LIMINAL || 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙚 [1]

𝟙𝟞 | 𝕚𝕥'𝕤 𝕃𝕒 ℙ𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕓𝕒𝕓𝕪, 𝕃𝕒 ℙ𝕦𝕤𝕙

I knew very little about Jasper and Rosalie's life in Texas, even after asking Bella and Alice for any info. All that I had to go off of was that it was a bad situation and they were more than glad that the Cullens were fostering them until graduation, but I figured they would be welcome to live with them as long as needed.

"It's no problem. I should be thanking him, though. I wouldn't be passing calculus without him."

Carlisle smiled so genuinely that it almost made me...sad that he was thanking me. Whatever it was that Jasper was struggling with, I hoped he was handling it better now. I hated to imagine what he was like before I'd met him.

Saturday morning began with the most wonderful sight I'd seen in forever: sunshine. It'd become apparent that the beginning of April in Washington was nowhere near as warm or clear as it was in Alabama. However, that day was unseasonably warm with clear skies as far as I could see from my small balcony. Dare I say it, we could get a tan. I could wear shorts! Or, at the very least, a thin long sleeved shift instead of the sweaters and heavy jackets I'd had on for the past three months. Whether or not I'd get the chance to strip down to my bathing suit, I went ahead and wore it under my clothes just in case. When Jess and Angela rolled up wearing theirs too, I knew it'd been a good idea.

"Let's gooo!" Jess yelled, rolling down the windows of Mike's Tahoe and speeding off towards the beach. He must have been crazy in love with her to let her get behind the wheel, but he was all grins from the passenger side. I'd offered to sit in the wayback with the towels, surfing gear, cooler, and snacks so Angela and Eric could snuggle in the middle. Hopefully this little beach day would be a welcomed start to our spring break and a breath of fresh air for Angela. One peek at the wine coolers someone had snuck confirmed that even if we had a bad time, we might not care so much.

It wasn't the kind of beach I'd been raised around but it would do. The sand wasn't soft and white and the waves were rougher and higher than I was used to. As soon as we parked, Jess, Mike, and Eric got zipped up into their wetsuits, boards in hand, and made a beeline for the water. Angela stayed back with me to set out beach chairs, lay out towels, and unpack the rest of the vehicle for when they'd had enough of getting tossed in the surf. The sun still shone overhead with no sign of clouds in any direction. The dark sand drew enough warmth that after thirty minutes of sitting out and enjoying the weather, I was stripping off my shirt and shoving it into my bag. Angela had been mostly quiet without Jessica nearby to strike up a conversation; I was grateful for a little nonverbal hangout so that I could read my book in peace while getting a little color on the areas of my body not confined to a medical device. It was only after a drink from the cooler that Angela started talking in short sentences and questions.

"What were you and Jasper up to the other day? I saw both of you leave in Alice's car right after school."

Something I loved about Angela was that she never pried for the sake of gossip or banter, but because she truly cared and wanted to know. Anything I told her would be safe from Jess or Bella or even the Cullens. She was a friend I could trust.

"I told Chief Swan about Matthew's little brush with crime. I'm not pressing charges but I reckon it's better than nothing in case it ever happens again, right? Jasper just offered to go for moral support and as a witness."

I cracked open a cold can and took a long sip. The fruity, fizzy drink burned my chest in a good way that helped to calm any thoughts about my new found crush.

"Moral support? Is that what that's called?"

Her mouth twisted into a grin that made me suddenly very nervous to proceed with the topic at hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I took another large gulp and relished the burn.

"I don't know, it just seems like you guys are spending a lot of time together. I know he's your tutor, but last time I checked, you two could hardly stand sitting at the same lunch table, let alone riding in the same car."