Chapter 9:
The weekend had been flawless compared to those few hours of pain and anger. She had fallen asleep in Jasper's arms, and hadn't even noticed he had moved them to his bedroom. When she woke, he had put a safe distance away from the two, but she sought out his comfort and he chuckled when she crawled back into his embrace. The Cullens had been patient with her, at first trying to be as gentle with everything.
But she assured them she was okay, or at least she would be, and to treat her normally. She had returned home the next day, unfortunately surrendering baby Alex back to her absent mother. He had bonded with Esme and Rosalie and cried the entire way home when she had to take him back. But it only lasted a few hours before her mother left and she brought him back with her. She had grabbed a bag of clothes, leaving a note letting her mother know she would be spending the weekend out, until Monday night.
The Cullens had tried to assure her that she didn't need anything, that they had plenty of clothes for her, but she insisted. She noticed a level of comfort they had with her. They had stopped with the human cover, and she started to notice small things again.
They did not eat all weekend, not even a glass of water, although Esme made it her mission to buy all of Allison's favorite and she was never out of the kitchen for more than an hour even though Allison insisted it was not necessary. Apparently, Esme had a passion for cooking and loved having her there since she was only able to do it rarely.
The girls insisted that it was the perfect weekend for a shopping trip, so they all loaded into the black Mercedes and spent the entire day Sunday in Port Angeles. They had bought more clothes than Allison could even wear, but they assured her she would use them at some point and wouldn't take no for an answer.
Rosalie hadn't taken a liking to her VW that needed more work than it was worth, and fought her on the idea of the Cullen's buying her a new car. It had only been a week, but yet they were acting like she was already married into the family. She insisted her car was adequate for what she needed, and after an hour of assuring they gave in, although made a promise it was only temporary. She sighed.
She wasn't sure how they were already so comfortable with her after only a week. It was like they knew some secret she didn't, but she tried not to push. She knew they were comfortable because she felt no reason to pry into their secrets. If they felt the need to tell her, they would.
And just like that, it was like the entire dynamic had changed with her life. In a week, she had suddenly gained a whole new family, and they all seemed so attached to her already. They all saw her as their daughter, sister, or, in Jasper's case although he was yet to admit it to her, his mate.
They hadn't put a label on anything, but the whole family knew it was only a matter of time. They had spent the entire day Saturday going through his book collection and just talking about the most random topics. She had learned so much about this family in such a short time.
But all too soon, her fantasy world was shattered when it came to Monday morning and they were to return to school. She worried how others would view her if she outwardly showed her close relationship to the Cullens, so they completely, or rather mostly Jasper, understood her need for temporary separation in public. She would of course be with them, but she didn't want others to know of her relationship with Jasper.
She wasn't even sure what it was herself. She was still in the process of figuring it out. But she felt no reason to rush, and neither did he. They were happy with having no complications. They had a weekend of pure joy, comfort, and peace and had no intention of ruining it.
But all too soon, they pulled into the parking lot at school. She insisted she drive by herself for appearances. She did not only want to cover her secret, but theirs as well. But she did join them by the silver Volvo, talking animatedly with Alice about possibly helping them redo their closet.
"I think the humans want the latest gossip from your time with us." Edward nodded his head towards her old group of friends. She couldn't help but feel like an ocean of distance had been put between them in one weekend. She sighed as they motioned her over. She looked at the Cullens sadly. "If you want to keep up appearances, you have to. It's okay, you're doing it for us too."
Rosalie and Alice looked annoyed at the human girls, but gave her a soft smile and nodded, motioning her over. But she couldn't stop her gaze from going to her mystery boy, whose smile had more sadness than joy. "It's okay. I'll walk you to class when you are done?"
"Absolutely." She wanted nothing more than to kiss him. But he understood and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She took a deep breath and made her way over. The girls couldn't control their whispers as she walked over. "Hi, guys."
"Tell us everything!" They all squealed, and suddenly a whiplash of annoyance ran through her. She understood Rosalie's hatred for human girls now, their immaturity almost pissed her off.
"About?"
"Your weekend with the Cullen's, duh! What did the house look like, were they weird? Did they actually talk to you?"
"You act like their some mysterious cult. They're just people like us. It was normal, we watch movies, ate some pizza, and even went shopping one day. They're all really nice and really welcoming. Maybe if you treated them like normal human beings you would see that." Her voice didn't do a good job of covering her annoyance. It felt good to stick up for the Cullens.
"You act like you're like best friends. You were only with them one night, we were just curious." One girl scoffed, and flipped her hair.
"Well there was nothing to tell." And they're better friends to me than you all ever have been.
"Here comes your boyfriend, did he hear of the ''fabulous time' you had with them?" Another girl sneered, and she only had one second before she felt an arm go around her throat and a pair of lips kissing her cheek. She froze instantly, a shiver of panic run through her. But only for a split second before fury took over. She pulled from his grasp and didn't hesitate a second before kneeing him in his man area.
"What part of broken up did you not understand? You're psycho ass is lucky I don't have you arrested. If you ever think of touching me again, you will be." She said with such venom in her voice it almost stung. She could feel Jasper's unease from across the lot, and she turned to the girls in front of her. "You can choose right now, you be friends with that creep or me. But you can't have both."
She walked over with more strength and conviction in her being than she had ever felt before. And that one moment of standing up to her abuser gave her a strength she didn't know she had. She walked over to the Cullen's with a smile of true relief, and she could see the unease but also pride in their gaze.
"I have to say little sister, I am impressed." Emmett smirked and gave her a fist pound. She smiled softly at the nickname. They all agreed. But the confidence she felt did not end. She turned to Jasper, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a passionate kiss. She heard whistles all around her.
"I thought you didn't want it public, Darlin?" He whispered softly with a smirk. She smiled brightly, a weight lifted off her shoulders.
"Well, I don't care anymore. You're mine. They'll just have to accept it." She smiled brightly before kissing him softly once more and then stepping back and taking his hand. The humans all had opened jaws as the Cullens walked by Allison included. She didn't know what everyone else saw. From the first day she met the mysterious family she had felt at home.
Yet everyone watched them like she drank the poison. She would never truly understand. She could feel Jasper rub reassuring circles on her palm and she smiled at him thankfully. She wasn't sure how after such a short time, he was already such an important part of her life, but she didn't question it.
"I'm so proud of you." He whispered as he kissed her hair, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly, not wanting to separate for their first class. As they approached her door, he stopped. "Saturday, I want us to go on our first official date."
"Well that's rather formal of you." She blushed and giggled, and he rolled his eyes. She could only imagine what he had in mind considering she was already basically living at his house.
"Well, I was raised to be a gentlemen. So what do you say?" His eyes sparkled with excitement but she couldn't help the gnawing feeling in her stomach.
"What do you have in mind?" She asked hesitantly. She could see the evil smirk forming and the idea swirling behind his eyes, but she also knew he had no plans to tell her what he was planning.
"You'll see."
"Jazz, I hate surprises."
"But you'll love this one, come on just say yes, please?" He smiled brightly, kissing her cheek and rubbing circles on her hand again. He knew that was becoming her weakness.
"Alright, alright. Yes. But nothing fancy. You and your family have a habit of throwing money around." She teased, rolling her eyes as he stuck his tongue out and she held back her laughter. The bell let out a shrill cry signaling the students to head to class. He kissed her cheek softly, and let her alone for the rest of the period.
Everyday Allison would ask what Jasper had planned, whenever she was not working she tended to be at the Cullen house. She asked every Cullen whenever she saw them if they knew, but they would not even give her a hint.
Edward seemed to know the most information, but still he refused. But it never stopped her from asking. Currently, she was in the girl's closet allowing Rosalie to experiment with her hair. The boys had all gone hiking for the day since it had been sunny earlier, but the girls hung back. Esme had graciously offered, or rather almost begged, to allow Alex to visit for the day.
Alice wanted to be prepared for her date Saturday, planning her outfit and practicing what they would do for her hair. She had learned quickly to allow them free rein since they always seemed to know best.
"Alice, what look are you going for, because there is no pattern to your method of choosing clothing right now!" Allison said, exasperated. She just wanted to know!
"Oh no, good try. You are not knowing. Did you think maybe the whole point was to throw you off?" Alice said with an evil smirk. Allison groaned. But she took the opportunity since it was just the girls to ask them all questions, but Alice threw her off guard. "Are you happy with Jasper?"
"Why do you ask?" Her answer was defensive, and she could hear it in her voice. Alice had a sad smile.
"That wasn't an answer."
"Of course I am, but my question still stands."
"I hate that I hurt Jasper, but I couldn't stand in his way anymore."
"Stand in his way?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Either way, you were his future, Allison. Not me."
"What if I'm not enough?" Both girls scoffed.
"Are you kidding? Allison Jasper has never been this happy before. Not even with Alice. You are truly his soul mate." Allison scoffed like the two. She didn't understand the way this family saw the world.
"I don't understand you guys."
"And why is that?"
"You guys see the world in such a unique way. You see time as if it lasts forever. You see love so simply, like everyone has another half and it's as simple as that. Sometimes life isn't easy." She sighed, suddenly getting aggravated.
"Allison, sometimes you need to look at the glass half full. Jasper sees you as his other half."
"That's a big shoe to fill."
"What do you mean?"
"Love isn't simple. You don't just find someone and decide to spend the rest of your life together. Feelings change. People change, life changes. He could decide next week he wants a different girl. He shouldn't be tied to one person for life. He has free will."
"Allison…you understand there is something different about us right?"
"Different, well yeah."
"Well, what you think of Jasper, remember that. For us, there is no going back. There is no change. When you find that one person, that's it. If it's true, it's for life."
"Alice, you dated him for a long time. That changed."
"I found my soul mate. And he found his now." Alice smiled brightly, and Allison froze. Although she did hope Jasper would be her one love, she didn't want to get her hopes up.
"Can you do me a favor?" Allison whispered, and both girls nodded. "Don't talk about us like that."
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because, he may be different but I am still normal. I can't talk about life with such finality. My life is going to change whether I like or want it to or not."
"And you doubt whether Jasper will be apart of it?" Rosalie said sadly, still braiding her hair. Allison sighed, turning her head as far as she could to avoid her gaze in the mirror.
"No. Yes, I don't know. It's been a week since we even met! I don't want to plan on a future with him when we've barely gotten through a few days. I did that before, and look where it got me." She kept the tears at bay. "I mean how do you even know if you love someone?"
"You just know. You have that warm fuzzy feeling in your gut when you see them."
"You always want to be around them when you aren't, and even when you are you cannot get enough."
"You always want them close, and physical closeness is always a must, if you know what I mean." Allison blushed.
"How do I know if he wants that?" Allison whispered softly, a blush rising on her cheeks. The girls felt extreme sadness then. They weren't sure if it was possible for them to have that, if she wasn't one of their kind, not after Bella's pregnancy.
"All men want it. Jasper does, believe me. But he doesn't want to push anything with you." Rosalie explained, and Allison was eternally grateful for that. She knew she was not ready for anything like that in her relationship.
"Is it…fun, when you love the person? All I ever got was bruises and soreness." She said bitterly, a sour edge to her tone. The girls sighed, but saw the humor in her eyes. They couldn't help but admire the strength this girl possessed.
"It's amazing. It's the best experience you'll ever have. But Jasper is old fashioned. He may want to wait until you are married." Allison couldn't control the shock that ran through her.
"Marriage?! Whoa, who said anything about marriage?" She said as her heart rate skyrocketed. The girls couldn't help but laugh. She was so naive, they knew her true feelings, it was written all over her face. But they also knew it wasn't human nature to assume forever.
"It's what happens when you love someone, Allison."
"F.Y.I. I am designing your wedding gown." Alice said happily, but Allison just faked a smile. They hadn't even gone on a date yet, and they were talking of marriage! The girls sighed seeing her expression. "Just remember we are different. Our kind is different."
Allison's curiosity spiked. What was their "kind?"