"You're trying to hide your emotions from me, aren't you?"

Jasper had been out for over a week for what I had assumed was the unspecified medical condition that he had mentioned during our last conversation. Alice had taken it upon herself to head up my "security team," as she called it, making sure I got to school in one piece and stayed that way. We had a schedule of who could walk me to and from certain classes so that if Matthew had the bright idea to try and approach me, then I wouldn't be alone. Admittedly, it'd been nice to not worry about Jasper's gift invading my privacy and it was nice to see Alice, Jess, and Angela getting chummy, but the longer he was gone, the further we got in Calculus. I had started to get nervous as the material was getting increasingly harder and we had a test at the end of the week.

Now, he was sitting across from me, nonchalantly flipping a pencil into the air and then catching it between his thumb and forefinger after it made exactly one rotation. I, on the other hand, was trying to divide my focus between math and concealing anything I felt. How were you supposed to do that with an empath, and how did Jasper know that I had been?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled and tried to think of something happy, hoping that it would affect my emotional state enough to blanket anything else.

"Because, for one, you're working as slow as molasses on a skill that you're pretty confident in, and two…"

He trailed off, making me look up.

"It's hard to describe but I can tell. I can feel it. Like you're putting on a show with your emotions. They're too…transparent."

So much for that plan.

"Okay, so what if I am?" I dropped my pencil, crossed my arms, and leaned back in my chair, giving him an irritated look. "It's a little unnerving to have you prying into my mind. Into anyone's mind all the time."

"It's not like I can help it. Trust me, I try," Jasper huffed and caught the pencil one last time. "I can tune out a little but between 400 other hormonally deranged students, I get worn slap out."

He made an unfortunate amount of sense. I had the luxury of getting to rein in any psychic power when needed; the constant exposure could probably drive anyone crazy.

"How do you tune it out? I've been trying to bounce around in my head all day. Guess it's not working," I resumed my math problems to try and ignore the Cullen Effect (™) — it's what I'd named that weird feeling they all cause in my head. Jasper didn't answer for a while, long enough to make me think he hadn't been paying attention to the question. It was better that we focused on math anyway, right? That was the whole point in us spending every darn free period in the library when instead, I could be curled up near the window with a book and he could be…..well, doing whatever it was he wanted to do. Camp out in the nurse's office with a fake migraine, probably.

"I'm not very good at it," Jasper said so quietly, it was hard to make out the words. He sounded almost sad about it, as if it were some personal failure.

"Yeah, well, apparently I'm not either," I snorted. "Is there anything that helps?"

"Focusing on something or someone else. If I find someone that's in a really good mood, I can zero in on them, but then it runs the risk of my mood affecting them. Win some, lose some. You forgot a decimal place in your answer."

He'd corrected my answer before I'd even finished writing it. Turd.

"I wish I could block out what happens when I touch you," I sighed, then cringed at the verbiage. Ugh, he knew what I'd meant. If I could learn to block him out, then I could probably block out anyone. It hadn't been too much of a problem before, but now that there was the possibility of other empaths tuning into my mind without me knowing, it'd be nice to guard against it. But how? Jasper had seen through my attempt almost immediately, much to my chagrin. There wasn't even anything that I worried about him sensing — except for maybe the occasions that I thought he was hot (always) or an asshole (almost always). But it wasn't like he could read my mind. That would be an absolute disaster.

There were only a few minutes left of free period, which meant only a few minutes of having to endure extra math work. It was true that the most recent topic wasn't too difficult compared to previous ones; however, tests always freaked me out a little. After the last problem was worked, I took a second to massage my temples and clear my head.

"Maybe you can block it out. We can block it out," Jasper regarded me with an unflinching gaze of interest. Once again, I noticed his eye color. They were the lightest I'd ever seen: a dazzling butterscotch. Was it me, or were they changing no matter what the lighting situation was? I could add that to my list, now that I'd crossed off #2. Boy, was I on a roll.

"How do you figure?"

He shrugged.

"I'm not sure how this would work, but maybe we could try to find a way to block it out. Together."

That didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Sure, I'm game. I just don't know how you think that's gonna go. I can't prevent you from sensing how I feel, and you can't stop it either."

He thought about that for a moment, tapping the eraser of his pencil on the table.

"We can sort that out as we go."

We both got up from our seats as the bell rang. This was definitely something to consider. I would love to figure it out, but the idea of spending more time with Jasper gave me mixed emotions. He could be touchy at the best of times and temperamental at the worst. Sometimes, I got the Jasper that asked me to dance and carried me across the parking lot on his back. Other times, I got the one that cornered me against the lockers when he learned he'd have to tutor me to graduate on time. If it was any concession, he was walking me to some of my classes to keep Matt in line. I could give him credit where credit was due.

"We can try," I decided. I walked into art before he could say anything else.

Cara and I hadn't made up and it was starting to get pretty unbearable. Work was fine; we could avoid each other easily, but supper had become a silently awkward affair where we both tried to act like the other wasn't there. I knew that I couldn't keep it up for long, though every time I made a step towards mending things, I would get angry all over again. It couldn't go on forever, not if she and I were planning to live together for the next few months. And then what? Would I move back to Alabama for college, or stay in the area? Go to a new state completely? Initially, the plan had been to go to Auburn with Bethany, where we could share an apartment and have the most amazing college experience ever. We'd go to parties and bars, get brunch on the weekends, and attend every sporting event (with hot dates, obviously). I would be hearing back any day now about the scholarship applications I'd submitted to the university. What was I going to do if I'd actually managed to secure financial aid? Would I take it and go? Or would I stay in Forks and get a couple of years of community college out of the way before transferring elsewhere? I needed to talk to my parents, to Bethany. Angela and Jess. Maybe even Cara.

Dinner would be a great peace offering, I'd decided during English while ignoring both Jasper and Matt. I would cook her favorite pasta dish and then things would get at least a little better. I could apologize too, even though I wasn't convinced I'd been the one at fault. But spring break was fastly approaching, and if Cara and I were feuding around mom and dad, they'd instantly know.

On the way to work, I broached the topic of college with Jess and Angela.

"I wanna go to California," Jess gazed out of the window at the gray storm clouds that were completely covering the sun. "I'm so sick of this weather. I don't think I've seen the sun since we went shopping for dresses, and it's making me all pasty looking. I so need a tanning membership; my mom would absolutely freak out, though."

She examined her hands, which had lost color over the last two months. My own skin was paler without the frequent sunshine I had been used to in Alabama. It would be nice to get away from the dreary weather, if only for a little while.

"I'm bound for Washington State. Eric is going to try and transfer in from Big Bend, assuming we're still together at that point," she sighed, turning onto the main road. I'd not heard Angela or Eric complain about their relationship at all since I'd known them. As far as anyone else knew, they were perfectly happy, and had been since this time last year.

"What, you don't think it'll last?" Jessica leaned over the console and raised an eyebrow conspiratorially. "Eric's crazy about you. He'd be stupid to break up."

"Yeah, I didn't think you two were having issues," I piped up from the back seat. Angela wasn't one to complain anyway, but she wouldn't lie to us outright when we asked.

"I don't know. Things are fine and I'm actually really excited to be on my own. I'm just afraid he'll find somebody more interesting before those two years are up," Angela's voice turned soft and pained. This must have been something she'd thought about more often than Jess or I were aware. From what I'd seen, Eric was crazy about Angela; wherever she was, he was there too. They came as a pair no matter what the occasion. And as much as I loved Eric and his interesting hobbies, I couldn't imagine anyone else loving him the way that Angela did. She was 100% devoted — that could be hard to find in a high school relationship, based on my own experience.

"You totally have nothing to worry about, but I know just what'll cheer you up," Jess grinned and started furiously texting, "beach trip! You in, Collins?"

"Uh, sure. What beach do y'all usually go to? I don't think my boot is waterproof but I can bring snacks."

"La Push, and before you think about inviting Alice, don't bother."

I recoiled at the blatant sneer. Jess and Alice had been getting along super well lately, even going so far as to talk about fashion during our midmorning break.

"No offense, but the Cullens never go to La Push. Like, ever. Bella tried to get Edward to go the last time we planned a trip, but even he wouldn't. And you know how they are," Jess flicked her hand over her shoulder. "Practically inseperable."

I ignored the fact that being inseparable was a good thing while we were hyping up Angela but wasn't when talking about Bella and chose to focus on the part about the Cullens never going to La Push. It was another seemingly harmless but still interesting detail to add to my list when I got home.

I heard Cara's key slide into the lock just as I sat a basket of garlic bread onto the small table we used to share meals. That hadn't happened lately with the tension so thick, you could slice through it with a knife, and it was nice to see the place settings laid out. My work in the kitchen was much slower than usual thanks to my bum leg, but it had all come together in the end. Now to get Cara sat and full of pasta.

"Are you in the dining room?" Cara called while shutting the door.

"Yes!" I yelled back. It was more of an extension of the kitchen than a true, formal dining room. The table was square and sat four raised chairs, which I had some trouble hopping into at the time. "Are you hungry?"

Instead of giving an answer, there was the sound of her kitten heels on the hardwood floor coming down the hallway. Her keys jangled as she put them on the set of hooks, but she stopped there. The expression on her face was curious, almost confused, as she looked from the table, to me, and then back again.

"You cooked?"

She sounded surprised, as if she had never had my cooking before.

"Well, yeah. I made your favorite."

Her favorite was this really easy, but really good recipe for pasta. It included a pot full of marinara, a block of cream cheese, ground beef, and enough grated parmesan to sink the Titanic. Noodles were whatever we had on hand, but I preferred the rotini; they held onto the sauce best. I'd made garlic bread as well, so nice and buttery that it gleamed. Cara hesitantly made a move for an empty plate and began scooping pasta while I poured two glasses of sweet tea. As we sat to eat, I noticed she still paused for a split second to say Grace over the meal, even if it was silent versus the long, verbal prayers my dad insisted upon at the beginning of every meal we had together. I know the food is good before taking a bite, because the look on Cara's face is pure delight.

"I haven't had this in forever," she mumbled around a mouthful of garlic bread. "Things have been so hectic at the hospital."

I think, really start to think, about how busy Cara has been and the amount of stress that she feels concerning her patients. She's one of the few mental health specialists in the area, and the only one currently working with the hospital to provide mental health services. She had mentioned at one point that her caseload had grown considerably in the last year or so, some of the cases being tied to distressing local events.

The table becomes quiet except for the sound of forks scraping plates and the setting of glass down after drinking. The heater kicks on, fighting against the chilly air that makes its way through the less than tight house. We're both almost done with our first helping when Cara blurted out:

"I'm sorry that I was such a hard ass the other day. I just…"

She set her fork down and ran her hands over her face, stopping to rub the heels of her palms into her eyes.

"You know how mom and dad are."

That's true, I did know how they are. Ever since I was born, they'd put pressure on Cara to be like a third parent, no matter how much they say they didn't mean for it to happen. It drives both of us crazy for different reasons. Me, because I don't need someone else telling me what to do all the time; Cara, because she has enough to worry about as it is. She didn't need another thing on her plate, so there's no wonder I've been picking up waves of irritation off of her since I moved in.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, but one second, I was at the dance, and the next, I was waking up-" I almost slipped and said Jasper's bed before realizing that conversation would not go well, "-in Alice's room."

Cara nodded and speared the remainder of her pasta with her fork.

"Did the school ever find out who did it?"

I realized that I never had told Cara exactly what happened. The story had been that someone spiked the punch bowl, not Matt spiking my drink.

"Um, about that."

I tell her everything, still leaving out the part about Jasper rearranging Matt's face and the fact that I woke up in his bed. Part of me felt silly for not wanting to report it at the time but at least he got what was coming for him. At the end, Cara was quiet as she spooned out more food onto her plate.

"Collins, I really think you should tell the police about this. What he did is wrong on so many levels, and he could try it on someone else," she started to yell at the end as her voice rose. "At least talk to Charlie. Please."

I turned the idea over in my head, thinking about all the ways it could go wrong or what consequences it could have. Matthew would be even more pissed than he already was, if Chief Swan decided to take action. However, with the way Alice, Jasper, Angela, and Jess had been constantly with me during school, and even out of school, there wasn't much Matt could do.

"I'll think about it."

"Collins, you have to focus or this is just a waste of time that you could be studying," Jasper grumbled, pulling his hand away for the umpteenth time. Our pathokinesis blocking practice was going worse than tutoring ever did, if that was even possible. Each time our hands touched, I wasn't able to prevent the back and forth loop. Jasper was having some success, though not enough to cut it off completely. I glanced over to the circulation desk, nervous that Ms. Fields would hear us and think we were practicing some form of witchcraft, but she was still buried in a book catalog, planning out her next order. She hadn't even noticed our move from our usual table to the reading nook by the window. I'd insisted upon the bean-bag chairs in favor of the hard wooden ones that made my butt go numb within five minutes of sitting. Jasper kept close to the wall, while I enjoyed whatever sunlight occasionally filtered through the clouds, no matter how rare.

"I'm trying," I whined, tucking a foot under myself and readjusting my position, as if that would somehow help. "Not all of us are as naturally gifted as you seem to be."

"Clearly."

I wanted to smack him so that his eyes stayed in the same place as he rolled them. He was more dedicated to this endeavor than I had anticipated he would be. His face twisted into a look of concentration as he extended his hand again.

"This time, try and imagine some type of block or wall. Like a dam holding back a river."

I didn't bother to tell Jasper that I'd already kind of tried that, but what use was it when we were dealing with mental (or maybe, spiritual) aspects as opposed to physical? If I could build a literal brick wall between use and take it with me wherever I went, then my problem would be solved. We touched our fingers together once again, only for it to have the same effect. Jasper groaned in frustration.

"I'm sorry," I scramble to say before he can pin me with a glare. "I just have some things on my mind right now."

"Like what?"

I initially had no intention of sharing anything, but the look on his face said that he thought there was scarcely anything important going on in my life, and I wanted to prove him wrong.

"Where do I start? One, I'm still waiting on scholarship results for college, as well as trying to decide if I still want to attend my choice school."

This was probably a foreign concept to any of the Cullens if they were as rich as their clothes, cars, and house made it appear.

"Two, my sister and I are supposed to be flying to France over spring break to visit my parents and I hate flying. And three, Cara suggested that I talk to Chief Swan about the night of the Valentine's dance, and I've not yet figured out whether that's a good idea or not."

Jasper seemed exceptionally uninterested in my reasons for not being able to concentrate until I brought up the Matt Incident. It was only then that his whole body angled in my direction and his expression became strained.

"You're more likely to die in a car wreck than a plane crash," he recited the statistic, though it provided me with little comfort. Cars usually didn't have the tendency to fall out of the sky. "And have you decided whether or not you're going to talk to Chief Swan?"

It was the last point that he was genuinely interested in, though I couldn't be sure why. Could he be worried that I would accidentally let it slip that Jasper had been the cause of the black eyes and broken nose? Was he afraid it would damage Edward's and Bella's relationship with Charlie somehow?

"I'm still thinking about it. The idea of having to rehash everything is…daunting."

Neither of us said anything for a long moment; he flipped a pencil between his fingers, his brow furrowed and lips pursed. I kept my hands in my lap, clasping them together and twisting my fingers one way, then the next. Ms. Fields disappeared into the storage room behind the desk for a moment, leaving Jasper and me alone in the library. Being alone with him was unsettling, whether due to the alarm bells, his disagreeable personality, or how attractive he was. I tried to ignore all three.

"I could go with you, if you want."

The idea, at first, seemed absurd. Jasper and I spent time together in school for tutoring but rarely spent time together outside of school, extenuating circumstances notwithstanding. It caught me off guard to have him suggest that we do anything together that wasn't mandated by a teacher or out of necessity. In fact, it was nice, even kind, of him to offer to go with me. I mulled the idea over. Having Jasper with me would strengthen my story, since he was an eyewitness. I had no reason to doubt that Charlie would believe me, but there was always the small possibility that I wouldn't be taken seriously.

"I'm still thinking about it, but I'll let you know when we get to English."

As I reached to grab my backpack, his hand shot out and grabbed it first, swinging it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

"Are you…carrying my backpack?"

"You limp faster without it."

In the end, I agreed to talk to Chief Swan that afternoon. Before I could let Carlisle know, Jasper had already called and informed him that I wouldn't be in today. He understood. Alice was ecstatic, mostly because she got to drive Jasper's bike home while we took her yellow Porsche. If I had a Porsche, I would not loan it out to my sibling, especially if that sibling had a tendency to grip the steering wheel so hard that their knuckles turned white. It gave me the impression that Jasper got nervous driving with passengers that weren't his family, but he handled the car with perfection and a little excess speed. The entire ride was quiet, which also made it unnerving. We could talk about Calculus, and we could talk about our weird abilities, but anything other than that was pretty much uncharted territory that I didn't intend to explore right then. Jasper didn't initiate a conversation either, so I kept myself occupied by listening to the outlaw country music he had playing over the radio and the trees racing past. My stomach twisted in anticipation that had nothing to do with my chauffeur. Reliving that night from a month ago was not at the top of my list of things that I'd like to do in my spare time, and there would be a lot of difficult questions that Charlie would have to ask. I'd never been questioned by the police before, but I knew enough to not get my hopes up too high on the efficacy of a small town police force.

As we pulled up to the station, I noticed a familiar dark gray Volvo parked in the gravel lot beside a few other cars.

"Is that Edward's car?" I asked, breaking the relative silence in the car.

"Mhm," Jasper replied, clearly not having expected to see him here. I remembered back to the last few times I'd been around both of them without our friend group around. Each time, it'd seemed that they were unhappy with each other at best, and arguing at worst. Whatever it had been about, I could never shake the feeling that I was involved somehow.

"Hey Bella. Edward," I greeted both of them while carefully navigating the steps. They sat outside of the station on a wooden bench, waiting for Charlie, I assumed.

"Hi," they replied in unison, though Edward's reply was curt as his eyes narrowed on Jasper behind me. I leaned against the railing and tried to pretend that the tension in the air wasn't actually there. The temperature, which had been getting warmer with the arrival of spring, seemed to chill a few degrees.

"What are you two up to?" Bella also seemed to want to alleviate the awkwardness, as she turned her attention mainly to me. Jasper and Edward looked to be having a silent conversation between themselves.

"We're gonna talk to Charlie — I mean, the Chief — about, um…"

The words stopped there, and I wasn't really sure how to finish the sentence.

"About Matthew Reese's really stupid decision a month or so ago," Jasper supplied, which I thought was a fitting description. Bella nodded and chanced a glance at Edward, who still was focused on his brother.

"Charlie's finishing up with a missing person's case, but he should be done soon. Know anything about a Riley Biers in Seattle?"

"Can't say I do."

I tried to peer in through the window in the door, but Charlie's desk was too far to the left and the people sitting in the chairs had their backs to me. A woman, at least I think it was a woman, had her head lowered in her hands while a man that I assumed was her husband placed a hand on her shoulders. After a few seconds, they both stood and made their way to the door. I quickly jerked my head away and hoped that they would know I'd been trying to spy on them. We all tried to not look at them as they walked past to their car; Charlie propped against the open door, his face a mixture of sympathy, confusion, and annoyance.

"Collins. Jasper. You two can head on in and have a seat, I'll be in in a minute."

I didn't waste any time considering that Bella was still grounded and Charlie was still pissed at Edward for whatever influence he had in Bella taking a random flight to Italy out of the blue a few months ago. After I eased myself down into one of the chairs, Jasper placed my crutches against a wall and then settled himself to my right. I bounced my unbooted leg and looked around and the little details of the room. It was mostly bare and minimalistic, with only a picture of Bella on the desk to show any personality. She appeared to be about twelve in the picture and shying away from the camera with a crooked smile.

There was the sound of a car starting up, and then Charlie opened the door to come inside. Bella remained sitting on the wooden bench, watching as Edward pulled onto the road and zoomed away, traveling just at the speed limit.

"So," Charlie plopped down in his office chair and moved his eyes between Jasper and me. "What's all this about?"

The story in and of itself was pretty simple, but would he understand why I hadn't come forth with it sooner? I glanced towards Jasper for help, who was watching me as intently as Charlie. He shifted just a fraction of an inch in his seat. Like magic, my mind started to slow down and a pleasant calmness washed over me. I'd felt it before, during a math test, but didn't know at the time that he was the cause. I took a deep breath and tried my best to convey the exact details of that night.

"At the Valentine's dance last month, someone tampered with my drink, but I didn't know it until later. There were a few witnesses that saw me after I got intoxicated, but only Jasper and Alice saw me when I tried to leave with my date. I don't really remember much after that, so Jasper would have to fill in the blanks."

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Charlie pulled a paper out of a file folder on his desk and began jotting down a few words here and there while mumbling to himself.

"Who exactly was your date?" Charlie asked once his pen stilled. This was the hardest part. Once I made the accusation, I couldn't take it back. I mean, it was true that Matthew had spiked my drink, but the idea of putting it out there and the repercussions of starting a whole investigation stopped me short.

"Well, that's…that's the thing," I started slowly, unsure of how to proceed. "I don't want to press charges; I just want to make the local police aware and then be done with it."

Tears burned behind my eyes, and I wondered what the limit to Jasper's power was. How much of my emotion could he control before I snapped out of his range and shook him off completely?

"So you…don't want to press charges?" Charlie took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then let the air out slowly. "I can't advise you either way, but just so you are aware, he won't face any consequences from this incident if you don't press charges. If there is no investigation."

He looked between Jasper and me again, as if he was trying to impress the words into our minds with his eyes. Finally Jasper spoke up.

"I don't think that will be a problem. What about you, Collins?"

I nodded my head, then shook it.

"No, I'm fine with that. I just want to give a tip off in case something similar ever were to get reported."

Despite how much it seemed to pain Charlie, he agreed to file an unofficial statement if I would give up Matthew's name. I finally relented, figuring that it would do the most good for them to have an idea of who to consider should anyone ever be in the same situation. Or should I ever mysteriously go missing.

Jasper wasn't any more talkative on the ride to my house, but he was noticeably more polite than he'd been the last few weeks. He helped me put my crutches away and opened the door when entering and exiting the vehicle, something that he normally would let me manage alone. During the drive, he cranked the heater up and checked that the temperature was to my liking before putting a Johnny Cash CD in the player. I wondered if I'd ever mentioned how much I liked the artist, but couldn't think of a single time that we'd talked about music tastes. It was clear we both liked country, even though neither of us had mentioned it.

"Thanks for the support," I sighed, leaning back into the soft leather chair. "Both physical and supernatural. How far does that extend anyway?"

"Depends on how well or how long I've known the person, and if I'm purposefully seeking them out. I can sense and affect my family from a couple hundred yards away."

"What about me? Have you tested that out?"

His lips pulled into a grin, something that I rarely saw on him. He has an amazing smile, I thought, and then immediately was grateful that he couldn't read my mind, only my emotions. I just had to keep those underwraps, too.

"Not really; I've never had a need to. You're usually only a few feet away when my influence is needed."

There were a few math tests that he'd helped me calm down during. Then the dance, at the police station, in the library when he tried to deter me from knowing about his ability in the first place. What other times had he done it? Would I be able to figure it out now that I knew?

"I don't just mess with your emotions for fun," he chided, clearly reading the expression on my face. "I actually try not to if I can help it."

"And you just can't help yourself around me, can you?" I joked, poking him playfully in the arm. His smile remained, but now it was strained and the knuckles of the hand gripping the steering wheel had turned even whiter than the rest of his skin, if that was possible. The silence stretched between us and when he glanced at me, my heart gave an unsteady THUMP against my ribcage. I swallowed a mouthful of spit and cleared my throat. This was not good, not good. Having a crush on your hot tutor is one thing, but having a crush on your hot tutor that's kind of a jerk for no reason is another.

The rest of the car ride passed with only the rain and the strains of music barely audible. When we pulled up to my house, I was prepared for him to just drop me off and drive away; instead, he helped me up the steps despite the much improved crutches skills I'd acquired over the last month or so. Cara was working late, again, a fact that made me suddenly a little nervous when Jasper opened the door and stepped in to let me by. Being alone with Jasper in our living room gave me the same feeling as being alone with him in the library had. I shoved the feelings down, not ready to dissect what they were or what they meant with him near enough to feel them too. Some subconscious part of me knew exactly what it meant, and wanted to invite him to stay a while if he was going to keep acting so kind. The other part of me wanted to run (badly) up the stairs and shut myself in my room. The tension was building again and I needed it to dissipate. I handed him a towel to dry off with so the water wouldn't ruin Alice's super expensive car.

"Any plans for spring break?" I asked casually while grabbing a glass of water. Water would definitely help.

"Just camping," he wiped the rain from his arms and neck, then folded the towel and draped it over the back of a chair. Small beads of moisture from the rain still clung to his eyelashes. I forced my eyes to look away before my feelings got out of hand. Camping. They were always camping, so much so that the school would have submitted them for truancy court if it was any other family. How much can you camp around here anyway, before it got monotonous?

"Your sister should be home soon, right? Need help getting up the stairs before I leave?"

Getting up the stairs was, pardon my French, a bitch. It had been for the past few weeks and was the only thing that hadn't gotten any easier the longer I practiced. There was no harm in letting him help me, was there? It was a completely reasonable favor.

"Uh, sure. That'd be great."

We both walked to the foot of the stairs, when Jasper turned his back to me and patted his shoulder.

"Hop on."

"What, you're going to carry me up the stairs?"

"Well, I carried you across the parking lot when you broke your ankle; I think I can manage to get you up the stairs with minimal issues."

I gulped. The memory of Jasper carrying me to my car and driving me to the hospital was one that I could easily call to mind. Feeling weightless, wondering about why he had offered to help in the first place, and how nice he had smelled. How nice he still smelled, now that I thought about it. It'd not been such a big deal at the time, but now I was overthinking it.

"Collins?"

He turned his head back to me, showing off the all-so stunning facial profile he had.

"Right, sorry."

I placed my hands on his shoulders and hooked my still booted leg over his hip. My heart gave another solid thud in my chest. Once he had my leg secured, I swung the other up. Maybe it'd be a good idea to hold my breath for a moment or two.

"Lean forward some. I'm a little off balance."

Somehow I doubted that, with how easily he had carried me before and how easily he was holding me now. Carefully, I shifted myself forward, placing my chin just where his neck and shoulder met. Being this close to him, his scent completely filled my nose. Was it worth it to hold my breath? He smelled so nice, why deny myself a nice thing, even if it was only a moment? I inhaled deeply, letting the brain fog swirl thick and hazy. Why, oh why did it have to be him?

"Are you secretly a gym rat or something?"

Jasper laughed as he took each step like he was on a morning stroll: quick and effortless. Maybe all that camping had been the key to his physical fitness. All too soon, we reached the landing and he slowly let my feet slip to the floor. The fog lifted slightly while he made another trip for my crutches, but then it only returned in full force. There was hardly enough space for the two of us in the doorway of my room, with nowhere to look but him as he passed the crutches to me.

When a guy is attractive, his whole personality can completely ruin those looks if he's a jackass. Jasper was usually a jackass, but he was the kind of attractive that it didn't matter what foul mood he was in; he was hot, and everyone knew it. So when his attitude wasn't hot garbage, it was all too easy to notice the little things about him that made him so damn fine. The curve of his jawline that was usually set from clenching his teeth, the flawlessness of his skin, . Beautiful golden eyes that I couldn't figure out, because they were always changing color. Like now. They were dark brown, nearly black, when I could have sworn they were much lighter only a day or so ago. And his lips, God, those lips. The most insane thought occurred to me, as we stood only a foot or so apart: I could kiss them. Strictly for research purposes, to see if they were as soft as they looked. And once that thought materialized in my mind, a tugging started somewhere in my chest, like I should move closer to him. Even the Cullen Effect (™), despite its best efforts, had been silenced momentarily. I felt myself sway slightly but it was as if I were detached from my body and intune with it all at the same time. My pulse thudded hard though my chest and loudly in my ears, so loudly that he could probably hear it.

Jasper reached out his hand to grasp my shoulder and steady the slight sway, which only brought him a few inches closer. I couldn't think clearly with him this close and all the brain fog swirling inside my mind.

"Collins, are you alright?"

Some of the fog lifted at the sound of his voice, just enough for me to reason that kissing him would not be a good or rational idea at all. Being involved with him hadn't exactly been a walk in the park with his hot-cold mood swings the last three months. And all I had to show for it currently was a passing math grade, a good chance at passing the AP exam, and one new confidant about all things empath. Danger, danger Collins Walker!

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired is all."

And just like that, my mind cleared completely. The overwhelming urge to impulsively follow my hormone driven ideas was much less persistent. He was still hot though, no one in their right mind (or out of their right mind even) could deny that.

"Well, I'd better go. See you tomorrow."

I watched Jasper walk down the stairs, briefly glance back, then exit through the front door before he disappeared out of sight of the windows. The whole time, I kind of wanted to tell him that no, I was not okay and he should stay and wait for Cara to get home. There was the risk that his mood could change to its usual frosty self, but I was starting to figure out that maybe that wasn't his natural disposition. If he truly didn't care for me as a friend, he wouldn't bother going out of his way to be helpful, especially going so far as to carry me up a flight of stairs. Maybe there was something else going on, something that was bothering him that caused him to be so snarky at times.

Just another thing to add to the list.

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter has been in the works for so long. The end of the school year has been pretty hectic, but we're almost done and then I can devote more time to my baby! (this story) At least this chapter is pretty long, and I'll be starting on the next one right away. Things should start ramping up a little; I know it's a slow burn but we gotta get to burning.

This chapter is largely unedited.

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter has been in the works for so long. The end of the school year has been pretty hectic, but we're almost done and then I can devote more time to my baby! (this story) At least this chapter is pretty long, and I'll be starting on the next one right away. Things should start ramping up a little; I know it's a slow burn but we gotta get to burning.

This chapter is largely unedited.