Chapter 18

<Callie Stevens>

"Somebody looks happy." My mom comments as she puts a plate of roasted chicken and mashed potatoes down in front of me.

"I've just had a really good day." I say with a sly smile, my eyes trained on my dinner instead of my mom.

"Care to tell us why, sweetheart?" She presses and takes a seat in the chair across from me.

"Five bucks it has to do with a boy." My dad chuckles and takes a bite of mashed potato.

"I'm not going to take you up on that because my motherly instincts tell me that's true." My mom winks and continues to look at me, making me slightly uncomfortable.

"The sun was shining." I reply and tilt my head innocently.

"The sun was shining yesterday and you weren't this happy." My mom comments, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Maybe it has to do with a boy." I say coyly and push my green beans around with my fork.

"Well, that didn't take half as long as I thought it would." My mom exclaims with mock disbelief.

"What's his name?" My dad chuckles and pushes my shoulder a little.

"Jasper," I sigh and take a bite of green beans.

"I knew it!" My mom cheers and high-fives my dad.

"If you two are done," I roll my eyes and look at them.

"We are." My mom nods while my dad finishes laughing.

"He asked me to go to a movie with him on Saturday." I say and bite my lip, waiting patiently for their reactions.

"That's great, sweetie." My mom smiles and pats my hand.

"Are we gonna get to meet him?" My dad asks in a suddenly serious voice.

"Of course." I sigh and look at my dad. "No need to get overprotective."

"It's kind of in the job description, honey." He ruffles my hair and then we all go back to eating.

~~~~~

I'm sitting at my usual spot in French class as the warning bell rings for everyone to get to class. Jasper's seat is still empty and Abigail is still mad at me over calling her out last week. I tap my pencil on the edge of my desk and watch as the minutes tick by, my time until the start of class dwindling. The seats continue to fill up all around me, but Jasper's remains alarmingly vacant. The bell rings and Mr. Klein closes the door, ready to begin his class. I turn around and look at Jasper's chair, half-expecting him to be sitting there, hidden behind one of his torn-up notebooks.

"Alors, on y va commencer la classe. Sortez votre devoirs et un stylo de couleur." Mr. Klein says in his thick accent as the sounds of paper shuffling fill the once silent environment.

He walks up and down the rows of students, verifying that people have done their homework and reprimanding those who were too 'lazy' to do the worksheet. He passes by my desk and puts a checkmark in his gradebook next to my name. I chew on the end of my pen as I wait for my teacher to begin correcting the worksheet.

"Qui est absente aujourd'hui?" Mr. Klein asks; the class remains silent.

Those few seconds of silence are when I realize that I'm the only who notices Jasper's absence.

"Personne?" He raises an eyebrow and looks around the classroom.

I raise my hand, disgust for my entire class mounting in the pit of my stomach.

"Callie," Mr. Klein points to me, giving me permission to speak.

"Jasper n'est pas la." I reply, lowering my hand in the process.

"Merci," He makes a mark on his attendance sheet and then moves on. "Nous allons corriger le devoir. Callie, tu va faire les phrases un, deux et trois. Abigail, tu va faire les phrases quatre, cinq et six."

He continues to assign sentences to correct as Abigail and I make our way to the whiteboard at the front of the room. She doesn't even look at me as she grabs a dry-erase marker and begins to write down the sentences she was assigned. The hurt bites in my chest, but I ignore it as I write down sentences one, two and three. After a minute, I put the cap on the marker and walk back to my desk, Abigail following close behind. We both sit down at the same time, neither of us wanting to acknowledge the other.

"You're the only person that would care that Jasper didn't show up." Abigail mutters from the corner of her mouth.

And you're the only person that would make a comment like that for the sake of it...

"Why does it bother you that I care?" I reply, fighting to keep my voice level.

"It's not like this is the first time he hasn't shown up. You've only been here a few months, so you should know that this is pretty regular for him." Abigail rolls her eyes and finally turns around to face me.

"I thought you paid no attention to him? How would you know this?" I narrow my eyes at her, waiting for a response.

"I've had at least one class with him every year since middle school; I've picked up on a few things." Abigail scoffs and then turns back around to copy down the homework corrections.

"Since you've picked up on so many things," I say scathingly. "What do you think he's doing?"

"There you go caring again." Abigail throws up her hand and spins around so we're looking at each other once again. "I don't know because it doesn't bother me and it shouldn't bother you. Maybe he's hungover somewhere; isn't that what his kind does anyway?"

An alcohol joke, how ironic...

"He's not a different species, Abigail." I hiss and glare daggers at her. "I'm so tired of everybody treating him like he comes from a different planet. Maybe he doesn't drive some ugly BMW or live in a huge, fancy house, but he's a heck of a lot nicer than everyone else I've met here."

"Lovely, I'm glad to know what you think of the rest of us." Abigail rolls her eyes and turns back around.

"Just give him the benefit of the doubt and you might find he's not as bad as you think." I mumble, upset that our fight has escalated yet again.

"Callie, not everyone wants to give him a chance the way you want to." Abigail mutters as if she's trying to explain something to a small child. "He's been nothing, but an ass to me and sorry, if that doesn't make me want to get to know him."

"Maybe if you actually knew him, you'd understand why he acts the way he does."

"You are the only person who would be nice to him, besides his therapist." Abigail shakes her head, her eyes narrowed at me.

"If you won't give him a chance then can you at least stop talking smack about him? His life's a lot harder than you think it is." I reply and open up my notebook so I can take notes on Mr. Klein's lesson.

"Quit giving him excuses for his behavior just because you're whipped." Abigail whispers and scribbles down the notes Mr. Klein has written on the board.

"It's not an excuse, but since you won't give him a chance, you'll never know." I reply, finalizing the conversation.

~~~~~

The bell rings and I walk right past Abigail on my way out the door. Neither of us make a move to talk to the other as we walk towards the speech and debate class we're both in. I make it through the door first and take a seat right up front. Abigail doesn't say anything as she takes the seat right next to me. I keep my eyes trained ahead, pretending that I'm reading all of the cheesy posters hanging on the wall.

"Callie," Abigail whispers and pokes my shoulder.

Instead of being rude and ignoring her like I want to, I turn and raise an eyebrow as I wait for her to commence speaking.

"I'm sorry about the way I've been acting; it's not how a friend should be acting." Abigail sighs and looks at her lap; I think this may be the first real apology she's ever given. "I admire you for what you're trying to do for Jasper; I've never met anyone who looks at the world the way you do and it's refreshing."

I smile and tilt my head as I wait for her to continue on.

"Maybe Jasper isn't really my favorite person, but I respect you for being nice to him; goodness knows I'd never be able to do that. If we can move past all of my bratty comments and be friends again, I'd really like that." Abigail bites her lip and dares to meet my eyes.

"I'd really like that too." I say brightly and pull her into a hug.

~~~~~

The final bell of the day has rung and Jasper has yet to make an appearance. I grab my bag from the floor of my history class and then slowly make my way downstairs, amidst the hordes of students trying to leave the school. Out of habit, I walk to the west lot only to find my suspicions confirmed: Jasper's truck isn't there. I only find a BMW convertible and a couple of old looking Hondas that are probably driven by teachers. I sigh and decide to walk home.

It's been awhile since I've had to walk home, but I still remember the path I used to take; it winds around the train tracks and leads right to my neighborhood. The sun is shining and there's a slight breeze the rustles in the trees around me. I smile in spite of myself and before I know it, I've passed Jasper's spot on the train tracks and I'm headed towards his house. I don't stop myself and soon enough, I'm standing on his front porch. I knock lightly, but receive no response. I knock a little louder; a man shouts gruffly and then the knob turns, the door being pulled back angrily.

"What the hell could you possibly..." Jasper shouts before noticing that it's me. "Oh, sorry, Callie, I've just had a really stressful night."

He steps onto the porch, guitar case in hand and closes the door behind him.

"What happened? You weren't at school, so I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." I say and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.

"It's not me, it's my mom." Jasper begins and takes a seat on the top stair, gesturing for me to sit down next to him. "My dad was drunk yesterday and broke her arm and one of her ribs; I've been in and out of the hospital, visiting her, all day."

"I'm so sorry, Jasper." I whisper and rub his shoulder, not exactly sure of what to say.

"I'm not going to say it's okay, but she survived and that's all that matters." He replies, placing his hand on top of mine. "Thanks for coming to check on me, though."

"Anytime." I smile and remove my hand from his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I wish I was doing better."

"I'm guessing this isn't the first time he's done something like this..." My voice trails off as Jasper looks up from his lap.

"Last time he dislocated her arm, the time before that he bruised some ribs, broke her wrist..." He looks into my eyes and the pain in them makes me want to turn away. "This has been going on for a while, Callie."

"Has he ever done this to you or just your mom?" I ask in a soft voice.

"I'm not afraid to stand up to him." Jasper replies simply, his fists clenching in his lap.

"Jasper," I say, placing my hand gently on top of his. "You shouldn't have to live this way."

"You're not the first person to tell me that." Jasper lets out a mirthless laugh and then holds my hand in his. "And you're not going to be the last; my mother is never going to leave him unless he's six feet under the ground."

"I wish there was something I could do to help you." I say, more to myself than to him.

"You've already helped me more than you know." Jasper whispers and squeezes my hand gently.

A smile spreads across my lips as a comfortable silence ensues. The silence is broken a few seconds later by a loud banging coming from inside. I hear the same gruff voice from before, but it doesn't seem to be growing any closer.

"We should get out of here."

I jump at the sound of Jasper's voice so close to my ear. I nod and follow him around the back of his house. He continues to hold onto my hand and his guitar case as he leads me towards a wooded area on the far side of the property. The train tracks run through this area and carve a path in the tree cover.

The sun shines down on us as we walk through the trees, expertly avoiding the rusty metal rungs of the tracks. Jasper is silent until we reach a less shaded area; it's the place where I first saw him playing. There's a tire swing that looks like it hasn't been touched in years and small downward slope towards the tracks. Jasper takes a seat in the grass that's yellowing in the sun and gestures for me to do the same.

"Sorry we had to leave; my dad's pissed off at the moment." Jasper explains and unlocks his guitar case.

"It's okay," I smile, not needing a further explanation. "What're we doing here?"

"This is where I come when I need an escape." He says, strumming on his guitar. "This is where my mom would send me and..."

His voice chokes up before finishing the sentence.

"If it's too hard, you don't have to tell me." I reassure, my eyes meeting his. "I'm not going to pressure you or anything."

"Me and my brother when my dad was gonna beat her up." Jasper finishes, his eyes misting over a little.

"I'm really sorry." I bite my lip, a million questions racing around in my head.

I want to ask him about his brother, but I can tell that it's a touchy subject, so I don't press him. He continues to strum and stare up at the sun, shining in the light blue sky. I watch his profile and the way he gently moves his fingers along the guitar. It's peaceful in comparison to the way the rest of his life must be.

"My brother's gone now, so this is the only place I feel close to him." Jasper admits, making himself vulnerable to me for the first time.

"I understand; it's really peaceful out here."

"Can I ask you something, Callie?"

"Of course," I nod my head and maintain eye contact with him.

"This isn't the first time you've been out here, is it?"

"No," I exhale and stare at my lap.

"Somehow I knew it was you watching me all those times."

"Are you mad?" I ask and play with the nail polish on my fingernails.

Jasper tilts my chin up so I'm looking at him. His touch is soft and his blue eyes are void of any anger.

"A few weeks ago, I would've been pissed off," He begins, removing his fingers from my skin. "But now, I'm glad it was you 'cause I know you wouldn't make fun of me."

"When I first heard you sing, your voice captivated me; I don't think I've ever heard anyone with tone like yours."

"I'm hoping that's a compliment." Jasper chuckles, setting his guitar back in his case.

"Of course it is." I shove his shoulder and he falls back into the grass calmly.

I lay down next to him and feel his hand inch near mine. A smile spreads across my lips as our fingers intertwine.

"Thank you," He says, breaking the silence of the atmosphere.

"For what?" I ask and rub my thumb over the top of his hand.

"Everything," He states simply. "For caring, for talking to me like I'm human, for being a ray of sunshine in my otherwise dreary life."

"Thank you for letting me in, Jasper." I reply and look into his eyes. "You know you're not as much of a downer as you like to think you are; you do bring some light to my life too."

"I'm glad."

A comfortable silence falls upon us once again and we just lay in the grass, our hands intertwined and our shoulders brushing. I don't think I've ever felt this peaceful; the warm sunshine mixes with the smell of the grass and Jasper cologne, prompting me to close my eyes, to savor the moment. I inhale the scent, my senses being enveloped in the warmth and tranquility.

"I wish we could just lay here forever." Jasper whispers, his hand still in mine.

"We can, at least for a little while." I say and turn over to face him.

He nods and closes his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering peacefully. I watch him rest with a small smile on my face. For a little while, the world can't hurt him. For a little while, he doesn't have to bear the responsibility of protecting the people he loves. For a little while, the bruises and the pain don't matter; all that matters is my hand in his and the cool breeze blowing overhead. I brush some overgrown blond hair from his eyes and place my lips gently on his forehead.

Just rest for now; let someone else do the protecting.