Lunch

○●○ Lunch ○●○

We talked for a little while longer. I was already twenty minutes late for school, but it didn't seem to matter. There was so much to talk about.

Apparently the Cullens had been just about as miserable as I was. Emmett and Rosalie had gone off on their own, because they couldn't handle being around everyone else. Edward had left his family almost immediately to track down Victoria. Alice went to Mississippi taking Jasper with her. Esme and Carlisle were left on their own. No one seemed very happy about leaving Forks. I couldn't help but feel a sense of justice. It wouldn't be fair for the Cullens to be content while leaving me here a broken mess.

"You are going to be late for class." Jasper said snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I'm already late." I stated. I wanted to hear more from Jasper, class was the least of my concerns. "Besides I'm not the only one who is late."

"It appears that I am a bad influence."

"Apparently." I whispered and smiled slightly. Jasper rolled his eyes.

"I should probably go, I don't want to get fired on my first day. I'd suggest that you get moving too." He chuckled lightly. I nodded my head slowly. I didn't want to leave him, I was still nervous that he would disappear like last time.

"Can we talk more after?" I asked.

"Yes, of course." He assured me. I nodded my head and went to get out of the car. Jasper walked into the building next to me.

"I'll see you at lunch." I said. I wanted it to sound more like a fact, but I made it sound more like a plead than anything.

"Yes ma'am. Ah' won't leave ya." He said in a deep southern accent. I looked at him in confusion. Where had that come from? He smirked and walked off in the direction of the library.

I stood there in shock for a moment. Was Jasper southern? How had I never noticed? I shook my head and walked to class. I'd have to ask him later.

The day went by slowly. I had a hard time paying attention, I couldn't think of anything except for more questions I wanted to ask. After what felt like an eternity it was lunch. I practically sprinted for the library, almost tripping over my own feet. I opened the doors and walked inside.

Jasper was across the room behind the desk, looking very uncomfortable as a woman was explaining something to him. She was probably training him. Jasper spotted me and the corners of his lips turned up. He walked over to me, completely oblivious to the woman's irritated glare.

"Hey Jasper." I greeted.

"Hey." He said, smiling slightly at me.

"Can we spend lunch together, or are you busy?" I asked, stealing a glance at the glaring woman across the room.

"Oh yeah, sure." He said, his grin widening slightly. He turned to look at the woman.

"I'm taking my lunch break Sheryl. I hope you don't mind." He said in a deep smooth voice. My heart beat a little faster at the seductive sound of his voice, and I had to remember that he was Alice's husband, and Edward's brother. The woman - Sheryl was her name apparently - rolled her eyes slightly and went back to work without saying a word.

"I think she minds." I whispered to him.

"I think you're right." He snickered, but otherwise didn't seem to care.

"Can I treat you to lunch?" He asked.

"You don't have to do that." I said seriously. He shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the exit. I guess we were going to lunch.

"Where exactly are we going?" I questioned.

"Anywhere you want, my treat." He said grinning slightly.

"You are not paying." I said firmly.

"I nearly killed you Bella, I think paying for your lunch is the least I could do." He said as we climbed into my truck.

"No, you aren't paying. I already have told you that I've forgiven you for all that, you don't owe me anything."

"Alright then, if you are worried about money then I could cook something for you." He offered with a shrug.

"Definently not! If I don't want you to pay for my lunch, what makes you think I want you to make it?" I asked and rolled my eyes. Jasper just shrugged his shoulders.

"Really I'd be glad to cook for you. I'm not the best chef, but I still find cooking enjoyable. It won't be anything fancy." He said casually while looking out the window.

"Fine." I grumbled. He smirked slightly and the car went quiet for a while. How had he convinced me to do this?

"Hey!" I yelled once I figured it out. "You can't use your gift, that's cheating!"

"You already said yes, and it's not cheating it's called using your resources." He snickered. I rolled my eyes at him, causing him to chuckle.

"You can just drive to our old place if you want, that's where I am staying." He said, while watching out the window.

I nodded slowly. I really didn't want to go to their house. I was terrified that I would break down, and start bawling in front of Jasper. I couldn't stand that amount of embarrassment.

"You're afraid." Jasper stated.

"Yeah." I whispered, while pulling onto their long driveway.

"Of me?"

"No. I just.. I don't know if the house will bring back memories of Ed-Edward. I don't want to embarrass myself." I whispered, I could feel my face flushing. A low guttural growl snapped me from my own thoughts. I stared at Jasper who looked just as shocked as I felt.

"Sorry." He sighed, and cleared his throat.

"Did I make you mad?" I asked nervously. That was the last thing that I wanted to do.

"No.. not you." Jasper said in a low voice.

"Oh." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"Nevermind. Let's go inside, I promise you won't be embarrassed. I can even make you feel perfectly happy if you want." Jasper offered.

"Just calm would be nice." I whispered. He nodded, and I immediately felt very relaxed.

We made are way into the house. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I recalled all the memories me and Edward had in the front room. I felt the pain in my chest return as I looked around, and I started to breath heavily. I wondered how bad I would get, and if I would have to leave.

"Bella, I am so sorry." Jasper whispered. He had stopped just a few feet in front of me. His back was facing me, and his muscles were taut.

"What?" I whispered to him.

"I feel your pain, Bella. I'm sorry that he's done this to you."

"It's not that bad Jasper, I've felt worse. Just having a friend helps." I assured him. He turned around and stared at me. The expression on his face was.. appalled.

"You've felt worse?" He questioned, his eyes wide. I swallowed hard, and nodded slowly. Another low growl resonated in Jasper's throat.

"Jasper?" I asked, my voice was small and weak. I started to feel furious, but I pushed the emotions away knowing they weren't my own. Jasper stood completely still, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I think I need to go.. compose myself." He said quietly. I nodded my head, and he quickly fled the room.

I sat waiting in the front room, and tried to calm myself down. I kept my mind focused on the fact that Jasper was here to help me get the Cullens back. They weren't gone, and Jasper had told me that Edward still loves me - as hard as that was to believe.

I waited there for a good ten minutes. I was starting to grow worried that Jasper had left, but I still could feel a foriegn calmness in my body. Jasper was still influencing my emotions. He was still here. He was most likely trying to calm his blood lust.

"Bella, your food is ready." Jasper said from the other room. I hadn't been expecting that.

I walked in and sat down at the kitchen island. Jasper placed a bowl of soup in front of me, and smiled in amusement.

"I forgot that food has an expiration date, since I don't eat it and all. The only thing we had that was still good was canned soup, so.. I hope you like chicken noodle." He snickered.

"Thanks." I chuckled.

I sat and ate my soup quietly. Jasper was sitting next to me reading. I honestly thought Jasper's gift was amazing, the silence wasn't awkward like it usually would be. We were both seemingly content.

"Can I ask more questions?" I asked. I still had a lot left.

"Go ahead." Jasper said putting his book aside.

"Where are you from?" I asked, wondering if that was the explanation to his random southern accent.

"Texas. It's hard to recall my human memories, but I believe I lived in a small town outside of Houston." He said casually. That made sense but I still had questions.

"Why do you sometimes have an accent and sometimes don't?" I questioned. Jasper chuckled quietly to himself.

"Confusion is an easy emotion to handle." Jasper said. I looked at him even more confused than before, so he explained further.

"It's hard to explain to a non-empath, but emotions generally have a certain depth to them. Confusion is rather simple and straightforward, yet still powerful. Like for example if a widow is grieving over the loss of her husband, and you tell her a riddle she might forget about her other emotions even just for a slight moment. That's why I always try to confuse people with my accent, because it's easier to feel confused than most other emotions." He explained.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. What else do you do to deal with other people's emotions?" I asked, this was an interesting topic and I was curious.

"Fear is like a stronger version of confusion. A fear for your survival overrides anything and everything. I don't do this anymore - although people are already genuinely frightened by my... intensity - but I often sent out waves of fear around any nearby people before I joined the Cullens."

"Edward said you came from a different family before you joined them?"

"Not exactly. That's a long story, but if you want to hear it, I'll oblige." He sighed.

"If you don't mind." I whispered.

He sighed and nodded his head. "This might change how you look at me Bella, and not for the better."

"Nothing could make me scared of you Jasper. You are part of my family." I assured him. He nodded hesitantly and took a deep breath. It confused me how he was able to do it with such ease, I thought he wouldn't be able to control his blood lust while being this close to me.

Taking another deep breath, Jasper began his story. "My past isn't exactly something I'm proud of, but you have a right to know. It all started with a vampire named Maria..."