FOREVER AND ALWAYS ━━━━ jasper hale.

32- Indifference

"Sometimes, the person you would take a bullet for is the one standing behind the trigger."

-Unknown

***

So much has happened over the past hour. And now I have the knowledge that Harry Clearwater is dead.

Heart attack in the woods.

The sad part of it was that I just wanted to go home. I didn't want to be awake anymore today, I just want to get home. I wasn't listening to anything Bella and Jacob were saying, but he had his hand back so I could hold it and gain some of my body heat back. I was still reeling that Bella jumped off a goddamn cliff for fun. Like, if you want to have fun, let's go get some freaking ice cream, you don't need to plummet to an icy death.

When we pulled up to our house, a car caught my attention, and it was like all of my senses were kicked back to life. Slick, black, and shiny. I knew that car anywhere.

"Carlisle." I whispered, immediately going to open my door.

"No! Courtney it's a trick!" Jacob cried, and I turned to send him a sharp look. "No, I need some closure."

Jacob could prevent Bella from getting out of the truck, but he sure as hell couldn't contain me. I jumped, running across the stiff concrete and pushing the door to my house open. It was dark, except for a figure standing right in front of me.

"Sadie?" I recognized her from her florescent hair. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The girl grinned, her teeth shining in the darkness as she flipped the light switch and my vision was flooded. "We have a guest."

"Hi."

I think I screamed when I heard Alice's voice, but I might have just jumped. Her short, graceful figure was beside Sadie before I could blink, and Bella walked in at that exact moment.

"Alice, oh Alice!" She cried, running over to practically leap into her arms. I was floored. My entire body was shaking, and it was only partially from the cold.

"A-Alice?" I squeaked, my voice an octave higher than usual. I was expecting to feel some sort of burning anger if I ever saw her again, but all I felt my stone cold relief. "Alice?"

"Oh, Courtney I'm so sorry!" Se cried, and before I knew what was happening I practically collapsed in her arms, tears streaming down my face for the second time in a day. Alice held onto me so tight I was afraid I might break in half, but I didn't care, I didn't care. Alice was here, Alice was okay.

"Mind explaining to me how you're not dead?"

"Mind explaining to me what the hell you are talking about?"

Alice blanched, recoiling in surprise. "I-I saw Bella jump off a cliff, and you jump in after her... I-" She turned to Bella with a sharp gaze. "Why the hell would you try to kill yourself?" She turned back to me. "And why wouldn't you just get help?"

"I-I did." I muttered, reaching up to tug on a strand of my already drying hair. "I was with Paul Lahote in the woods... and I told him to go get Jacob."

"I-" She paused, shaking her head. "I didn't see that."

"And I didn't try to kill myself, I was cliff diving."