Hopeless Devotion ~ A Jasper Hale Story

Chapter Five ~ Lies & Deceit

I knew something was up the moment Bella touched the door handle.

We were pulling into the school parking lot, her eyes still puffy from the red-eye flight, and her grip on the door was all nerves and hesitation. She hadn't said much on the drive. Not about Jacksonville. Not about Edward being weirdly silent the whole trip. And definitely not about what had really prompted the sudden sunny vacation.

But I knew.

And more importantly, I knew who was about to show up.

"You're sure you don't want me to walk you in?" I asked, casually enough, shifting into park.

Bella shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'll see you in trig."

I gave her a look. The "I-know-you're-lying-and-I'm-not-buying-it" look. "Bella."

She sighed, hand on the door. "I'm fine."

That was two lies in one sentence. She wasn't fine, and this wasn't just a normal school day.

"Jacob's coming," I said flatly.

That made her freeze.

"You knew?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Didn't need a vision. Just a functioning brain," I muttered. "You think I didn't notice Edward's nerves all weekend? The last time he looked that twitchy, you tried to jump off a cliff."

Bella winced. "He's not... I didn't know he'd come here. I thought he'd wait."

"He's Jacob. Patient isn't exactly his vibe."

Sure enough, I barely had time to pull out of the lot before I saw him stalking across the grass like a storm cloud on legs, his expression all fire and fury. I slowed, rolled to a stop just past the drive, and twisted around in my seat.

Jacob Black. Edward Cullen. Bella Swan. And enough tension between them to snap a steel cable.

Jacob's voice was raised—something about secrets, about protecting her, about choices—and Edward's was quiet but firm, a wall she couldn't see past. Bella stood between them like the world's saddest peace treaty.

I watched the tug-of-war play out through the windshield.

It wasn't until lunch that I cornered her.

Bella sat cross-legged on her chair, her homework abandoned, her brows drawn tight in thought. I dropped a grocery bag of takeout on her desk and handed her a soda.

She was picking at the soda I handed her, barely sipping. I dropped into the seat beside her, tossed my apple down, and asked flatly:

"So, how long are you going to let them play tug-of-war with your spine?"

She blinked at me. "What?"

"Jacob. Edward. You." I gestured between imaginary points in the air. "You're the rope."

"I'm not—"

"Yes, you are," I said, not unkindly. "I know you love them both. I know it's complicated. But you're not a prize, Bella. You're a person. And you need to stop letting them treat you like you're some grand decision they get to make."

She didn't answer. Just looked away.

I sighed. "You can love them both, but if you keep letting them fight over you, you're going to lose both."

We stayed silent for a while but I could tell our conversation truly wasn't over yet, she had observations and questions. Sadly I was the only one giving her straight answers.