eleven.

one functioning lung

   "What does JT stand for?" Alice chirped, jolting JT from a sleep she didn't know she'd fallen into. Edward's piano playing and Esme's spectacular cooking had lulled her to a kind, fearless sleep.

   "Josephine Tyler," she said groggily. How had she managed to stay upright on this bench?

   "Why not Josie?" Alice asked. Despite her greatest attempts, JT flinched at the name. The pixie painter didn't wait for her to answer. "Never mind. Look at the painting!"

   JT turned her gaze to the painting. Her jaw popped painfully at how hard it dropped. "How did you do this so quickly?" She almost didn't even care about how she looked in the painting. She was sitting next to him, laughing with a wide smile. The light fixtures sent rays of artificial sunshine through his hair that made his skin almost shine, and in the painting, he was watching her with a hint of a smile, and I'll-love-you-forever eyes. Her eyes drifted to him— the real him.

   He sat with his brothers on the couch, a baseball game on the tv screen. Seemingly sensing her gaze on him, he craned his neck to send her a smile. "Want to watch?"

   Her phone rang. The sharp sound caused her to jolt.

   "When were you going to tell me that you're having a sleepover with Alice Cullen?" Lauren snapped. It was more in curiosity and a bitch-why-didn't-you-tell-me tone than anger.

   JT rolled her neck. She looked at Alice, who tapped her phone twice. So the pixie girl had told her sister that she was spending the night. A quick look at her watch told her that it was only ten thirty. "It was last minute, Rennie." She held up her index finger before padding out to the front porch in her socks. "Also thanks for letting me know you were staying at Tyler's. Way to ditch."

Lauren's voice was icy in her response. "You ditched me with her for two and a half years."

JT's jaw hung open. That was brutally unfair. She dropped her voice. "I would've come home, if you'd have just told me."

A scoff. "But then you'd miss all the fun you had."

"I'd have more than one functioning lung and not want to puke at the sight of every goddamn knife, you mean," JT seethed through gritted teeth. "But yeah, forgive me for not telling you I'm spending the night at a really nice girl's house, even though you all think she's weird. I happen to think she's fucking great."

"JT, I didn't mean—" her voice cut off as JT slammed her thumb onto the end button of her Blackberry. She could feel her pulse racing and heard her heartbeat in her ears. After a few calming breaths, she carried herself back inside with a false sense of peace.

   "Do you want to do the trig homework together?" A velvet voice came from her left, startling yet welcome all the same. Rosalie had grease stained jeans and fingers, clearly having been working on a vehicle.

   "If you want to, sure. I'd like that." JT tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "I've missed a bit."

   Rosalie smiled lightly with closed lips. "Okay. I'll go get cleaned up." She disappeared before JT could utter another word.

   Slowly, a grin spread ear to ear on JT's face as she gathered her backpack and put her trig textbook on the dining room table.

   "Want to do my homework, too?" Emmett called.

   "I'll end you, Emmett," JT quipped back without much thought. Snickering filled her ears, along with a grumbled as if.

   Rosalie returned just as swiftly as she'd left, cleansed up grime and oil. They sat at the table together, hunched over the textbook. Rosalie softly explained concepts that JT had missed or didn't understand.

   Once finished, JT shut her textbook with a resounding thud. "You teach better than Varner, Rose."

   Rosalie clicked her pencil a few times. "I'm a bit. . . Well versed in trigonometry. Any math, really."

   JT huffed, crossing her arms. "Is there anything you can't do?"

   Her golden eyes stayed glued on the table, her fingernails trailing the markings of the wood. "Apologize?"

   JT's mouth fell shut. She wasn't quite sure how to respond, but she was fairly certain this was the only form of apology she was going to get from the blonde girl. "It's okay. I get it, I think."

   Rosalie quirked a perfect blonde brow. "Do you now?"

   JT shrugged. "You're protective of your family and aren't fond of outsiders. It's okay."

   The goddess of a woman clicked the pen again. "Little know it all, aren't you?"

   "JT! I got you a shirt you can sleep in, and I found some shorts that'll probably fit," Alice said excitedly, entering the room with a pair of black athletic shorts and a big green t-shirt.

   JT looked down at her— Edward's —sweatshirt, unsure if she was ready to part with its warmth or scent. She looked up again. "Is there a bathroom or somewhere I can change?"

   Alice led the way to a beautiful bathroom with ample space. "Get changed and I'll wash your clothes for you."

   JT smiled warmly. "Thanks, Alice." Once the door was shut and locked, JT shed her jeans like a second skin, pulling on the shorts she'd been given. They were a little large, but she tightened the drawstring to keep them in place. Unwillingly, she slipped off the sweatshirt Edward had given her, slipping the shirt on soon after. She paused halfway through putting it on, inhaling the scent of heaven.

   "He did say his favorite color used to be green," she murmured. It fell just below the ends of her shorts, so she tucked the front in a bit to make sure it didn't look like she wasn't wearing pants.

   Alice was waiting outside with outstretched hands. JT pressed the clothes into them. "I'll be right back. We can sleep in my room or in the living room, whichever you'd like."

   "Your room, please," JT said too quickly. She loved the living room, truly, but it was too open and exposed to the rest of the house.

   Alice nodded. "No problem, I'll be right back."

   When she was gone, JT toyed with the hem of the shirt she wore. It was a lovely forest green cotton that felt smooth against her fingers, as though worn lovingly for years.

   "You seem to have a knack for wearing my clothes even though we've broken up," Edward teased from a few paces away.

   She tried to ignore the way she could see her cheeks turning scarlet in a hallway mirror. "It's my coping mechanism." Shaking her head, she continued to play with the hem. "Alice gave it to me."

   "I thought you'd rummaged through my closet." Sarcasm slipped through his crooked smile, causing JT to laugh a little.

   "Your secret's out, Edward." His expression froze momentarily. "I know you wear tutus in your free time."

   "How can I ever assure that you won't spread that around?"

   "You can let her sleep," Alice chimed in, suddenly appearing next to JT. "Goodnight, Edward."

   There was an odd amusement behind his crooked smirk this time. "Goodnight, ladies. JT, enjoy your stay at Motel Cullen."

   "Goodnight—" he was gone before the word had fully left her lips.

a/n: hey loves! I've been so busy with moving and remodeling, so I'm sorry that I haven't been updating like I should! Im also in a bit of a writer's block all around, but I hope to give you the content you deserve. Thank you so much for the love! Enjoy this little chapter. 💗