CHAPTER FIVE.
( wake up call. )

  SHADOW FOUND HERSELF slowly blinking awake to the sound of her alarm clock blaring from the nightstand. The female huffed, brushing pieces of hair out of her face as she tried to muster the strength to get up. To call herself exhausted would have put the situation lightly.

Shadow could have easily crashed back onto her bed and slept, even with her incessant alarm clock still screaming. She'd stayed up late. Again.

Sleep was getting harder and harder to catch these days. Her mind was too busy worrying about school, her new home, and the newfound face she found herself desperately wanting to avoid. Shadow ran a hand through her hair.

She'd tried to tell herself it wasn't worth it. Jasper Hale had set his boundaries pretty clearly. But, she couldn't help the curiosity.

  She wanted answers, and she wanted them bad enough to face Jasper again if she had to. Shadow always had a knack for being invested in stupid situations, and dealing with Jasper Hale was proving to be the most foolish of them all.

Nonetheless, she was determined to confront him and find out the truth behind his actions. There had to be more to it. Surely her trauma wasn't bad enough to scare people away. Right?

  Maybe it was a bet; to see how shallow the fresh-blooded, new girl was. "$20.00 says I can make her my toy in two seconds flat." The mere thought angered Shadow to no foreseeable end, but it made everything so much easier.

It gave her a reason to be mad with him. He'd played with her emotions, made her out to be a fool.

  However, the truth was that it was her own fault for believing the act. She should have known better. Shadow gave a breathy laugh.

God, just let it go, she begged herself.

The Swan girl finally sat up, desperate to distract herself from her thoughts. Over-thinking was going to be the death of her. Though, that was only if Bella Swan didn't give her a heart attack first.

  "Shadow! If you're not down here in 10 minutes I'm taking your bike to school!" Shadow's eyes quickly widened and she threw off the covers, rushing to get dressed.

As she ran around her room, she found herself becoming a master in the art of multitasking as she brushed her teeth while shoving school books into her bag.

  She knew that Bella had absolutely no idea how to drive a motorcycle and was all-too-familiar with her younger cousin's well-kept promises. Stubborn blood ran in the Swan family. Shadow zipped up her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder before taking a quick look in the mirror.

When she was sure there wasn't any drool or toothpaste plastered on her skin, she finally made her way down the stairs.

  "I'm here, I'm awake," she breathed out as she rushed into the kitchen, socked feet causing her to nearly slip on the floor as she went. Bella laughed from her spot by the sink. She allowed Shadow a moment to recompose herself before tossing her the keys to her bike.

Shadow caught them swiftly, eyes narrowing. "Thanks for the wake up call."

  Bella grinned at the blatant sarcasm. "What can I say, I'm good at my job."

Shadow rolled her eyes, but couldn't help her amusement. She turned to the cupboard, reaching inside to grab herself a bowl. "Don't forget to put me down as a reference on your resume one day. I'll make sure to give glowing recommendations," Shadow said with a teasing smile, setting the bowl on the counter.

She reached out to grab the cereal box, but paused as the doorbell rang. Shadow glanced over at Bella, but the brunette only shrugged in reply before averting her gaze. It was clear that she wasn't going to be the one answering the door.

Lovely thing, living with introverts.

  Shadow let out a sigh. As she made her way to the front, she couldn't help but wonder who could possibly be waiting at the door. It wasn't like they were expecting company this early, especially not with Charlie at work and both her and Bella leaving for school.

Shadow figured it was probably just some paperboy. If they even still have those, she thought, grabbing onto the handle and opening the door.

Immediately upon doing so, Shadow couldn't help her shock at who was standing on the other side. Not only was it the last person she wanted to see— but it was also the last person Shadow had expected to show up on her doorstep.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded, not unaware of how blunt her question was. Not that she cared, considering her reaction to Jasper Hale's appearance was completely justified.

  They hadn't exactly ended the day before on a high note and, to make matters worse, he'd deliberately told her to stay away from him.

  Which, would have been a much easier rule to follow if it weren't for his indecisiveness. "$30.00 says I can do it again," said a voice in the back of Shadow's head. She felt her fingers curl into a fist.

Jasper was slow to respond. If he was expecting a warmer welcome, then he wasn't going to find it.

  The Hale boy blinked. "I came to—" the sentence was over before it could even begin as Jasper paused. His expression twisted with what looked like pained confusion.

He tried again, "I heard that carpooling is good for..." Shadow rose her eyebrows, impatient and annoyed.

"The environment," Jasper finished, nodding his head slowly, as if to reassure himself. 

  Shadow would have laughed it weren't for the fact that she was furious. "Carpooling is good for the environment?" She repeated, more for the sake of making her disdain clear rather than genuine curiosity.

Jasper opened his mouth to speak, stopped, and ended up nodding instead. "Yeah, that's all I got," he admitted sheepishly.

  "You're joking, right?" Shadow's voice was full of disbelief. She looked at Jasper with an expression that could only be described as suspicion. She glanced behind him, making a show of it as she looked everywhere but his eyes.

  "I'm being one hundred percent serious," Jasper replied.

Shadow frowned. After being a complete jerk to her less than 24 hours earlier, he thought he could make amends by asking her if she wanted a ride to school? Did he really think she was stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice?

  Her frown turned into a scowl, "I'm not exactly sure what game you're trying to play at, but I don't want any part of it." Shadow leaned in, as if to emphasize the threat of her words. "I let you fool me once, don't think it will happen again."

  Shadow paused then, holding his eyes for a moment. Then, just as quickly, she turned and reached for the door, prepared to close it with a slam behind her. At this point, being rude was the least of her worries.

  But, as Jasper's frantic tone struck her ears, the Swan girl found herself hesitating against her better judgement. "Wait! Please, wait." The words came out in a rush of desperation.

For a second— and only a second— did Shadow allow herself to believe that maybe he really did feel sorry. The sincerity was there, but so were the contradictions and the signs that told her to say, 'no.' They weren't friends. That much was painstakingly obvious.

   For a while, all Shadow could do was stand there with her back turned to him. She knew that she owed him nothing, but she was still unsure. When it became clear that the answer wouldn't come to her of its own free will, Shadow gave an irritated huff and turned around.

  She looked Jasper over, finding it both strange and disconcerting to see him try so hard for someone he hardly knew. Never-mind that she was someone he had warned to stay away from him. Shadow couldn't even begin to understand what his motive was.

  It was driving her mad.

She shook her head, "I don't understand. First, you're a sort-of douche to me, but you're friendly at the same time. Then you warn me to stay away from you, and now you're on my doorstep asking if I want a ride to school?"

  All Shadow could do was laugh out her frustration. "What are you trying to do? What's the goal here? Obviously you don't want me around and we hardly know each other, so why are you doing this?"

  Even as she said the words, Shadow knew it wasn't true. She might not have wanted him around, but he was here— and so was she. "I don't get it. Why?" Shadow asked, her expression distraught.

  She knew Jasper could see how confused she was. Shadow didn't know what to make of this. She had never met someone who could stress her out so easily. But, that wasn't even the worst part. The worst of it was that, despite everything, Shadow was still enraptured by him and all his strangeness.

  Jasper sighed, his head bowed for a moment. He appeared to be thinking of what to say and, for a while, there was nothing but silence.

  Shadow let him take his time. She was angry, but she still wanted answers. If this was her finally getting them, then she was willing to be patient enough to listen.

  Finally, he met her gaze, "Look, I know none of this is fair to you and you're right. I warned you to stay away, but that didn't mean that you have to or..." Jasper's golden eyes flitted away again, "that I wanted you to. The choice is yours."

  "I'm sorry for how horrible I was. I'm not quite sure how to make it up to you, but I can promise to try. If you'll let me." His expression was so eager then, that Shadow couldn't help but give a soft, almost defeated sigh.

"I know I don't deserve it, but, if you'll give me a chance, I'll try my best. I don't want us to have any hostility towards each other." Jasper was looking at her again, and all Shadow could do was watch him.

She was unsure of what to make of his blatant determination and sincerity. But, for a moment, his words caused a smile to touch her lips. Though, it was only for a moment. This boy was absolutely insane.

  And, somehow, she still wanted to know more. "What about that whole, 'I'm the bad guy' spiel you went on?" Shadow rose a brow, challenging him to give her an answer.

Jasper kept his eyes averted. Clearly he was hoping to avoid being confronted on that specific conversation. But, Shadow wasn't one to forget so easily.

  Jasper furrowed his brow as he tried to explain. "What I meant was that," he was still looking away as he spoke. Except, this time it wasn't to hide his remorse, it was to hide his shame.

Shadow frowned, feeling suddenly guilty for even asking. Clearly he wasn't comfortable, but if it was this bad, then she had to know more before she could let this strange involvement continue with him.

  The blond sighed, pushing off the door-frame he'd been leaning against. The wood below his hands gave a creak at the actions, but Jasper didn't seem to notice as he turned around with a huff.

For a moment, Shadow felt panic at the thought that he was leaving. Then he turned around sharply and Shadow watched as he rubbed at his jaw.

"What I'm saying is that I'm not good at controlling my emotions." Jasper met her eyes once more, and she felt suddenly concerned by the distress on his expression. "It's worse when there's people around. I never know how to react."

  "It's a poor excuse for how I treated you, and I'm not trying to justify what I did. But, you should know this at least, before we get more involved."

  Shadow tilted her head, and a teasing smile formed on her lips as Jasper finally looked at her.

  She rose a brow, "How do you know if we'll become more involved?" She asked, and though Jasper didn't blush, his flustered stare was enough to make it clear that he was embarrassed.

Shadow laughed, shaking her head at how easy it was. "I'm teasing, Jas."

  He finally smiled then, relieved that the Swan girl didn't seem as angry as she first had. It was silent for a while afterwards, as Shadow pondered over what to make of the entire situation.

She stepped out onto the deck with him and heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable to talk about, I shouldn't have asked."

  Jasper shook his head, joining the ginger as they leaned against the deck railings. "No, I'm glad you know. I was being..." he pursed his lip, gaze unfocused as he tried to think of the right word to say.

Though, Shadow had plenty to fill in the blank.

  The Swan girl grinned. "Dramatic, unfair, moody?" She offered, and Jasper chuckled, nodding along in agreement. "Really, the list goes on," Shadow continued, laughing.

He glanced over at her and Shadow let him watch as she began to think it over. She wanted to believe that Jasper could be a decent person, but it was hard when she still felt as if she were walking on eggshells around him. It was unnerving.

"I don't understand why you'd even want to try and make it up to me." Shadow let out a slow breath, looking out across the street rather than meeting his honey-coloured eyes.

  "But, I guess you can start with giving me a ride to school— but only because I heard carpooling is good for the environment." And because Charlie had grounded her from driving her motorcycle.

But, Jasper didn't need to know that. Shadow gave the Hale boy a pointed look, "Fair warning, I can't promise easy forgiveness."

  Jasper nodded his head quickly, "I understand."

  Shadow smiled at his compliance. He was easier to talk to when it was just the two of them. "I try to consider myself a good judge of character, and you really don't seem like a bad person."

Jasper gave a fleeting smile, "Who knows, maybe you'll reconsider that."

  Shadow rolled her eyes, "See, when you say stuff like that you just sound weird." Jasper laughed at her retort and she was perturbed by his sense of humour.

  "Don't sell yourself short over something you can't control, okay?"

Jasper nodded softly at her words and Shadow smiled. Though, the comforting expression turned serious as she patted the lower half of his cheek. "And don't screw up. You have one chance." She finished, raising a finger to emphasize her point.

  Jasper grinned, pulling away from her. "That's all I need, I promise I'll try my best," he replied. A smile formed on Shadow's lips and she couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief.

  All of her promises to not let herself get distracted were falling apart and, for some reason, with this boy she couldn't bring herself to care. What is wrong with me, she thought as she turned to make her way back inside.

  Jasper waited patiently while she retrieved her things. When she returned, she let him take her bag as he offered it, and they headed towards the car. He was really going all out for her forgiveness, opening the door to let her in.

  "Let's get going," she said, smiling at Jasper. "We have an environment to protect."

→

  "I am never getting in a car with you ever again," Shadow declared as she tried to walk down the school hall. Though, it was hard to continue putting one foot in front of the other when her knees refused to stop shaking.

Jasper grinned at her words and held out his arm for her to take. She gladly accepted.

  "Don't be so dramatic, I wasn't going that fast," he replied, amused by her reaction.

Shadow scoffed and shot him a look. "Don't call me dramatic, I'm actually surprised you didn't get pulled over. I was fully prepared to dive out the car window if I had to."

  The retort only earned a laugh in response and, despite the fact that they still weren't on the best of terms, Shadow couldn't help but grin at the sound of his laughter.

  "So, am I sitting with you at lunch? Or are you going to make me endure the torture that is having Eric make figurative heart eyes at me." The pair stopped at Shadow's locker, where she hung her coat.

When she was finished, she turned to look at Jasper, waiting for his reply. He gave her an exaggerated smile, "How could I possibly refuse since you asked so nicely."

Shadow gave a hum, "That's exactly what I thought." Jasper chuckled before leading the Swan girl towards English, where the two got along in peaceful silence.

Two more periods later, and they had already survived to lunch.

Without waiting to find Jasper after her extra credit class, Shadow was quick to make her way to the cafeteria. She gathered her food onto a tray, feeling grateful that someone had actually put effort into serving quality lunches. Lunch budget's in the city were a nightmare.

When she finished, Shadow paid quickly before turning around. The Swan girl jumped back then, dodging a near-collision with Jasper as she did so.

  "Jesus!" Shadow said with surprise, pulling her tray back before it could spill all over the Hale boy. She looked up to meet his golden eyes and couldn't help but grin at the sight of him.

"You know, contrary to what you might believe, food really isn't a fashion statement." 

  Jasper smiled, "Sorry." He lifted his free arm, gesturing for her to lead the way. Shadow gave a curious look, but said nothing as she stepped ahead of him. She would have been nervous to first approach his family, but now she was comforted by the sight.

  However, Shadow wasn't blind enough not to notice the glaring absence of Edward. She frowned. "Your brother gives a new meaning to the word idiot."

  "You can say that again," Jasper muttered.

Shadow cracked a grin as Alice caught sight of the pair and began to wave. "Shadow!" She called out as the Swan girl sat down beside her, Jasper taking the seat to her right.

  "You seem excited," Shadow pointed out, a smile on her lips as she set her tray down.

"I am. I've been meaning to ask if you want to go out for lunch or shopping, just so you can get to know the area," Alice offered, earning a warm smile from the Swan girl.

  She was endeared by Alice's exuberance, and touched that she'd asked. "I'll have to ask Charlie, but I don't see why not," Shadow replied. "I didn't think Forks had much variety, but it's been a while since I was last here."

  Alice sighed, "No luck there, if you want anything decent we'd have to go to Seattle."

Shadow couldn't say she was surprised. "I don't see that being an issue, but my uncle's pretty upset with me right now for the whole detention thing." She gave Alice a sheepish smile, but the Cullen girl didn't pry.

  "No worries, we can always plan ahead of time." Alice started listing off her favourite shops, while Shadow listened absentmindedly. She didn't generally tend to do much on her weekends, but she didn't mind going out and getting to know Alice.

  The rest of the lunch period continued on as the day before, with everyone making conversation while skirting around the absence of Edward. Shadow couldn't ignore the twinge of annoyance she felt every time her eyes glanced at his empty seat. She wondered at Bella and how bad their first meeting truly was.

  When the bell finally rang, Shadow found herself feeling better than she had at the beginning of the day. She'd almost forgotten how nice it was to have people to talk to and laugh with. Enjoying the company of others had become a foreign concept after her new responsibilities had taken over.

  But, the Cullens made her feel welcome. There was no pressure to speak about her past, her hometown, or how she felt about what had happened. There was so much more to talk about, different things to discuss with each other. Maybe they didn't ask because they didn't know, but still, it was a nice thought.

  Shadow rose from her seat, content as she made her way to the trashcans with the rest of her companions. Once she was done throwing out the remnants of her lunch, she turned and waved goodbye to the Cullen's. The group disbanded and went their separate ways.

  However, before she could disappear through the lunchroom doors Jasper quickly appeared by her side. Shadow gave him a questioning look.

  "I thought I'd be nice and walk you to class. You don't want to get lost again, do you?" He was clearly teasing her and Shadow was unimpressed.

  She fought the smile at the edge of her lips, "I'm perfectly capable of walking myself to class." She gave him a nudge with her shoulder. "You, on the other hand, should get to yours or you'll be late— and I refuse to be blamed for that."

  Jasper shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Besides, economics isn't really my thing," he replied, clearly unconcerned about what he would miss or how his attendance would be affected. Shadow rolled her eyes.

  "Yeah? And what exactly is your thing?" She asked, giving up on trying to persuade him.

  Besides, it wouldn't be so bad for him to lead the way. She had no idea where her next class was. Shadow hadn't expected the school switch to be this hard, but schedules at Forks High were different from the ones back home.

Everything was different from home.

  "History, Biology, maybe." Jasper's words drew an absentminded laugh from Shadow.

  "Economics isn't your thing but History is?" She inquired, taken aback. Shadow had to admit, she didn't think Jasper had any interest for school. His lack of attention in their shared classes wasn't exactly unnoticeable.

"So, you're a nerd then?" The Swan girl teased, though she was only being mildly serious.

  Jasper scoffed, "I wouldn't say that."

  "Okay, history buff," Shadow said, nudging at his side. Jasper chuckled before they finally stopped. She assumed the door in front of them was the math classroom.

  "Well, you've completed your escort duty, you can feel free to actually go to class now." Shadow gave him a smile and Jasper nodded.

  "I'll go to class, but, only if you'll answer a question," he offered, meeting Shadow's gaze evenly.

  She narrowed her eyes, "Which is?"

  "Can I take you somewhere after school?" He asked, stunning Shadow into silence. She could feel her face warming, but kept her composure.

  She thought about it. It wasn't as if he were asking her on a date, so she didn't get why it affected her the way it did. But, it felt odd.

  Shadow forced a smile to mask her shock, "Hm, it depends, will it be somewhere secluded where I might get murdered?"

  Jasper's expression quickly turned to horror and he sputtered to reply. "No, I would never!" He assured her, clearly not catching onto Shadow's joke.

  The ginger laughed. "I'm joking, Jas. But, if there's food, then sure," she told him, figuring there'd be no harm in hanging out. Maybe this was just another means of him apologizing.

  Jasper smiled softly. "Yes, I can promise food," he told her.

  "Then I'll see you after school," she said before she opened the classroom door and disappeared inside.

Edited 02/09/2016 @3:39 AM
Edited 09/10/2016 @10:10 AM
Edited 09/18/2016 @4:10 AM