The floor is red.
The usual impassivity Jasper tries to maintain to fight back his own blood-lust loosens in his surprise. For just a moment, Jasper loses control of the gaping, hungry beast contained within his head.
He lurches from the doorway in a movement too quick for the human eye to follow. Emmett, who was walking back from standing near his locker and idling next to Rosalie, puts his hand on Jasper's shoulder. Jasper is slammed back down to the floor and into reality with the force.
He stands, leaving behind a thin crack on the cold tile with the force of his fall.
Monster.
It's a wordless thought, guided by instinct and more animal or godless being or demon or whatever they, as vampires, are. It pierces Jessica all the same.
Alice can see it in her eyes. It's almost like a physical blow, that reminder of their inhumanity.
Suddenly, the cold clarity of the scene winks out of existence. Alice is left befuddled, head spinning at the change of scenery as her eyesight catches up with her surroundings.
Her hand is still moving, writing notes that match up with the content of the American History lecture. Jasper is on her right side, staring at the slideshow in consternation.
Some of the notes must be historically inaccurate. Jasper only ever bothers looking at the history notes for that long if they've personally offended him in some way.
He's talked in circles at length about the dilution of history and what it means to know the truth. If there's one thing Jasper can't stand, it's inaccuracy.
Beneath the table, he squeezes her hand. He knows intimately well the tumult and chaos she experiences during visions. Her emotions cloud him.
Visions are never fun. I'm sorry. He tells her, all without words. Alice closes her gaping mouth and tries to not to think about who Jasper was about to attack before her vision ended.
"I need to hurry things along," She whispers to Jasper in tones too low for any human to hear.
"I thought you said you were going to try not interfering?" He whispers back.
Alice frowns.
"It's okay," She reassures him. "It'll be better this way."
Jasper nods, unsure. He doesn't know the full extent of the vision. He doesn't need to, because Alice knows what to do to prevent it from coming true.
Jasper trusts her wholeheartedly, even though he may not have a heart. He always will, ever since she walked into that little diner with a yellow sundress and a future in mind for the two of them.
After all, it's them against the world. Who can he trust, if not his other half?