Redamancy | Jasper Hale x Reader

Chapter Nineteen

• January 27, 2006 • Forks HS, WA•

Reader

Bella was noticeably absent from school yesterday and there's a rumor floating around that she had made a trip to the ER Sunday afternoon. I had texted her yesterday to check on her as soon as I heard the whispers, but I received nothing but radio silence on her end.

I was in the middle of typing her another message as I headed in the direction of my final class of the day when a hand at my shoulder stopped me.

Snapping my head up, my eyes were immediately drawn to the neat row of stitches in Bella's hairline.

"Holy shit, what-?" I gape, worry for my best friend taking hold of me.

"I um, lost control of one of the dirt bikes, hit a rock and it got me pretty good." She sheepishly glanced at the floor while explaining herself quietly.

"I heard yesterday you had a trip to the ER on Sunday, I was worried sick about you!" My free hand gripping one of her biceps as I lightly berated her for not texting me back.

Her eyes met mine and something in them shifted, like she didn't expect me to be so invested in her wellbeing.

"C'mon, let's get out of here." I suggest and tug her towards the exit to the student parking lot, "We've got some catching up to do."

•••

"Aren't you girls supposed to be in school?" Cora, the sweet hearted waitress at Carver's Cafe, teases us as she sets down our shakes in front of us on the bar.

"It's just one of those days." I give her a half smile, stabbing my milkshake with a straw.

She nods understandingly, glancing at Bella's injured forehead before moving on to other customers.

"Mike invited me to the movies." She blurts as she scoops off the whipped cream into a discarded dish between us, neither one of us liking the topping.

A gasp slips out before I could reign in my surprise and Bella immediately shushes me.

"It's not like I want to go with him!" She whisper-yells defensively.

"Well, what did you tell him?" I lean forward to press her for more details.

"I said yes, but!" She holds up a finger to delay my response, "I want it to be a group thing. I can't deal with this potentially turning into some kind of date."

"So you want me to come to be the awkward hand-holding buffer?" I smile to myself as I stir my melting drink.

"I'm asking Jake to come too and probably some of the others from school, I just have to find a weekend when everyone is free."

"Oh thank god!" Her look of shock causes me to elaborate, "I'm not sure I could handle thwarting his advances towards you on my own, that's a tall order for a wingwoman against Mike Newton on a mission, Bells."

She groans and slumps back in her seat, "This is the worst, why couldn't I have just said no?"

"Because you're a nice person and even slightly hurting someone's feelings is the worst thing you could do. I get it, I would've done the same thing." Sighing, I slump down in my seat too.

"It sucks being a girl sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" My head lolls in her direction as I ask her sarcastically and we both let out a giggle.

•••

As soon as I walk in the door from my girl-date with Bella, I shoot a text to Quil: