A/N: Your reviews are the best, they really are, I don't think I've ever laughed and thought so hard in my life. :)

I think this is the chapter that everyone's been waiting for, so hope you enjoy.

I'm burning & bleeding
The parasites are breeding
It's me versus me versus them

I am whore, holy, loved, lonely
Murdering the others now and then

—OTEP, Otep Shamaya; March of the Martyrs

Unfortunately the weekend was done too quickly. I spent the entire time in my room, occupying myself with anything that my mind could come up with. I spent an entire day rereading every romance novel I could find, and cleaning my room until it was spotless. The whole house was completely clean and smelled like citrus by the time I woke up for school on Monday.

When my alarm went off I groaned out an awful noise and was tempted to just skip. Jacob hadn't called me and neither had Edward. I was more than worried about how things would go today.

I threw on a pair of jeans from my clean hamper and a shirt and then sank down the stairs to grab a pop tart for my morning sustenance. God knows I would need it.

Charlie left a note on the fridge reminding me to come straight home today and I didn't think I'd have a problem complying with it. I would be more than happy to never leave this house again.

My stomach had perpetual butterflies when I got into my truck, and I suddenly wished I hadn't eaten anything, because if things went the way I thought they would I'd be throwing up all my food. I grimaced at the thought.

I got to school a little later than usual, and the parking lot was already packed with people. Kids huddled around cars in groups to talk and when I pulled in several eyes turned to me.

I wonder what they're talking about, I thought sarcastically.

I groaned and breathed in one last gulp of free air before I stepped out into the shark tank. The predators immediately swarmed and a few people turned to stare or glare at me. I tried to ignore them as I walked to class, completely un-amused by this. But I did deserve it…

I wondered if either of them would even show up to school today. Jacob would have to show his face sooner or later, and I had no doubt he was orchestrating some counter attack against Edward and maybe even his counterparts.

And Edward… well, he wouldn't have to show up, but he did technically win that fight the other night, or was about to before the cops showed up. If I knew him at all I knew that he liked to silently rub in other people's defeat.

I'd just have to wait patiently. I could do that.

I walked off to Spanish and before I could enter the class I heard someone yelling my name. A curly head of brown hair streaked with blonde came bouncing toward me and I watched as Jessica Stanley ran across the hallway with the fakest, most polite grin she could muster up.

Here come the sharks.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Oh, hey." I sort of awkwardly waved at her and decided to grab onto the straps of my backpack to occupy my hands.

"So you were at the party right?" She didn't wait for me to answer and continued in the same breath. "Do you know what spurred Jake and Edward to fight? I mean, you're Jake's girlfriend and so you've gotta know something about why he beat up Edward, right? And Edward was looking at you at one point. I saw him when I was with Mike by the drinks—"

"No, Jessica. I actually don't know what made them fight. I'll let you know if I find anything out, though."

Her eyes got big and bright at that. "Okay! Just tell me when you find something out."

And as simple as that she walked off into the crowd of predators and prey and went off on her own way. I could do some crazy documentaries if I didn't end up making it to Dartmouth.

When I walked in, well, I tried to keep my mouth closed. Jacob was sitting in his usual seat… but his face was completely swollen. His nose, his lip, and one of his eyes were completely purple. I tried to think back to the exact moment when that could have happened but there were so many blows exchanged during that night…

I sat down next to him without a word. He didn't look at me and I didn't look back at him. I just grabbed my Spanish book and pulled out a clean sheet of paper and waited for class to start.

But of course, nothing could go smoothly. I saw Emmett walk in first, and then, behind him, wearing a grey hoodie that was older than dirt, was Edward.

Please sit on the other side of the room, please sit on the other side of the room, please sit on the other side of room…

Emmett hesitated and when he did, Edward brushed past him and sat in his spot right in front of me. His hood was up, but when he turn the corner I saw that his eyes was swollen and blood shot beyond all hell.

He looked like perfect shit.

Emmett sat on the other side of Edward, giving a wary side glance to Jacob who was glaring at the desk, his fists clenched on his lap.

I held my breath for a moment, praying he wouldn't start something again.

Emmett smiled at me before sitting. "Bella."

Jacob's fist twitched and I darted my eyes down to it before smiling back at Emmett. I think every eye in the room was trained on the four of us—or just on Edward and Jacob.

When Mrs. Moris walked in she stopped and looked around the room in confusion. She looked to the right hand corner, the source of all the tension in the room, and her brow furrowed.

"Eyes up front!" she yelled in her broken English accent.

Everyone in the room snapped their eyes forward and she started to write past tense conjugation excercises on the board.

Yo limpié los platos.

Tú limpiaste los platos.

I had memorized it by the second example and now I was darting my eyes from Jacob back to Edward in an endless circuit.

Edward didn't move once throughout the whole thing. He was stiff as a board and in a slouched position. He made no movement other than the tensing of his shoulders every once in a while.

Jacob's breath picked up half way through class and I caught him giving a death glare to the back of Edward's head. When I peeked up at him, his eyes darted down to me and he gave me the same glare.

The tension was so thick I could smell it; every movement, no matter how small, attracted everyone's attention. Emmett was just as fidgety and he was constantly looking out the window beside him to see Jacob in his peripheral.

I tried to shake away the images of one of them standing up and calling a fight right then and there. Edward would have to claim his dominance or whatever the hell it was that boys do, and Jacob would just have to take it—which seemed very unlikely at the moment.

There was never a longer forty minutes in the history of time.

When the bell finally did ring, the shrill sound cut through the air. Half the class hesitated to leave, and the other half jumped out of their seats. Everyone stared to see what would happen.

I closed up my book and put my notes away in my backpack, and when I stood Jacob's voice was in my ear, quiet and a little threatening.

"Bella, can I talk to you?" It wasn't a question, not really. There was no question in his voice at all; it was low and quiet and quick and scared the crap out of me.

The butterflies grew stronger. "My class is on the other side of the building," I mumbled, my voice going up an octave.

"Then after school."

"I—I'm grounded. Charlie grounded me for a week…"

I wiggled in the spot where I stood, debating whether to just leave the school and damn the rest of my classes, or maybe try to work this out with Jacob. Maybe I could somehow salvage this, if I tried my hardest and pleaded.

"Then I'll come over."

The thought of having him alone in my house suddenly scared me. It shouldn't have; he had never threatened me before or come even close to doing anything I didn't want, but the way he was now, the anger and the way he spoke everything like it was a cold, hard demand, scared me.

"I… don't think so, Jake," I mumbled, my eyes going to the clock.

"Bella—"

"She said no, Black."

I looked over and saw Edward and Emmett standing up from their desks. Edward's eyes were still not looking at me, but instead Emmett was facing us.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" Jacob spat.

"She said no." Emmett's eyes narrowed and he looked menacing when his lips were that tight and the bridge of his nose was crinkled up just the slightest.

"This is none of your business, McCarty,"

"It is when a girl says she doesn't want to do something and you keep pushing."

Jacob stood up from his desk and his chair fell backwards, making a loud clanking noise in the now empty room. He was a couple inches taller than Emmett, but they were the same in muscle mass. I held my breath again and watched in wide-eyed horror.

"Don't even bother," Edward murmured. He tugged on Emmett's sleeve once and then walked out of the room, not looking back at any of us.

Emmett didn't back off, though, and I when my eyes followed Edward to the door, I saw Jasper leaning against it. He whispered something to Edward in passing, and before things could get out of hand he walked in and laughed.

"Hey! There's no need to start an altercation here, fellas!" He smiled and whether it was fake or not the tense mood was cut in half and declining dramatically.

Jasper just had this… feel about him. He could possibly be the most influential guy I'd ever met; his mood was contagious, and I wasn't sure if he could act it off and play it up, or if it was real.

"Emmett, if you miss one more math class you'll lose credit, and there's no way I'm watching Mrs. McCarty cry over her super senior son."

Emmett's fist jerked and without a word he grabbed his books and rushed out of the room, muttering the entire way. Jacob didn't uncoil from his tense position and I didn't let out my breath.

"Sorry about that, Jacob," Jasper apologized. "They're quick to draw, and Emmett's usually set to fire. Take some time to cool off, man. Bella, you should get to class."

He smiled down at me and I let out my breath, turning to the door. I could hear footsteps behind me, but whether they were Jacob's or Jasper's I couldn't tell.

When I was halfway to class whoever left the room with me was still on my tail. I listened intently to the footsteps, but I still couldn't tell who it was. Nervousness set in, and before I could worry about it too much I turned on my heel and came face to face with Jasper.

"Why are you following me?" I asked. Then I looked at his cheek and gasped. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Long story," he said with a wave of his hand. "And the reason why I'm following you is to make sure you don't take a detour."

"I think I just might," I sighed. "Jessica Stanley will be hounding me all next period."

"Hmm…" he hummed. "Then I guess it can't be helped."

With a shrug of his shoulders he pulled me by my elbow and took me across campus down to the graphics rooms. We passed the room Edward and I had once done despicable things in and I blushed.

He led me down hallways and corridors and different rooms until we were at the back of the auditorium.

I could hear the band playing Old Susana from across the hall. The trumbones began to pick up as he slid down the wall and put his long legs out in front of him.

"Pop a squat," he patted the spot beside him.

"Why didn't we just go through the lobby?" I asked.

"I didn't want anyone to see us," he answered. "I'm pretty sure if your boyfriend's crew saw you hanging out with me they'd report it back. The last thing that needs to happen is Edward getting attacked by the entire football team." He laughed a little at the end.

"So what happened to your face?" I looked over the purple bruise mark and I felt like I already knew the answer.

"Oh this," he said brushing his fingers over his cheek. "Nothin'. I was just fishing for information and the fish came up and bit me in the ass."

"Edward," I breathed.

"You guessed it."

"Why?" I looked up at Jasper and he was looking down at me, analyzing my every move it seemed.

"It really was my fault. I kept asking him about what got him to fight with Black, and he kept telling me the same old bullshit about how they just hate each other, so then I told him what I knew." I kept staring at him and smiled a bit guiltily. "Yeah, sorry about that, but I told him I knew something was up between you two."

"And he punched you?" I asked incredulously.

"No, he acted all calm, cool and collected. But when I said I'd just go to you and get the information . . . well, that's when the fish bit me in the ass."

"Why are you telling me this? I'd betray Edward's trust if I told you anything."

"I know," he grinned. "I was just hoping you would. I think I already know enough. And believe it or not," his tone got serious quickly. "I really do care about what Edward gets himself into. I don't know if this is good for him or not, but I do know it's causing a lot of… controversy for him."

I nodded, and I couldn't be mad at him for not trusting me completely. He was just being a good friend, and Edward really needed close friends.

"How much do you know?" I asked.

"That you and Edward are involved, I'm pretty sure it's physical, and that Jacob obviously doesn't know. But I don't think you're the kind of girl who cheats for no reason."

I felt tears brim in my eyes. I shouldn't be that girl—no matter what the reason was. I pulled my knees to my chest to fight the swell of emotion and put my forehead on top of them. Jasper put a hand on my back and I was able to keep the tears at bay.

I nodded my head and Jasper let out a sharp gust of air. "I was right, then?" he whispered.

"Yeah, we're involved," I muttered. "I just don't know for how much longer. I—I probably did something I shouldn't have."

"Can you tell me?"

"I… don't think so," I mumbled, unsure.

"You're in love with Edward?"

I shook my head a little, and hesitated to answer. But he saw it all in my hesitation.

"Edward's in love with you, then?" His voice hiked up an octave and then he let out a disbelieving scoff. "Well put me in a dress and call me Betsy, this is new."

"What?" I muttered.

"You've seen Edward; the guy's an emotionless prick. I've never even heard him say he loves his own mother much less another living being. Wait—he did say it, right?"

"Yeah, he said it," I mumbled putting my forehead back on my knees.

"And what did you say in return?"

"That I… didn't." I popped my head up instantly. "But I do love him—just not the way he deserves! The way I said it was kind of bitchy, too." I groaned and banged my head against the wall. "He hates me now; he didn't answer any of my calls all week."

"Okay, wait, hold on a second. I've gotta get this processed." Jasper stared at the wall across from us for a couple seconds and then he turned his attention back to me. "Do you love Edward?"

"Well, yeah—"

"Enough to be in a romantic relationship?"

"I don't love anyone enough to be in a romantic relationship," I muttered.

"Your boyfriend?" I shook my head. "Then what the hell are you doing with him?" His eyebrows shot straight up.

"Okay, okay," I sighed. "I guess you deserve to know. But you have to swear on your heart, soul, and first born child that you won't tell another soul. I mean it."

"You have my word, Bella, and my word is good." He said it with so much conviction that I could practically feel the loyalty coming from his skin.

I took a deep breath and told him everything about my dreams of going to Dartmouth and studying in the English program there. I told him I could handle the bills with student loans for the rest of my life if I could just get accepted to the school.

Then I told him about Jacob, the recommendations, and how he knew from the very beginning what I wanted from this whole thing.

"Doesn't he care?" Jasper had asked.

"I guess not," I answered in response.

I told him about Edward's drunken actions at the party and how they fueled Jacob to react. How it was the first time Jacob had realized what was happening and how he never knew before.

Jasper listened the entire time with a trained ear, nodding at certain parts and examining every word out of my mouth as I spoke. I left no detail out, but I tried to reserve as much as I could about Edward. I had already betrayed him enough.

"That's… one doosy of a situation you've got yourself in," he sighed when I was finished.

"Yeah," I sighed back, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes.

"What do you plan to do next?"

"I have no idea," I mumbled. "I would try to fix things with Jacob, but to be honest; I don't think he's in any condition to talk about Edward right now."

"I'd fear for your safety, too. Especially with how easily riled he was today. He probably would have fought Emmett ifI hadn't come in."

I nodded right as the noise from band stopped and the bell rang. Jasper stood on his feet and held out a hand for me. I stood on wobbly legs and grabbed my backpack.

"Ready for history?" He grinned.

"Sure," I sighed.

"Don't worry," Jasper looked down at me and smiled sadly. "All things have a way of working themselves out in the end."

"For better… or for worse," I mumbled.

A/N: I love the strong opinions on Bella, it's half and half on love and hate. Some people love that she's selfish for a change and that she's taking control, and others just absolutely hate her. Those strong opinions let me know I'm doing something right in writing her. :P

A question that's been coming up a lot is whether or not Rosalie and Alice will play a part in this story, and the answer is no, because they really have no impact where I had written them in, so I took them out and when I finish this story I'll post it as an extra. I like it, but it really just had no place. Jasper and Emmett's involvement is pivitol, though, so, keep an open mind on that case.

And the other thing that's been coming up is why doesn't Edward just pay for her to go through college, and I thought I was hinting at it and making it kind of clear, but he's poor. Most people, obviously, aren't endowed with money, especially now. Plus, it gets boring having money to answer every problem in every story. More insight is given in next chapter about that, too.

Don't forget to review!