Thanks to my friend, Bella, for giving me the name Electric Crayon. And jsyk, her real name is not Bella. Teehee. For those of you reading my other story, Starstruck, then you know why I haven't updated. I didn't have internet for a week. But now here's the next chapter and you better review because I feel like I'm a bad writer when you don't. And I won't want to update. - Alice xoxo

Chapter 4:

From then on, every day after school I went to go see Jasper. I loved seeing him. I loved seeing the smile he gets when I walk into the shop. God, that guy has no idea what he does to me every time I see him.

Since he told me he wanted me to go to college, I've been trying so much harder in school. I don't know what good it's going to do because I only have two months left, but I don't care. At least I'm trying.

-

Usually, Jasper walks me home every night. I loved that time, it's my favorite part of the whole day. It's the only time we really have together. I mean, the tattoo shop, Electric Crayon, isn't always dead, and most of the times he's not the only one working. I love being alone with him.

Anyway, on a rainy night in the beginning of April on the way home, Jasper stopped me right when we got to the front of my house.

"What?" I asked after he breathed me name. I loved it when he did that. I stepped closer to him and rested one of my hands on his chest. God, I wished it wasn't blocked by his shirt.

He put his and on top of mine and rubbed it lightly. "We have been hanging out for a long time and I was wondering if tomorrow you'd like to…" his voice trailed off as he thought of the right things to say. He suddenly smiled and blushed. "Alice, would you like to come over to my house tomorrow after I get out of work? We could watch a movie and I could make you dinner…"

"Of course, Jasper," I breathed as I wrapped my arms around him. "I'd love to do that."

He placed his lips on my head like he had the first time he walked me home, but this time it was defiantly a kiss. I could have cried. Jasper has no idea what he does to me. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nodded, to dazed to say anything else, and went into my house.

-

I don't think the day could have gone by any slower. The second had on the clock seemed to be going backwards. I wasn't even paying attention to what was going on during class all day. I just wanted it to get over so I can got to Electric Crayon to see Jasper.

Finally. Finally, finally, the bell rang. I jumped out of my seat and ran to the door, not caring that the bell actually means that the teacher needs to hurry up, not that it was actually time to go.

I got to Electric Crayon faster than I normally did, and it wasn't until I laid eyes on Jasper did I realize how nervous I really was. Breathe, Alice, I thought as I paced my breaths.

Jasper looked up and saw me. When he did, he smiled, which caused me to smile as well.

"Good news, Darlin'," he said with his special smile-voice, where his smile just gets bigger as he talks. And when that happens, I smile as well. "You are the first person in here all day, so I am going to close up right now, then we will be able to go on our date."

My breathing stopped. A date. My first date. I was so nervous that I felt like I was going to pee my pants.

For the next five minutes, I watched as Jasper closed up. All day it seemed like the day was going way too slow, now that I was dreading it, time seemed to speed up.

Almost as if on cue, he said those words that I wasn't ready to hear: "Ok, honey, I'm ready."

Oh My God. Ok, I was ready. I nodded to Jasper and then we left after he locked up.

I was surprised that Jasper walked me home every night. His house was in the exact opposite direction of my house. I didn't question why he did so because I think I knew the answer. He liked me. For whatever reason that was.

Eventually, we got to Jasper's house. Well, apartment, really. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. Or…maybe it wasn't. I was dreaming, I had to be. I gathered some of my skin between two of my fingers tightly. "Oww," I said, and Jasper looked at me.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" he asked as he opened the door into his apartment.

"I just had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, because this seems to unreal for me."

Jasper smiled and kissed the top of my head. He had only done it once before now, but it already was my favorite thing that he had done to me.

He took my hand and led me into his house. It wasn't really a bad place. It was kinda dark, but other than that just fine for my liking. And I loved the way it smelled. It smelled like Jasper.

"So," he started as he took off my coat and his own and hung them on the hanger by the door, "do you want something to eat first or do you want to watch a movie first?"

"I don't care," I said, shrugging a little, "I guess we can get something to eat."

Jasper took my hand and led me into the kitchen, then he lifted me up and set me on the counter.

"What do you want, little Darlin'?" he asked. I thought about that for a second. What did I want…?

"Breakfast," I finally said, and then smiled. I never really had a good breakfast in a long time. Just dry cereal.

"What do you mean?"

"Breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, toast." I sighed happily, tilted my head back a little, and closed my eyes. "breakfast." I looked back at Jasper and smiled again. If he made it for me, I would cry.

"Ok, honey, breakfast it is," he smiled.

"Really?" My voice broke. I really was going to cry, and I didn't want to. I didn't want to ruin the best day of my life. "I haven't had breakfast in a long time." The ridiculous tears leaked from my eyes and I tried to wipe them away before Jasper saw them. But sure enough, he did.

"Baby? What's the matter? Don't cry," he soothed as he brushed at my cheeks. "Tell me what's wrong…"

"No," I said, looking down so Jasper wouldn't see me cry. "It's stupid, really."

"Please tell me, Darlin' - it's the only way I can know what's wrong so I can help you."

I sighed and looked up to meet his gaze again. "I told you, I haven't had breakfast in a long time. All I have at home is dry cereal. I'm just elated that you are making it for me."

Jasper laughed and sighed at the same time while he ran his fingers through his hair. "You had me worried that something was wrong at it was just that I was making you breakfast?" I blushed and nodded, which made Jasper laugh again. "Alice, Darlin', you drive me crazy, and that is a term of endearment."

His fingers slowly stroked my cheek a few times, then he ran them over my lips so slowly and lightly. I couldn't take it, I knew what he wanted to do, so I just leaned in and closed the distance between us.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands slid up and down my back. Oh, God… I was in love with him. So much.

Sooner than I wanted, Jasper pulled away. Then, there it was, that awkward after-your-first-kiss moment. Jasper ran his fingers though his hair and then backed away. "Uh…yeah, I have to make our breakfast now," he said, smiling when he said "breakfast."

"I'm sorry I kissed you," I said, "I just…thought you wanted to kiss me so I just went for it. Sorry I thought wrong."

"No, honey, your assumptions where correct, I was about to kiss you, but I was afraid you didn't want to kiss me…"

"Why wouldn't I want to kiss you, babe?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. He didn't answer me, he just pressed his lips one more time to mine. It wasn't as passionate or as deep as the one before, but it was still amazing.

"Al, I have to make our breakfast," he said when he pulled away, "but your distracting me." He sounded annoyed, but I could tell he was joking. Jasper stroked my cheek again. "You're so beautiful."

I blushed and looked down. "No I'm not. I think you should get your eyes checked, Jasper. I'm nowhere near beautiful," I said without looking at him.

"Alice, listen to me. You need to not talk down on yourself. You are so beautiful, baby." Jasper sighed. "So beautiful…" I looked up and smiled. He kissed my cheek before saying, "Darlin', I need to make our breakfast. Why don't you go watch T.V. and maybe pick out a movie for us to watch later, ok?" I nodded and slid off the counter before going into the adjacent living room to watch T.V. like Jasper had suggested.

I started looking for some movies that would be on in the next half hour. The movie Summer's Moon sounded pretty good. Maybe we could watch that.

Not even ten minutes after I sat down, Jasper came in. "Sweetie, breakfast is ready," he said, talking my hand and leading me back out to the kitchen.

"It smells good. What did you make?" I asked as I sat down at the table.

"I made just what you asked for. Pancakes, eggs, and toast. I made breakfast," he said as he handed me my plate. We ate in general silence, I guessed it was because both of us where use to doing so alone.

"Did you settle on a movie?" Jasper asked when we where finished and went back into the living room.

"Yeah, Summer's Moon starts in like two minutes. Is that ok?" I asked.

"It's fine," he answered. And then we started watching the movie. It was really good, and Jasper kept saying I looked like the girl in it. He was right, though. I did kinda look like her.

I do remember watching the ending of the movie. And if I think about it, I also remember watching some sitcom about a Mexican guy with a big head and insensitive mother and an oversensitive wife. But what I don't remember is the ending of that…

-

I blinked my eyes open and it took me a second to remember where I was. Our date… we watched Summer's Moon and then The George Lopez Show. What else? I don't remember anything after that. I had fallen asleep on the couch.

I tried to reposition my body so I could look at the clock above the T.V. but ended up falling to the floor. That's when I realized that Jasper was asleep on the couch like I had just been.

"Jasper," I whispered loudly while shaking him so I could wake him up. He slowly opened his eyes. "Jasper, I fell asleep. I need to get home. Now. My parents will kill me."

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked, his voice thick with sleep. I nodded, tears of fear forming in my eyes. "Ok, can you wait a minute?" I nodded for the second time.

Almost exactly a minute later, Jasper came out from another room. "Ready to go, honey?"

"Yeah," I answered, my voice breaking. Jasper got my coat from where he hung it up the night before. I put it on and he took my hand and led me out the door.

"Are you ok?" He asked when we where close to my house, "because you look like you are about to cry."

"No, I'm just scared that my parents will kill me," I answered.

Jasper rubbed my back. "Darlin', there not going to kill you. Don't be dramatic." I didn't say anything more. We just walked the rest of the way to my house silently.

"You're going to be ok," Jasper said when we where in front of my house. "I promise." He leaned in to kiss me.

"Bye," I breathed as I walked inside. I had reason to believe that it was the last time I'd see him.

I expected my mom to be waiting for me when I walked in, but no, it was much worse. My step-dad.

He hates me more than anything else in the world. I never see him unless I was in real trouble, like now.

"Where the hell where you?" He asked as he pushed me against the wall by my neck and held me there tightly so I couldn't breathe, and if I couldn't breathe, then I couldn't talk. All I could do was struggle for a gasp of air. He pulled me back a little when I didn't answer and slammed me against the wall one more time. "Answer me, damn little brat."

He loosened his grip so I could answer. I didn't want to tell him the truth, the fastest lie I could come up with was, "I was at my friends house. We watched a movie and I fell asleep…"

"Oh, and who is this 'friend' who has the misfortune of being with you?"

"Bella Swan," I said quickly, thinking about the girl in some of my classes who I sit with at lunch sometimes.

He didn't say anything, he just pushed me against the wall again, and then slapped me across the face. His hold on me tightened again so I couldn't breath. I struggled for air. It was no use, I was going to die, or loose consciousness at the least.

"That's a pathetic lie, Mary. You need to shut the fuck up, little whore. I know you where getting laid by a guy who doesn't fucking care about you. Hell, no one cares about you. I should just end you life now."

He was wrong. Jasper cared about me, I know he did. He wouldn't ask me on a date if he didn't.

"I'm going to kill you, Mary," he said before loosing his grip around my neck again. Then, he pulled me back and slammed my head really hard against the wall.

That was the last thing I remember.

A/N: no, dancie. You can't shoot him. Yet...

Sorry if I made Alice sound emo when she cried because Jasper made breakfast. She was just kinda overwhelmed...