Unexpected || Jasper Hale

11

Amelia

"Hey dad, I'm gonna go to the store, we need groceries." I shout as I close the fridge door. We were out of nearly everything except for orange juice.

"Alright kiddo. Is your sister going with you?" he mutes the TV, pulling out his wallet and handing me his card.

"No," I shake my head, "she went to Edwards to work on their Bio project I think." I shrug, thanking him for the card.

"Oh," his nose scrunches a bit, "do you want me to come with you?" he wonders, eyes glancing towards the TV screen. I smile at the offer but shake my head no.

"Billy and Jacob should be here soon to watch the game anyways. I'll be back and then I can make us all lunch." I assure him.

"Alright then. Stay safe." he turns back to the TV as I walk out the door.

"Always." I reassure him before closing the door behind me.

The truck starts with a familiar roar and I change the station from Bella's classical music station to my preferred country music.

The roads were mostly quiet, it's 9 o'clock on a Saturday morning, most kids are probably sleeping in while their parents are at work. Almost everyone I see is old and probably retired. I pull up to the local grocery store Grace's Groceries, and park the truck.

"Hey Amelia." Marcus Wright waves to me as he stands by a cash register, Marcus and I have AP Environmental Science together.

"Hi Marcus." I wave back, grabbing a cart before I begin to walk through the isles. I didn't have a list but I grab everything I know we need for sure, grabbing a few extra snacks for us as well.

"Since when do you work here?" I ask Marcus as he bags my items.

"Since last week. Pretty good job, pays 8 bucks an hour. I work after school and get Saturday night and all of Sunday off." he smiles happily.

"They're paying you more than minimum wage here? Nice." I put some of the bags in the cart.

"Yeah, it's pretty great." he agrees happily.

"See you at school." I wave goodbye to him after paying.

"Bye, have a good weekend." he grins. I let out a sigh as I walk out the door, it had begun pouring rain while I was in the store and I had forgotten my coat at home. I quickly push the cart up to the passenger door of my truck, setting the bags on the floor as quickly as I can before running the cart back to the front of the store where it belongs.

I hop in the truck with a grateful sigh, shivering as I start it. I put the windshield wipers on the highest setting-though it did barely anything-and turn up the volume as I slowly and carefully peel out of the parking lot. My poor windshield wipers were no match for the heavy rain that made it all but impossible to see the road and I'm suddenly grateful for the lack of cars on the road.

The truck was finally starting to warm up when I got up to one of the only stop lights in town, I slow the truck to a stop until the light turns green. I was half way through the small intersection when all of a sudden, I hear a horn blaring. I look up just in time to see a large van with bright lights come barreling towards me. I try to maneuver the truck out of the way but it was too late, and before I could even blink, I had lost all control.

For just a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I can hear the squealing of brakes on tires, and the groaning of metal as the truck begins to spin around in the pouring rain, making me dizzy from the suddenness of the movement.

Just as quickly as it slowed down, everything sped back up again and the van was no longer pushing the truck, but still I could feel the truck slide around in the street thanks in part to the pouring rain. I realize my foot was still on the gas so I yank it off, hoping to end the stomach churning movements.

It doesn't work, there was already too much momentum. So I do what little I can to regain control by straightening the steering wheel in an effort to steer clear of the quickly oncoming tree line. I see what looks like a streak of gold run through the trees before the truck comes to a skidding halt, just barely fitting in between two trees, though it broke off both mirrors.

Strange. I hadn't hit the brakes.

I thank the universe that the truck was no longer moving, I doubt my stomach could have handled it much longer. My eyes were wide as my chest heaves, I couldn't catch my breath, even as I  try to open the door, hitting it against the tree. It wouldn't open. My heart races faster as I struggle to push it open. I feel a panic begin to settle over me. I would be trapped in the truck, there would be no one out in this weather, no one would find me until the storm died down some.

"Just...breath...breath." I try to focus on my words but they were barely audible over my gasping. I realize then that I could try the other door. I try to climb across the seat to the other door, but my seat-belt was still on, and it was locked tight across my body.

"Wha....no...I...oh..." I groan loudly, trying to get it off but it was stuck. It wouldn't unbuckle and it wasn't loose enough for me to wiggle out of it. I yank on the seat-belt desperately, trying to free myself, but it was useless. Hot tears fall down my face as I begin to sob. I let out a strangled cry for help. The feeling of being trapped was sending me into panic mode.

My head felt dizzy despite the fact that the truck was no longer moving, I almost felt like I would pass out when I heard a loud creaking sound coming from the passenger side.

My vision was blurred with tears but still, I could make out a head of blonde hair and a much darker brown that looked to be pushing on the tree. A loud groaning sound comes from the pair as they somehow push the tree so that it's tilted slightly to the side. Finally, the passenger door opens and I see a face. One that I recognize.

"Jasper?" I gasp out as he climbs into the truck, grabbing the seat-belt and literally tearing it off of me.I let out a sigh of relief, I was no longer trapped, but I don't understand.

"Come on. I've got you." he carefully picks me up, as if I weighed no more than a little bird.

"Jasper?" I gasp again, my breathing still ragged and uneven. I don't understand.

"Yes ma'am." a pained smile crosses his face as he walks a few feet, setting me down gently on the soaking wet ground.

"I...I don't..." I try, he looks behind him, Emmett stands a few yards back, phone to his ear as his mouth moves too quickly for me to understand a word.

"Darlin, I need you to breath alright. You need to catch your breath." Jasper speaks calmly. I nod my head in understanding. He's right, I already feel lightheaded from my panicked breathing. I shut my eyes and focus on my breathing. I imagine my lungs inflating as every little particle of oxygen packs itself in as tight as it can, before breathing out just as slowly.

"That's it Amelia, that's it darlin." he whispers as my breathing begins to even out. I no longer feel lightheaded or dizzy. I open my eyes to find his golden ones staring right into mine.

"Jasper." I don't understand.

"She's almost here." Emmett says as he makes his way over to us.

"Good. We'll need the cover story." Jasper nods once.

"I don't understand." I say quietly.

"I know." he smiles that same pained smile at me as an engine comes roaring up the road.

"Are the people in the other car OK?" I realize suddenly, I turn around, trying to find the van.

"No. Damn cowards ran." Emmett growls in annoyance.

"They left? That's good. They must not be badly hurt, and that they didn't see you then." I let out a sigh of relief. I don't even know what I saw, but whatever it was, I knew it couldn't be good for people to know.

"The police are almost here, the ambulance is a few minutes behind them." I hear a familiar voice.

"Alice?" I try to turn to see her, but Jasper holds me still, insisting that I not move in case I'm injured.

"Oh thank god you're OK! I was so worried." she kneels down beside me, her eyes wide as she examines me. I notice then, as her dry hair begins to get wet and stick to her face that it still hasn't stopped raining.

"Damn rain, it turned on me." I sigh, turning my face up to the sky, letting the rain hit my face. It felt better than the tears I had been crying.