People!! Dear, dear readers! When was the last time I told you I adore you?! All your lovely reviews made me want to update faster, just 'cuz you guys deserve good things (Wow. That sounds a bit presumptuous, huh?).

But secretly, every time I get a review, I am absolutely terrified. Bad reviews make me write better, but they also break my spirit a little. I literally read all my e-mails with my fingers crossed!

So how 'bout this?-- the first person to send me (polite) (constructive) criticism and their first name will get a character named after them.

Also, I need to explain something. For anyone who was confused last chapter, the weird part was Bella's dream, and all the "pictures", i.e. ~~ \\ *, were my visual representation of what she was thinking. It was because dreams are always a little fucked-up.

Bella's Point-of-View:

I was thrust suddenly from my dream, and had to take a minute to recuperate, gasping harshly for breath. I felt like I had been drifting at sea all night, tossed about by the waves, and just now washed up on shore. Yet surprisingly, I wasn't at all tired. My near-constant stress headache had ebbed to a dull throb, which was a definite improvement.

The small room was pitch-black, so I curiously peered at my clock. 3:00 in the morning. My early rise was understandable-- I had fallen asleep before 8:00, I'm sure.

I felt a blush creep across my cheeks due to my ridiculous dream. Jasper was years older than me, and our leagues weren't even in the same zip codes. Yet here I was, dreaming about him like a little girl with a crush. Absurdly, the 'vampire' portion of the dream seemed like the more realistic option, in comparison to him kissing me. I mean, he did fit with the book's description of a Stregoni Benefici… If I were to somehow test him-- his speed, or strength-- then… Wait. This is ridiculous. I find ONE nice, funny, interesting [gorgeous] person [person-vampire-guy-thing] and I immediately try to sabotage the friendship with conspiracy theories?!

He couldn't be a vampire. Right? Maybe a test or two wouldn't be the worst idea in the world… I was overcome with a sudden, powerful feeling of exhaustion. My head felt like it was made of lead, and I obligingly fell back into my very welcoming pillow.

***

I looked good. Calm, healthy, like a girl who was in completely in control of her life. I was wearing my favorite outfit-- protective armor that doubles as a security blanket. Black skinny jeans with a ruffle-y floral-print mini-dress over it. Not my usual style, but I saw it at a thrift store for two dollars, and it was distinctly Bella. It had an edge- it was a hippie dress with a rocker vibe. I had a military-style jacket with shiny brass buttons layered over it, and engineer boots. I loved the outfit because it was perfectly me-- It showed off the fact that I wasn't a stereotype, and made me feel strong when I wore it.

There was an unexplainable Zen in me this morning, and constructive energy. I was out of the house before Renee was even awake, and I stumbled out the door into a thick fog. Losing my footing on a patch of ice, I slid into a boulder.

Correction: I slid into a pair of legs. Baggy-jeans-and-chucks-wearing legs. Jasper's legs; cold, solid and granite-like. My full 100 pounds slammed into him, and he didn't even step back. He just gave me a forced-looking smile and offered me his hand, pulling me easily to my feet.

"I thought you might like a ride to school…?"

"That's so thoughtful, I would love to not fall on my ass twenty more times this morning." I said with a goofy grin-- these walks to school were treacherous; downright deadly when paired with my innate clumsiness. Jasper cracked a smile, but I could tell there was something on his mind.

He chivalrously handed me into the car, as usual, and got in the driver's seat without a word. The drive was silent for a full minute, and the stretch was getting awkward. I refused to be the one to break it, though. I didn't know what words would make him feel better. Jasper cleared his throat.

"Bella. If anything's… wrong. Personal problems, problems at school, or at home," he emphasized the word 'home', "just know I'm always here. If you need someone to talk to." He knew. He looked so earnest, staring deep into my eyes, and I could tell that he somehow picked up on the fact that I was having… troubles. It meant a lot that he said that, even if I wasn't able to take him up on his offer at this point. Freaking thoughtful snooping vampires.

I laid a hand on his forearm, ignoring when he flinched at the contact. His arm was just as cold and stony as in my dream. "Thank you, Jasper," I murmured, surprising myself when I felt a tear tickle my cheek. "I might take you up on that sometime." He parked smoothly and walked around the car, opening my door for me. As sweet as it was, all the courtesy made me feel a little uncomfortable.

As we walked across the parking lot, the ice caused me to grab Jasper's arm. I leaned on him a little for support, but he didn't seem to mind. It got me safely to the front door, and once we stepped through the first door, I was lulled into a false sense of security. As soon as I let go of him, I slipped in the giant lake of melted snow. My feet flew, and I braced myself for impact.

Immediately, stone arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me easily to my feet, lifting me momentarily off of the ground. I gaped at Jasper's strength and amazing reaction time. He let go of me quickly and muttered, "see you at lunch?" I nodded dumbly and stared as he walked away. Maybe a test or two would be in order…