Everyone still around? I'm so sorry this took so long. I really hope it was worth the wait for you guys. Let me know okay? I love, love, LOVE to hear from you. As a matter of fact the more I hear from you, the faster I usually write! Yes, I'm totally resorting to bribery at this point and I'm not ashamed. Haha.

Much love to my unbelievably sweet and effin awesome reviewers: kairikh2, candyquakenbush, lyndons angel of light, PsychWardSiren, kismit1496, AllyR (your 'ruh-roh' cracked me up.), bitemenow (awesome name), i-heart-music-is-life (I adore you! Thank you so much for all your kind words!), dreamngo4it9, EdwardxBellaxLover (even though you probably won't read this, I hope you stick with the story!)

Special thanks to my girls Maiya and Adriana for always talking to me and making me feel better about everything! Plus Maiya has kick ass taste in music and one of these days I will link it all to my profile. Go and read both of their stories on Maiya9182's profile.

Much love to my loverface AmeryMarie who has one of the best stories out there right now: Bad Habit...God I love me some Badward. If you aren't reading it....READ IT! You will NOT be disappointed. I heart you bia. Truth.

Annnnnnd finally...I'm going to say it. 24 effin days until New Moon is in theaters. HELL YEAH!!

Disclaimer and end to this long ass a/n: All belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

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EPOV

After the Jasper confrontation, school dragged on and on. All I could think about was the fact that both Bella and now that asshole weren't in school. I knew as soon as he walked out that door where he was going.

To her.

To my Bella.

Fuck.

He was leaving to go and make it all better with her and she wouldn't even remember that I took care of her last night. She wouldn't remember that I carried her to her room so Charlie wouldn't know she got drunk or that she kissed me even if she was thinking of him.

The completely pathetic thing is that up until the second she whispered his name, that kiss was the greatest moment of my life. It was the first time we had kissed on her terms. And I couldn't get the image out of my head no matter how hard I tried.

But today it was back to reality and back to the complete and total joke that is my life.

The bell finally rang and I was dismissed from high school hell. When I got in my car, I realized not even Debussy could calm me down. I knew I was going to pull into my driveway and look over to see his stupid truck in Bella's driveway.

So, in keeping with the murderous rage that was flowing through my blood, I put on some screamo bullshit that Emmett lifts weights to and floored it home, weaving through traffic all the way.

Just as I suspected, Jasper was at Bella's groveling I'm sure, and I'm equally as sure she was eating it all up.

I wanted to get drunk.

Before retreating to my room and my ever faithful bottle of Cuervo, I remembered that I needed to call Alice and see when she wanted me to come down and talk. I was kind of grateful that at least I'd have her company to keep my mind off of Jasper and Bella's reunion tour.

I scrolled to her name in my phone contacts, shaking my head in disbelief at just how many girls I knew with names that started with the letter 'A'.

Alice picked up after a couple of rings, telling me to hold on because the phone to her dad's rock climbing place was ringing and she was the only one working to answer.

As I sat there, tapping my fingers on the dashboard impatiently, I saw Jasper come out of Bella's house and stand on the porch. After a minute I saw him come down the steps talking on his cell phone.

I wanted to smash his face in for that shit he pulled at school today. No one gets away with talking to me like that. Especially not asshole hicks that are dating my girl, but I knew that if he's been here with Bella all day, that everything must be alright between them and she would must definitely gut-check me if I did.

I watched as he hopped in his stupid F150 truck, talking on the phone all the while and zoomed out of the neighborhood.

Good riddance, asshole.

Finally, after a fucking eternity, Alice got back on the line.

"Are you still there, Edward?"

I huffed, "Yeah, but I just used up all my anytime minutes waiting on your ass."

She giggled, sighing dramatically, "Oh, please, you're a spoiled little rich kid. You don't give a shit about cell phone minutes."

"Yeah, yeah. So what's up? Why did you need to talk to me so bad?"

I heard her sigh again, this time it sounded real, "It's just...so complicated. I feel like I have no one to talk to about this."

"How about stop being so vague and give me some damn details?" I knew I was being short but Alice and I were like this Saturday night. We bickered back and forth talking about lyrics and bands. It was fun. She was tiny but she was a firecracker.

She laughed again, "My, my, you are an impatient dick sometimes, huh?"

"Ha...you have no idea."

"Well, I called because I think that you and I have more in common then we originally thought. And I need advice since you seem to be coping so well with your feelings. You know, with the girl you're in love with?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Coping? I got hammered at a party, thrown by said love's boyfriend no less, and had a one night stand with a stranger...uh, no offense to you. But, I wouldn't call that coping."

"Aha! I knew it was Bella you were talking about! I could see in your eyes how you looked at her when Jasper wrapped his arms around her waist."

Fuck.

"Listen, shorty, I thought we were talking about your feelings here. Christ, what's with the third degree?"

She giggled again, that evil little minx, "I do want to talk about my feelings, I just had a feeling it was her and was happy you confirmed it."

"Well I'm glad my misery is so funny to you. You don't sound that upset anymore so I think you're good to go. Talk to you later."

"Wait! Ugh, you are a real pain in the ass you know that?"

I sighed, "So I've been told."

"Even so, I still wanna hang out. Can you come down to my dad's place soon?"

I got out of the car finally, slamming the door shut, "Yeah, sure. I'm going to hop in the shower and grab something to eat and then I'll be down, okay?"

"Okay, well I'll be here until nine. See you later, Edward."

"Yep, see you soon, shorty."

I went into the house, peeling my shirt off as I headed up the steps. I figured a quick shower and something to eat would make me feel less like ass from my drink-a-thon last night.

I laid on my bed for a minute after my shower and sandwich, trying to wish away the monster headache that was currently raging throughout my dome. It wasn't working. I still felt queasy and the light seeping through the black curtains over my windows wasn't helping. I threw the blanket over my face to block everything out and fell asleep quickly.

I woke up to the sound of the front door slamming. Emmett never could just shut the door like a normal human being. Cursing myself for falling asleep, I looked over at the clock to see I had slept until six which meant I needed to get my ass out of the house and to see Alice before she left for the night.

I ran into Emmett on the way down the stairs and he told me that Carlisle and Esme wanted to talk to me. I knew I'd never get out the front door without talking to them so I tried calling Alice to tell her I'd be there as soon as possible. She didn't answer so I figured I'd call her when I was leaving.

My parents had called me in to ask how Bella was lately. Apparently Charlie called Esme this morning before work to tell her that Bella was having a rough day yesterday and asked if she could check on her throughout the day today as she wasn't going to school.

Esme tried calling her a couple times but Bella never answered which made sense seeing as fucking Jasper was with her all day doing God knows what.

I shuddered at the thought before shrugging my shoulders at my parents, "Bella and Jasper had a fight yesterday. She didn't wanna go to school. But it looks like they made up already so tell Charlie to stop worrying."

I didn't want to tell my parents that Jasper was there during school because that would be information that would surely get back to Charlie and would earn me a junk punch from Bella for getting her grounded. Charlie wouldn't be okay with Bella staying home from school all day to hang out with her boyfriend.

After my parents felt they pumped me for enough information, I sped out the door and into my car to get to Alice's. I knew it was like an hour drive from here and it was already inching closer to seven. I had to get there before she closed up for the night. I tried to call her another time but she didn't answer again. I prayed I wasn't wasting my damn time driving all the way down there to have her not be there. I still wasn't exactly sure why her ass didn't want to talk about this over the phone.

It seemed like a god damn year before I pulled into the almost empty parking lot of her dad's rock climbing place. The building was gigantic.

Psh and she had the nerve to call me a spoiled little rich kid?

I got out of the Volvo and locked up, looking around the parking lot. There was no one here, just one lone car I couldn't really see in a far off part of the parking lot and Alice's car near the front of the building. I hurried my ass in because it was getting darker and therefore colder.

I jogged to the front door noticing that the closing time said eight p.m. Good, no one should be here then. I was curious as to what the hell she needed to talk to me about and I was far too impatient to wait for customers to leave before finding out.

As I opened the door, I was accosted by a warm gush of air and I shivered from the change in temperature my body went through. I looked around the front desk for Alice and couldn't find her.

I called out her name, "Alice? Hey, are you in here?"

I still didn't see anything so I walked a little farther, past the front desk and a couple of rock walls, "Alice? It's Edward."

I walked into a dimly lit hallway in the back, figuring if they were closed, that she was probably there taking care of paperwork or whatever the hell you take care of when you work at a rock climbing place.

I saw a door at the end of the hallway was ajar so I walked back trying to make a little bit of noise so I didn't scare the shit out of her when I walked in.

Pushing the door open, I laughed. If she was upset when she talked to me, she certainly didn't look upset now. Alice had her tiny ass legs wrapped around a tall guy, her dainty little fingers gripping his curly blond hair while they kissed. I felt like a creep just standing there watching but I didn't come all this damn way to turn around so I cleared my throat to let them both know I was there.

Alice's eyes popped open as she jumped out of the guys arms. The guy turned around quickly and I just about fucking died right there.

"Jasper?! What the fuck are you doing here. And kissing her?"

He looked so guilty, "Listen, man, it's not what it fucking looks like so just chill a minute."

Chill? This motherfucker wants me to chill? He has the nerve to ask me to calm down when he's cheating on my best friend?

I practically growled, "Tell me why I shouldn't break your fucking neck right here."

"Because it was a mistake." Alice's eyes teared up and Jasper continued, "I was all upset yesterday about you and Bella. I came here to rock climb and I also wanted to make sure Alice was okay from everything that happened between the two of you and then today..."

I didn't let him finish because I didn't give a shit what he had to say. I yelled, "You're a fucking hypocrite! You talk about me hurting Bella? You're her boyfriend and just look what the hell you're doing to her!"

I shoved him hard. He stumbled into a desk next to him but straightened up quickly to face me.

Alice looked frightened and I felt bad that she was going to see Jasper get his face smashed in, but not bad enough that I wasn't going to do it. Every bit of anger I ever had towards him was about to be unleashed and it was not going to be pretty.

Jasper looked to the ground and quietly said, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just came here to talk."

I watched as Alice finally let her tears fall. She shifted from foot to foot, looking down at the ground.

I yelled angrily, "Well it did happen. And now I have to fucking tell my best friend that her boyfriend is cheating on her!"

He grabbed me by the collar, with a crazed look in his eyes, "You're not telling Bella anything!"

I heard Alice let out a small whimper but she stayed glued to her spot by the desk.

Before he even knew what was coming I cracked that fucker right in his face with my fist. He stumbled backwards a bit and I have to give it to him, he didn't fall.

He yelled loudly, while grabbing his nose, "Damnit, Edward! Let me fucking explain. Shit."

Alice rushed over to check his face but Jasper stepped away from her carefully to face me again.

I felt even more enraged.

"There isn't shit to explain, bitch. If you think I'm keeping this from Bella you're sadly mistaken," I sneered as I shoved him again for good measure.

I turned around quickly, pulling out my phone as I walked. I had every intention of telling Bella as soon as I could. I shoved open the front door of the building with my foot, looking at my phone as I continued on to my car.

I dialed Bella's cell but she didn't answer, so I hung up and pushed re-dial. Hell, I'd call until she answered. I had always been that way with her.

After the third try, I decided to call her house to see if maybe she was just away from her cell phone or something. No one answered so I left her a message, "Bell, it's Edward. Listen, I have something really important to talk to you about so...I guess call me when you get this. Or come over, I don't know. It's important, uh...well, it's about Jasper."

As I threw my phone back in my pocket, I fumbled around looking for my keys. I finally dug them out of my pants and pushed the button to unlock the Volvo.

I heard Jasper calling me from across the parking lot so I threw my middle finger up in the air behind me to show him I just didn't give a fuck about what he had to say. Before I could get in the car though, he grabbed my shoulder.

Shit, he got to me fast.

"Edward, man. Fucking listen."

"To what? Why the hell should I listen to you of people?"

"Because it was a god damn mistake like I said."

"A mistake? What you just fell on her lips or something?"

He shook his head wildly, pressing his palms into his eyes before dropping them and saying, "I don't know. I went in there to fucking rock climb yesterday when I was all pissed about you guys, like I said, and Alice was here. She talked to me, calmed me down about everything," he hesitated before going on, "I guess I thought we were just friends."

He went on, dragging a hand through his hair, "So, I came here after I hung out with Bella today and Alice was here again and we ended up talking for awhile. When I was about to leave she told me she needed to show me something and that's when she kissed me."

"Why in the hell did you come here again? If you just talked to her yesterday what could you possibly have to talk about that you couldn't talk about say, over the phone?"

He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated, "I don't know. God, when I left Bella's house today everything between us was good, you know? It really, really was but when I walked out to the porch to go to my car, I saw you sitting there in yours."

I gave him a look that clearly said 'And?'

"I don't know. It just hit me like a ton of bricks that I'll never really escape the bond you two have. I'm going away to college in the fall and she'll be here. With you. Alone. And it's a fucking hard pill to swallow, man. So, I tried calling Alice to talk it through with her but she was working and couldn't talk on the phone so I went to her to talk in person."

I furrowed my brows, "Doesn't it strike you as a tad hypocritical that you were here, with Alice, who I don't know if you noticed or not, is a girl by the way, because you were pissed about mine and Bella's friendship?"

"We're all hypocrites in some way, aren't we?" He said cryptically.

I glared at him, "Whatever the hell that means. Look, I don't have time for this crap. Are you going to tell Bella this happened? Because she deserves to know."

He eyed me right back, "Of course I'm going to tell her."

"Good."

He nodded and I added, "If you don't, I swear to you, I will. I already left her a message saying I needed to talk to her about you. She's probably freaking out as we speak."

He sighed, looking like he just couldn't believe this was happening, "Shit."

"And you better not be pulling some shady shit, Jasper. I love that girl and I refuse to sit on the sidelines and watch you break her heart. If you like Alice or something, you need to man up and tell her."

He eyed me warily, "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black there? Why don't you man up and tell Bella how you feel?"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why the hell is he trying to turn this shit around on me? He's the asshole in this situation.

"I didn't mean it like that, fuck, I mean I love her, she's my best friend...whatever, just be good to her, damnit. She likes you--a lot." I muttered, "For the life of me I can't figure out why."

He raised his eyebrows at me, mocking me, "She likes me a lot? How the hell would you know that?"

I tugged on my hair, harder than I had intended to. Wincing and rubbing my tender scalp, I said, "Not that you deserve to hear anything good she said about you, but I know that because she spent the better part of yesterday drunk and sobbing about you."

I kicked myself once the words left my mouth, wondering if Bella had told him she got drunk with me, but not really caring all that much that I let the cat out of the bag. He was in enough trouble with her to let the fact that she drank with me slide.

"And did you spend the better part of yesterday drunk and kissing my girlfriend?" Jasper questioned menacingly.

I thought back to the quick kiss Bella gave to me, when she thought I was Jasper and laughed without humor, "Actually she told me from the get-go that she wasn't kissing me because of you. I probably should have kissed her now that I think about it. It would have been more than fair seeing as you were here swapping spit with Alice."

He groaned, "Edward, damn. I didn't mean for it to happen, I told you that already."

I shrugged my shoulders at him, "Whatever, fucker. You shouldn't have been here in the first place."

He eyed me angrily, "But it's okay for you to be getting drunk with my girlfriend?"

I shrugged my shoulders right back being a smartass, "Maybe, maybe not. But if you weren't here with Alice, Bella wouldn't have been with me."

Stew on that one, Jazzy.

Trying to make him feel worse I added, "She was a wreck yesterday, dude. She had no idea what she did to make you so mad at her and all she wanted from me was my advice on how to fix it with you."

Jasper blew out a breath, "Fuck."

I snorted, "Yeah. Tell me about it. You don't know how bad I wanted to tell her to fucking be done with your ass for being so rude to her. And now? Now more than ever I want to tell her that her boyfriend is an asshole that doesn't deserve her. But at the same time I know it'll really hurt her and I don't want to do that to her. I hurt her enough my own damn self."

Jasper smirked sadly, "I know. Listen, I'm telling you, I'll talk to her about it. I don't know what came over me today. Everything just went to shit when I saw you."

I sneered, "No. You came to see Alice and it went to shit. Don't blame me."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Listen, you got a hit in, don't push your luck, Cullen. I know I did something shitty. I hate that I'm just like you hurting her."

That one stung a bit.

"Yeah, whatever you say. I'm done with this drama. Grow some balls and fix this shit with Bella. I think it's glaringly obvious all of your fears about us are unfounded and utter bullshit. She wants to make it work with you, not me."

He shoved his hand in his pockets, "Trust me, come hell or high water, I will be at Bella's tomorrow morning to explain everything."

My cell phone went off and I knew it was Bella calling. Looking down for confirmation even though I didn't really need it, I said to Jasper, "Well, that's Bella calling me now and she's probably freaking the hell out over you. Maybe you should call her now instead, so she knows everything is okay with you."

He sighed, searching for something in his pocket. As he pulled out his keys he looked at me and said, "Yeah, I will."

"Don't be a douche, Jasper," I warned and then added, "I mean anymore than you already are. Tell her or I fucking will. And that's a promise."

He did a weird half-smile and put his hand out to shake mine, I guess as an invitation to make amends or some shit. I laughed, probably a little too loudly, before saying, "We're not friends or anything just because I'm letting you tell her. Trust me, you fuck this up and I will make your life hell."

He shook his head, dropping his hand to his side. "Yeah well, either way, you didn't have to let me explain things to her myself. I can respect that, man. Believe me, I don't want to be your BFF either."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Great."

I rolled my eyes, as I opened my car door, done with this night of teen drama, "Peace, fucker."

I flipped him off as I turned the key to my ignition. Only the sound of my car's beautiful purring could calm me down now. I tried to ignore the incessant ring of my cell phone as I prepared to shift into drive. I watched Jasper jog away and manuever his stupid Ford truck out of the parking lot. He had his cell phone up to his ear and the sound of my phone suddenly stopped mid-ring. She must have stopped calling me to answer his call.

Maybe that asshole will stick to his word. She needed to know.

I jumped at the sound of my passenger side door opening and watched in shock as Alice's tiny body jumped into the seat next to me. She looked awful. Her jet black bangs were pushed to the side of her face messily, her eye make-up was completely smudged all over her face, and she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Edward. I messed up. Big time." She choked out.

I swallowed the anger I had for her down, "I'd fucking say so."

She started to sob again and I felt bad. I didn't want to make her cry so I offered, "Listen, not only am I an asshole but I'm completely bias when it comes to Bella. I'm probably not the best person to talk to if you're trying to feel better about all this. My loyalty lies completely with her."

She looked to me, eyes full of tears, "Oh, I know! I get it, trust me. I know how awful of a person I am. I completely understand why you're mad at me for hurting Bella. Hell, I'm mad at me for hurting Bella."

She went on, not really caring that I didn't want to hear her reasoning, "First, I shamelessly flirt with her boyfriend, giving him my phone number while she was in the bathroom, then," a strangled choking sound came out of her mouth before going on, "...and then, I sleep with her best friend the very first night I meet him. God, and then I practically maul Jasper the second he steps into my dad's office and oh my God, I'm such a bad person."

She threw her hands over her face, pressing her head up against the dashboard, continuing to cry loudly. I didn't know what to say to her but I sure as shit didn't want her getting makeup all over the dash of the Volvo. I just cleaned it, dammit. I knew it was insensitive to think that way but I'm an asshole and well, if I haven't said it enough, I love this car.

"Um, no you're not?" I said as more of a question than a statement.

She sniffed loudly, "You're not even sure. I know that I hurt Bella sleeping with you and if...when she finds out about Jasper, she'll never want to speak to me again! And I can't blame her. I never meant to hurt her, Edward. You have to believe me. I thought sleeping with you would I don't know, make her see that she's supposed to be with you or something. And then Jasper could be with me."

"How in the hell would you know that she's meant to be with me? That's ridiculous, you don't know anything about us. And really Alice? Jasper? You guys just met."

I shook my head in disbelief muttering 'ridiculous' again to no one imparticular.

She had such conviction when she said, "I know it sounds strange, but I just know these things. I can't explain it. I could see how she loved you when she was talking about you to me. I just thought maybe in some twisted way it would make her see the light if she saw you with someone else. And when Jasper came here all upset about Bella and you, I took it as me being right."

I snorted, "Well you couldn't have been more wrong. She wasn't upset about me and you. Bella's seen me with plenty of other people and it's never driven her into my arms. And I wouldn't be surprised if she just looks past this shit with Jasper and they stay together."

She let out a shaky breath, "Bella is going to hate me, isn't she?"

Yes. "Is it really that big of a deal? You don't know each other very well," I managed to get out.

She looked at me with wide eyes, "Are you joking? Bella is the first girl that I've really, truly gotten along with in a long time and I can't freaking believe I did this to her."

"Bella's pretty forgiving. I mean, I'm her best friend, so that should say something. I mess up pretty much on a weekly basis with her and she always forgives me."

She snorted, "That's just it though. You're her best friend. Not some slut that backstabbed her."

I had to stop her there, "Alice, stop. You're not a slut."

I went on trying to joke with her to make her smile, "And actually, Bella calls me a slut all the time, so maybe that'll help your case a little."

She laughed a little through her tears, "It's socially acceptable for a guy to be a slut, but not a girl."

Alice looked at me then, eyes red from crying and I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I knew what it was like to have an unrequited crush on someone. I also knew what it felt like to be roadkill on the Bella and Jasper highway.

She exhaled loudly and said, "God, why did I have to meet him and be so instantly attracted? It was like I waited all my life to see him and now that I have there's just no replacement."

I scoffed, "Come on, Alice. You don't know him. I've known him for a little while now and really he's just a pretentious prick."

"Yeah well, all that aside, I know my heart, Edward. And my heart wants Jasper."

As much as I didn't want to because of what she did to Bella, I liked Alice and I couldn't let her go on thinking that there was a chance for her and Jasper. With a bit of bitterness in my voice I told her, "Unfortunately for both of us though, his heart wants Bella. And, fuck me, but Bella wants him, too."

I put my forehead on the steering wheel now, feeling like Alice all of a sudden. Bella was going to drive me mental by the end of this year. And honestly, it's not her fault. It's all on me. I messed with her emotions too much and it put her right into the arms of some dumbass.

Alice sighed, "We're quite a pair, huh?"

I lifted my head up realizing just how fucked my life was. Alice was probably the only one that knew exactly how I felt right now. I knew I should be mad at her, but a part of me knew that I would probably do the same thing she did. I wouldn't care about hurting anyone else if it meant I got Bella in the end.

And that was a scary thought.

"You said it, shorty."

----

BPOV

Edward wouldn't answer his phone and I wanted to throw mine across the room I was so frustrated. How could he call me and leave me that damn message and then not answer his phone when I was calling him back?

Every possible thing he could tell me about Jasper was swirling through my head. Was Jasper okay? Did Carlisle have him there in the hospital or something? Did they get into a fight? I swore to myself that if Edward took a swing at him, I was going to explode into a fit of rage when I saw him next.

I dialed Edward's number again, but it only rang a few times before my phone beeped and the call waiting showed that Jasper was calling.

Thank God, maybe now I'll get some answers.

I pushed the answer button hesitantly, praying that everything was alright. "Jazz? Are you okay?"

He answered me in a quiet voice that soothed me, "Hey, Bella. Yeah, I'm fine, why darlin'?"

I breathed a sigh of relief, "Nothing. It's not important, what's up?"

"Nothing, um, are you busy in like a half an hour or so?"

"It's kind of late to come in and hang out, but I can come talk to you on the porch if you want."

"Yeah, I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

We got off the phone quickly and I started pacing my room wondering why in the hell Jasper would want to see me now.

Did he change his mind about everything?

Did he not want to be together anymore?

Why in the hell did Edward call?

Soon, I was sitting on the porch swing with Jasper, watching as he ran his hands through his beautiful blond hair.

I kept trying to make eye contact with him but he was looking everywhere but in my eyes. Eventually I got impatient and asked, "Jasper, what's going on? You're kind of freaking me out."

He looked me in the eyes finally and blurted out, "Alice and I kissed."

My eyes widened with shock and I think my eyebrows touched my hairline as I stammered out, "Wh-what are you...how...what?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen Bella, I swear. I went to her Dad's rock climbing place yesterday to try to blow off some steam because I was still so mad and she was there and she just, I don't know. She listened to everything I had to say, you know, and she just acted like a really good friend to me. And she really understood."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I asked bitterly, "So as a thank you present for her extreme generosity you decided to kiss her?"

"No. Let me finish," he snapped at me.

I cut him off, "Don't you snap at me Jasper!"

I started to get up but he grabbed my hand, softening his tone, "Come on, honey, just...just let me finish, okay?"

I sighed but sat back down, ripping my hand from his, "Whatever, go ahead."

"Anyway, we didn't kiss yesterday when I was there. We kissed today. Well really she kissed me and I just need you to understand that it didn't mean anything."

"It didn't mean anything? That doesn't make sense. Why would you drive almost an hour away two days in a row to see some girl that doesn't mean anything, Jasper?"

He looked at me then like I should understand exactly why he did such a thing and it only made me angrier. I stood up again this time not letting him pull me back down. I started towards the door but he stepped in front of me before I could reach the doorknob.

"Alice was helping me through this like Edward helps you through things." The way he said it almost made it seem as though he had every right to hang out with a girl who so obviously had feelings for him because my best friend was a guy.

"So you're justifying cheating on me by throwing my friendship with Edward in my face? Classy, Jasper."

He grabbed my shoulders, making me look him in the eye, "No, it's all coming out wrong. I'm saying that yesterday I honestly went to rock climb. It was just a coincidence that she happened to be working and that we ended up talking about everything. And then today I called her because I was mad again but she couldn't talk on the phone because her work was busy so I decided to just drive down and see if she could help me in person again."

I looked at him incredulously, "Help you with what Jasper? We were fine today. Just like we were fine the day before that. You're making up excuses to get mad at me. And I want to know why."

Then it hit me like a freight train, "Do you like Alice? Is that why you're making up all this nonsense to get mad at me for?"

"I don't even know Alice."

I bit back a sob, "You didn't answer my question, Jasper."

He exhaled loudly, "Bella, I'm telling you that I want to be with you, okay? I just...I want to make this right with you."

It wasn't lost on me that he hadn't answered my question completely yet but something he said before popped back into my mind. I furrowed my brow before asking, "You said you called her today. When did you get her phone number?"

He hesitated before saying, "She, uh, she gave it to me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "When Jasper? When did she give it to you?"

"The day we met her," he said quietly before flopping back down on the porch swing.

I couldn't believe my ears. "The day we met her she slipped you her phone number and then you just let me invite her to your house like everything was just fine and dandy? Are you kidding me?"

He looked at me sadly, "It was innocent, Bella. She knew I was with you. She just wanted to be friends."

I laughed bitterly, "Ha, yeah...she wanted to be friends that kiss! That's what she wanted."

"Not too different from you and Edward then, huh? Now do you see how I feel? Look at your history with him, Bella! Can you blame me for being a little nervous that you'll drop me any second for him?" He sneered as he stood back up to look me directly in the eyes.

That pissed me off more than I could process. I told him all about my friendship with Edward from the beginning so he wouldn't have these feelings of insecurity. I told him so that we would have an open and honest relationship from the start. I wasn't going to allow him to knock me down for it. I wanted to smack him but instead I walked to the door and said a simple, "Goodnight Jasper."

"Bella, wait."

"No, maybe you can go call Alice to get you through this."

I walked into the house then, slamming the door in his face before running up the steps to call Rose.

I stood by my window watching as Jasper stood by his truck pacing. He hopped into the driver's seat and sat for a minute. Finally, Rose picked up after a couple of rings, sounding like she might have been asleep, "Hello?"

I started crying when I saw Jasper pull away from my house without a backwards glance, "Rose? Jasper and I are in a huge fight and I don't know if we're going to make it through this."

"What? Bella, why? I thought everything was good." She sounded slightly panicked and I felt bad that I was going to be putting her in an awkward position with Jasper now. Once she heard what I was about to say, she was not going to be happy with her beloved brother.

"Yeah, well that was before he showed up here twenty minutes ago to tell me that him and Alice kissed tonight."

I could hear her sharp intake of breath before she hissed, "Alice? The same girl that Edward..."

"Yes, that would be the one. So, she has officially landed on my shit list now. I'm such an idiot. I should have known not to trust her. She was too nice."

Rose sighed, "I hate to say I told you so about her, Bell."

I laughed a little through my tears, "Who are you kidding? You love to say I told you so, Rosalie."

"Not to you, babygirl. I'm so sorry my brother did this to you. I'm going to hang him by his nutsack."

I laughed again and listened to her rant and rave about how she was going to make Alice's life hell, too. She was not happy that this new girl was causing such drama in our group. According to Rose she was messing with the group dynamic and wrecking her chances of having me as a sister-in-law one day. I couldn't help but laugh at her. We were in high school and she thought I was ready to be married. Only her crazy ass would even think about that.

Rosalie did a good job calming me down. I knew that she was the only one I could talk to about this because if Edward knew what went down he would rip Jasper to pieces. A sick part of me really wanted to tell Edward so that he would do just that but another part of me knew that it wasn't right.

Eventually I got off the phone with Rose after assuring her I was okay and didn't need her to come over or anything. I sighed looking around the room and decided to try calling Edward because I wanted to know what his mystery message was about.

His phone rang a few times but he finally answered and it sounded like he was in his car, "Edward? Are you in your car?"

"Hey Bell. Yeah, just went out for a bit. What's up?"

He sounded nervous and it rattled me a little. I knew Edward like the back of my hand and it was hard for him to hide what he was feeling from me. Even over the phone.

"I should be asking you that question. What was up with that weird message earlier?"

He was quiet a minute before saying, "Have you talked to Jasper tonight?"

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, my voice laced with confusion.

I heard him curse a bit to himself and then he said, "And that asshole didn't have anything interesting to tell you?"

How the hell did Edward know about Jasper and I?

"If by interesting you mean him making out with Alice, then yes he did." I growled through clenched teeth.

"Good, I'm glad he told you."

Come again?

"I'm sorry. I'm lost. How in the shit did you know that?"

"I caught them, Bella."

"What the fuck do you mean you caught them?"

He sighed, "I mean I walked into Alice's dad's place and found them mid-makeout."

I screeched, "And you didn't tell me?! Why wouldn't you tell me? I'm your best friend...and I told your ass about that skank Tanya!"

He yelled back, "I tried to tell you, Ms. BitchyPants. You didn't answer your fucking phone!"

I calmed down a bit, realizing I was biting his head off, "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Plus, I realized that it was his place to tell you so I threatened to kick his ass if he didn't."

And this nightmare only gets worse, "So really he only told me because he got caught and you told him to?"

"Well, I don't know, Bella. That's something you have to ask his stupid ass."

"Was he into the kiss or not, Edward?"

"I walked in and they stopped. Past that, I don't really know. But according to Alice it was all her doing and it wasn't long. She feels really bad about it, Bell."

I sneered, "Good. She should feel bad about it. She's a slut."

"Come on now. You don't mean that. You stood up for her to Rose."

"That was before she made a move on my boyfriend! She can shove it as far as I'm concerned. And you can too if you're going to defend her to me."

He sounded taken aback, "You know I'm not going to take her side over you, Bella. But she needs a friend and her and I have more in common then I thought..."

"Fine then, Edward! Who needs enemies when I have friends like the two of you!" I screamed into the phone before hanging up and flinging it across the room.

Temper much, Bella? Sheesh.

After a minute I collected my thoughts and walked over to retrieve the phone I threw. And before I knew it, I was dialing a number I hadn't in a long time.

My mother's.

----

"Hello?" The sound of my mother's groggy voice both helped my already fragile state and hurt it all at once.

I eventually croaked out a weak, "Mom?" before bursting into tears.

"Bella, it's three in the morning where I am, what's going on?"

"My life is awful, that's what! I hate it! You're supposed to be here to help me through this stuff, Mom. But you're not! You're all the way across the country and you don't call me and you don't send me letters and I miss you, Mom. As much as I shouldn't I miss you."

"I miss you, too, baby. I do. And I know I should call more, it's just Phil is always..."

I cut her off, "I don't care what Phil is going through right now! I care that my heart is breaking and I have no one to turn to but Rosalie and as great as she is she's busy with Emmett! And Charlie certainly isn't going to tell me how to get through heartbreak because he's still recovering from when you broke his!"

I knew I was being cruel but I had a lot I wanted to tell my mom and it was all just spilling out at once.

"Bella, sweetie, did you really call me to tell me how awful of a mother I've been because trust me, I already know. I miss you so much it hurts sometimes, but I just thought you were better off without me. I figured that's why you hadn't called me all this time."

"I haven't called you because the last time I talked to you you were telling me you were too busy to see me!"

She sighed and I could hear her bed squeak, so she must have gotten out of bed to talk to me. God knows she wouldn't want to wake precious Phil.

"Bella? Listen, I'm so sorry about how I've handled everything. I guess a part of me knew that Esme would be there to take care of you-"

"Mom, I love Esme with everything I have but she's not my real mom. You are and I miss you."

"What happened to make you so sad, dear?"

I told my mom everything, including how I was heartbroken when she left, how Edward put me back together, how I put him back together when he found out about Elizabeth. I told her about Jasper and how I felt about his betrayal and how a part of me was relieved because I knew that my heart wasn't completely in it no matter how much I tried to make myself feel it.

I hadn't even admitted as much to myself. Maybe this phone call to her was just what I needed.

I let out a shaky breath and waited for her to say something.

"Well, you've certainly had a lot on your mind haven't you, baby?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"What does your heart tell you, Bella? Who do you see when you close your eyes?"

"I don't know how to answer that. I'm not sure."

"Tell you what, sweetie. Why don't I book you a ticket to come visit me for spring break? It might do you good to clear your head for awhile, get a fresh perspective? And then maybe you and I can patch things up as well."

I thought about it for a minute and then I said with conviction, "I would love that, Mom."

Before I got off the phone with my mom that night, she promised me she would call me the next day to get everything squared away for my visit and I told her I wanted to ask her some questions for mine and Edward's bio project. She sounded genuinely excited to be talking again and I had to admit I was, too.

I went to sleep that night feeling like I finally got something accomplished as far as my mom goes but I was not looking forward to seeing Jasper or Edward anytime soon. With the admission to my mom that maybe things weren't as I thought they were with Jasper, I knew I'd have a lot of explaining to do.

----

EPOV

When I woke up for school this morning, my first thought was that I needed to make everything right with Bella again. I knew I needed to let her cool off a bit before trying to apologize because that's just how she was. She liked to sit and think about everything and try to calm down before talking again.

Luckily she left before me this morning so I probably wouldn't see her until lunch. That gave her plenty of time to stop being as mad as she was last night so I can apologize and make everything right.

I was fucking exhausted from my late night dramafest and I slowly made my way to school, yawning all the while.

Jasper stopped me after our first class again only this time he wasn't such a dick. "Edward, can I ask you something, man?"

"I told you I didn't want to be all buddy-buddy, asshole."

"Relax, jackass, I just need to know how to make it right with Bella again. She came to my house this morning to pick Rose up but she wouldn't even get out of her truck. So, I tried to talk to her through her window but she rolled it up and locked her door."

I chuckled, "Sounds like her. But I'm on her shitlist, too, so join the club."

He arched an eyebrow at me like a girl, "What did you do this time?"

"Told her that Alice wasn't a slut."

"And she didn't agree with you?"

I shook my head no, "Not at all."

"Well that's just great. So, what do we do?"

I shrugged my shoulders, before I started walking away, "We just have to give her time to calm down. She should be okay by lunch to talk."

I couldn't have been more wrong. By the time lunch rolled around, I found myself sitting on one side of the cafeteria table with Jasper of all people. Emmett was in the middle on our side, as a sort of barrier between Bella and Rose who were sitting together on the other side of the table, hunched over some papers whispering to each other.

We all sat in uncomfortable silence for quite a while. That is until I heard Rosalie squeal, "Oh, I saw the perfect blue bikini for you in Port Angeles last week!"

Bikini? What the hell would Bella need a bikini for in April?

Bella shushed Rose and I couldn't take the secrets anymore. I slammed a palm on the table saying, "What the hell are you two plotting over there?"

Rosalie smiled wide, an evil hint in her eyes, "Bella and I are going to Florida for Spring Break!"

My eyes widened in shock and Emmett grumbled through a bite of his sandwich, "You know, if I didn't love you so much Bells, I'd be pissed you're taking my girlfriend for a week."

Bella smiled weakly before saying, "Sorry, Emmybear."

My brother smiled back at her, patting her hand across the table, "No worries, Bellybear."

I felt like I was going to throw up. Between their little pet names for each other and the thought of Bella in a blue bikini in Florida, I was pretty sure I would.

Jasper didn't say a word, which surprised me. I mean Bella is his girlfriend for crying out loud. Why is he not more upset? I looked over at him, nudging him with my shoulder.

I whispered, "Um, aren't you going to use your special boyfriend powers and forbid her to go?"

He furrowed his brow, whispering back, "Didn't you hear? She broke up with me."

Have I died and gone to Heaven? "What?"

He looked really pissed, "Yeah. Right after I talked to you this morning she found me and told me about Florida and then right after that she said she couldn't just forget about the Alice thing and that she needed a break from us."

"Well, just a break right? I mean that's not a breakup."

Jasper scoffed, "Dude. You have fucking eyes. Look at her."

I looked over confused, "Yeah, so?"

He looked at me like I was an idiot.

"That beautiful girl is going to Florida. For Spring Break. In a bikini. I'm done for," he groaned.

"Shit. I see your point."

I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

The rest of the lunch period was pretty quiet. Jasper spent most of it with his head down on the table pouting, Rose and Bella kept up their Spring Break 2009 plans, and I sat there planning on how to either steal Bella's flight info so that I could take the trip as well or how to board the plane as a stowaway.

Either way, I had to be there. Can you imagine the assholes that will hit on her in a bikini?

Oh, no, no, no. This will not be good.

Finally it was time for bio and that meant sitting next to Bella without her being able to run away.

When I got in the room, she was writing furiously on a piece of paper.

"Hey, Bell."

"Edward," she said in a clipped tone.

"Listen, about last night," I started.

She stopped writing and looked up, "Don't worry about it. Look, I talked to my mom last night and this morning and I got her answers to the interview. I also talked to Rose and Em earlier today so I got theirs, too. I wrote all their answers down and I'll type them up tonight and give them to you tomorrow-" She was rambling so fast I couldn't really keep up with her.

"Bell, stop. Don't worry about that. You talked to your mom?"

Her face softened a bit and she smiled, "Yeah. And I really feel better about it."

I touched her shoulder, "Good. I'm glad and I'm really sorry about yesterday. You have all my loyalty, you know that."

She sighed, "Honestly, I knew that all along, Edward. I was just really, really angry and I needed my best friend, you know?"

I smiled brightly, throwing my arm around her completely. "Well you got him. Always. So, what's up with the whole Jasper situation?"

She frowned, putting her head in her hands, causing my arm to fall. "I broke up with him. Well, I said I needed a break but whatever. It's just semantics now anyway."

"Just like that?"

She nodded, "Yes. He kissed Alice just like that. And really, why not? I mean we've only been official like three days so whatever. I'll get over this and we'll be friends again and that's that. It's not like I expected it to last. It is me, after all."

Where the hell did all this come from?

"You were crying your eyes out about him yesterday and now 'poof' you're over it?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I mean I'm not over it. It still hurts me. I liked Jasper. But talking to my mom yesterday kind of opened my eyes a bit and I know that I have a lot to think about it in Florida."

"It seemed like he was really upset at lunch. I mean I think he really does like you, Bell. Maybe it was just a mistake."

"He just feels guilty. We did get really close this past month and he just feels bad for hurting me. He's a really good friend but while I'm gone I'm sure he'll spend time with Alice and the more I thought about it last night the more I figured out that I'm okay with that."

I nodded and decided to change the subject, "You know I would have went with you, you didn't have to take Rose."

She laughed, "Thanks but I'd rather not sit on the beach watching every blond with big boobs throwing themselves at you. I'm good on being the third wheel."

She almost sounded jealous. And the thought thrilled me.

I ran a hand down her arm and whispered in her ear, "Aww, you know I'd pay attention to you and only you, Bella."

She blushed a deep crimson before saying in a mocking tone, "Only because I'd be in a bikini and you'd have to fight off anyone who noticed."

I shrugged my shoulders at her, smirking, "You know me so well."

Banner decided to walk in then and our conversation had to end. Halfway through class Bella pushed her notebook in front of me. I looked down and on it was a short note.

Come over after school and help me pack.

Fine, but you're not packing a bikini.

She rolled her eyes before finishing the note with a lovely image for myself to think about for the rest of biology, hell the rest of my life.

Fine, I'll go sans bathing suit to the beach then. It's all the rage nowadays.

Pshhh...over my dead body.

----

BPOV

When I got home from school today, I actually had butterflies in my stomach while I was waiting for Edward to come over. I knew I had a lot to talk to him about.

School was more or less what I expected. My mom called before I left to pick up Rose this morning to tell me that after our conversation last night she couldn't fall back to sleep so she booked my flight. I took the opportunity to ask her the interview questions I needed to ask her and then I had to go to get ready for school.

I picked Rose up in the morning so that I could tell her all about Renee and going to Florida. Before I even had a chance to tell her she could come with me she said, "I'm calling the airlines right now. You need me there with you."

When we got to school, Rose already had a ticket on the same flight as me and she was excitedly talking about packing and suntans and I couldn't help but giggle with her about it.

Eventually I had to face Jasper and I figured I'd do it after our first class. He had nervously shifted from foot to foot in front of me as I told him how I felt about everything.

"I know that we haven't been official long, Jazz, but something tells me that if after three days you're already cheating, something's not right."

He looked hurt, but he nodded anyway, saying, "I never meant to hurt you, Bella. I like you so much and I hate that I'm no different than any other asshole that's hurt you before."

"Above anything Jasper, you're a great friend and I can't shut you out of my life completely. And if Alice makes you happy, well, it'll take a little getting used to, but I can be happy for you."

He took a step forward, "I want to be with you-"

"Jazz, don't."

"It's the truth."

"I can't do this right now. I need a break from us, Jasper. Hang out with Alice while I'm gone, see what you might have with her. You never know until you try, right?"

He nodded sadly, telling me he was sorry again and to call him while I was away. I told him I'd try to and walked away.

I know I did the right thing breaking up with him. The talk with my mom brought out feelings I thought I had locked away. Feelings that, apparently, I still held on to fiercely for Edward.

Until I've dealt with those feelings for him properly, I'd always be stifled by them and I'd never be able to fully move on to someone else. Jasper didn't deserve halfway, he deserved for someone to love him with every fiber of their being. That just wasn't possible for me right now.

While I was in the kitchen making sandwiches, I heard a tap on the door and then Edward was in front of me in all his messy-haired glory.

He snatched a sandwich off the plate, before hopping up on the counter next to where I was standing.

"Well, hello to you, too Grabby Hands," I muttered while washing off the knife I was using to cut the sandwiches.

He swallowed the huge bite he had in his mouth, giving me his beautiful crooked smile, "Sorry, I was starving."

I nodded nervously, suggesting we head up to my room to start packing.

He whined, "Is that completely necessary? I mean you don't leave until Friday. I say no packing and we watch a movie."

I grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the steps. "Nice try, but Rose and I are going shopping for bathing suits tomorrow and we leave Thursday night so I have to do this now. Come on."

About an hour later I was all packed and Edward and I were laying side by side on my bed.

"You going to miss me?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

He snuggled closer to me, "Are you kidding me?"

"No, are you?"

He lifted his head off the pillow and I got a glorious whiff of him, making my insides melt. He looked at me seriously, "I'm going to miss you so much, Bella. I bet Emmett will be sick of me by day two."

"Well he won't have Rose to hang out with, so I'm sure he'll be extra cranky from lack of sex."

Edward laughed, "I can sympathize."

I pushed at him, "Shut up. That's all you care about."

He grabbed at my hand then, not letting go as he said, "That's not true."

"Yes it is. Remember Alice?"

He sighed, putting his other arm around me but not letting go of my hand, "That was a mistake, Bell. Seriously. I was wasted and sad and it just never should have happened. Trust me."

"What were you sad about?"

"Nevermind that, tell me about what happened when you talked to your mom."

I sat up, suddenly nervous that this conversation was about to happen. A wave of paranoia flowed through my body and settled into my stomach and I couldn't bring myself to say the words to him that I wanted to.

Instead of telling him exactly how I felt about him, I chickened out and we spent the rest of the night talking about my mom and what Rose and I planned to do in Florida.

When Edward left that night, I sat down at my desk and wrote out a letter to him. I told him how I've been more or less in love with him since we were 13 and that not a day goes by that I don't think about him before I go to sleep. I told him how he makes me angrier than any other person on Earth does but at the same time he makes me want to kiss him until I can't breathe. I told him that the days when we lie in the hammock in his backyard and read books together are my favorite and that the only reason I sleep with Bellabear every night is because it makes me feel close to him. And finally closing out the letter I wrote a simple 'I love you' before signing my name.

I wasn't sure when I was going to give the letter to him but at least it was done. I folded the letter and placed it in an envelope with his name on it before putting it on top of the folder that had all the research I typed up for our project.

When Thursday night rolled around I was so excited and nervous I thought I could throw up. After Emmett and Rosalie made out with each other for a good hour, Charlie and Edward rode with us to the airport. Rosalie threw a fit about having to sit in the back with Edward so to keep the peace I offered her the front seat. As we got closer to the airport, Edward grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. I thought my heart would explode as he caressed our hands with his thumb.

He whispered in my ear, "I'm really going to miss you, Bella."

I whispered back that I would miss him too, wiping a tear from my eye.

"Don't cry. You're going to have fun there."

Too soon, Charlie was turning into the airport and Rose and I were gathering our things to go inside.

Charlie hugged us both and jumped into the car. He never was big on sad goodbyes. Edward hugged Rosalie hesitantly before scooping me up in a big hug. He kissed me softly on the cheek before handing me my carry-on.

"Be good. Have fun, girls. Rosalie, do me a favor and pound on any guy that hits on Bella in her bikini."

She snorted before turning towards the entrance to the airport.

Shaking my head at her, I turned back to Edward, "I'll call you when we get there, okay?"

"You better," Edward warned giving me one last hug before turning back towards the car where Charlie was waiting.

I started to walk away before calling to him, "Oh I almost forgot! I typed the rest of the project up. It's sitting on my desk in my room. Turn it in to Banner tomorrow, don't forget!"

He nodded, blew me a kiss and was on his way out.

I sighed, placing my hands in my pockets. I felt a small piece of paper inside. Pulling it out, I noticed that the paper was written with Edward's elegant scrawl. Two simple words that made my day were on it, 'Be Safe'.

He always knew what to say to make me smile.

Safely aboard the plane, twenty-some thousand odd feet in the air was when a terrifying thought suddenly hit me. I told Edward to get my folder of notes from the project off my desk. The same folder of notes that had a certain love-letter addressed to Edward sitting on top of it.

We haven't even landed and already this vacation sucks.

Crap.

----