Dangerous - Jasper Hale

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
When Alex woke up the next day, her head was pounding. She sighed as she sat up leaning her head in her hands, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She got ready in silence, before walking down the stairs with heavy steps. Her father smiled at her as he sat like he always did, by the table with a sandwich in one of his hands and the newspaper in the other one. She smiled at him slightly, before filling a mug with some coffee, drinking it as she stood leaned against the sink.

"You're headed out with Tom after school, yes?" her father stated, Alex nodded in response.

"Yeah, meeting up with Tom and we'll be going together," Alex said, but stopping her sentence when she heard someone drive up in front of her house. She furrowed her brow and looked out of the window, quickly recognizing Jasper's black car against the white houses of the neighborhood. She slowly put the mug down in the sink and walked towards the door, getting dressed in her coat and boots. Her father raised his brows.

"Who's that?" he said, looking at her confused.

"It's... erm, it's Jasper I think," she said, making him raise his brows even more.

"Oh, very well..." he murmured with a smug look on his face, before resuming to read his newspaper. Alex looked at him for a second with one brow up, before opening the door and moving outside towards his car.

"What's this?" Alex said as she opened the door to his car, not getting inside but merely looking at him. Jasper shrugged slightly.

"I want to do this correctly. I want to try and make this work, and this is my way of doing it. If I'm bothering you, tell me and I'll..."

"No, don't leave. I was just surprised that's all." Alex looked at him for a second before nodding, stepping inside the car and closing the door after her quickly. Jasper looked at her as she fastened her seatbelt, smiling at the gracefulness of her movements. No one could make him smile by the simple task of getting inside a car except for her, and even though that scared him, he wouldn't change it for the world. When she was done, she looked up at him.

Jasper nodded, before hitting the gas and driving down the road. He couldn't help but to notice that the girl was blue; she'd been nothing like it the day before, merely nervous and frightened. Her current state of mind was way below that. "What's wrong?" Jasper could hear himself ask without actually thinking about it himself. Alex looked at him quickly, before down to her hands.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"It's obviously not."

"I can always count on you to point out the negative things," Alex said, smiling up at him slightly. "No, this is not a good day."

Jasper's hands tightened around the steering wheel slightly, he wanted to ask her more questions but he didn't know if he should. He didn't want to anger her. Finally, he spoke. "Do you want to tell me what's going on or is it personal?"

Alex played with her fingers for a second, before sighing. "It's been two years today since Richard passed. I'm heading down to the graveyard later with Tom. This is just a really bad day, that's all."

Jasper nodded, he could feel that his name was like a knife in her chest, but she'd never tell that to him. She pretended like it had no effect on her, even though he felt it all. "I'm sorry."

"What's there to be sorry about? It is what it is." Alex sighed and looked up from her hands and out the window, watching the passing scenery without really looking.

"There's a lot to be sorry about Alex."

"Jasper-"

"I'm sorry for bringing it up now, but I don't know what to do Alex. I love you, and the first time I realized this I left because I thought everything would cease. Then I came back and everything was even more intense. And then I left again, after I swore I wouldn't. I know I would never do it again, but I get why you don't trust me now. I don't even trust me. I need to make this right, but I don't know how to," Jasper spoke, surprising himself at his outburst. Alex looked at him with wide eyes, before looking forward and out the window. She shook her head as no words left her mouth, even though it was open.

"What am I supposed to say Jasper?" she started. "I love you too? It's not changing shit. This is not the right time to talk about this."

Jasper bit the inside of his cheek, he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to pretend as if nothing happened, in a way that felt worse than being reminded of it. Alex sighed, before continuing to speak again. "We'll let this go right now, I can't talk about this right now. I'm already having a terrible day, this is not going to bring it up. I know you're not satisfied with that, but it takes a lot to actually sit in the same car as you right now. We just need to take it slow," Alex spoke, Jasper nodding after a few seconds.

It grew silent, which provoked Alex for some reason. It was uncomfortable. "Maybe we could hang out later today, after me and Tom get back from..." Alex voice couldn't speak the next few words, but Jasper caught the message. "Watch a movie or something, just spend time together."

Jasper took his eyes off the road for just a second to look at her, but she was facing the other direction. "Yes, let's do that."

Alex chuckled at his response since he always spoke so clearly, before nodding. "Okay then. I'll give you a call when we're back."

"I could just pick you two up," Jasper suggested, Alex nodded after thinking for a few seconds.

"Sure," she said, just as they entered the parking lot of Forks high school. They both got out of the car after that, Alex quickly spotted Rebecca standing together with Cyrus and Emmett. Alex motioned towards them for Jasper, the blond boy nodded as they both made their way over there.

Rebecca gave Alex a knowing look as the two joined the circle of friends, but Alex just shook her head. "Hi guys," she said instead, looking at the others with a wide smile that was more than a bit forced. No one seemed to notice though except for Jasper, who looked down at her with a frown on his face. He then nodded towards the people in the group, acknowledging them.

"Hey Jasper, this is Cyrus," Rebecca said, Alex just then realizing that the two of them hadn't actually met. Jasper shook the boy's hand, Cyrus smiling as he did.

"What's up man?" Cyrus spoke, not getting a verbal response from Jasper but he managed to make the introduction non-awkward anyways.

Alex locked eyes with Emmett, who smiled and connected his hands with a clap in front of him. "So, you two on good terms now? Back to old habits? Back to making out in Alex's backyard?" Emmett asked, smirking at the two as Alex's face grew red and Jasper's expression stiffened. Cyrus shuffled awkwardly. "Oh come on you two, I've gone six months without teasing the two of you at all, I deserve this!"

Alex couldn't help but to chuckle at his statement, looking up she saw that Jasper relaxed slightly when he saw her reaction. After that, the tension broke and conversation flowed between the five of them, no awkwardness involved.

After ten minutes, it was time to head to class. The first one of the day would be PE, which Alex so conveniently had with Cyrus and Tom that year. But, since Tom was nowhere to be found right then, the two of them made their way over there by themselves after saying goodbye to the others.

They walked in silence for the first minute, before it was broken by the tall boy next to Alex. "So, you and Cullen are dating?"

Alex cleared her throat at the suddenness of his statement, before shaking her head. "Ehrm, no. We used to, but not anymore."

"And you're still friends?" he asked, making her shrug.

"I guess, more or less."

"Well, I'm glad you're not dating him," Cyrus said, making Alex stop in her tracks. They were standing just outside the door that led to the female changing room so she was bound to stop there anyways, but his words took her back.

"And why's that?" Alex said while gulping, trying not to look as surprised as she felt. Cyrus chuckled.

"Isn't that obvious? I really... really like you Taylor," he said, before walking down the hallway and towards the men's changing room, closing the door behind him without looking back at the girl.

Alex stood and looked at the place he'd been standing at for a few seconds, before shaking her head to snap out of her trance and going inside the changing room.