Usual disclaimer applies.

March, 2012

~42~

Seeing Jasper in history class reminds me of why I was avoiding that class this week. I guess knowing that it was Edward who helped me and that I will soon have to confront him about it distracted me.

So when I enter the classroom and Jasper looks up at me with big, blue eyes, I sigh.

I know Jasper didn't drug me. I know that he was, is, a truly unhappy teenager that made a poor decision in getting drugs to make himself feel good. I know he regrets what happened. I know he is sorry.

So I sit down in the desk beside him. I have one more thing to ask him before I let this go.

And I have to laugh because Jasper looks scared shitless. This is the guy that terrifies almost everyone at this school. This is the jackass of Forks High, the kid who swears at teachers, gets suspended, bullies whoever he feels like.

This is Jasper Hale.

I turn to look at him, my head resting on my hand. "Hey, Jasper."

"Bella…" His greeting is almost a question, wondering if I am really talking to him again. Maybe he thinks I have something else to blame him for. And if he is thinking that, he is correct.

"Can we talk, you know, after class?" Despite my wavering thoughts on Jasper, my voice is still not very warm.

"Sure. And, um, I've been working on the project since you haven't been here." He doesn't look like he blames me in the least. "Here is what I have done so far…"

~SW~

Sitting in Jasper's bright yellow Nissan Xterra, I try to come up with the right words to ask my question. I chose this spot to talk because it would offer us privacy, allowing Jasper to hopefully speak freely about something I doubt he has told anyone about.

Rain is cascading on the windows, blocking my view of the outside and blanketing us in its masking sound. The fuzzy forms of my classmates walking to their cars pass by, but it is as though Jasper and I are in a bubble, apart from everything else.

It's much too intimate for my liking. But it is really my only option.

And I think my suspicions are true. I can't come up with any other possible solutions to the problem. And I wonder if Jasper regrets it, if he even realizes the potential consequences. Hell, I don't even know the consequences yet myself.

Taking a deep breath and turning in my seat to face him, I ask my question.

A/N: Any theories for what she is thinking? Let me know!