Evelyn hated feeling rushed in the morning almost as much as she hated waking up early.

Unfortunately, she had been forced to endure both because she had slept through her alarm again, and now she was not going to be ready by the time her best friend, Bella Swan, arrived to pick her up for school. She was especially angry at herself for sleeping in because today was also Bella's birthday, and unsurprisingly she had procrastinated wrapping her present until the last minute.

The girl rushed around the kitchen in an attempt to grab all of the items she needed while her aunt Marie sat at the dining table, grinning at her niece's antics while she sipped her first cup of coffee.

"Marie, have you seen my knee pads? I can't find them anywhere," Evelyn said, breathless and half dressed in her sweater and pajama bottoms with a bundle of notebooks, snacks, and her volleyball uniform in her arms.

Her aunt raised an eyebrow. "I told you last night that they were in the laundry room. I keep telling you that you need to start packing up your things the night before..."

Evelyn rolled her eyes and hurried to the laundry room, and she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that her aunt had been correct at the location of her kneepads. "I know," she sighed, grabbing them and moving back into the kitchen. "I can't help it, though! Maybe it's my alarm clock."

"You and I both know that you sleeping like a log has nothing to do with your alarm clock," Marie said, giving Evelyn a knowing look. She smiled softly, as if recalling a fond memory. "You get that from your dad, you know. I remember always seeing him running around this kitchen in the mornings just like you do."

Evelyn smiled, too, remembering that he used to oversleep all the time when she was growing up. It was getting easier to think about them without being sad, and it felt nice to be able to talk about her parents without feeling like her heart was breaking all over again.

She shoved everything in her arms into either her school bag or her volleyball bag, then looked at the time. Shit. Bella was going to be here in under ten minutes, and she wasn't even dressed; she hadn't even brushed her teeth yet this morning. Evelyn grabbed Bella's presents and placed them on the table in front of her aunt.

"Can you pretty please wrap these for me while I go get ready?" At the cock of her aunt's eyebrow, she started began to feel desperate. Her aunt had this frustrating habit of not helping her when she was late to "teach her responsibility." She knew it was well meaning, but on days like today, it was very inconvenient. "Please, Marie? I'll work a whole extra shift this week!"

Marie Masen stared at her niece for a moment before letting out a long, exasperated sigh, and Evelyn grinned knowing that she had caved. "Fine, but only because your wrapping skills are worse than a five year old's. Go brush your hair, for God's sake, you have a rat's nest on your head."

Evelyn laughed, pressing a quick kiss to her aunt's cheek as she got up to get the tape and scissors. "I love you!"

Marie scoffed, but she was smiling. "Yeah, yeah, sure you do."

Evelyn flew up the steps and into her bedroom, which was currently in a state of disaster with clothes and papers strewn everywhere. It had been six months since she had moved to Forks, and her once plain room now was a reflection of her and the life she had built. She had drawings all over each wall, mostly of nature scenes and a certain blond vampire that had become her favorite subject. She had pictures of both her human and vampire friends hanging from clips on her string lights, but her favorites sat in frames on her desk. One was of her and Jasper on prom night, both of them grinning and staring into each other's eyes. They had both been truly happy, and she always smiled when she remembered that night. She knew Jasper liked it, too, since he always seemed to pick it up to look at it every time he came over. The other was of her and Bella eating pancakes at Marie's diner, courtesy of their photographer friend Angela.

She dressed quickly in jeans and sneakers to match her blue sweater, and she heard Bella's obnoxiously loud truck coming down her street just as she was putting her messy bronze hair into a high ponytail. She ran into the bathroom, brushed her teeth as quickly as she could, and splashed some water on her face before flying back down the steps.

Bella honked her horn from the driveway, and Evelyn grabbed both of her bags as Marie held out Bella's presents for her. They were neatly wrapped with a bow on top, and Evelyn was extremely grateful for her aunt's skill in that area; she had been right when she said that she couldn't wrap better than a five year old.

"Tell Bella I said happy birthday," Marie said, kissing her cheek. "I love you, have a great day at school."

"I love you, too," Evelyn called back as she headed out the door. "You'll be at the game this afternoon, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it!" Marie called, and with one last wave Evelyn sprinted down the sidewalk to Bella's truck. She threw her bags into the truck bed and climbed in, grinning with the presents in hand.

"Happy birthday, Bells!" She yelled, and she couldn't help but laugh when Bella cringed and rolled her eyes. "I have presents! Also, Marie says happy birthday, too."

"I told you no presents, Ev," Bella grumbled, eyeing the packages warily.

"I swear, you are the only person I know who doesn't like getting presents for their birthday," Evelyn frowned, but she shoved the gifts into her friend's hands, anyway. "Before you complain, no, I did not spend a lot of money on these and yes, you are going to love them."

Bella rolled her eyes again but decided to open the gifts for her friend's sake. Evelyn bit her lip, grinning as she watched her open the envelop of pictures and the small jewelry box.

"I thought I could help you get your scrapbook started. Charlie told me what they were getting you so I figured you might want some pictures from summer, too."

"That's actually so perfect, Evelyn. Thanks." Bella put the pictures on the dash, and opened the small jewelry box to find a simple necklace with a crescent moon pendant. "This is so pretty, but you really shouldn't have--"

"Well I did, and I know it's cheesy and totally middle school but it came with a matching sun necklace so I thought we could both have one. I figured you'd like the moon one better, though." Evelyn pulled her own necklace out of her sweater to show it to her, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw Bella's eyes soften and the corners of her lips twitching upward.

"Seriously, Ev, that's so sweet. Thank you. I love it." She held the necklace out to her friend and turned around. "Can you help me put it on?"

Evelyn quickly clasped it on and soon they were on the road to school, chatting and laughing about how their friends were going to react to Bella's birthday.

***

"Today's the big day, Bella!" Jessica called out, making Bella tense up beside Evelyn as they walked up to their waiting friends. "R and J essay due."

"Oh, right," Bella answered weakly, and Evelyn had to hold back a laugh at how serious her friend was about not making her birthday a big deal.

"Wherefore art thou, Bella," Mike Newton called, his crush on Bella painfully and annoyingly obvious. "Are you ready for the big game tonight, Ev?"

"Of course," Evelyn responded, automatically grinning. "Rivalry games are my favorite." She had decided to start playing volleyball again for their senior year, and Coach Clapp had been more than happy to let her on the team. Their rivalry game was right after school, and Evelyn could not be more excited; she was extremely competitive and she was determined to win.

"I'll be there for yearbook so I'll make sure to get some good pictures of you for senior night," Angela chimed in, smiling kindly.

"Hey, can I actually take a picture of all of you guys? My mom wants me to put together, like, a scrapbook full of senior year memories." Bella held up her new camera, grinning sheepishly. Evelyn crowded in next to Eric as they all moved closer together.

"Um... I take 'em, I'm not in 'em, guys..." Angela argued, but Evelyn reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her in the frame and wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, Angela, it's just a picture. It'll be fun," She teased, and Angela caved, smiling back.

"You'll photoshop this if my nose looks big, right?" Jessica asked, hurriedly fixing her hair as Mike kept messing it up to annoy her.

"Don't worry," Eric assured, flipping his long hair out of his eyes. "I'm in the picture, no one is going to be looking at you guys."

"Keep telling yourself that, Eric," Jessica retorted, making the rest of the group laugh as Bella quickly snapped the picture.

They talked and laughed for a few more minutes until Evelyn noticed Mike's eyes narrow, and the chatter suddenly quieted. "Wonderful," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Cullen is here."

Evelyn and Bella shared a look before turning towards the silver Volvo that had just pulled into the parking lot. Mike always referred to Jasper and Edward with bitterness because of his unrequited feelings for Bella, but the pair had grown used to it, now. Evelyn usually just tuned him out, anyway; his constant and loud attempts at trying to get Bella's attention were obnoxious and made her appreciate Jasper and his quiet demeanor even more.

Edward immediately went to Bella's side when he reached the girls. "Happy birthday," he told her with a grin, knowing her aversion to the day."

"Don't remind me," She grumbled, leaning into him as he pulled her close to his chest.

"And that's my cue to leave," Evelyn said, standing awkwardly beside them and ignoring the slight feeling of sadness that Jasper was no longer at school to spend the whole day with her, since he graduated with his "twin" Rosalie last year. "I'll see you guys in class later."

She rolled her eyes when neither of them responded, clearly not listening to her, and she followed the crowd of students into the school.

She had only been walking for a few minutes when Alice appeared at her side, a box wrapped in wribbon clutched in her delicate, pale hands.

"Good morning, Evelyn," she chirped, her high voice mimicking the sound of tinkling bells. "How is Bella doing this morning?"

"Can you not see that?" Evelyn countered, her tone teasing as they wove through the throng of students milling about in the hallway.

"Of course I can, I just wanted to make sure. It's still not a hundred percent that she comes tonight, you know."

"She will," Evelyn assured, knowing that she was right. "She won't want to disappoint you or Edward. Just make sure you remind her that it is lowkey, and not a huge party. I'll physically drag her there if I have to."

Alice sighed happily, pulling Evelyn into a tight side hug with her surprisingly strong, wiry arm. "I'm so happy I can count on you, Ev. I love Bella, but I have to say she is making planning her party very un-fun for me."

"Maybe because you are planning what you want and not what Bella wants," Edward interrupted, suddenly coming up behind them with Bella close behind.

Alice scoffed, lifting her chin at her adoptive brother's words. "If I was planning what I wanted, we surely would not be having a party at our house with hardly any people or decorations." She turned to Bella, a dazzling smile lighting up her face as she pulled her into a hug. "Happy birthday--"

"Shh!" Bella chided, looking around nervously to see if people had heard Alice's words.

"Chill, Bells," Evelyn said, still confused as to why Bella hated her birthday so much. "Most people probably don't even care that today is your birthday, anyway." At the look Edward gave her, she raised her hands in defense. "What? Isn't that what she wants to hear?"

"It actually is," Bella agreed, shooting Evelyn a smile. "Thanks, Ev. And Alice, I said no presents," she complained when she saw the box waiting in Alice's pale hands.

"I've already seen you open it and guess what, you love it!" Alice grinned. "You're gonna wear it tonight... at our place."

Bella looked down at her feet, and Evelyn nudged her with her elbow. "Come on, dude, you promised."

"I don't know, guys..."

"Come on, please?" Begged Alice, grabbing her hands. "It'll be fun!"

Bella sighed, looking between Alice, Evelyn, and Edward before shaking her head in defeat. "Okay, I guess I can come."

Alice squealed, pulling Bella into another hug before turning and looping her arm through Evelyn's. "Perfect! I'll see you at seven!" Alice turned down the hallway, pulling Evelyn along with her as the bell for class rang and students began to disperse.

"See you guys later!" Evelyn called over her shoulder as Alice dragged her away towards their chemistry class, but Bella and Edward were lost in each other again. She sighed, her heart aching for Jasper once again. She saw him practically every day, but she still missed him when she was at school.

"Check your phone," Alice suddenly whispered into her ear.

Evelyn frowned as she shifted the two bags on her shoulders. "What do you--"

The sudden buzz in her pocket made Alice smile to herself. Evelyn pulled out her phone to see a new text message from none other than Jasper Hale himself.

Thinking of you always, I hope your day is perfect. I love you.

Evelyn's heart swelled, and she couldn't stop smiling as she walked they walked into their chemistry class and took their seats.

***

After sitting through hours of long and boring classes, Evelyn leapt up from her chair and hurried out the door of her last period English class, leaving Edward and Bella far behind her. She had had to endure listening to them talk about life and death during the Romeo and Juliet movie, making her extra glad to get away from them; she hated Romeo and Juliet with a passion, and listening to her friends argue about such loaded topics had made the experience far more unenjoyable. She found that the pair had a tendency to be what she thought was too intense and overdramatic, but she knew it was only because they loved each other. Still, it made her appreciate the easy freedom she had found with Jasper.

As she exited the school and made her way to the parking lot, her eyes immediately found the familiar gaze of Jasper, who was leaning up against the hood of his black Mercedes. Like always, she felt her heart speed up at the sight of him; he was wearing a grey button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off the lean muscles of his forearms. His blond hair fell in perfectly loose waves to his neck, seemingly glittering from the raindrops that rested on the strands from the current drizzle outside. The moment he saw her a dazzling smile erupted on his face.

She hurried over to meet him, her skin erupting in goosebumps as his cold hand went to her chin, tilting her face up to press a soft kiss to her lips.

"Hi," she breathed, smiling up at him when he didn't let her face go. Instead, he swiped his thumb over her pink lips, reveling in how soft they were and making her cheeks flush.

"Hi," he answered, his dimples flashing as he kissed her again with a smile. "How was your day?"

"Boring. We had to watch Romeo and Juliet in English and I hated every minute of it."

Jasper laughed, shaking his head. "I don't understand why you hate it so much, it's one of Shakespeare's most famous works, you know."

"Just because it's famous doesn't mean it's good," she retorted with a frown. "I just hate the ending. It's too depressing and it was completely avoidable."

"Fair points, but I'll admit that I still like it," he answered, taking her hands in his. "Esme is coming to your game today, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh no, I'd love that. Marie will be there too, so she can sit with her." Evelyn glanced down at Jasper's watch and felt her eyes widen. "Speaking of the game, I have to go get ready. You'll be there, right?" She asked, eyes wide as she stared up at her love.

"Of course, I'm your number one fan, remember?"

Evelyn grinned, stretching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I'll see you in the stands, then. Wish me luck!" She squeezed his hands quickly before letting him go and turning towards the school.

"You don't need it!" He called after her as she ran through the drizzle towards the gym doors. She turned back to him, blowing him a kiss that he dramatically caught with his hand to make her laugh.

She sighed happily as she hurried through the gym doors. Evelyn felt as if nothing in the world could ruin the happiness that she had felt over the past few months, and her footsteps were noticeably lighter as she disappeared into the locker room.

**********
hey guys! I hope you're as excited for this book as me! I'm going to try and update once a week but we shall see since college during covid is def not the move haha :) next update will be sometime this week or next weekend!
kris :)