The soft evening breeze did nothing to ease Evelyn's anxiety as she sat on the Cullen's front steps, eyes intently focused on the dark forest surrounding the house. There was an oddly still silence that surrounded her now, the only light coming from the house behind her. Even the animals seemed to be silent in anticipation of what was to come.

It had been almost two hours since Edward had followed Emmett and Jasper into the trees, and since then there had been no sign of them. She was not entirely sure when they would return, but she knew that she would wait here until they did. Her heart clenched in worry, aching to see Jasper, to hold him and assure him that he had not done anything wrong. Most of all, she wanted to tell him how much she loved him because she was sure that he would be so hard on himself when he calmed down.

The soft click of the front door behind her caught her attention, and she turned to see that it was Esme, now changed out of her purple party dress and into a blouse and dark jeans. She had a large blanket in her hands, and smiled kindly as she walked over to Evelyn.

"I didn't want you to bother you but I thought you might be a little cold," the woman told her, gently draping the folded blanket over her shoulders. Evelyn smiled gratefully, wrapping the fabric tightly around her slightly chilled body as she moved over for Esme to sit.

"Oh no, you're not bothering me. I'm kind of tired of being alone, anyway," she told her, suddenly grateful for the company. "How is Bella?"

Esme smiled, placing a gentle hand on Evelyn's knee. "Carlisle says she'll live," she teased lightly. "She needed a few stitches but I think she's just a little shaken up."

Evelyn nodded, returning her gaze to the trees. "I don't think she's the only one."

"You're probably right," Esme agreed, her voice soft. "But Jasper is strong, as you know. And he loves you very much." At that, Evelyn smiled delicately to herself. "Everything will be okay, my love. You'll see."

The girl sighed, leaning her head onto Esme's shoulder as she wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I really hope so. I just felt so helpless in there. I feel like I should've been able to help him somehow, or just done something..."

"Evelyn, he wasn't in his right mind. There is nothing you could've said or done to help him without putting yourself in danger, and you know he wouldn't have wanted that. You did perfectly fine by giving him space to calm down."

Evelyn closed her eyes, her stomach in knots. "I just didn't realize how hard it was for him, Esme. I hate knowing that he's struggling and now I can't even imagine how he must feel around me."

In truth, seeing Jasper lose control had scared Evelyn more than she had initially realized. If Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle had not been there, then Bella would surely be dead right now. Maybe she would be, too, if he was unable to get control of himself. It was the same kind of fear she had felt when staring into the eyes of James last spring; she had stared death at the hands of vampires in the face not once, but twice now, and she was starting to wonder whether this would become her new reality.

Esme didn't speak, knowing that Evelyn's concerns were valid; she knew nothing she could say would make her feel better, so instead she held her tighter, rubbing her arm in an attempt to comfort her. Even though her worries weren't completely erased, Evelyn did have to admit that it was nice to have someone to vent to and to reassure her.

They sat in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's company as they waited for the others to return. After a few minutes, Evelyn felt Esme shift as she perked up, and immediately she knew that she must have heard them coming. Evelyn scrambled to her feet, gripping Esme's hand and the blanket around her shoulder for dear life as she watched Edward and Emmett emerge from the trees. She waited a brief second for Jasper, but he did not appear.

Edward met her eyes, and reading her unspoken questions in her thoughts, he offered a solemn shake of his head. Evelyn blinked, and then her heart sank as if her whole body had deflated. She leaned on Esme for support, who had anticipated her reaction and had tightened her grip around the girl's waist.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," she whispered, her heart breaking at the sight of the girl's sadness. She had grown to consider her a part of their family, and she hated seeing her suffer.

"Where is he?" Evelyn asked Edward as he approached them, her voice thick with an unexplainable storm of emotions. He met Esme's eyes for a brief moment, eyes hard, before looking back at Evelyn.

"He's calmed down, but he won't be back tonight. He started running towards Canada to clear his head, and it didn't sound like he had any intent to stop for the night."

Canada? "Is he okay? What did he say?" Evelyn asked, suddenly afraid to know the answer. Why would he not come back?

Edward seemed uncomfortable as he answered, his eyes hollow. "He's fine now, just understandably angry with himself. He told me to tell you not to wait up for him and not to worry. He doesn't know when he'll be back."

Evelyn nodded, unable to find words to answer. All she could think about was how Jasper was most likely hurting right now, ashamed and angry with himself. She couldn't help but feel hurt that he would just leave, but she knew she could never understand the pain he must feel right now.

"I should go check on Bella," Edward said, starting up the steps. He paused next to Evelyn, offering her a gentle clasp on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Evelyn."

She didn't miss the undeniable pain in his voice, or the shame in his eyes. She could tell something was wrong, but he shook his head when he heard her thoughts and continued on into the house without another word or glance back.

***

Evelyn did not sleep well that night. Esme, Carlisle, and Alice had all assured her that after some time to himself, Jasper would surely be back to normal. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and throughout the rest of the night she tossed and turned in bed. She alternated between lying awake and analyzing the party over and over again and having nightmares about losing Jasper in the precious few moments that she did manage to fall asleep.

When her alarm clock went off the next morning, she rolled out of bed feeling as if her brain was engulfed in a dense fog. She checked her phone to see a text from Bella saying that she could not pick her up for school, but she didn't particularly care. She was more disappointed that Jasper still had not called her back or sent her a message after she had left him multiple voicemails the night before.

She debated for a moment whether she should try calling him again or not, finally deciding that she didn't want to bother him. If he wanted to talk to her, he would, and if he needed some time, then she would give him that. So instead, she settled on a quick text:

Here for you if you want to talk, we can meet after my practice today. I love you.

Evelyn waited for a few moments, hoping that somehow now would be the time he would respond, but after ten minutes went by and no answer came, she threw her phone onto her bed in defeat and shuffled around her room to get ready for school.

When she finally came downstairs, she found Marie in the kitchen humming to herself as she fried eggs and bacon on the ancient-looking stove. Her aunt turned and smiled when she heard her come in, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of her niece her expression shifted to one of concern.

"Honey, what happened last night? Are you alright?" She hurried to turn off the stove and moved to sit at the kitchen table, where Evelyn had already slumped into a chair, resting her head in her hands.

The logical part of Evelyn knew she shouldn't say anything, but she was never good at lying to her aunt. And she wanted more than anything to get her frustrations off of her chest. "No, I'm not," she answered truthfully. "Jasper..." She trailed off, scrambling to find a believable reason to tell her aunt,"--well, he and I got into a fight last night and now he won't answer any of my calls."

Marie took her hand, its warmth shocking Evelyn, who had grown used to the cool skin of the Cullens. "I'm sure he'll come around soon enough, Ev. He doesn't seem like the type to hold grudges, especially against you."

Evelyn shook her head. "I don't know, Marie, he was really upset... I don't know what to do."

"Well I'm not going to pretend to know everything about love and teenage romance," Marie started, making Evelyn grin, "but what I do know is that I have never seen a boy so devoted to a girl like he is to you. He loves you, honey, and I'm sure he'll get back to you soon enough. Just give it some time."

"I hope so," Evelyn muttered to herself as she relaxed into Marie's side hug, wishing for probably the thousandth time that she could tell Marie everything. Instead, she decided to change the subject so that she wouldn't accidentally let something slip because of her worry. "Hey, I wanted to ask if I could take the car to school today. Bella said she can't pick me up."

"Oh sure, hon, I'm off duty today, anyway. Speaking of the car," she said, glancing at the clock on the microwave, "you need to get going if you don't want to be late."

The girl nodded, grabbing the keys and her bags before swiping two strips of bacon from the skillet. "I'll see you later. Love you," Evelyn told her, leaning down to kiss her aunt's cheek.

"Love you more, Evvy. Drive safe! And try not to worry about Jasper too much, I'm sure he'll come around."

Evelyn just nodded, her smile faltering as she ran out the door into the soft drizzle outside. She could only hope that he would come back to her eventually, because she had no clue what she would do if he didn't.

***

The whole school day and volleyball practice that day dragged tremendously. Evelyn felt like she was checking her phone constantly throughout her classes, each time getting her hopes up and each time feeling disappointed when there were no new messages or missed calls from Jasper. She hated herself for acting so obsessive, but if Jasper was okay she knew he would have reached out to her by now; at least, she thought he would have. She was beginning to think that maybe she did not know him as well as she thought she did, and that thought scared her.

Her worries only intensified when neither Edward or Alice showed up to school. Bella informed her at lunch that she and Edward had gotten into an argument after he had driven her home, and things had not ended well. Evelyn remembered the way that Edward had sounded at the party and the hollow sadness in his eyes, and she knew that something must be wrong if they were both gone. She texted both Edward and Alice at lunch to try and dispel her fear, but again, there was no response.

"I just don't understand what's going on," Bella told her as she walked Evelyn to the locker room doors. "I told Edward that I wasn't mad, and that it wasn't Jasper's fault. I'm the idiot who got a papercut in a room full of vampires."

"Maybe we should just wait it out and see, Bella. I'm sure they'll let us know what's going on when it's the right time," Evelyn answered, trying to reassure both herself and her friend with her words. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work.

Evelyn was able to work out some of her frustration during her volleyball practice. It was easy to throw herself into the physical and competitive nature of the game; she pushed herself harder than she ever had before, trying to sprint faster, jump higher, and hit harder than everyone else in the gym. After the two hours were up, she was soaked in sweat and her muscles ached, but she had to admit that she felt better than she did before. After a quick shower, she changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants and followed her teammates out into the light rain falling outside.

Jasper stood in the parking lot, leaning up against Marie's yellow bug as he watched Evelyn emerge from the gym with her friends. Even from where he was standing he could smell the fresh scent of her body wash lingering on her skin and hear her laughing with her teammates about something that their coach had said during practice.

How many times had he waited for her after school in this very same spot? How many times had she come running into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck as if she would never let go? He thought of all of the embraces, stolen kisses, and laughter they had shared over the past few months. He thought of the nights spent whispering to each other about their dreams, mistakes, and the future they wanted together; he thought of the way her eyebrows scrunched together when she was focusing on a difficult part of a drawing, and how much of a perfectionist she was; he thought of her warmth, of the blush that stained her cheeks pink when he complimented her; he thought of how stubborn she was, and how she seemed to fit effortlessly into the eccentric family of his that he had come to cherish.

All of these things flashed before Jasper's eyes in a mere moment. All of the infinite reasons he loved Evelyn Masen, all of the reasons that were making what he was about to do seem impossible, were flooding his mind and making it difficult to concentrate.

He felt another piece of his heart break when she finally caught sight of him, her face lighting up into a brilliant smile that simultaneously destroyed and overjoyed him. She quickly said her goodbyes to her friends and began jogging over to him. Jasper couldn't help but ruminate in how unfair and unfortunate their situation truly was.

How unfortunate, that after everything they had been through together, he was going to shatter both of their hearts as if they were nothing... as if she was nothing.

Evelyn felt her smile fade as she approached Jasper when she saw the cold expression on his face. His eyes were a dark gold, almost black, and the dark circles under his eyes were a sickly shade of purple that made them look like bruises.

"Hi," she started, crossing her arms over her chest as she stopped a few feet in front of him. "I was worried about you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jasper responded curtly, not meeting her eyes. "But I can't stay for long, my family will be expecting me."

Evelyn frowned, growing more and more concerned with they way his voice sounded. She silently begged him to look at her, but still, he refused. "Jazz, is everything alright? Did something happen when you were gone?"

Jasper could feel her love and concern for him emanating from her in waves, and more than anything he wanted to stop this charade. He didn't want to break her heart like this, but he knew he had no choice.

"We're leaving Forks," he told her, finally looking at her to gauge her reaction. "For good."

She blinked a few times in surprise. Leaving? "Why?"

"People are starting to get suspicious. Carlisle is supposed to be years older than he looks, and some of his colleagues and patients have been asking questions."

He could see the gears turning in her mind, the look of surprise shifting to confusion and then suddenly her face was almost unreadable. Her sharp green eyes narrowed in on his own, and when he couldn't take her scrutiny he shifted his eyes to his feet. This one action told her all she needed to know about how truthful he was actually being.

Evelyn straightened, shifting her bag on her back as she focused on keeping her voice even. "You don't have to lie to me, Jasper. I'm not a child, you don't have to protect my feelings." The rain was coming down harder on them now, and she could feel the fat droplets soaking her hair and shirt. "Just give me tonight to think of something to tell Marie, and then maybe we can--"

"No, Evelyn. I'm talking about myself and my family, as in only myself and my family. You're not coming." Jasper had to fight back a wince as he heard her sudden intake of breath; even he didn't like how sharp his voice had been, but Edward had told him that this was the only way. A clean break would be the best way for her to move on.

"I- what? Jasper, what happened at the party was an accident. No one is blaming you for anything--"

"It was an accident that could have gotten you both killed, Evelyn!" Jasper snapped, eyes blazing as he took a step towards her. "I would have been a killer again, and I can't ever go back to that. This is for the best."

Evelyn shook her head wildly, willing him to see reason. "It was one slip-up, Jazz. That's it. You've been doing so well--"

"Stop. Didn't you see that this was inevitable?" He took a deep breath, ignoring the deep ache in his chest so that he could finally destroy all that they had built forever. Edwards's words echoed in his head: She deserves a clean break. "We don't belong together. We never have, and we never will. I'm better off without you, Evelyn. I don't want to be with you, anymore."

I'm so sorry, my love.

Jasper's words were like daggers in Evelyn's heart, each one plunging deeper than the last into her chest. Her mouth had gone dry, and even as she felt the cracks begin to widen on her heart, pieces chipping away, in this moment she could only feel anger like a white hot fire bubbling up inside her.

"So that's it, then?" She asked, her voice strangely calm and yet deadly. "You're throwing me away like trash and you want me to just stand here and happily wave you goodbye?"

"Evelyn-"

"No, Jasper, you don't get to just do this to me, not after everything! Not like this." She marched up to him, her eyes on fire as she glared up at him. "I don't believe a word coming out of your mouth," she spit, poking him sharply in the chest. "The Jasper I know wouldn't hurt me like this."

Jasper shook his head, using all of his effort to keep his face stoic, hiding his breaking heart from the one who knew him best. Still, he had to make sure she that she believed him. "You don't know me as well as you think you do, then."

Evelyn was hurt by his words, but she was undeterred. Her eyes were sharp as she studied his face. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want me. I want you to look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me anymore."

Her words were like a sucker punch to the gut; he hated that she knew exactly where to hit to make this facade crumble. Still, he knew this was the only way she would give up. She had to move on; he couldn't leave the slightest piece of him for her to hold onto.

So, with a heaviness in his heart, he gently gripped her shoulders and focused directly on her sparkling green eyes. It took everything in him not to crumble at the faint glimmer of hope he saw in them. "We are over, Evelyn," he told her, just barely keeping his voice even. "I don't want to be with you. I don't love you."

I'm sorry.

I love you more than anything.

I don't want to leave you.

It was as if he had slapped her. Evelyn's mouth fell open as she blinked in shock. Jasper released her, and she fell back a few steps, her hand subconsciously going to her heart as she felt it breaking.

Jasper had to fight back a gasp as he felt the hurricane raging inside her. It was as if he was being ripped in half from the inside out, with a jagged knife cutting into his heart and destroying everything else in its path. Compounded with the feeling of his own heartbreak, he wasn't sure how long he could take being in her presence.

Tears flooded her eyes, falling silently down her cheeks. The rain was falling hard now, and she couldn't tell if she was shaking from the cold or from the sheer shock of what had just happened.

"Why now? Why pretend all this time?" She whispered, staring through the cascade of falling water at the one who had once held all of her heart. Now, it was laying in pieces at his feet.

He couldn't find a lie that would in any way satisfy her, so instead he decided to say the only truthful thing he was feeling. "I'm sorry," he responded, his eyes pained as he continued to take in all of the hurt he had caused her.

Evelyn shook her head. "No you're not," she said bitterly. "You're a coward, Jasper Hale. You're a coward who just broke every promise you ever made me and I will never, ever forgive you for that."

Jasper flinched, shocked at the bitter venom in her voice. "Evelyn, I'm truly sorry–"

"God, would you just stop it with the apologies? Because I don't want them, Jasper! All that I want is for you to stay!"

She didn't realize that she had started screaming at him, and suddenly she was grateful for the empty parking lot and the rain to drown out her voice. She uselessly wiped at her eyes, swatting Jasper's hand away when he reached out towards her. She turned around so she wouldn't have to look at him any longer. It hurt her too much.

She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I think it would be best if you'd just go, Jasper."

"Evelyn"

"Please," she begged, her voice a broken whisper. "Please, just go."

Jasper stopped breathing at the pure pain in her voice. More than anything, he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that he didn't mean any of it. He wanted to kiss her over and over and tell her how much he loved her, how desperately he needed her in his life, but he knew he couldn't. So with one final look at her, hunched over as if caving in on herself, he managed to force himself to leave.

After a few moments, Evelyn managed to calm herself down enough to unlock the car with shaking hands. She threw her soaked bags into the passenger seat and then slid in herself, drenched from the torrent of rain that was now pouring mercilessly from the sky. How ironic, that the sky seemed to split open at the very moment her heart and soul did.

The drive home went by in a blur. It seemed as if one moment she was at the school and then the next she was pulling into her aunt's driveway. She quickly turned off the car and shuffled through the downpour into the house.

Marie was in the living room, and she was immediately taken aback when she saw Evelyn come in dripping wet with a blank expression on her face.

"Evelyn? Evelyn, honey, what happened to you?"

Evelyn ignored her, instead heading straight up the stairs and into her bedroom. She felt both numb and like she was going to explode at the same time, and the only thought going through her head was that she needed to be alone; she didn't want Marie there when she would inevitably detonate.

When she burst through the door, the first thing she saw was an old drawing of Jasper in their meadow taped haphazardly to the wall. Gritting her teeth, she stomped across the room and mercilessly ripped it off the wall, throwing it to the floor. But then she noticed the dozens of other sketches, photographs, and love letters covering every inch of her bedroom walls, and the white hot anger was back again, more powerful than before. She moved furiously through her room, mercilessly ripping every trace of him from the walls as if doing so would heal every piece of her heart that he had touched. She didn't care about ruining her work or the memories that the photos had captured; all she knew was that she had to get him out.

His words were playing through her head like a broken record as she tore her room apart, fueling an anger and hatred that she had never experienced before.

You're not coming.

We don't belong together.

I don't want to be with you.

I'm better off without you.

When she was finished it looked like a tornado had ravaged her bedroom. Paper was scattered everywhere, the curtains pulled from their hooks and her string lights on the floor. But it hadn't helped like she thought it would; she still felt like her world was caving in on her, waiting to crush her at any moment. She looked desperately around for something, anything that was left, and her eyes rested on a simple framed picture on her nightstand.

Slowly, she picked it up, tracing her finger gently along Jasper's face. It was the picture Marie had taken of them before prom last year. It had always been one of her favorites, and Jasper had always said that he loved it too.

Suddenly, her fury bubbled over once again as she stared into the golden eyes of the one who had completely betrayed her love and trust. With a scream, she turned and threw the frame, enjoying the sound of glass shattering as it hit the wall by her doorframe and fell to the floor in thousands of pieces. But then she noticed Marie, standing quietly in the doorway. Her eyes were wide, her mouth parted slightly, and suddenly Evelyn became hyper-aware of the stillness and silence in the room.

She shook her head, hurrying over to the pile of glass on the floor and kneeling down. She bent down with shaking hands to try and gather all of the little pieces, but they all seemed to slip right through her fingers.  "Oh my god, Marie I'm so sorry. I- I didn't m-mean to, I was just..."

She paused when she felt Marie's soft hands encircle her wrists. Her fingers automatically released the glass shards that they were holding, and they clattered weakly to the floor. She blinked twice, momentarily shocked by the tears that were freely flowing down her cheeks. She hadn't realized that she was crying.

Marie gently placed her hand on the girl's cheek, turning her head to see her face. "Evvy, what happened?"

Evelyn swallowed hard, barely able to see through the tears, and then out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of color. She turned to see the actual picture lying face-up on the floor, perfectly unharmed as if it were trying to mock her.

I don't love you.

Marie's eyes followed hers, and it did not take long to realize what had happened. "Oh, sweetheart..."

"He's gone," Evelyn whispered, and as if saying it out loud had finally made it real, a strangled sob clawed its way from her throat. Marie expertly pulled the girl into her lap, wrapping her arms tightly around her as Evelyn sobbed brokenly into her chest.

"Shh, Evvy, it's alright. I'm here," she breathed into her hair, rocking her niece softly back and forth the way she used to when she was a little girl.

"It hurts, Marie. It hurts so much," cried Evelyn, her voice muffled by both her tears and Marie's cardigan.

"I know, baby, I know."

Marie's heart broke along with Evelyn's as she cried, and for the first time she realized what it felt like to be a parent unable to do anything to help their child through their pain. In that moment, sitting together on the bedroom floor, she would have done anything in the world to pin the pieces of Evelyn's broken heart back together, or make her forget the pain she was feeling now.

Instead, all she could do was hold her, and for now, that would have to be good enough.