Hang tight readers, I promise we start similar to Twilight, but about one van crash in is where this story takes its turn.
Chapter Two
When I woke the next morning, the ever present chill in the air that I had begun to grow used to was different. It felt less humid, and though I had thought it impossible, somehow colder. I saw why as soon as I flung my curtains open. Although yesterday's slushy snow had been washed away by rain, several inches of fresh powder had fallen over night. The world outside, which usually looked so alien and green, suddenly looked like a winter wonderland. I felt giddy. The emotion caught me off guard. If a month ago, while I was packing up my belongings in Phoenix someone had told me I would be giddy at the sight of snow, I would have laughed at them. Then, I saw my truck out the window and my good mood came crashing down. I had never driven in the snow. Or the ice for that matter. It had never even been an issue.
I rushed to get ready, thinking I would need all the extra time I could get to drive as slowly as possible down the roads. When I got down the stairs to grab a muffin to take with me to school for breakfast, I was surprised to see Charlie still sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. He was usually gone for work before I left in the morning. Charlie was the Chief of Police in Forks, and although there was hardly any crime in this small town, they tended to function like forest rangers frequently as well. It kept him busy.
"Hey Ch-Dad," I said, catching myself, "shouldn't you be at work?"
"I didn't know if you would want a ride into school today, Bells." He didn't say it was because he was worried about me driving in the snow. We both knew it anyway. I smiled at him.
"I'm okay, really Dad. I planned extra time. If I don't learn now, when will I?"
He looked concerned, like he wanted to argue, but after a moment he just sighed.
"I figured you'd say that. You're a lot like your mother that way. Self-sufficient. Take this with you though, just in case." He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and held it out for me. I was one of the few kids my age who didn't have a cell phone. Contracts were something Renee struggled with. She didn't like to be tied down. And I had never had enough money of my own to purchase a pay as you go phone. I took Charlie's from him. It was an older model flip phone, but I was grateful regardless. It was nice to know I wouldn't get stuck on the side of the road anywhere.
"Thanks, Dad," I said, tucking it into my bag. "I really should get going. I plan on driving obnoxiously slow. Tell your deputies not to pull me over for impeding traffic."
He grinned at me. "Will do, Bells."
The drive was actually easier than I anticipated. I had thought the old truck would slide on the slick roads, grasping for purchase as I tried to start or stop. It didn't though. When I pulled into school, I was actually a little bit early. I got out of my truck, taking a bite of my muffin as I walked around to the back to curiously look at my tires. There were chains on them. Charlie must have woken up early, once again anticipating my needs before I did, to put the snow chains on my tires. The rush of gratitude I felt was something I was beginning to get used to.
I straightened up, ready to walk into the building. When I did so, I saw Jasper Hale and the rest of his siblings standing several cars down, getting out of a shiny silver Volvo. God, even their car was nicer than everyone else's. Alice suddenly looked up at me, startled and panicked, and then towards a horrible new screeching sound. I looked toward the sound. It was a large blue van skidding towards me. Its tires were clearly locked and it was careening towards me sideways. It was going to hit me, crush me between it and the bed of my truck. It was moving too quickly. I didn't have time to move. Panic struck me, the deep fear of someone facing certain death. I braced myself for the inevitable impact, wondering why I didn't see my life flash before my eyes the way people in the movies always did.
The impact came, but it was from the wrong direction. I was knocked sideways, away from the van just before it crunched into the bed of my truck with terrifying force. My muffin flew from my hand, and my head hit the asphalt, cushioned only slightly by the powdery snow. I was being pinned to the ground by something, something as cold as the snow I was now lying in. I didn't have time to process that fact though, because the van, propelled by the impact of hitting my truck bed and still sliding on the ice, was now spinning around to slide at me again.
"Shit," the low voice came. That was when I realized that what had knocked me out of the way of the van had been none other than Jasper Hale. He reached his arms out as the van approached us again. I flinched, closing my eyes, unable to look death in the face twice in one day. But the resounding crunch of metal came, and I realized I was untouched. I opened my eyes, peeking out. The van had stopped just before us. And there were quite clearly two large dents in the metal body of the van directly in front of us. They were in the shape of hands. I stared at that, willing my eyes to see anything else. Anything that made sense. They declined to agree with my need for reality. Shock. I was in shock. I had to be. Then again, hadn't I seen Jasper, only one second earlier, several cars away from me?
"Bella? Bella? Are you okay?" Jasper was asking. His Texan drawl was thicker than normal. His accent is slipping, a voice in the back of my head said. That didn't make sense. None of this did. I was worried, panicked. I couldn't imagine why I should be worried. The danger was over.
I realized that it was Jasper pinning me to the ground. He had his arms around me. He had pulled me out of the way. I could see the other students starting to rush over now.
"I-I think I'm fine," I said, taking a moment to mentally assess my body. Maybe a little sore, but fine otherwise. "How did you-?" My own question cut off as I saw my muffin, several feet away on the ground, and completely in pieces. "Oh-my muffin," I said in dismay.
Jasper laughed, removing his arms from around me.
"Bella, I think you're in shock. And you hit your head pretty hard. You should see a doctor."
I tried to shake my head, but winced as I did it. Jasper chuckled softly.
"Come on, I'll drive you," he said. "The paramedics will be busy with Tyler anyway."
For the first time my thoughts rushed to the driver of the van.
"Tyler?" I only vaguely recognized the name. "Is he okay?"
Paramedics had arrived on scene and were pulling a badly scraped up boy from the van. I hadn't realized before how mangled it was. I didn't know a lot about cars, but it had to be practically totaled.
"He'll be fine," Jasper said, pulling me to my feet. He exchanged a look with his siblings that seemed to convey a whole conversation. The auburn hair boy, Edward, nodded. Odd. Then, Jasper led me over to the paramedics. "Hi Jim, I think Bella here might have hit her head a bit. I was going to drive her down to see Carlisle if that's okay with you all."
I noticed the way he separated you all. His accent was back to normal, barely noticeable, but there if you knew what you were listening for. The paramedic looked me over, as though trying to assess the severity of my injuries. Seeing none present, he responded, "Of course, Jasper. Just make sure you let Dr. Cullen know she hit her head."
Jasper gave him a charming smile, "Will do, sir."
Then he led me over to the Volvo.
"You'll have to forgive me for taking my brother's car. I'm not sure how much damage your truck sustained," he said as he opened the passenger door for me and helped me into the car before climbing into the driver's side and pulling out of the school parking lot.
We drove in silence for a moment before the fog of adrenaline in my head started to clear.
"How did you get to me so fast?" I asked, turning to him.
Jasper stared pointedly at the road in front of him. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"I saw you over with your siblings, by your car, right before-" I cut off as I shuddered.
"Bella," Jasper said softly, pleadingly, "you have just been through a great ordeal. You are confused."
The events were becoming clearer though. I was sure of what I had seen.
"You-you stopped the van," I said. It came out almost like a whisper. Saying it out loud sounded almost taboo.
Jasper looked over at me as he stopped the car. We had pulled into the hospital parking lot.
"Is there any chance you might consider forgetting what you saw today?" he asked. Once again, it sounded like a plea.
My brow furrowed. Forget? He had saved my life. With what must have been superhuman strength and speed. He was like Superman and I was Lois Lane. Although, I'm sure there was probably too much romance in that comparison for him.
"Why?" I asked.
"Some secrets are bigger than ourselves. Some aren't ours to tell."
"Then why did you save me at all?" I asked.
Jasper looked at me like it was the most ridiculous question in the world.
"Have you ever heard of the Chinese philosopher Mencius?" he asked. I shook my head, not sure where this was going. "Mencius spoke on the innate goodness of human nature. His example was a child falling in a well. If anyone were to witness a child falling in a well, they would stop to help the child. Not because there are any witnesses to the event. Not to gain any praise or standing in society, but because it is impossible for most people to watch another suffer when they can intervene."
"And in this scenario, I'm the child in the well?" I asked.
Jasper suppressed a smile. "Indeed."
"But, if you keep running around saving lives, don't you think whatever secret it is you won't tell me is going to get out?"
Jasper looked at me thoughtfully a moment, as though debating his next words.
"You were the first," he said finally, so softly I almost didn't hear him.
I couldn't help it, a small exasperated laugh escaped me.
"So that whole Mencius thing was bullshit then?"
"I have let many people suffer, caused many people to suffer. Felt their pain. It felt like a small step back to humanity to be able to pull the child from the well this time, so to speak, rather than be the one throwing them in."
I didn't know how to process this information. How does one reconcile the fact that the person that just saved their life has just inadvertently confessed to having done bad things in the past? It was hard for me to imagine him as a villain, then I remembered the look in his eyes the first day we had met. Maybe it wasn't so crazy. I figured the debt I owed him was to see him for who he was now, rather than who he had been. Should he do anything bad in the future, well, I would deal with that then. For now, I was staring into the gorgeous golden eyes of the boy who saved my life. As if I needed any more reason to swoon over him.
"Thank you," I said simply.
"As I said, it was the right thing to do."
"No, not for saving my life, though, trust me, I'm plenty thankful for that as well. Thank you for actually answering my questions today."
He grinned at me.
"Yes, well, you have an uncanny way of making me trust you." That made two of us. "Now, we really should get you in to see Carlisle." He got out of the car and swept around to help me out of the passenger side, leading me toward the small, rural hospital. "And Bella," he said, looking at me, "would you mind maybe not mentioning our conversation to Carlisle? As I said, not my secret to share." And with that, he led me into the building.
The small hospital was bustling with commotion. Clearly, snow days meant a lot of accidents. I saw Tyler in one of the beds, bandaged and hooked to an IV. Bruises were starting to form. I winced.
"Tyler, are you okay?" I asked, rushing from Jasper's side over to the boy.
"Bella? Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I lost control. I thought I was going to kill you. I'm so so sorry."
He was panicking, wincing as he tried to sit up in the bed. His eyes wild with fear and pain. Jasper had walked over by my side now. He seemed stiff, like he was uncomfortable being here. I understood. I had always fainted at the sight of blood, so hospitals freaked me out. I was just lucky they had gotten Tyler cleaned up and bandaged before I arrived. Tyler started to calm down, lying back against his pillow. He must have noticed that I was fine, walking on my own accord.
"I'm fine, Tyler. Really. Luckily Jasper here pulled me out of the way just in time. It wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're okay," I said.
"Jasper?" Tyler asked questioningly, looking up at the boy next to me for the first time. "I didn't even see you there. It all happened so fast. I'm so sorry man. I'm glad you're okay too."
Jasper just smiled. It looked tenser than normal.
"Accidents happen, Tyler. No need to apologize. I made it out unscathed. I'm sorry about your van though," Jasper said. His voice was smooth despite the tension in his frame.
"Jasper," a smooth, rich voice called, "Alice called to tell me you were involved in the accident. I'm glad to see you're unharmed."
This had to be Dr. Cullen. I could see what Jessica had been talking about. If they had cast him on Grey's Anatomy, the rest of the cast would have been unnoticeable beside his good looks. It struck me again as absurd that somehow this family, almost entirely unrelated, could all be so undeniably attractive. Then a thought struck me. Maybe that was part of it. Superhuman speed, strength, and good looks. That was why Jasper hadn't wanted me to mention the conversation to Dr. Cullen. He was in on the secret. They all were. It wasn't Jasper's to tell, because it was the whole family's. Had I stumbled across the real-life X-Men? No, that was stupid. But after the things I had seen today…
"I'm fine, but Bella here hit her head," Jasper said, cutting off my thoughts.
"I see, Ms. Swan, could you have a seat here?" Dr. Cullen said, having me sit on the end of one of the hospital beds.
Jasper stayed close, hovering with worry in his eyes and Dr. Cullen took my blood pressure and checked for signs of a concussion. I was fairly certain medical privacy would have allowed me to kick him out, but I found I rather liked having him around. As it turned out, someone saving your life was a quick way to grow affection.
"Well?" I asked, as Dr. Cullen finished shining a light into my eyes to check my pupil reaction.
"You seem to be in great shape, Ms. Swan, though you are still a bit cold. I think you may have been in shock. I called Charlie to come to get you all ready. I think taking a day to rest might be for the best."
Relief flooded Jasper's face. I couldn't help but feel pleased by his reaction.
"Bells!" Charlie's voice came, ringing through the hospital. I was surprised by how glad I was to hear him. Only an hour ago, I had thought I was going to die.
"Dad," I called back, hopping down from the bed and running to throw my arms around him, catching him off guard with this display of affection. "I'm okay. Really. Jasper here pulled me out of the way in time. I just hit my head a little. Dr. Cullen says no concussion though."
Charlie looked up at Dr. Cullen to confirm. Dr. Cullen just nodded.
"She looks to be in great shape, Charlie. That's one resilient girl you've got there," he said with a smile.
"Thanks, Carlisle," Charlie said, some of the worry fading from his voice now. He turned to where Jasper was standing. "You're Jasper? Carlisle's boy?" Jasper just nodded. He seemed to be growing more uncomfortable in the hospital by the minute. "Thank you for saving my girl," Charlie said sincerely.
"No thanks needed, sir," Jasper said. "I'm just glad I was there."
With that, Charlie ushered me out of the hospital and towards the police cruiser. I jolted suddenly.
"Oh no! My truck. It's still at school!" I cried.
"Don't worry, Bells. I asked one of my deputies to pick it up. It looks like it's going to need to go to the body shop for some work."
We climbed into the cruiser.
"I'm so sorry, Dad. You got me a car, and it already needs repaired a couple weeks in."
Charlie laughed, "It wasn't your fault, Bells. You weren't even behind the wheel at the time. Besides, they are going to give it a new paint job while they have it. Spruce the ol' girl up a bit."
I smiled. "Wow, nearly dying has its perks. Think I can get some ice cream out of the deal as well?"
"You want to stop and get ice cream when it's snowy out?"
"What can I say? The cold is growing on me."
"All right, I think we can arrange that, but then you'll need to call your mom. She's worried sick."
It took most of the afternoon to talk Renee down from her hysterics and convince her that I was, in fact, fine.
By the next morning, the snow had melted. The rain had come to wash it all away. That was probably a good thing, as I figured I would now have to walk to school or catch the bus. I wasn't even sure where the bus stop was. I suppose I could have asked Angela or Jessica for a ride. They would have happily stopped by to pick me up, but I hadn't thought of it in time. I had been distracted in the morning. The previous night I had dreamt of Jasper. He had been a superhero, flying around in one of those form-fitting outfits with a cape. Then he had changed, becoming darker, a villain. I had woken shuddering. Replaying those scenes in my mind had distracted me until it was too late to call one of them. It was probably also too late to walk to school, but I really had no choice.
I finished eating my breakfast, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I stopped in my tracks. There, leaning against a shiny black BMW SUV that was parked on the street out front of my house, looking casual as anything, was Jasper fucking Hale.
"Bella," he said warmly, as if him being here was the most normal thing in the world, "I heard your truck was in the shop and thought you might like a ride to school today."
I eyed him warily.
"How did you know where I lived?" Apparently, simple gratitude was not in my nature so early in the morning. Jasper laughed.
"Your dad is the Chief of Police. I'm certain everyone in this town knows where you live."
"Right," I mumbled. I walked over to the car, and Jasper opened the passenger door for me, before getting into the driver's side. "Thank you," I said as he started to drive, "I forgot about my truck actually. I was going to be late."
He looked at me, raising his eyebrows. "You forgot you nearly died getting crushed between two vehicles yesterday?"
"No! Yes. Well, sort of. I was distracted this morning. Weird dreams." I didn't want him to ask any follow-up questions, embarrassed that those dreams had been about him. "Whose car is this? I thought you guys had a Volvo?"
"This is Esme, our mother's, car. She let me borrow it. The Volvo is Edward's and would have been a bit crowded with all of us if I picked you up in it as well."
"Do you not have a car?" I asked, curiously.
Jasper grinned, looking over at me sheepishly. "I, uh, I have a motorcycle. I didn't think you would be too fond of getting to school that way."
"You have a motorcycle?!" I asked in shock. He just nodded, his grin growing even wider. "I can't believe your parents let your drive a motorcycle. Charlie would flip."
"So, you're saying you wouldn't mind riding a motorcycle. It's just Charlie who would have a problem with it?" He was looking at me now. He seemed almost eager, though I was probably just imagining it. Seeing what I wanted to see.
"I'm not sure. I guess I've realized lately there are a lot of things I didn't expect to enjoy that I do."
He nodded thoughtfully, pulling into the school parking lot and turning the car off.
"So, are we like, friends now?" I asked him cautiously.
He thought for a moment. "If that's what you'd like to be."
"You do know that's not really an answer, right?"
"Well, being friends with me means taking some cryptic answers, as I said-"
"I know, I know. Not your secret to tell. Well, I would. Like to be friends I mean."
He smiled at me, "Good."
The first half of the school day went by in a haze. I was distracted. Daydreaming of golden hair and golden eyes. Not to mention every moment that wasn't spent in class, I was being interrogated by worried classmates and friends about the accident yesterday. By the time lunch rolled around, I was sure the entire student body must have committed the story to memory.
"Thank God, I finally caught you alone," Jessica said, pulling me behind the group as we trekked into the cafeteria for lunch. "Am I losing it, or did I see you getting out of the car with Jasper Hale this morning?"
I felt myself blushing as we entered the cafeteria and stood in line to get our food.
"He picked me up for school because my truck is in the shop," I said, speaking softly so the others couldn't hear me.
"Oh my God," Jessica practically squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She looked over at the table where the Cullen's and Hale's were sitting.
"Don't look," I whispered emphatically blushing a deeper shade of red, noticing that Jasper had looked up and was smirking at me. I ducked to hide behind my hair.
"Okay, this officially calls for a girls' day. I need deets. And you can give me advice on the Mike situation."
Jessica had a huge crush on Mike. I felt bad. I knew that he had been flirting with me since my arrival. I was sure his feelings would fade as soon as my novelty wore off, but I hated feeling like I was betraying my new friend.
"I suppose I can do a girls' day. What did you have in mind?"
Jessica's face practically lit up. We were sitting at our table now, having grabbed our food. I snuck another glance over to the table where Jasper sat with his siblings and noticed they weren't eating again. I wondered if he would be grumpy in class again. Isn't that what he had said, cranky because he had been fasting? With all I knew now, it didn't seem like it could be so simple.
"My House. Saturday. Me, you, Angela, and Lauren," Jessica said, turning to the other girls questioningly.
Angela smiled, "I'm in, but I might have to bring some homework with me or my parents will flip."
"I can't go," Lauren said, glumly. "My grandparents are going to be in town this weekend. My parents want us to all spend time as a family."
Jessica grimaced sympathetically. "Next time," she said as a promise. Lauren smiled.
"Okay, Saturday. My place. Be prepared to spill all," Jessica said, grinning ear to ear at me. Her enthusiasm was infectious. I knew that there was a lot I wasn't able to tell her. If it wasn't Jasper's secret to tell, it certainly wasn't mine. I didn't mind the thought of getting some girl input on some of our more human interactions though, and I liked the idea of getting to spend some time with my new friends. In Phoenix, I had one or two friends. I hadn't been able to spend much time outside of school with them, though. I had been too busy taking care of Renee and making sure the house was in order.
I was still wrapped up in my thoughts, eagerly anticipating the weekend when I walked into Biology class and sat down next to Jasper. He was smiling softly at me.
"You're in a good mood," he said. It wasn't a question.
I just chuckled as shook my head a little. "How do you do that? I'm terrible at reading people."
"On the contrary, you've been unerringly good at reading me."
The class started and Mr. Banner began his lecture. There was no lab that day, just a lot of note taking. I didn't exactly need to take notes. We had covered these topics the previous year in my class in Phoenix, but I could feel Jasper's eyes watching me. Once, I had looked up to catch him staring, and our eyes had locked. I felt my heart begin to pound and a blush cover my body. I felt glad I had worn a long sleeve turtleneck today, so the only place the blush was visible was my face. I quickly looked away, making a curtain of my hair, and kept taking notes, focusing harder than I needed to. I could still feel his gaze on me, watching me. It felt electric.
By the time the bell rang, I felt like every nerve ending in my body was on fire. I quickly jumped up to flee the classroom, not wanting to face him like this, especially when I still needed a ride home. Instead, I tripped from my chair, dumping my binder and pencils on the floor. Shit. I bent to gather them, but Jasper was there in a flash, helping me collect my things. It felt almost too quick. I wondered if anyone had seen him, or if it was just my mind playing tricks on me now that I knew he could move that quickly.
He gathered the loose papers that had fallen from my binder and handed them to me as we both stood. As he did, his hand brushed mine. It was icy cold, but it sent a fire burning through my skin, making my stomach do flips. I realized it was the first time our skin had touched. I also remembered he had been cold yesterday when he had knocked me out of the way of the van. It had seemed to make sense then. We were out in the snow. Here in the warm classroom, it was incongruous. He pulled his hand back quickly, as though burned by my touch, but our eyes stayed locked for another moment. It felt like a lifetime. Then I muttered, "Thanks."
He just nodded and practically fled the classroom. I made a mental note to add it to my list. Superhuman speed: check. Superhuman strength: check. Superhuman good looks: triple check. Icy cold skin: check, I guess. I didn't know what it all added up to, but I was more curious than ever to find out.
Jasper drove me home from school too. And drove me to and from school the next day. It was like a new routine. Jessica was positively vibrating waiting for Saturday for news about it. So on Friday, when we sat down in English class chatting about nothing in particular and were interrupted by Alice Cullen of all people, Jess's eyes were practically popping out their sockets.
"Excuse me," her soft, melodic voice had interrupted us. We both looked up, shocked to see that Alice Cullen was talking to us. We had never seen her talk at all, except to answer a direct question from the teacher. Jessica's mouth hung open slightly in shock. "Bella, I know we don't know each other very well, but I'd like to change that. I was wondering if you would be free to come over to my house Friday night for a sleepover?"
It was probably the most forward invitation I had ever heard, but she smiled so brightly and charmingly as she said it, it was hard to forget we weren't already friends.
"You want to have a sleepover with me?" I asked, still a little shell-shocked.
"I'd love to. Our house is a little bit out of town, and I know your truck is still in the shop, but I'd be happy to pick you up," Alice said, still smiling.
"Yeah, yeah," I said a little numbly, still in shock, "I'd love to. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I just sort of got the impression your family didn't do sleepovers."
I tried to phrase it as delicately as possible, not wanting to give away how much I knew.
Alice just grinned. "No one has ever asked."
I got the feeling it was more than that, but didn't push the matter. Not my secret to tell. Jessica was positively humming with excitement beside me, thrilled with this turn of events. Even more thrilled, I was sure, that it would be taking place before our girls' day so she could ask me about it.
"Well, I think it'll be fun," I said, brightly, "as long as your family is okay with it."
Alice beamed. The whole room seemed to light up. "Oh, don't worry. Carlisle and Esme will be thrilled to have guests." I noticed that she only named her parents. I wondered if some of her siblings would be less than thrilled. "I'll see you tonight, around seven? I can't wait." And with that, she practically skipped off to take her seat.
What was that? Jessica mouthed to me as our teacher, Mr. Mason, began his lecture. I could only shrug. I had no idea.
We told Angela my new evening plans as we walked to the cafeteria that day. She was confused as well, but I think it spoke to her character and heart that her reaction was, "I think it'll be great. I always worried that they must be so lonely. No one ever seems to talk to them."
"I think it means that a certain someone has been talking about Bella, so now his sister is looking to make friends with her," Jessica said, grinning ear to ear.
I huffed. "If that was the case, don't you think it would be Rosalie inviting me over to a sleepover? They are twins after all?"
When we got into the cafeteria, my question about Alice's siblings was answered pretty quickly. I snuck a glance over to their table, as had become my habit. Normally, I found them all looking typically bored, with Jasper already grinning over at me. This time, there seemed to be a heated discussion. Rosalie, Jasper's twin sister, was talking to Alice, looking mutinous and angry. She glared over at me, and I quickly looked away, embarrassed to have been caught watching them. Jessica and Angela didn't seem to have noticed this. I paid for my food without looking back at the Cullen/Hale table. We walked to our table and sat down.
"Do you girls mind if I join you today?" It was Alice. We looked up in shock. Mike, Eric, Lauren, and Tyler (who had started eating with us since the van incident) stared up at her slack-jawed. They hadn't been apprised of the latest change in my evening plans, so this was shocking behavior. Angela was the first to remember her manners, nodding and sliding over on the table bench to make room for Alice to sit down.
"Don't you have any food?" Jessica asked, looking at the empty space in front of Alice.
"Oh, I already finished it. I'm a fast eater," she said, smiling. "I just wanted to give Bella my address. I'm sure Charlie will want to know where you will be going. I was so excited earlier, I forgot. I'm a little embarrassed to confess I've never had a sleepover before."
It would have been easier to believe she was truly embarrassed if she didn't say it in a completely even, bright tone, at a conversational level loud enough for the whole table to hear. I was convinced this girl had never actually been embarrassed a day in her life.
"You guys are having a sleepover?" Eric asked incredulously. He and Mike exchanged a look.
"Yes, at my place," Alice said simply.
She pulled out a notebook and scribbled down some instructions on it. She handed it to me.
"Our address isn't in navigation systems, but it's easy enough to find if he needs to. I'll see you at seven," she said, and with that, she stood and walked away.
"Damn, it's a shame she's dating her foster brother," Tyler said, watching her walk away. It was a crass comment, and I felt a little defensive of Alice, but it was nice to know that it wasn't just the men in the family that had that effect on people.
Jessica, Angela, and I were late at lunch that day, convincing Lauren that I would relate everything that happened at the sleepover in great detail to her regardless of the fact that she wouldn't be able to make it Saturday. It didn't do much to cheer her spirits, but it would have to do. I was running late to Biology. I got there just as the bell was ringing, and slipped into my seat. It wasn't Mr. Banner standing at the front of the classroom though, it was a substitute teacher.
"Hi class, my name is Ms. Ross. I'm filling in for Mr. Banner today. Unfortunately, his absence was pretty last minute, so we don't have much of a lesson plan to work with here. So lucky you guys, he's asked me just to show a movie. Anyone here seen Gattaca before?"
I grimaced. It seemed like that was the go-to movie in every biology class I had ever taken. Oh well. She dimmed the lights and started the film.
I felt Jasper lean in closer to me, "So, I hear you are going to be coming over to my house tonight," he said softly in my ear. It was criminal how sexy he sounded when he talked that low. It sent a shiver down my spine and a warm feeling pooled in my belly. Fuck. I turned to look at him. It was a mistake. He was close, closer than I expected. My breath caught.
"Uh-yeah," I finally stuttered out, stupidly, still dazed from the proximity.
He looked at me a moment longer, not moving away, not breaking eye contact.
"Good. That'll be fun," he said finally in the same low voice, turning back to the film.
I had a hard time focusing for the rest of the period, and I could see him smirking out of the corner of my eye. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I needed to get a handle on my damn hormones.
When the bell rang, and the class ended, he turned to me, "I have to leave school a little early today. I have an… appointment I forgot about. Do you think Jessica could give you a ride home?"
"Yeah," I said, trying not to let my disappointment show in my voice. After all, I was bound to run into him at his house tonight. Wasn't that good enough? But I liked being around him. I'd grown used to it.
He frowned a little then said, "I'll see you later, though?"
I smiled, feeling cheered a little, "Yeah," I repeated, a little more brightly this time, and headed to gym class.
I caught Jessica after gym class, waving her down at her locker. It would have been much easier if I just had a cell phone. Maybe I would need to get a job to pay for one.
"Hey Jess, any chance you can give me a ride home today? Jasper had to dip out early."
She grinned at me. "That's perfect because we have some serious planning to do."
"Planning?" I asked, confused.
"Of course," she said, like I was being dense, "you are about to have a sleepover with the sister of your crush. He's obviously going to be there. We need to talk wardrobe! What's your pajama situation like?"
I wasn't even sure how to respond to the fact that Jessica seemed to know I had a crush on Jasper without my ever having mentioned it. It was probably obvious. After all, who wouldn't? I started to panic though. I had never given any thought to my pajamas. No one had ever seen them.
"Uhh, I don't know?" I said, sure Jessica could hear the stress in my voice.
"Don't even worry about it," she said, practically dragging me out to the parking lot. Jessica drove a green classic Volkswagen Beetle. It matched her personality perfectly. I noticed with a start that not only was Jasper's black SUV missing from the lot but so was the silver Volvo. They must have all left school early. Weird.
Jessica took me to my house first, where she sorted through my belongings and deemed none of them worthy of a sleepover where I might be spotted by Jasper Hale. I was silently relieved she had come to that conclusion. I usually slept in a ratty t-shirt and sweats. "Don't worry about it, I have just the thing at my house," she said. Before we left she helped me pick out an outfit for the morning. Sometimes I thought Jess's eye for fashion was lost on this small town. At her house, she handed me a pair of pajamas that still had the tags on. Apparently, her mom had gotten them for her, but they weren't 'her color'. They were, however, definitely my color. A soft sage green. They were a silk pair of pajama pants and a matching camisole top that flattered both my skin tone and my figure. I was infinitely grateful to Jessica. I never would have thought to worry about such a thing.
She dropped me back at my place around six-thirty. It was unfortunately enough time for me to still worry plenty.
"Remember everything," she called out her car window as I walked up to my front door. "I'm going to expect a complete recap."
I grinned at her, "I'll do my best."
I paced the floor of my bedroom, peeking out the window, for the next half hour. Finally, I saw the silver Volvo pull up the street. I bounded down the stairs.
"Bye, Dad. I'll see you tomorrow," I called, as I ran out the door.
"Bye Bells," he called, but I was already shutting the door behind me.
The Volvo pulled to a stop in front of my house, and Alice hopped out.
"Bella, I'm really glad you agreed to come over. I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."
She smiled so sincerely when she said it, that I couldn't help but believe her.
"I'm glad you invited me," I said, smiling shyly back, as we both climbed into the car.
Alice hadn't been lying about their house being out of town. After we passed the last of the houses, we turned down a winding road into the forest. We must have driven down it for at least five miles. Given that the sun was still setting early, the darkness that surrounded us in the forest was almost total. It was a chilling, spooky effect. I couldn't imagine living out here. Though, I suppose I didn't imagine the Hale's or Cullen's being scared of much anything.
As we drove, Alice peppered me with questions. How I was liking Forks, what my life in Phoenix had been like. It seemed as though she was actually intent on getting to know me.
Eventually, we pulled into a clearing. The spooky nature of the forest seemed to part. The yard surrounding the Cullen house was well lit and impeccably landscaped. The house itself was huge, made of large glass walls looking out every direction. I could see why a house like this needed to be so far into the forest, privacy.
"Damn," I said lowly under my breath.
Alice chuckled.
"Wait until you see inside."
For anyone who may feel I'm straying too far from canon in this chapter, please remember that in Midnight Sun we are treated to the fact that Alice wanted to be Bella's friend long before Edward allowed her to be. I just happen to think Jasper is a little less controlling and protective, based on his experiences and beliefs. And Edward can be happier and less broody in this story because he has already found love, doesn't have to worry about Alice's soul since she was changed before they met, and he's not a 100-year-old virgin (because like wow rough break my man). Also, yes, Jessica is different in my story. Female friendships for the win.