Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters etc, and I wish Stephenie Meyer didn't own them either.

Chapter Four – She Cowers

Bella's hand copied down equations on auto-pilot as she tried to take stock of her morning. More than anything else, it was a weight off to know that Alice wasn't mad at her. She'd known at the time that any pouting or ranting done by Alice would be for attention purposes only, but it was nice to be sure. She wasn't sure what exactly was going on with Edward – she had, after all, only known him for a grand total of about three hours – but she knew that there was something, and she couldn't bear having to keep another secret from her best friend.

The thought startled her. She hadn't even considered not talking to Edward, hadn't thought about going back to how things were. The strange unwillingness to give him up already was surprising and, if she was honest with herself, more than a little scary. Without being conscious of it, her eyes had drifted to him. He'd pressed his chair as far away from Jasper as he could get it, his seatmate mirroring his stance. His narrow shoulders were hunched over, and she could see him writing furiously. Occasionally, he would pause to run those his long fingers through his hair, leaving it wild and – heaven help her – incredibly inviting.

The longer she stared, the more the tension that had wound him up so tightly seemed to lessen. She wanted to think that he could feel her eyes on him and that he liked it, but she knew she couldn't take full credit – Jasper's obvious seething probably amused him to no end. Her theory was confirmed when he glanced quickly over his shoulder at her, flashing a wink that sent all the blood in her body rushing straight to her face. Alice watched the entire exchange, smiling knowingly at Bella who just stuck out her tongue in response.

Cautiously, Alice ripped a piece of paper from her notebook as silently as possible and placed it between them.

Bella and new kid, sitting in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

His name is Edward. He's nice.

Oh yes, he was soooooooo nice this morning. Real Mr. Manners, B. But hey, I like them grumpy and mysterious too so I can't blame you.

There was a winky face following the pronouncement, but Bella saw the faint hint of guilt in her friend's eyes. Everyone knew that Jasper didn't like Bella, but no one knew how to handle it. She liked to just ignore it as much as possible, and, as usual settled for a humorous deflection.

You are molting all over the floor, you realize.

It's a literal manifestation of my unforgettableness.

Do you even know what that means?!?

Nope. But who cares. I'm cute and interesting!

Bella was barely able to fight back a giggle. Mr. Varner sent her a reproving glance and she tried to wipe the mirth from her face and failed.

Ok, enough of this. I'm going to get in trouble.

No! As delightful as I find your wit, I didn't start this note to flirt with you, woman! Why does Jasper hate new kid?

It was several long minutes before Bella could decide how to respond to Alice's question. She wished she knew the reasons. In theory, he hated Edward because she wasn't his English partner anymore. In theory he hated Edward because he was new. In theory he hated Edward because he was mean to Alice. In theory, he hated Edward because he hated everyone. Still, those were just theories, and she knew it had to be something more. It had to be more, because she'd seen the way Jasper had looked at Edward's car and heard the way he responded to her crazy encounter with him. But she couldn't say that to Alice…she could barely admit it to herself.

It's Edward. And I don't know. There was an incident in English, but I'll have to tell you at lunch. Don't even try pouting at me, either. It's too long to write out.

Summary?

I'm not J's English partner anymore…

Alice's blue eyes widened in shock, her jaw dropping open in momentary surprise. Immediately, her mouth snapped shut. She sucked on her top lip as she sent nervous glances to the ball of fury Jasper had slowly shrunk into as the period progressed.

Bella was just preparing to write again when Mr. Varner spoke.

"Bella, perhaps you can kindly give me the solution to this equation?"

"Umm…which one?" she asked, her voice timid and small.

"Number seven, Miss Swan, though you'd know that if you were listening to what I just said."

She sent a desperate glance at Alice who shrugged helplessly as she looked at the army of equations that had filled the board during their chat. They were all related to vectors, she knew that. She also knew she had no hope of solving one on the spot. She bought time by trying to explain how to solve the equations, and was just about to admit that she hadn't been paying attention at all and had no idea what the answer was when Edward leaned over in his seat, three numbers written in huge letters on the page that his movement revealed.

"So, the solution would be…" She trailed off, unsure of whether she could trust him. It only took her a second to realize she had no other options. A wrong answer was better than no answer when faced with Mr. Varner's penchant for detentions.

"Negative one, two, and seven?" She phrased her response like a question, hoping to cover her ass just in case Edward was every bit the douche he'd acted like earlier in the day.

"Very good," Mr. Varner said, begrudgingly. "Mr. Cheney, you – "

Ben was saved by the bell, and Bella joined the rest of her class in hurriedly packing up her books so that she could bolt before she was asked to stay after. She followed Jasper and Alice out of the room, watching her try to soothe him with gentle caresses up his arm. Seeing the contact reminded her of the short period their hands had touched that morning. Her whole body broke out in goose bumps just from the memory.

"Bella, wait up!" Edward called, and she realized she'd been waiting for him to say her name.

"Hey," she said quietly, conflicted and confused by the response she was having to his presence. "Thanks for that. The thought of another hour of detention with that man is enough to make me vomit. You really saved my life."

"Well, I had to make sure you had permission to talk to me," he teased, though all traces of his smile were wiped away as soon as he glanced over her shoulder. The swiftness with which his smile switched to a grimace was disconcerting.

"God damnit. Is this going to be a regular occurrence?"

She was just about to turn around to face whatever he was glaring at when a large hand clasped her arm. The grip was forceful rather than rough, but she could feel the anger and tension in Jasper's fingers.

"Excuse us, please," he practically growled, tugging Bella away.

Edward opened his mouth as if to speak but was silenced by her beseeching gaze. She watched him over his shoulder while Jasper drug her away like a child, staring at him long after he'd turned back toward the main building. When he finally disappeared from sight, she faced forward again.

Alice stood waiting from them, twisting her tiny hands together and frowning up at her boyfriend.

"Jesus, Jasper. That was totally unnecessary!"

"That would be where you are wrong," he replied, releasing his grip on Bella and sending her in Alice's direction. "That kid is a total fucking dick. She doesn't need to be his new BFF."

"I don't think that's possible," Alice said, her smile fake and her voice unnaturally bright. "She already has a BFF, and I'm pretty damn irreplaceable."

"Oh, so irreplaceable babe. That's why she's been fucking drooling over him all god damn day. Even after the way he treated you."

His last sentence almost seemed like an afterthought, and Bella felt her traitorous heart do a flip inside of her chest as she flushed. She wanted to back away and flee, but Alice rolled her eyes at Jasper and linked arms with her before she had a chance.

"Come on, BFF. Someone is in a snit. And that someone" she added, glaring at Jasper, "can walk his own bitchy ass to lunch."

Bella just gaped at her friend as she was tugged through the halls. They'd almost made it to the door when she heard Jasper start to move forward. She knew he wasn't following them, but it was a small school and there were only so many ways to get a round. The fact that he hadn't chased after Alice, flashing his devil-may-care grin and kissing her nose with an over the top apology surprised her, and she could tell it surprised Alice too.

Still, Alice kept marching resolutely forward. Bella often marveled at the other girl's strength. How easy it was for her to just puff herself up and ignore him. How easy it was for her to just ignore all of them. How sure of herself she was. It was almost maddening.

She knew that Alice wasn't perfect – she'd seen the look of hurt and shock when Edward had so clearly snubbed her – but she bounced back, and Bella knew that the rebound wasn't normally an act. Alice only ever wore her too vibrant smile when she was trying to cheer up someone else, usually Jasper.

When they rounded the corner to the cafeteria, Alice hustled her over to their regular table. The cafeteria, normally reflective of the school's hive mentality and abuzz with noise, was eerily hushed as people leaned across their tables to whisper to each other. All their looks were drawn to the same place.

"You'd think he was a circus freak show or something, the way they keep staring at him," Alice said, rolling her eyes and pulling out a Tupperware container full of cheerios before popping a handful into her mouth.

"Well, for Forks, he kind of is," Bella pointed out, her eyes shooting toward Edward. She felt a pang when she realized that he wasn't looking at her. She followed his gaze to see Jasper, standing in line with a tray and staring at her.

"Puh-lease," Alice said. "I'm a bigger freak show than him any day!"

"Of course. You are a unique and delicate snowflake," Bella teased, faking a laugh as she kept a wary eye on Jasper.

"Damn skippy," Alice chirped, tapping her spoon against her bowl and looking over her shoulder. "I really shouldn't piss him off before lunch. Dry cereal sucks."

"You know he'll be over here with milk and an apology in five minutes."

"He better be."

Sure enough, Jasper was nearing the front of the line. The tension in his shoulders was obvious to everyone - even the lunch lady seemed to cringe away from him. He was wound so tight that Bella knew that it was only a matter of time before he exploded. She also knew that if she was sitting at their table when he finally made his way back to Alice's side, he was likely to explode all over her.

"I need some air," Bella said, watching for a momentary distraction

Alice simply slid the keys across the table to Bella with a knowing look. "See you after school. I'll fix this before then."

Bella took the keys with a grateful smile and bolted, but not out the rear doors. She headed out like she was going to the library, hoping she wouldn't be followed. As soon as the cafeteria doors swung shut behind her, she hurried down a side hallway and slipped out the door. She walked briskly through the ever present mist, not even bothering to pull the hood of her raincoat into place.

With a relieved sigh, she unlocked the doors to Alice's car and collapsed into the back seat. Her book was in her bag, but fictional release was not what she needed. Instead, she just closed her eyes and tried to relax. She'd spend all day worrying about her current predicament and thinking about everything that had gone wrong, so she tried to remember back to happier days.

She thought back to the time that she and Emmett had gone fishing with their fathers and he'd pushed her in. She remembered Rosalie teaching her how to braid hair. Mostly, though, she remembered Jasper as he used to be. She remembered him coming over to watch cartoons every day during the summer. She remembered lending him novels when he forced histories upon her. She remembered the days when his smiles had been easy and carefree, and when his eyes sparkled with something other than malice. She remembered him as one of her best friends and not as the most complicated part of her life.

Her eyes flashed open when a loud scraping, like nails on a chalkboard, startled her from her reverie. She sat bolt upright, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open as she took in the sight before her. Standing two spots away, his back to her, was Jasper. His fingers held a key as he ran it down the side of Edward's shiny black paint job, leaving behind a deep, silver gash.

As if he felt her eyes on him he froze, whirling around. It didn't take long for him to spot her, still frozen in the backseat. It took a moment for his expression to switch from shock to anger, and Bella could have sworn she saw a flash of hurt in between. Too soon his familiar scowl spread its way across his features. He stuck his fist in front of his face and beckoned her sarcastically with his finger.

Her first thought was to stay in the safe confines of the car. The idea of a sturdy steel door between herself and Jasper's temper was incredibly appealing. Still, she found herself opening the door and climbing out into the rain. She told herself that it was because she wasn't a coward, but deep down she knew that it was an excuse to be near him. It was almost sick how much she thrived on these moments alone, hate filled though they seemed, but she could worry about that later – she would worry about that later.

"Stalker," he said, as soon as the door closed behind her.

"I was out here first," she pointed out, her whisper barely audible through the rain.

"Who cares?" he snorted. "Now get back inside."

"What are you going to – "

"None of your damn business!" he interrupted.

"It may not be mine," she said, starting to seethe, "but it sure as hell will interest Edward!"

Jasper scoffed at her. "Yeah, sure. Tell him. Be a crybaby tattle-tale. Do you really think my dad would risk allowing the blame to be placed on me? Do you really think he'd give me a detention without proof?"

"I'm the proof!" she huffed, though she knew that Principal Hale would never stand to see his son involved in scandal.

"And your word means nothing. Everyone knows we don't get along! Everyone knows you're just a bitter, jilted – "

"Shut up!"

"I don't think – "

"I said toshut the fuck up, J! Just shup up! You can't just do this. He didn't do anything to you! And, you know what? Your dad may not care…your dad may not look into this…but mine sure as shit will!"

"You wouldn't dare," he hissed, his steely eyes narrowed menacingly.

"I don't know what I wouldn't do anymore," she shouted, throwing her hands up into the air.

For a long moment, he just stared at her. Her brown eyes flashed in anger, but the way she chewed on her bottom lip gave away her confusion and insecurity. Her skin was unnaturally pale from the cold, but her cheeks were flushed from the heat of their argument. Combined with her long hair whipping wildly around her face as the wind increased, she looked positively wild.

Jasper couldn't stop his eyes from widening as he stared at her, and the same shock and hurt from earlier returned. She watched as he warred silently with himself, clearly considering a tactic. He frowned for a split second before his scowl was back.

"I know exactly what you wouldn't do," he said, mockery dripping from each word.

Fear raced through her. "J, you can't just – "

"I can. Would you like to know why I can?" He paused for a second, but she knew that his question was rhetorical. "I can because you won't stop me. You wouldn't dare. You wouldn't dare risk it if it meant everyone finding out your secret. Everyone."

Bella gasped, staring at him in horror. The blood drained from her cheeks, the spark faded from her eyes, and her whole posture deflated under his amused stare.

"That's right, B. If you so much as think about this around Edward Cullen or your father, I'll tell anyone I can get to listen to me about your sick little obsession with me. I'll tell Alice about how you betrayed both of us. I'll let Rosalie's lapdogs know about your unrequited little crush. And I'll make sure everyone knows about how you just stood and watched when – "

"Stop it," she stammered, backing away from him. "I won't say anything."

"Exactly," he replied with a self-satisfied smirk.