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For the first time in Magnolia's life, she was happy to be at school. Bella had picked her up this morning, like normal, and talked about how awful school was without her. They had parked further down the lot than usual, Magnolia noticing Bella's hard glare as they passed Edward's silver Volvo. "Uh, Bells?" Bella parked a death grip on the steering wheel. "You might wanna be careful, don't know how much strength that old wheel can take."
Bella, wide-eyed, look over at Magnolia and blushed. She slowly took her hands off and placed them on her lap. "Sorry, Maggie. I'm just a little...on edge, today."
Magnolia smiled, understanding Bella's recent frustrations with Edward. "It's cool, Bells. We all have that kind of day. Let's just get to class and try not to ruin that shiny paint job of his, okay?" Both girls laughed as they got out of the truck.
They parted ways when the first bell rang, and Magnolia leisurely walked down the halls to her American history class. Small butterflies flew around her stomach at the excitement of seeing Jasper again; she'd missed him more than she'd like to admit to herself.
She walked in, her eyes were immediately drawn to his frame. His skin seemed to glow under the terrible classroom lighting, but what really stood out was the prominent smile plastered on his face, causing his eyes to crinkle in a way Magnolia found adorable.
Suddenly feeling very dizzy, Magnolia quickly walked to her seat and sat down. "Hi," She quickly spoke, as she took out her notebook and pencil case. "Could I see your notes from yesterday?" She asked, looking up at him. A blush appeared across her cheeks as she noticed how intense is stare was, but then she realized where he was looking.
Of course, he could see her bandage underneath her hair, his eyesight was better than any human by far. "What happened?" He asked seriously, as he handed the notes to Magnolia.
Starting to feel embarrassed from his stare, Magnolia moved her hair to cover the bandage more. She turned to the notes and started copying them down. "Maggie. What happened?" He pressed, whispering as the teacher started talking. They were watching a movie today.
Magnolia huffed, focusing on her paper as she spoke. "Nothing of your concern. I'm fine, Jasper. Really."
Jasper scoffed, determined to get the real answer. "There's no point in hiding it. I'll just get Edward to listen in, and he'll tell me, whether you like it or not."
A loud snap sounded. Everyone's heads turned to Magnolia, who just kept her eyes trained on her paper until they all looked away. Her hands were shaking, one holding the remains of a shattered pencil. "Why do I need to tell you? I'm fine. What more do you need to know?"
Magnolia felt so annoyed. She wanted to push what happened yesterday with Paul out of her mind, but yet Jasper kept prying. She knew he had no ill intent, but she wasn't ready to talk about it, and using Edward as a threat wasn't helping the situation.
Jasper took a deep breath and lent closer to Magnolia. He spoke softly and quietly in her ear, so only she would hear. "I care about you, Magnolia. I want to protect you, I want to keep you safe from anyone who may try to hurt you. So please, spare me the agony, and tell me."
That was not what Magnolia expected him to say. Another blush crept up her neck and face. She moved away from him, looking deep into his topaz eyes, nearly getting lost in them and forgetting what she was going to say.
"Sam thought it would be a good idea, for me and Paul to...spar. I got a little too cocky and pissed him off. He did this," she pointed to her bandage. "But I deserved it. There are no hard feelings, and he'd called at least five times after I had left to apologize to me...but mostly mom." She chuckled at the end.
This is exactly what Jasper was afraid of. He couldn't help the anger that started bubbling within him. Softly and slowly, he moved his hand to the bandage, touching it with so much care, worried he'd accidentally hurt her. "I told you not to go. You can never trust wolves." He hummed quietly as his eyes continued to search Magnolia's face.
Magnolia rolled her eyes, dropping her voice as the movie started. "Paul isn't a...wolf, yet. He just has serious anger management problems." She scowled.
Jasper smiled, letting out a small breath in relief. Magnolia could feel the cold air on her face. She closed her eyes, sighing contently. "See? That wasn't so hard," Jasper chuckled. Magnolia opened her eyes, glaring at him. "I'm just glad you're okay. I worry I can't help it."
He moved away from her, and leant back in his seat, now focusing on the movie. Magnolia felt a tightness in her chest as she did the same, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought of someone like him, caring for her.
History class went by quickly, much to Magnolia's dismay, and she was off to gym class; they were working on health worksheets. Before she knew it, the class was over and the lunch bell rang.
Hurriedly, Magnolia stuffed the papers in her bag and walked as fast as she could without running, to the lunchroom. Bella was waiting for her at the doorway.
"Hey."
"Hi."
They walked in together and headed to their regular table with Jessica, Angela, Tyler, Mike and Eric already waiting for them.
Eric's face lit up at the sight of Bella. "Hey! La Push, baby! You in?"
Bella's face scrunched up in confusion. "Should I know what that means?" She turned to Magnolia, eyes pleading for help.
"La Push beach, down at the Quileute res, we're all going tomorrow," Mike interjected, turning the girl's attention away from her friend.
"Yeah, there's a big swell coming in," Jessica added, taking a bite of her salad.
Eric jumped up. "And I don't just surf the internet." He joked. Mike stood up on his chair, mocking a surfing action.
"Eric, you stood up once, and it was foam board." Magnolia drawled, laughing at the boys' feeble attempt at impressing Bella.
Angela touched Bella's arm softly, not noticing the girl's obvious flinch. "But there's whale watching too, come with us."
At this point Magnolia had sat down and was pulling out her lunch, carefully eyeing Bella, in case she needed her.
"La Push, baby. It's, La Push." Eric spoke as if he had just convinced Bella to come with those few words.
Bella chuckled. "Okay, I'll go if you stop saying it that way," She shook her head and turned to Magnolia. "I'll be back." She said quietly.
Magnolia nodded and turned her attention to the group. "I'm obviously invited, right?" She laughed.
Jessica clapped happily. "Of course! After I get a few waves in we can talk about..." She dropped her voice to a whisper, but she obviously meant for the table to hear. "Jasper."
Eric, Tyler and Mike perked up.
"Oh? What's this about you and Mr. Hale?" Eric smiled, leaning further onto the table. Even Angela became more interested, moving closer in.
Magnolia glared at Jessica, and took a bite of her sandwich, shaking her head. "Nothing is... It's just a little inside joke. You guys wouldn't get it."
The boys leaned back, deflated, obviously disappointed they didn't get the answer they wanted. Angela, on the other hand, did not. "I don't think so. I'm I crazy or did I pretty much see you two make out during the movie in history?"
Magnolias' eyes widened, which seemed to confirm the answer for the whole table. Eric laughed, and Mike patted Magnolia on the back, congratulating her.
"We were not—I wasn't—He wasn't!" Magnolia could barely form a sentence, finally giving up, and sinking further into her chair, eating her sandwich in embarrassment, enduring the teasing of Tyler, Mike and Eric, until Bella finally returned with her food.
"Was Cullen bothering you?" Mike had stood up, letting Bella take his seat. She quietly thanked him.
"No," Bella shook her head. "Maggie, I could drive you tomorrow if you'd like?"
Magnolia smiled. "I wouldn't have expected anything different."
The drive to the beach wasn't as long as Magnolia remembered it being. She and Bella laughed and sang loudly and poorly along to the songs on the CDs Bella put in. Magnolia had insisted on some Beatles.
They finally made it down, meeting up with the rest of the group, who had taken Mike's family vans. Angela waved as the two girls approached, handing them blankets to keep them warm while they watched the others surf.
"It's freezing," Eric shivered as he spoke, pulling his arms through his wetsuit. "I don't know if it's worth it anymore."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "We came all the way out here. I'm at least paddling out."
"You guys are babies," Magnolia called out from her warm spot in the van, earning a very mature middle finger from Eric. Mike stuck his tongue out childishly.
"I keep thinking Eric's gonna ask me to the prom," Angela started speaking in a hushed voice, turning Magnolia and Bella's attention away from the surfers. "And he just...doesn't." She chuckled bitterly, glancing over at Eric.
"You should ask him," Bella said, not looking up from her packet of Twizzlers. "Take control. You're a strong, independent woman."
"I am?" Angela tilted her head in denial.
Magnolia scooted closer to Bella, leaning over to Angela. "Yes. You're that and so much more, Angela." This earned a wide smile from the girl, but the conversation was interrupted by Jessica, wanting Angela to zip up her wetsuit.
"Bella!" A voice called. Magnolia immediately recognized it as Jacob Blacks. She turned her head, and took a sharp breath in, noticing Paul was with him. He gave her a sheepish smile.
"Hi, Jacob. Guys this is Jacob." Bella introduced the boy to Angela, Jessica and Magnolia.
Jacob turned to Magnolia, smiling wide. "I thought after what Paul did yesterday, I'd never see you set foot here again." He chuckled and earned a slap on the arm from Paul.
Bella's head tilted in curiosity. "You two know each other?"
Jacob nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh! Since we were little babies. Her mom and my dad are old friends."
Bella turned to Magnolia. "You didn't tell me this." Her voice held an accusatory undertone. She crossed her arms and huffed.
Magnolia chuckled, shaking her head. "You never asked. How was I supposed to know you knew Jacob? You didn't tell me." She jabbed her finger jokingly into Bella's side, causing the girl to squirm.
"Magnolia?" The sorceress turned her head towards the source of the voice. Paul held himself differently today. He was slouched, eyes never staying on anyone for long, fidgeting with his hands. He looked much different from the cocky teen he was Thursday. "Could I speak with you, for a second?"
Jessica's perked up at this and smirked at Magnolia. "Sure, Paul." Magnolia glared at Jessica quickly, and got up, letting Jacob take her seat. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her and walked down to the beach.
Paul didn't speak for about a minute, opening and then closing his mouth, trying to find the right words. He sighed. "I'm sorry. You can't imagine how bad I feel."
Magnolia kept her eyes on the sand, as they slowly trudged along. "It's okay, Paul. No hard feelings. You didn't know my head would land on a rock," She laughed. Paul stopped. He looked up at Magnolia, his big brown eyes watering. "Paul?"
He sniffled, quickly looking away. "I'm such a baby, I'm sorry. It's just...seeing you again, after three years, after how I'd hurt you back then, I thought I could make it up to you, use your old pet name. But I let my anger get the best of me during the spar, and I hurt you more," He looked down again. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."
Magnolia took a deep breath. Stepping forward, she softly took his hand, causing his head to snap up in surprise. "You do deserve forgiveness. And you have it. I don't hold you accountable for something stupid you did three years ago. I accept your apology." She wrapped him in a hug.
Paul stiffened, but soon enough he melted into the hug and buried his head into Magnolia's hair. They stood like that for who knows how long until a cough interrupted them.
Jacob stood next to Bella with a smirk on his face. "Mind if we steal Maggie for a walk, Paul?" He couldn't contain his laughter.
Paul glared. "I'll see you later, Magnolia." His eyes softened as he looked at her. He walked off, and Magnolia took Bella's arm.
"I'll tell you later." She whispered as they started walking further down the beach.