Chapter 4

                                    

                                          
Rhea's POV
                          
A week had passed and everything has been normal. I sat with Alice and Rose during lunch and worked with Alice and Jasper after school. Edward was gone. Jasper told me that Edward was visiting family in Alaska.
                          
Bella stopped talking to me at school and sometimes even at home. So I spent every minute I could at the Cullen's house. Esme, Jasper's adoptive mom, taught me how to make a proper homemade meal, Alice would give me fashion tips, Emmett and Ryan would constantly challenge me on their latest video game obsession and they think I cheat cause I beat them every time. Rose and I would talk in her room for hours about anything and everything. And Jasper... well, Jasper and I would cuddle on the couch in his room and watch movies. Sometimes he would read to me out of some of the old journals he has.
                          
Dad told us that he was going to Mason county to help out on a bear attack case. Jasper pulled into the driveway mere minutes after Bella and Dad left. I hopped in his toasty warm car and he drove off towards school. Morning classes passed by in a blur and soon enough lunch came around. As I walked closer to the table I noticed that Edward was back.
                          
"So what are you going to tell my sister?" I asked Edward.
                          
"The truth. That I was visiting family," he answered nonchalantly.
                          
"No, about the reason you two met, you tried to change classes, then you promptly fled to Alaska. She is bound to be curious and she is definitely going to find out why."
                          
"Maybe I can get her to forget..."
                          
"Ha. In your dreams Cullen."
                          
The rest of lunch was quiet, filled with our normal, mindless, chatter. Alice, Jasper, and I walked to History together. The teacher gave us work time so the classroom quickly filled with the chatter of the student body. I pulled out our research and tried to work but I could feel Jasper's gaze burning a hole in the side of my head.
                          
"What?" I finally asked fed up with the stare.
                          
"You never told us why you moved away," Jasper hinted, not really asking a question.
                          
"I told mom that I missed her and Bella... but I was running. It just happened so fast that I never saw it coming."
                          
"What?" the sweet voice of Alice asked.
                          
"The hate. Every wonder why I only talk to you guys? It's because all of my former friends hate me. I don't know why or what I did to make them hate me." I could feel traitorous tears trying to leak out but I did my best to keep them in. "My best friends turned on me and... I-I don't-" my voice started to break and tears leaked out. Jasper brought me into a hug and I felt myself calm down. Alice leaned over and squeezed my hand in a comforting manner. We didn't speak for the rest of the class.
                          
After school, Rose invited me over for dinner and I almost said no but she talked me into it, saying she had something important to tell me. We were waiting by her car with the rest of the Cullen-Hale's when I heard a tire screech. I whipped my head towards the noise. I looked just in time to see a black van heading straight for Bella. I moved my feet to go check on her but I felt strong, cold, arms wrap around my waist.
                          
"Let me go! I have to see her," I said scrambling to get out of the arms and check on her. Paramedics came soon enough and I saw them take Bella away. Jasper let go of me only to drive me to the hospital. Once we arrived at the hospital Jasper went to talk to Dr. Cullen. I sat in an uncomfortable chair and waited for someone to tell me what was going on. Jasper walked back to me with an unreadable expression.
                          
"What happened? Is she okay?" I asked standing up.
                          
"She's fine. Just a small bump on the back of her head," Jasper informed me. I released a small sigh of relief.
                          
Dad came in the ER frantic and I managed to calm him down by telling him what Jasper told me. Dad went in the back to check on Bella and I sat back down next to Jasper. Both of them came out a few minutes later and Dad checked her out of the hospital. I asked Dad if it was okay if I still went to dinner with Rose and he said that it was fine.
                          
*After Dinner*
                          
"So what was this important thing?" I asked sitting down in their living room.
                          
Jasper came to sit down next to me, Rose on the coffee table in front of me. "Just promise me that you won't run away screaming," Rose said staring me in the eye, creeping me out.
                          
"We're vampires and you're my mate," Jasper said pulling my attention to him.
                          
"Are you serious?" I asked a laugh at the back of my throat.
                          
"Yes," Rose whispered sadly.
                          
"But we're different. We only drink animal blood not human blood," Jasper said grasping my hands in his.
                          
"Do you want to kill me?" I asked, my voice sounding small.
                          
"No, I could never hurt you."
                          
I took a deep breath and really thought about it. I felt safe with them and besides it only makes them more special right? "Okay," I said looking around the room settling my eyes on Jasper's worried ones.
                          
"Okay... just like that?" Rose asked astonished.
                          
"Yeah. I mean I feel safe with you. It's kind of weird but a good weird. This doesn't really change anything for me."
                          
A collective sigh was released around the room. I looked at the clock and saw how late it had gotten before asking Jasper if he could drop me off at home. I told everyone good night and Rose pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. A hug I returned as hard as I could. Jasper drove me home and told me to leave my window open before I exited his car. A few hours later Jasper crawled through the open window and we cuddled the rest of the night. Before I fell asleep he asked if I would be his girlfriend to which I happily said yes.