Two days had passed before Jasper spoke to Evelyn again.
The bell rang, cutting off Mrs.Davis while she was teaching a lesson about the powers of the executive branch of government. Evelyn let out a sigh of relief; it had been incredibly boring, and although her teacher was kind, she had no clue how to engage a class full of teenagers.
Alice and Jasper had not switched back to their original seats, but Evelyn didn't mind. She liked sitting next to Jasper even though he didn't speak to anyone. Alice would turn and talk to her at every opportunity, so she was fine when Jasper chose to remain silent. She still noticed that he would tense up and stop breathing sometimes like he did when they first met, but he was far from hostile. She just had to be satisfied with that.
As she exited the classroom, she felt a cold hand on her upper arm, stopping her in the middle of the hallway.
"Mind if I walk with you?" Jasper asked, cracking a small smile as he spoke.
"Sure. I have gym next though, I don't know if that's far from your next class."
He shrugged. "I have biology next, and my teacher doesn't mind if I'm late."
The two walked through the crowded hallway in silence, earning stares from most of the nosy student body. He stayed a safe distance away from her, keeping plenty of space between them. Evelyn cursed herself for being so awkward. She had no clue what to talk to him about, but she wanted to speak to him so badly. For some reason, any and all words were escaping her.
"Evelyn," he started, saving her from her internal struggle. She loved the way her name sounded when he said it, but she would never admit that out loud. "I don't want you to think I'm intruding on you and your life, but I'm curious about a couple things."
"Curious? About me?"
"You're different than anyone else that I've met before. I want to know more about you."
Evelyn glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, suddenly uneasy. "What do you want to know?"
"Why did you have to move to Forks?"
Her throat went dry, and she stopped walking. "You get straight to the point, don't you?"
Jasper led her to an alcove in the hallway, his hand just barely touching her lower back. "I'm sorry, if you don't want to answer –"
"No, it's okay. I knew I'd have to talk about it eventually." She took a deep breath, avoiding his searching eyes. "My parents died in a house fire two months ago. My aunt Marie was my only living relative and luckily she was willing to take me in, so here I am. My life hasn't exactly been all rainbows and sunshine recently so I don't really like talking about it."
Jasper knew this already. Today at lunch, he had huddled next to Edward as he relayed Evelyn's thoughts to him. He found out about her parents, her thoughts on leaving, her wish for freedom, and the loneliness she felt inside despite putting on a smile for her friends at school. He also found out about her suspicions about him and his family. He knew it was better, safer, for everyone involved if he just stayed away from her. Especially for Evelyn. He had to hunt every night and most mornings in order to control the thirst he felt around her, and even then, he couldn't guarantee that she would be safe around him. But if Edward had already decided to take the risk to know Bella, Jasper felt that it wouldn't be any worse if he decided he wanted to pursue Evelyn. Alice had been right: Jasper had no desire to stay away.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish I could take your pain away." And he wasn't lying; he had discovered that although he could feel her emotions, he could not control or alter them. On days when she was feeling especially lonely or grieving, he hated that he couldn't help ease her suffering.
Evelyn was taken aback by this statement. It was so honest and genuine. She didn't know that he even cared about what she felt. "Thank you, but I'll get through it eventually. It still feels fresh, I guess." She hoped he would ask her something else, anything else.
The warning bell rang, and Evelyn followed Jasper towards the gym. "Well what about your aunt? Are you happy with her?"
Evelyn smiled softly at the thought of Marie. "I am. She's a little too enthusiastic and energetic sometimes, but I love her anyway." They had arrived at the entrance to the locker rooms. She turned to look at Jasper, her eyes searching his. "Why do you ask?"
Jasper opened his mouth, then closed it again. He ran a hand through his honey waves, his eyes on hers. "I have to go."
She watched him stride quickly down the hall and out of sight, shaking her head. Why did he act normal one moment, and then totally throw her off the next?
"Okay, then." She disappeared inside the locker room.
***
"So he's talking to you now? Like nothing even happened?"
Gym had just finished, and Evelyn and Bella were walking out to Bella's truck together, deep in conversation about their new favorite topic: the Cullens. It was particularly cold today. The cold air bit at Evelyn's nose and cheeks, her lungs stinging when she took too deep of a breath. The rain the night before had been heavy, and now the pavement was covered in a slippery layer of fresh ice. Their steps were careful as they made their way through the parking lot.
"Yeah! I mean, It's not like I'm mad about it, or anything. Edward is actually really nice, although a bit pushy. He's been asking me a ton of questions, basically trying to figure out my life's story or something."
"Oh, I know you're not mad about it," Evelyn teased, making Bella scowl.
"Oh, do you? What about you and Jasper Hale? You can't tell me that you're not at least a little bit happy that he's back." Evelyn began to protest, but Bella held up her hand. "Nope. Don't even try. He stares at you everyday in lunch, and probably every day in your Government class. Am I wrong?"
Evelyn held up her hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, you might be right. Its just – I just can't figure him out. He's so difficult the majority of the time, but then sometimes he's sweet. Like today, he walked me to gym but then he just left without a word." She didn't mention the conversation about her parents; she knew that Bella had found out from Charlie, so she didn't feel the need to ever bring it up with her.
"Hmm. That is weird, maybe he got nervous?"
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "I doubt it." She risked a glance across the parking lot, where the familiar silver Volvo was parked. Sure enough, the Cullens were standing next to it, Jasper and Edward watching them closely. She offered them a small wave, and she grinned as Edward quickly looked away. Jasper's gaze held hers, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile, and suddenly she felt very vulnerable, almost exposed. She turned away as her cheeks burned crimson.
They had reached the truck, both of them standing on the driver's side. "In other news, I think Eric tried to ask me to prom today."
"What? Oh my gosh, what did you say?"
"I don't even remember, all I could think about was how I could avoid the conversation."
Evelyn sighed. "Sometimes he can be so –"
The earsplitting squeal of tires spinning out on the black ice echoed through the whole parking lot. Evelyn looked up, time seemingly slowing down. Tyler Crowley's van was spinning uncontrollably, slipping and sliding on the slick pavement directly toward Bella's truck. Tyler was frantically trying to control his car, but it was no use. It was flying right towards them.
"Bella! Move!" She yanked on her friend's arm, but Bella had frozen in place. Evelyn shoved her as hard as she could, sending Bella flying to the ground away from the truck. Suddenly, she was aware of two very important things.
One, the van was barreling straight towards her.
Two, there was absolutely no way that she could get out of the way in time to survive the impact.
As she turned to face it, she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her. It's gonna be okay. I'll be okay. She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable. She silently prayed that it would be quick, and that her parents would be waiting for her in whatever form of an afterlife existed. I'm so sorry, Marie.
Something hard and cold slammed into her, and she felt two arms encircle her waist as she was knocked to the ground. Her head hit the pavement with a loud crack. She opened her eyes just in time to see a pale hand reach out and stop the van from crushing them, leaving a dent in the door as the car spun towards the truck bed. She glanced up to see Jasper, his eyes wide and fear etched onto his marble face. Despite the throbbing pain in her head, questions whirled around her frenzied mind. How had he gotten here so quickly? Shouldn't all of the bones in his arm have shattered upon impact with the van?
The sickening sound of metal splitting filled her ears as the van hit the truck, ricocheting off the bed and flying towards the spot she had pushed Bella. She heard another crunch, and she looked over to find Edward's hands stopping the van in the same way Jasper had just seconds before. There were now 3 hand-sized dents in the door of the van, but Bella was perfectly unharmed. Thank God.
"Evelyn? Evelyn, are you okay?" Jasper's frantic voice pulled her attention from her friend to the boy's worried eyes. With a shiver, she realized he was still holding her.
"Yes, I think. I hit my head." Ow, she thought, reaching a hand up to feel where a huge knot was beginning to form on the back of her skull. Carefully, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his fingers leaving a trail of goosebumps on her pale skin. "Jasper, how –"
Before she could blink, he had set her back down on the pavement and disappeared into the crowd of students that had started to form around them. People were yelling for both her and Bella, while many others called 911. Her head pounded at the sound of so many people and cell phones. Suddenly, Angela Weber was next to her, supporting her weight as she helped Evelyn sit up.
"Evelyn! Oh my god, are you hurt? I thought you and Bella were going to be crushed!" She sounded on the verge of tears. "The paramedics are on their way. I just can't believe you're alive right now."
"It wasn't – Jasper pushed me out of the way." Evelyn tried to get up, but Angela held her down. "I need to find him, Ang."
Angela shook her head. "What are you talking about? He's not even over here, Evelyn. Stop moving!" Angela once again held Evelyn down as she tried to wriggle free of her friend's iron grip. "You need to wait until the ambulance gets here. You hit your head pretty hard."
Evelyn closed her eyes from both the pain radiating through her skull and her confusion. She could have sworn Jasper and Edward were too far away to reach them. They literally stopped the van with their bare hands, and then disappeared like nothing had happened. Evelyn had no idea what had just happened, but she knew one thing for sure: Jasper Hale and his family were anything but normal.
***
The next hour passed in a blur of voices and questions. Unfortunately, Evelyn and Bella had been unable to escape the ambulance ride to the hospital and the ugly neck braces that came along with them. They were led to adjacent beds in the emergency room, along with Tyler Crowley on Bella's other side. As soon as the nurses left, the girls shared a look before ripping off the embarrassing braces and throwing them under their beds.
"You saw what happened, right?" Bella was staring at Evelyn with surprising alertness.
Evelyn nodded. "I know what I saw, but it's just so hard to believe."
"It's totally crazy! They literally stopped the car with their bare hands! What person can even do that? And you! You pushed me out of the way! Why would you do that?"
Shrugging, Evelyn looked at her hands folded in her lap. "I don't know. It was just instinct, I guess, but just forget about it. Let's just be grateful that we're here and alive, okay?"
Suddenly, Chief Swan burst into the room with Marie Masen following close behind.
"Bella!" He rushed to her side, giving Tyler his best angry cop glare. "You and I are gonna talk."
"Dad, I'm fine."
Within seconds, Marie had wrapped Evelyn up into one of her famous bone-crushing hugs. "Ev! Thank God you're okay, I don't know what I would've done if you were seriously hurt, or worse." She stroked the young girl's hair away from her face, holding her head delicately. Evelyn could have cried from the expression on Marie's face; she was bursting at the seams with worry and motherly love that Evelyn had never thought she would experience again.
"I'm so sorry guys, I tried to stop," Tyler pleaded, his eye flickering between both girls.
"It was an accident, don't worry about it." Evelyn offered him a kind smile as she spoke.
"We're fine, it's okay," Bella assured him, but Chief Swan was having none of it.
"It sure as hell is not okay. You could have been killed! You both could have!" He looked at Evelyn too, giving her the same stern stare that her father used when she was younger. Although he was angry, Evelyn's heart swelled.
Just then the emergency room door opened, and a man walked in that reminded Evelyn of a movie star from the old Hollywood glamour era. He looked almost angelic. By the appearance of his pale skin, golden eyes, and unnatural beauty, she knew right away that this was Doctor Cullen. He strode confidently towards the girls with a reassuring smile on his face.
"I heard the Chief's daughter was here! And I couldn't keep the owner of the best café in town waiting. I've got these, Jackie." The nurse who was attending the girls handed him a clipboard before scurrying off. He came to Evelyn first. She saw from the corner of her eye that Marie adjusted her clothes and hair, trying to be discreet. She bit back a smile.
"Evelyn," he started, reading through the information on the clipboard. "I heard you hit your head pretty hard today. You most likely have a minor concussion. Are you having any symptoms like dizziness, nausea, or loss of memory?"
She shook her head. "No, just a headache and an ugly knot on the back of my head."
He smiled at her with dazzlingly white teeth. "Let's just check your vision and pupil dilation, and you should be good to go." He used his penlight to check her eyes, and once he was satisfied he began writing information down on his clipboard.
Marie squeezed her hand comfortingly. "It's a miracle you only have a concussion, it could have been so much worse."
Bella quickly piped up. "It's a good thing Edward and Jasper were there. They pushed us out of the way."
"Your boys?" Charlie asked, turning to the doctor.
"Yeah, it was insane. The got to us so fast, they were on the other side of the parking lot," Evelyn added, eyeing Dr. Cullen.
She noticed that Dr. Cullen had suddenly become very engrossed in his paper work. "Yes, well, let's be grateful for that. Alright, Bella, let's get you checked out next. Evelyn, you're all set to go home. Take some Tylenol for pain, and get plenty of rest."
"Thank you, Carlisle. This town does not deserve you." Marie said, her tone flirtatious. "I don't know what we would do without you."
Marie continued to lay the flattery on thick, so Evelyn quickly said her goodbyes to Bella, Charlie, and Tyler before dragging Marie out of the emergency room and to the car.
Once they were in the car and on their way home, Evelyn couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up and tumbled out of her mouth.
"What are you laughing at?" Marie asked, concern in her voice.
"Marie! You can't just hit on a married man like that!" At the memory, she fell into a fit of giggles again.
Marie roller her eyes and scoffed, but she was smiling. She didn't dare tear her eyes from the road because she knew if she looked at her niece, she would start laughing too. "Oh hush, Evvy. I was not flirting."
"Oh, Carlisle, we are so lucky to have you," Evelyn mocked, laughing all the while.
"I couldn't help it! He's just so handsome, Ev! If he wasn't married..." She trailed off with a sigh. "Nothing gets past you, Evelyn Masen. Absolutely nothing."
"Not a thing," Evelyn agreed, her thoughts turning back to the day's events. Marie's harmless flirting didn't get past her, just like the fact that Jasper had been across the parking lot before he saved her, and that he stopped a two ton car from smashing her into a pulp with one hand. It didn't make any sense; none of it did. The identical eyes, the strength, the speed. No regular human could do such things, and yet, despite their elevated attractiveness, the Cullens appeared to be perfectly normal people.
All of the questions and thinking were beginning to give her a headache, so she decided that she would talk to Bella about it in the morning. She knew her friend was just as suspicious as she was.
And as she laid in bed that night, freshly showered with a maximum dose of Tylenol PM lulling her to sleep, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.