Disclaimer:My license still says Misty so I guess you all know what that means.
A big thanks to my pre-reader Kim Rathbone. Go check out her story One Stormy Night. You get a sweet and hot human Jasper.
Link to the banner made by christag_banner on my profile.
An even bigger thanks to ceara1888 who has allowed me to adopt this story from her. I read it while she wrote it and hated to see her give it up. I only hope I don't disappoint with the way I go with it.
WARNING: Nothing this chapter guys.
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Bella
I kept my head down as the warning bell for first period rang. I didn't want to make eye contact with Alice when she came in the room, hoping she would sit somewhere else. However, my attempt had no effect and I saw her drop gracefully in the seat beside me. She glanced my way and whispered my name, but I ignored her.
I don't know why she, all of a sudden, decided to talk to me. I shouldn't have been surprised though since that's how it had been with them watching me.
"Bella." Again I ignored her. Thankfully the teacher started talking then and kept her from trying again.
Or so I thought. Instead of speaking a piece of paper dropped on top of my book. I almost ignored it too, but then decided to just see what she wanted.
Unfolding the paper I read...
Hi
Seriously? That was it.
I folded the paper back up and went back to my work. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her frown. I couldn't help it though. I couldn't allow anyone close to me. My life would become even worse than what it was now if anyone knew. People would look at me like I was a freak and dirty and while it was true, I didn't want anyone else thinking it.
Class ended without anymore attempts from Alice and I trudged off to math. As I walked in I could see that Rosalie was already there and she was glaring at anyone who tried to sit next to her. That was until she saw me and motioned to the desk. My eyebrows lifted and I quickly shook my head.
She again pointed at me and then the desk and I again shook my head. What was going on today?
I took a seat at the front of the class. I hated being up there, but since people started to act weird then I would just have to suck it up for the day.
Class passed quickly and I made my way to my locker before going on to Chemistry. As I walked I wondered if Edward was going to be just as weird as his girlfriend and sister. I stepped into the room and Dr. Banner glanced up, giving me a small smile. I didn't return it. He didn't notice, but I expected nothing less. The teachers in this school never noticed anything.
I took my seat at my lab table and was in the middle of getting my things ready when Mr. Banner said my name.
Glancing up I found Edward standing beside him. My eyes cut back and forth between the two of them before I settled on Mr. Banner.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Edward has requested that you be his lab partner for the duration of the school year and I think it's a good idea."
"What?" I asked shocked. I liked my lab partner. Angela was quiet and never talked either, unless it was needed,so I didn't have to worry about it.
"The two of you are my brightest students. I think you can also learn a lot from each other though."
"But-"
"I've made my decision, Isabella. Please move to his table."
I sat there for a few more seconds before grabbing my things and switching seats. Edward gave me a small smile, but I wasn't about to give him one back. He then tried to talk to me a few times throughout class, but I ignored him. I don't know what had gotten into him and his family, but they needed to stop.
As soon as the bell rang I shot out of my seat, wincing and hissing slightly with the movement. I walked quickly to the door and as I went to go out into the hall, I chanced a look over my shoulder. Edward was still sitting in his seat, a weird look on his face.
I shook it off and headed, unfortunately, to lunch.
I went straight to my table in the corner and sat as close to the corner as I could. I didn't bother with food, since I couldn't pay for it. Pulling my books out I started on the homework that I'd received this morning.
-O-
Jasper
Walking into the cafeteria, the first thing I noticed was Bella hunkered over her books. It's the way she always was at lunch. She never ate, never even bothered to get food. It wasn't right. We got food, even if we didn't eat it, but we'd long ago mastered the art of making it look like we ate. She never ate or pretended to eat anything.
I continued to watch her in my peripheral as I got the nasty smelling food provided to us by the school board. Hell, if I was human I probably wouldn't eat the shit either.
I walked back to the table we always sat at and set my tray down, every one else joining me soon after.
"So...being friends with her might be harder than we thought." Alice said watching me closely.
My eyes had not strayed from the corner where Bella sat and they didn't now, but I still asked, "Why?"
"She wouldn't talk to any of us this morning."
"And I think she might hate me since I asked to be her new lab partner." Edward said.
I chuckled a little. Leave it to Edward to go above and beyond what was needed.
"There's something else though." He said after a minute.
"What?" I asked pulling my eyes away from the corner immediately.
"When the bell rang and got up off the stool...she winced, made this little hissing noise, and touched her side. I don't think she even realized she'd done the last part."
"Fuck. I hurt her more than I thought then." I whispered feeling pain shoot through me.
My eyes trailed back over to her and in that exact moment she glanced up, her eyes meeting mine. She looked away quickly like I knew she would, but I still had a flash of that feeling I always got.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. None of the others said anything and for that I was thankful. We spent the rest of lunch in silence and when the bell rang I left for History.
It wasn't surprising that it was my favorite and not because I'd lived through a lot of it. But because I shared it with Bella.
She didn't sit by me, since Mr. Wilson was the only one in the entire school that believed in alphabetical order. Her desk was across the room and two seats closer to the front than mine. I didn't like it.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I stared at her all through class though. What else am I supposed to do?
When I got to class I settled in my seat and waited for Bella to come in. A minute later she walked in the door and made her over to her desk. I was happy that we were the only ones in the room at the moment, so I could say what I needed to say.
As she went to sit down I said, "Bella..."
Her body tensed before relaxing again and then she glanced up. "What?"
"I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You didn't." She said and made to sit down, but stopped when I spoke again.
"Edward said you winced and touched your side in Chemistry. I really am sorry."
A brief flash of panic crossed her face, but it was gone before I could even contemplate it.
"It's okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." She said before finally sitting down.
Like always, I watched her all through class. My eyes took in every slight movement or adjustment. I never saw anything that made me think she wasn't fine, but then again I couldn't see her face nor could I feel her emotions and there was no way to know for sure.
When the bell rang I waited until Bella had left the room before getting up and hurrying from the room. Before I made my way to my next class I hunted Emmett down. He had gym with her next and I wanted him to keep an eye on her.
He agreed and I went to art, feeling a little better.
My class was boring as hell. We were supposed be drawing trees and to keep from drawing unneeded attention I had to pretend I couldn't.
I'd never been more thankful for the bell to ring and I walked at a fast human pace to the parking lot.
Rose and Alice were already standing beside the cars and Edward got there as I did. We only had to wait a few more minutes before Emmett joined us and I looked at him expectantly.
"She was fine." He said and I let out the unneeded breath I'd been holding. "Granted, we just walked laps around the gym."
"Did you try and talk to her?" Rose asked.
"Yep, but like the rest of you she ignored me too. Even when I walked beside her for two laps."
"So what do we do now?" Edward asked.
Before any of us could answer we caught sight of Bella coming across the parking lot. She walked right by us, head down, and never showed any sign that she noticed us standing there. All of our heads turned and we watched her walk to the entrance and turn left toward home. I would give anything to follow her and offer her a ride, but I knew it was pointless. She would never accept it and the rejection would be more than I could handle.
Without pulling my eyes away from where she'd disappeared I said, "We try again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that until she finally comes around."
I didn't want to smother her in any way, but giving up wasn't an option. Because not having her by my side forever wasn't something I even wanted to remotely think about.
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Next update won't be until two weeks from today.