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It was a rare day in Forks. The sun was shining brightly, not a single cloud to block it. The weather was so nice in fact, that Magnolia walked to school. She didn't live terribly far, about a half an hour walk, but that didn't stop the young girl from enjoying the bright day after a gloomy weekend, dancing to her music as she walked down the street.

Her cheerful mood could not have been broken, except, when at the final crosswalk, someone had stopped at her side. She was too engrossed in her music to really pay attention to whoever it was, she just assumed it was another kid walking to school due to the nice weather.

The walk sign turned on, and Magnolia began to walk. The other kid had made it slightly in front of her, and she caught a glimpse of red hair and pale skin. Her heart began to beat faster, she tried to quiet her loud, nervous breathing. Being with Jasper so much had pushed Elton to the very depths of her mind, and now all the guilt was starting to overflow.

Taking a shaky breath, she matched his pace, keeping her eyes towards the front. Once they had crossed the street, Magnolia spoke. "Elton," She said quietly, grabbing his attention. His face held genuine shock that she had spoken to him until he quickly replaced it with a hard glare. "Can we talk?" She pulled her buds out of her ears.

Elton chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know. Is your bodyguard around?" He sneered, referring to Emmett.

Magnolia dropped her head. Emmett and the Cullens wouldn't even be at school today, it was too sunny for them to be out. "I never wanted him to do that, to...protect me," She used air quotes. "I just want to tell you the real reason I had been," She paused, unsure of the right word to use.

"Avoiding me?" Elton suggested, not trying to hide the sneer in his voice.

Magnolia sighed. "Sure, avoiding you." She wouldn't lie, she had been avoiding him since that day before English class.

Eyeing the roads, Magnolia made sure no one was around

"I'm..." A thought entered her head, leaving just as quickly as it arrived. Tell him the real truth. About what you really are. Magnolia internally scolded herself for that. Elton could never know because that would mean revealing the Cullen's secret as well. "I'm...well not me, my dad. He was really sick. Like...really sick. He was having mood swings, I had to lock myself in my room a couple of nights due to him and mom's constant yelling. But we got him to a doctor, and it turns out he was just really sleep-deprived and dehydrated." The lie had slipped out so easily, It didn't even sound like one, no matter how far-fetched and stupid it really was.

Elton's face was unreadable. "Oh. So you felt like you couldn't confide in me? Was that it? Too embarrassed that your parents were fighting?"

Magnolia took another deep breath. "And I would like to offer you a place to stay. If you still need one. There's an extra room that we can fix for you and-"

"Let me stop you there," Elton placed his hand up. "What makes you think I want that? Why do you care all of a sudden? Aren't you too good for me now? You are dating Jasper Hale, right?"

"Dating? No, no-no. We're friends."

"Riiight," Elton huffed. "I'll think about it. This doesn't mean I forgive you," He noticed the girl's growing smile. "It'll be a long time before that happens, but...it'll be nice to walk with you again, as much as I hate to admit it."

Magnolia did her best to shrink her smile, as the two walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to school.

At lunch, everyone had gone to sit outside on the benches. Jessica sprawled herself out on the top of one, while Bella and Magnolia sat around her. Around them, the students of Forks happily played soccer, tossed frisbees, or just laid down, all soaking in the rare sun.

Bella anxiously looked around, and Magnolia knew who she was looking for. "He's not here, Bells." She said softly, a kind smile on her face.

Bella turned to her, blushing and shaking her head. She nudged her playfully as she rolled her eyes.

Jessica smirked as she sunbathed. "Whenever the weather is nice the Cullens disappear."

Bella's interest had been piqued. "What do they just ditch?"

"No, Doctor and Mrs. Cullen pull them out for like hiking and camping and stuff. I tried that out on my parents, not even close." Jessica spoke, not opening her eyes.

Fast footsteps approached as Angela came happily running over. "Guys, I'm going to the prom with Eric!" She sat down next to Bella. "I just asked him and I took control." Her smile was as bright as the sun.

Bella smiled, nodding. "I told you that would happen." The two hugged. Angela leaned over the table, and took Magnolia's hand, squeezing it.

"Are you sure you have to go out of town?" She turned her attention back onto Bella. Magnolia remembered Bella had lied to Mike, Eric, and Tyler that she wouldn't be able to go to prom, that she was going to see her mom in Jacksonville.

"Yeah, it's a...family thing." Bella was uncomfortable with lying to such a sweet girl like Angela.

Jessica looked down at the two for a moment. "Okay, we should go shopping in Port Angeles before all the gold dresses are cleaned out. Maggie, Bella, you in?"

Magnolia looked from Bella to Jessica, to Angela and then back to Bella. "Well, actually I'm going shopping with Rosalie and Alice tonight, up in Seattle," The girls' faces dropped, and Jessica glared at the mention of Rosalie. "I'd love to go though, really."

"Does your mom know? I know how she feels about the Cullens." Angela pulled Magnolia away from the group as the bell rang.

Magnolia sighed. "Of course, she doesn't. So please make sure Jess doesn't go spreading that."

Angela nodded. "Of course. See ya later, Maggie." She waved goodbye as the girls separated.

Quickly, Magnolia caught up with Bella. They walked silently to biology, though Magnolia could tell Bella wanted to ask about her and the Cullens little shopping trip. "I'm sorry Bells, I would love to go, really, but Alice made these plans months ago, and she'd kill me if I cancelled." She could quite literally see the petite vampire killing her over that. She shivered at the thought.

Bella nodded quickly and smiled. "It's okay, Maggie. I get it. I'll make sure you're covered. I'll get Charlie to invite your dad over for a game and pizza, and tell your mom you're coming with us."

Magnolia let out a sigh of relief. "You, Bella Swan, are a lifesaver."

"I try." The girl chuckled.

The day ended quickly, but Magnolia groaned as she realized she had walked today, and that she would have to take the bus all the way on the outskirts of town to its final stop and then walk another twenty minutes to get to the Cullen's place.

Then, she noticed Bella getting into her truck. "Bella! Wait!" She called out, grabbing her friend's attention as she ran over. "Could you give me a ride to the bus stop on the edge of town?"

Bella's eyes raised in confusion. "Really? But that's like a fifteen-minute drive?" Her voice seemed resentful, yet she let Magnolia get in and started driving out of the parking lot.

"Thank you, Bella. I owe you one." Magnolia smiled at her friend.

"It's no problem," Bella responded.

Finally, they had reached the bus stop, just in time for the next hourly bus. Magnolia grabbed her bag quickly, hugged Bella goodbye, and ran for it. She made it just in time, paying the transit fee and sitting in the very back of the bus.

It took about a half-hour for the bus's final stop. Magnolia was the last person on it. She thanked the driver and hopped off, heading off on the small hike to the Cullen's house.

About five minutes in, she heard rustling from above her. Glancing around at the treetops, Magnolia defensively lit a flame in her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the trees, till a booming, humorous laugh echoed through the forest.

In a blurring flash, Emmett stood in front of her, a giant grin on his face. "You wouldn't barbecue me, would ya Maggie?" He pouted jokingly.

Magnolia huffed, extinguishing her flame. "Was there a point to scaring the crap out of me, Emmett?" She crossed her arms in annoyance.

Emmett rolled his eyes playfully. "Actually yes. Rose told me to watch out for you. I'm supposed to take you to the house from here," Magnolia grimaced at the idea of the nauseating speed of a vampire. "It'll be way faster than walking, you know that," Emmett added, at the girls' look of fear.

"Fine!" She agreed, but not without hesitation. "But I'm closing my eyes. I'm not throwing up again."

Emmett laughed. "Don't worry. You're in safe hands."

He stepped forward and picked Magnolia up bridal style. Her legs hung helplessly like a rag doll. "Hold on tight," Magnolia did exactly that. She wrapped her arms around Emmett's neck for dear life, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she could. "Ready?" He asked. Magnolia let out a squeak and nodded.

Emmett didn't bother with a count down. He took off at lightning-fast speed through the forest, and even though Magnolia knew how fast they were going, it didn't feel like it. At most, it felt like Emmett was casually walking, his breathing didn't change. Within seconds, they had stopped, and Emmett laughed, patting Magnolia's arm softly.

"You can let go."

Magnolia opened her eyes and flushed as she realized she was still gripping to Emmett. "Oh, sorry." She jumped out of his arms, nearly toppling over. Emmett steadied her, barely moving an inch.

"Alice and Rose are inside waiting for you." He smiled one last time and sped off to who knows where.

As Magnolia walked inside, she glanced up, seeing a familiar figure standing in a window. Jasper stood with his arms held politely behind his back, but his smile was wide, his perfect teeth shining. Magnolia waved nervously and quickly headed for the front door.

"Maggie!" Alice ran down the stairs, sweeping Magnolia into a giant hug, lifting her off the ground as if she were a child. "I'm so excited for tonight. We have to find you a dress to match Jasper's suit." Magnolia blushed

"Hello, Magnolia." Rosalie's angelic voice interjected. She flowed elegantly down the steps, her smile perfect, not a crease or wrinkle on her face as she did so. She softly hugged the human girl, much more polite and careful than Alice.

Magnolia smiled at the two of them. "Bella's covering for me tonight, so there should be no problem involving my parents." She shuddered, remembering the incident that happened weeks prior. She'd never seen him so angry.

Alice smiled wide. "Great! I'll grab my things and meet you guys in the garage," She pulled Magnolia close, whispering in her ear. "Jasper wants to see you before we go." Winking, she skipped off down one of the houses' many hallways.

Rosalie nodded and smiled politely. "Make sure he doesn't take too long, we want a good selection before most of the dresses are gone." And off she walked—no—floated, down the same hall as Alice.

"Well, hello ma'am. Fancy seeing you here." Jasper's sweet, harmonic voice rang pleasantly through Magnolia's ears. She couldn't help but smile goofily as she turned to look at him, her legs becoming weak at the sight of his dazzling smile.

He was right next to her. To normal people, someone suddenly appearing next to them might cause them to scream, or jump, or both, but after hanging around vampires for almost three years, Magnolia was used to it. "Hi," She spoke shyly. "How was your day off?"

Jasper chuckled, taking her hand absentmindedly and placing it on his cheek. "So warm," He smiled, closing his eyes with a sigh of content. "It was nice, being away from all the...blood. But I missed you so much, darlin'."

His southern drawl made Magnolia swoon. "Oh, um...I missed you too." She nervously played with a strand of her wavy hair, biting her bottom lip lightly as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

Jasper felt his breath hitch as he stared down at her, and at that very moment, a revaluation hit him. He loved this girl — she was the sun, and he was the Earth, revolving around her. He moved his hand to hold her chin between his thumb and index finger, moving her head up towards him. He smirked, feeling the growing intensity of her nerves as he leaned in excruciatingly slow, till their lips softly touched.

Jasper was delicate, doing no more than a soft slow peck. He pulled away, loving the sound of Magnolia's increased heartbeat every time he kissed her or touched her for that matter. He could also feel the enormous amount of happiness she was feeling, the feeling of love towards him, though he knew she wouldn't tell him that for a while.

Magnolia smiled shyly up at him. "You sure know how to leave a girl speechless." She tucked her hair behind her ears. Jasper swiftly took her hand that was still on his cheek and placed a soft kiss on it.

"I can feel Alice's impatience. You better go, before she storms in here and tears me apart. She's very adamant about getting you that dress." Jasper chuckled, dropping Magnolia's hand.

Magnolia, still quite flustered, nodded. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

There was a feeling of giddy throughout the entire car ride to Seattle. The trip should've have been a least half a day, but Rosalie was a speed freak, getting there in less than four hours. They parked the car on the street and walked down a block to the most luxurious store Magnolia had ever seen.

She stopped at the door, gaping. "Alice, Rose. You are not buying me a dress from here. They must be thousands of dollars!" She exclaimed.

Alice giggled, shaking her head. "It's fine. We want to spoil you. You deserve it after what we've put you through these past weeks." She took Magnolia's hand, dragging her into the store.

Magnolia groaned. "I'm going to regret this."