Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just like messing with the characters.

Have you ever wondered how it is that someone can change your world utterly and completely? Someone that you didn't think that could ever make such a change in your life.

Looking in the mirror, it seemed that nothing had changed. My appearance was the same. I had the same pale skin, green eyes, hair the colour of a penny. Nothing had outwardly changed.

But at the same time everything had changed.

Not that anyone knew it.

Not that even the one that had changed me knew anything about it.

There was nothing that anyone could do about it. The only one that could change anything or do something about what was happening to me was . . . well, me.

I let out a breath, knowing that I had to sort through everything that was going through my head. I pulled on a t-shirt, grabbed my bag and jacket and made my way out of the house, shouting to my mom that I'd be home later than usual. She shouted something back, not that I heard her. If it was that important, she would call me. She always did.

I closed my eyes as I turned off the ignition to my car in the school parking lot. I had to do this.

I jumped as someone knocked on my window. I looked up to see Jasper, my best friend standing there, a confused grin on his face. "You alright, there, Ed?" He laughed as I climbed out of the car. "You off in your own world again?"

"Kind of, yeah." I shrugged and he laughed, shaking his head.

"Come on." He nodded towards the school and started walking towards the building. I hated that I had to spend all day within these crappy mildew green walls. It was going to be a long day.

"So, you got plans for the weekend?" I asked as we made our way towards his locker. Thankfully, it was Friday and we had two entire days away from this place. Unfortunately though, the weekend always seemed to fly by while the week dragged. I hated that.

"Yeah, I'm going out with Peter tonight." He grinned and I felt myself frowning as he opened his locker, shoving his unwanted books in there and grabbing the ones he needed for his first classes.

"You're going out with him again?" I couldn't hide the scowl in my tone and he raised an eyebrow at me, confused.

"You don't like him?" He asked, closing his locker, falling into step as we walked down the corridor. "Edward? You don't like him?"

"Look," I sighed, putting my combination for my locker in and opening it. "Whatever I say, you're gonna get pissed at me so I'm not gonna say anything."

"That's not true." He leaned on the locker next to mine, scoffing at my raised eyebrow. "Look, you're my best friend. Of course I'm going to listen to what you've got to say. If you don't like him, then I won't go out with him again." I had no idea how to take that because there's always something about the way it comes out. I'm going to get in trouble either way. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't being entirely truthful with me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, not wanting to sound defensive but intrigued nonetheless. In truth there was something I wasn't telling him and I wasn't exactly going to enlighten him in a corridor full of students.

"Are you sure you're not weird about being around me?" He asked, his voice nothing more than a sad sigh.

"Jazz, what are you talking about?" I knew what he was talking about. He thought I wasn't as accepting as I said I was.

The first thing you should know about Jazz is that he's gay. Yeah, people make jokes and everything about the gay friend turning the straight one but neither of us listened to them. He first moved to Forks a little over a year ago and we've been best friends ever since. He was completely up front about his sexuality and it had never been a problem before. Until he started going out with the douche Peter. Anyone could see that he was only interested in Jasper to get into his pants. Well, everyone apart from Jasper, that is.

"What have I ever done or said that would make you say that?" I shot back, slamming my locker closed. He shrugged as we made our way into class. "Seriously?"

"I don't know." He bit his lip as he sat down. "It's just the last couple of weeks, you've been kind of distant and well . . . weird. I just kind of thought that maybe, you really weren't as okay as you said you were."

"It's not . . . Jasper, you know for a fact that you could be straight, gay, bi, whatever and I wouldn't care. It's not that that bothers me. It's Peter." I said honestly and he furrowed his eyebrows at me, obviously wondering where the hell I was coming from. "The guy's an ass."

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Edward." He sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't like him, that's all." I shrugged, not wanting to fight with Jasper. At least not here. "But you like him, so what I think doesn't matter."

"That's where you're wrong." He said softly, looking up at me, a sad look in his eyes. "What you think does matter. It matters a hell of a lot. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you over someone else."

"You're not." I assured him but he didn't look convinced. "I don't like Peter, okay? I'm being honest here. I don't like him but . . . you do. If he means that much to you I'm sure I can be civil."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I nodded and he smiled at me again. I inhaled a breath, glad to have that conversation over and done with as the teacher started the class. I wondered if Jasper would come to his senses and realise that Peter was after only one thing? Would Jasper come to me if he did?

Was it wrong of me to hope that he did?

Finally, the last bell of the day rang and I joined the masses – well, three hundred or so – trying to get out of the front doors to the school.

"You going to Bella's tonight?" Jasper asked as we walked across the parking lot.

"Yeah, her dad's on the night shift, so might as well make the most of it." I grinned and he waved me off, laughing. He didn't realise that I was going to 'make the most of it' by doing what I should have done months ago when my feelings started to change.

"See ya." He called and I waved him off, climbing into my car. I let out a breath before I started the car, making my way to Bella's. Getting to Bella's didn't take as long as I would have hoped. She was going to hate me for what I was going to do. But I couldn't help it. I didn't feel about her now how I had when I'd started going out with her.

I climbed out of the car and made my way up the steps. She opened the door moments after I knocked, a smile on her face.

"Hey," she said softly, giving me a soft kiss. "Is everything okay?"

I shook my head, letting out a breath. "No," she frowned slightly, biting her lip. It didn't have the effect it used to. I used to find it endearing and it used to get me harder than anyone could have thought but right now, it wasn't doing anything for me. It only made me think of someone else and that wasn't good. "Can we talk?"

"Sure." She led the way into the living room, her shoulders slumped slightly. "I kind of need to talk to you about something too." She said softly and I wondered what was on her mind.

"Well . . . after you." I gestured as we both sat down. It seemed that we both knew this was going to be a decisive conversation because we were sat on opposite ends of the sofa.

"Okay . . . um, Edward . . ." She seemed slightly stressed as she scratched her finger up and down her thumb. She'd done that so many times in the past where I thought she was going to draw blood. This time was no exception. "I have no idea how to say this so I'm going to just come out and say it." I nodded, indicating for her to go on. "I've met someone."

It took a second for her words to sink in and I let out a chuckle. "You're breaking up with me?" She bit her lip again and nodded, her eyes wide with worry. I laughed again and she looked slightly confused at my reaction. "Oh that makes this so much easier."

"What do you mean?" She looked confused for a moment before her eyebrows shot up. "You came here to break up with me, didn't you?"

"A little bit." I nodded, biting my own lip in anticipation of her reaction.

"Well, I was worrying all day for nothing, then." She laughed and it struck me as odd about how easy this was. I mean, I'd had girlfriends before Bella and they'd always gotten defensive or even abusive when I'd broken up with them. They hadn't ever reacted the way Bella was right now. But then again, she was planning on breaking up with me as well.

"So . . . who is he?" I asked, leaning back into the back of the sofa as she sighed, pulling her legs up underneath her.

"Jacob Black." She sounded slightly unsure of how I would react as I thought for a moment.

"That huge kid that sometimes comes around when your dad goes fishing?" She nodded, her expression not changing. "When did that happen?"

"I don't know." She smiled, probably glad that I wasn't pissed. "He's just been around more since my dad's been going away more and I don't know . . . there's just something there. Nothing's happened though. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Thank you." I said honestly and she smiled at me. "Thank you for being honest. Does he make you happy?"

"Yeah." She sighed softly, her eyes glazing over slightly. "He does." Her smile dropped a little when she realised who she was talking to. "Not that you didn't make me happy because you did. You really did and-"

"I get it." I held up a hand chuckling lightly and she relaxed. "I guess that's all that matters, don't you think?" She smiled, nodding.

"What about you?" She asked and I sucked in a breath, knowing that she wouldn't let this go. Could I tell Bella how I felt and who I felt it about? Would she hate me forever if I did? "I'm guessing you've fallen for someone else as well?" I nodded a little and she grinned, clearly happy that I wouldn't be alone after our split. Or so she thought. "Well . . . who is she? Anyone I know."

"Yeah," I nodded, leaning forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Yeah, you do know them."

"Who is it?" She asked, shifting closer to me. "Who is she?" I closed my eyes and she stiffened slightly. "It's not Lauren, is it?"

"What?" I looked over at her, completely taken aback at the idea of her thinking I'd break up with her over that tramp. "No fucking way."

"Okay, thank god." She pressed a hand to her chest, letting out a breath. "So . . . who? She can't be that bad. Unless it's Jessica." I snorted and she giggled. "Okay, apparently not." She sat there for a moment, thinking and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was going through her head.

"What are you thinking?" I asked and she jumped, startled by my question.

"Is it Victoria?" I had to ask, didn't I?

"What? No."

"Gianna?"

"No."

"Maria?"

"Not a chance."

"Angela?"

"More likely than the others, but no."

"Jane?"

"That skank? Really?"

"I'll take that as a no. Um . . . Rosalie?"

"I'd like to keep my balls, thank you. No."

"You're right, you going after your brother's girl could cause tension in the house. Siobhan?"

"No."

"Irina?"

"Ha-ha. No."

"Kate?"

"She's my cousin."

"Oh yeah. I forgot."

I rolled my eyes, wondering why Bella was going through the female population of Forks High. This was bordering on painful.

"Please, give me some clue." She whined and I shook my head, laughing. "I've gone through pretty much most of the females at school." She was right about that one. "Unless it's a guy." Her laugh faltered as I stiffened slightly. She must have noticed. Shit. "Shit." My thoughts exactly. "It's a guy, isn't it?" She sat there for a moment, thinking. "It's Jasper, isn't it?"

My hands and my jaw dropped as I stared at her. "How the fuck can you go through all the girls in school and not get one right but then you say Jasper and . . ."

"So it is Jasper?" I let out a sigh, nodding. I didn't look at her, not wanting to know how she felt about me liking my best friend. To my surprise, she let out a squeal before her arms wrapped around me in a hug. "You guys'll look so cute together."

"Two problems here." She looked at me, confused. "One: he doesn't know, and no one else can know either." She nodded, doing that whole imitation zip lips and throw away the key thing. "Two: he's already going out with someone."

"Oh, screw the other guy." She waved my concern off as though it was nothing.

"Rather not, he's an asshole." She laughed and I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Seriously," she sighed, resting her head on her hand as she watched me. "I don't think Jasper would turn you down." She bit her lip again and I wondered what she was thinking. "I think he likes you anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you're going to call me crazy or whatever, but there's just something in the way he looks at you. It's more than best friends going on there." I couldn't tell whether she was being honest or just telling me this to make me feel better.

"You really think so?" She nodded, grinning at me. I looked at the time, sighing slightly when I saw that it was already getting quite late. Apparently my admission to Bella had taken longer than I thought. "I'd better get going." She nodded, standing up with me. "This has been the weirdest break up ever."

"I know." She laughed. It was for the better that we weren't together anymore. She seemed happy with Jake and also seemed happy enough to conspire to organise my love life. What there was of it. "Can I have a hug?" She asked, holding her arms out. I wrapped my arms around her, sighing softly. "You'll be fine." She whispered, letting me go.

Leaving Bella's house, I didn't really want to go home. I didn't want to have to deal with my little sisters' ramblings about whatever boy she was in love with this week. I made my way down to the beach at La Push. It was generally where I went to sort through everything in my head. Something about the waves made everything seem small and insignificant in comparison.

Walking out along the sand, I frowned as I saw a familiar figure walking towards me. What was he doing here?

"Jazz?" I called and he turned around, probably having barely heard me over the sound of the waves and the wind. "What are you doing here? It not go well with Peter?"

"No," he sighed, looking down at the sand. Was it bad that my insides were doing a little happy dance? "Apparently, you were right."

"About what?" Oh, shit.

"He wasn't really interested in me. Just what was in my pants." He sighed, sounding upset. He shook his head, looking out over the waves. "Fuck him. I don't need assholes like that in my life, right?"

"Of course you don't." I followed his gaze, letting out a breath. "For the record, I didn't want to be right about him."

"I know you didn't." He nodded, giving me a small smile. "I should have listened to you." I shrugged, not knowing what to say. "What are you doing here? I thought Charlie was on the night shift. Why are you here instead of with Bella?"

"Bella and I . . . sort of . . . broke up." I didn't look at him, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes.

"Shit, man. I'm sorry." He really did sound sorry. I knew he liked Bella. I was glad that the two of them got along as well as they did. It could have made things difficult if my best friend and girlfriend didn't get along. "Who . . ."

"Mutual decision." I looked up to see him nodding. "She's met someone else and . . ."

"Who?"

"Jacob Black." He shook his head, indicating that he didn't know who I was talking about. "Someone from the Res. His dad is friends with her dad and they've gotten pretty close recently." His face turned into a scowl and I laughed. "Bella assured me that nothing happened. Well, yet, anyway. Now that we're not together anymore, she can do what she wants."

"So can you." He was trying to comfort me here and I nodded. "So . . . anyone caught your eye?" I took a deep breath. He'd just asked the question I'd simultaneously hoped he would and he wouldn't ask me. I nodded slowly, closing my eyes. "Who?"

It's now or never. I thought as I stepped forward, gathering all of my courage and resolve as I leaned up, pressing my lips to his softly. He froze for a second, clearly shocked at my actions before he relaxed. It wasn't a sensual or lingering kiss but more a declaration of sorts. I felt vulnerable in a way I never thought I would with Jasper. Everything was riding on his reaction. This could either ruin our friendship or turn into something more. I knew what I wanted but I wasn't sure where Jasper stood on the whole thing.

I pulled away after a moment, letting out a breath before opening my eyes, waiting for his reaction as I whispered.

"You."

. . . . . . . . .