Of course, I don't go say hello. I completely pussy out and keep my ass planted in the chair. Rosalie and Alice look sympathetic, but Emmett spends the rest of the lunch period making fun of me. His taunts follow me all the way to French class, where he continues the torture under his breath during the lecture. He's so busy with his torment that he forgets to copy my quiz, so I take a bit of comfort in the fact that he's probably failed it.
Emmett keeps it up as we're walking out of class and follows me all the way to my computer class. He doesn't seem to realize where he is until the bell rings, and then he jumps and yells that his class is on the other side of the building. When a school houses five thousand people, give or take, the other side of the building is a bit of a haul.
I think about his words during my class. I know he's bugging me because he wants to see me do something about all of this now that I know who she is. And I really want to. I really want to seek her out and tell her that she changed my life.
With a jolt, I realize she kind of has. I never talked to Alice before three days ago, and my opening conversation was about this girl. Emmett has talked to me about more than just French class and has somehow become something of a friend. Even Rosalie was nice when she found out I was crushing on Bella without even knowing her name. Score one point for the romantic in me, though if anyone should know about that, it would be Rosalie. She did get a pretty sappy Valentine from me, after all. We were six, but that doesn't undermine the feelings that went into it.
Jasper is waiting by my car after the final bell, and I remember that I drove him to school this morning. I wave and unlock the doors for him, and he settles inside after a half-hearted acknowledgment. He's probably feeling pretty confused about everything, since I brought him to school and then dumped him at the front door.
"So…" I say as I put the car into gear.
He looks pretty interested in what I have to say, but he doesn't press me for more words.
"I was talking to Emmett yesterday, and he said something that made me think. We used to be good friends, right?"
He nods, his gaze on the floor at his feet. I make a split decision and turn toward town. He may hate me, but it's worth a shot. When he notices that we're not heading toward home, he doesn't say a word. Seems like he'd fight a little bit, anyway, in case I'm trying to kidnap him.
"I thought we might…you know…" My voice kind of drifts off into oblivion, and I curse myself for wussing out again.
"Yeah," he says, a small smile forming. "Junior high was a bitch."
"High school is, too," I affirm, laughing a little bit. The last three days haven't been so bad, but the three years leading up to them were a special kind of hell.
"Where are we going?" he finally asks.
"Oh, that." I pull into the same salon where I got my hair cut two days ago and cut the engine. "So Alice - you know who Alice is, right?"
His eyes widen and he nods slowly. "Cute."
It seems like that's the only word he can manage.
"Well, she thinks the same thing about you. She said this morning that you'd be…ugh, I can't say it without sounding like a girl. She thinks you'd be cute if you got a haircut." The last words rush from my mouth in a jumble, but he understands fine if his blush is any indication.
"Really?"
I know how he feels. He has to be feeling the same way I did when Bella called me beautiful. That swelling, warm, triumphant, baffling feeling is probably spreading through him.
"Dude, I just lost man points telling you that. I wouldn't risk those if it wasn't the truth."
Without another word, Jasper opens the door and marches to the salon. I laugh and follow him inside. I stay out of the decision, letting the girl choose again, but I do wait around to give Jasper a ride to the mall in the next town over when he's done. In less than an hour, he looks like a completely different person.
I know I don't have the authority to invite him to sit with us at lunch, but I do it anyway. It's time for me to start taking back control of my life.