Author's Note: Here it is! A new chapter of Forgotten Hope. Enjoy! :)
CPOV
I really didn't know what to do once we were back on the plane sans Alice and Jasper. I was under the impression that Alice would be coming with us...
And by the look on Spencer's face, he had thought so, too.
We boarded his jet with just a few strange glances from the people around us. I'm sure we probably looked like someone had died or something. He was all dressed up... he could have just come from a funeral.
I wasn't really sure what I looked like. I was almost afraid to find out.
Spencer, always a gentleman, made sure I boarded safely. I tried to smile to thank him, but I wasn't sure if I succeeded. I was too exhausted to put effort into anything more than taking in a breath and letting it out again.
I got myself settled into the same chair I had been in earlier as Spencer made his way to the back of the plane. I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the cushy back of the seat, and got ready to try to sleep on the way to Forks. I felt like if I stayed awake, my brain would just overload and go crazy.
A weight of something suddenly on my lap made my eyes shoot open and I gasped as I realized what it was.
Warm, soft paws balanced themselves on my thighs as Dakota tried not to fall out of my lap.
"Dakota!" I whispered, eyes brimming with tears again as I hugged him to me, not caring that his tongue was trying to lick the tears from my face. I had missed him so much. He was the only thing I was looking forward to going home to. At least he was still here. He still loved me, it seemed. He wasn't mad at me for leaving him with Spencer for a bit.
"I-uh-I didn't want to leave him at home alone... I figured you'd be happy to see him," Spencer said, sitting down in a chair diagonally from me. He set a small glass of ice and something clear on the table next to him. It could've been water, if there weren't olives in it.
I simply nodded, pulling the dog closer to me, ignoring the fact that he was apparently going to be drinking on the way to Forks. It was his plane, right? He could drink what he wanted, even if it made me nervous, just the two of us.
He smiled gently and took a sip. "Would you like anything to drink?"
I shook my head, burying my face into Dakota's soft fur. His little whines and 'almost-barks' of excitement to see me were exactly what I needed. Just a bit of warmth. Real warmth.
Spencer nodded. "I'm assuming you... don't really care if we watch chick flicks or not, either, do you?" he said with a slight smirk, his eyes still as cold as they had been when we had left Alice and Jasper. I knew they weren't meant for me, but the effect was still unnerving.
I shook my head again. "I'll probably sleep until we get there. I haven't slept in a while," I told him quietly. "I won't mind what you put on... whatever you're most comfortable with."
Without further question, he pushed a few buttons on the remote to get the TV started. He finally settled on watching a Comedy movie, but his heart wasn't in it. He didn't laugh when he should have, and neither did I.
Dakota and I got comfortable and I closed my eyes, listening to the voices in the movie, but not really hearing them.
What I was hearing was Nick's silence. Deafening silence. I had never known what that meant until now. It was so loud that a shrill beeping noise soon developed in my head.
I focused on it, on the pain, on the way that it seemed to just erase all thoughts that threatened to creep in. One loud, long, flat key.
I cuddled into my puppy just a bit more before I gave in to sleep.
The plane landing shakily is what drew me from sleep. It didn't jolt us around or anything, just rumbled enough to coerce my eyes open.
I stared out the window at an abundance of green. Everything was green. So this was where Nick had grown up...
"I'm going to take him over to the grass to see if he needs to go... you should probably stay here," Spencer said, interrupting my thoughts before they could get too in depth.
I blinked away sleep and nodded. "Sure... yeah, that's... fine..." I answered, making sense of what he was saying.
He hooked the leash onto Dakota and they left out of the front of the jet.
I tried to keep my brain asleep and made my way to the back to the bathroom. I then grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge and walked to the front. It felt good to stretch my legs a little...
As I got to the front, though, I froze. Someone was sitting on the chair across from where I had been sitting, and it wasn't Spencer.
Okay, maybe this was Mack. But what if it wasn't? What if something had happened, and now whoever they were trying to protect me from by having Mack come along with Spencer and me was hijacking the jet?
...Okay, seriously, if they could hijack a jet, then they were going to be way more than I'd ever be able to outrun, anyway. And honestly, what did it matter? Nick didn't want me... did I still care about what was happening to my life?
I had just felt so much better about-well, everything-since Nick had been in my life. And even more so, once Bryce and my family were out. But now...
Now that it was just me, I had no clue what I wanted anymore. What did I want from my life?
I walked in as confidently as I could muster and stood in front of the guy's chair.
He looked up with blue orbs that looked like they had seen brighter days, but had been shattered and then hastily put back together so that he could see again. That was everything his eyes told me in just a glance.
I took a step back as he smiled and raised his eyebrows curiously. "I'm assuming you're Chloe?"
His voice was friendly enough... calming, at least. Like he was focusing on making sure that I was comfortable around him. Was it because he wanted to care about me or because he was trying to manipulate me?
"I'm hoping you're Mack," I said flat out, crossing my arms in front of me. And if he wasn't, well... it sort of didn't matter. This was happening, regardless.
He nodded, though, and relief surged through me quicker than I had expected. Knees trembling at the feeling, I fell back into my chair.
A quick look of concern swept over his face, and he leaned forward. "You all right?"
I nodded, but his look didn't disappear.
"You should drink some of that," he advised, motioning to the water bottle I was still holding on to.
I didn't want to, but of course the moment he mentioned it, I was suddenly very, very thirsty.
I took a few sips of it as Spencer returned with Dakota on his heels. Dakota's tail started wagging back and forth as soon as he saw me, and I felt my face relax a bit.
Mack grinned at the sight of the dog. "Hey, who's your pal, Spencer?" he asked. Again, his voice was calm... so much calmer than what I had gotten used to hearing over the past day...
"Chloe and Nick's dog, Dakota," he answered, coming in and letting go of the leash as he made his way to the back without another word.
Dakota ran first to me, sniffed my hand, and then ran over to see Mack. He put his front paws on Mack's lap and his tail wagged more.
Dogs had an intuition for people, right?
Mack petting him behind the ears, which I knew he loved, and then stood up. "You need anything from the back?"
I shook my head no and he nodded an okay before joining Spencer. I heard Spence ask him what he wanted to drink, and then I drowned out the rest of the conversation as worry started to come into my chest again. I barely knew Spencer and I didn't know Mack at all... Spencer was upset... would he be able to defend me if Mack got too drunk and tried something?
But Mack returned a few minutes later with an unopened can of Coke, to my great surprise. He cracked it open and tried to smile at me again. "So uh... flight okay? I mean, you made it, so I guess it couldn't be too bad, but..." he shrugged, "I don't know. To be honest, I'm just trying to make this less awkward. It's weird without Alice as a buffer, isn't it? The girl just talks..." he shook his head, smiling fondly. "How is she? Jasper still treating her like a princess?"
Finally! It was so nice for him to ask how Alice was, and not how I was. I couldn't come up with good polite lies right now.
"Oh, Jasper's treating her just fine," Spencer answered for me as he joined us with another clear glass. Three olives this time. "Still the same old Jazzy to her, memory or not. Yeah, they're back to their old selves. She's starting to remember bits and pieces... I'd say it'll be a happily ever after for them, all right," he finished.
Mack shifted uncomfortably at Spencer's bitter tone and I tried not to let it have any influence over me. His presence had radiated his annoyance and anger the whole flight over, but this was the first time he had mentioned anything out loud.
"I'm... glad that she's happy, then," Mack answered after a moment, unsure of how to respond.
The jet started to move on the runway, then, so we all got settled and ready to fly.
I closed my eyes and tried to find the loud beeping noise again, but after we were in the air, Mack started talking. "So... I thought Alice was going to fly back with us, too?" he inquired. I had to give it to the guy for trying.
Before I could answer, Spencer let out a low chuckle. "She was, but Jasper said it was okay if she wanted to stay with him, instead. Guess what she chose to do."
Mack shrugged, "Maybe... she wanted to be involved with helping Nick?" he tried.
Pain seized my heart and squeezed it way too tightly. Helping Nick with what? Convincing him to come home, back to New York? And then what? We'd... be friends?
Nick had seemed... kind of angry at me though. Like he didn't want to talk to me, look at me, be in the same room as me... I don't know what I did, but it didn't feel like he'd want to come back to New York anytime soon.
"Sure," Spencer gave in, shrugging back casually. "So she can put herself in danger again, just like what happened in Forks."
Mack cringed at that and his hand wandered under his shirt for the briefest moment before he put it back on his lap. "She'll be okay."
What danger?
Spencer shrugged again and turned the movie back on. It was the same one as earlier.
Mack sighed and leaned back into his chair, suddenly looking very tired.
Part of me knew I should say something to him... and ask what he meant about the danger. But another, stronger part of me was just too exhausted. It would take too much to open my mouth, control my voice...
Dakota sprawled out on my lap and I used him as a blanket as I finally found the piercing beeping noise again. I rode it into sleep.
I woke to someone lightly shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and jumped, seeing Mack standing there.
"Sorry..." he said, taking a careful step back. "I didn't mean to scare you. We're landing in a few minutes, though, if you wanted to freshen up or get your things together or... whatever."
I nodded groggily and reached down to grab my purse. I should probably look partially alive once we got to New York. Not that anyone would notice.
I applied some concealer to the dark circles that had developed under my eyes and then brushed over the rest of my face with a light foundation powder.
"It's easier for girls," Mack commented, "Hiding behind make up, I mean. I could have used that a few months ago..."
I figured he was trying to make a joke, but I wasn't in the state of mind to understand it right now. All I heard was that he knew I was using my make up to hide and if people knew you were hiding, then it didn't work anymore.
I looked closer at him, then. He was way too perceptive... what could I understand from him other than he had broken eyes and a friendly personality?
But as my eyes traveled over him, I noticed the scars. They were faded, not as obvious as Jasper's. Or Nick's. But he had them, too.
My brain started to rush to life again. A few more of the puzzle pieces started to put themselves together. They all had scars. The same types of scars. And they were all friends... all knew what was going on... they could all fight...
Had Nick lied about the fights he had gotten into? Had he... had he been in the gang with them, too?
I was suddenly even more worried about him than I was before. And I was letting myself admit that I was worried. That even if he was mad, he was still hurt and... probably in danger, too. He had looked so different...
"Mack..." I started to ask. I needed to know. Someone had to be willing to tell me the truth. I wanted to know what was going on... at least a little more than I knew already.
But before he could answer, an announcement came that we were starting to descend and that we should remain seated. Mack walked over to his seat and he was suddenly too far for me to ask it without Spencer hearing me.
I had missed this chance, for now.
MPOV
I had no clue why I had never gone to New York before. This city was amazing. So many buildings and people...
Forks was quaint... and it was nice there... but New York. Wow.
It just sucked that I had to come on such sad circumstances. Nick was gone, Jasper and Alice were investigating how they could get him back... so they had asked me if I could come out and stick around Chloe... make sure that she was safe and everything. They had asked Spencer to check up on her and spend time with her as well, but I guess they figured the more people the better. Or maybe because they knew I could fight if necessary... I don't know. But I owed them everything and if this is what they needed from me, then I was there.
I was under the impression that Greg wasn't in New York at the moment, but with him, you could never be too careful. Which is why I had made it a point not to get in touch with him at all while I've been here. The less he knew right now, the better.
We had only been here for about a day. Chloe had to work this morning, so my plan was to spend the day at the book shop with her. Spencer was planning on getting some work done and then meeting us later, so it would just be us there. I was kind of relieved... I think he was still a little upset with me for what had happened with Alice and Greg months ago, so things were a little tense between the two of us. I didn't blame him, though... I was still trying to deal with it myself.
I picked at a loose thread on her living room couch and waited for her to finish getting ready for work in her room. I had only met the girl yesterday, but we hadn't really had a lot of time to talk yet. She had talked a little to Spencer once we had gotten off of the jet, but then buried herself in school work before bed last night. So I had just read the Psych book I had brought with me.
She emerged from her room and gave me the smallest, shyest smile possible before leading the way out of the front door. She had her hair down and wavy and wore glasses today. She looked as smart as Jasper had said she was.
I followed her in silence as we took the elevator downstairs and then proceeded to walk a few blocks until we got to a tiny hole-in-the-wall book shop. The quiet was nice, though. I wasn't used to it with girls... especially girls like Alice. Usually, girls liked to talk a lot more. But Chloe just sort of went with the flow when it came to speaking. I liked it. It gave me more freedom to take in the busy atmosphere of the city and I didn't have to worry about saying the right thing to her or anything, if she wanted to talk about Nick.
The book shop was cozy, with a small area with couches in a corner. Next to the couch area, there was a door that connected to a coffee shop next door. Before even clocking in, Chloe headed over to the coffee shop.
"Want anything? I get a discount," she told me quietly as she waited to be served.
I shrugged and gave her a ten and a five. "Sure. I'll have whatever you're getting."
She nodded and ordered as I stood at the end, waiting to get our cups.
"Change," Chloe said as she joined me, handing me what was left over from the money I had given her.
I shook my head. "It's okay. Keep it."
She gave me a curious look and then hesitantly slipped the change into her pocket. "Okay..." she said slowly, a bit unsure. "Um... thanks for the coffee."
Jasper had said she was shy... and she was probably still a little shook up from Nick leaving. I guess she didn't know too much about what was going on, either... just that she apparently needed a body guard. I wondered how she felt about that?
I nodded politely to her though as our coffees were delivered to us. I was glad I could do something to try to make her more comfortable with me being around her so often for now. She definitely looked like she wasn't sure how to act with me here. I didn't want her to feel awkward... especially not at her own place or at her job. I didn't want to intrude...
She handed me two things: a small glass and a large 'to-go' cup.
"Double shot of espresso and then... something bold something... I'm not sure. It's hot," she shrugged, sipping on the tiny glass and closing her eyes at the taste.
I took a sip of mine and winced. "Strong." Like... really strong. Wow.
She nodded and started to walk away with it. "We can bring the glasses back over later; they won't mind. They know me."
"Okay," I agreed, following her back to the book shop.
"So um... I guess... you can sit and read while I work, if you want?" Chloe said, putting her cups down on the counter and moving her glasses on top of her head so she could rub her eyes. "Let me know if I can help you find something..." she said politely, but her tone was all off. She was a million miles away in her head. I knew that tone all too well.
I tried smiling. "Kay. Thanks, Chloe."
She nodded and then went to work as I browsed through the Psychology section, finally choosing a book and making myself comfortable on one of the couches.
For the next few hours, I worked on sipping my coffee (she had ordered a large, so it took me some time) and reading the new Psych book, occasionally glancing up to make sure Chloe was still where she should be and that no one was bothering her.
I finished my coffee, got halfway through the book, and then realized that that had been a hell of a lot of coffee and that if I didn't find a restroom soon, I'd probably die.
After taking care of that issue, I glanced over to make sure Chloe was still okay. I caught her eye and motioned that I was going outside for a second, and then went out for a quick cigarette. I hadn't had one since I had arrived yesterday and it felt so ridiculously good. I knew it wasn't good and that Alice probably wouldn't like it, but believe it or not, cigarettes probably helped save my life. Craving the nicotine got my mind off of craving other stuff...
I stubbed it out on the ground and then threw it in the trash before going back into the store, the little bell dinging above me as I entered. Right now, only a few people were in the store with us and Chloe was sipping on an iced coffee drink that I hadn't noticed her go to get. Oops.
"When did you sneak out for that?" I asked her casually as I leaned on the counter, fiddling with the bookmarks they had displayed. I could not screw this up. Jasper and Alice were depending on me to make sure Chloe was okay. I couldn't be lazy about making sure she stayed in my sight and out of danger. I could do this.
"Hmm?" she inquired, still sipping on it, but then she raised her eyebrows. "Oh. I didn't. My manager brought it over for me. Sorry... I-I should have asked if you wanted something, too," she apologized, looking flustered.
I blinked in surprise at how upset she seemed to become over stupid coffee. "It's no big deal," I shrugged casually, hoping to calm her down a bit. When the nervous look didn't leave her tired-looking eyes, I tried to change the subject. "Hey, when's your lunch break?" Maybe we could go get something together and I could get her to talk to me a bit.
She shrugged. "Whenever Aurelia gets back I guess... I don't always take a lunch, so they're pretty lenient about what time I take one when I decide to."
A guy came up to the counter then, so I stopped talking so she could ring up his book.
"Hey," he greeted, putting the book on the counter.
"Hi. Find everything okay?" she responded automatically. I watched as she concentrated on scanning the book and then told him the total.
"Yep, found everything just fine," he said, flashing a smile at her as he pulled a twenty out of his wallet.
Wow. He was definitely trying to flirt right now. Bad timing, buddy.
I watched her closer as she made change for him. I realized that her hands were shaking as she handed him a few bills.
"Nine twenty seven is your change. Have a good day," she said, flashing him the most fake smile I think anyone could possibly muster.
It was easier to really look at her when she wasn't watching me do it. I noticed the dark circles under her eyes that she was trying to hide with make up. It helped a little, but they were still there, even hidden behind her glasses.
"You too," he said, his hand staying just a beat too long on hers as he took his change. I glared at him as he left. Couldn't he see how upset she was?
"Hey Chloe?" I asked, deciding to put aside politeness and just be open with her. If Nick could love her and Alice and Jasper liked her, then I'm sure she could be friends with me too. "Are you okay?"
She blinked at the question and thought for a moment, as if she wasn't sure how to answer.
Finally, she shook her head. "No, but... do you blame me? I mean... I'm trying..." Her voice was monotonous as she forced the words out and she seemed to know it. She smiled bitterly and shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts.
"Your hands are shaking," I told her, cocking my head to the side. "You gonna make it through the rest of your shift?"
She nodded. "It's just from the caffeine from the coffees," she explained. "I'll be fine..."
"Is it typical for you to drink so much coffee?" I asked her, starting to get a bit worried. I was starting to notice how exhausted she looked. And maybe I was paranoid, but shaking hands usually meant more than just a little caffeine.
She scowled for a moment, but then just took her glasses off so she could rub her eyes again. "No, but I needed the energy to stay awake for my shift. Sleep hasn't exactly been good to me," she said quietly, meeting my eyes for a moment, hesitant. It was as if she wasn't sure she should be telling me so much.
I nodded to show her I understood. "Bad dreams?" I asked softly. I wanted her to know that I was here for her... I wanted to help as much as I could. Plus, I was an expert at bad dreams...
She shrugged, which I took to mean yes.
There was an awkward pause before I spoke again. "Are you sleeping at all?" I asked hesitantly, not sure how much to push her.
She let out a breath and bit her lip before she shook her head. "I slept on the jet, but since then, barely. I'll fall asleep for a few minutes, but then I'll wake up again. It's like that for most of the night..." she trailed off.
Another customer approached the counter and she started to ring them up as I looked at her. She was definitely beautiful, but she was humble about it. It was in her personality and in the way she walked and talked... she was shy. Quiet. And she had spent last night studying and today working. She was entirely opposite of Nick.
But right now, I had a feeling that she and Nick were probably feeling the same way. Lonely. Confused. Heartbroken...
Maybe... I could help her? Like what I've been learning about with the Psychology books I've been reading. Some of them talked more about how the brain works and everything and why we feel the way we do, but others had been more like self-help books and how to communicate with people books.
"Chloe, you're going home sick today," I told her after the customer had left.
She looked at me blankly. "I'm not sick."
I nodded. "But you are. You're shaking and you're exhausted and you're going through a temporary depression and you need to go home and rest because you're feeling sick," I said, hoping she'd catch on.
"I'm not depressed and I don't want to go home. You can't just tell me I'm sick and that I have to leave work. I need to work," she said indignantly, a spark of something igniting in her eyes.
Kay, guess she wasn't catching on.
I backed up a little. "Okay, okay..." I said gently. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm not trying to tell you what to do-"
"-Good," she interrupted.
I nodded. "Good."
I didn't mean to step on her toes or anything. I just wanted her to leave work so she could get some rest and maybe talk things out a bit. It would help, I knew it would! It had helped me to talk to Alice... just to have a friend...
"...I just meant that... well, maybe you could tell your boss you're not feeling well and then we could go home early and have lunch and just talk a bit. Relax... you know?"
I totally sucked at this trying to help people stuff. I was doing an okay job at helping myself, but it was a lot harder when it was someone else.
She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Why?"
Um...why?
"Well... because... I don't know. You just look like you need a break and someone to talk to and I'm good at listening?" I tried.
She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. "I need a break from this whole thing..." she murmured, swallowing hard.
Finally, she opened her eyes and shrugged. "Well, why not? What do I have to lose, right?"
Before I could say anything, she walked into the back of the store, I guess to find her manager.
So... had I gone about that the right way? I wasn't sure... She seemed kind of angry, but... maybe she was just upset at having to make decisions like that when she was so tired already?
I didn't know Chloe at all, so that was just a guess, but I was going to stick with it. It seemed reasonable enough.
She returned shortly with her purse slung over her shoulder and her coat on.
"You got the okay, then?" I asked as she started to walk out of the store.
"Yep," she replied, "When you never ever call off and you're the perfect worker, you can basically do whatever you'd like," she said, almost bitterly.
I wasn't sure how to respond, so I just followed her as she started to walk briskly in the direction of her apartment.
"So..." I started, "Um... what do you want for lunch? We could go out or... I could make us something at your place?"
"I don't care. Wherever you'd rather go," she said quietly, back to being polite again.
"Well... I make a mean peanut butter and jelly?" I suggested, hoping to at least get a smile out of her. I wasn't the best cook in the world. Katie had been my cook.
I saw a flicker of a smile, so I continued. "I'll even put banana on it, if you have some."
Her face relaxed a bit and she put on a small smile. "Sure, Mack."
We walked quickly back to her place and then she sat down on the couch as I proceeded to make us sandwiches.
Absolute silence. Usually at home I had music on in the background... something to make my thoughts seem just... not so loud.
I made the sandwiches quickly so I could join Chloe in the living room and break the quiet.
"What can I get you to drink?" I asked her as I set the sandwich on the coffee table in front of her.
"I'll get drinks," she said, getting up. "Would you like water? Milk? Nick might have..." she trailed off, her eyes paining as she realized what she had just said.
"Water's fine," I said quickly and she nodded slowly before going into the kitchen.
I sat down on the couch and sighed. Poor girl. I knew that feeling where you thought of that person and got that sharp pain in your stomach and you lost your ability to breathe...
She came back quickly with two water glasses and set them on the table before sitting next to me on the couch.
I started to eat, but she just stared.
"Chloe?" I asked her, swallowing my food and taking a drink of water.
"What?" she asked quickly, blinking.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked, setting my sandwich down and turning to her.
"Nothing... everything... too much," she finally settled on.
I took in a breath. "Anything I can help with? I'm a good listener..."
She shook her head. "No one can help..." she whispered. "I just have to get over this. It's fine..."
She looked so broken. I couldn't help but want to try harder to comfort her. What would Alice do if she were here right now? Or better, what would I do if instead of Chloe, this was Alice who needed help?
I frowned sympathetically and leaned closer to her. "It's hard to get over something that's haunting you, though. Trust me..." I sighed and decided to open up a bit. "It was hard for me when my girlfriend was-" I gulped, "-killed. And her death haunted me so much that I ended up really hurting myself. I wasn't as smart as you are... I let it get to me. You can't let it get to you that way," I almost pleaded with her, putting my hand on her knee for emphasis.
She flinched away from me though, moving away from my hand.
I looked her in the eyes, giving the softest look I could possibly give. I wanted her to know that I was serious about wanting to help her.
The fear in her eyes turned first to relief, and then to pain as they started to fill with tears.
"I'm sorry your girlfriend died," she sniffed, wiping away tears. "But she probably loved you so much, right?"
I nodded and swallowed the dry lump in my throat. "I-I know she did." I could still feel it. Even now.
Chloe nodded. "Of course. She loved you and she wouldn't ever have chosen to leave you," she sniffed again, tears starting to fall down her face, and again she wiped them away quickly. "But Nick chose to leave. It's different."
I got up to grab tissues from a box on the coffee table and handed a few to her. She continued.
"You know, things were going so smoothly today... and yesterday... it's like... life's trying to be good to me. I mean, I think that I look and feel like absolute crap since Nick left, but no one seems to notice that I don't feel like myself anymore. I feel like I'm regressing... everything is just pretend. It's just how it used to be and yet-everyone else still treats me the same. Why do they do that? I mean, I'm half ready to just hop a plane to California and tell my parents they were right about me and about Nick and about everything, just because I know that they're the only ones who will see that I'm not perfect. Isn't that sick? I mean, isn't that just insane? What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice raising slightly.
I moved my hand closer to her, but didn't touch her, figuring she'd come to me if she needed comfort. I didn't want to push her.
"Nothing is wrong with you," I assured her. "You're just confused about why Nick left and you're hurt by it and you miss him," I told her.
She didn't say anything, just tried to focus on calming herself down.
"Chloe, I don't know what happened to make him leave, but I know it wasn't your fault. It wasn't because of you." I thought about what she had said about no one noticing that she wasn't herself. "I'm sure that Nick saw you for all of your perfections and imperfections and that's all part of why he loved you. Nobody's perfect... you just might be a really good actress, that's all. Now... I don't know what happened with your parents and California and all that, but going to your parents just because you think they'll tell you you're not perfect doesn't sound like a good idea. It sounds like you think they'd rub in the fact that Nick isn't here right now and find some way to blame you for it?" I guessed, based on what she had said.
She blinked and looked hard at me, her eyes pink. "You do listen," she said quietly.
I couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself for understanding. Maybe this psychology thing would work for me after all...
"But just know that nothing is wrong with you. You're sad because you miss Nick and you don't understand what's going on, but you just have to hang in there. You'll get answers and you'll heal and... I don't know... Nick's still alive. Maybe he'll realize how much of an idiot he was and come back," I told her, trying to half joke about Nick being an idiot for leaving. Even if he was.
She nodded slowly and wiped her face again with the tissues. She reached forward and took a few sips from the water she had brought in for herself and then lay back after setting it down again.
"Thanks for listening to me, Mack. And for understanding," she said quietly, looking at me intently before letting her eyes wander to stare at the floor.
"Anytime," I promised genuinely. I was glad I had gotten her to let me in a little. I had a feeling that she had been keeping that bottled up and I knew from experience that that wasn't good.
I got up and grabbed the blanket off of the back of the couch and placed it over her. Hopefully she'd come off of the caffeine rush and crash a bit so she could get through a few hours of sleep before a nightmare got to her.
She cuddled into the blanket and let out a breath. "Mack?" she whispered.
"Yeah?" I asked quietly.
"Save my sandwich for later?" she asked softly, her eyes still wide open as she stared ahead.
I couldn't help but smile. "Sure. And don't worry, Chloe. You'll be okay."
She would be okay. I could sense the strength in her...
Nick needed to come back, though, so they could both be happy, too. Chloe and Nick were both alive and in love... they didn't deserve to be apart.
Especially not because of Greg.
I sat on the floor and finished my sandwich, deep in thought, as Chloe's eyes drifted closed. I hoped Alice and Jasper would find a way to get Nick back here. Soon.
If he was even half as crazy about her as she was about him, I knew that they'd be able to heal from this.
APOV
You know how when you're watching a movie and the 'bad boy' comes on screen-dark hair, leather jacket, and dark sunglasses- and you instantly fall in love with him? That was Jasper to me right now, minus the dark hair.
Okay, it was a little different, but still... Jasper was almost a completely different person right now.
His eyes were dark and narrowed. They looked full and empty at the same time: void of any emotion, but jam packed with secrets that were too dark for any average person to deal with. He walked, talked and looked at everything differently. He saw things I didn't see. He was alert; it reminded me of a superhero with super-speed, ready to catch a bullet if one came at us. It was a whole different Jasper, one I had never seen before.
I couldn't say I didn't like it. I now knew how I could have fallen head over heels for a guy I had never seen before in my life. He may have looked dangerous, but I knew when I looked in his eyes and he looked back into mine that he wasn't dark at all. The darkness was more of a mask... a shell, even. Inside, he was still the guy who laughed, joked and teased me back in New York.
There were some downsides, though. With the dark look came dark feelings. I could tell his mind was slipping into his past, which was bringing on feelings from the past that he was trying to keep out. I wasn't exactly sure how to help him with it so I just stayed close and talked like everything was normal.
I hoped it was helping him at least a bit.
Jasper had come up with an entire plan over one night. It blew me away. Who could do that? It was like it just came right out of him naturally. It was like breathing to him. I wondered if he had to do that much while he was in the gang. Did he have to make plans and stuff? Did he have to make plans as thorough and crazy as this one?
I was afraid that this plan wasn't going to work. Everything had to fall in place perfectly or we'd fail. Greg had to do exactly as Jasper guessed he would.
And what if Greg found out? Everyone would in trouble. Everyone would be in danger. Greg wasn't exactly predictable, either. That was Jasper's biggest worry. Jasper said that he knew Greg well enough to guess, but there was no one hundred percent certainty that he would actually do what Jasper thought. We just had to hope for the best.
"Darling," Jasper whispered, tapping on my knee. "We've landed."
I blinked slowly, adjusting my eyes to the light on the plane. I guess I had gotten carried away in my thoughts. Last time I had checked, we had still had an hour of flight left.
Jasper was standing with a warm smile on his face, holding his hand out to me. If I hadn't looked into his eyes, it would have been like any other time.
I returned the smile and then yawned while grabbing his hand and following him out of the plane. We only had the carry-on bags that we had taken from New York to Texas. Jasper was holding those.
"Where to now?" I asked him, smiling and swinging our hands between us. I had to try to keep the mood light...
I watched him hold back an amused smirk as he spoke. "I called ahead to Carlisle and he rented us a car... we just have to go pick it up."
Carlisle. I smiled at the mention of my uncle's name. Of course Carlisle would be willing to help us while we were in Forks. I wondered if we'd end up seeing them while we were in town or if it would bring too much attention and possible danger to them.
"And then to?" I wondered, tilting my head curiously to him as he led us through the airport. I knew what the plan was in the long haul, but I didn't know the individual steps.
Jasper cleared his throat and I saw his face harden. "To visit an old friend."
Author's Note: There was a bit of Mack for all you Mack lovers and a bit of Spencer for...well...if there are any Spence lovers out there, haha. Hope you enjoyed it. Most of this chapter was actually written by my beta, Lucy. So all that amazingness is her! xD
Check the blog out for a post about why you should love Greg!
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