Oh in dreams I have watched it spin
Seen a violent crack of atoms were all that comes in
Oh in dreams I have lain in sin
Just to be the cracked and the cared for
(In Dreams by Ben Howard)
Scarlett woke up the next morning drenched in sweat and with another mind-splitting headache. Cracking her eyes open one by one and squinting against the light flowing in from the gaps in the curtains, she noticed that Spike had scooched closer during the night and was now pressed up against her side. He was like a space heater, giving off waves of warmth where they were touching.
"Buddy you know I love you, but you're going to kill me," she said, voice still rough from sleep and gently shoved the dog away from her. He gave a small whine of protest and jumped down from the bed, shaking himself and letting loose a cloud of hair.
Scarlett sat up and stretched languidly, popping her stiff joints with a satisfying crack. Keeping an ear out for any movement in the rest of the house, she grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and quietly unlocked her door, cautiously sticking her head out into the hallway.
The only thing she could hear was the rumble of the dishwasher running and sensing an opportunity, she slipped out of her room, feet silent on the carpet. When passing the open door to the kitchen, she quashed a yelp of surprise. Tom was sitting at the kitchen table, beer in hand, and watching her with an unreadable expression. His eyes were red-rimmed and icy cold and he was still wearing his work clothes.
Tom Walker was an ex veteran and a patriot in every sense of the word. In his free time, he wore a cap with the American flag on it and sandals with socks. To an outsider he might have seemed like an unimpressive man in his mid-fifties with a penchant for drinking and gambling, but Scarlett knew him better than that.
He was cruel and unforgiving and if she hadn't met men that were ten times worse, she might have been afraid of him. Instead, he only disgusted her.
His beady eyes were still watching her and he motioned for her to sit. Weighing her options, she decided that it would be best not to provoke him for now and pulled out the chair opposite from him.
"I heard about the little stunt you pulled tonight," he drawled, swirling the beer inside the glass bottle. No how are you doing or those stitches look bad, but she hadn't really expected him to fuss over her anyway.
"I didn't pull anything," Scarlett said, trying to keep her voice level. "I passed out and they found me."
"So they told me. But it does look a little suspicious to an outsider, don't you think?"
"I told them nothing happened."
His quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. "And you think they believed you?"
"It doesn't matter what they believe. They have nothing to go on with me denying that anything happened. You have nothing to worry about," Scarlett said and stood up, the close proximity to him making her uncomfortable. She refilled Spike's water bowl as an excuse to not look at him, his gaze only serving to further enrage her.
"If there's anyone in here who should worry, it's you. I won't have my reputation tarnished by a little skank like you," he seethed, taking another swig from his bottle.
You don't have a reputation to begin with, nobody respects you, is what she wanted to say, but instead she ground out a, "You won't." She had her back turned to him and didn't even try to hide her murderous expression, seriously contemplating to throw something at his stupid, bald head.
"Something like this happens again, you're out," he threatened, waving a finger at her as if all this wasn't his fault to begin with.
"I'll be gone in a few months anyway," said Scarlett, crossing her arms over her chest and meeting his eyes defiantly.
They narrowed into slits and he stood up suddenly, chair creaking on the old linoleum floor. "You'll end up whoring around for your next hit, just like your mother. You can only hope that they're still into skinny little blondes these days," Tom spit, taking a few menacing steps towards her.
The chains she'd kept locked up around her rage burst with enormous force and her fists clenched in anticipation of the confrontation that was about to come. "As long as I don't end up like you, I'm good," she taunted him with a cruel smirk.
Spike gave a pitiful whine at her feet and she shushed him gently.
Tom looked livid, face like a thundercloud. Thunder always came before lightning, but everyone knew that lightning was the deadly part. His words had cracked through the air like thunder and now, he was preparing to strike.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Scarlett threatened, pressing herself against the counter to gain a little more distance from him. "A girl from a foster family ends up in the hospital with questionable injuries two days in a row, that's sure to spark some conversation, don't you think?"
Her words stopped him in his tracks, the cogs visibly turning inside his head. During that small moment during which he hesitated, she knew that she had him and couldn't help the surge of satisfaction at the realization that she'd outdone him.
"Get out of my face," he hissed, so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath.
Scarlett might have been hot-headed, but she wasn't stupid and recognized an opportunity when it was handed to her. Not wanting to test her luck any further, she quickly dashed out of the kitchen and into the bathroom for a much-needed shower.
Wanting to wash her hair as well, she had to get a little creative with the stitches on her forehead. She covered them up with a little bit of medical tape, careful not to aggravate them too much. Content with her work, she stripped down and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the tension in her muscles.
She took a little longer than was necessary, staying under the scalding hot spray until her skin turned red like a lobster. Toweling off, she put on a pair of jeans and a black hoodie with a wide neck that didn't graze her head injury while pulling it on.
Not having the power to deal with her long hair right now, she dried it unceremoniously and threw it up into a messy bun.
Without the hair covering most of the damage, her face did look a little beat up. Over the night, some unflattering bruises had appeared around her forehead and cheekbones and she could only hope that they would disappear before she had to go back to school.
Spike was lying on her unmade bed when she returned to the room and she threw him a treat while searching for her phone amidst the wrinkled sheets.
When she found it, she dialed Alma Clearwater's number, pacing around the small pace while waiting for the woman to pick up.
Alma owned a small bookshop on the reservation and Scarlett worked there a couple of times a week so she could be able to afford necessities like clothing and sometimes even food. The Walker's weren't the type of people that pampered others. A medical condition had left Alma almost blind and Scarlett handled things like restocking or bookkeeping for her.
The older woman was pleasant company and Scarlett always looked forward to their time together. Alma had made it a habit to stuff her with baked goods at every opportunity, claiming that she was too skinny for her age and occasionally gave some pretty good advice.
When she picked up, Scarlett gave her a quick rundown of the events and apologized about a dozen times for the inconvenience. She knew how much work the older woman had and felt horrible about leaving her in the dust like that.
"Nonsense," Alma chastised. "You take as much time off as you need to get better, everything else can wait. I'll send my nephew 'round with some treats for you later, your body needs calories."
Scarlett thanked her again and promised to keep her up to date on her recovery status before hanging up.
She didn't want to spend any more time in that damned house with the Walkers, so she grabbed her art supplies, Spike's leash and got out of there. It was the middle of January and her breath was visible with every exhale, but luckily the remaining snow had melted shortly after New Year's. Lighting up a cigarette, she led the way into the forest with a clear destination in mind.
They reached a little meadow about a twenty minute walk away from the house, Scarlett's favorite spot for winding down. It was deep in the forest and completely secluded. There was some morning dew left and it covered most of the grass, glinting prettily in the cold morning air. Laying out a blanket underneath a lush pine tree, she sat down and pulled out her sketchbook. Spike was grazing around the open spot, sniffing at some twigs and after he had inspected everything properly, he strutted over to her and plopped his head in her lap.
Spending the rest of the morning and early afternoon there, Scarlett was able to shut off any negative or intruding thoughts and just focused on the easy flow of movement in her hand and the serenity of nature around her.
By the time she figured that it was probably time to head back, her legs were numb and her stomach was growling audibly. After packing up her things, her and Spike started the trek back to the house. She might get lucky and find that the Walkers were out, giving her the possibility to eat something.
She reached the edge of the tree line sometime later, dirt giving way to asphalt, her footsteps resounding on the quiet road. Her scarf was wrapped up all the way to her nose, but the winter air had creeped into her bones sometime in the past hour, making her shiver slightly.
The old house came into view steadily and she noticed a figure standing on the porch, looking a little lost. Squinting to get a better look, Scarlett realized that it was a stranger, a lanky teenage boy with shaggy black hair. He must have been around thirteen and was clutching a tupperware in his hands, flashing her a wide smile upon seeing her approach.
She reached the unkempt front lawn, Spike bounding ahead and sniffing at the stranger's pant leg.
"Spike!" she called, jogging up to them. The dog could be a little overbearing and she didn't want him to overwhelm the boy with his enthusiasm.
"It's alright," he said, scratching Spike behind the ears. He immediately flopped onto his belly, tongue sticking out goofily and made the boy chuckle warmly. His skin was a dark copper and now, in closer proximity, she noticed that he had dimples. "Scarlett, right? I'm Seth, Alma's nephew." He held out his hand.
Now that he'd said it, she could see the resemblance. He had the same facial features as his aunt. Scarlett shook his hand, finding it significantly warmer than her freezing one. "Nice to meet you, Seth," she said with an answering smile.
The tips of his ears turned red and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ah, my aunt wanted me to give you this, get well soon treats she called them." He held out the box and she took it from him, taking a glimpse inside to find it filled to the brim with cinnamon buns, her favorite.
If they were in a cartoon, hearts might have shot out of her eyes but instead she only smiled wider. "They look amazing, thank you." The sugary sweet smell of the rolls filled her nose and her stomach gurgled in anticipation. "You haven't been waiting for too long, have you?" she inquired apologetically, glancing at the trees where she'd appeared from a moment earlier.
"Oh no, I just arrived a moment ago. You have perfect timing," he said with a wave of his hand.
"That's good."
There was an awkward silence, neither of them really knowing what to say next, but a car pulling into the driveway saved them from making any more small talk. Scarlett curiously watched the sleek silver car coming closer but couldn't see inside due to the tinted windows. A sinking premonition told her that she knew who it might belong to.
"I should probably get going," Seth said. "I'm filling in for you at the store and my aunt is going to kill me if I'm late."
She turned back to the boy with a laugh. "Don't let her bully you too much like she does to me. Thanks again for the buns," she said, holding up the tupperware.
"Anytime," he said with a dopey grin.
"See you around, Seth." Scarlett found that she quite liked him. He had a genuine friendliness about him and reminded her somewhat of a baby deer with his lanky build and overall innocence.
The boy gave a parting pat to the top of Spike's head and leapt down the porch to his bike lying in the grass. In that moment, the car doors opened and two people she never would have expected to see here stepped out.
Seth perked up at the sound and mirrored her surprised expression at the sight of Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale standing in front of him. Poor guy looked awestruck by their presence and she felt a little bad for him, remembering her initial reaction at seeing their perfect faces for the first time. A second later though, his features changed into a frown and he kept watching them cautiously as he got on his bike. They returned his gaze with bored looks and with a last forced smile in Scarlett's direction, Seth was off.
She turned to new newcomers with an arched brow as Alice flashed her a beaming smile. Her short hair looked silky and rich, making Scarlett suddenly feel self-conscious about the lifeless mop on top of her head. She pushed a strand that had come loose from her bun behind her ear.
Alice's trench coat swished artfully as she skipped over to Scarlett, Jasper remaining rooted in front of the car door, watching her with an unreadable expression. His jaw was locked with tension and Scarlett cursed herself for noticing how his dark jacket brought out his honey colored hair. He looked like he would rather be anywhere but here.
"Hi!" Alice exclaimed cheerfully. "We haven't been properly introduced yet, I'm Alice Cullen." Just like Seth, she held out her hand and Scarlett suppressed a shiver at the coldness of her skin, a complete contrast to the boy's toasty warm one.
"Hello," Scarlett said, her voice coming out a lot more suspicious than she had intended to. At her side, Spike was observing the two Cullens carefully, his reaction making Scarlett herself a little apprehensive. He usually loved anyone and wouldn't hesitate to swamp them with affection. She had only ever seen him like this around the Walkers.
"We figured that you probably don't have anyone to keep you up to date on school work, so we decided to head over and give you this." The look on Jasper's face clearly implied that it had been Alice's idea. She held out a black binder, the glitter on her perfectly manicured nails sparkling. Scarlett tucked Alma's present under her arm and reached her hand out.
"Jasper took some notes for you and there are a few key points for essays that are due soon. You probably have other things to worry about at the moment so we wanted to make it a little easier on you," Alice said with a genuine smile, bouncing on her heels.
Checking for about three times that her mouth wasn't hanging open, she returned Alice's smile tentatively. "Uh, thanks." She also gave a small nod in Jasper's direction, who didn't even blink at the gesture. "You didn't have to."
"It was no trouble! We could go through everything with you quickly, if you want to?" Alice said, her amber eyes sparkling hopefully.
To Scarlett, the whole ordeal smelled an awful lot like pity and there were few things she hated more. She wasn't planning on being someone's pet project to boost their holier than thou attitude. But, she really was behind on schoolwork and she was due to graduate this year. In all honesty, her grades could need a little boost. Stubbornness battling rationality, Scarlett eventually decided that she was willing to accept help at the cost of denting her pride a little.
"Alright," she answered, glancing at the front door. "Let me check something first, though."
"Great!" Alice said, clapping her hands together.
Scarlett unlocked the door and ushered Spike inside before checking every room for the Walker's presence. Relieved to find the house completely deserted, she returned to the Cullens, opening the door a little wider to let them in.
She didn't really know how to feel about any of this, distrust and skepticism overwhelming her, but pushed any doubts to the back of her mind for the time being. Alma did always tell her that she was too cynical, always assuming the worst. So maybe this was her turning over a new leaf. It was going to be fine. Just because they were being nice to her for once didn't mean she'd have to be their friend.
In hindsight, Scarlett pinpointed this exact moment as the beginning of her downfall.
Jasper had joined Alice on the porch, face stony, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He always wore that expression when she was around. In the beginning it had been confusing, but as time went on, resentment replaced any confusion she held about his feelings towards her. Jasper's eyes had the power to make her feel insignificant and Scarlett hated it with every fiber of her being.
She was about to ask him what his damn problem was, but Alice was a step ahead of her.
"It's alright, Jas," she said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met and for a moment, it looked like they were having a telepathic conversation. It seemed awfully intimate and Scarlett had the urge to look away, feeling like she was intruding on some sort of moment.
She looked back up to see Alice walking past her, still smiling brightly, Jasper close behind. His shoulders were still tense, but his constipated expression had relaxed a little.
"You can hang up your jackets there," Scarlett said stiffly, pointing to a coat rack next to the front door. "Kitchen is to the right. I'm gonna go get my stuff."
She left the two of them to it and entered her messy room, pausing behind the door to take a deep breath. Two Cullens were in her house right now. And she'd thought yesterday had been weird. Shaking her head to get rid of the daze she was in, she quickly grabbed her backpack and joined them.
They were sitting at her kitchen table, looking completely out of place in the dingy old kitchen. Their incredible beauty and the empty beer bottles and dirty dishes piling up in the sink made for a harsh contrast. Scarlett had to blink a couple of times to convince herself that this was real.
"You want something to drink?" she asked, opening a drawer and pulling out Spike's food.
"No thank you," Alice declined, spreading out some of the notes on the table, taking in the kitchen with curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Scarlett was a little uncomfortable with letting them see the unglamorous way in which she lived, but then remembered that she shouldn't give a damn about their opinion, or anyone's for that matter. Plus, this house was not a reflection of her, but rather the Walkers.
"Is that Freddie Mercury?" Jasper's rumbling voice piped up and Scarlett turned around, surprised to hear him addressing her directly. She sprinkled some pieces of cheese into Spike's bowl and followed Jasper's gaze to the fridge, where a magnet depicting Freddie Mercury striking a dramatic pose was pinned up.
"Huh? Oh yeah, my boss gave that to me after introducing me to Queen. Kind of wish I could have seen them live," she sighed, smiling ruefully at the memory. It was in the beginning of her time at the shop while Alma and her had still been tiptoeing around each other. Until the day that the older woman had pulled out her music collection and decided to quote, "Educate her ears". To this day, it was one of her happier memories.
She placed Spike's bowl to the ground, where the large dog was already fretting around nervously. "There you go, pumpkin," she said, sitting down across from the Cullens.
Scarlett was transported back to this morning, when she had sat in this exact spot in front of Tom. While the situation was inherently different, she still felt like she was on trial with two sets of gold eyes watching her closely.
"Jasper is a huge fan of their music," Alice supplied in an attempt to diffuse the awkward tension hanging in the air.
"I have never met someone who doesn't like their music," Scarlett said. The box of cinnamon buns was teasing her from where it sat on the table and she grabbed one to satisfy her grumbling stomach. They were incredibly good and she hummed happily as the sweet taste filled her mouth.
Then, something happened that would occupy her mind for days to come. Jasper smiled. Not just a faint twitch of his lips, no, a full blown, crooked smile. It was annoyingly charming and lit up his strained features. "Alice doesn't," he said in that southern drawl of his, Scarlett's lower belly involuntarily tightening at the sound.
Her brain took a little longer than normal to process his words and when it did, she gave an outraged gasp, turning away from Jasper's handsome face to squint at his adoptive sister.
"No way."
Alice shrugged unapologetically. "It's not my thing."
"That's preposterous," Scarlett said. "What exactly is your thing, then?"
"Country music." They were silent for a beat. Spike didn't get the memo and continued to happily crunch on his food.
"You're kidding right?"
"Not at all. It has a certain charm to it," Alice mused, laying her head on her hand with a provocative quirk of her lips.
"I can't believe I let someone who likes country music into my home," Scarlett said, throwing her hands up dramatically. Jasper snorted and she couldn't help the grin from breaking out across her face.
"I told you, Alice," Jasper smirked. "You're outnumbered on this one."
"If you're done ripping on my music of choice, shall we start with this?" Alice said, holding up the forgotten notes. She was smiling though, obviously amused by their topic of discussion.
"Alright, Captain Yeehaw," Scarlet said in a deadpan voice, "just answer this one question: If you had to choose between one style of music for the rest of your life, would you really go with Country?"
"Yup."
"So it would be Take Me Home, Country Roads on repeat?"
"Obviously not," said Alice, lips pursed. "It would be Jolene."
"Okay, Jolene is a bop, I'll give you that," Scarlett admitted, pointing a finger at Alice. "But you're still wrong."
A playful discussion ensued in which the two of them listed their favorite songs, passionately shunning each other's taste. For a moment, Scarlett forgot that she was talking to Alice Cullen and just enjoyed the other girl's company and witty comebacks.
Jasper kept quiet the entire time, watching them with a long-suffering look. It was him who eventually interrupted the small argument with a reminder that schoolwork was waiting.
With a feigned pout, Scarlett turned to him. "You know, I would have expected you to be the Country fanatic in this room."
"And why is that?"
"Something to do with that southern accent you got going on," she drawled, Jasper's brows rising in surprise.
"Now that's just making unfair assumptions," he retorted. "I have taste." Alice smacked him in the arm and the three of them chuckled in unison.
It was kind of unnerving how it easy it was to joke around with them. The Cullens always appeared very uptight and for them to just appear at her house and act like they were anything other than strangers was completely out of the blue.
She was pretty sure Jasper disliked her and the rest of his family just didn't care, making them sitting at her kitchen table all the more surprising. Deep down, something told her that she was missing something, something important, but nothing came to mind.
They were weird, yes, but she'd known that already. Their motives for doing this were completely unclear though, and something about that left her suspicious, no matter how much she might be enjoying their company right now. Huh. There was a sentence she never would have believed possible.
Alice's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and they spent the next twenty minutes or so going over the notes Jasper had made. His handwriting was a beautiful, elegant cursive that spread over the page in effortless swipes and Scarlett was a little jealous. Her scrawl looked pitiful next to it.
The headache that followed her around since this morning was making it hard to concentrate and she suppressed a frustrated groan on more than one occasion. Alice was excellent at explaining though and Scarlett was pleasantly surprised when she understood most of the stuff on the first try. Not even her teachers usually managed that.
When they were finished, Alice excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving her and Jasper alone to sit in stifling silence. He glared at Alice's back all the way until she disappeared into the hallway and then turned his sour look on the fridge. Without her cheery charisma to banish the awkwardness hanging in the air, it suddenly wasn't as easy to ignore the giant elephant in the room anymore.
They didn't know each other, not really, and one conversation couldn't just erase months of weird looks on Jasper's side and concealed confusion on hers.
The seconds ticked by painfully slow as Scarlett looked at everything but Jasper, drumming her fingers against the wood of the table.
She still thought he was a bit of a prick, but in all honesty, she could be too. Also, he'd done her a huge favor today by taking all of those notes and despite what people might think, she did have manners.
"Thanks again," she said quietly, fumbling with her pen as to not look at him directly. "You really saved my butt with this."
"You're welcome." The tone in his voice made her look up and she found his eyes already pinned on her with an intensity that was unsettling.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, nodding to her newly acquired injury.
Her hand reached up to gingerly touch her forehead. "It's getting better, I think. Still hurts like a bitch, though."
"You should consider getting out of the underground gambling business." His voice sounded dead serious so she regarded him with a puzzled expression at first, her mind catching up to what he meant a moment later.
"Did you just try to make a joke?" she asked, bewildered by the realization that his usually cold façade was crumbling a little.
"It wasn't very funny by the looks on your face."
"Oh no, it was, I just didn't expect it, that's all," she added quickly.
"I'll just try harder next time," he drawled. Scarlett's mouth fell open in shock and she questioned her sanity just a little. Maybe her concussion was more serious than Dr. Cullen had assumed and this was a hallucination. The elongated silence that followed proved that it wasn't. Jasper Hale was in her kitchen, making jokes when he usually regarded her like she wasn't even worth his time.
Something about the statement and its implication made her blush and she ducked her head in an effort to conceal it.
"I'm warning you, I'm a stone cold bitch," she joked, running her fingers over the ridges in the table. "It might be harder than you think to make me laugh." She couldn't help but feel a little thrill at jesting around with him like this. It was new and weirdly exhilarating to see this side of him as opposed to the way he acted in school, all sullen silences and gloomy looks.
"I'm willing to accept that challenge," Jasper said with a quirk of his lips. Her eyes were glued to his face, drinking in the way he looked entirely different when relaxed like this. Younger, less harried by life, which was ridiculous considering he was her age.
Then, from one moment to another, something about the mood in the room changed abruptly. Her playfulness evaporated and turned into something more serious. Scarlett's lazy smile fell from her face and she sobered up quickly, struck by how bizarre this whole exchange had been.
Jasper watched her attentively, as if he was expecting the question that was coming. "Why are you doing thi-?" she started, but was interrupted by Alice skipping back into the kitchen, clapping her hands together excitedly.
"Great, you're getting along," she said with an impish smirk, "but we should probably get going, Esme needs us to pick up that thing, remember?"
A little annoyed that her opportunity to get some answers had flown by, Scarlett watched Jasper get up gracefully, Alice straightening out some of the wrinkles in his flannel. Once again, she was surprised at how in synch those two seemed to be. A thought that left a sour taste behind turned up in her mind. What if they were a couple?
Emmett and Rosalie were together, their recurring heavy displays of affection made that public knowledge, but Scarlett had never considered the possibility of Alice and Jasper being a couple as well. Something about Jasper's general disinterest for anything just gave off the impression that he wouldn't be interested in relationships, but apparently, she'd been wrong.
Now that Scarlett had gotten a glimpse at their dynamic it did seem blatantly obvious that this was more than just a friendly bond.
Ignoring the weird feeling that weighed down her chest at that possibility, she got up from her chair and walked them to the door.
"We should do this again sometime," Alice exclaimed, sweeping her up in an unexpected hug. Scarlett couldn't do anything but let her arms hang limply at her side as the other girl threw her surprisingly hard and cold body against her own.
"Sure," she said slowly, creeped out by sudden friendly gesture.
"Take care!" Alice said cheerfully before bounding out the front door elegantly.
Jasper hung around in the hallway a little longer, eventually flashing her a hesitant smile. "See you around, Scarlett." He followed after the little ball of energy that was his adopted sister and assumed girlfriend and Scarlett watched him go, leaning against the door with knit brows and a contemplative glint in her eyes. For some reason, she liked the way her name sounded coming from his lips.
"Bye," she mumbled too quietly for them to hear and closed the door, ignoring the urge to follow Jasper's broad shoulders with her gaze some more.
The rumble of an engine sounded up and slowly faded away. Leaning against the door, Scarlett thumped her head against the old wood, grimacing at the way it reawakened the ache in her head and met Spike's gaze from across the hall where he was peering out of the kitchen.
"What the fuck is going on?" she whispered.
Some part of her wanted to chalk it up to the Cullens trying to appease the streak of pity they obviously held for her, but she knew it wasn't just that. They could have just dropped off the notes and left again. There was also the fact that they had never glanced in her direction before yesterday. Now they were giving her rides and dropping of notes as if they were friends?
Scarlett couldn't wrap her head around it and eventually gave up in favor of lying back down. Despite not having done that much today, she was exhausted and hoped to evade any more distractions for the time being by clonking out.
Her dreams were a jumbled mess of screams, crooked smirks and honey blonde hair. The room was pitch black when she awoke with the nagging suspicion of being watched. Pulling her curtains shut, she took a moment on her bed to regain her breath. Nightmares were nothing new to her, so she didn't think anything of it at that moment.
The weekend passed quickly after that. Scarlett spent most of her time either locked up in her room or somewhere outside, sketching whatever came to mind. In some instances, she scoured up the motivation to catch up on her school work and found that the key points Alice and Jasper had claimed to have brought her were actually full out written essays she only needed to copy.
Scarlett's battered face healed quickly and by the time Sunday evening rolled around she was certain she could cover up most of the leftover bruises with concealer and be done with it.
For some reason she couldn't quite discern, she was happy about going back to school. It probably had something to do with the fact that she couldn't stand being cooped up in this house any longer. She would rather be ignored by her fellow students than be sneered at for her every move by the Walkers.
Monday morning brought with it a heavy snowfall that turned her subdued mood sour from the second she laid eyes on the huge white flakes falling from the sky relentlessly.
"Aw, shit," she cursed as she slipped on a piece of ice, slamming against the door of her beat up Ford. The car used to belong to Tom's older brother, Creepy Chris as Scarlett liked to call him, and the Walkers had so graciously decided to give it to her in exchange for keeping quiet about some of their more illegal practices, among them the use of recreational drugs, wink wink.
She straightened up and rubbed her hip where it had hit the car, grumbling out another string of curses. Trying to find the door handle in the darkness of the early morning, she realized that it was frozen shut, her fingers only slipping over cold ice.
"Why?" she whined, glaring at the dark sky or rather, the supernatural force that obviously had it out for her, a few snowflakes landing on her cheeks mockingly.
Scarlett took a deep breath, massaging the bridge of her nose to combat the headache she knew was coming and weighed her options.
Asking Tom or Bianca for help was out of the question and she was guaranteed to get an earful by Ms. Davis if she was late again. Call it creativity or stupidity, but a sudden thought struck her that would make her appear crazy to any bystander.
Scarlett ruefully looked at the coffee-filled thermos in her hand and squeezed her eyes shut in regret before unscrewing the lid and throwing the hot liquid on the frozen door handle.
The ice sizzled audibly and slowly melted away. When Scarlett tried to open the door this time, it worked. She quickly got into the freezing car and drove to school with a permanent glare etched onto her features. She was so royally pissed off at that point, she didn't even listen to any music.
Traffic was slow and when she pulled into the schools parking lot, most of the good spots were already taken. Hurrying inside, careful not to slip on the glistening ground again she entered the classroom just mere seconds before the bell rang. A little out of breath, she took her seat towards the end of the room. Most of the other students were already seated and engaged in conversations that filled the room with their voices. Nobody took any notice of her, for which she was thankful.
Jasper was in his seat two rows across from Scarlett, and she admired the way his hair shone like spun gold underneath the usually unflattering fluorescents. He hadn't even looked up when she entered, and she tried really hard to feel indifferent about that. They weren't friends, not in the slightest, and it didn't come as a big surprise to see that they were back to ignoring each other.
Ms. Davis entered before she could occupy herself with any more ridiculous notions and demanded everyone's attention with her monotonous voice. Scarlett contemplated keeping her wool hat on, just to make sure that her stitches were covered, but it would probably only play out to her disadvantage when Ms. Davis would ultimately make her take it off in front of the whole class.
She ripped the soaked hat from her head and ran her fingers through her unkempt hair a couple of times, zoning out almost immediately after. Her fingers itched to sketch, but she wouldn't get away with it in this class. So instead, she propped her head on her hand and gazed out the window, watching some of the snowflakes land against the glass. They melted almost immediately and ran in rivulets, creating a pattern she followed with her eyes.
The rest of the day commenced rather uneventfully, except for the news that Forks High had a new student. People were talking about this Isabella Swan in every one of her classes and Scarlett rolled her eyes at their overenthusiasm. Small town folk and their boring lives.
When lunch rolled around, she took a seat at her usual spot near the exit of the cafeteria. Two freshmen joined her at the other side of the table, ignoring her presence masterfully. Young people don't even respect their elders anymore, she thought with a snort, shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. The two girls turned around at the sound and looked down at her from their noses, mouths pursed.
"You got a problem?" she asked them, lifting a brow. Scarlett didn't really have a reputation per se, she was too small and skinny for that, but she'd been in her fair share of fights during her year in Forks. Sometimes, those confrontations ended with her flat on her ass and a bloody nose, but people knew she didn't take any crap and left her alone for the most part.
"No," the one on the left announced priggishly, but it was clear on her face that Scarlett's comment had taken her aback.
Sending them a pointed look, she dared the two girls to say anything else and with a small huff in her direction, they turned back around.
By now, the cafeteria was bustling with activity, students giving their friends a recap of their weekend, gesticulating wildly as they told their stories. Jessica Stanley was fluttering her eyelashes at Mike Newton who was flexing his arms in a manner that was stereotypical cave man behavior. Even the Cullens were immersed in a conversation, Emmett's boisterous laugh penetrating the blend of voices and reaching her ears from the other side of the wide room.
Her gaze instinctively sought out a certain blonde, but he was shaking his head at something Edward, another brooding hottie as Scarlett liked to call him, was saying. She looked away before any of them noticed her staring like a creep and pulled out her sketchbook.
Drawing with one hand and eating with the other, she was so immersed she barely noticed a new arrival coming to a halt in front of her. Looking up from her half-finished drawing of Tom getting a flower pot to the head, his expression hilariously over-exaggerated, she took in the new girl. She was a mousy brunette, with warm chocolate eyes and pointy face. She was clutching her lunch tray nervously and looked so uncomfortable, Scarlett felt herself pitying the girl without even really knowing who she was.
"Hi," Scarlett spoke up after a few seconds of awkward silence, figuring that the girl wasn't going to start a conversation any time soon.
"Hey," the brunette said, biting her lip. "Mind if I sit?"
Scarlett shook her head and grabbed her bag from the seat next to her to make room for the girl. "Not at all," she said, nodding at the now open chair.
"Thanks." The new girl, Isabella she remembered, sat down and gave her a tentative smile. "I'm Bella," she introduced herself.
"Scarlett. First day, huh?" She shut her sketchbook to turn all of her attention on Bella.
"Yeah," she said with a wince. "It's horrible."
Scarlett chuckled at the hyperbole, remembering her own first day at this school, the gawks and whispers that now followed Bella around instead of her. "Everybody is talking about you. You famous or something?" she joked.
Bella gave a nervous laugh, shaking her head. "Not that I know of."
"Shame", Scarlett said pointing her spoon at Bella. "But because I'm a nice person, I'll still talk to you."
"I appreciate it," Bella said drily, the corners of her mouth quirking up. She took another look around and noticed some of the stares that had followed her to the table, her face growing dark with awkwardness again.
"Don't worry," Scarlett said to distract her from the ogling. "No offense, but in a few days, they'll have forgotten about you and will be back to talking about hair products and crushes."
"None taken. I can only hope so," Bella said with a sigh, pushing her food back and forth on the tray.
They fell into an awkward silence and Scarlett peeked a few glances at Bella every now and then, watching the other girl avoid eye contact with everybody, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. She really believed that Bella was uncomfortable with all of the attention, her discomfort showing in her mannerisms. While other people liked to pretend that they didn't crave the spotlight, she didn't strike Scarlett as that kind of person.
"You're not a senior, are you?" she asked Bella. "I haven't seen you in any of my classes so far."
"I'm a junior," the other girl replied.
"Well, if you ever need help with anything, just hit me up. I'm not exactly a model student, but I might be able to help you with some stuff," Scarlett offered. She could relate to Bella's situation and secretly wished that somebody would have displayed the same sort of kindness during her beginnings in Forks.
"Thanks," Bella said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're the first genuinely nice person I've met all day."
Scarlett barked out a laugh at that. "Don't jump the gun on that, people tell me I can be quite the bitch. But I try my best," she said with a shrug.
"So far, you haven't given me a reason to believe that."
"Only time will tell," she said and wiggled her brows playfully, getting another small smile out of Bella.
"So, you plan on keeping me around?" Underneath that shy shell, she seemed a little dull but was an overall pleasant conversation partner. Scarlett wouldn't mind seeing a little more of her, just to fill the solitude of everyday school life with a friendly face.
"Only if you give me your cookie," Scarlett said and opened her palm, wiggling her fingers expectantly. Bella plopped the treat into her hand with a roll of her eyes, Scarlett munching on it happily. Alma's cinnamon buns had run out on Saturday and she was craving sugar to satisfy her sweet tooth.
Scarlett wanted to say something more, but noticed that Bella's attention was occupied elsewhere, mouth hanging open slightly. Following the other girl's gaze, she smirked as she recognized who had caught Bella's eye.
"So, which one is it?" she asked and poked Bella in the side, startling her.
"Huh?"
"Which one do you have the hots for? Wait, let me guess," she said, rubbing her chin with an evil glint in her eyes. "You don't strike me as the kind of girl who's into the big kind, so Emmett's out. Now it's getting trickier… If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say it'd Edward."
Bella's head had turned as red as a tomato during her little deduction. "I don't even know who that is," she said.
"The one with the copper hair."
"Oh…" Bella looked over to their table again and quickly averted her gaze a moment later.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Scarlett teased.
"It's not- I don't even know him!"
She felt a little bad about torturing Bella in this way, but her flustered face was totally worth it.
"Sorry." Scarlett muffled her snort with a hand in front of her mouth. "But you're not alone. There's actually a vote going around about who's the hottest."
"You can't be serious," Bella said with a groan.
"Yep. That's high school. Edward is in the lead by the way, so you best hop on that quickly before the novelty wears off." The other girl's eyebrows rose absurdly high into her head, making Scarlett double over with laughter.
"I'm not going to hop on anything," Bella denied, burying her red face in her hands.
"All right," Scarlett snickered, holding her arms in the air. "Just sayin'. I don't get why he's everybody's favorite, anyway."
Bella had seemed to recovered from her initial embarrassment and quietly asked, "So you…?"
"Oh, Jasper all the way." When the girl sent her a quizzical look she added, "The blonde one. I'd climb him like a tree."
"Oh my god." The blush was back on Bella's cheeks and Scarlett had to bite her lip to stop herself from breaking out in laughter again.
"Well, you asked. There's something about him and that southern drawl that satisfies all of my sexy Cowboy Fantasies. What about you, got any fantasies to share?" she asked mischievously, leaning on her forearms.
"Stop," Bella hissed, slapping her on the arm. "What if they hear us?"
Scarlett stole a glance at their table but none of them were paying any attention to the two of them. "They're on the other side of the room and they don't have superhuman hearing so I think we're safe," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But I'll stop since it looks like you're about to hyperventilate."
"Thank you."
They changed the subject, chatting some more about Bella's arrival in Forks. Scarlett found out that Bella was Chief Swan's daughter and that her mother was on the road with her new boyfriend who was a professional baseball player. Bella despised the cold weather, just like her, and they spent about five minutes complaining about the snow from that morning.
At one point during the conversation, Scarlett tucked her hair behind her ear absent-mindedly, exposing the stitches on her forehead. Bella's gaze followed the motion and her eyes widened slightly as she took in the injury. Scarlett was already preparing herself for the inevitable question, but something about her face must have stopped Bella because the brunette averted her eyes and acted as if nothing happened.
Thankful that she'd evaded the need to lie, Scarlett found herself liking Bella a little bit more in that moment.
A few minutes before the bell was supposed to ring, Mike Newton and his posse approached them, interrupting their quiet conversation.
"Hey, Bella," the boy said with a smile that was probably supposed to be charming but seemed to have the opposite effect on Bella. "Need somebody to walk you to class?" he asked hopefully. All the while, Jessica was staring daggers at his back, her body oozing with badly concealed jealousy and Scarlett bit her lip to stop a comment from slipping out.
"Uh, I guess," Bella said with undeniable discomfort, glancing at Scarlett hesitantly.
"It's fine," she said. "I was headed in the other direction anyway. I'll see you around, Bella."
"Okay," the timid girl said, picking up her tray and joining her classmates. "Same place tomorrow?" She asked Scarlett, surprising her with the offer.
"You bet."
They left her sitting at the table, the others shooting skeptical glances at Scarlett. She just knew that they'd be telling Bella all about her in the next few minutes.
By now, she'd learned not to let any of that affect her so she just finished the rest of her food and got up, back protesting at the sudden movement.
She passed by the Cullen's table and was surprised to find five pairs of eyes trained on her. Scarlett suddenly felt the need to check if there was something on her face, forcing herself not to let any discomfort show outwardly.
Every single one of them displayed a different emotion that, in Scarlett's opinion, perfectly fit their character. Alice was waving, a kind smile lighting up her delicate features. Emmett was smirking as if he was privy to a hilarious secret, an arm wrapped around Rosalie's shoulder. The beautiful blonde looked angry, her gaze so sharp it cost Scarlett a great deal of effort not to crumble and wince at her withering glare. Edward just looked disinterested, which was to be expected. Dude always appeared to be bored with everything.
And Jasper was fixing her with a stare so intense, an ember of something dangerous but exciting burst to life within her. She was used to being stared at for one reason or another, but this wasn't staring. It was as if he was looking inside of her, privy to her deepest emotions, all of the hurt and the bitterness she'd accumulated over the years, a raging storm that bulldozed any chance of the sun peaking through.
A small shiver ran up her spine and she was so distracted by the intensity of the moment that it was a miracle she hadn't fallen flat on her face yet.
Their staring contest ended when Jasper suddenly looked away, the heat inside of her slowly dwindling down to a normal temperature again. Not wanting to look like a complete idiot, Scarlett returned Alice's wave with a smile, slightly speeding up her steps to get out of there as fast as possible.
She took a quick detour to the bathroom, splashing her flaming cheeks with some water. The mirror was dirty and several horrible doodles had been scrawled on it with sharpie. Next to a heart with the initials J + K written in the middle, she leaned closer to inspect if her concealer was still holding up. It did little in terms of camouflaging her huge dark circles, but at least none of the bruises were visible.
A group of giggling girls entered and she quickly grabbed her bag, getting out of there lest she get an earful of who was dating who this week. Still a little bit rattled, Scarlett maneuvered through the crowded hallways to the last class of the day.
The teacher wasn't there yet and a group of students was waiting outside the classroom, among them Alice and Jasper. They were stood a little to the side and appeared to be having a heated conversation, whispering under their breath. Something about the increased contact with the Cullens in these past few days that didn't feel like a coincidence at all put her on edge. Alice wasn't even in this class.
The small girl stepped over to Scarlett once their eyes met for a second time in less than ten minutes, Jasper reluctantly following behind.
She was wearing a knit dress in a warm pine green that brought out the inky blackness of her hair. While Rosalie was the conventionally attractive one, there was something about Alice that was ten times more interesting. Her beauty was enigmatic, somewhat of a riddle, but at the same time captivating.
"Hi," she greeted Scarlett, red lips stretching into that smile she had come to recognize as her signature one.
"Hey," she replied, fiddling with the strap of her bag. "Did you need something?" Scarlett knew that her words could be interpreted as unfriendly or even downright rude, but she was tired and confused and just wanted to go home at this point.
Alice was unfazed by her tone, her smile not wavering in the slightest. Behind her, Jasper was watching their exchange with a pained expression. Alice was even shorter than Scarlett and he towered over the other girl, her head not even reaching his shoulder.
"I just wanted to check up on you, ask if there's anything else I can help you with," Alice offered. "Now that we're friends, you know."
Scarlett's eyed narrowed. "Are we?"
"Of course!" Alice clasped her small hands behind her back, nodding confidently.
People around them were beginning to stare, the sight of the Cullens interacting with someone who didn't belong to their family catching their attention.
Something about the conviction in Alice's eyes stopped Scarlett from correcting her obvious lapse in judgement. While she didn't have much experience in the friends department, she was pretty sure that more than one conversation was required to establish a friendship.
"I'm fine, but thanks for asking," she said curtly.
"Oh, alright then," stated Alice. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but Jasper stopped her by laying a hand on her shoulder.
Suddenly, her amber eyes glazed over and Scarlett watched, a little confused, as Alice spaced out in what appeared to be a very dramatic manner. She shook her head a few moments later, that earlier smile returning to her face, though it had a strained edge to it, hinting at the fact that something had rattled her.
Alice gave Jasper a small nod, as if to say I'm alright and said, "I should get going. See you soon, Scarlett." Raising her hand in parting, she disappeared down the hall, leaving behind a very befuddled Scarlett and a glooming Jasper.
Scarlett was about to step back and face the stares she could feel boring into her back when a deep voice interrupted her. "Sorry about that," Jasper said awkwardly, hands buried inside the pockets of his jeans. "She gets a little overbearing once she takes a liking to someone."
Scarlett raised a brow skeptically. "Should I be worried about her turning up at my bedroom window tonight?"
Jasper's lips quirked up and she bit her lip to stop the grin that was threatening to break out on her face. He followed the movement with his eyes. "I think you're safe for now," he drawled, looking over his shoulder to where Alice had disappeared a moment earlier.
Ignoring that little voice in her head that was telling her she was headed down a dangerous path, she said, "Well, who can blame her. What's not to like about this?" She swept her hands over her messy appearance, ripped jeans, baggy sweatshirt and all. "I'm the definition of charming."
The people around them were pretending to be busy with their own conversations, but it was clear they were trying to listen in on what was being said.
Jasper cracked another one of those crooked grins that seemed to have a dizzying effect on her, because she couldn't take her eyes off him in that moment. "I'm sure you are," he replied drily.
"You're just jealous your girlfriend has taken a liking to me," Scarlett quipped, watching as his brows furrowed in confusion.
"I don't have a girlfriend," he said, tiling his head to the side.
Scarlett's eyes widened and she was ashamed to admit that she felt a little bit relieved at his words.
"Oh, I just assumed you and Alice…" she trailed off, a little insecure.
"Alice is like a sister to me," he explained, his eyes never leaving hers. "Our bond is strictly platonic."
How does someone reply to that? Wrecking her brain for something to say that wouldn't result in her getting embarrassed any further, she almost missed Mr. Wilson appearing around the corner.
The throng of students parted for the teacher, subsequently ending her talk with Jasper. With one last look at him, she followed the others into the classroom.
One on hand, she was relieved that they'd been interrupted because of the uncomfortable turn the conversation had taken. On the other one, she would have enjoyed talking to him some more.
Conflicting emotions battled for dominance the next hour, occupying her mind with such fervor that she didn't listen to one word Mr. Wilson said throughout class. A small simmer of hope had been planted now that she knew Jasper and Alice weren't together.
Rationally, Scarlett knew that the thought was downright ridiculous. They'd had two conversations in total and she still wasn't sure if she even liked him. For god's sake, a week ago they had still ignored each other disdainfully.
The reason for her confusion was sitting just one row behind her and she couldn't shake the suspicion that she was being watched, her back tingling with unresolved tension. Ignoring the urge to turn around and check, she stoically kept her gaze glued to the blackboard.
Suddenly, a wave of calm washed over her, ripping her out of the limbo of emotions she was currently experiencing. It felt like being emerged into a cool body of water, the flames licking at her conscience being snuffed out with a satisfying hiss.
Thankful for the break, Scarlett welcomed the soothing sensation and sighed audibly, mind returning to what was going on at the front of the class.
When the bell rang, she bolted out of the classroom as quickly as possible, craving some alone time with Spike and more importantly, a smoke.
Scarlett passed Bella on the way to her car, giving the new girl that was currently being swarmed by Mike Newton a sympathetic smile. Bella's brown eyes were pleading and Scarlett cursed the small part inside of her that demanded she help the other girl. Averting course, she walked over to them.
"Hey, Bella," she said loudly, interrupting whatever Newton was babbling about. Wrapping her arm around the brunette's shoulder, she shot the boy a broad grin. "Sorry, but can I borrow her for a moment? I'm having a bit of a girl emergency if you know what I mean."
Mike's face screwed up in embarrassment and he mumbled a quick goodbye before scurrying off. He looked back several times, obviously annoyed that his talk with Bella had been cut short. When he was out of sight, Scarlett let go of the other girl and burst out laughing.
"Oh my god," she wheezed, holding her aching side. "What a loser. Please tell me you're not into him."
Bella chuckled and shook her head. "Thanks for saving me," she said.
"No problem," Scarlett waved her off. "I couldn't ignore a fellow girl in need."
"I owe you one."
"Don't worry about it, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Wait," she called, "uh, can I ask you a question?" She was biting her lip nervously, glancing to the other side of the parking lot where two expensive cars belonging to the Cullens were speeding off.
"Sure," Scarlett said, stopping herself from tapping her foot impatiently. She really wanted that cigarette right around now.
"You're… you're not close with the Cullens are you?" Bella asked while avoiding her eyes. Scarlett would have anticipated anything but that kind of question and was so surprised she almost sputtered.
"I'm not. Why would you think that?" she said after making sure that her voice wouldn't come out three octaves higher than usual.
"I saw you and Jasper in the hallway earlier, it looked like you were pretty friendly," she said hesitantly, closely watching Scarlett's reaction.
"Why are you even asking?" Scarlett deflected, crossing her arms. She really wasn't in the mood to get into this with Bella. "You didn't strike me as the nosy kind."
"It's not that," the other girl mumbled with red cheeks.
"What is it then?" Scarlett asked sharply, her string of patience getting thinner by the second. Something about the implication in Bella's earlier statement didn't sit right with her.
"Edward is in one of my classes and he, um, really seemed to hate me," she said quietly.
"That's what this is about?" Scarlett blurted.
Bella gave a helpless shrug, saying, "It was just weird. And they seemed a little friendlier with you, so I thought- "
"They're not," Scarlett interrupted. "The Cullens don't like anybody, I can promise you that. They just helped me out with something the other day, that's all." The parking was starting to empty out so she risked it and pulled out a cigarette, ignoring the way Bella wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Oh," she said, sounding very dejected. "Okay."
"Seriously, Bella, don't worry about it," Scarlett insisted, blowing a cloud of smoke in the opposite direction of the girl. "I'm sure it's nothing personal." She didn't want to know how many crushes had been stomped by the Cullen's obvious dislike of anyone who wasn't them, but it was a lesson most girls at this school had learned the hard way. And now it was Bella's turn.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Scarlett said to avoid any other questions and set off in the direction of her car.
"Bye," Bella mumbled at her retreating back.
Back at home, Scarlett rejoiced in Spike's excitement to see her again and she let him shower her with attention, feeling some of the tension from the day melt away. Bianca was in the living room and barked at her to empty out the dishwasher, not even looking up from the magazine she was reading.
Bianca, unlike her husband, might have been beautiful once. But years of hard work and alcohol abuse had turned her into a frail woman with thinning hair and a sunken face. Unlucky for Scarlett, she shared Tom's cruel streak and was an expert when it came to inflicting pain with her scathing words.
Flipping off her back, Scarlett set about finishing the task so she could disappear into the forest with Spike who was already getting antsy.
That night, her dreams were a web of memories she couldn't quite place, an intertwined mess, shifting from one picture to another, gone too quickly to leave a lingering impression. Most of the faces were blurry, but she recognized them nonetheless. An old foster family, the Walkers, Jasper, Alma, a boy she once had a crush on. And finally, her father.
The memory caused a knee jerk reaction, a fight or flight response that forced her out of sleep faster than her mind could process.
Scarlett had a hard time falling back asleep whenever she dreamt of him, but this time there were other things keeping her awake, too. Her thoughts were currently being pulled in a thousand different directions, her dreams reflecting that by projecting a jumbling mess.
The restlessness of the night followed her around the next morning, all the way into first period. Ms. Davis was handing out spreadsheets when she barreled into the classroom a few minutes late. With an excuse on the tip of her tongue, the teacher spoke before Scarlett had the chance to justify her tardiness.
"Ms. Barnes," she said sharply, glasses perched on her nose. "You may sit next to Mr. Hale today as the two of you are the only ones without an assigned partner yet."
"Yes, ma'am," Scarlett mumbled as some of the people around her snickered, joining Jasper at his table. His presence next to her was overpowering, but she kept her eyes fixed on Ms. Davis in the front, not yet ready to face those eyes of his after seeing them in her dreams just a few hours ago.
"As I was saying," the teacher continued, "You will be working in pairs on this assignment. It will count for a large percentage of your grade so I expect a thorough work ethic and proper results." Her piping voice was too loud for the early hour of the morning and Scarlett rubbed her temples, already hating this day. "You may start."
The room erupted with the voices as the others started conversing about the upcoming task, Scarlett and Jasper sitting in silence at first, neither of them knowing how to approach the situation. Deep down, Scarlett feared that it might take a turn for the worse and end up being like the last time they'd been assigned to work together.
Against her expectations, Jasper was the first one to speak. "Good morning." His voice was rougher than usual and it made her look up, taking in his features. He looked gorgeous as always and much to Scarlett's surprise, was regarding her with a thoughtful expression, face devoid of its usual gloominess.
"Hey," she said, his amber eyes doing little to alleviate her racing heart. He was wearing a soft-looking, grey V-neck and her fingers itched to trace along the space where fabric gave way to pale skin. Shutting those thoughts into a box and pushing it to the back of her mind, she picked up the spreadsheet lying in front of her, reading over the contents of their assignment.
"We should probably get together in the next couple of days to work on the outline," Scarlett said.
"Sure," Jasper said, taking the piece of paper from her. He seemed to make sure their fingers wouldn't touch and Scarlett tried not to be disappointed by that. "We could go to the library after school," he offered.
"I have to work today but tomorrow works for me."
"Sounds like a plan." She expected that to be the extent of their conversation, already knowing that Jasper was of the quiet sort, so she was taken aback when his pleasant voice sounded up again. "Where do you work?"
"At a bookstore on the reservation. It sounds really boring, but it's not that bad," she explained. "It pays for gas and the occasional shopping trip. Also, vet bills. Those are way more expensive than one might think." She cut herself off when she realized she was rambling and smiled bashfully.
Jasper's eyes were sparkling with amusement. "It's not boring," he said. "You enjoy reading?"
"Not really," she shrugged. "I'm more into art, actually. What about you?" Feeling a little vulnerable at having disclosed so much in only a few minutes, she felt like it was only be fair for him to reveal something too.
"A little bit of everything, I guess." He ran a pale hand through his hair, her eyes following a strand that was sticking up. On everyone but him, it would have looked ridiculous instead of charming. "I play the guitar quite well," he continued, arousing her interest.
"Really?" she exclaimed excitedly. "I used to take lessons, but then I broke my wrist and just stopped for no reason."
An emotion that couldn't be explained with logic lead her to open up without feeling any sort of uneasiness about it for once. Scarlett preferred to be very guarded around others, a trait that had saved her from heartache on quite some occasions, but she felt no need to do so in that particular moment. It probably had something to do with the complete one-eighty Jasper had done over the past week, the novelty of this new side overthrowing her principles.
"How did your break your wrist?" he inquired with a frown, eyes flicking down to her hand resting on the table.
While she was ready to talk to him about her interests, she wasn't ready to talk about that part of her life and would probably never be. "I tripped," she lied smoothly. "Hurt like a bitch, I can tell you that. Neighbors called the cops because they thought somebody was getting murdered." That statement was enough to distract him from the landmine he'd unconsciously stepped into.
He cracked a dimpled smile and she catalogued the picture for later so she could sketch it out. "You do seem like a person that would be loud," he said and both of them froze at the implication of what he'd just said.
His eyes widened in horror and Scarlett flushed red from head to toe with a gripping intensity. Pictures of a scenario where she'd be loud for an entirely different reason ran through her mind and opened the floodgates of her imagination, involuntarily releasing a buried longing that washed over her like a tidal wave, sweeping her off her feet.
"I- I' didn't mean," Jasper stammered, mirroring her mortified expression. "I was just referring to the fact that you're very outspoken, I am so sorry- ," It was the first time she had ever seen him embarrassed and it was quite amusing to see him lose his cool, even though she could relate to the way he was feeling, her own cheeks burning red with the evidence of her shame.
"It's fine," she said quickly, running a hand through her hair to keep herself from fidgeting. She faked a laugh to alleviate the tension. "No harm done."
"Let's change the subject?" he asked hopefully and she nodded, pushing down the urge to fan herself with something to cool down from the searing heat grasping at her.
They fumbled around a subject to replace the awkwardness that hung heavy in the air, eventually finding a topic that was safe from the possibility of embarrassing innuendos called schoolwork.
The bell rang not long after, releasing them to go their separate ways. Jasper still looked a little rattled, his face screwed up in obvious discomfort. He opened his mouth and she knew another apology was coming, Scarlett cutting him off before he had the chance to say anything.
"Really, don't worry about it," she said with a chuckle. "It was funny more than anything."
"It wasn't very gentlemanly of me."
"Well, since I'm not a lady, you're in the clear." She stood up, gathering her things and bumped her fist against his arm playfully, thoughts stumbling at the fact that his arm was surprisingly hard, the defined muscle palpable even through the soft material of his sweater.
Brows furrowing at the comment, Jasper followed her out the classroom. People were staring once again, a few hushed whispers reaching her ears and she sneered at a girl that was rooted to the spot, eyes incredibly wide as she stared at them. Scarlett's icy glare was enough to shake her awake and she scrambled, throwing another disbelieving look over her shoulder.
In the hallway, Jasper turned to her and drawled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Scarlett." The words were tinged with an underlying meaning and she couldn't fight the smile spreading across her face long after he'd gone. She probably looked like a psycho walking through the hallway, grinning at nothing in particular.
Lunch came and Bella dragged her off to reluctantly sit with some of the other juniors on the other side of the cafeteria. The only person besides Bella she whose neck she didn't want to wring afterwards was Angela Weber, a quiet bookworm who seemed like a nice enough girl. They might have been friends if she wasn't so close to Jessica Stanley.
All throughout lunch, Scarlett had the sneaking suspicion that she was being watched, but whenever she swept her gaze over the room to check, nobody was paying any attention to her.
Ignoring the tingle in the back of her neck, she turned back to whatever Bella was saying, nodding along to make up for the lack of enthusiasm she was exhibiting.
She couldn't have known that a few tables over, a certain somebody was broadcasting her thoughts to the others around him, subsequently making her the topic of a conversation that would result in consequences nobody could have foreseen. Not even someone with the gift of premonition.
A/N: So this one was a little longer as it's mostly an introduction to some other characters, setting the scene so I can get the ball rolling in the upcoming chapters.
There's some more Jasper in this chapter (yay) and from now on, things are going to escalate rather quickly.
Any sort of comments are greatly appreciated ;)
Thanks for reading!