The next week that followed was not much better for anyone in the house. The atmosphere was full of tension and worry. Each day Jake would take Renesmee and Aleesia to school while the other Cullen's drove themselves. On the two days Jake had to do something early and couldn't drive them, Jasper and Alice drove them. Those two days had been torture for everyone involved. It was painfully tense and awkward.

Aleesia remained civil in school, speaking when spoken to and completing her work but did nothing beyond that. She interacted with everyone as little as possible, keeping her eyes and ears open at all times. She was constantly alert, ready for an attack even though she knew it was unlikely to come in broad daylight in the middle of a high school full of humans. That would be very unwise.

Her first day back she had to make an excuse as to why she didn't have her textbooks, ratting off the first thing that came to mind. A termite infestation that had gone wrong. The next day her backpack was outside of her bedroom door with all of her textbooks and school work. There was a note on top that said ' always and forever' on it, this time in Alice's handwriting. It made her give the faintest smile but she would never admit it. This time she kept the note and tucked it into her pocket.

The small gestures continued through the week. They never made an attempt to touch her and they gave her the space she needed which she was grateful for. Alice made her food and left it in portioned containers in the fridge with more small notes attached to the tops of them, some in her handwriting and some in Jasper's. For the first couple of days she didn't touch them but then she caved, sick of eating sandwiches constantly. It helped that it was her favorite lasagna and an amazing creamy, Italian chicken pasta dish with spinach and cherry tomatoes. The second one she had never tried before but now that she had she was never going back. A large plate of brownies had also been left out on the counter. She snuck a couple when no one was looking of course. She was angry with them, not stupid and only stupid people pass up brownies.

Aleesia also took the step to let Carlisle check her over again, noting that he constantly watched her with concerned eyes. When she was in the room his eyes always found their way to her neck, where her wound had been and his stares were becoming a little annoying. Part of her also secretly liked that he was worried though. That meant he cared right? The bite mark had completely scarred over and there was no more burning from the venom so she wasn't really concerned about it but he seemed to be. So to stop him from staring any more and to give both herself and the good doctor peace of mind, she let him give her a medical workup to make sure she was doing okay. All of her tests came back fine and she was declared healthy and fit again.

By the start of the school day, Friday, she had caught up with all of her late work, once again, apologizing to her teachers for missing so many days of school. Most of them were gracious about it and were just happy she was still getting the work done. The ones who weren't could eat cow shit for all she cared.

The students had started to gossip again, this time about why she seemed to be in a perpetual bad mood and was no longer sitting at the Cullen's table. Instead she chose to sit away from them to have her lunch in peace even though she could still feel when Alice and Jasper stared at her.

The disgusting comments Pria was making and the rumor she was spreading about her giving the Cullen's and STI were really pissing her off to the point where she was actually considering murder. She had not hunted since that day with Jake and with her emotions being as messed up as they had been, she should have been feeding at least two to three times a week. She was walking a thin line between burning rage and homicidal inferno at this point. She had made it through most of the school day and was doing pretty well all things considered.

The peak moment came between classes when Aleesia was walking from the office to her locker before going to her fourth period class. She was halfway between the two locations when Pria's shrill voice called out to her.

"So, it looks like your sham of a relationship didn't last long. What's that matter sweetie, couldn't make them happy?" Pria cooed, her voice laced with mock sympathy, "Or did they find someone better, someone actually worth their time?"

Pria had no idea how much her words stung and Aleesia wasn't about to let her see it so she pushed down her anger and kept walking while fisting her hands at her side. She had enough to deal with right now and she was doing her best to not let some petty human bitch get the best of her.

"Oh I think I touched a nerve. Keep walking, whore. While you're at it, keep walking out of my school and out of my town. Nobody wants you here. Not me, Not Cam and definitely not your precious Cullens."

It was like something in her snapped. One second she had control and was walking away from the stupid bitch and the next she had Pria pinned to the locker by her throat. It was taking every ounce of control she had not to crush Pria's windpipe. It would be so easy. All she had to do was SQUEEZE.

She nearly did it. Everything inside of her wanted to end Pria's life. It would have been so easy, so quick.

Then a cold hand wrapped gently but firmly around her wrist, snapping her out of the rage willed trance. She released her old on Pria's neck and stepped back, allowing herself to be pulled into her mate's arms. He turned her and held her against his body, letting her inhale his calming scent as he spoke. She couldn't hear what he was saying because there was an odd swishing sound in her ears, like ocean waves slamming against her eardrums repeatedly. Whatever it was he said had Pria scrambling away from them and running down the hall like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.

Jasper stood there quietly just holding Aleesia in his arms, knowing this is what she needed at the moment. He wouldn't push her but he would be there to help when she needed it, and right now she definitely needed it.

He had felt the exact moment her emotions had gone from simply pissed off to murderous and it was only amplifying the emotions he himself was feeling. They had been listening in to every word Pria was saying and it took everything in them not to get up and hunt the stupid human down. She had no idea what she was talking about and she was way out of line. Every word was a slanderous lie.

Then something happened, a decision was made and Alice had gripped his arms and whispered a desperate "Go now!" which had him out of his chair and out of the door as fast as was humanly possible. He didn't even know if the teacher had seen him leave and he didn't care. His mate needed him.

Now that he stood with her he could feel her anger slowly dissipating. Aleesia was inhaling in and out, deep breaths, drawing in as much of Jasper's scent as she could to calm down. Her entire body was shaking from head to toe as she came back into herself and eventually stepped away from him.

She felt ashamed. Her control had slipped and she had nearly killed a human, outing their secret and putting them all in very real danger. If he hadn't shown up she would have done it. She could feel her fingers tightening around the soft flesh of Pria's throat. She had felt the pulse of blood rushing just beneath the surface. It was agonizing and exhilarating at the same time and she hated it. As angry as she was with all of them right now, they didn't deserve to deal with the repercussions of her actions.

Her fingers flexed at her sides, clenching and unclenching into a fist. She was in control now, her anger almost completely gone, replaced by an overwhelming amount of guilt. He reached out to touch her hand, wanting to reassure her that it was okay. No one had perfect control. Even he still struggled greatly every time he was in close proximity to the human population.

She took another step back, not meeting his eyes then said, "Thank you for stopping me."

Aleesia bent and snatched her bag from the floor and walked away, heading to her locker to grab her stuff for class. Jasper stood there for a moment, watching her walk away with a pained expression. He could feel the turmoil that was raging inside of her and he wanted so badly to soothe it but he knew she would be even angrier with him if he used his gift on her. He just wanted to take her pain away. He hated himself for being part of the cause of it.

He turned around and went back to his own class, slipping silently into his seat by Alice's side. She reached over and rested one of her dainty hands over his hand that was fisted on the table top. He took a shallow breath, ignoring the burning in his throat and relaxed his hand, allowing her to join their fingers together. His body was tense though, refusing to relax even a little.

"It will be okay, Jas. She's already starting to forgive us. We just have to be patient." She whispered quietly while jotting down notes from the textbook that was open between them.

He nodded and grabbed his pen then flipped open his notebook and continued taking notes he really didn't need if he was being honest but it gave him something to do. Every few seconds his eyes flickered to the door, waiting for Aleesia to step through. He knew she'd be here soon, he could hear her light footsteps approaching. He relaxed slightly in his seat when she stepped through the door and closed it behind her then walked over to the teachers desk where he sat sipping on hours old coffee and reading a newspaper. The teacher looked up after a moment, giving her his attention.

"I was in the office, I have an excuse slip." She said quietly while holding the yellow slip of paper out to him.

He took it and scribbled something on it before slipping it into a drawer in his desk and pointed toward her seat, "Have a seat. The chapter you need to read and notate is listed on the board. You'll have to get a copy of the notes we went over from one of the other students."

She gave the teacher a short nod then turned and made her way down the rows of desks, keeping her eyes on the floor as she walked, to take her seat in front of Alice. She pulled out her textbook and got to work, speeding through the chapter work. It was boring work listing presidents of the last four decades and their political affiliations as well as their major contributions to the country during their time in office. She didn't really care about any of this information but the American school system felt it was vital information so she did it anyway.

She finished her work just as the bell rang and she packed up her stuff and headed to her next class. That class was filled with the same tedious process: pulling out a textbook, copying down notes from a chapter in that textbook, and listening to a teacher lecture about what they had just read. It was boring but it was nice. It brought her an odd sense of calm as she moved through the motions, feeling a little more human than she had earlier. The overwhelming mortification was still there but it was more toward the back of her brain now as she focused on getting through the rest of her school day.

When she got back to the Cullen's house after school she and Renesmee met in the family room with their work so they could go through their usual routine of listening to music and doing their homework. She really enjoyed her time with Ness. She was easy to talk to and always had a smile on her face. Her happiness was almost tangible which helped Aleesia relax a little more on the rough days.

The afternoon was going well which was a huge relief. She and Ness were curled up chatting quietly while Esme was in the kitchen working on some kind of new recipe that smelled pretty good if she was being honest. Carlisle was at work at the local hospital, doing his doctor thing and helping the humans of Lakeford, Alaska. Jake had been here briefly to talk with us but eventually left to run a patrol lap around the property with Jasper who was looking a little agitated for some reason. Edward and Bella had gone on a double date with Emmet and Rose, leaving only Alice who from the sound of it was making her way toward the living room.

Just as Aleesia thought, Alice came in a moment later looking a little nervous with something held behind her back. She came to a stop in front of Aleesia and rocked back and forth on her feet waiting for Aleesia to acknowledge her.

"Yes, Alice?" She asked, glancing up briefly from her math homework that was starting to piss her off. She kept having to redo a specific equation over and over and kept getting the wrong answer. Renesmee kept checking it for her and tried showing her what she was doing wrong but it just wasn't clicking in her brain for some reason.

Alice held out a small stack of printed papers and Aleesia took them, scanning the first page. She realized it was a copy of the notes she had forgotten to get today from History class. They were neatly spaced, categorized by individual and several spots were highlighted. She assumed that was the information that was most important.

Aleesia bit back a smile but she still felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she said, "Thank you."

Alice noticed the small twitch and brightened considerably before replying, "You're welcome." and heading to the kitchen to help Esme with her cooking. Aleesia could smell chicken and some kind of four mixture but her brain was too focused on her work to worry about what dish the two vampires were concocting.

Around forty minutes later Esme announced that the food was done and Aleesia slammed her math book shut with a frustrated sigh. Math was most definitely her worst subject and she despised it with a passion. She narrowed her eyes at the stupid hunk of wasted paper, willing it to burst into flames. To her disappointment, it did not.

"Stop trying to kill your textbook with your eyes and come eat, Sweetheart." Alice spoke softly, moving to her side and offering her a hand up.

Aleesia was not ready to be that close yet though so instead she stood up on her own after pushing her book and homework off her lap onto the couch cushion beside her.

"Easy for you to say, Granny. You've done this a million times. This is my first time through high school unlike all of you decrepit old people." Aleesia sassed back as she walked toward the kitchen counter as Esme set two large bowls of steaming food down.

Alice followed behind her with a smile on her face and a light skip in her step, ignoring the light jab at her age. Aleesia was poking fun at her instead of just staring at her in silence. This was progress.

Aleesia's mouth started watering as she inhaled the smell of the food in front of her. It looked like some kind of thickened creamy chicken soup base that was full of vegetables and was topped with a flaky golden brown biscuit crust. It looked heavenly but vampires had no taste buds so there's every chance that it could taste horrible.

Aleesia reached and scooped up a bite, making sure to get a little of everything before blowing on the food gently and shoveling it into her mouth. She wiggled in her seat letting out a light happy squeal as her taste buds sang. The chicken mixture was delicious and the vegetables were perfectly tender. The breaded part was flaky and buttery and practically melted in her mouth. She scooped another mouthful only to freeze realizing there were multiple sets of eyes on her but when she looked up Esme and Alice were looking away. She did see them smiling though.

She was chewing the last bite of her food when Jasper and Jake stepped into the house. Jake had one arm around Jasper's neck while holding his other bleeding arm to his stomach. Jake's face was screwed up in pain as he limped in with Jasper supporting most of his weight. Jasper's clothes looked dirty and had Jake's blood smeared on them but otherwise he looked unharmed much to Aleesia's relief.

Esme gasped and rushed forward with a towel while asking, "What happened? Oh my, Jake are you alright?"

"He's alright Esme, nothing's broken, just bruised I think." Jasper answered while helping Jake down into a seat the Esme had quickly covered for him. Jake grunted, looking like her disagreed but didn't elaborate.

Aleesia didn't even realize Renesmee had left the room until she came running back in with a first aid kit she had probably retrieved from Carlisle's office, her face was pink and she looked like she wanted to cry. She took the seat closest to Jake, pulling his injured arm gently towards her and started cleaning the wound. It was a long gash but the bleeding had already stopped almost completely. It would need to be cleaned and stitched so it could heal faster. With Jake's wolf abilities it shouldn't take more than a few hours.

Aleesia watched Nessie work, expertly cleaning the wound before stitching it closed with tiny sutures that were perfect, almost as if she had done it a million times before. Jake sat patiently, flinching only slightly each time the delicate, hooked needle pierced his skin.

She heard Jasper step away and pull out his phone to call the others and tell them to come home, not giving anything away and saying he'd explain when they all got here. She didn't like how cold his voice sounded and she could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves, permeating the entire room. He was shaking because of it. Whatever had happened had really pissed him off.

Aleesia sighed and stepped closer, grabbing one of his hands in hers, trying to offer him the same support he had given her earlier that day. He twisted around and buried his face in her neck, taking deep breaths while Alice came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. It took a moment but she felt him relaxing slightly and whatever he was doing to project his anger vanished as he gained some control back.

They stayed like that until the front door opened again and the rest of the family came in. By this point Nessie had finished stitching Jake's arm and had cleaned away the excess blood and waste from cleaning his wounds. He was relaxed as much as he could be with his imprint at his side, cuddling into him with a worried frown. He had a light sheen of sweat on his face and his head was tilted back against the couch.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked as he knelt in front of Jake to inspect Nessie's handy work and check Jake over himself.

Aleesia stepped away from Jasper and Alice now, feeling that he was calm enough, and took a seat on the couch, tucking her legs under her to get comfortable.

"Are you okay, Jake?" Bella asked, moving to her daughter's side and looking down at her friend with worried eyes.

"I'm fine Bells, Just some bruising. It'll heal in no time. Don't look so worried, you'll get wrinkles." He chuckled and then flinched, grabbing his side, "Okay laughing is a bad idea right now."

Bella glared at him and looked like she wanted to smack the back of his stupid head for joking at a time like this but she refrained and took a seat on the couch.

"We were looping around the area a few miles out and we separated to double back when I heard Jake howl. By the time I got there the vampire was gone, no scent left behind and I found Jake on the ground bleeding." Jasper answered Carlisle's earlier question.