A/N: I'm so sorry that I didn't update sooner. Two hot guys had my full attention the past few days, SnooZe (also known as HeMan) and Thor! Thanks for the... fun, Guys! wink-wink

53.

Will He Ever Learn?

Emmett and Rose had plans for that night already, so Tony and Shannon came to pick Alice and Jasper up. They pulled into Jasper's driveway and he walked outside and whistled low.

"Tony, nice truck, man." he said, admiring Tony's dark blue pick-up truck.

"Thanks, Jas. I got it a few weeks ago. It's a couple years old, but it's in great shape." he told Jasper, getting out to show Jasper the finer points of his truck.

Shannon laughed and rolled her eyes. Knowing they'd be a while, she said, "I'm gonna' go get Ali." And headed next door.

Tony took Jasper around to the back and laughed at his expression when he spotted the air mattress in the pick-up's bed. "It's not for what you're thinking, Dude." Tony chuckled, but then smirked. "Although that could be... interesting." Both of them laughed and Jasper smacked Tony on he arm.

"Seriously, Dude, it's to sit on while we watch the movies at the Drive-in." Tony told him. "The Drive-is okay with you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah... great, actually." Jasper answered with a smile. "We can catch up without disturbing anyone else. Besides, sitting in the back of your truck sounds fun."

"Cool. Ali won't mind, will she?" Tony wondered.

"Are you kidding? Ali is the most agreeable person... probably on earth. She'll be happy with whatever you guys want to do." Jasper told him.

"Shouldn't we at least ask her, Jas?" Tony asked him, looking contrite.

"Sure. Shannon probably already has, but we'll make sure she doesn't mind." Jasper answered him, slightly puzzled.

"It's just that, it's only right to ask her, Jas. You know, make sure she really wants to go?" Tony looked really serious. "Chicks hate when you assume they like something. They like it when you ask."

"O-kay... " Jasper said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm serious, Jas. Don't get pissed, but you drag Ali around like she doesn't have a mind of her own." Tony put his hands out when Jasper scowled. "I'm just trying to help, Dude."

Jasper sighed. "I know... thanks, Tony."

"No problem, man." Tony grinned as he saw the girls walking toward them. They were both gorgeous and he was so glad that he was in love with Shannon, cuz he'd be heart-broken seeing Alice with Jasper if he still felt about her the way he had this past year. He knew she was way too young for him, but he had been head-over-heels for her. He smiled fondly, remembering how he had tried so hard to just act like he was keeping her company, when all he'd wanted to do was kiss her. He looked over at Jasper and chuckled at the way he looked at Ali. His whole face was lit up and he had a dumb, vacant grin on his face.

Tony wondered if that was how he looked when he was watching Shannon. He looked back toward her and watched her as she strolled across the lawn and giggled with Alice. He wondered for the hundredth time what he had done to deserve her. She was so beautiful, her brilliant red hair shining in the light from the setting sun and her smile even more brilliant. He chuckled again when he and Jasper sighed at the same time and grinned at each other. They were a couple of lucky jerks, that's for sure.

The girls reached them and Jasper took Alice aside. "Ali, do you mind if we go to the Drive-in instead of the movie theater tonight?"

"Of course not, Jas. I think it will be fun." Alice said, smiling sweetly at him.

"I didn't just want to assume that it was okay without asking you." Jasper told her.

"Aw, Jas." she leaned in and hugged him. "Thank you for being so considerate."

Jasper looked at Tony over Alice's head with a grin and Tony winked at him.

"Well, shall we get going?" Tony asked, putting his arm around Shannon. He escorted her to the cab of the truck and Jasper went around to the other side with Alice. As he was about to help her into the passenger seat, Jasper noticed that Alice looked worried.

"Something wrong, Ali?" he asked her. Alice shook her head, but he could tell she was just telling him what he wanted to hear. He closed the door on the truck and bent down to look her in the face, his hands on her upper arms. "Ali? I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong."

Alice bit her lip and gazed at him with indecision. "Jas..." she whispered. "There is a... a... bed... in the back of Tony's truck." Jasper threw his head back and laughed out loud. When he finally looked back down at her, he had tears in his eyes. "Alice, you are so frickin' adorable." She was frowning at him and thinking about walking back home since he was laughing at her, when he cupped her face in both of his hands. "It's just to sit on while we watch the movies, Ali. Don't feel embarrassed, I wondered the same thing."

"You did?" she asked incredulously. He nodded and she started giggling. He grinned and opened the door and lifted her into the truck, getting in behind her.

The Drive-in's double features were both comedies and Alice smiled in relief. Jasper knew exactly what she was thinking when he saw her expression, and he mentally kicked himself for not asking Tony what movies they were seeing, before they got to the outdoor theater. It hadn't even crossed his mind to ask and he felt ashamed for being so selfish... again. He had to make himself remember to think of Ali first. He rubbed her shoulder and smiled down at her when she looked up at him.

Tony found a parking spot near the middle and backed his truck into it. He reached behind the seat and pulled out two full black garbage bags. "Here are some quilts in case we get cold." he said. They got out of the truck to get settled in the back, but decided to go and buy some snacks first.

"Since we didn't eat dinner, make sure you get something to eat, okay, Ali?" Jasper told her, worried that she would go hungry so as not to spend his money. "I mean it. I have plenty of money with me."

She smiled up gratefully and put her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. "Thank you, Jas." He was making her feel so special by being so thoughtful today. "Maybe I could get a hot dog. I am a little hungry."

Jasper got them each a hot dog, a large soda, a giant popcorn and a big box of M&Ms. "Jasper! How are we going to eat all of that?" Alice laughed, shaking her head at his silly grin.

Tony bought him and Shannon the same amount of snacks, and the four of them went back to the truck. They got settled in the back, the boys with their backs against the back of the truck's cab, and the girls between their legs, leaning back against their chests. They ate their snacks and chatted and watched the first movie, the four of them wondering if any other night had ever been so perfect.

When the first movie was over, the girls decided to walk up to the concession center to use the bathroom. Ali came out first and leaned against the wall to wait for Shannon.

"Ali? I didn't expect to see you here." Alice looked up to see Matt Davidson walking over to her.

She swallowed hard and gave him a little smile. "Uh... hi Matt. Are you here with Lauren?" Ali asked.

"No. I'm not dating Lauren, Ali. We just ran into each other in town today, that's all." Matt told her, leaning close to her. "You here with Jas?" he wanted to know.

"Um.. yeah, I'm here with Jas." Alice offered. "Who are you here with?"

"Just some buddies. We didn't have anything else to do." he told her, moving a little closer.

"Uh... Matt? I have to go, Jas is waiting for me." Alice said, trying to politely separate herself from him. She knew that Jasper would be very angry if he saw them together. Before she could step away, Matt put his hands against the wall on each side of her and leaned in.

"The movie won't start for a couple minutes, Ali. You have time to talk to me for a minute, don't you?" Matt asked her, smiling sweetly at her.

"I... suppose." Alice gave in, not wanting to hurt him, but not feeling comfortable with him, either. Just then, she cringed as she heard a smooth voice with a slight southern twang.

"There you are, Ali. I was starting to get... worried." Jasper told Alice, looking at Matt. Alice saw Lauren standing behind him and realized that she'd been set up. She couldn't understand why Matt would go along with Lauren's plan to humiliate her and she looked between him and Jasper.

Matt had pulled away from the wall and stood facing Jasper. "Hey, Jas. What's up?" he said.

"Not much, Matt. What's up with you?" Jasper answered, trying to be civil.

"Just hangin' out and... uh... talking... with Ali." Matt smirked at Jasper, trying to imply that there was more than talking going on.

"Well, that was nice of you to visit with Ali while she was waiting for Shannon." Jasper said through slightly gritted teeth. Then he looked at Ali. "You all done here, darlin'?" He asked her. She nodded and moved over by him. He put his arm around her and hugged her to his side, looking straight at Matt. "See ya' round, Matt." Jasper called, escorting Alice away from him.

"I'm so glad you came when you did." Ali told him, "I wasn't comfortable with Matt standing so close to me. He told me he wasn't here with Lauren, but I saw her standing behind you."

Jasper didn't say anything and took his arm from around her as soon as they got outside. Alice looked questioningly up at him, but he didn't look at her and neither of them spoke.

"Great!" Alice thought, "He cannot be mad at me because Matt came over by me." But she knew he was. They reached the truck and Jasper wordlessly lifted Alice into the nest of quilts. He climbed in behind her and sat with his back to the cab, but he didn't say anything to her or move his legs so she could sit down. Alice sighed, "this thing with Matt was getting old." she thought. "How could he believe Lauren over her?

Ali just looked at Jasper as he sat there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at the silly dancing popcorn on the screen. Ali's head began to hurt and she decided that she was done with dating. As soon as they got home, she was not going anywhere with Jasper ever again. She put her head down and willed herself not to cry. He was such an ass, she told herself, and she wouldn't miss him. Besides, school would start in a couple more weeks and she'd hardly see him any way.

Alice mumbled that she had to get something and crawled back out of the truck. She walked out into the dark before Jasper even realized what she was doing. She just needed to get away from him for a minute so she wouldn't cry in front of him. She walked toward the very back of the outdoor theater area where there weren't a lot of vehicles, listening to the gravel crunch beneath her feet. Her eyes were swimming with tears and she stumbled over a rise in the gravel. She fell to her knees and covered her eyes with her hands, letting the tears fall. She just couldn't do this any more, she thought. This emotional roller coaster was too much to ask of anybody.

Alice jumped when she felt hands on her waist and was lifted into a pair of strong arms and pulled against a hard chest. She snuggled into Jasper and soaked his shirt front with her crying. As the tears subsided, she realized that the chest she was snuggled against wasn't as tall as usual. She cautiously looked up just as she heard an angry voice.

"God damn it, Matt! Get your hands off of her!" Jasper growled, pulling Alice away from Matt. Alice took in the smirk on Matt's face and the huge wet spot on the front of his shirt. "Can't you get it through your head that she doesn't want you?" Jasper taunted.

Alice felt the bruising grip of Jasper's hands on her arms as he yanked her against his tall, strong frame. She pulled away from him and he scowled at her as she backed away, looking from one to the other.

"Looks like she don't want you, either, Jas." Matt sneered, a gloating smile covering his lips, his eyes loving the expression on Jasper's face.

Jasper let out a snarl and launched himself at Matt. The two of them went down in the gravel and started wrestling around. Jasper landed a punch to Matt's face and he grunted. He pushed Jasper off of him and got to his feet, landing a kick to Jasper's side. Jasper rolled away and jumped to his feet, as well. They circled each other growling and snarling like a couple of wild animals.

Alice watched in horror, her drying tears stiffening her face. They were fighting over her like she was some booby prize. They never even took into consideration what she wanted or thought. Suddenly, she was bone weary. Her head felt like it was too heavy for her neck and her legs felt like they couldn't support her much longer. She just wanted to go home and end this once and for all.

Alice heard a snicker behind her and, looking over her shoulder, saw Lauren watching the boys fight with an evil light of satisfaction in her eyes. Alice had known when she saw Lauren earlier at the concession stand that she was responsible for Matt being there. How she had known that her and Jasper would be here, she had no idea, but it was no coincidence that they both just happened to be here tonight.

Soon, a few of Matt's friends had gathered around to watch the fighting and Alice heard Tony's voice as he came running up.

"Matt! Jasper! Stop! What are you guys fighting for?" Tony hollered as he attempted to stop their fierce battle. Another of their mutual friends joined his attempt and they finally succeeded in wrenching them apart.

Jasper's face was red and his hair hung over his face, but Alice could see the fierce look in his eyes and the hard set of his teeth. He was breathing hard and straining to get away from Tony so he could get back to Matt. Matt, on the other hand, looked like he had enjoyed their fight way too much. His smirk was firmly in place and he was having way too much fun taunting Jasper. He said something to Dylan Shane, who had him by the arms, and Dylan let him go. Matt pushed his hair back with his hand and, still smirking at Jasper, licked his bleeding lip.

"What the hell's the matter with you guys?" Tony barked. "I thought you were friends. What could you possibly be fighting over?"

At his words, both guys looked over at Alice. She shook her head and slowly started backing away again, her eyes huge, her hands up in front of her and everyone looking at her now. Tony looked at her with sympathy and cautiously let Jasper go.

Jasper's face lost it's fierce expression, but now his features showed his anguish. "Ali... I'm sorry." He pleaded as he flipped his hair out of his eyes. He walked toward her carefully, his eyes begging her to forgive him yet again. She just watched his face as he approached, the weariness enveloping her, and her shoulders slumped. He finally stood in front of her, his hand on the back of his neck, his face full of shame.

"I'm sorry, Ali." he whispered to her. "I just... I... I have no... excuse. I... shouldn't have fought with him. I shouldn't have... been mad in the first place." He looked down at the ground. "I am sorry. I just wanted to enjoy the drive-in with you... I didn't mean to mess it up." He looked up at her again, his face swathed in sorrow, as he took another step toward her and she stepped another step away. "I saw him... touching you, and... when he said you... didn't want me... I just... lost it..." He took another step toward her, his hands out to his sides. "I'm sorry... Ali?" He looked so pitiful and her heart twisted. She took a step forward and he reached out and crushed her to him, frantically kissing the side of her neck and face, whispering over and over. "Thank you... thank you..."

Tony looked at Matt. "Give it a rest, man. Can't you see she loves him?"

Matt looked down, his embarrassment showing on his face. "Yeah... I don't know why... " Then his head came up and he looked at Lauren. Realization flooded his features, he'd been played. Lauren smirked at him and he shook his head. After all the years of knowing her, he never thought he'd fall into one of her schemes. He had let his attraction to Alice color his common sense when Lauren had told him that Ali had said she liked him and was done with Jasper. He felt like the biggest idiot.

Matt walked over by where Jasper and Alice were still hugging. "Uh... Jas?" Matt said quietly. Jasper turned to look at him, his face cautious. "I'm sorry, man." He looked over at Lauren and Jasper followed with his own eyes. They looked back at each other and Matt continued, "I realized I got played. You'd think I'd know better, but... " He just shrugged, helplessly, and Jasper put out his hand.

"It's OK, man. I fell for one of her schemes not too far back, myself." They shook hands and Ali smiled in relief, glad the blame was where it belonged and not on her any more.

All of their other friends gathered around, clapping the two guys on the back and murmuring that they were glad they were all friends again. Everyone wandered back to their cars and Jasper looked down at Alice.

"You okay?" he asked. At her nod, he wondered, "Do you want to watch the other movie, or... " He looked over at Tony.

"Hey, whatever you guys wanna' do, is all right with me." He said, his hands held up on either side of him.

Ali, not wanting to ruin everyone's night any more, smiled. "I'd like to stay for the other movie, Jas." she said, and let a smiling Jasper lead her back to Tony's truck. The boys talked on the walk back and Ali saw Shannon standing next to the truck waiting anxiously. When they reached her, she expressed her concern for Jasper's condition and then asked Ali if she was all right.

"I'm fine, Shannon. A little stressed... " She chuckled lightly and Shannon nodded and put her arm around her.

"We can go home, if you want, Ali. It's not a problem." Shannon offered.

Alice shook her head. "No, it's okay. It'll be nice to watch another movie and get this whole thing off our minds."

Shannon nodded and looked over at Tony. He smiled gently at her and motioned for everyone to get back into the truck as the lights dimmed for the second feature. He helped Shannon into the back and got in after her. Jasper lifted Alice into the back, stopping to kiss the top of her head, and climbed in after her, as well. The boys settled back against the cab and helped the girls get settled in front of them again.

Jasper leaned forward and whispered to Ali. "Are you sure you're all right, darlin'?"

She turned around and smiled. "Yeah. I'm okay, Jas." she told him. Then she pleaded, "Please don't fight any more. It's... terrifying... and doesn't solve anything."

Jasper looked ashamed. "I know. As soon as I started in on him, I knew it was a mistake. I let my emotions rule me... again. I really am sorry, Ali." His look was contrite. Just that morning, she had tried to break up with him, and here he was giving her more reasons to end their relationship. He didn't think he could stand it if she left him. She had become his whole world in such a short time. Well, that wasn't true, he knew, she had been a big part of his world his whole life. He had always been concerned with her, only now, his thoughts of her were consuming. He thought of her during baseball, during band practice, in the shower, before bed... even when he was with her, he thought of her. He shook his head, he was crazy over her, and he didn't mind one bit.

Alice settled back against the protective strength of Jasper's chest and let out a sigh as she relaxed into him. He grinned down at the top of her head and placed a gentle kiss there.

The movie was getting good and Jasper absent-mindedly stroked Ali's arms. She shivered and he looked down at her in concern.

"Are you cold, sugar?" Jasper murmured in her ear. She shivered again and nodded to cover up the fact that she wasn't really cold. Jasper reacher over and pulled one of the quilts over her. She looked over her shoulder at him with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Jas." she said.

"You're welcome, darlin'." he breathed in her ear, the scent of her hair and skin driving him crazy. She shivered again and he chuckled, rubbing her arms under the quilt. She unconsciously scooted back against him and felt his emerging hardness. With a small sound, she wiggled to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her still.

"Shhhhhh... don't move." he whispered. "It'll be okay in a minute." He wasn't really sure if it would be, but he loved holding her close. He reached up and took hold of the end of her waist-length braid, undoing the band holding it together and running his hands through the long lengths to separate them. He fanned her hair out around her shoulders and buried his face into its fragrant softness.

"This is heaven." he thought, feeling her melt against him. He pushed her hair aside and started nibbling on her neck and she shivered and shifted against his most sensitive area.

"How am I going to control myself if you keep doing that?" he murmured in her ear. "It's hard enough controlling myself around you, without you goading me on."

She made a little gasping sound and turned to look at him, again. He grinned at her and let out a chuckle. She scowled at him, but her lips were fighting a grin. He was so darn hopeless, but she was starting to think that, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Jasper hugged Ali to him, relieved she was giving him, yet, another chance, and vowed that he would be extra careful to control himself from now on.