A/N: Hello everyone! It's been quite a while since this story has been updated, which I apologize for. Things are very different in the world now and I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy. Hopefully, this chapter can be a happy distraction. I realize that the point of view throughout this fic has been rather inconsistent, but as it is my first ever attempt at fanfiction, I've been trying to play around with what works best for me personally. I hope that it hasn't been too tedious. Nevertheless, Enjoy!

Jasper's promise of a proper courting had been followed by what could only be described as hilarity. He often made show of the gentlemanly gestures that were already second nature to him.

It was at times extremely difficult to take him seriously if we were to be particularly dramatic in his displays, and I scarcely managed to hide the laughter that threatened to make an appearance. During school, his presence was nearly constant whenever our schedules allowed it. This was surprisingly often as Jasper seemed to have lost all interest in punctuality and decent attendance during what was probably his hundredth- something senior year.

It was an odd occurrence, then, when I found myself alone in between periods for the first time in a long time. It was not at all like Jasper to become side-tracked or forgetful, at least in my experience with him. I couldn't help but wonder what would cause such an odd deviance in his normal behavior.

I considered asking one of his many siblings, but tracking down Edward or Alice seemed like it would be far too monumental of a task during the brief passing period, and asking the two that I hadn't become acquainted with was a test of bravery I certainly was not suited for. Even if they weren't the two most physically intimidating people I had ever laid eyes on, I had caught Rosalie looking at me as if she were daydreaming about every possible option of disposing my body far too many times to make approaching her a viable option. Caught was probably not the best description, as I was entirely sure that she wasn't trying to hide it at all.

I had briefly asked Jasper if I had ever done something specifically to make Rosalie dislike me so much, but he'd dismissed my query with a chuckle, followed by "Rosalie will be Rosalie".

If that had been his attempt at soothing my worries, it had been a horrible one. Describing my feelings towards Rosalie as anything less than extreme-intimidation-bordering-terror would be insufficient.

I wasn't quite sure about his other brother, Emmett, but the fact that he was the absolute largest person I had ever seen and could probably snap me in half like a toothpick without the whole super-strength thing, I decided that it was better to be safe than sorry, especially considering his closeness with Rosalie.

Apparently, though, it would not be entirely my choice. I had been sitting in Calculus, the worst part of any rational person's day, when something firmly collided with the back of my head. I never relished in uncomfortable confrontation, and arguing with Lauren Mallory about the Cullens on my first day had been enough to last a lifetime, in my opinion, so I considered just pretending like I hadn't felt it.

I flushed, wondering if it was some kind of new kid initiation ceremony. Even if I had been here for awhile now, I had no doubt that being the 'new kid' in Forks would be a title that would follow me for a lifetime, considering how rare it was to get a new face in this town. When I had just made up my mind to ignore it, I was hit again, with what I now realized was a ball of wadded up loose-leaf that had struck its mark with inhuman accuracy.

Inhuman was an appropriate description, I realized, when a look over my shoulder revealed Emmett, another ball of paper already formed in his hand, making it clear that my initial strategy of ignoring my assailant wouldn't have worked.

My quirked brow was met with a wide grin as he quickly glanced towards our teacher before scooting his desk up next to mine in what was probably the loudest fashion possible, completely invalidating any attempts at being discreet.

The redness of my cheeks worsened to my dismay at the numerous heads that were turned at the disruption. Many seemed to think twice, though, as they realized that it was Emmett Cullen that they glared at, who I assumed nobody really wanted to get on the bad side of. I certainly didn't.

"Hey."

"Hello," I responded, my greeting sounding far more like a question than I had intended.

"Diana, right?"

I nodded, not fully trusting my voice not to quaver. It wasn't really like me to be cowardly to such an extent, but vampires were distinctly uncharted territory; specifically, this vampire, who, in my mind, was just one step down from Rosalie. I briefly wondered if he could kill me so quickly that there would be no witnesses. I wasn't convinced that this was wholly unlikely. He was probably just making sure he had the right girl beforehand.

"I don't really know why I even asked, it's not like there are thousands of people Jasper and Alice hang around. Well, people like you, anyways."

I didn't really know how to respond to that, but luckily, Emmett was apparently pretty talkative, alleviating me of the struggle of fishing for a response.

"Anyways, did you do the homework?"

I was taken aback by such a normal request from such an abnormally intimidating person.

"Uh, yeah," I said, trailing off as I handed him my Calc folder.

"Sick," He said, scrawling down the equations in a sharp, jutting handwriting.

I wasn't sure why hearing a lord-knows-how-old immortal using such modern language was so funny to me, but I couldn't help but grin.

"I think like, a lot of them are wrong, just so you know."

I didn't really bother to hide my hopelessness in Calc at this point, as it was pretty obvious, especially to anyone copying down my work.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Wrong is better than blank, as I always say. And I certainly wasn't going to do it."

I admired that sort of attitude relating to math. I wondered if it had taken him years of repeating high school to develop that sort of academic irresponsibility, or if he was just naturally like that.

He paused before handing my folder back, tracing the tacky residue left on the folder's face from stickers long since removed.

"What are these from?" he asked, his index finger grazing over a crescent moon shape that had once been surrounded by stars.

"Oh, those were those sticker things, you know? The thick ones that glow in the dark."

"They glow in the dark?" He asked, seemingly overly interested in the prospect. I was confused at first, but I guessed that where vampires witnessed the progression of technology firsthand, they probably never realized smaller changes and inventions.

"Uh, yeah. You know, kids can like put them on their ceilings and stuff. It looks like the night sky when you turn the lights off, but they never last too long."

He made an impressed noise. "And you can just get them anywhere?"

"Yeah, like grocery or craft stores. Dollar stores, probably."

I couldn't help but wonder if I had just unwittingly ensured that the Cullen household would soon resemble a six-year old's bedroom. By his fascination, it seemed likely. I'd have to apologize to Jasper if he ever pieced together my involvement.

"Have you seen Jasper?" I murmured, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to our mid-class conversation even though Emmett didn't seem to particularly care about discretion. Or lack thereof.

"Oh! Shit. Yeah, he asked me to tell you. He had to meet with a…was it a guidance counselor? Maybe? Something like that."

I grinned again. Something about Emmett was refreshing. He definitely didn't have the same inhuman focus as Jasper, and it seemed that the overly proper ways of his adoptive family were also lost on him. Despite him being so physically intimidating at first glance, his relaxed demeanor made him seem so human in comparison to the rest of the Cullen family.

His exclamation was apparently a breaking point, as a sharp look from our teacher briefly silenced him. I was convinced then that keeping Emmett Cullen in line was an uphill battle that no teacher at Forks High School was equipped for, as his muttered jokes and folded notes with childish jokes or scribbled doodles went largely unpunished.

It was at the end of the period that I decided that he was very likeable, and dare I say an ally within Jasper's family. This mainly just meant that I was fairly sure he wouldn't try to murder me at his earliest convenience.

He held the door for me as we left class at the end of the period, his arm far above my head due to his remarkable height. I tried not to gawk at his stature, but it was rather difficult to speak to him while standing, as I head to angle my head so much to see his face. Jasper was extremely tall himself, yet Emmett surely had a few inches on him.

"How does Alice even talk to you, like ever?"

He laughed, a deep, baritone sound that seemed to almost shake the entire hallway.

"She's made Jasper pick her up and hold her above me a few times, usually if she's yelling at me about something."

"Does that happen often?" I asked, laughing in earnest.

"It doesn't not happen often."

As we walked, I couldn't decide if my classmates gave a wider berth to Jasper or Emmett when passing them in the hallway. I'd have to pay more attention when walking with Jasper next to sate my own curiosity.

"I'm a little offended, you know," He said. "You talked to Edward before you talked to me. Edward."

I looked up at him, confusion clear in my expression.

"I mean, what does Edward have that says inviting and sociable that I don't have?"

I chuckled. "I kind of felt like if I said something wrong you might give Rosalie the green light to run me over with her convertible."

He laughed even louder this time, the sound making me jump despite being more prepared for it than others within hearing distance.

"What, Rose? Never! She just takes a little time to warm up to people."

"Have you ever met Rosalie, Emmett?" Jasper's smooth voice said, alight with humor. I didn't think that even Emmett had noticed his approach, heightened senses at all. "I think she's tried to hit me with that thing a couple times."

My already-present smile widened at his presence. He grinned back, looking as if he were about to say something before Emmett spoke once more.

"Wait a minute, didn't she once?"

Jasper looked upwards as if wracking his brain before shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe. Probably."

"You don't remember if she hit you with her car?" I asked, incredulous.

"I must have repressed it."

"Are things just not a big deal anymore when you're inhumanly durable? Because I feel like I'd still hold a grudge."

Emmett quickly shushed me, looking around the crowded hallway.

My eyes widened. "Oh, God- Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"He's just messing with you," Jasper assured me, shaking his head at Emmett despite his amused grin. The latter was clearly amused with himself. "Anyways, yes, things quickly become much less serious when you're so durable."

"And you also have so much more time to get back at them," Emmett started. "Give it a couple years to give them a false sense of security and they'll never expect it."

"Years?" I asked, blinking owlishly. "I could never be that patient."

"The long game is so much more rewarding," Jasper assured, smirking as he narrowed his eyes at Emmett over my head. I couldn't help but wonder how many unsettled scores there were between them from over the years that they were just waiting to get revenge for. It was dizzying to imagine how different their lives were due to the sheer span of time they had to dedicate to such frivolous, yet endlessly entertaining things.

Emmett slammed open the cafeteria doors, and I wondered if that was because of his apparent overall recklessness, or his unimaginable strength.

Something going on at the Cullen's usual table seemed to have snagged his attention, as he quickly grinned at me.

"See you later, alright?" He said cheerfully, an impossibly large hand ruffling my hair before he made a quick departure.

I couldn't control my jaw dropping slightly as I blinked, thrown entirely by Emmett's casualness.

The laughter was clear in Jasper's voice as he quirked a brow at me, lingering at the entrance to the cafeteria.

"Well, well. When did you two get so friendly?

"I didn't know that we did," I answered honestly. "I just gave him some homework."

"That's enough for Emmett," Jasper said. "So, you're not afraid of him anymore?"

"I wasn't afraid of him," I exclaimed.

Jasper looked down at me with an all too knowing expression, as if just waiting for me to see the humor in my denying his claim.

"Damn it," I mumbled. "I forgot about that."

Jasper chuckled, reaching up to smooth down my hair, which must have been in an intense disarray. I desperately wished that I could stop my heart from skipping the beat that it did, knowing that he could hear it.

It might have been worth it, though, as it made his grin deepen, that devastatingly handsome smile that made his dimples all too apparent. He was gentlemanly enough not to reference the way my heart stuttered, but the amused glint in his eye was telling enough. It was hard to look defiant to his charm, but I jutted my chin out as I looked up at him, determined to try.

"Do you want to have lunch together?" I asked, not bothering to reference the fact that it would be more like sitting together while only one of us ate. A topic change was probably in my best interest.

"Oh, I'd love to, but I wouldn't want your friends to miss you."

Something about his tone always seemed so flirtatious, and I wondered if it was even intentional. Today, though, some emboldened part of me decided to step up to that unspoken challenge.

"Well, I wouldn't want for you to miss me." I wasn't exactly sure how ridiculous I looked as I glanced at him from beneath my lashes, but I hoped that it at least wasn't laughable.

Something flashed in his eyes then, and I couldn't exactly place it, but I was sure that he approved of my boldness as his grin became even more lopsided.

He hummed, and I couldn't tell if he had gotten closer or if my nerves that I was desperately trying to push down, praying that he wouldn't be able to feel them, made it seem that way.

"Well, I just think it's important that you spend time with friends. I'd feel awfully selfish keeping you all to myself."

"Well, aren't we friends?" I asked, hoping to keep my voice steady, praying that it held even an ounce of the flirtation that I was intending for.

My eyes widened as I was almost sure that his eyes flickered down to my lips, and I could have sworn that he did move closer this time.

"Is that all we are?" He asked softly, his amber eyes holding mine insistently.

I couldn't even begin to attempt masking the way my heart leapt to my throat, any potential rebuttal dissipating from my mind.

I knew that he'd won when his intensity began to hold an edge of smug amusement as my silence lengthened.

"Jerk," I muttered, tearing my eyes away from his, instead focusing on a random point across the cafeteria and smacking his ribs with the back of my hand, knowing he would hardly feel a thing.

His smirk went from unbearably attractive to unbearably complacent. He extended a hand, his index finger tracing a particularly well-formed curl, beginning at the curve of my neck and slowly descending. If I had been in a clearer state of mind, I would have wondered if he'd been able to hear the hitch in my breathing.

I hadn't noticed that he'd gently pulled it taught before quickly releasing it. I jumped, blinking sharply as it snapped upwards. His smirk deepened as if he reveled in the surprise that spiked in my chest and the small gasp that escaped my lips.

"See you later," He said lowly. I had hardly even registered his boldness before he winked, smoothly sidestepping me as he walked towards his table.

I hadn't even realized I had been holding my breath until he was gone. I wasn't sure how he had completely taken a situation I was sure I had such control of. I pulled myself out of my daze, realizing that I was dumbly staring at where he had been standing moments before.

As I stomped towards my lunch table, I was for once overwhelmingly happy that his heightened hearing would allow him to hear the barrage of foul language I was sending his way under my breath. I could have sworn that I could hear him laugh in response despite the distance.

I couldn't force myself to care about the way that I roughly plopped into my seat, my bag falling unceremoniously onto the floor with a thud. Fortunately, I found that just one glance at Mike Newton made the room seem a whole lot less warm than it had felt just moments ago.

Normally, I might glance at Jasper from across the room, but now I absolutely refused to give him the satisfaction of thinking he held my attention. I instead was remarkably immersed in unpacking my lunch, each movement perhaps just slightly too aggressive. Slightly.

A glance upwards revealed that Jessica was maybe moments away from spontaneously combusting. I had no doubt that she had sensed the tension in the air.

I quirked a brow, knowing that she would only get worse the longer she had to stew.

"Oh, come on!" She said, suddenly losing whatever restraint had kept her silent.

A long-suffering look from Angela revealed that she had probably been trying to keep Jess from jumping down my throat the moment I sat down.

"What?" I asked, keeping my voice of all indication that I knew what she was talking about.

"What? That! With Jasper!"

"Jasper?" I asked, schooling my tone into one of perfect neutrality, as if my mind wasn't also abuzz with what had just happened.

"What were you talking about?" Jess asked, her impatience endlessly amusing. I could have made a career out of frustrating Jessica Stanley through the reservation of crucial gossip.

"Lunch."

Both Mike and Eric seemed to find my little game amusing too, but Bella gave a look which clearly stated that drawing out the process would only make things worse, though she failed horribly at masking her laugh as a cough.

Jessica's groan of frustration almost made me feel bad.

"Just- What is going on between you two?"

"Us?" I finally allowed myself to glance across the room to Jasper, pleased to find that he was already looking at me expectantly, the vision of smugness laced with interest. I plastered my own subtle smirk on my face. "We're just friends."

Even without heightened vision, I could see as his head cocked to the side, seeming to congratulate me on a game well played. A part of me was pleased at how surprised he was at the openness with which I teased him. His amused grin was clear even from the distance, and suddenly I wasn't quite sure who had won after all.