Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 27

After the fateful weekend of Bella's birthday, when so many truths had been revealed and so many relationships had evolved, one way or the other, things had begun to work much better within the small group of friends. It had only been a week since then, but it seemed as if everyone was comfortable in their new role now, the only exception being Jasper, who was very unsure as to how he was supposed to interact with Edward. He did not approve of him, per se, but neither did he disapprove. It was mainly a matter of principle; how could he be friendly and comfortable with the guy dating his 'little sister?'

The worst part of it all was that Jasper didn't have anything about which to complain; Edward was a perfect gentleman and he treated Bella like she was the most precious part of his life. They rarely ever kissed in public, they kept a decent distance between them most of the time, and never made even the slightest questionable comment where he could hear. They were just… adorable, much to Jasper's chagrin. And it seemed that Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett all agreed. Unfortunately, not everybody was as understanding.

"Yo, Carper!" came the voice of Craig, one of the school jocks, "If you were that desperate, you could have come to me. I have better things for you to do with your hands than talk."

"Shut up, Craig!" one of his buddies rebutted, "can't you tell she's not desperate, just kinky?" He turned to address Bella, "We can help you with that, too. You don't need the damaged goods for that."

Bella did nothing but bite her lip and keep looking straight ahead, at Edward, whose back was to the jocks; he seemed completely unaware of what had just happened. Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Emmett, however, were not going to just sit there and let anybody speak like that about Bella and Edward. The four of them stood up threateningly and began to make their way towards Craig and his buddies. Edward watched them, suddenly confused.

"If I were you I'd shut my trap and go apologize to Bella and Edward right about fucking now, Pearson," growled Emmett, using all of his superior height and size to intimidate his teammate.

"Or what? You know if you touch any of us you're off the team, McCarthy," Craig mocked.

"Yea, well, I don't care about any stupid sports teams, now do I?" asked Rosalie, lightly pushing Emmett to the side so that she could stand right in front of Craig. Her eyes were hard and cold and her lips seemed to be just a thin, straight line upon her face. Craig winced, then turned back to Emmett with hateful eyes.

"What, hiding behind your slut now, are you? Coward. You're no better than the damaged goods; just a waste of space, using up a perfectly good pussy—", before he could continue, however, he was forced to shut up when a fist impacted with his face with enough force to knock him over. Everybody in the cafeteria fell entirely silent, every single pair of eyes glued to the heaving, furious frame of one Jasper Hale.

"Don't you ever talk about either of my sisters like that again, you mother fucker. And shut your fucking trap about Emmett and Edward; they are so much better than you there aren't even any words to compare."

Just as Craig was beginning to get up again, before anything else could happen, the teachers in charge of cafeteria duty finally appeared, dragging Jasper and Craig away, towards the principal's office. Silence still reigned over the cafeteria as Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice made their way back to the table, where Edward still sat, looking confused, outraged, and worried all at the same time, and Bella looked like a deer in the headlights, her face ten shades paler than normal. Rosalie instantly sat down next to her, pulling her close and hugging her tightly, while Alice explained what had just happened to Edward, whose jaw tensed more and more with each new word. He turned to Bella, looking furious.

Has this been happening a lot? he asked, his signs fast and furious. Bella just nodded. While I've been with you? Have people been calling things out, and you haven't told me? Bella bit her lip and looked down at the table, looking entirely uncomfortable with the situation and Edward's words. After a couple seconds, she nodded once again. Edward's glare could have killed. He banged on the table, the loud noise startling Bella and calling her attention back to him. You don't get to decide what I get to know and what I don't. When people say something about us—about me—you can't decide not to tell me. That is rude and manipulative and disrespectful and patronizing. He stood up and grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder, I expected better from you, Bella, but I guess Craig and his buddies are right: you are just another Hearing girl, playing with the freak to feel special. Well, fuck you. I'm done playing for you.

With that, he turned around and stormed out of the cafeteria, oblivious to Bella's cries for him to return. He walked directly to the parking lot, threw his bag onto the passenger's seat, and just drove away aimlessly. Back in the cafeteria, Bella was sobbing into Rosalie's arms while Emmett awkwardly rubbed her back. Alice looked shell-shocked and remained mute.

"Bella, sweetheart, you need to calm down, alright? Just calm down and tell us what just happened; you know Emmett and I can't understand when you sign. Come on, sweetie, just breathe and calm down," coached Rosalie. When it became obvious that Bella was not likely to explain anytime soon, Rosalie turned to Alice. "Alice? What happened?"

"I… uh…" she stared at Rosalie, then at Bella, and back at Rosalie, her eyes wide, "I… I have to go," she exclaimed before turning and running outside, too, her phone already out. Bella, Rosalie, and Emmett were left alone at their table in the cafeteria, everybody's eyes trained upon them.

"Well, then. That could have gone better," stated Emmett, his voice strained. Rosalie extended her arm around Bella and took one of Emmett's hands in her own, holding on to it tightly just as the bell announcing the end of the lunch period rang.

"Emmett, I'm sorry to ask, but could you please take Bella home and stay with her until I get there? I'm sure the teachers all heard about what just happened and won't object to your missing class. I'll join you as soon as I know what's going on with Jasper."

"You didn't even have to ask, love," soothed Emmett, rubbing her hand lightly with his thumb, "I'll take care of Bella. You go find your wayward brother."

The two stood up, Emmett holding Bella up to his chest, like a child. Rosalie grabbed his bag and Bella's and placed them delicately on Bella's lap. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Emmett gently on the lips. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Not if I see you first," replied Emmett cheekily, before turning around and making his way outside, towards his car. He spotted Alice sitting on the curb and walked over to her. "Feel like telling me what happened?" he asked.

Alice looked up at him with some surprise, then at the silently sobbing Bella in his arms, a worried expression on her face. "I… I think Edward just broke up with her."

"Well, I kind of figured that out myself," he replied, somewhat impatiently, "but why? What happened?"

"She… um… she didn't tell him about some things people had been shouting out at them in the hallways. He hates it when people don't tell him what's happening. He got upset."

Emmett said nothing for a little bit, then addressed her again. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No, thank you," she held up her phone, "my mum's on her way over."

"Alright. Want us to wait with you?" he insisted.

"No, it's fine. You take Bella home." She looked down at Bella, her features softening, "Tell her I'm sorry, alright? And… that I'll call her," she whispered. Emmett nodded and gave her a small, weak smile before finally making his way to his car, setting Bella down carefully on the passenger seat and driving to the Hales'. The house was empty, but Bella had a key. Once inside, he sat down on an armchair, Bella climbed onto his lap, and he held her against his chest once more, rubbing her back gently and doing his best to soothe her as she cried herself to sleep.

A half hour later, Rosalie and Jasper finally walked into the house, talking in hushed voices. As soon as Jasper caught sight of Bella, he rushed to her side, falling to his knees by the armchair and gently rubbing away the tear tracks on her face. Bella moved a bit at his touch and soon her eyelids fluttered open. As soon as her eyes landed on him, she threw herself into his arms, crying all over again. Meanwhile, Rosalie kissed Emmett lightly on the lips, rubbing her hand through his hair affectionately, a silent conversation going on between the two.

"Shh, Bella, calm down. Tell me what happened, honey. Rosalie says Edward stormed out? What happened?" At his words, Bella began to cry harder.

"I screwed everything up, Jazz. And now Edward hates me and Alice doesn't want to talk to me and you got in a fight because of me. And everything is just wrong and it's all my fault. I'm sorry, Jazz. I'm so sorry I messed everything up." She kept on crying and apologizing repeatedly until Jasper cut her off sternly.

"Isabella Carper, you listen to me. This isn't your fault. This is Pearson's fault, alright? You did absolutely nothing wrong. And now, why would Edward hate you? And why would Alice not want to talk to you? You need to explain it to me, sweetheart, please. I can't help if I don't know what happened."

"Alice told Edward what had happened," Bella explained slowly, "and then he asked me about it, and asked whether people have been saying that kind of stuff to me—to us—in the hallways, and whether I'd been keeping it all a secret from him. And… and when I told him they had and I had, he got so angry. He told me… he told me I was awful. He told me all these horrible things. And he told me that he was done with me. And… and… and he walked out, so furious. And then Alice left, too. And I don't know what to do, Jasper. I… I don't want them to hate me, I don't want them to stop talking to me. But I don't know what to do."

"Shhhh," soothed Jasper still, his arms tightly wrapped around her, holding her close to him. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what Bella was supposed to do, either. But he certainly knew that Edward was going to pay for leaving Bella like that; she had done nothing to deserve his cruelty. "Bella, listen, let's go get you showered, alright? And then you can sleep a bit in your room. You'll feel much better afterwards, ok?"

Bella nodded wordlessly and allowed him to pull her into a standing position and lead her to the bathroom upstairs. When he saw that she was going to go ahead and shower, he went back downstairs and found Rosalie and Emmett sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and looking generally somber.

"Is she alright?" asked Rosalie immediately, jumping off her seat and approaching Jasper worriedly.

"She's… well enough, I suppose. She's in the shower now, and I told her to try and get some sleep afterwards. She's going to wear herself out with all the crying and worrying and overthinking, otherwise."

"Did she tell you what happened, exactly?" Rosalie pried. She and Emmett were still feeling pretty left out, not knowing what exactly had gone down, and unable to tell Jasper anything helpful.

"Edward broke up with her. He fucking screamed at her and called her awful names and broke up with her right there, from what I gather. And all because she didn't fucking tell him that people were calling out insults at them in the hallways. What kind of a reason is that?" he asked, furious.

"Alice told me the same thing, basically. Well, not that he'd called her awful things," he amended, sounding outraged, "just that he got 'upset' because she had not told him about it. I can't fucking understand it. If people had been actually addressing him in a conversation and she had said nothing, then I might possibly begin to understand. But because she didn't tell him people were insulting them? How could he expect her to just… tell him that? You heard what Craig said, and that was when we were there. I don't want to begin imagining what he might have said to her in the hallways, where we couldn't do anything. How could Edward expect her to just turn to him and tell him the awful things people were saying? That'd be crazy."

Rosalie nodded along, agreeing completely with her boyfriend.

"I just… I have to believe there is something else!" cried Jasper. "I mean… you've all seen him with her over the past few months. He adores the ground she walks on. I hate to say it, but they had been building up to being a couple from the moment they met. They make each other so happy. And he fought so insistently with me for the right to be with her. So I just… I can't believe something as stupid as her not interpreting an insult would make him be so… so cruel with her. He knows how delicate she is. So, there is either something more, or I completely misjudged his character, and I never do that."

"I don't think we should be worrying about how we might have misjudged him or what his reasoning might have been," said Emmett seriously, "I think our only worry right now should just be taking care of Bella. She is devastated. She needs our help."

Rosalie squeezed Emmett's hand. "But it's not that simple. We can try and cheer her up or whatever, but she's still going to beat herself up about it; Edward blamed her for his rage, to her face. He's going to be the only one who can convince her she did nothing wrong."

"Then I will drive there and bring that fucking jerk here and make him apologize to Bella!" screamed Jasper, unable to contain himself. "He doesn't get to break Bella. Not after all the shit she's had to deal with, and how much she's improved over the past few months. I refuse to let him do this to her."

"I don't think we have much of a choice, Jasper. It's all up to the two of them. We can only try and help, and support Bella when she needs us."

Jasper groaned and collapsed onto one of the chairs at the table. Why did everything always have to be so difficult?