The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[1.11] nervous

THE NEXT MORNING, as Lydia walked through the parking lot beside Gwen, she caught Jasper's eyes. She sent him a smile, earning a small one in return. Lydia tried to quell the giddy feeling rising in her stomach, wondering if he could feel her emotions from across the parking lot full of teenagers.

She prayed the answer was no.

Gwen nudged Lydia's side with her elbow. "What was that?" she asked, struggling to contain a grin.

Lydia's cheeks warmed. "Nothing," she said quickly, hoping none of the Cullens could hear them.

"That was not nothing," Gwen told her. "I might be strictly into ladies, but I'm not blind, Lydia."

Lydia shook her head. "It was just a smile," she said defensively. "No big deal."

"That's how it starts," Gwen teased.

"Shut up," Lydia said, praying her face wasn't as red as it was warm.

As they grew closer to the doors, they noticed Edward Cullen and Bella Swan walking through the parking lot together. The students still lingering in the parking lot were all gawking at the pair, clearly shocked. Lydia could practically feel the rumors starting to form in some of their brains, and she sighed. Poor Bella, she thought, noticing how uncomfortable the Arizonian girl looked at all of the attention.

"Looks like you aren't the only new girl who's managed to break into the Cullens' inner circle," Gwen said, leading them into the building.

Rolling her eyes, Lydia said, "They're not actually a cult, Gwen."

Gwen laughed, gathering her things from her locker across the hall. Lydia did the same, and soon the two best friends were making their way to pre-cal. Edward, who sat a few rows behind the girls, looked visibly happier than Lydia was used to seeing him. She thought it was kind of sweet.

She remembered what it felt like to be in love.

At the back of the classroom, Edward Cullen frowned at the memories flashing through the mind of Lydia Rowe. Though he couldn't read Bella's thoughts, Lydia's were as clear as anyone else's—though the content was sometimes darker than the average person's. He'd known since Lydia's panic attack what had happened in her past, but he had kept his mouth shut.

It hurt to see the things she had been through in the months leading up to her move to Forks. Her thoughts reminded him of Rosalie's at times, and he wished for a moment that he could tell his brothers just so they could hunt down Justin Lewis and Benjamin Hopkins and tear them both apart.

But he would never tell them. It wasn't his story to tell.

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When AP Literature came around, Lydia leaned toward Bella Swan. "So," she said quietly. "You and Edward?"

Bella's cheeks flushed with warmth. "Uh, yeah," she murmured.

"Congrats," Lydia said with a grin. "You look cute together."

"Thanks," Bella said. She cleared her throat. "So, are you and Jasper...?"

"Friends," Lydia filled in the blank, even if a part of her wished for something more. "Just friends."

Bella bit her lip, glancing around at the other students, who were all engrossed in either their forgotten homework or their own conversations. "Do you... know...?" Bella trailed off, not knowing if Lydia knew the Cullens' secret yet.