*I think from now on, I'm going to put song lyrics at the start of each chapter that I think go with the theme of a certain chapter. I like that idea…enjoy!*

Chapter 6: A Slap in the Face

~As long as you're a stranger…you'll stay perfect to me~ A Perfect Stanger

They let me leave the hospital a few hours after Jasper had visited to me. They would have probably kept me over night had Carlisle not have sweet talked his way into letting me go. Didn't hurt that he was a doctor either. After Esme spent a good forty five minutes fussing over me, they told me that I had to go to school tomorrow. I didn't really care…I felt fine (minus the dizziness every so often). Plus, there was a part of me that was sort of excited at the thought of seeing Jasper again. I was starting to think that this was some school girl crush. The kind you always get on the really good looking guy at school but you never get with him? The only thing that was just a tad different was the fact that it seemed like he actually wanted to be around me. I couldn't put my finger on just exactly why. Maybe he felt comfortable around me since I lived with a bunch of vampires and I wasn't really afraid of him? (Okay, so that's a lie…sometimes when he looked at me, I was scared straight!). Maybe he was just bored?

My third day of school was sadly uneventful. Jasper had simply waved and said a quick hello in our class and nothing too important happened the rest of the day. The good news? I made it through all of my classes.

"You seem unhappy about something." Edward noted as we made our way back into the house after school was over.

"You'll think it's stupid…and you'll probably get mad at me."

"Him!" he snapped at me and I backed up a little "that's why you're upset? You're upset over him?" he eyed me.

"I think you should give him a chance Edward. Maybe you two could get along?" I suggested.

"I don't want anything to do with that…with him!"

"You don't even know him. Plus, he has two really pretty sisters…maybe…"

"Oh Natalia...and what? I date one of them while you date him?"

"Who said anything about dating?" I frowned.

"Natalia." He said, placing two hands on my shoulders and forcing me to look at him "please…stay away from him." His voice sounded a little desperate that it worried me. "Nothing good will come out of this…I say this for your own good. So quickly he could hurt you…and I can't bear to think of the idea of you not here with us any longer." He stared at me and I felt the sting of the tears on my face and I just nodded my head.

"I'm sorry Edward." I choked out before he hugged me against him tightly. The way he said things, I hadn't thought about it that way before. It hadn't dawned on me that Jasper could hurt me if he wanted to…they were all much stronger than I ever could be.

"I love you little sister." He laughed lightly as he pulled away.

"I love you too."

After that moment with my brother in our living room, I pretty much avoided Jasper at all costs. There was a part that thought that it was stupid. I could be friends with whoever I wanted to right? But, there was a bigger part that didn't want to break my promise to my brother. He was my family after all. Jasper knew something was up because, not more than a week later after this whole avoidance thing had been going on, he showed up at my house!

~Jasper's POV~

About a week after all this, I decided enough was enough. I knew that Natalia was avoiding me on purpose. I could also tell that she really didn't want to be doing this. I knew her brother was behind this. He had probably told her something that scared her so much that she didn't even want to look at me. Regardless, my feelings about her hadn't changed one bit. If anything, they were more intense if that was possible. I sought advice from Rosalie as to what I should do about this whole situation. She told me to follow my heart (a figure of speech of course) and do what I felt was right. She assured me that she would accept whatever choices I made. She was afraid though. She didn't voice it, but it was evident in her voice. She feared for Natalia. She, like Natalia's brother, was afraid that I could hurt her because she was only human.

"Just go to her Jasper…you never know unless you go." She had told me. She knew it was killing me not being able to hear her voice…seeing her face.

And, now here I was…standing in front of her house. It wasn't hard to find. I rang the doorbell and just stood there. I didn't know what I was going to do if her brother answered the door. He'd probably attack me right then and there. I breathed a sigh of relief when a woman opened the door and looked at me, a small smile across her face.

"Hello. May I help you?" she asked sweetly.

"I was hoping to find Natalia…is she home?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, may I ask who you are first?" she laughed lightly.

"Oh, of course. My name is Jasper Hale. It's very nice to meet you." I extended my hand and shook hers.

"I'm Esme, I'm Natalia's adoptive mother…come in, I'll go get her." She smiled still and let me into the huge home. I sat on one of the couches as she glided upstairs. A few moments later, I saw the two of them come back down the stairs. I stood back up immediately and smiled at her. Oh, it made me so happy to see her.

"Viente Minutos." I heard her mother whisper to her and I frowned. Why was she talking to her in Spanish? Probably so I wouldn't understand…which, I actually knew what she was saying.

"You speak Spanish?" I asked her as we both sat across from one another on the couch.

"Yes, my um mother was from Mexico…" she said softly and my eyes widened. Mexico held a lot of memories for me I must admit. I shook the thoughts and focused back on her.

"How have you been? I haven't gotten the chance to really talk to you this week." I started to strike up conversation with her.

"I'm fine, thanks." She said. Something was bothering her. It was almost like she was nervous to be sitting here with me.

"Are you okay?" I tried to reach for her hand but she pulled away too quickly for ever me to catch it.

"Jasper I'm sorry but this can't happen." She spoke staring at me. If I had a beating heart, it would've been filled with pain at that moment.

"I don't understand. I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" she said nervously "how are we supposed to be friends?"

"It would be quite simple I assure you…"

"No Jasper, there's something going on…and no one will tell me what it is."

"Well, you haven't really given me the chance to tell you." I tried to defend myself.

"But I already know! I heard them talking about it…they said you imprinted on me?" she breathed the words out and I stopped and just looked over at her.

"Yes, yes I did." I admitted.

"I don't know exactly what that means…but, I'm sorry, I can't be tied to you like that Jasper. I don't want to be claimed by some vampire who I don't even know. I can't keep hurting my family…for someone who doesn't even know me or vice versa." Her words kept cutting me like a knife. I had envisioned this conversation going a completely different way.

"Natalia, I can't let that happen. Even if I wanted to…there's no way that I will ever be able to stay from you. All I'm asking is for you to give me a chance?" I asked her trying to get a little closer to her but she backed up some more.

"A chance for what? A chance for you to hurt me? You & I Jasper…we aren't…"

"Don't say it." I whispered "please don't tell me that…I know your brother has put these ideas into your head. He's telling you that I'm the bad guy. That I would hurt you in an instant. Well, so could he…I don't dream of ever hurting you."

"I think that you should leave…it would be best if we just didn't talk to one another that often. That way, I can't hurt you and you can't hurt me." She said, trying to put on a brave face but I could feel like she was going to crack.

"But…"

"No, just….leave." she breathed out. I couldn't defy her. Even though everything was telling me to stay, I listened to her and began to walk out the door.

"This doesn't change my feelings about you…" I sighed as I closed the door behind me. I could sense her brother coming back home so I ran…ran far away from this guy who was keeping away from her.

~Natalia's POV~

As soon as I heard the door close, I ran upstairs to where Esme was and burst thru the door. She looked a little confused but her arms were soon around me and I started crying uncontrollably.

"Shh, sweetie what happened?"

"I told him we shouldn't be friends…that he and I could never be anything…" I sobbed harder.

"Do you really believe that?" she pulled me away from her and looked at me.

"No, that's what's so hard about this…I just didn't want to hurt you guys…Edward told me that nothing good would come out of Jasper and I." her face turned into a frown as we both heard the door open. He was soon standing in the doorway, looking at the two of us.

"Edward." Esme spoke, her voice stern "what have you done?"

"I…I just wanted to protect her." He said.

"You're breaking her Edward…can't you see she's in pain?"

"Is this what you want Natalia? To be with someone…like him?"

"Why do you keep talking like that…I barely know him!" I sighed "But you keep talking like I'm in love with him."

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it.

"What do you want honey?" Esme asked me.

"I just want a chance…just a chance for him to explain everything to me without me worrying about everyone in the back of my mind."

"Then go to him…don't worry about anyone but yourself. You be the judge of him…don't worry about anything else. You're old enough to make your own choices." I nodded and walked up from the room.

"Well not right now silly." She laughed.

"Oh, well then when?" I looked at her and Edward. He wasn't saying anything, clearly he was still mad.

"You have the entire weekend…I'm sure Edward will help you track him down." She smiled and he just scoffed at that idea. I sighed and left the room. I thought about how it looked like I had cut his heart out when I told him we shouldn't be anything. I wonder why he would react in such a manner? Then I started to wonder, did I really want to know everything that was going on? It was sort of intriguing to have this perfect, yet stranger in my life.

~Thoughts??~