headache / jasper hale

52 | change you

"Dawson!" Thea shrieked as her best friend tucked a chunk of her hair into the budding french braid.

"Stop squirming, you're messing with my flow," Dawson gives her hair a gentle tug, attempting to get her to hold still as he braided her hair.

"What is with you and braiding peoples hair?"

He shrugs, continuing the nimble movements of his fingers as he tucked more of Thea's ashy blonde locks into the braid. "You know, I like your blonde hair."

"Me too," Thea tuts, picking at the chipped nail polish on her nails. She felt that her dirt blonde color suited her better than the dark brunette she used to be.

"What made you dye it?"

She shrugged. "I felt like I needed a change in my life. And it was something I had control over, which made me feel better."

"You're always in control," Dawson says.

Thea snorts, setting her hair band in his awaiting hand. "I am so not in control."

"Yes you are — you tell someone to do something and they always do it," Dawson shrugs.

"That isn't true!" After the braid is secured, she stands and drags herself into the kitchen. "I used to boss you around back in North Carolina and you would never listen to me."

"I'm the expectation, of course." Dawson throws himself onto the counter, grabbing an apple from the bowl and tossing it between his hands.

Thea opens the fridge, groaning at its emptiness. "I don't understand why this house never has food!"

"Because you live with a pack of wolves who eat like they've been starved for months," Dawson takes a bite of the apple, scrunching his nose at the taste before spitting it out in the nearest garbage can.

"Why would you even try to eat that?" Thea says, closing the fridge with her hip.

"Forgot what it felt like to eat food," he shrugs. "But, hey, if it makes you feel better, we don't have food in our fridge either."

"Because you drink blood," the blonde rolls her eyes, grabbing her set of car keys from the key rack. "C'mon."

She quickly exits the kitchen, grabbing her jacket along the way. Dawson sets the bitten apple back into the bowl, scurrying after her.

"Woah now," he says, lightly grabbing her elbow to stop her from opening the front door. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Correct — we are," Thea says, moving to open the door again but only to be pulled back by Dawson. She whines. "I'm hungry, D!"

"Sam gave me strict orders to keep you in the house," Dawson reminds the girl. "He's the last person I want to anger."

"Either you come with me or I will go alone, you pick." Thea says, batting her eyelashes at her friend. She knew her puppy dog face was his weakness — she had years of practice under her belt.

Dawson sighs in defeat, running his hand through his short blonde hair. "Fine! Just stop looking at me like that!"

"Yes!" Thea throws her hands up in victory, yanking the front door open and trotting out to her car. She slides in, sticking the key in the ignition as Dawson follows her lead — eyes scanning every inch around them as they pull out.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

"They'll be fine, you know," Thea says, taking a sip of her milkshake as she drives down the road, eyes glancing at Dawson every so often.

He sighs, shaking his head. "I just wish I knew what was going on."

"Me too," her voice is sincere as she looks at her best friend.

Behind his goofy charade, Thea knows her best friend is worried sick for his new family. And she didn't blame him — she was worried for everyone at the battle. Even Edward, whose name still brought her distaste.

But as she looked closer at her friend, she could tell that the guilt was eating him alive. Thea felt bad to take him away from them, knowing that he wished to be there to protect Alice. She would feel fully responsible if any harm came to Alice, given the fact that she was the one who took Dawson away.

With a sigh, Thea glances back at the road before lowering her cup back into the cup holders. Her first attempt at it fails — missing the holder by inches.

With yet another sigh, she looks down at the holder, pushing the styrofoam cup fully into the cup holder.

"Thea!" She hears Dawson yell, looking back up just in time to see a deer run out before them. She has barely enough time to slam on the breaks, but that doesn't do them much good.

The sleek car Thea adored slams into the deer, sending it flying over their car roof after shattering the windshield. The car continues to skid, hitting a patch of thick ice before veering off the road.

Thea and Dawson scream as the car rolls off the edge but when the car comes to a stop after rolling into a tree, only one of them are still screaming.

Dawson frantically looks around, the driver's seat abandoned, dyed red. He punches the door open, flitting out of the car while looking for his best friend. He finds her ten or so feet away from the car, lying motionless in a pool of her own blood.

With a whimper of pain, he's by her side in an instant. He stares at her, calling her name to get her attention but she doesn't move. Dawson pushes his fingers into her wrist, feelings a weakening pulse — he can hear her heart slowing down by the second.

Dawson sobs, squeezing his eyes shut. He has two options. One, let his friend die. Or two, turn her.

And he didn't know which option was worse.

Pulling her into his arms, Dawson pushes her hair away from her next. "I'm so sorry," he says while leaning down. "I never wanted to change you — or have you become one at all."

And then his teeth sink into Thea's neck, releasing the venom that would alter the course of their lives forever.

•••

MWAHAHAHAHA

-M