my cause if she thought I hated the very person she warned me against.

James met me at the front of the building, and we went inside to enjoy the movie. We grabbed two cokes and a large popcorn before making our way into the theater. He let me lead the way as I climbed to the very top row. I knew Jasper would be pissed that he couldn't watch us, but it served him right.

When the others walked in, they searched the room until they found us. Their disappointment with our location was obvious. Emmett frowned heavily as he lead the pack up the stairs. They chose the row just below us. My brother sat in front of James while Rosalie was in front of me. The others followed with Edward sitting next to Rosalie while Alice and Jasper finished out the row.

I ended up enjoying the movie. Sci-fi usually wasn't my thing, but I was going to have to rethink my opinion after watching this show. Of course, my pleasure may have been amplified by the obvious discomfort Jasper showed throughout the whole movie. To anyone else, he probably appeared fine, but I knew better. With Alice to his left, he couldn't risk looking back at me, and it was killing him.

James was a perfect gentleman throughout the whole show. He didn't try to put his arm around me or hold my hand. I was glad. I felt guilty about earlier and didn't want to make the situation worse.

When the movie ended, James led me down the steps, and Jasper followed close behind me with the others trailing behind him. The lobby of the theater was now full, and we had to push our way through crowds of people so that we could leave. I heard Rosalie tell the others that she was going to the restroom, and she left with Alice. Emmett, Edward, and Jasper followed us into the parking lot.

I was rushed to the car by James who now found it imperative that we leave right that second. His sudden urgency made sense a second later when I realized that the others all came in one vehicle. If we made our escape now, they wouldn't be able to follow us home for several minutes since they had to wait for the girls.

My new awareness of the situation brought me up short. I looked back at Jasper who was watching us. He knew what was going on and was furious. For all he knew, James was taking me off somewhere instead of bringing me right home. I tried to mouth our destination to him, but I wasn't sure if he caught it.

James pushed me into the car in a hurry and then went around to his own side. We took off quickly and were on our way. When I glanced back, I saw that Jasper was now sitting in the SUV impatiently waiting for the arrival of the rest of his group. Alice and Rosalie were nowhere in sight, and Edward and Emmett were completely unaware of Jasper's anger.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" James asked, which caused me to turn back towards him.

"It was good," I said in a small voice.

His shoulders drooped in disappointment. "You don't want to go out again do you."

Bingo. No, I didn't want to go out with him again. I don't know how he picked up on it, but all I could think was hallelujah. I wouldn't have to let him down easy. He was already down.

"I'm sorry, James. It's just too complicated. I like you, but I don't think it's going to go anywhere beyond friendship. If it was, it would be worth the trouble Emmett brings to the table, but since it isn't, it just seems like a waste of time," I explained. "I am sorry. I hope we can be friends."

James nodded his head in understanding. I was glad he didn't seem interested enough to push the issue. He gave up quicker than I expected, and I was a little surprised by it. I should have been suspicious after all of his attempts to get close to me, but I was too relieved to care.

When we arrived back at my house, he dropped me off and then left. I was so glad the night was over. It was stressful and left me tired. I went up to my room and took my hair down. I was brushing it out when I heard the slamming of car doors. The troops had arrived, and I knew they would be looking for me. I trudged downstairs to meet my fate head-on. My having to answer to a bunch of spoiled jerks who didn't even consider me their friend was laughable in the extreme. The only bright spot was that I would get to see Jasper.

They were just walking in the front door when I took the last step down the stairs. Jasper's eyes found me immediately. The relief on his face was obvious. He hadn't been sure I was home until he saw me. All of the others appeared to be in a good mood, except for Emmett.

He walked up to me with a frown on his face. "Bells, what were you doing with that guy?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going out with him again so it doesn't matter," I explained, more for Jasper's benefit than Emmett's.

I moved around him and sat on the couch. Everyone joined me in the living room and started relaxing in different places around the room. Edward sat in Charlie's recliner with Alice in his lap. Emmett threw himself down on the love seat and was joined by Rosalie. Jasper joined me on the couch but made sure to sit at the very opposite end.

Why everyone was just sitting around, I couldn't understand. They hated being around me, and I didn't want to be around them. Well, that wasn't true. I didn't want to be around four of them.

I threw my head back on the couch. "Why are you people still here? Don't you have somewhere else to be."

Jasper laughed. "Wow, way to put out the welcome wagon. Talk like that will make us think you don't like us."

"I don't."

Alice perked up. "Come on, Bella Bear. You like us."

I raised my head and looked at her. "Bella Bear?" I questioned.

"I was going to go with Bitchy Bear, but it just sounded too tacky. It seems only fair to give you a name since you call Rose, Barbie Bear." Alice answered with her tinkling laughter ringing out. "But after tonight, I move we change Rose to Barracuda Bear. It's far more fitting."

Damn that Alice. Her crazy words had me joining in the laughter that rang out through the room. "So, what does that make you?" I asked.

"Oh, that's easy. I'm Bouncy Bear." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Figures. With her energy, it fit her perfectly. "What about Emmett?" I asked.

Alice stopped for a second and started thinking. "He already looks like a bear so we need a different animal. I'm thinking Grumble Bunny, but I'm as yet undecided. Edward is a hard one. I can't think of one. But, Jasper's name is perfect."

I couldn't resist. I had to know. "And what is Jasper?"

Alice grinned excitedly. She looked very proud of herself. "Jasper is Swear Bear."

I giggled at that. Nothing fit him more perfectly. Everyone started laughing. Jasper just sat on the couch glaring around the room at each of us, which made us all laugh harder. It felt so good to be around these people when they were being nice. I felt like I belonged with them. Like I had been a part of them for years.

When the noise died down, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. No one seemed to know what to say. I wondered at what caused the sudden change in atmosphere.

After a couple of tense minutes, Edward broke the silence. "Bella, I want to apologize for my attitude towards you lately. I've been a jerk, and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it, and I will be better. I promise."

I was in shock. He apologized with such seriousness that I couldn't doubt his sincerity. I was touched that he would try to repair any ill feelings I had toward him. When I started to speak up and accept his apology, Alice interrupted me.

"I'm sorry, too. I'm not going to stop trying to manage your life, but I will offer you friendship to go along with it," Alice explained softly.

I smiled at her refusal to stop checking up on me. It was typical of her to be honest about her intentions yet still sound sorry about it at the same time.

Rosalie sat forward on the love seat and looked at me carefully. This should be interesting. She still hated me. It was obvious. "I still don't like you, but I will stop snapping at you like a turtle."

Yep, no apology there. Though, I appreciated what little she gave me. It would be nice to not have her anger directed at me.

"Thank you for apologizing. It means a lot," I said simply.

Emmett then got up and joined me on the couch squeezing himself between Jasper and me. He placed a heavy arm around my shoulder and looked down at me with the sweetest and softest look on his face. If Emmett got all emotional on me, I knew I would cry.

"I'll stop ignoring you if you let me drive your car," he answered with all seriousness.

I burst into laughter and was joined by everyone in the room. Leave it to him to break the tension. I knew he was saying he was sorry, and I was more affected by his joking words than anyone else's serious ones. Emmett really got me, and I loved that about him.

I fished in my pants pocket for my car keys and handed them to him ceremoniously. He got a childlike look of delight on his face. It was so cute.

"Just be careful," I requested.

Emmett returned to the love seat and nudged Rosalie playfully. He waved the keys in her face like a kid who just got a new toy the other kid wanted. She reached for the keys and barely missed them while he gave her a taunting laugh. The whole thing was comical.

Jasper spoke up to explain, "Rose is a car buff. She's been dying to drive your car for weeks."

I looked up to find Rosalie glowering at Emmett. "Can you drive a stick shift?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes at me.

"If so, you're more than welcome to try it out," I offered.

Rosalie's eyes jerked over to mine. She looked surprised by my offer. Hell, I didn't blame her. I was surprised that I made it. Stupid Bella.

"No, thank you." she responded sullenly.

Alice broke what could have become another uncomfortable moment when she suddenly stood up and dragged Edward out of the recliner. "We should be going. Edward has a sleep over to get to, and Jasper has Maria waiting for him."

What the hell? Who is Maria?

I forced myself to remain calm and not react. If I ignored it, the pain in my chest would eventually go away. It might take the rest of my life, but it would go away. Death had a way of curing all pain.

Jasper stood up and walked towards me. "Yeah, she's waiting, but I haven't made my peace with Bella like the rest of you did. So, Maria will have to wait."

Yeah, she's waiting. His words were going to make my brain start bleeding.

He stepped in front of me and made sure I was looking at him before continuing. His eyes looked like they were pleading with me. "Bella, I'm not sorry for what I've been doing, and I'll probably keep doing it. But, I will stop glaring at you."

I knew that his words had another meaning that would go unnoticed by the others in the room. They made me feel a little better, but I still wanted to know just who the hell Maria was. Alice made it sound like she knew this girl. No one else even blinked at the name. They had to know her as well.

Emmett sat up and grabbed Rosalie's hand. "Bella, I'll be at Rose's tonight. Dad went out of town until Tuesday so if you need anything call me. I won't see you until school on Monday. You have my number right."

I nodded absently. "Go have fun. I'll see you at school."

After making their goodbyes, everyone began making there way out of the house. Jasper was the last to leave. When the others were out the door, he turned to look at me.

"Bells, just so you know Maria makes the best waffles in three counties. As soon as I get Edward and Alice home, I'm coming back over to tell her hi," he said with a wink.