I woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming into my room through the blinds of my balcony door, before my alarm even went off. I almost couldn't believe that the weather was playing nicely for once in the last few weeks, reaching an unseasonably warm temperature of 50 degrees. When I stepped out onto the landing, I almost didn't break out in chill bumps. Almost.

For a moment, I just enjoyed the sunshine's gentle warmth on my skin until yesterday started playing back through my mind. Talking to Angela, meeting with Mr. Savrda, and the interaction I had with Jasper afterward. I had run the whole thing over again and again in my head, trying to figure out what I had done since first meeting Jasper to make him act so unfriendly towards me, especially when Alice had been so insistent about us getting along.

At that moment, there was a chime from the Blackberry Pearl charging on my nightstand. I closed the balcony door with a sigh, figuring that it would be Jessica or Angela making sure I was awake and getting ready for our shopping date. Instead, it was an unfamiliar number.

Hi, it's Alice! I got your number from the school directory. I'm feeling extremely nauseated and won't be able to hang out with you guys today. Have fun though! XOXOX

I quickly typed a text back, hoping that she felt better soon. I didn't know that Forks High had a directory, let alone that Alice had gotten my number from it at some point. It was unfortunate that she would be missing our girls' day out, even more so because she hadn't had one in forever.

Downstairs, Cara left a note that she was at the hospital working on call with her psych patients. I had the house to myself until Jessica was supposed to come by at nine 'o' clock to pick me up. First, I made a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and watched Niketoons, since no one was here to tell me I couldn't or shouldn't. Around eight, I hopped in the shower and tried to keep my good mood intact by pushing all thoughts of Jasper Hale and his horrible temper out of my mind. I wouldn't give him any more attention than when we met for tutoring sessions after lunch.

"What happened to you yesterday at lunch?" Angela twisted her body around in the seat as I got buckled in. Jessica was dabbing at her Barbie pink lip gloss in the visor mirror before flipping it back up and shifting into drive. I hadn't had the chance to mention my new tutor until now; so much for keeping him off my mind.

"I'm kind of struggling in my math class right now and Mr. Savrda wanted to meet to discuss our options," I skirted around the subject, hoping that we could start talking about something else.

"What did he end up saying?" Jessica piped in before turning left at the end of the street.

"Well, he decided to assign me a tutor for the rest of the semester, in hopes of bringing my grade up?"

"Ooooo, is it that one hot guy taking calculus now? What's his name, Angela? You had chemistry with him. Travis? Trevor?"

"Tobias! Collins please tell me you got paired with Tobias. He's gorgeous. A little eye candy wouldn't hurt while studying," she wiggled her brows suggestively

I spun the amethyst ring around my middle finger, wishing with all my might that Tobias, or really anyone, had been assigned to me as a tutor instead of my actual tutor. The car fell silent as the two other girls waited expectantly for my answer.

"Um, well. It's actually Jasper…"

"Shut up!" Jessica let out a squeal that I couldn't really identify the meaning of. Was she excited for me, mad at me, or in disbelief? My hand flew to grip the back of her headrest as she jerkily merged onto highway 101, due east. Maybe Jasper was the least of my worries compared to Jessica's driving.

"I mean, at least he's good looking," Angela tried to offer positively. "But he's barely said three words to you, hasn't he?"

I nodded, deciding to start in on my story.

"I don't know what I've done or said to piss him off so badly, but trust me, he was pissed," I concluded after a few minutes. Angela nodded at all the right intervals while Jessica surfed the radio for a good station.

"Who knows? The Cullens are super weird," Jessica sniffed.

"Mhm, weird because Edward turned you down? Or because he did it in front of the whole school?" Angela taunted playfully with a coy smile. I didn't know that Jessica had a thing for Edward. It was hard to imagine anyone having a thing for him when he was up Bella's butt all the time.

"Puh-lease, that was when I was young and dumb. I didn't know what I wanted."

Last year, Angela mouthed at me, hiding her mouth with her hand, and then leaning back to avoid a swat from the driver. Thankfully, Jessica took the opportunity to start running through date options for the dance, starting with getting back with Mike. Jasper's anger aside, I was still perplexed by whatever had happened both times I'd touched him. I had never experienced anything like it before meeting him. I had sensed multiple emotions in people plenty of times; however, when mine and Jasper's skin touched, it was like thousands of emotions were fighting the spotlight in my mind, constantly shifting and changing. I didn't like how it made my head spin, but at least he seemed to be having the same problem.

The scenery on the ride from Forks to Port Angeles was mostly trees and the occasional lake. The sunroof was open, letting in enough cool fresh air to offset the warm sunlight. The scent of pine and lake water wafted in, setting my mood straight and making me wish it was summer time already. I knew the nice weather wouldn't last, and I was getting seriously tired of the doom and gloom already.

I'd never gotten carsick as far as I could remember, but Jessica's driving almost changed that. She was a speed demon, a perfectly respectable trait, but when she wanted to merge, by God she was going to merge. Angela, though, was starting to look green around the gills only three-fourth of the way to our destination.

"Finally," she muttered when we pulled into a parking spot at the first boutique on our list. Jessica simply tossed her hair over her shoulder and sauntered to open the door.

There were hundreds, maybe a thousand dresses in a rainbow of colors, lengths, and styles. Angela had informed me on the ride over that at Forks High, most girls wore short dresses for Valentines and homecoming and long dresses for prom. She instantly gravitated to the cream and white colored slinky, silky, styles, while Jessica bee-lined for a plunging red number. I wasn't sure where to start. There were so many options, and I had the unfortunate issue of never knowing what would look good on me until I tried it on, leading to me trying on about 50 dresses.

Jessica tried on the red dress, which made her boobs look amazing, her number one goal. But, the color wasn't right for her skin tone. Angela grabbed a few lighter, short gowns and started the job of trying them on, looking disappointed after each one. A sales assistant behind the counter idly chewed her gum while reading a book with a Harlequin cover.

"Let's head to the store across town. They'll have a better selection," Jessica suggested after none of us could find a dress we liked, adorning her sunglasses once more with an annoyed glance at the assistant. She didn't stir as the door chimed on our way out.

If it were possible, the next store had even more dresses, some of which actually drew my attention. I grabbed a turquoise sheath that Jessica insisted would complement my color palette, a purple dress with a tiered skirt, and a strapless carnation pink garment that sparkled under the bright store lighting.

"This is it. This is the one," Angela called from inside her dressing room.

"Let's see!" Jessica insisted while trying to maximize her boobage in a blood red, one shoulder satin shift dress. "I could stuff my bra," she muttered just loud enough for me to hear.

Angela stepped out, looking radiant in an orchid colored a-line gown. Rhinestones adorned the straps and the top of the bodice, fading down the skirt. Angela was pretty, no doubt, but in the dress, she looked stunning.

"You look amazing," I gasped as she did a little spin in front of the three way mirror. She smiled shyly in response, reminding us that the goddess in pink was still the same Angela that didn't feel comfortable with compliments.

"Yeah, Ben's not gonna be able to keep his pants on with you looking like that," Jessica commented from my left. She had finished arranging her boobs and joined Angela for a mirror twirl and striking a pose at the end. "You've got the perfect dress, now what about me?"

We both agreed that the dress made her boobs look absolutely amazing and that Mike would have a difficult time turning her down if she ended up asking him.

"Alright, your turn Collins," Angela directed the attention to me. Judging by the redness on her face, she had had enough for now. As I pulled off my clothes and stepped into the first blue dress, it surprised me how little I had thought of Alabama or my parents or Bethany. I was enjoying spending time with my newer friends, and all in all, Forks wasn't the worst place I could have ended up. I glanced in the small mirror hanging in the dressing room and wrinkled my nose.

"Bllllluh," Jessica gave a thumbs down. "Turns out I was wrong about that color. You need your tan back to make it work."

The next was even worse.

"Maybe if you were going for Barney?" Angela cringed at the purple monstrosity. Ugh, I did not feel like trying on 20 more dresses. When I walked out in the last one, Jessica squinted her eyes and tilted her head. Angela quirked an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"Give us a twirl!" a sales attendant that was much more attentive than the last popped up, her cheery smile taking up half her face. I spun around 360 degrees, the tulle fanning out as I did so. It was a nice pink, not too bright, like Jess's lipgloss, or too mauve, like old house curtains. The fabric wasn't scratchy at all like I'd expected. When I looked back at my friends, they were both nodding approvingly.

"I love it, but what do you think?" Angela asked. I turned to look in the mirror, sizing up my reflection. My skin, which had in fact lost a lot of color from this past summer, appeared fresher. My hair, which had grown out from salon blonde to dishwater blonde at the roots, brightened just a little, though I made a mental note to ask Jessica about a hair appointment soon. My eyes even sparkled a more true blue.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. "I…look beautiful."

"This," I watched Jess's form move in the mirror to put her hands on my shoulders, "is the dress."

After a brief shoe shopping trip for a pair of shiny nude sky high pumps I'd definitely need to practice in, we were all too hungry to continue our spree without eating. We stopped at a cafe with large windows that almost made it feel like we were eating outside.

"We should schedule nail and spray tan appointments for the week of the dance so that we'll look perfect," Jessica took turns between sipping her pink lemonade, eating a roll, and trying to schedule out the next three weeks up until Valentine's Day.

"Don't you think that's a little much? For senior prom, I get it. But this is just a small dance," Angela asked, with me nodding in agreement. My nails could use some shaping to smooth out where I had bitten them down previously, and my skin was a little dull, but it didn't seem necessary to go all out for this occasion.

"Maybe for you, since you already have a boyfriend, but we're still trying to snag someone."

I nearly choked on my diet Coke.

"Um, who is 'we?' Do you have a mouse in your pocket?" I hadn't said anything to Jessica about snagging any man, ever. I also wasn't planning on it anytime soon, because not knowing where I would end up this summer made it hard to pursue a relationship.

"Don't tell me you actually want to go stag? It's embarrassing!"

I just shrugged. It was a little embarrassing, but I'd done worse, and didn't mind going single as long as I could spend time with my friends.

Our food came shortly after, leaving us with less time to talk as we ate. Afterwards, Jessica's mom called and insisted that she get home ASAP because her cousin was flying in for a visit and Jess needed to be home for the arrival. She was only a little miffed about our girls' day being cut short.

Back at home, I looked over the dress I'd just purchased, rethinking my decision to go without a date. The dress was too pretty to not be appreciated, but I had zero leads on a date so far, and didn't have much time to drum up ideas. However, I knew someone who might.

"Here's my list of guys that I think are worthy of your time and won't try to get you horizontal on the couch immediately after meeting you," Jessica met me in the library during our morning break with a handwritten list of guys to consider for the Valentine's dance. I recognized a few names from my English and anatomy classes, though others seemed completely foreign.

"This one is the guy that we were talking about on Saturday," she pointed to the name Tobias Parks. "Super hot, but he just broke up with a long time girlfriend. Peter Thomas is cute too, but in a boy next door way."

She went down the list, giving me pointers for every guy that she deemed worthy of giving a shot. I felt a little silly at the idea of getting set up this way, but kept the list just in case.

PE was my favorite class of the day, simply because I got to play volleyball to my heart's content. I'd dug my knee pads out of my closet where they had been stored so I could really get into the matches like I used to. Coach even made a comment that she wished I'd moved to Forks earlier to join the team, though now the season was over, and it was too late.

By the time lunch rolled around, I started to feel anxious about my first tutoring session with Jasper. But when I entered the cafeteria, he was nowhere to be found.

"Did Jasper leave?" I asked Alice once we were all seated. Jasper had been in calculus. Edward was also present, and had a curious look on his face. He normally gazed adoringly at Bella for the entirety of lunch, but now, he was looking off in the distance, his brow a furrow of concentration. He kind of looked constipated.

"No, last I checked he's here. Why?"

A slow smile crept across her face, which I quickly discouraged.

"It's not like that. I was just supposed to meet with him for calculus help after lunch, per Mr. Savrda's instruction. I figured he mentioned it to you."

Alice, who thus far never seemed caught off guard by anything, suddenly looked off balance and startled. Her eyes flickered toward Edward for only a second, and then back to me. Bella also glanced my way, something that rarely occurred.

"O-oh, no I don't think he mentioned anything to me. What about you, Edward?"

Edward shook his head in response, still looking worried.

"Ah, well, maybe he won't ditch on me."

I nibbled on a baby carrot without any ranch. I wasn't sure what was worse: Jasper leaving school and not bothering to cancel, or him showing up and having to follow through. I could hardly stomach my food, as my stomach began to twist with apprehension. When the bell rang, signaling 5 minutes left of lunch, I decided to go ahead and make my way to the library.

"Wish me luck," I murmured to Angela as I grabbed my bookbag and threw away my trash.

I really liked the library, and commonly spent my morning break among the shelves, looking for new read after another. Ms. Fields liked to discuss books and share recommendations on occasion. I hoped that the library wouldn't lose its appeal after today.

Jasper was in fact, already there. As I pushed through the door, he didn't glance up from whatever he was quickly writing in a notebook with his calculus textbook open beside it. I paused to take a deep breath and wipe my palms on my thighs.

You can do this, Collins. He's just like any high school douchebag. Only hotter.

"I don't have all day," Jasper called without looking up, just as I took a step forward.

Yep, definitely a douchebag. I pulled out the chair beside him at the rectangular table and started to take out my book and notes from earlier. I had to keep my tongue firmly gripped between my teeth to refrain from making a smart comment back. Maybe if I acted equally as asshole-ish and ignored his complex, he'd chill out, and we'd get through this unscathed. As I sat down, Jasper finished writing and slid the notebook over to me.

"Here's a breakdown of the beginning of the chapter we just covered before Christmas break and some examples worked out. Look over it and try to complete a few problems at the end of the section, if you're capable."

With that, he stood and headed towards the historical fiction section. I stared after him, wondering how the hell this would be any more helpful than me reteaching myself after each lesson. He must have felt me watching him, because he turned back around after pulling a book from the bottom shelf.

"What? Do you expect me to write for you, too?"

I squeezed the pencil between my hands so hard, it nearly snapped in half without me realizing. My teeth ground together as I tried to stay calm and look over the notes he'd written. They were neatly transcribed in old fashioned script, not anything like what I'd learned in elementary school. Okay, so he was cute and had impeccable handwriting. It did little to offset his grouchy attitude.

I had to admit that the section material was well outlined and explained. I could follow the steps much easier the way Jasper had written them out than when they were taught in class. There was a lot of description for why you work problems a certain way rather than the steps themselves. I copied everything in the new notebook I'd selected for tutoring, and then went back to attempt the first five problems at the end of the section. Jasper continued to read the book he had selected until I called him over after finishing.

He wordlessly began checking my answers so quickly, I almost didn't believe he could have known what he was reading.

"You need to correct these two. You skipped the same step in both."

I took my notebook back and looked over what he had circled with his pen. Sure enough, I had totally skipped an important step midway through the calculation, causing the entire answer to be off. I knew I needed help in math, I just wish he didn't look so smug about being correct. I reworked the two problems and slid them back. After a second of looking them over, he nodded approvingly and started flipping back through his own notebook.

"If I only work on getting you caught up to where we're at now, you'll be perpetually behind," he stated matter of factly. "So, we'll have to target the previous chapters and the current material simultaneously. Work a few more problems while I work on simplifying the material from the current chapter."

You need help in math, you need help in math, you need help in math I chanted while copying three of the more difficult problems into my notebook. Surely if I knocked him upside the head, I'd be removed from his tutelage and given a nice stint in detention. I couldn't afford to let my anger get the better of me. Even if he was a jerk.

By the time the bell rang, I had worked more math than I would have liked and nearly bitten a hole in my tongue. Jasper was out the door before I could pack up and push my chair in. If only I didn't have to see him in English.

Alice sidled up to me on the way to art, asking about the tutoring session.

"It was fine. I'm sure I'll get a little better each day," I tried to say as positively as I could while ignoring the feeling, that feeling, which always popped up around the Cullens.

"That's wonderful," she smiled at me, her perfectly white teeth gleaming.

"Actually Alice, can I ask you a question?" She nodded, looking her normal, calm and collected self. "You mentioned on my first week here that Jasper and I would get along well, but it seems like your brother hates my guts. I can't think of anything that I've done to upset him, can you?"

We had just reached the art room, and Alice waited until we were seated at our paint-splattered table to answer.

"No, you haven't done anything wrong. Jasper can just be like that with new people. He has a hard time trusting others, especially because of his former home situation."

I felt a little guilty hearing that. Of course, all the Cullens and Hales had been adopted by Carlisle and his wife. I was sure their lives in the foster care system or with their previous families hadn't been stellar for that to happen. But it wasn't fair for that to be taken out on me.

"Give him some time. He'll come around eventually."

"I sure hope so," I sighed, pulling out a fresh sheet of watercolor paper and pencils.

On the way to English, I saw Jasper standing beside his locker with a very angry looking Edward. Bella was nowhere to be seen, much to my surprise. Those two were inseparable. Edward was talking quickly in a voice too low to hear, while Jasper also looked agitated. They started going back and forth, each gesturing with their hands in restrained anger. I was halfway down the hall when Edward's lips stopped moving as he spotted me, and ever so slightly tilted his head to the left.

Jasper slowly turned, making like he was exchanging books, and looked right up at me. An eerie chill ran up my spine, and I wondered if they had just been talking about me. But why? Alice hadn't had time to get to Edward and tell him about how I felt concerning our new arrangement during free period. Surely they had been arguing about something else, and Jasper had just happened to glance up at the wrong moment. I averted my eyes as quickly as possible and tried not to make eye contact again as I passed both of them. That weird feeling returned twice as strong as usual. It was the same feeling I got when taking out the trash at night and it's too dark to see very far in front of me. I knew that there was nothing in the darkness lurking with ill intent, but the idea that something could be hiding was unsettling. That was how the Cullens + Co. made me feel. Unsettled.

It was quite unfortunate, considering how much I liked being around Alice. But everyday in art, it took 10 minutes for me to convince myself that I didn't have to constantly watch her every move, for fear that I would miss something. What that something was, I didn't know. And Edward hardly paid me any attention, save for the few times he'd given me strange looks. I couldn't think of anything about their family that should inspire such an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it was persistent. I tried to shove it aside, but knew I would have to address it eventually.

As I reached to pull out my copy Pride and Prejudice, someone waved their hand near my face.

"Hey, can I borrow a pencil?"

I looked up to see a very cute guy smiling sweetly at me.

"Uh sure. One sec."

I dug in my bag for one of the many esthetically pleasing mechanical pencils I kept on hand at any time, and chose the least girly plain white one.

"Here you go," I offered it to him, returning a smile. At the moment, Jasper took his seat two rows to the left of us, but I barely noticed, as the guy started to talk more.

"Thanks. You're Collins, right? The girl that just moved here from Alabama?"

His eyes were moss green and they crinkled at the corners, like he was used to smiling and laughing a lot.

"Yeah, that's me. I don't think we've met yet."

"I'm Matthew. Matthew Reese. We have PE at the same time too, I think."

Now that I thought about it, he did look familiar, and I was fairly certain that he was on the list of preapproved date options Jessica had given me earlier that day. I nodded my head, trying not to smile too hard.

"How are you liking Forks so far? Getting settled in alright?"

He seemed sweet and he was cute, but I had to concentrate on not getting distracted by Jasper, who was now blatantly looking my way. I thought we're far enough away that he couldn't hear us, though I wasn't sure.

"Yeah, most people have been very welcoming," I threw in, just in case he was eavesdropping.

"That's good. Um, I hope this isn't too forward, but do you have a date to the Valentine's dance yet?"

I felt my cheeks flare as my attention was snatched away from Jasper and completely focused on Matthew.

"Um, no I actually was planning on going stag and hanging with my friends. What about you?"

It isn't until he laughs that I realize he was trying to lead into asking me to go with him.

"No, not yet. Would you want to go together, since neither of us have a date?"

I'm caught off guard by the question and don't know how to respond. Matthew's cute enough and it'd be nice to have a date to the dance, even though I don't know him. Besides, it wasn't like I had to start dating him if things went sour.

"Yeah, that'd be cool. We can figure out the details later."

Thankfully class was starting and I could hide behind my novel. I had a date! And he was cute! As much as I didn't mind going as a third or fifth wheel, it was nice to know that I wouldn't be sitting by myself when everyone else paired up for the slow dancing. I could hardly contain my excitement as we started on chapter 10 of our book. I tried to discreetly glance over to see if Matthew looked as excited as I did, or if he was looking my way, but he was focused on his reading. But someone else was still glaring at me, sending a streak of panic through my stomach.

Jasper.

A/N: I'm trying very hard to get this written and make it *quality* writing. My whole motivation for writing this story is that 1) there's not enough Jasper/OC material. 2) I feel like a main character meeting the Cullens would be soooo different than the way it happened with Bella. And 3) I love the Twilight Renaissance (looking at you, Twilight Shitposting ratties). If you're reading this, I hope you're still enjoying my story so far and that you'll stick around for the good parts ;)