Traditional. [Jasper Hale]

iii. Confronting the Past

With her cold hands clutched around her notebooks, drawing them close to her chest, Florence made her way to the back of the classroom where Jasper Hale sat, dazed and confused. 

She sat the notebooks on the rickety table with slight force, making a small smacking sound echo around the room before she took her seat in the scratched plastic chair that resided to the right of Jasper's. 

Jasper could, unbeknownst to her, feel Florence's whirlwind of emotions: the anxiety from seeing him again, the confusion as to when he was changed, and the masked happiness that sat on the back burner of her brain for being in history class.

Florence cleared her throat, wondering just how slim the odds of him being changed and bumping into her life again were, "I suppose you dropped the Whitlock, Major."

Jasper's pained expression grew in intensity, if that was even possible, as he replied, matching Florence's hushed tone, "It was - uh - too tied to the war. The patriarch of my clan thought it best to change it."

"Yes, well, I would presume so -"

"Are we just going to ignore what happened between us?" Jasper held her gaze, taking him back to memories he had of her where her eyes were not masked by colored contacts but were instead a vibrant hazel color. Her light brown eyes used to marvel him, for, in certain lights, an olive green tone would seep past the honey colored brown.

Florence shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't see why we should dig up antiquated relations."

"Are you being -" Jasper began but he was cut off by the bell that signaled the beginning of first period.

Florence silently thanked the tone that rang out obnoxiously through the school for getting her out of a rather awkward conversation as she hushed Jasper and gestured towards Mrs. Chance who had stood up, preparing to lecture.

"Since we just ended our unit on the Revolutionary War, we're going to start on the Civil War. Now, I know most of you are quite familiar with the war, but keep your head up and your ears open, and you might learn something you didn't know before. Imagine that...," Mrs. Chance glared at a dirty blond boy in the front whom, Florence assumed, was notorious for zoning out during her lectures, "Now, the Civil War began on April 14, 1861 -"

At that statement, both Jasper and Florence's hands shot up from their place in the back, "Yes - Mr. Hale?"

Florence reluctantly took her hand from the air and let it rest on the wooden desk once more as Jasper corrected the teacher, his charming southern drawl becoming more known, "I mean no disrespect, ma'am, but the war began on April 12, 1861, if I'm not mistaken."

Mrs. Chance smiled condescendingly, "Well, Mr. Hale, thank you for your concern about my knowledge, but I have a master's degree in American history. I'm pretty sure I know when the Civi-"

The blond haired boy up front showed Mrs. Chance his cracked phone screen, "Actually, Hale is right."

Jasper let a small smirk grace his lips as Mrs. Chance looked flustered after reading the phone screen. Trying to regain her dignity, she continued on with the lecture casually,  "Yes, well, the Civil War began on April 12, 1861..."

***

When lunchtime rolled around, Florence had already gotten through history, trigonometry, and AP English. Her brain felt mushy because all the material she had already learned had been repeated like a broken record. 

Grabbing her tray from the lunch line even though she knew she wouldn't consume much of the dirt tasting food. She glanced around the lunchroom, unsure of where to sit. She could always sit with Jasper, but he looked like he was sitting with, what she assumed was, his clan.

Throwing that short lived thought away, she saw the blond from first period waving her over to his table. She took the only empty seat, dropping her body into it gracefully after setting her tray down, "Hi, I'm -"

A nerdy looking Asian boy finished her sentence for her, "Florence Flannery. You're even more gorgeous than we'd fantasized from Mikey's description."

If Florence still had blood coursing through her veins, it would've all rushed to her cheeks. She had been known to blush quite easily. But she didn't have blood in her body, and her cheeks stayed their same perfect porcelain tint, "Thank you -?"

"Eric," the Asian boy spoke up, once again finishing her sentence.

Mike scooted closer to her, gaining her attention, "So - uh - where did you come from?"

"Well if you mean where I was born, then Texas, but if you're wondering where I just moved from, Moscow," Florence uttered out cautiously.

"Wow, Moscow," A girl with brown curly hair spoke up with a fake energetic tone, "Must be why you're so pale."

Florence's hands gripped the lunch table, and, through gritted teeth, she answered the stranger, "I suppose it is."

"I'm Jessica, by the way," Jessica said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder in a preppy manner.

"What a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Florence sarcastically muttered as she dared to take a glance towards the table Jasper sat at.

Jasper caught her gaze as did the rest of his family. A petite, pixie-like girl smiled the biggest smile she had ever seen before she nudged Jasper in the ribcage and whispered to him, "That's her. I saw her. She's your mate, and you two will be very happy together."

Florence's ears perked up as she heard her words from across the room. She broke eye contact awkwardly when Jessica began snapping in front of her face, which made her lose her focus on the conversation that involved her. Narrowly missing Jasper's response to the pixie's claim, Florence gave Jessica what she wanted - attention, "Hello? Earth to Florence. Don't get involved with them. They're a bit - strange."

"They're a little more than strange," Mike began, "What is it with the new girls getting so goddamned intrigued by the oh-so perfect Cullens?"

Eric smirked, dismissing Mike, "He's just upset because Bella, the old new girl, chose Edward Cullen over his sorry ass, and you're following in suit."

Jessica laughed out, "I don't think Mikey has a thing for Florence."

Florence turned to the dense girl, "God, Jessica, tone down the jealousy. It's not a good look on you."

She heard laughs erupt from the previously silent Cullen table, and she smirked, slightly proud of herself for making them laugh.

***

(unedited)

(words: 1,042)