A/N: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer, but her characters are fun to play with so I'm making them do my bidding for the foreseeable future. Jasper as the God of War and Peter 'just knowing shit' are ideas that belong to IDreamofEddy. I do own the plot and original characters of Longing though.

My deepest love and gratitude to Laurie Whitlock and Shelljayz, my betas/pre-readers. I would be lost without you both! :)

... ... ... That's me speechless at the fact that I now have over 500 reviews. It's not the number that matters to me, but the support it represents, and so I am rendered speechless. :)

I must thank the amazing Deebelle1 for her work on the banners for this story. You can find her on Facebook, the link for which I am providing on my profile, and you can take a look at them either there or on my photobucket album for Longing. You really should check them out. They kick ass!

How does Bella deal with her first day of school? We shall see ...

Chapter 27

oOo

Thursday, October 28th, 2080

BPOV

I had finished building my computer yesterday and it truly was a thing of beauty. It was powerful and perfect and absolutely kickass. The security I had come up with was pretty stellar too. My password encryption was 371 numbers long - a slew of atomic masses of elements from the periodic table strung together in random order, the same biometric security I had programmed into my safe, and a kill switch that would engage under specific circumstances. I was quite proud of the whole shebang.

I had also built a fingerprint scanner. After hacking into IAFIS and CODIS, the national and international databases in which criminal records were digitally filed, including things like fingerprints, and bouncing my secure Wi-Fi signal off probably a thousand different proxy servers and a satellite or two for good measure, I scanned Jane's fingerprints into the system. They were now being compared to every woman who had been arrested and processed into the system for the past thirty-five years, and not just in the States. Who knew if she was a native citizen or even a citizen at all? Now all I could do was wait and see if she was in the system, and there was a good chance she was if one took into account the track marks on her arm. If she wasn't, I would have to think of another way to figure out who she was. It was another bridge I would have to cross when I came to it.

My three days of tedious testing were up, and I was now headed to the school office to see Principal Greene to hear the verdict of which classes I was being placed in. I couldn't say I was looking forward to the experience. If the testing was any indication, I already knew all this shit and high school had never gotten good reviews either from fictional students or real ones, or so I had heard.

I still hadn't managed to rustle up much enthusiasm for mixing with a bunch of teenagers. It was still my general experience, particularly lately, that people sucked, and from what I could tell, teenagers would be exactly that, only preoccupied with and driven by hormones and petty bullshit.

Sounds awesome! I thought with a roll of my eyes.

As I walked into the office, I was greeted by a large woman with red hair and brown eyes that looked freakishly huge behind the lenses of her glasses. She smiled at me. "You must be Bella. I'm Mrs. Cope. Head on back to Principal Greene's office," she said, pointing to a door behind her that had a plaque with his name on it. "He's expecting you."

I nodded and did as she directed, making my way passed the front counter and through Principal Greene's door. He looked up as I did, watching as I sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Hello, Ms. Crawfield," he said.

"Principal Greene," I greeted back.

"I'm going to get right down to business," he began. "Your test scores indicate that your knowledge is more than sufficient for you to attend Forks High."

"Alright."

"Your scores were especially impressive in history, science, and mathematics, so we've placed you in AP U.S. History, Physics, and Calculus," he told me. "Those are twelfth grade classes, Ms. Crawfield, and though the rest of your scores were impressive as well, the rest of your classes are the typical eleventh grade ones - Spanish III, Junior-level English , and physical education."

Lovely.

I hadn't done any research on how much knowledge a kid my age would have at this point in public education so I winged it, dumbing myself down as much as my pride would let me. Apparently, I had done a decent job.

"Mrs. Cope has your schedule, and she'll give you a map of the school as well," he said. "Good luck, Ms. Crawfield."

It was very possible I would need it.

oOo

JPOV

Today was Bella's first official day of school. She had been here since Monday but all her time had been spent taking placement tests. She had no record of ever attending school and it was another thing we were all curious about but weren't allowed to inquire on. Even if we were allowed, I wouldn't, no matter how curious I was. I didn't want to deal with her attitude and the need to choke her it would inevitably evoke in me.

I was not looking forward to her presence here. Maybe I would only be exposed to her during lunch but my hours at school were the only reprieve I had from being perpetually surrounded by her scent. It would still be present but three hundred some odd other human scents would dilute it enough so that it wouldn't drive me so fuckin' crazy. The other thing that drove me crazy - the nearly permanent hard on every little thing she seemed to do caused and the constant struggle to hide the situation. As banal as high school was, I needed the break, seeing as I couldn't afford to go any crazier than I already was at present. Going to school probably wasn't the best idea for me in my current condition but it wasn't my bloodlust I was struggling with and that made it a little less dangerous. I needed the distraction, and I had Peter and Charlotte to keep me in line. They were in all of my classes along with Emmett and Rosalie, so that was some comfort, and since humans innately stayed away from us, it wasn't likely any of the idiots here would trigger a God of War episode or even a Major one. At least I wouldn't have to deal with Bella being in any of my classes.

Ten minutes into an insanely boring first period history lecture, the very scent I'd been so certain I was going to be able to avoid in its strongest concentration intensified; Bella walked through the door of the classroom, a sheet of paper clutched in her hand. As soon as she made her entrance, every eye was on her. Intrigued and excited whispers filled the air as did insane amounts of lust. A shitload of the guys in the class wanted her and it made me grit my teeth. I did not fuckin' need to feel any more lust toward the girl than I already did.

She made her way to our AP History teacher, Mr. Sumner, and stood before him patiently.

"Can I help you?" he asked, the annoyance he felt at her interruption broadcasting clearly to me even though I was sitting at the back of the room.

Please God, let that just be a note asking Mr. Sumner to report to the office to pick up paperwork or requesting his presence in Principal Greene's office to be reprimanded for picking his nose in class or jacking off in the staff restroom. Anything but the other thing it could mean, I pleaded to myself and my chosen deity of the day, Zeus. Maybe if I prayed hard enough or sacrificed one of my fellow history classmates, he'd grant this request. Either that or strike one of us with a bolt of lightning. At this point, I was okay with either one.

Bella handed him the slip of paper. Mr. Sumner perused it briefly, signed it, and then scanned the classroom before returning his gaze to her. "Welcome to AP U.S. History, Ms. Crawfield. You can take a seat next to Mr. Whitlock."

You have got to be fuckin' kidding me! I glowered, fighting the urge to bang my head against the surface of my desk, and irritated with the part of myself that was happy she would be sitting beside me. I was trying to like her, maybe I even did, a little, but I didn't have to be happy about it. Fuck you!

"Uh, which Mr. Whitlock?" she questioned warily.

Mr. Sumner rolled his eyes. The guy was a hardass with no patience but he knew his shit. Of all the high school history teachers I'd had - hell, all of the college ones too - he got the least information wrong, and I liked him. "The only one of your brothers with the surname Whitlock who has a seat available next to him, Ms. Crawfield."

Of course, he knew Bella was living with us. Everybody in this fuckin' town did.

"He's not my brother," she snapped.

"She's not my sister," I growled.

Our declarations were simultaneous, and Rosalie, Emmett, Peter, and Charlotte all turned in their chairs, raising questioning brows at me. I levelled a venomous glare at them and they all faced forward again. Their curiosity wasn't sated and I was sure they would ask me about it later, but I wouldn't answer their questions. I still hadn't told anyone about my rendezvous with Bella in Louisville. It wasn't anyone's business, not before she'd moved in, and especially not after. For starters, I didn't kiss and tell, and now that she was living with us, it would be really fuckin' awkward if anyone else knew about it.

It was our time together in Louisville, the things we'd done in that alley, that made the insinuation of us being brother and sister so damn wrong. The fact that I continually thought about her when my hand was on my cock made it even more so. No, Bella Crawfield was not and never would be my sister. At her similar reaction, I had to wonder if her anger towards me had something to do with what had happened between us in that alley. It wasn't the first time it had crossed my mind, but I wouldn't ask about that either. If that was why she hated me, I didn't want to know because then she might expect me to apologize and I was not going to apologize for that shit, though I should, even if it would get her off my back. I was too stubborn for that and it wasn't fair of her to be wishy washy.

"Brother or not, Ms. Crawfield," Mr. Sumner said, "you'll still be sitting next to him for the duration of the year, and I'd like to see the two of you after class."

"Lovely," Bella grumbled. She was clearly as annoyed with the idea of sitting next to me as I was.

I smirked at her. I did still love to piss her off.

An incredibly tense forty minutes later, during which she had spent more time doodling than taking notes and which I had done my best not to break my pencil into pieces, the bell rang. I let out a sigh of relief as I packed up my things.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett called, "what's your next class?"

"Calculus."

Calculus was another twelfth grade class. Thank God we didn't have that together too. I didn't have that until fifth period.

"Want me to walk you?" he asked with a grin. He sounded confident, like he wouldn't care if she turned him down, but his emotions told a different story. He wanted her to let him so badly he practically ached, which made me ache. I already fuckin' ached, and I wanted to punch him.

Bella cocked her head to the side as she considered this and then her lips turned up the slightest bit in the corners. My still heart jerked in my chest. "Sure, Emmett, but I've got to talk to Sumner first."

Emmett's grin widened at her acceptance, his joy practically bowling me over, and nodded, but Rose scowled, obviously peeved. Her mate saw this. "You don't have to come, babe."

Rose's scowl darkened but I knew she would be going with them despite how much she thought she hated Bella. Over the days since Bella had moved in with us, there had been a couple more cracks in the ice. Said ice was far, far from breaking or melting but cracks of any kind were a fuckin' miracle. Emmett's hands shot up in a gesture of surrender in an effort to appease her, and he swapped out his current grin for his most charming and boyish one. It worked ... partially.

Bella and I made our way up to Mr. Sumner, and Emmett rested casually against a desk at the front not far away. Peter, Charlotte, and Rose waited for us just outside the classroom.

Mr. Sumner looked up from the notes he was studying to regard us. "Ah, Mr. Whitlock, Ms. Crawfield. I have decided to assign the two of you as study partners."

"What? Why would you do that?" I demanded. Fuckin' hell!

"Ms. Crawfield may have scored high enough to land herself in a senior level, advanced placement class, but she has still missed nearly two months of the curriculum. You, Mr. Whitlock," he said, "are my best student, and since the two of you live together it makes sense that you should be the one to catch her up, does it not?"

"I don't need Jasper's help to catch up, sir," Bella said calmly, but her jaw was tense.

At the sound of my name rolling off her tongue, venom rushed to my dick and my own jaw tensed. As difficult as it had been being in such close proximity to her for the past forty minutes, I had managed to remain relatively boner free. It was a record I wanted to continue to break. The unending blue balls were getting seriously fuckin' old. Granted that wasn't a state I was unfamiliar with given my gift and the mated couples I lived with, but I hadn't jacked off nearly as much since Bella moved in. It felt awkward to me. I also hadn't gone to see Kate since August, which I usually did to relieve my sexual tension every couple weeks. That didn't feel right either. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.

"Whether you need his help or not," Mr. Sumner said evenly, "you're still going to get it, and the two of you will be completing joint assignments to prove to me that you are, in fact, working together." He turned his focus to me. "Helping Ms. Crawfield is now worth 10% of your grade for this semester, Mr. Whitlock. However, I will also grant you extracurricular and community service hours to put on your college application for doing it."

Wonderful, I griped in my head. Out loud I said, "Yes, sir," and gave him a tight smile, just barely restraining myself from giving him a sarcastic and very disrespectful salute.

Bella did the same and then turned and made her way to Emmett. He grabbed the strap of her messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder, which earned him an exasperated scowl that he pretended not to notice. She made no move to take the bag back though, which only thrilled Em more.

"To Calculus we go, milady," he said in a purposely awful British accent. As vampires we could mimic any accent perfectly if we so chose. He offered her his arm but she didn't take it. She still didn't like being touched, but I hadn't expected that to change. I had been struggling with that shit for well over one hundred years and it hadn't gotten much easier. I suddenly wondered if she would let me touch her again and if she did, would she have the same reaction she'd had the last time?

I shuddered or shivered. I couldn't truthfully tell which because it didn't matter. Bella was still off limits. She was human, I was a fuckin' mess, and any kind of relationship between us would be a disaster. Then there was the little matter of her hating me and the fact that I didn't want her. Alright, so my dick wanted her and steadfastly ignored all the text messages my brain sent reiterating all the reasons Bella and I being together in that way was a bad idea, one of which was that I didn't do relationships. Since those texts were from my brain, it obviously did not want her, and that was the only reason I hadn't listened to my dick and pinned her to a wall, finishing what I'd started in that alley in Louisville. Seriously, the blue balls really were killing me and the constant sex in the house wasn't helping at all. If I kept hunting at the rate I'd been for the last week, I was going to kill off an entire Pacific Northwest ecosystem in a month tops.

As I watched Emmett, Bella, and Rose walk off down the hallway toward the Calculus classroom, my heart tugging a little after them, I realized I had a decision to make. I could choose to be a surly bastard about our history study-buddy situation or I could make an opportunity out of it. We would be forced to spend time together to complete our joint assignments, and I could use that time to be the most charming son of a bitch I could be. I wouldn't dazzle her because that wasn't ethical, and I wasn't that much of a prick. The sick feeling I got at the thought of her liking me just because of some vampire voodoo trick was not alluring in the least. I wanted her to like me because she liked me.

Why is it so goddamn important to you that she likes you? I wondered irritably, insanely glad I wasn't projecting and making my brother and sister privy to my internal chaos. It's not! You promised Carlisle you would try. That's all this is.

I would use our time together wisely. I would show her I wasn't a complete asshole because, well, I kind of was an asshole. I knew I was, but I wasn't always an asshole, and I could show her that. I would show her that. If I could convince her I wasn't as evil as she seemed to think I was, it would make things a hell of a lot easier on both of us, on everyone, in the long run. I liked the banter between us, the challenge, the back and forth. I loved it actually, despite how annoying it could be. It kept me on my toes, gave me something to focus on besides the fact that I was losing my shit, but I was really fuckin' tired of the hostility. Maybe it did give me something else to focus on, but hostility still wasn't good for me or anyone else around me at the moment, and I really wanted all this to work out.

I wanted Emmett and Alice to have the new sister that made them so damn happy. I wanted Esme and Carlisle to have the new daughter they so clearly loved, and for Carlisle to continue to feel at peace after so many weeks of debilitating grief.

I knew he had reasons for wanting Bella to live with us that he hadn't shared, that he never intended on sharing, and I hadn't questioned him about it because I knew that Carlisle was a pure soul with pure emotions and intentions. It was true that he hadn't been entirely forthcoming in all of his motivations for it but he hadn't been lying about the things he had shared. That didn't mean I wasn't curious about it, but I knew those reasons didn't pose a threat to the family. Carlisle wouldn't have made the proposition if they did, no matter how much he cared about Bella. I trusted him, so I would leave it alone … unless it began to appear otherwise.

Edward was fond of Bella as well, though not quite as ecstatic about her as the others, and his affection for her grew every moment he or Alice spent time with her, so I wanted him happy too.

I wanted them all happy for their sake but I also wanted it for selfish reasons. The happier they were, the more I could soak that up, and that would help ground me. When I was on the verge of a God of War meltdown, I was almost impervious to the effect of positive emotions, but they did help some and I needed that.

Both Peter and Charlotte were conflicted over her. They were curious about her, intrigued, but suspicious and wary, and I knew it was because they had noticed how she affected me. Maybe they weren't sure how exactly she was affecting me, but they knew she was, and they knew I was a fuckin' powder keg. They wanted to like her but were hesitant to, even though they were certain she wouldn't be the match that caused me to blow. My first brother and sister hadn't said this outright, but they didn't need to. I knew them well enough for them not to have to say the words, and the fact that they had always been there to stop me from leaving every time I had seriously considered it before Bella had shown back up in Forks to move in was confirmation I didn't need. Peter's certainty that I wouldn't hurt her hadn't wavered and as much as I sometimes questioned his conviction, my faith in him and his gift still remained in tact.

No, Peter and Charlotte wanted to like her because there were moments when it was impossible not to, even though the rest of the time she was annoying as fuck. I did think they were hesitant solely for my sake. No matter the rapport they had with my adoptive family, they had moved to Forks for me; and while I didn't require them to agree with everything I said, did, or felt, their loyalty to me was astounding. They may have liked her, or wanted to at least, but at the moment she didn't matter to them much. Oh, she mattered much more than the average human, they even felt protective of her to a degree, but their relationship with me was their priority, and given that she was currently treating me like shit she'd scraped off the bottom of her shoe … well, that was dragging out the process of endearing her to them.

As for me, I was even more conflicted than they were but I couldn't deny that now that she was here, I didn't want her to go. She was still frustrating and confusing as all hell, I still didn't want her blood on my hands, but I just didn't want her to go. I didn't necessarily want to be around her either, but I could no longer imagine my life without her in it, so I would be that charming son of a bitch and try to win her over … for my sake and everyone else's.

As she and my brother and sister became smaller and smaller with the distance, I couldn't help but note how much I still didn't like watching her walk away from me.

You are a fuckin' contradiction, my friend, a voice that sounded suspiciously like the Major echoed in my head. You really should make up your damn mind.

How about you go fuck yourself, douche? I growled.

oOo

BPOV

Jasper Whitlock was the bane of my existence ... well, the other bane of my existence. Project Apotheosis still took the cake on that, but at the moment, he was a huge fucking thorn in my side.

He had nearly succeeded in getting me to trust him and then betrayed me. He had gotten me arrested and basically alerted the people I'd spent the last five years running from to my whereabouts. He made me feel things I had no business feeling. I was angry with him. He was annoying, cocky, smug, he confused the hell out of me, he was way too hot - more than any guy had a right to be, and he knew exactly how to push all my buttons. I hated him. I wanted to stab him in the fucking neck ... most of the time. I should have wanted to stab him in the neck all the time. Why didn't I want to stab him all the time? Why didn't I hate him all the time? My hatred should have been cut and dried, but it wasn't.

The thing was I knew why I didn't hate him all the time. I remembered our time in Louisville, how conflicted he had been when he'd had me pressed up against that wall, how he had tried to give me a way out of losing my virginity to him in case I wasn't sure. I didn't know anything about boys, or men since the more time I spent with him, the more the word 'boy' seemed inadequate to describe him. As much as I believed that I wasn't wrong about his part in my near demise, I wasn't certain it was possible to fake the emotion in his eyes, and that emotion hadn't changed. That sadness and the haunted quality had not left them. If anything, they had intensified, and I again found myself desperately curious about what had put it there.

Then there were the things I had seen in the days since I'd moved in. I had replayed the popcorn war more times than I cared to admit, envisioning his face and playful demeanor. I thought about his reaction when I'd announced that I was going to buy my car in La Push. I now realized, in looking back, that there had been concern mixed in with his fury, and I certainly couldn't get the look on his face when I'd returned out of my head. He had noticed my slip of emotion, had even seemed to understand it. Unbeknownst to him, he'd given me comfort. He may not have known it or even intended to bring me peace but he had, and I couldn't ignore that or forget it. After that it was what I had seen and heard of his interaction with Alice.

I had taken a break from my computer engineering endeavour to grab a snack and their voices had caught my attention. I hadn't been able to resist eavesdropping, watching as much as I could without revealing myself and getting caught.

Creepy boundary issues much, Bella? I sighed, exasperated with myself. I guess I just wanted to understand him. Honestly, I wanted to understand them all.

Jasper had grumbled and cursed and snarked and snapped, but he had still done what Alice asked of him; and even though his voice had been sarcastic and annoyed, there had been an undercurrent of love and affection there that was undeniable even to me ... the girl who knew very little about love and affection. I also hadn't failed to notice the way he had tensed when Alice hugged him. That made me empathize with him, and I didn't want to empathize with him.

All of this had me conflicted and conflicted was another thing I didn't want to be. Well, I didn't want to be more conflicted because it was impossible for me not to be after everything that had happened in the last weeks. At least I was normal in that respect, I guess.

My feelings for him were supposed to be simple. He had done something unforgivable. I was supposed to hate him for it ... simple. And yet I found myself on occasion revisiting my musings from just after the popcorn war, wondering if I had somehow gotten things wrong. I just didn't see how I could have. Then sometimes when I didn't doubt his guilt, I found myself considering it, forgiving him, and that wasn't an option. One did not forgive betrayal, especially not someone like me to whom it was so dangerous.

I had been avoiding him as much as possible in part because of this. The rest of it still had to do with controlling my urge to stab him in the neck but knowing I couldn't out of respect for Dr. Cullen. Most of the time, my hatred was still steadfast and I had been looking forward to school. Jasper and I would be in the same building, yes, but there would be more than three hundred people to separate us instead of only eight. Since I was technically the age of a junior and he was a senior, the likelihood I would have to deal with him more than at lunch, during which I could easily continue to avoid him, or the odd hallway encounter was slim. I liked those odds. They were far better than being in an enclosed space with him because, as big as the Cullen house was, the high school was bigger, and I wouldn't have to smell him or hear his voice or his rare laugh. Even if he was gone quite a bit, sometimes at all hours of the night, those things still lingered, and they affected me in ways I did not like … or maybe it was that I liked them too much. That was not good, and it scared me.

I had thought I'd done a decent job of testing at a high school level. I had overshot a bit, and I had been okay with that ... until I walked into history and all the hopes I'd had of avoiding Jasper had been dashed. It had been even worse when my douchey teacher had made me sit by him. Even at the house I could manage to keep myself out of his touching range, but now I was sitting fucking inches, inches, from him. It had set my teeth on edge. For thirty of the forty minutes I'd had to endure his close proximity, it was very difficult to resist the urge to bury my pen in his carotid artery. It was the other ten minutes that really bugged me though because I had spent those minutes trying desperately not to give into my desire to lick him.

There is something seriously wrong with you, Bella. I already knew this but at least it was good to know that it hadn't been blood leaking out of my ears all this time. It was my actual brain.

Alright, so maybe it wasn't that unusual for me to have that reaction to him. I was seventeen after all, and he was very good looking. Truthfully, licking him was something I'd been thinking about since the alley, much to my irritation. I was just curious if he tasted as good as he smelled. That, of course, pissed me off to no end and frustrated me too ... in more ways than one.

That was exactly why I never touched myself. If I didn't know what I was missing, then I would go a little less crazy when I got horny. That was the theory anyway. It still resulted in some serious sexual frustration at times, but now? Even though Jasper hadn't finished me off, and I had yet to experience an actual orgasm, my frustration was a million times worse. I still refused to do anything about it though. That was a can of worms I was not willing to open. That didn't stop me from wondering whether or not his touch would make my skin crawl after everything.

Needless to say, our history study-buddy situation sucked ass. I would have to weasel my way out of it somehow if I could.

I was now on my way to my first cafeteria lunch as a high school student. Forks High split their lunch time into two separate periods: one after third period and one after fourth. This school may not have had the biggest student population, but the cafeteria wasn't huge, certainly not big enough to hold all the students at once; therefore, the Juniors and Seniors had their lunch after third while the Freshman and Sophomores had theirs after fourth.

Two of the kids in my third period Spanish class, Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton, had invited me to sit with them, and I agreed. Jessica was 5'1" with straight brown hair and blue eyes. She acted as though she liked me but there was a false air about her I didn't particularly like. That was okay though because I had expected this and my perspective on the making of friends hadn't changed, though Alice and Emmett were slowly but surely testing my resolve on that decision. Mike stood at 5'11" with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was eager, enthusiastic, apparently popular, and played football. As we walked, me awkwardly sandwiched between the two, I studied them. Mike kept casting covert glances at Jessica when she wasn't looking, and Jessica was eyeing him longingly out of the corner of her eye.

Hmmm.

The Cullens hadn't mentioned anything about lunch seating arrangements so I didn't feel bad about sitting with other people. I needed a little space from them anyway. Besides, I figured it would do me some good to mingle with the gen. pop., the typical teenage students. The Cullens may have tried to appear normal but they weren't. My opinion on that had only solidified more since I had moved in with them. Normal was still something I was shooting for, so sitting with them was out. Not all the time, but definitely today.

Emmett and Alice waved to get my attention, but I pointed to Mike and Jessica and shrugged. Both of them looked disappointed, and suddenly I did feel guilty. Rosalie, having seen what I'm sure she perceived as my rejection of Emmett, glared at me. She truly loved her teddy bear of a boyfriend, I had to give her that. Edward's expression bordered on understanding but the majority of his attention was centered on erasing the disheartened look on Alice's face. Peter and Charlotte watched me curiously, but Jasper kept his attention resolutely anywhere but on me, spine stiff as a board. I did not care.

I never had liked being in big crowds. I had never really been exposed to them until I escaped but I had gotten over that. In this case, it had more to do with volume. I had long ago learned to muffle my hearing to a tolerable level, i.e., focusing it just on immediate conversations and such, and sharpening it when needed, but being in an enclosed space with 150-odd people was still hard on my ears. It took me a second to adjust, but I did so quickly before studying the cafeteria layout. I needed to map out the place, determine all the possible escape routes and any resources I might be able to use to aid in an escape should I have to use one of those routes. It was something I did with every room I walked into and every new place I went. It was an automatic impulse, one I was hardly aware of anymore, but it registered this time and it exhausted me.

After my strategic analysis was complete only a handful of seconds later, I jumped in line to grab some food. The cafeteria offerings didn't look all that appetizing, but I piled my plate high anyway. When I wasn't in hibernation mode, I burned through calories like a runaway freight train, so nasty food or no, I had to eat it. I'd had enough of hibernation to last me a lifetime.

I followed Mike and Jessica to their seemingly regular table. Mike initially insisted that I sit between them. I wasn't sure why he would want to sit next to me when he clearly had a thing for Jessica. I hoped he wasn't planning on using me to make her jealous or that he wasn't a Connor Jameson type looking to add another notch to his bedpost.

God, I hope I'm not walking into a soap opera, I thought to myself and then nearly snorted. My internal voice turned sarcastic, You're already living a fucking science fiction novel, Bella. Why not a soap opera too?

Before I gave him my answer, I subtly shifted Jessica in his direction so that her sitting next to him was unavoidable, shrugging as Jessica took her place at his side as my response. Mike didn't seem to notice my covert manipulation, he seemed quite happy with the result actually, but Jessica did and her eyebrows furrowed momentarily as she gave me a bemused smile. I just stared innocently back at her as I took the seat at the foot of the table, which was next to her. It minimized the possibility of touching and my back was facing the exit so, while it wasn't the closest table to it, it was the best I could do. Jessica continued to study me, presumably trying to figure out whatever game I was playing, provided she was smart enough to think in those terms, but her attention snapped to Mike as soon as he spoke.

"Bella, meet Tyler Crowley," he said, gesturing to an African-American guy with black, curly hair and brown eyes, "Eric Yorkie," an Asian guy with black hair and brown eyes, "Ben Cheney," another Asian guy with a similar hair and eye color as Eric, "Angela Weber," an obviously tall girl even sitting down with dark brown hair, kind brown eyes and glasses. If I was going to be friends with any of these people it would be her. The last person at the table was another girl with white blonde hair and green eyes that had a coldness to them I definitely didn't like. "And Lauren Mallory."

Each teen greeted me with a smile, the exception being Lauren.

"So you're the newest Cullen kid," Eric said, sounding excited and intrigued.

"My last name is Crawfield so I am clearly not a Cullen but, yes, I do live with them," I responded evenly.

"None of the Cullen kids are actually Cullens," Jessica said offhandedly. She leaned forward on her elbows and turned toward me, her eyes bright, all previous suspicion apparently forgotten. She was practically salivating, reminding me of a dog drooling over a piece of raw meat, and I knew all the unavoidable gossipy questions were about to begin. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" I asked, deciding to put this off for as long as I could by playing dumb.

"Living with the Cullens," she clarified impatiently.

I turned my lips down into a fake frown. "Do you not know them?"

I already knew that she didn't, that none of them did. Everyone in town really only knew of the Cullens, they didn't really know them. They were all almost considered reclusive.

"Would she be asking you if she did?" Lauren snapped.

My eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you hoping to hear me say?" I asked, my tone just on the edge of heated as I unexpectedly lost my patience. I was feeling protective of the Cullens again and even though I didn't really have a reason to be angry with these people, I found that I was getting that way. "That Emmett takes baths in peanut butter? That Alice's skin is so perfect because she goes to sleep at night with banana pudding on her face? That Rosalie is always scowling because she shoves hot peppers up her ass or that Edward is a closet World of Warcraft fanatic? Maybe you want to hear that Peter and Charlotte are actually brother and sister and that their relationship is all kinds of incestuous or that on the weekends Jasper walks around in nothing but a pair of cowboy boots? All of that is complete bullshit," I said sharply, "and if you actually think I'm going to give you legitimate dirt on them, you've got another thing coming. They're good people and there's nothing to tell, so I suggest you find something else to ask me about."

Jessica's eyes widened comically, her tone apologetic and awkward when she said, "I'm sorry! I was just curious."

I knew she meant it, but I was still irked. Despite this, my only response was a noncommittal shrug. The others were shocked at my outburst, but I didn't care.

"They really do sound like very good people," Angela spoke up quietly, her expression also apologetic but approving. Then she gave me a smile just as kind as her eyes were.

My irritation ebbed, and I smiled back at her.

"Please tell me that last part about Jasper wasn't bullshit," Jessica begged, her expression turning suggestive. Mike frowned down at his sandwich and the rest of the guys looked dispirited.

I rolled my eyes. "It was and is complete and utter bullshit."

She pouted. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind if they adopted me," she said. If that was her attempt at saving face it was a poor one. "Maybe you could put in a good word for me."

"Your parents would probably have something to say about that," I told her, "and the Cullens didn't adopt me."

"Why would they?" Lauren chimed in, her tone snide. "I mean look at them," she sneered, gesturing toward the Cullens' table, "and look at you."

Hello, Bella. My name is petty bullshit. It's nice to meet you.

My assumptions of high school had just been proven correct. Now, how to deal with it …

"You're right. I don't belong there," I agreed, catching her off guard. "All this," I continued, sweeping my hand to indicate the room at large, "is only temporary. The Cullens don't have any intention of adopting me. They only took me in for one reason."

"Which is?" Mike prompted.

I sighed dramatically. "I really didn't want to discuss this. It's private but in a town as small as Forks, I suppose it's inevitable that it'll come out. It's probably better that you hear it from me. That way when it does inevitably surface, the rumor mill won't go crazy with details that aren't true."

I paused, waiting. They were all staring at me, wide-eyed, just the way I'd intended.

Jessica was the first to respond though it had been a race between all but the quieter ones at the table. Angela and Ben were interested to be sure but they were being more respectful about it.

"Discuss what?" she asked, trying to sound concerned rather than morbidly curious. She didn't succeed.

I bit my lip and dropped my eyes to my lap, pausing again for effect. After a few seconds, I brought my gaze back up but didn't look at any of them; instead focusing my gaze on a spot on the wall across the room. "I'm sick."

My skin started to tingle right after I said it, and I knew that Jasper was now watching me, though I wasn't sure why he suspiciously chose now to go all creepy stalker on me. I didn't look at him, or any of the Cullens, just continued staring at my chosen spot on the wall and tried to remain unaffected by it.

"You are?" Eric asked. Though I still felt Jasper's eyes on me, Eric's voice brought my focus back to where it needed to be.

I looked at him briefly and then stared at the table in front of me, picking up my fork and starting to poke at the salad on my tray. "Yes," I told him. "It's … advanced," I choked out. "My parents, they couldn't handle it anymore. They knew they couldn't take care of me so they contacted Dr. Cullen. He's very well-versed in my condition, and he'd consulted on my case before. They knew he would be able to take care of me, and he's researching a cure. We're all hoping he'll find one before it's too late."

"You don't look sick to me," Lauren said, folding her arms across her chest.

I met her eyes, trying to look sad. "I know," I admitted. "I go through periods where I seem fine but, for the most part, my quality of life is horrible. My parents just couldn't watch it anymore, so they sent me away."

Mike, Tyler, Angela, Ben, Jessica, and even Lauren were all listening with rapt attention, hanging on my every word, and I almost smiled.

"What's wrong with you?" Tyler asked worriedly. What I didn't understand was that everything about his face and voice were genuine. Unless he was a really good liar, he actually cared.

"It's awful, really," I began. "The joints in my middle fingers lock up," I met Lauren's eyes, extending said fingers and clearly directing them at her, "it sends shooting pains up my arms and all throughout my body. It's debilitating." I winced theatrically. "The pain only lasts a few minutes but even when it's gone, my joints just won't unlock," I said, using my right index finger to "try" to get my left middle one to retract down into my palm. "They stay like this for hours," I continued, tucking my pointer finger down into my fist and waving my middle fingers around to emphasize. "You can't take me anywhere," I sighed sadly. "It's awkward and embarrassing, and there's nothing I can do about it. It has to go away on its own," I said, twisting my face into a pained expression for a moment before I let my features turn smug. "It's called fuck-you-itis," I informed them, still focusing my gaze on Lauren. "Surely such a charming and loveable girl as yourself knows all about it. You must have met dozens of people with it by now. I mean you do seem to draw out the symptoms," I smirked. "That being the case, if this little exchange is any indication, I will be having many flare ups and our relationship from here on out is going to be one giant 'fuck you.'"

Tyler, Mike, and Eric's fists all flew to cup their mouths, and choruses of harmonized "Oohhhs!" left their lips. Angela's own hand slapped over her mouth, her eyes wide, while Ben's lips had curled up just the slightest bit as he looked away. Jessica was in shock, her face blank, as if she had no idea what to do with herself.

Lauren's mouth dropped open in disbelief and then snapped shut, teeth clanging together audibly. Her eyes were furious and fiery, but I didn't give a fuck.

oOo

JPOV

It was lunchtime and Bella wasn't sitting with us; instead deciding in favor of Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley, and the rest of the Junior idiots at their table. The only person even remotely tolerable was Angela Weber. If it wouldn't have seemed like a creepy stalker thing to do, I would hover around her like a fly on shit. Her emotions were gentle, kind, and pure though there were times when they were fiery, passionate, and luminous, radiating out of her like a warm beam of sunlight. She had a quiet strength about her that reminded me of Carlisle, and a steely, understated quality to her that was rare in a teenager. I liked her and her emotions brought me peace with just a little spice. It was a good combination that I appreciated, and I had always thought that if she found the right friend to nurture that hidden fiery side, she could finally step out of her idiot friends' shadows, stick up for herself and shine the way she should. Ben wasn't bad but he was bland, unexceptional and not really worth the time for my consideration.

I thought I would feel relieved for the separation from Bella, and I was, to a certain degree, but I was also annoyed. I was getting really fuckin' tired of being constantly annoyed but that was another thing that came with the territory of being on the verge of a God of War meltdown.

After I piled a bunch of shit onto a tray, a.k.a. Forks High School's cafeteria food, I trudged to our usual table and took a seat perpendicular to hers. It wasn't my usual spot but I felt the need to keep an eye on Bella, even if it was only out of the corner of it. I hadn't forgotten her demeanor in the bar, how uneasy it made her not to be able to devote all her attention to watching her back. When she entered the room, she'd been just as observant as she had at The Finish Line, scanning it astutely before making her own way to the lunch line. The Idiot Table was in the center of the room so she wouldn't be able to sit very close to an exit, and my instincts and previous observations told me that she would have preferred a spot closer to one. I almost wanted to say that it was something a soldier might do, but that was a ridiculous idea, so I dismissed it with barely a glancing thought. That meant I still wondered about her uncanny awareness in addition to everything else but, again, I wasn't allowed to ask. Instead, I was going to compensate for any of the attention she would have to sacrifice because of her position as I had before. It was still a compulsion I couldn't explain, but I couldn't focus on that. Not only because I didn't want to but because of how strong the disappointment radiating off Em and Alice was. It didn't help that Rose was pissed and Edward was torn between his own disappointment, an odd understanding, and a sadness that miffed me. Peter and Charlotte's emotions were unreadable and that I was thankful for.

Bella's defense of us was a surprise, to say the least. None of us had been expecting it. Emmett and Alice hadn't even been able to predict that unforeseen loyalty and they were the ones with the most faith in her. She'd been making a concerted effort to abide the deal she'd made with Carlisle, and she'd had her moments of seeming reconsideration, but she was still rather apathetic towards everyone but me. As far as she was concerned, I was the world's hugest douchebag, which was what made it even more shocking when she included me in her tirade. It made us all feel pretty fuckin' great when she'd shown such loyalty and protectiveness.

Lauren Mallory was a fuckin' bitch and any positive feelings I may have felt in the wake of Bella's defense died when she opened her mouth. In a lot of ways she was just a lost, insecure teenager like so many others her age, but there was also a nastiness to her that made me uncomfortable. Negative emotions were not good for my state of mind, and the amount of lust that poured off of her when she looked at me made my skin crawl. It wasn't something that was unusual. I got that reaction from many humans and vampires alike, and it wasn't that Lauren wasn't a pretty girl. By human standards, she was probably considered beautiful even, and there were times when I could appreciate a decent looking woman with a heartbeat. I was a man, not a fuckin' monk, but Lauren didn't do it for me, and she didn't seem to understand that I wasn't interested.

Unlike most human girls, who cowered and got a goddamn clue when I very firmly turned them down, she kept coming back. It wasn't necessarily incessant, happening every couple of months, but considering what I was, it made her the definition of "brain dead blonde." I could possibly have dealt with that and not held it against her given the circumstances, but the way she took her insecurities out on others pissed me off and made that impossible. I didn't much care about humans or their feelings, but in light of the man I had been for the first century of my life as a vampire, shit like that fuckin' bugged me.

Needless to say, I had been beyond angry when she insulted Bella, insinuating that she wasn't worthy of us. Bella was a beautiful girl, so beautiful I sometimes couldn't bear to look at her, and she was worthy of us. If anything, we were not worthy of her. It was another thing about her I knew for certain despite the things I did not. In that moment, Lauren reminded me very much of Harpy Bitch and it was her neck I wanted to snap. I wasn't the only one angered by Lauren's comment either. Emmett and Alice were appropriately enraged over the slight to their new sister. Edward felt disdain toward the girl whose thoughts perpetually disturbed him. Peter and Charlotte were also angry and feeling very protective. Even Rose was pissed off, though I suspected it was more of an "I'm the only one who can fuck with Bella" kind of thing. Of course, I knew there was a little more to it than that, but I wasn't about to open my mouth. I wasn't stupid … not in regard to Rose, at least.

I was genuinely curious as to how Bella intended to handle the situation. After her confrontation with Rose and the way she'd handled both Harpy Bitch and I in Louisville, I was sure it was going to be good.

My rage had been exacerbated to an almost unbearable level when Bella agreed with Lauren, my vision going red around the edges. In hindsight, I believe if I'd been able to project, the strength and force of it would have incited a massacre. Hell, I would have started the massacre; it wouldn't have been the first time. I wanted to stride up to her and shake her, slap her maybe, until she understood that she was wrong and took it back.

Contradiction! the voice in my head, the one that sounded like the Major, sing-songed, dragging the word out so that it grated on my brain.

I scowled at the sound, not in the mood for a voice inside my head, a voice that essentially belonged to me and yet did not, to goad me. Fuck. Off!

My anger disappeared altogether when Bella told all the occupants of the Idiot Table that she was sick. My stomach bottomed out and I once again felt like I couldn't breathe. Was this the unnamed reason for Carlisle wanting Bella to move in? Was she dying? I hadn't smelled the scent of disease on her, but I was no doctor. I wasn't one of the family who'd attended medical school. I didn't know what every disease smelled like. What was wrong with her? What had I missed? Why did the thought of something happening to her, something so permanent, so mortal, so human, make my heart leap into my throat? Humans died every day. It was natural, normal, so why was I afraid for her?

My mind raced with these questions, utterly consumed by them, and I only half-heard the next bits of conversation until Tyler Crowley finally asked what was wrong with her. Then my ears perked back up and my attention was riveted back onto the conversation. When Bella revealed that she was suffering from fuck-you-itis, I just about died both from relief and hilarity. Would she never stop surprising me?

Everyone at our table, all privy to Bella's conversation and who all had been just as worried as I was, started howling with laughter, especially after having observed Lauren's reaction to Bella's counterstrike. Even Rosalie was chuckling because, whether or not she liked her, that shit was funny as hell and one could not be married to Emmett McCarty Cullen for almost a century and a half without learning to appreciate humor.

At the sound of our mirth, Bella's eyes moved to us, taking in our laughing faces, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head as they took on a thoughtful sheen and a slight air of suspicion that quickly faded into indifference before she returned her attention back to the Idiot Table.

Soon after this, Lauren Mallory pushed herself up from her chair, grabbed her tray, threw her lunch in the trash, tray and all, and stormed out of the cafeteria. I focused my gift on her as she passed by our table, noting the fury that writhed within her, the hot embarrassment and humiliation, the jealousy and some heartbreak. I did not give a fuck. Even if I gave a shit about humans and their feelings, I would not have given a fuck.

Bella ate the rest of her lunch without much visible emotion. She wasn't smug or arrogant or superior. She didn't even exude a particular air of satisfaction. She had done what she set out to do and that was the end of it for her or so it seemed. It was another thing I could put on the list of things I respected and admired about her.

That girl is formidable, Jasper, that grating voice said. You should like her more than you do.

I gritted my teeth. Fuck. Off!

I could not wait until school was over so I could bail and go hunting again. The first obstacle in the way of this desire … Physics.

oOo

As luck would fuckin' have it, Bella was also in my, our, fourth period physics class.

Our teacher, Mr. Salerno-White, looked up from signing the sheet of paper Bella would have to return to the office at the end of the day and weighed and measured his options as to where he could seat her. Luckily, she could not sit next to me in this class as I already had a lab partner. Her name was Marybeth Juliani, and she had once entertained the hope that she and I might eventually bump uglies, but I had nipped that in the bud very early on. It was such a burden being the only single Cullen sometimes.

"Take a seat next to Mr. Dwyer, Ms. Crawfield."

Really?

Bella's lab table was directly across the aisle from mine. There may not have been only inches between us this time, but I didn't see how two feet was any better. I had done a shitload of reprehensible things in my long life. I guess I was finally getting my comeuppance for it all.

Bella took a seat on her stool and dumped her messenger bag onto the floor. As she did this, the guy next to her turned to face her, held out his hand and smiled, "Hi, I'm Riley."

Bella hesitantly took it after a few moments hesitation, her expression remaining neutral. "Bella."

You do not give a shit that she is sitting next to Riley fuckin' Dwyer! I growled internally, nearly growling aloud when their hands touched and only avoiding doing so because she pulled it out of his grasp before it escaped.

Contradiction! the other voice sounded.

Fuck. Off!

Riley Dwyer was 6'3" with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. He was the quarterback and captain of the football team, primed to lead Forks High at least as far as the playoffs this year, the captain and all-star shortstop of the baseball team and was hands down the most popular guy in school. He was the most sought after guy in the place, the most good-looking outside of the males in my family. We were the unattainable dream. Riley was a slightly less unobtainable dream without that "I'm going to eat you" vibe, which made him the not-so-secret crush of most of the females at this school. The guy had never bothered me, I could even go so far as to say he was a decent human being. He was an A student, he was nice to his friends and the girls he dated, and he treated his parents with respect. He walked the halls of Forks High with pride but no arrogance or boastfulness, and despite his athletic talents, he was distinctly lacking a superiority complex. I was by no means a member of the Riley Dwyer fan club, but I didn't hate the guy. That didn't mean I fuckin' liked the way he was looking at Bella.

Fucker!

"I know who you are," Riley said with a grin. "In a town like Forks, everyone knows everyone, and after your little coup in the cafeteria …"

Yes, almost everyone knew about that already. Everyone would by the end of the hour. Gossip traveled fast here.

Bella dropped her gaze to the notebook she'd pulled from her messenger bag, tapping her pen against the blank sheet of paper she'd opened it to. Mr. Salerno-White was preparing a PowerPoint presentation for the lecture and talking was currently allowed. Once the lecture started though, all bets were off. He was just as much of a hardass as Mr. Sumner.

"Right, that," Bella said in disinterest, still tap, tap, tapping her pen.

"You're going to be a legend for that, you know," Riley informed her.

"I'm not interested in being a legend," Bella responded, an edge to her tone that hadn't been there before.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "You're still going to be. Lauren Mallory is the Queen Bee of the Junior class. No one stands up to her," his tone was matter-of-fact. "How are you liking Forks so far?"

"It's fine," she answered. "No better or worse than anywhere else, I suppose."

Riley snorted. "You clearly haven't lived in very many places."

Bella let out a semi-humorless chuckle. "Dwyer?" she asked, changing the subject and raising a brow at him. Riley nodded. "As in Police Chief Dwyer's kid?"

His smile widened. "Guilty. My mom, Renée, is the kindergarten teacher at Forks Elementary."

"Ahh," Bella said with a nod of her own. "Does it suck having the king L.E.O. riding your ass all the time?"

Riley shrugged. "Nah," he answered. "I keep my nose clean because of football and baseball, and dad's not too much of a slave driver. He's only strict when he needs to be, but the man's got a sixth sense. I may not get myself into too much trouble, but when I even contemplate it, he knows it practically before I do. It's disturbing."

"That's a good quality to have as a Chief of Police," she pointed out.

"True," Riley agreed. "So, I guess we're going to be spending a lot of time together since we're lab partners and all."

"Yeah," Bella said, returning her attention to her notebook as Mr. Salerno-White called class to order, shut off the lights, and delved into the PowerPoint lecture. "I guess so."

My eyes narrowed. Fuckin' Riley Dwyer, I spat silently.

We should kill him, Jasper, the other voice piped up.

Fuck. Off!

oOo

A/N: And that was Bella's first day of school! :)

The 371 number long encryption for her computer is an idea I borrowed from Hawaii Five-O.

Any thoughts?