The next day was just as nice as the first one...for me.

Because Edward was in Alaska I didn't have to guard my thoughts at all, which was always nice. I prevented Mike from sitting next to Bella in English since I always sat next to her. He also had a harder time chatting her up with me there when he walked us next to our next class, with Eric, who much to my mortification was hitting on me. He glared at Mike when he started doing the same whenever Bella unknowingly rebuffed his advances. People did't stare quite as much as yesterday, already the new students losing their interest. I was once again forced to sit with the big group at lunch since Bella was pushed to eat there too.

It was nice because I managed to help out Bella in trig and to keep her from hurting anyone, including herself, during gym when we played volleyball, but I couldn't do anything about the fact that Edward wasn't there.

I knew she'd be strangely disappointed he wasn't there, relieved but also disappointed. Even after Bella turned away from the three Cullens, I did not, even as Mike steered us to their table. I stared more at the table than them in longing. It was practically empty and I would appreciate the space and near solitude. My attention locked on Jasper when he looked up at me in confusion, obviously wondering why the heck I was staring at a table in longing. I sighed and jerked my head in the direction of my noisy lunch group and discreetly elbowed at Eric who was getting too close for comfort before shaking my head, irritated.

He seemed surprised that I responded to his unasked questions, before smirking a little at my silent answer. I wondered at his better mood and noted that his eyes were a well fed amber. He must have fed last night. I felt satisfied that he was having an easier time, though he probably took it as satisfaction that I had gotten my message across.

Biology passed by, Mike having spoken about the beach trip to La Push before the start of class then me saving Bella and others from pain when I partnered with her for volleyball. Bella and I separated to get to our cars and my mood openly lifted when I saw the Cullens about to get into Edward's Volvo. Jasper's head visibly jerked up at that moment and locked his eyes with mine, obviously having felt my spike in emotion, or at least that's what I assumed. I just gave a warm, friendly, familiar smile and waved cheerfully at them, confusing Jasper, making Rosalie scowl, and Emmett laugh boisterously before waving back. Then they got in the car and left.

I sighed as they left, sad they were leaving, but pretty happy with the little progress I made. I mean I didn't expect Jasper to even look at me so soon, much less acknowledge me at all. The rest of the week was much the same, save for my silent interactions with the Cullens during lunch. I progressively sent more and more silent messages like the first time to Jasper, to the point where they were basically conversations and even got Emmett and Rosalie to participate even if the latter was mostly eye rolls and scowls, they lessened as the week went by and she even started showing sparks of interest when I showcased designer shoes and jackets.

I'd also made progress befriending Angela which was fairly easy as she was a kind soul and we were lab partners. We even started hanging out a little outside of school even though we mostly talked about school work and the like, but we'd started branching into fashion and personal interests. Even though I was happy with how things were going so far, I still couldn't wait until Monday, when Edward would be back. Sure, I wasn't looking forward to having to watch my thoughts again, but him coming back meant that events could move forward again. The sooner Edward interacted with Bella, the sooner I could interact with Jasper...well interact with him more, as in actually speak to him.

The rain was soft over the weekend, and I spent most of it staring out my window at the rain, feeling subdued since I had no reason to be happy. It wasn't Monday yet after all.

People greeted Bella enthusiastically in the parking lot Monday and less enthusiastically at me since it would be rude to just not greet me. It was colder this morning, but not raining and I knew it meant that it was going to snow, if only for a little bit. Since Alice wasn't there to instigate the snowball fight between the Cullens, I would somehow have to. I figured I'd ditch Bella before lunch for once and get to the cafeteria early to see how I would do it. Imagine my surprise when I ran into them on their way to the cafeteria.

"Ohh, look Grumpy Mcgrumpestein is back! Did Mr. Hyde turn back to Dr. Jekyll over your little vacation?" I asked cheerfully when I spotted Edward, pure amusement in my thoughts. They all stared at my comment, the first thing I've spoken to any of them...before Emmett burst out laughing and Jasper smirked. Edward just looked too stunned to feel insulted.

"I told you you're not as scary as you think you are!" Emmett said before guffawing again.

"Don't worry Jekyll, Bella keeps to herself so your reputation hasn't been smeared beyond being a ridiculously attractive bachelor that's not interested in bubble headed girls," I told him. "The only reason I know is because I'm her twin!" I said just as cheerfully as before, getting a lot of amusement from Edward's expressions.

"I knew you were funny from last week, but hearing you talk is way better," Emmett said good-naturedly. "You're an alright chick," he said with a chuckle. I laughed at that comment.

"Aw, thanks Big Bear. It's warms my heart to know you like me!" I said with false sincerity, making him laugh boisterously again.

"Sit with us," he suddenly said in invitation, making Rosalie whip her head to him and even made Edward jerk in surprise.

"Emmett!" Rosalie hissed fiercely under her breath. Emmett just chuckled at her.

"Come on, babe, she's totally interesting, and you know you've been dying to ask her about those shoes and jackets she wears." Emmett didn't even make a sound when Rosalie elbowed him hard in the side, laughing instead.

"Sure, I'll take you up on the offer! Sitting with you guys will give me some elbow room and keep away anyone that wants to talk to me," I said happily, completely cheered by the idea. This is going to be the first time in a week that these vultures won't bother me! I thought, making Edward's lips quirk and Jasper smirk as they read my thoughts and felt my emotions respectively. This'll also help me time this perfectly for when Bella comes in. Edward stiffened at that thought and discreetly looked at me sharply, wondering what I was up to. Emmett and I bantered back and forth like old friends as we all sat down and Rosalie even joined the conversation when she finally couldn't resist asking about the shoes I was wearing today. My head suddenly jerked to the entrance to the cafeteria when a vision flitted through my inner thoughts, successfully masking them from Edward.

"Ohh, Bella's coming!"

"How do you know?" Rosalie asked suspiciously, obviously trying to get me to confess to my super power. I shrugged of the question casually.

"Twin thing," Emmett snorted at my easy deflection while Edward and Jasper smirked. Sure enough Bella walked in with Jessica and just as she routinely did, checked the Cullen table. She stopped when she spotted me and I gave her a friendly wave, but she froze when she saw that there were five people sitting at the table, the fifth sitting next to me, Jasper on my other side and Emmett and Rosalie across from us. She had seen Edward. I frowned at how unconcerned Jessica was at how suddenly ill looking Bella became. I looked at Edward after he had glanced at Bella going to her table, only having bought a soda.

"You look sick, Jekyll. You're not about to run off and turn into Mr. Hyde are you?" I asked in false concern, taunting him almost. Emmett's boisterous laughter kept him from responding. I felt the moment about to happen and 'discreetly' took out a canister full of snow I'd collected earlier in case of this moment, quickly forming a snowball and ignoring the strange looks I was getting from Edward and Jasper. I made Emmett laugh again...and threw my snowball straight into his face as soon as he closed his eyes as he laughed, making him splutter out the snow that made its way into his mouth and making Rosalie laugh at him. When he wiped the rest of it off his face, he looked at me incredulously but I just pointed accusingly at Edward who looked a little affronted as I looked away innocently, which means in Jasper's direction, who was currently looking very amused. Emmett obviously didn't buy it and grinned in anticipation.

"You asked for it," he said as he leaned across the table and shook his snow encrusted hair in my direction. Of course some of it went in Rosalie's direction too and she voiced her complaint.

"Ew!" Rosalie voiced as both she and I recoiled from the deluge, Jasper allowing me to pull him partially in front of me to act as a shield, on instinct. I laughed and they all joined in. Perfect, I thought with a mental smirk, my vision of this exact moment appearing in the forefront of my mind and I could see Edward's eyes light with understanding and realization because at that moment, Bella had looked up from her table at us and saw a scene that made them look like everyone else. I kept laughing, still partially using Jasper as a shield who was, surprisingly, grinning and holding up his arm to help shield me. Bella was still watching after all.

I let the scene go when Edward's head snapped to Bella and examined Edward for a moment, ignoring his siblings' stares as I did so. I shrugged, letting it go and turning to Jasper with a bright warm smile, giving him a mock salute.

"Thank you Sir Jasper for acting as my meat shied from that fiendish Big Bear!" I said jokingly, but sincerely. Emmett only laughed, Rosalie rolled her eyes, and Jasper gave a wry grin.

"Anytime, Lady Madeleine," he said with a small mock bow. My smile turned more gentle, warmer as I lifted my hand up to lightly ruffle his damp hair, shaking some water droplets, surprising him and making him stiffen, but he relaxed when I focused intently on my calm, relaxed emotions.

"You can call me Maddy." I sniffed and turned to Emmett and Rosalie then, mock disdain in my voice when I addressed them as well. "I suppose you peasants...well peasant and lady can call me Maddy as well." Rosalie scoffed, but I could see that her lips twitched a bit with a smile while Emmett just laughed.

"So, Maddy, what brought you to Forks?" Emmett asked in interest. I shrugged.

"I came because I preferred my dad, rain, and clouds to my mother, sun, and dry heat. My mom tends to hover and Bella and I tend to take care of her more than she does us. Charlie is more laid back and leaves me to my solitude," I answered easily and for myself. They didn't ask about Bella and I didn't offer anything.

"What do you do in your free time?" Jasper asked, surprising me a little. I thought on it, tapping my finger on my chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, let's see. I like reading, drawing, shopping, watching TV, taking pictures of scenery, decorating, and spacing out for hours at a time though I prefer to call it 'meditation.' " I said the last word with air quotes, making Emmett laugh again. It was pretty easy.

"Where do you do your shopping?" Rosalie asked. I rested my chin in the palm of my hand, my elbow leaning on the table top.

"I do it all online. It's easier to get custom sizes that way and they always have better deals while still having all the perks of designer." I answered easily, making Rosalie look thoughtful.

"What do you watch on TV?" Emmett asked this time. I shrugged.

"Shows that teach you to commit a crime mostly, like Psych, Monk, Burn Notice, Sherlock, but I also like to watch things like Sleepy Hollow, House, Restaurant Impossible, Face Off, and even something as pointless as Ridiculousness. That last one always has me either cringing in disgust or laughing until my stomach hurts."

"What's that last one about?" Emmett asked, not having heard of it apparently.

"A presentation of internet videos of people doing ridiculously stupid things with Rob Dyrdek hosting it."

"The guy from Fantasy Factory?" Emmett asked partially excited.

"Yep, one and the same. Chanel and Steelo Brim are on the show too." Emmett grinned.

"Awesome, I'll have to check it out." I sent Rosalie an apologetic grin after she rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm.

"What about books?" Jasper asked, bringing my attention to him, my emotions warming and calming the smallest bit.

"Oh you know, strange and varied things from the Satanic Bible, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and the Divine Comedy to stuff like Dan Brown, the Harry Potter series, and the Inheritance Cycle. I also read and watch anime and manga and historical K-dramas." The three of them looked at me strangely before Emmett burst out into boisterous laughter, guffawing loudly and making more than a few people look at him strangely.

"Dude, this chick is awesome!" He quickly quieted and sent a large, suggestive grin at Rosalie. "But not as awesome as you, babe." While Emmett distracted himself with Rosalie, Jasper turned to me with an amused smile.

"You certainly have unique tastes," he said.

"What gave it away?" I said teasingly. "My apparel, my taste in books and TV, or my sparkling personality?" I asked jokingly. He didn't get the chance to answer when the bell rang. I was the only one to get up, the others looking to see what Edward would do. I broke the tense silence easily. "I'll see you in Bio, Edward...as for you," I turned to Jasper in an exaggerated and flirtatious way, giving him an exaggerated wink as well, "I hope to see you later," then my expression immediately turned bland when I looked to the only couple at the table. "And I suppose I'll see you two later as well." Rosalie only scoffed as Emmett chuckled.

"Only in your dreams," Rosalie said snidely, though there was no real bite to them. I responded anyways.

"Don't flatter yourself, babe," I replied, borrowing Emmett's pet name and making him laugh as I practically skipped away from them, extremely happy at how well things went.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful for me, painfully so, as the rest of the exciting things that would happen today would happen to Bella, i.e her conversation with Edward in Bio and Edward nearly causing Bella to get into an accident in the parking lot. I was more concerned with what I knew was going to happen tomorrow, but didn't dwell on it as I was still in Edward's range. I would worry about it when I got home.