CHAPTER FOUR.
( an enigma. )

WALKING THE ALREADY-VACANT halls of Forks High, Shadow released a string of frustrated curses. Lunch had ended ten minutes prior and she still had no idea where she was going. She turned right, heading down an empty hallway.

  By now she would have thought that she'd come across at least one loitering student, but Shadow found herself disappointed by the student body's apparent punctuality.

Pausing by the nearest class, Shadow peered up at the door to check if it matched the number on her schedule. When she found that it didn't, the ginger let out another colourful swear.

  Giving up, Shadow turned back to enlist in the help of the office. But, before she could take another step, there was a blinding flash that sent her stumbling back in surprise. Shadow felt her heart pound against her ribs as she rapidly blinked white spots from her sight.

Squinting, she looked in confusion to the boy who'd just taken her photo. His smile was sheepish, but he didn't look very apologetic as he waved his camera at her. Shadow swallowed the spiteful remark that rose to life in her throat.

  The world was seriously out to get her.

"Hi," the boy started, running a hand through his messy hair, "sorry about the flash— school newspaper. It's not everyday Forks High gets a new student." He gave Shadow a confident grin.

  He was good-looking and not just in his head of nearly-black hair and lopsided smile. He seemed to have little care in the world, unbothered by much else. It was almost annoying, but not quite.

"The name's Eric, by the way." Shadow nodded, a polite smile on her lips as she took his outstretched hand. It felt strange and too formal, but he didn't seem to mind.

  When they pulled back, Shadow quickly stuck her hands into her jacket pockets.

"I'm Shadow," she introduced herself, "and photos are fine as long as you get a good angle." It wasn't really fine, but the Swan girl figured that starting an argument over it wasn't in her best interest.

Eric's smile broadened into a grin and Shadow returned it half-heartedly.

Silence fell and, figuring that the encounter was over, the Swan girl made to leave. Though, she was disappointed to find that Eric quickly joined her. She wasn't exactly in the mood to be pestered by a school reporter.

  "So, are you having trouble with your schedule?" Eric asked, a hint of sympathy to his voice.

Shadow sighed as she pulled the paper out of her jacket, "Yeah, actually, what gave it away?"

Eric smiled shyly, "I may have overheard you, but don't worry. It's not a big school, so you'll get used to it in no time."

  He held out a hand, "Can I see your schedule?" Shadow handed the paper over eagerly, suddenly grateful for his presence. Having to go to the office would've only delayed her more.

"Oh, this class is on the other side of the school. I could show you the way there?" Eric's offer came with a genuine expression and Shadow couldn't help her immediate agreement.

  She let him take the lead, winding their way down the halls. "So," he started with a smile, "are you close with the Cullens?"

Shadow was surprised by the question and she furrowed her brow. "No, what makes you think that?" She watched Eric with guarded caution.

  Shadow had been in Forks for less than 42 hours. The only people she knew were Charlie and Bella. Put off by his inquiry, the ginger felt suddenly wary of Eric's motives in offering her help.

"Well, the Cullens don't really 'hang out' with anyone. It was just strange to see you with them— especially that Jasper guy. I've heard he's not much of a people person." It was an uncomfortable situation, but Shadow couldn't help but nod along with his assessment of Jasper.

To say that he wasn't a people person was putting it lightly. Jasper didn't seem to know how to exist near people in general. But, then again, maybe that was just with me, Shadow thought to herself.

"You could say that," she replied, "But, no, we're not friends. He was just buying me lunch and he let me eat with his family because I had nowhere else to sit."

  Shadow kept her attention averted from Eric's gaze. His stare was too direct, as if he were trying to soak up every word she was saying.

Shadow wasn't really surprised. If what Eric had said was true, this conversation would likely be the highlight of their school's next issue. Imagining the headline, she almost laughed— Jasper Hale's Southern Hospitality.

"Right," Eric mused, "Well they seemed livelier than usual. They mostly keep to themselves. It's kind of weird, to be honest." Shadow couldn't explain it, but Eric's words set off a part of her that suddenly felt defensive.

  Sure, she hadn't known them for very long, but the majority of the Cullens had been nothing but kind to her. It made perfect sense for her to be bothered by someone speaking ill of them. Shadow hadn't exactly seen anyone else welcoming her to their table.

  She narrowed her eyes, "I think calling them weird is pushing it."

  Eric met the retort with open laughter. Clearly, they didn't share the same opinion regarding the Cullens, and his obvious amusement only made her more annoyed. What the hell was his problem?

Eric gave her a playful nudge, "Don't tell me you're already crushing on the Cullens." His tone was teasing, but Shadow felt a flash of anger spark to life.

  You've got to be joking, she thought, already exhausted by his antics. She considered not answering, but Shadow knew it was better to keep humouring him for now. She was new, of course people were going to have their eyes on her.

  Shadow just hoped that the interest would die out quickly. After all their excitement wore out, keeping to herself would be far easier. Until then, she knew she was going to have to put up with the stares and odd questions.

But, that didn't mean she wasn't going to set her boundaries straight.

  Shadow gave Eric a pointed look, "I just met them and even if I was, it still wouldn't be any of your business."

  Regardless of her meeting the Cullens, Shadow's intentions hadn't changed. Eric may have been going for playful, but she wasn't here for jokes and friendships. She had a goal and that was it; graduate with the best of the best and get the hell out of Forks.

   However, Eric remained oblivious to her irritation as he grinned. "Actually, as this school's reporter, it's kind-of my job to know everything in this school." At this point, Shadow wondered if he was trying to get a rise out her.

  Shadow pursed her lips to keep from snapping back something snarky. She didn't want or need anyone trying to pry into her personal life, especially not some wannabe journalist.

  The Swan girl plastered on a fake smile, "Fair warning, but if you get into my business you're probably going to get punched." Eric dismissed her serious undertones with a chuckle.

Shadow forced another smile. For the rest of their walk, she was thankful that he kept quiet. It wasn't until they came to a stop at her classroom door that Eric finally broke the peace.

  "Have fun in History," he told her and, with a smile, he handed back her schedule before disappearing with a wink (something she assumed was meant to be charming.)

Shadow stood there for a moment, stunned into silence. First day of school and I'm already being hit on, she thought to herself. It didn't make him any less annoying, but Shadow found her tension easing away as she laughed.

Turning to the classroom door, Shadow knocked, waiting for only a handful of seconds before it opened. As she was ushered inside, the female winced as an annoyed glare was cut her way from the front desk. It was clear her absence hadn't impressed Mr. Fletcher.

  Shadow hurried to the first seat that she saw, attempting to lesson the blow of her already-horrible first impression.

Rummaging through her bag as she sat, Shadow tried to focus on grabbing her materials for English. She'd already missed countless notes, she couldn't afford to waste any more time. Though, it wasn't until she had her papers ready that Shadow realized she'd forgotten to grab her pencils.

She inhaled sharply, trying to keep her exhausted frustration pushed to the side. This day wasn't going as planned. Turning to grab a pencil from her bag, Shadow stopped short as a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"This is becoming a habit, isn't it?"

Whirling around in her seat, Shadow came face-to-face with Jasper, surprise laced across her features. Her arm brushed against the table as she moved, knocking over the folded up schedule on her desk and sending another, smaller piece of paper falling out.

  A paper that Shadow hadn't noticed when Eric had handed back her schedule.

Almost instantly, Shadow realized what it was as Jasper reached down to pick up the items for her. Heat flushed across her face. Jasper gave an amused smirk as he stared at the number written across the note.

"First day and you already have someone's number. Very cute." Shadow frowned at his teasing and quickly took the schedule back from him.

  "It's not cute, and you can keep it," she replied, putting the schedule back in her bag. Grabbing the pencil she'd originally intended to get, Shadow tried to focus her attention back on the teacher.

Jasper glanced at her with a grin and his gaze sent another flush of red sprawling across Shadow's cheeks. She bit down hard on her lip in attempt to keep from smiling as she scribbled notes across paper. She wished she'd paid more attention when she sat down.

Jasper Hale was a distraction that Shadow Swan couldn't afford to have.

"That's a kind offer, but I insist that you keep it," Jasper said, sliding the piece of paper back towards her. His hand brushed against her forearm and, in that time alone, Shadow was starkly aware of just how cold his skin was.

  The sensation was jarring and a chill ran down the length of her spine. Shadow couldn't decide if she liked the feeling or if it teetered on the edge of uncomfortable. She tried to ignore it.

  He could have been the type of person who got cold easily, Shadow's dad had been the same way once.

She looked over at Jasper with a grin. "Well," the Swan girl started softly, "in case you do find use for it, I insist that you keep it." A smirk rose on her lips as she pushed the piece of paper back over to his side of the table.

  The blond gave another dazzling smile and Shadow returned it before looking back to the teacher.

"Here." Shadow's eyes glanced to the notes being slid towards her before her gaze flitted up to meet Jasper's. He said nothing to explain, but he didn't have to as Shadow (once again) smiled with gratitude.

  She pulled the paper closer, writing with messy haste. She was desperate to catch up with the rest of the class. But, half-way through the first page, Shadow found herself jumping back as a ruler smacked down hard against the table.

  Her heart jumped to her throat and anger was quick to join it. "What the hell?! Are you—" Shadow choked back her rage as she looked up to meet the steady, cold gaze of her teacher.

Mr. Fletcher withdrew the ruler and pointed it at her with accusation. "If you cannot make it to class on time without a valid excuse, you'd be wise to learn that relying on your friends won't get you anywhere. Not in my class."

  As he spoke, the older man tried to match Shadow's heated glare. Realizing that he couldn't mimick what Shadow's anger had perfected, Mr. Fletcher cut his gaze away to look at Jasper expectantly.

  But, when the Hale boy didn't move to take back his notes, the man rose a brow. Jasper eagerly tried to explain, "Sir, she's new. She just got lost—"

Fletcher cut him off with a wave of his hand, which Shadow had to duck under to avoid being smacked by the ruler. "You'll also learn that poor excuses won't work with me either. Perhaps Miss Swan should have been present for her school tour yesterday, hm?"

  He looked to Shadow as if she were meant to back down with meek embarrasment.

Shadow swallowed hard. Unable to help the onslaught of recollection, everything that had happened the day before came flooding back. She was so tired, she hardly even realized it.

  From moving the last of her boxes out of her old home, to watching the last trace of her mother's presence disappearing from the earth, right down to having to deal with the stress of a new town full of people who couldn't care less about anyone but themselves.

Shadow felt something inside her cave; giving into a feeling that made her hands shake and her fingers curl. Every blight and every stressful encounter that day seemed to spill over from the dam she'd been trying to hold it back with.

  Shadow was tired of skirting around the edges of so many precarious situations. She was tired of taking care for other people's feelings. But, most of all, she was tired of pretending like her world hadn't just ended.

How could she keep playing nice when the world seemed so set on testing her limits? Shadow refused to dish out any more free passes and she had no energy left to care about the aftermath. Shadow's mind seemed to swim with anger as she stood suddenly, holding Mr. Fletcher's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she seethed, glare burning with renewed energy. "I was too busy laying my mother to rest at her funeral to attend your stupid school tour." With all eyes on her, Shadow kept her tone low enough so that only those at her desk could hear.

  With haste, the ginger swept her things into her bag while Mr. Fletcher stood stunned in silence.

Ignoring his sputtered cries for her to, 'return to her seat at once,' Shadow rushed out of the classroom. Her chest burned with rage and humiliation as she realized what she'd just done. If there was any hope that this school's interest in her was going to die down, it had been completely obliterated— and now Jasper Hale knew the very thing Shadow had been trying so hard to bury and forget.

So much for a fresh start, she thought bitterly as angry tears stung her eyes.

→

Shadow launched open the doors of Forks High with a breath of relief, "Freedom at last."

If she had known that detentions were nearly an hour long in Forks, Shadow would have never opened her mouth. Her act of barging out of class hadn't resulted in the apology she hoped for, but promply landed her a seat in the office instead.

  She figured it was because of how publicly embarrased she'd left Mr. Fletcher.

Of course, Shadow had tried to argue her way out of it by explaining herself. But, where pity had saved the poor orphan once before, Shadow soon realized that Forks High was not the same as her big-city high school. It was nice that their attitude was more, 'that's not how we deal with these problems,' rather than, 'lets brush these problems off as fast as we can.'

Still, it didn't make her any less irritated with her teacher.

It was clear that no snarky comment or dramatic exit was worth it. Shadow adjusted the strap of her school bag, concerned by the sudden thought of her uncle. She knew that Charlie wasn't going to be happy. Shadow rubbed at the crease in her forehead.

  She should've known better, this didn't just affect her anymore. Now, not only did her teacher think she was another smart-mouthed brat, but Charlie would finally get a taste of the burden Shadow swore she wouldn't be.

Shadow promised herself that she would make it as easy as possible for her uncle. She couldn't begin to imagine how hard it was losing a sibling. The last thing he could possibly need was a teenager being there to make it harder for him.

Yet, there Shadow was, excelling at making things harder.

She closed her eyes, lifting her head up to the sky as she walked absentmindedly. School had ended an hour ago and the courtyard was empty. There were no distractions from her thoughts now.

Shadow paused, hanging her head with a wince. She couldn't cause problems for her family anymore. She wasn't the only one suffering. Shadow bit down hard on her lip, the pain forcing herself back into focus.

  She couldn't think about this any longer. Shadow tried to relax her shoulders, releasing the breath of air she she'd been holding in. It was time to go home and face what she'd caused.

Maybe then the guilt would ease up off her shoulders. Maybe she could be better. Not just for the sake of herself, but for the sake of Charlie and Bella too.

Shadow paused, reaching into her bag to grab her keys. Instead, her gaze caught on a figure standing next to her motorcycle. Key forgotten, the Swan girl furrowed her brow. She ventured closer, and the figure turned at the sound of her approach.

Jasper smiled almost nervously as he met Shadow's gaze. Not that her surprised stare could have been very welcoming. Simply put, the Hale boy had been the last person she expected to see.

Sure, he'd been nice that day and they'd eaten lunch together, but Shadow didn't think they were close enough for him to wait an hour for her in the school parking lot. Especially not after what he'd heard her say in class.

But, maybe this was him looking for answers— or give his pity where it wasn't needed.

Shadow felt herself tense again.

  "I know what you're thinking. This might be weird because we just met today, but don't worry. I just wanted to return these." Jasper lifted his hand, revealing Shadow's motorcycle keys as they dangled from his fingertips.

Shadow narrowed her gaze, both concerned and curious as to how her keys had come into his possession.

  But, before she could ask, Jasper seemed to quickly understand. "No, I did not take your keys. I know what that look insinuates." Jasper smiled as Shadow flushed in embarrassment.

She felt bad that her first thought had been 'thief.' But, growing up in the city made you cautious. Most of the time, it paid off to be a little wary.

However, Forks wasn't the city, and there were different people here than there were back home. Shadow felt like a fool for not having known better. They might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but that didn't make him a bad person.

"You dropped them on your way out of History class. I was going to say something before you left, but the teacher threatened detention before I could," Jasper continued.

  Shadow smiled softly. She could still feel how tentative her expression was as she reached out to take the keys from Jasper's outstretched hand. But, she paid no mind to it and hoped that the Hale boy would do the same.

  He hadn't mentioned her little outburst thus far, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten. She had to leave before he could get the chance to ask.

"Thanks, I didn't even realize I dropped them. I'd stay and chat, but I'm already late getting home and my uncle's probably worried." She brushed past him, a little worried that she was being too dismissive.

"Wait."

Shadow could have continued walking— could have pretended not to hear him. But, she found herself freezing in place at the sound of his voice. Her heart pounded in her chest, not yet ready to admit why it was torn.

  Hesitantly, the Swan girl turned to watch as he approached her. Jasper paused only a few footsteps away, his head bowed. "There was something I wanted to tell you, if you'll let me. I swear it won't take longer than a minute."

  Shadow couldn't help her concern as the Hale boy spoke. His tone hinted that it was serious and it quickly became clear that this was no longer about her. She doubted it ever had been.

  "Yeah, of course. If it's important," she said, stepping closer as if to provide comfort for the Hale boy. Jasper lifted his gaze and the look in his eyes sent a cold shiver down the Swan girl's spine.

Shadow took an instinctive step backwards, confused as sudden fear seeped into her body. It made her sick. Her stomach twisted itself with an onslaught of nausea.

"I think it would be best if you stayed away from me. I know that I seemed nice and that was what I wanted you to think, but I'm not a good guy, Shadow."

"For your own wellbeing, you'd be better off forgetting anything that happened between us. Including how we met today." His words were cold and sharp.

This had been it— the rejection she'd been expecting from the moment she let Jasper hear her back in class.

At first, she didn't exactly expect it to hurt the way it did, nonetheless piss her off considering they'd just met. But, it did hurt and for some reason it did piss her off— and Shadow hated it.

He had gone through all the effort of being nice to her on her first day, even despite their misunderstanding. But, he apologized and bought her lunch, even going so far as to offer her a place at his family's table.

What was the point of all that if he was just going to be a complete ass in the end? She wasn't someone to be toyed with. It irked Shadow to imagine that he played her.

What annoyed her even more, though, was that she fell for it.

The fiery-haired girl let out a sharp laugh, taking Jasper by surprise. "Right! My bad for thinking you were a decent person. I mean," she waved a hand, rambling in her anger.

"Obviously I should have never assumed that someone would want to deal with the emotional baggage of being friends with an orphan, right?" She wasn't really looking for an answer as she gave him a foul look.

  Shadow turned on her heel and pivoted onto her motorcycle. "You're pathetic," she sneered, venom to her words as she picked up her helmet.

She went to pull it onto her head, but paused as she heard Jasper speak.

"I know," he said, the words drawing Shadow's wary gaze back to him.

It was clear that what he'd said wasn't some bitter admittance. She could see it in his eyes. To Jasper, it was a fact. A simple knowledge that he'd come to learn and accept about himself.

And, somehow, it made the Swan girl sad. All the anger left her body and all Shadow felt was exhaustion.

"I didn't—" Shadow cut herself off. She didn't have the energy to explain. It wasn't worth it. Not when Jasper had made his intentions perfectly clear.

  "Whatever," she muttered, pulling the helmet onto her head before starting up her motorcycle.

She didn't hesitate this time as she pulled out of the parking lot, but she couldn't help but look back in the rearview mirrors as she drove away. Maybe it was better off for both of them this way. She wasn't the type of person he needed in his life, and he didn't appear to be the type of person she needed in hers.

But, for some reason, she still felt intrigued by him. There were things about Jasper Hale that Shadow didn't understand— and she didn't know if she ever could. Stupidly enough, it was the mystery itself that seemed to draw her in rather than push her away.

Edited 02/09/2016 @1:33 AM
Edited 07/11/2016 @10:11 AM
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Edited 12/19/2016 @2:32 AM