Author's note: I'm sorry! Don't kill me. I know I didn't get the Sunday update done, unfortunately when I went out of town I couldn't bring my laptop. BUT to make it up to you all, my beta and I have created a MAD long chapter! More than 5700 words! LONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! And if you ask me it's a pretty excellent chapter too. Oh and the blog and playlist have been updated!
Enjoy!

Chapter 24- You got a friend in me

JPOV

It felt like the jail walls were closing in on me. They became smaller and smaller every day. I had been in here for four days.

My lawyer said that the police were just gathering some last minute evidence and trying to find witnesses.

He also said he was building up a good defense, but I didn't know how he would since all evidence did point to me…which made sense, since I did do it…

The trial was in two days; Sunday. It was moving very fast. Carlisle said he had pulled some strings so I wouldn't have to wait around for years before going to trial, but I had my own ideas. I thought that the prosecution was just trying to speed things up so that they could ship me off to some jail cell for the rest of my life. Steve would be glad, I thought bitterly, get me off his filthy back.

Speaking of Steve, he had come to visit me every day. It was as if he was taunting me. Every time he came, he had a cocky grin and that cruel mischievous look in his eyes. He looked like he was planning something. After he left, I would worry constantly until Alice showed up to visit me.

Alice's visits were the only things keeping me from either breaking out of this place or going insane. She would drop by every day for as long as they'd let her, but obviously that was never enough time. I would hold her close the whole time, taking in deep breaths of her. It kept me sane, relaxed me. I think she sensed how hard it was for me, not having her around, because she always made sure we were touching while she was here.

The first night she had come to visit, she had been troubled. I thought at first it was because the cell was making her uncomfortable, but then she told me that she had spoken with Johnny that day.

"I don't know what to tell him, Jazz. I don't want to lie to the kid, so I just said you had to go out of town…do you think we should tell him where you really are?" she had asked.

I had sighed, thinking about it. Johnny deserved the truth. He didn't need to know that I had killed a guy…but I didn't want to hide things from him. He idolized me. I should be honest with him and at least let him know I was in jail. If I was letting him down, then at least he could decide whether or not he still wanted to look up to me.

"We should tell him," I had decided after getting my thoughts together.

She had nodded with a proud smile, "I hoped you'd say that. Maybe I could bring him with me tomorrow? We could explain to him together…" she had offered.

"It's a plan," I had agreed, kissing the top of her head.

She and Johnny had arrived early the next day, before school would be starting. Alice had explained that she wanted to bring him first thing, and that she would come back alone after school to spend more time with me.

I had sat him next to me and looked him in the eyes. His bright eyes were dimmed as he looked around.

"Alice says you're in jail 'cause they think you killed someone," Johnny stated.

I swallowed and nodded slowly, "Alice is right."

"You didn't though, right? She said they made a mistake. You'd never kill somebody," he said, his eyes hopeful.

My stomach tightened as I looked into his eyes. Lies. First Carlisle, now Johnny. At least I didn't have to lie to Alice…

"Of course they made a mistake," I managed to say.

He hugged me then and I wrapped my arms around him, "It'll be okay, buddy. I'll get out of here," I assured him.

Alice watched us with a tiny smile. I met her eyes and she gave me a knowing look. She could see how guilty I felt for lying to him about the murder.

When Johnny pulled back, I ruffled his hair, "So you're doing okay, right? Still going to karate class and fighting hard?"

He grinned, teeth shining, "You bet! Wait till you see my new moves! You'll come back soon to see, right?"

"Of course. As soon as I can, I'll be over. I'm proud of you, buddy," I said, smiling.

He beamed and hugged me again.

"You about ready for school, Johnny? We'll be late if we don't leave now," Alice told him after a moment.

"I'm ready! Good luck, Jasper. I'll see you soon. You'll be out in no time, I know it!" he exclaimed.

I punched him lightly, playfully, on the arm, "You bet. Have a good day in school. Thanks for coming by to visit me."

"Bye!" he waved, leaving the room.

Alice came over and wrapped her arms around me, "I'll see you after school," she promised.

I nodded and leaned down to kiss her fully on the lips. She grinned coming out of it, "I love you."

"I love you, too. Thanks for bringing him down."

"No problem. Plus, it gives me an excuse to see you twice in one day!" she said with a playful smile.

"Gotta love that. See you in a few hours," I said, stalling.

"Yep," she said, stalling right along with me. Neither of us wanted her to leave.

I leaned down to kiss her again, but we were interrupted by the door opening.

"Alice! C'mon! We don't wanna be late!" Johnny yelled.

She grinned and pecked me on the cheek before running over to the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she said, waving one more time before leaving.

It had been a long day, waiting for her to return…

I suddenly jumped out of my thoughts as one of the police officers unlocked my door to let someone in.

I groaned internally because I knew it wouldn't be Alice. She was shopping with Rosalie today so she could have a new "cute" outfit for me to look at when she came tonight. I rolled my eyes; like she needed anything new in order to look cute. It was just an excuse to shop some more, but I didn't mind. I knew she enjoyed it. A little too much maybe, but it made her happy and that's all that mattered.

I felt a light hand smack the side of my head and I leaped up. I instantly knew who it was just by the slap. Nick. He had always done that to get me out of my own little world.

I tackled him to the ground and looked at him, surprised to see him. He shook his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes so he could see me better.

"Get off of me man!" he grumbled, trying to push me off of him.

The older police officer watched us with an amused look before shrugging and leaving the room with a chuckle.

"Oh, you can't take me anymore?" I replied with a taunting edge to my voice.

His eyes lit up to the challenge, just like they always had, ever since we were kids.

"You wish!" he threw me off of him in a flash, having me pinned to the floor now. We wrestled playfully around for a bit, something we actually hadn't done in a while. Sometimes we would do it with the gang around, but Greg would always just kick us and tell us to grow up.

Eventually we sat down breathlessly and my mind finally focused. Why was he here? I thought that after I left the gang he wouldn't dare come near me. I didn't even think about him coming to see me. I thought maybe... just maybe, he had helped Greg plan this.

Nick seemed to guess what I was thinking because he responded directly to my thoughts.

"I know… didn't expect to see me anytime soon, right?" he chuckled low, but rough, slightly nervous.

"No, not really," I admitted with the same low laugh.

He nodded understandingly before standing up to stretch.

"I had no idea Greg had planned this man. I'm sorry. I found out when Alice was talking to Greg and—"

I cut him off before he could finish.

"Greg was near Alice?!" I yelled, my voice jumping a pitch higher than normal.

Nick put a hand on my shoulder to try and calm me, but my concern made my hands start to shake.

"Chill! I was there. Do you think I would let anything happen to your girl? I'm taking care of her, don't worry," he assured me in a convincing voice.

I somewhat relaxed back into my seat, relieved that at least Nick was there.

"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her while I was stuck in here," I said, then sighed in frustration, running my hands through my long blonde curls.

Nick gave me a weak smile, but his brown eyes seemed troubled, like a battle had been going on in his mind.

"You shouldn't be in here. You are finally getting that life. The one worth living, you know? You have Alice… a purpose."

He shook his head angrily and slumped back down on to the floor beside me.

"I'll get out," I grumbled gloomily, staring blankly at the wall.

I knew that if I didn't get out of here, that's exactly how I would be looking at everything again. Blankly. No emotion, no hope, no Alice… nothing.

I clutched my fists and shook my head viciously, trying to get the thoughts of that hell out of my mind.

"Hopefully," Nick agreed, looking around the small cell again, his troubled look growing.

"You okay?" I asked, clearing my throat.

He just nodded slowly, still looking around the room, a look of defeat crossing over his face. Then a look of purpose and determination followed it.

"I gotta go!" he jumped up suddenly and patted me on the shoulder, "See you later, man. Hang in there…."

With one last glance, he darted out of the room, leaving me wondering what that was all about?

_________________________________________________________________

APOV

"Calm down, Alice," Edward groaned, massaging my shoulder to try and relieve the tense from all of my worrying.

"I can't. What if they decide he is guilty?! What if I never see him again?! What will I do—"

I started to panic again, but Emmett shoved a roll that had been sitting on the table into my mouth to shut me up. Edward glared darkly at him.

"Alice, you can't keep thinking like that. You have to have hope, dear," Esme said, walking around the table to give me a warm hug.

My whole family sat around the breakfast table trying to assure me that everything would be okay. Nothing they said seemed to calm me, though. It was today. The court day. The one where everything would be decided; Jasper's fate and mine.

"We'd better go if you want to see Jasper before the hearing," Carlisle said, getting up from breakfast.

His voice was confident. He was trying to stay positive, like Esme and everyone else. I was trying too, but I knew the truth. Jasper had killed him. I could see it in his eyes. Knowing this pulled my optimistic side down a bit.

I pushed myself away from the table. As Carlisle gave Esme a quick kiss goodbye, Edward tangled me in a reassuring hug before I could leave. His example was then followed by Esme, Emmett and Rosalie.

"Even if they do lock him up, we could do a whole secret agent thing and break him out! We could probably buy some guns and grenades on eBay! And then—"

Edward punched Emmet in the shoulder before he could continue. Emmett gave him a clueless look.

"What?!" Emmett growled at Edward, pushing him in response to the punch.

Carlisle put a hand on my lower back to guide me out of the new war zone.

He and I didn't speak much on the way. Other than a few reassuring comments, he gave me my space.

I pretty much ripped the car door off as we arrived at the station and flew to Chief Swan.

"Hey Alice," he greeted with a warm smile.

He then stood up as he saw me jumping up and down in anticipation. He chuckled and rolled his eyes as he began to guide me to Jasper's holding room.

Once the door was unlocked and opened, I launched myself into Jasper's waiting arms. He had been standing, waiting at the door.

"Mmm," he sighed, holding me tightly against his chest, "I missed you so much darling." His love poured deeply into his words as he spoke them.

"I missed you more," I chuckled, and then leaned up to peck him on the lips.

He didn't allow it to stay as a peck, though. He moved his hands from my back to my face in a flash, holding my lips securely to his. He smiled underneath the kiss.

I just rolled my eyes, but I wouldn't ever think of pulling away as I kissed him back.

His kiss had so much longing in it; it might have been as much as mine. Being away from each other this much was not good. I hated it and I knew he did too. This kiss showed how much we needed to see each other.

But then something else entered his kiss. His lips moved more urgently, fearful that this would be the last time we kissed.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, rubbing his back lovingly while I kissed back with assurance. I knew that no matter what happened, neither of us would let this be the last time.

He remained very tense though, as he pulled away. He left kisses down my neck, but I could feel his pain through the kisses.

"It's okay, Jazz, you'll be free by tomorrow," I told him, grabbing his face so he would look me in the eyes. I noticed they were glossy and wary. He just nodded as he pressed his forehead against mine.

"I love you," he whispered, his breath blowing over my face. My knees became so weak that they almost gave out. His cocky little smirk came racing onto his face as he felt me falling.

"You would think you would have gotten used to my irresistible charm by now," he murmured smugly, his breath still covering my face.

"You'd think," I chuckled softly, then pulled away from his face.

I leaned my head on his chest, trying to refocus what his breath had unfocused. As I tried to breathe normally, I noticed he wasn't wearing regular clothes. It was a suit. Jasper always looked so breathtaking in suits; I was surprised I didn't notice sooner.

I took a step back to look him up and down. He spun around, playfully showing off his new clothes.

"How do I look? Think I can dazzle the judge into letting me free?" he winked, his eyes dancing with mischief.

"She'll free you from criminal jail, but she'll probably lock you up for herself instead," I joked along with him.

I then reached to tighten his tie, but his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side; as if he were thinking.

"Should I look uglier then?" he asked seriously, but I saw a smile tugging on his lips, "You know, just so you don't have competition," he added, his smile shining at me.

"Well if I should be worried about competition, I guess you should get ugly," I said very seriously as a big smile tugged at my lips, betraying my 'serious' act.

We didn't say anything, both marveling at each other's smiles, just enjoying the moment while we could.

It was interrupted shortly by someone walking into the room.

"We have to leave, Jasper," Alvin, Jasper's lawyer, said as he came in.

Without even thinking, my hand snatched Jasper's and held it tightly. This time it was me who was afraid; I needed to stay with him.

Jasper read my face and spoke.

"Can she ride with us?"

His voice was hopeful, but also desperate. Alvin shook his head slowly and gave us both an apologetic look. I felt the panic that had been with me earlier start to rise quickly. Jasper planted a kiss softly on my cheek.

"I'll see you in a little while, okay love?" he asked quietly, his southern accent slipping in to try and calm me.

I shook my head again, grasping his hand even more tightly. His eyes became pained. I knew he couldn't ever pull away from me.

Alvin cleared his throat and glanced impatiently at his watch. Jasper looked over to him and nodded, but then his eyes turned very troubled when he looked back at me.

I felt terrible, but I just couldn't let his hand go. Letting go of his hand would mean letting go of him.

Jasper's deep blue eyes locked with my green ones. He ran his thumb down my cheek and sighed in defeat.

"You know I can't let you go right?" he choked out, his voice wavering.

I frowned deeply and tried to focus on letting go of his hand.

"Hey guys!" I heard Nick's voice suddenly echo through the room from behind us.

Jasper's eyes didn't leave mine, but I turned around slightly to see him approaching us. He was wearing a suit shirt with the top buttons undone and a crooked smile that reminded me of Edward's.

"Shouldn't you be leaving, Jasper? Can't be late for your own hearing, you know. Might look a little bad…" he said, exchanging a knowing look with Jasper.

Jasper gave him a thankful smile in response.

"Come on Alice, you can ride with me, we'll follow them!" Nick cheered, throwing his arm encouragingly around my shoulder, probably noticing I was having a hard time letting go.

Jasper leaned down to kiss my forehead. I reluctantly let go of four of his fingers, now holding only his index finger. I let out one big sigh and let it go, causing Jasper to laugh. He wiggled his fingers around.

"I'm free!" he chuckled and nuzzled my neck before giving me one last smile.

As I watched him walk away with his lawyer, I hoped he would be free in more than just that way very soon. I frowned as he got farther away from me, crossing my arms to hold myself together. Half of me was walking away right now. The empty feeling was already seeping into me as I hoped again that this would not be the last time I saw my Jazz.

"He would never let them lock him up away from you, you know," Nick whispered softly into my ear.

What would I have done without him this past week? He had looked out for me as much as he could. My opinion of him had changed drastically as I realized how good of a friend he was to Jasper. They were like brothers.

I sighed as I looked up to meet his eyes. They were full of understanding and assurance. "Come on, lets go."

_________________________________________________________________

JPOV

I sat behind the table, nervously fiddling with a pen. We were finally here. This was the moment.

We all stood as Judge Brown walked into the room . I fiddled with my tie nervously. I knew she was not supposed to pass judgment until after the trial, but I swear she looked at me suspiciously.

After they gave us permission to be seated, I shifted in my seat to look at Alice, who was sitting in one of the rows behind me. She sat with Carlisle on one side of her and Nick on the other. She smiled brightly at me, but it didn't reach her worried eyes.

I noticed that Steve, my step dad, sat behind Alice, Nick, and Carlisle. I was relieved that she had Carlisle and Nick on either side of her. Nick knew about Steve. He'd do whatever I couldn't to make sure Steve didn't touch her while we were here. He had proved it to me all week, while keeping an eye on her for me at school. I felt like I owed him for that.

Alvin kicked me softly in the leg. I sighed and hesitantly turned back around.

The trial was going to be based simply on the judge's ruling; no jury.

"What do you plea?" Judge Brown asked authoritatively after she finished reading off all of her papers. Alvin stood up.

"My client pleads not guilty," he answered in a sure voice.

The judge nodded nonchalantly. She had probably guessed that. If I had pleaded guilty, we wouldn't even need a trial, really. Just a sentence.

She waved to the prosecutor to begin. A man in a suit got up and cleared his throat.

"I'd like to call a character witness to the stand. Mr. Greene?"

Our school principal went up, got sworn in, and sat at the stand. I groaned silently. Great…

"Mr. Greene, what is your relationship with Mr. Hale?" the prosecutor began, leaning casually against his table.

"I am his principal," Mr. Greene answered.

"Would you say you knew him well?" the prosecutor asked.

"Yes, very well, he is in my office a lot," Mr. Greene replied, a disapproving look on his face as he watched me.

He never liked me, of course. Why should he? I was in the one gang in town. I was one of the only kids who actually gave him more trouble than shooting spit balls.

"And why is that?" the man in the suit asked, his voice calm and innocent, like he was surprised by the answer.

"Well Jasper has gotten into a lot of trouble at school…fights and such," Mr. Greene answered hesitantly.

I was starting to think he didn't actually want to answer these questions. I wondered if it was because he was nervous, speaking against a 'gang member,' or if he sincerely felt bad for having to testify against a student.

"Hmm…would you say Mr. Hale has a temper?" A smirk tugged at the prosecutor's lips.

"Umm. Yes, I guess he has shown signs of having a temper…." Mr. Greene shifted in his seat, an uncomfortable look on his face.

"So it wouldn't be too far off to assume that the release of his mother's murderer would cause him to be angry enough to possibly kill someone?" the prosecutor suggested, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Alvin frowned slightly, then rolled his eyes.

"It's possible, but school fights and murder are a lot different," Mr. Greene answered with a frown as well.

A little smile appeared on Alvin's face after hearing his response.

"True, but tell me please, Mr. Greene, were you surprised when you were summoned to court to witness about Jasper Hale in a murder case?" the prosecutor asked.

Mr. Greene's frown deepened, "No, I was not," he answered honestly, looking at me warily.

Alvin didn't change his expression, but made some lengthy notes on his papers.

"Thank you, no further questions," the prosecutor finished and took a satisfied seat. My stomach fluttered. This didn't seem to be turning out well.

Alvin got up and strolled over to Mr. Greene, offering him a small smile.

"Mr. Greene, what you have told us so far just states that Mr. Hale likes to get in school fights. Every teenage guy goes through school fights, right? Tell me, sir, when was the last time Mr. Hale was in your office because of a fight?" Alvin asked curiously, his eyes narrowed. Alvin knew I hadn't been in fights at school for a long while. Not since Alice came along.

"Well, actually, not very much… it was at least over a month ago," he answered, surprise in his voice as he realized this. Alvin smirked.

"So, he really doesn't fight that much, then. Probably the same as any other teenage guy. Is it possible that you were just judging him more by whom he was associating with, rather than who he actually is individually?" Alvin asked.

Mr. Greene shrugged at first, but then finally answered.

"Yes, I suppose that's possible," Mr. Greene answered again, seemingly confused that he was answering honestly, but positively, about Jasper.

"Thank you, that'll be all," Alvin said gratefully, sitting back down beside me to fill out some more notes.

The judge dismissed Mr. Greene, then. Now it was Alvin's turn to choose a witness.

He called up Scott, my boss from work. Scott walked up casually, got sworn in, and sat in front of the court with a relaxed look on his face. He nodded a greeting to me and I smiled back.

"You are Mr. Hale's boss, correct?" Alvin asked, this time he leaned casually on our table.

"Correct. He has been working for me for a year now," Scott answered, sounding bored. Alvin nodded slowly, then continued with another question.

"Do you trust him with this job? Working with children?"

Scott snorted, like the question was the dumbest he had ever heard.

"Yes, of course. The kids love him. Look right there, that one idolizes him," Scott said, pointing. I looked back to see Johnny. He had been sitting with his mother in another row. He smiled widely at me, his white teeth gleaming.

The judge looked us both over, seeing the resemblance.

"Well, a child wouldn't idolize a murderer, would they? Especially so young," Alvin continued, not talking to anyone in particular, before asking another question.

"In your opinion, do you believe that Mr. Hale would kill someone?"

Scott snorted again.

"No, I do not believe that. The kid has had a rough life, really rough, but he has a good heart. He is a good kid," Scott said with confidence.

I felt a tinge of that guilt again as I heard his answer, knowing I was actually guilty of this crime and many others. I wasn't a good kid.

Then he looked at me proudly and smiled. My guilt soared, but I also felt somewhat light and happy. It made me feel good to know that there were people that did believe in me.

The prosecutor then spoke to Scott, pulling some of what he wanted out of him, but not much. The trial dragged on for a while. People came up and left, over and over again.

I started to feel my palms sweat by this time, my nerves not doing so well. After the prosecutor called the next name, my stomach clenched.

__________________________________________________________________

Nick's POV

"Nick Graham."

I froze as my name flew through the air. My heart thudded. The prosecutor looked at me with a smirk.

Alice tapped my knee encouragingly. I looked at the small, nervous smile on her face and nodded slowly.

I then jumped up and tried to walk casually up to the little booth with the chair. I took my oath and sat as the prosecutor looked me over, seemingly satisfied.

"What is your relationship to Mr. Hale?" he asked softly, pushing nothing out of me yet. I knew he'd try, though. That's what these guys do.

"He is my man. My best friend," I answered in a sure and strong voice, nodding at Jasper. I then glanced back at the prosecutor. He didn't seem satisfied by my answer.

"So you know him pretty well, then, him being your best friend. Is it true that you were the one who got you both involved with a gang?" He asked, that now familiar smirk of his returning to his plastic face. I didn't like him.

"Yeah, that would be true," I answered with a roll of my eyes. Why did he have to be so formal when addressing everything?

Jasper stiffened nervously at the talk of the gang.

"But Jasper quit," I added in quickly. The prosecutor nodded nonchalantly.

"I have information that he just quit, though. A little more than a week ago. Now, while you were in the gang together, what was Jasper's role? I interviewed one gang member, who wanted to remain anonymous, and he, I quote, said, 'Jasper was our man who did the dirty work.' What dirty work would that be?"

The prosecutor asked me this curiously, leaning his butt on his table.

I raised a eyebrow in disbelief. Like I would tell him that. I didn't know a lot about court systems, but I knew enough not to incriminate myself.

I shrugged, having a blank look on my face.

"I don't remember him ever being 'the man who did our dirty work.' We aren't wimps; we can do our own dirty work," I said to avoid the question slyly.

The prosecutor rolled his eyes.

"All right," he said, then changing his direction in the questioning.

"Since you and Mr. Hale are so close, you must have heard how he felt about Allen Meyer being released from jail so early. How did he react, Mr. Graham?"

I smirked at him calling me "Mr. Graham," before answering the question.

I answered quickly, more relaxed than the last one, but watched my words carefully.

"Well, obviously he was upset. He thought his mom's life was worth more than five years. And I agree."

The man in the suit nodded casually at my answer, picking up some papers to glance over them.

"When he was upset, did he ever say anything about wanting to kill Allen Meyer?" he asked.

Jasper leaned forward, his eyes wide as he looked at me, but I answer truthfully.

"No."

Jasper really never had ever spoken like that about him. He had said that he hated him and was furious about it, but he had never really said he wanted to kill him. It just sort of happened.

The prosecutor's head popped up in surprise. Jasper smiled widely in his seat, along with his lawyer.

"In our other interviews, someone said you were actually with him when he supposedly committed the murder…Mr. Graham, did you see Jasper Hale kill Allen Meyer?"

He asked this very suddenly, his tone serious. The whole place went dead silent.

I clutched my jaw tightly, knowing I had seen the whole thing. I remembered it clearly: Jasper grabbing my knife and heading over to him, stabbing him in the stomach three times angrily. Then I remember the knife clanging to the pavement, Jasper stumbling backward in shock, his face whiter than usual after he saw what he did. I had ran forward and caught him before he fell. His whole body shook as I helped him stagger home, and then as I cleaned him up.

Now this man was standing in front of me, asking me to tell him this. Asking me to tell him that I stayed with my best friend the whole night after he had killed a man, helping him cope with the shock of it all. How was I supposed to do that to Jasper?

If I told him what he wanted to hear, I would cause Jasper to be in jail, probably for the rest of his life. He wouldn't have Alice or a future anymore. He was finally starting this new life, the one he had always sat there wishing for…

He had such a bad life up until now. His dad leaving, his mom dying, his stepdad taking over and abusing him, and then I, his best friend, got him into a gang. The gang that was the whole reason why he was going to get punished for life. I was the cause of this whole thing. If I hadn't made him join the gang with me, he would have never ended up like this. Maybe he would have been worse off, but then maybe not. What could be worse than where he was right now, in a court, about to be sent to jail for murder?

All Jasper had ever done to me was be my best friend. He had saved me more times than I'd like to admit. One of the times stood out…

The two guys held me down as other ones hit me over the head with a chain. I flew violently to the ground, my head bashing against the floor. I felt warmth start to spread over my face. Blood.

The guys didn't stop there. They began kicking me viciously. The one guy kept hitting me with the chains. I tried as hard as I could to keep from screaming, to look tough.

Jasper was fighting silently. He was used to the pain.

Suddenly I felt a snap in my leg as one of the guys kicked it. I let out a gasp of pain and braced myself for more.

But before I knew it, everything had stopped. No one was hitting me. Everyone had backed up with shocked expressions.

I looked to see Jasper crouched protectively in front of me, giving them all a murderous warning look. I even heard a growl escape his lips.

I stared at him in shock as he stood there, not just to stop them, but to fight them. For me. To protect me, his best friend, from getting hurt, even if it brought him to his death.

He would have died for me that day. There were many other times where I'm sure he would have too. We had each others backs, but I felt like he had done so much more for me than I had ever done for him. And now my testimony was supposed to put him to his death? I wouldn't let it happen! It was my turn to take the blame! My turn to save him!

"No, he did not kill Allen Meyer! I did! I stabbed him! Three times! I hated him for what he did to Jasper and his family and he was not going to get away with it. I killed Allen Meyer!" I admitted loudly, relief filling me.

Everyone gasped, including Jasper, his eyes widening in shock, mouth gaping.

I threw a hand up to make sure he didn't say anything. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head at him, meeting his eyes.

It was my turn to take the pain for him.

Author's note: *Jaw Drop* Wow. What a best friend! I want Nick as a best friend, WHO ELSE DOES?! So how'd you like chapter? Surprise you? Tell us, REVIEW! And REVIEW! Lots of reviews are good, long reviews are good, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT WAS A LONG CHAPTER! xD
Also! My sister has just started writing her first fanfict *round of applause* yes I have got her hooked, so if any of you are Team Jacob check it out! It's called New Moon Werewolf Style and the ID code is 5054579! Check it out! :D

Have a GREAT DAY!