Turning Page - A Jasper Hale story

Chapter Thirteen

"Bella, I swear," Jude nodded as the girls walked arm in arm up to the school bus, Mr Banner ushering them on board, not wanting to be late for their field trip. Jude had abandoned her crutches at home, opting to limp instead. 

As the girls took a seat beside each other and the bus began to rumble, Jude leaned closer to Bella. "What even are they, Jude?"

Jude shook her head in response, "I don't know, but... we need to find out."

"Find out what?" Mike asked from the seat in front. Jude couldn't help but catch the dejected puppy look on his face and the way his eyes did not leave Bella's face. The way Bella scrambled for an answer confused her too.

"Erm... just what time we're going to have to leave to catch our flight to Jacksonville," Bella answered sheepishly. Mike scowled again, eyebrows furrowing as he responded with a disappointed 'oh.'

"You're going too Jude? On prom night?" Mike asked. Jude was incredibly confused to say the least but nodded along, having Bella's back.

"Yeah, Bella's mom wanted to see me again and, um, I guess the timing just worked for her," Jude shrugged. Mike slid back down in his chair, turning to look out the window. Jude caught Jessica look back, jealousy shining in her eyes. It was no secret to Jude that Jess liked Mike... a lot. Jude hoped and prayed that Mike would ask Jess to the prom, both for Bella's sake and her's. 

She'd always thought Jess and Mike would make an attractive couple.

Bella leaned closer and in the quietest whisper she could muster, informed Jude of Mike's prom invitation that morning and the lie she had told to get out of attending prom all together, the way Edward Cullen had been watching her as she mentioned it and the look of anger on his face.

***

"You know," she spoke as she approached him, well aware he'd be able to hear her, "you really know how to come across as a jerk, right?"

He did not jump in surprise as he heard her voice, nor did he turn to look at her.

"I don't know what you mean," Edward responded.

"You know exactly what I mean," Jude grumbled as she managed to catch up with him. He injured leg burned as she tried to match his pace. He smirked at her, slowing down ever so slightly - unnoticeable to a human, but clearly obvious to his siblings.

"Why are you so rude to her? Tell me, Edward, why are you so sweet to me but awful to her? She hasn't done anything," Jude questioned the boy and noticed as his jaw set into a hard line, determination taking over his features. Both Bella and Jude were too close to finding out about him and his family. He had seen in Jude's thoughts the things she was beginning to notice as he, Jasper and Emmett got closer to her. 

He needed to put a stop to it.

"I just think it would be better if we weren't friends," Edward muttered.

"What, so you can be friends with me and not her? What sort of sense does that make?!" Jude was getting angry as Edward continued to speak in riddles. In front of them, sensing her anger, Jasper began to hang back through their classmates, keeping a close eye on his brother and his mate.

"No, Judith," Edward responded, holding back a wince when her face dropped at the use of her full name, "we shouldn't be friends either."

Jude stopped walking abruptly, causing the other students behind them to dodge around her as she stared dumbfounded at the back of Edwards head. She watched as Edward pushed past Jasper, whispering into his ear before heading into the greenhouse again.

The blonde haired boy looked back, pain etching it's way onto his face as he saw her confusion and distress before turning to follow his brother.

***

Jude's mother was concerned.

It was very rare that Jude would lock herself in her room. Immediately after entering the house after school or after work for the last three days, Jude had been hiding away, avoiding answering her mother's questions about how her day had been and whether she had any plans for the weekend.

Her friends had requested her presence at La Push beach, wanting to go surfing this weekend, but Jude had declined. She had been avoiding La Push, not wanting to come face to face with Paul or Sam, nervous to see either of them again following the 'accident' as she had began to dub it. Her leg would surely scar, she had realised, the three jagged claw marks becoming a permanent part of her anatomy.

She had been avoiding the Cullens too, taken by surprise by Edward's sudden dismissal and Jasper walking away.

Bella had been Jude's source of comfort. Edward's on and off again behaviour towards her had left the girls plenty of time to speculate and discuss theories. After all, that was why Jude had been locking herself in her room - to scour the internet for theories.

She had considered angels, demons, vampires, fairies - all of which sounded incredibly farfetched. But, Jude corrected herself, if werewolves like Sam and Paul were real - surely any of her theories were too.

By mid afternoon, Jude was fed up. She hated missing out on plans with her friends but knew that avoiding La Push was the right thing to do - especially when she caught wind from Angela that Bella had invited Edward too. 

What was stopping him from being friends with the two of them? And why had Jasper all of a sudden started to agree with him?

Her pensive thoughts were abruptly interrupted by her doorbell being rang. Once, twice... three times.

"I'm coming!" she yelled, unlatching the door and swinging it open.

Bella stood before her, wrapped in her large raincoat soaked in the rain, eyes widened in shock.

"Bella?" Jude asked, ushering the other girl into her house, "Bella, what's happened?"

Bella shrugged her coat off, pulling a piece of paper out of the pocket.

"I think I know what they are... and where we can find out for definite."