Chapter 8

I froze. My eyes were still in the sky; I was too afraid to look down.

"W-what?" My voice went as a choke.

"That Hale is---"

"I know what, I heard you!" I rolled my eyes at him. "But I mean, are you sure? Like sure, sure? Maybe he is staring at someone behind me?" I arched my head so I could see at my back, but there was just more night there and no one else.

Edward sighed. "Bell, I'm pretty sure he's looking at you. Tell you more, he's now looking at your legs," He chuckled. My cheeks burned for the red that emerged instantly.

I instinctively put my hands in my legs to cover them. Yeah sure, as if my hands would cover all my legs - no way was I that skinny. "Are you serious?" I mumbled still looking up the sky.

"Totally… Alright, I think he's seen your legs enough." His voice came harder now.

"I think the same, is he still looking at my legs?!" My heart beats were over 200. If I thought I'd have a heart attack before, I was completely wrong. Now I was going to have a heart attack – it was just matter of time.

"Mmm," Edward peeped one more time and then he looked at me again. "Not now, he's looking at me, now."

"What's his face?"

"Desire… he's looking at my legs," He bit his bottom lip in a sexy way.

I laughed. "Shut up, you're grouse!" At least the tension had decreased a bit.

He laughed back. "Alright, he's walking to this spot, just ACT NORMAL." Edward took my hand that was behind the log and squeezed it. Did I hear well?

"WHAT? Is he coming here?!" I whispered, almost chocking again.

"Yes, he is. Just calm down, Bella," He squeezed it one more time. But I was almost at the edge of the heart attack now, yep, just minutes and I'd be a nothing in the floor. Hasta la vista, baby.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God---" That kept on coming off my system without any warning.

Edward was almost strangulating my right hand by now. "Just act normal, jeez…" He shook his head and placed me straight in the log so my eyes were directly to the front. Thanks a lot, best friend!

"Hey," The deep voice of Jasper sounded just a foot from where I was sitting. He smiled at me and stayed there, waiting for my answer.

But nope. My body wouldn't react. It was totally shocked, as if a plug had just unplugged from my brain and I was as still as a vegetable. Worst – vegetables don't have mouth, and I did, and it was completely open. God.

Edward incorporated himself by my side, but I could sense his disapproving stare intently on my nape before doing it. "Hey Jasper, what's up?" Edward talked with a calm voice. Oh, he was my savior. Well, I guess it was the least thing he could do after throwing me to the wolves like that.

"Hey Edward, nothing, just chilling…" I saw Jasper shrugging his shoulders in front of me. He was now looking at Edward but he peeped at me from time to time. "So… Bella, right? You hate being called Isabella?" Jasper said pointing at me. Oh my.

Guess what I did? LAUGHED. Yes, I laughed a dorky laugh. The ones that always appear in the movies when the hot guy goes and talk to the nerd girl and the only sounds that escapes her thorax is a weird laugh, like the one of a donkey? Exactly, that was my case.

Jasper made a face but at my surprise he then smiled back. And the color reached my face one more time – I swear if I could kill red, oh, how dead it would be!

Edward came one more time to save the night, clearing his throat. "She's sore throat, that's why she doesn't talk that much." He murmured as he hit me slightly in my back with his shoulder – obviously trying to see if I could react with that. That much? I was completely mute.

"Too many parties?" Jasper grinned. Yeah – sure it was that, not that I was almost going to pass out for you.

I tilted my head from side to side and covered my arms with my hands.

He looked at them for a second. "Oh, maybe you're cold? You want my jacket?" He arched his eyebrows at the same time he started taking his blue jacket off. Blue jacket + blue shirt = match! Yep, I'm a looser.

I was starting to shake my head for the nervousness, when Edward took control again. "Oh, that'd be great! She was actually just telling me how cold she was, right Bell?" Edward looked at me with a I'm-gonna-kill-you-if-you-don't-talk-right-now face and hit my back one more time. I made my best to make my system work and nodded.

Jasper sighed deeply and frowned a bit. "Cullen I thought you more gentleman here, was this lady going to be cold if I hadn't arrived?" His tone was one of a joke but Edward tensed a bit at my side.

"Yeah, well, luckily you came, huh?" Edward replied as he stood up from the log. I looked at him with pleading eyes and he gave me a 'chill-out' look in response. My lip was almost aching again with pressure I was applying to it with my nervous teeth.

"Yeah, luckily…" Jasper then finished taking off the jacket and gave it to me with a sure movement. And when he put it on my hand, he brushed my palm slightly with his fingers, producing an electric reaction to the action.

I gulped and took some air. Come on, Bella, just woman up! "Thanks," I managed to murmur despite the nervousness and put it on. I had to admit it smelled really good.

"No problem," He grinned back and sat in the place Edward just was.

From the corner of my eyes I saw Edward kicking some sand of the ground. "So…" He sighed. "I'll just go look what Jessica's doing, maybe she's done now." He winked at me and started walking to the bonfire.

Alright Bella, just breath. Remember what you've been doing since you were born? Giving air to your system and then taking it out, then in, then out, so you don't die?! My brain was trying to help me with basic tutorials of how to survive but I was still at the edge of my now friend, the heart attack.

Jasper looked at me and smiled again. "So, you and Edward are pretty good friends, huh?"

I smiled back and tried to relax. "Yes, we really are…"

"That's cool; I'd love to have a best girlfriend." He said the last word with an implicit tone that brought that weird feeling to my stomach again.

"Well, it's not that difficult really…" I shrugged.

"But you're friends, friends or friends with… benefits?" He said the last part a bit ashamed as if he knew it was none of his business.

My eyes widened with the question. "What? No, no—just friends, friends." I laughed at the craziness of the situation. Luckily this time, the laughter went out in a normal way – well, normal in me at least.

He chuckled and scrutinized every inch of my face with his eyes. "Why are you laughing?"

"It's just weird that people think Edward and I can have something else than just friendship," I shook my head with the thought. It was a really crazy thought.

"It's not that uncommon, lots of relationships start like friends and end like a romantic one," He came a bit closer to me. And I thought my heart would explode from my chest. Good thing it didn't. "But I'm glad that's not your case," He whispered in my ear and smile.