A/N: thanks again for reading and commenting. I admit to suffering a brief moment of insecurity, but I do plan on posting the remaining chapters and posting the sequel.

Ch 5

As promised, I picked Jessica up the next morning. I wished the school was located on Mars so we'd have more time together. Alas, our ride together in my pick up was a brief 5 minutes. Still, she held my hand the entire way.

"See you in Spanish?" She asked as we emerged from the cab. I did her one better. At lunch, I made it clear that I wanted her to sit at our table. Emmett was stoked and carried most of the conversation. Rosalie was irritated, but soon was engaged in a conversation about college.

I groaned. Of course Jess would want to go to college, but she shocked almost everyone by saying she wasn't going to attend.

"I'm so done with school. If my parents wouldn't freak out, I would drop out in a heartbeat." I tried not to think about how that might have to be the case. Edward stomped on my foot, breaking me from that train.

"So, you just graduate and get a job flipping burgers?" Rosalie scoffed.

Jessica didn't take offense.

"No, horse breeding." She responded brightly. "My uncle Pete and I have it all planned out. That's what he does."

I snorted internally, Edward externally. Peter and Charlotte lived a much simpler life than the Cullens'. They didn't require and endless supply of money. If Peter needed cash he played scratch offs, not doing manual labor, but it didn't surprise me that's what he had fed her.

"Not a fan of horses myself." Emmett mused a little too honestly. "I prefer grizzlies. Maybe there's a market for breeding them?"

"Yeah, like a bear habitat." Jessica offered. Sadly it would be less of a habitat and more of a slaughter house with Emmett involved.

Emmett had a dreamy look in his eyes, obviously thinking about farming his own blood supply if the discomfort coming from Edward was any indication. I reigned in his bloodlust.

"Plans to get married? Kids?" Rosalie pressed.

"I mean maybe, but it's not something I dream about. More of another expectation from the patriarchy."

Her answer caused Rosalie to pause. Probably thinking of how hard society had pushed her parents to her horrific ending. I shuddered, absorbing her anger and replacing it with love.

"3,2,1," Alice counted down signaling the bell to ring.

Before the bell rang ending Spanish class, I asked her if she wanted to work on our project after school. We were assigned to co-write an original novel length story in Spanish by the end of the semester. We were stuck on the outline.

"Sure, do you want to go to the library, or my place, or yours?" She asked giving me plenty of options other than the one I had planned. Rose was going to kill me, but I heard Alice squeal in her adjacent French class as I said.

"Mine."

Unfortunately, we didn't get much done in the way of homework once we were at the house. Esme spirited Jess away on the grand tour. Apparently, Alice had clued Esme in on her impending visit and turned my study into a western themed bedroom fit for a true Texan. Still, I missed the mountains of books she had tucked safely in the attic, but having a bed big enough for the two of us was worth the temporary loss.

After the tour, Edward invited us to use his own study to, well study. Jessica was instantly enamored with his music collection and loaded up his cd player with a variety of music and hit the shuffle button. I was grateful that she steered away from his classical collection.

As Jim Morrison crowed on about Gloria, we began our work, Jessica's ponytail bouncing to the beat.

"Has Edward ever heard the live version?" She asked then added with a mischievous whisper, "It's so-o dirty."

I heard a distinct yes from the confines of Alice's bedroom. Then a giggle and felt a burst of lust that had me nearly ripping my notebook in half.

That surprised me, Edward and Alice rarely mated in the house, preferring the privacy Esme's cottage afforded. Emmett and Rosalie had no such qualms. They had been at it since the 'tour' ended.

I lived in a house full of assholes. They knew I could feel that shit.

The song changed to Dixieland Delight, a cd Alice must have slipped in since Edward hated country music, and Jess started two-stepping around the room. Not wanting to leave the little lady hanging, I joined her. Spinning, twirling, aerials, she was fearless. I imagined the dancing had been Peter's handiwork too.

The song ended, but by then we were dancing to our own music, not the Archie's Sugar, sugar. We had also gathered a small audience, the mates who had been mating were now watching us from the doorway.

Jessica blushed when she noticed them, but didn't miss a beat. Soon though, she was out of breath and had to stop or pass out.

Esme appeared with a bottle of water before disappearing again. Jessica drank it before offering me some. I took the bottle. Water wasn't too bad, being flavorless, and dissolved easily enough in my venom. It could've been straight mercury and I wouldn't have passed up the chance to drink after her.

"We should get to work," she panted. I handed her the bottle back and she drank as I watched her neck contract and expand.

"So, the protagonist Louise, needs conflict, or else it's just a boring story with the narrator endlessly going on about herself," I explained picking up my pen.

"Okay... what if we create an antagonist and tell the story from his point of view. Like, trick the audience into thinking he's the good guy, but reveal how horrible he'd been during the story at the end."

So, we started from scratch and worked until Alice appeared offering her a ride home. If I were to write a story on my own, Alice would be a giant rooster.

"I don't get it," Edward said puzzled. I rolled my eyes.

Emmett had Edward explain what he had seen. "Dude! He's saying that Alice is a huge cock blocker."

Edward glared at me, but at least Emmett was laughing.