Chapter Nineteen
A month had come and gone since Jasper had left for Alaska with Rosalie. A month had passed since I had told Jasper I loved him, a month had passed since our lips had met and we absorbed all that was happening around us. My lips had tingled, and my blood had rushed throughout me as though I was going to be consumed by a tsunami before long, overcome with it all.
Today though was the day that I was heading to La Push with Charlie so that we could have a get together with Billy and Jacob Black (along with the other natives in the Reservation). I was unsettled though, knowing that Billy must have known about the Cullens and Hales being vampires, though thankfully Jacob merely pushed that away and didn't want to believe in that.
It was rather warm today, a rarity in Forks, but it was summer. I wore a quarter length red blouse along with denim jeans that had the bottoms rolled up. A pair of comfortable moccasins were on my feet, and I wore one of Grandma Swan's numerous necklaces she had left for me in her will.
Charlie was eager as I came downstairs, he was wearing a plaid button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, along with simple jeans and one of his more comfortable pair of tennis shoes. A twinkle was in his chocolate eyes, he was excited that there was a get together happening and that I had agreed to come with him.
I couldn't help but smile, Charlie deserved to be happy.
It was near lunch so we would have lunch on the beach with the rest of the natives. I still didn't care for social situations, ones that I had to be around a large group of people, but Charlie assured me that there would be not that many people there—twenty at the most but it might increase without his knowledge.
It still was unsettling to me; I could only hope I would get better with it on my own. I loved Jasper but I felt as though I relied on him too much, maybe these months apart from each other would be enough for me to progress on my own.
The ride to La Push was quiet, but not awkward and stale, I merely studied the scenery around me. There was a drastic change when we entered the Reservation. These houses had less than the rest of the town, it was obvious that they didn't earn as much money as everyone else. The houses were older and were more worn out than the ones in town, my house was in better condition than most of these houses.
As we pulled into the parking lot that overlooked the man-made beach with black pebbles that made up the beach it didn't take long for us to see the fold out tables that were on the beach with mountains of food covering the table. I could see Billy Black in his wheelchair and Jacob standing around with some of the other families that were around us
A couple turned to look at us, a middle-aged friendly native smiled brightly at us and his wife smiled as much as him. "Charlie! It's great to see you! Is this Bella? I haven't seen her in so long!"
"Harry! Yes, this is Bella," Charlie responded as we shut the car doors behind us and headed onto the man-made beach, the pebbles crunching under the soles of our shoes as we came closer to them.
"Hi, Bella! Do you remember me? I'm Sue," the woman asked to me, I raked my brain and faintly remembered her. I knew that Harry was Harry Clearwater and that this was his wife, she was always friendly when I would come to the Reservation with Charlie when I was younger.
"Faintly," I remarked as I blushed and looked down at my shoes. I didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes. I didn't want Jasper here, besides his family had already told me about the stressful relationship that they had with the Reservation.
"It's all right, sweetie. No need to be embarrassed," she assured me before I looked up and gave a small smile.
"Go ahead and look around, Bells," Charlie told me, and I nodded my head as I began to make my way towards the water. I stood quietly as the tide began to wash against my shoes when it came in. The island that was off in the distance was beautiful, captivating, a part of me wanted to search the island and see what was there.
"Hi, Bella."
I turned my head, seeing that Jacob was standing next to me suddenly, thankfully he was on my left side. His hair was still long as ever, though his hair had been pulled back in a ponytail. He wore warmer clothes, maybe he was hot natured when it came to his body temperature.
"Oh, hi, Jake." I gave another tiny smile, enough that Jacob smiled back at me still as cheerful as ever. I didn't keep my eyes on him that long, the only people I was comfortable looking at more than others happened to be the Cullens and the Hales. Charlie was a close second.
In the corner of my left eye I could see two teenagers heading in our direction, one of them was shorter and thicker than the other. They must have been Jacob's friends, childhood friends most likely. They seemed somewhat familiar, but I spent most of my time with the Blacks than I did with any of the others.
"Oh, here's my best friends, Embry and Quill." Jacob pointed each boy out as they came up to me, smiling in welcome. I didn't let my eyes linger on the natives that long before my eyes were drawn towards a girl that was sitting on a log that had hatred brimming through her eyes.
"W-Who's that?" I inwardly flinched; old habits were hard to quit it seemed. I might as well be in the presence of wolves ready to attack before long. Honestly from the supernatural aesthetic that this town had, seemed to be stronger here in the Reservation than it did in town.
"Oh, don't mind her, that's Leah, Leah Clearwater. She's kind of pissed off cause her boyfriend dumped her," one of the boys remarked, which in return had me twinning my fingers together repeatedly. I focused on the motion, only to jump away when a hand reached out to touch me.
I pulled away sharply, especially since the person had touched me on the right side. I hadn't even noticed I had made a nervous ticking noise. That was something I hadn't done in a long time.
The intensity surrounding me was growing thicker and I began to stumble away from the people that were surrounding me—I knew that Jacob was in front of me and so was his friends, Leah Clearwater staring at me as though she was going to kill me any moment made things even worse.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I just thought to introduce myself," a soft voice spoke up, causing me to pause and turn my head. A young woman stood in front of me with what would have been perfectly normal features if it weren't for the fact, she had been given the same curse as me—a vivid scar ran across her face in a striking, mean red line. It even messed with the skin around her eye and her mouth, making both tilt and form differently.
"Hi, you must be Bella. I'm Emily Clearwater," she introduced herself before a man came up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She smiled warmly up at him, as though he was the sun. I knew I must have the same expression on my face when it came to Jasper. I quietly hoped that he was taking things slow and steady, I didn't want him to feel rushed in order to come back to me.
The man next to her was tall, hovering over me, his deep red-brown skin stunning against his white t-shirt, he could rival Emmett when it came to his muscle mass.
In fact, as I glanced around, I could tell that some of the teenagers around me were a little taller than normal. Their muscles were tight, straining against their shirts. Jacob and his two friends were one of the few youngsters that weren't looking as though they were three times their actual age.
"I'm Sam Uley, I've heard a lot of great things about you, Bella," he remarked, only for me to shy away from him. Without even thinking I moved closer to Jacob. He was so small compared to Sam, but he was the one that I grew up around and this was the first time I was in the presence of Sam.
Jacob's hair rivaled Emily's. Her hair was long and beautiful, though Leah in the background had hair that was short and chopped. It looked as though it was cut with either a blade or it was cut with some scissors, it wasn't the best-done haircut, but she wasn't trying to be a hair stylist.
"Aren't you dating one of those Cullens?" I didn't know who asked this, but suddenly everything seemed to become tenser than it already was. I nodded my head, "his name is Jasper Hale though."
I suddenly felt as though I was intruding, as though even being friends with the Cullens and Hales meant that I was an enemy here. That couldn't be true though, unless they knew that the Cullens and Hales were vampires.
For all I knew these natives were werewolves, I wouldn't be surprised if they were supernatural—they had this electric current in the air around me, allowing me to know that there was more to these people than anyone could imagine.
It must have shown on my face because most of the natives that were around me began to move away from me, as though to make sure that I wouldn't feel as though I shouldn't be here. I turned my attention towards the water again, the island in the distance being what grounded me.
The crunching of the pebbles behind me made me stiffen once more. It sounded as though Billy was making his way towards me. I was surprised that he could maneuver on the beach, but then again, he was moving slower than a normal person was. I swallowed hard, as though I had swallowed a piece of food and could feel it scraping down my esophagus.
"It's good to see you, Bella."
I didn't turn to look at the old man, my eyes were still in front of me. I could see in the corner of my left eye him. He was wearing his leather jacket over his shirt ensemble. His smooth black locks brushed against his shoulders, and his lips were pressed tightly together.
"I have heard that you're dating one of them." There was distaste that was ever present in his deep voice, as though he was a monarch's advisor scolding his monarch for doing exactly the opposite of what he told them to do.
"Y-yes, his name is Jasper," I remarked, my voice soft.
He could clearly hear me because he frowned deeper, shaking his head in disagreement with what I was telling him. I didn't need his approval though; he wasn't someone that I sought his opinion on things such as my dating life.
"I'm intrigued, I must admit, on why he would be so willing about you are being here. You must know our reputation with them," Billy added, his eyes were looking forward this time. His black beaded eyes were nothing more than harsh depths of the ocean—so deep in the ocean that morbid creatures not yet discovered by scientists dwelled.
I didn't respond to him, not having time to do so anyway because one of the people in the background let us know that the food was ready. I sighed in relief as Jacob came up to us and began to pull his dad away from me and in the direction of where the tables were, filled to the brim with food.
Waiting until most of the food was served, I slowly made my way towards where the hamburgers and hotdogs were. Potato chip bags were open, a few of the potato chips were sprinkled on the table from those that had grabbed chips haphazardly from the bags, not caring about the mess they would leave behind.
Grabbing a paper plate, I grabbed a hamburger and put simple mayonnaise and mustard on the buns. A couple handfuls of Lays potato chips were added, I poured a red solo cup with soda before I headed over to where one of the folds out tables were. I sat at the end of the table, at the right side of course. I might not be able to see the beautiful water off to the side but at least I didn't have anyone sitting next to me on that side, staring me down.
"So, Charlie was telling me that you've got a boyfriend," Emily spoke, she sat across from me. Sam sat next to her, giving her a warning glance, but she dismissed him. "That is if you want to tell me about him, you don't have to of course."
I blushed and looked at my plate before I responded, "his name is Jasper. He's wonderful, he's one of the few people that doesn't make my anxiety flair up. His family is wonderful too. He's away at college though, we've been Skyping."
Sam perked up at what I was saying, his eyes wandering down the table towards the elders. Some of them had disapproving looks on their faces while others made sure they had their poker faces down pat.
"That's wonderful!" Emily gushed, before she took a couple of bites of her hotdog, I could tell that she was telling the truth. She had no problem with the Cullens and Hales. She didn't have a look of distaste when it came them.
Thankfully she could sense that I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. I was only here because I knew it meant a lot to Charlie. I knew they meant the world to him, just like I did. He would have been disappointed if I had decided to stay home. I couldn't do that to him, he had done a lot for me in the past.
I sighed inwardly as I ate, not paying attention to anyone around me. Emily seemed as though she wanted to talk to me, let me know that they were there for me. If it weren't for her welcoming nature, I would think that she was only trying to bond with me because of our scars.
I didn't want to, but I silently counted how long that Charlie and I were here. I didn't care if I was invited, a part of me thought that some one of the natives around us wanted nothing more than for me to be gone.
Not Charlie, they knew Charlie and trusted him. They couldn't trust me, wouldn't trust me, well most of them. There were some that were willing to, but I was certain those that didn't want to trust me outweighed those that wanted to.
The moment it was time for us to leave there was still light that was radiating throughout the beach, though it was starting to dim. Since it was a day that Charlie wasn't working, he had made sure that we would spend as much time with our 'extended' family as possible.
As soon as we arrived home, I couldn't help but feel my hands itching to click on the Skype App. I knew Jasper would be waiting for me, I knew we always tried to talk at the end of the day. In fact, I would Skype him late at night, when Charlie was asleep, if we hadn't had time earlier in the day to do so. A benefit at least, when it came to Jasper not being able to sleep.
Entering my bedroom after I hurried through the house, I opened my laptop and logged in before I brought up the Skype App. I barely pushed the call button when I was welcomed with Jasper on the other end.
He was in a nice living room; the colors were of the cream color palate. It was more modern than it was at the Cullen and Hales house. The Denali clan must have enjoyed things more luxurious than Esme and Carlisle did. I preferred my second family's style more than their cousins' style.
I knew that I was nothing more than a plain Jane compared to Jasper. His perfect features and soft golden curls that fell against his shoulder blades were stunning, he was an angel. I on the other hand wanted to feel as though I looked nothing more than a human—one that was not even on the normal level of prettiness.
"Hello, love," I couldn't help but sigh, earning a smile from Jasper. There was no one in the background.
Though I was curious when it came to his extended family, I didn't know what Eleazar and Carmen looked like. I didn't know what the sisters looked like, nor who their brother/cousin Garrett looked like either.
"Good afternoon, Bella. How was your time at the Reservation?" There was no irritation that was in his voice, though I knew that things were strained with the Cullens and Hales when it came to the natives of the Reservation. He must have trusted them on some level to keep me safe.
"It was stressful," I admitted, as I looked down at the keyboard. I let my fingers intertwine a moment later, "I'm just glad that Jacob doesn't believe in you all being vampires like the others do."
Jasper sighed this time, "the reason why they aren't that happy about us being here is because of the fact that they are werewolves, Bella."
I would have laughed if it weren't for the fact that I was the girlfriend of a vampire, the rivalry that they had with each other was obvious. At least Charlie pushed all that aside, in fact Charlie loved the Cullens and Hales. He specially loved them ever since they had accepted me with open arms.
"That doesn't surprise me, to be honest," I admitted, earning a chuckle from Jasper this time, "I should expect that from you, darling. After all you are one of the smartest people I know."
We didn't speak anymore about the werewolves that resided in the Reservation. Neither of us seemed as though we were enthralled in the subject, finding out that vampires existed kind of took away the excitement of werewolves being real. They were mortal enemies, so it would make sense that one could not exist without the other. Them being next door neighbors made even more sense.
"How are your lessons going?" I couldn't help but question, in the background I could see a familiar blonde-haired vampire, her curls cascading down her mid back. She didn't seem as though she was focused on anything, but then again that was Rosalie Hale…the Rosalie Hale I knew.
"It's going slow but steady, they're bringing blood bags in soon. They hope that with blood open in front of me that I will grow used to the blood. Eventually we will progress to visiting the hospital where there will be those with injuries. Carlisle wants to come up when it comes to that stage of course," Jasper let me know, I soaked in what he had told me before I reached my hand out and touched the screen of the laptop.
"It's okay if you aren't back by the beginning of the school year, Jazz. I want you to come back when you are ready, not before then." The thudding of footsteps coming up the stairs allowed us to know that Charlie must have been coming up to the second floor of the house.
He either was telling me he had been called in to work or he was going to take an afternoon nap. He never took that many naps but when he did, I had to wake him before he would truly mess with his sleep schedule.
The bedroom door opened, and Charlie peaked in, noting that I was sitting cross legged in front of my laptop. He gave a small smile, "I have to go back to the station and check on some things. It feels as though they can't run without me half the time. I'll try not to be too long; I'll call you when I'm heading home."
Thankfully I didn't have to worry about him growing hungry when he was slaving away at the station, he had eaten like a wolf (if only he knew that we were surrounded by wolves basically) so he had stuffed himself full of food. I only ate as much as I could handle, I never was one that was a big eater.
"All right, be safe, Dad." I smiled as he came closer to me and crouched down before he hugged me. He glanced over at the screen, noting that Jasper was on the other end of the connection.
He didn't say anything that was embarrassing to Jasper, instead he nodded his head as though to let him know that he was acknowledging him. Jasper nodded back, allowing him to know that he understood.
As soon as Charlie was gone, I couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. Jasper chuckled at me, fondly, before we began to converse about anything and everything except the supernatural. I told him about spending time with Alice, about how I spent the night a week ago with her. She had done a complete makeover on me and I had managed to keep her from going crazy and having a photoshoot with me.
Eventually though it was time for us end our video call.
I softly reached my hand out again and placed my palm against the screen. He placed his palm against his end of the line, his palm right against the screen where my palm was. I liked to imagine that we had just a wall of glass separating us, we would be closer to each other than a country and state away.
The good thing about it being summer, I wouldn't have to worry about homework. So, I preoccupied my time being downstairs and baking cookies and cupcakes. I had started to bake with Esme, the treats would be sent off to the police station and the clinic so that the police officers and nurses (and fellow few doctors) could have their sweet tooth sated for the time being.
By the end of my baking session, though my face was hot from the oven and I had flour along with other baking ingredients splattered around me I could say that I was proud of myself. I had survived a social setting without Jasper, something that I hadn't imagined I would be able to do with him gone.
Twilight doesn't belong to me
