Spitfire ━ Jasper Hale

06 ━ PREDICTABILITY

  And yet, Shadow couldn't shake that sense of strangeness.

She felt so at ease with Jasper and she didn't understand why. In such a short time, she already trusted him enough to take her on dates-but-not-dates to movie theatres. It felt like such a non-Shadow thing to do, not to mention every rule of self-discipline it was breaking.

  Shadow enjoyed being around people and the issue wasn't with the idea of friendship. But, with Jasper, everything was different. Shadow found herself establishing a trust between them. One that she wouldn't usually give so easily (especially given the circumstances.)

  Jasper Hale was simply intriguing in his existence and it prodded at Shadow's curious nature.

  There were so many things she wanted to know about him. Not simple things either, like his favourite movie, or the music he listened to and the books he read.

Shadow wanted to know things of a separate nature. Things far too intimate for her to even entertain right now. If she could know those kind of things, then maybe Shadow would finally understand who exactly Jasper was.

  Shadow wanted to know what made him so angry the day they first met. (She wanted to know if he felt that same pull.) She wanted to understand why it felt like he was a 1000 miles away when he was sitting right next to her. But, most of all, she wanted to figure out what it was that made him change his mind.

Sure, Shadow had forgiven him, but it wasn't something she could forget. He warned her that he wasn't good. So, what was it that made him so dangerous?

It bothered her, despite the fact that she knew it shouldn't have, and Shadow couldn't help but want that explanation. She deserved that much for having to put up with Jasper's abrupt mood changes. It was like his emotions swung on a pendulum with no apparent indication of when and where the next swing would be.

  The Swan girl felt her brow furrow as she brought a finger to her lip. A headache was forming at the base of her neck. Her muscles felt taut with concentration.

"Are you okay?" The sound of Jasper's voice was so sudden that Shadow inhaled a sharp breath.

  She cut her eyes to his, forcing a quick and placating smile. "I'm fine. Why?" She asked, hoping she hadn't done anything that would give away her confliction.

Jasper let out a small, slightly awkward chuckle, as if he didn't know what to say. "Uh, I don't know, it just felt like there was something wrong," he replied, unsure of himself.

Shadow shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm okay," she assured him, pushing back more wet hair. He nodded slowly and the car was enveloped in silence once more. It stayed that way for the rest of the drive.

When they got to the movie theatre, Shadow decided to leave her umbrella in the car as she got out. The rain was still falling hard, but Jasper didn't seem to mind as it fell down on him. They hurried inside to shelter themselves, Shadow shivering the entire way.

Jasper led her towards the till, where a bored looking teenager stood, too distracted by their phone to notice the pair's presence. Jasper let out a feigned cough. The boy lifted his head lazily, disinterested before he could fully comprehend who was in front of him.

The moment he looked at Jasper, the kids entire demeanor changed. His eyes went wide with recognition, body quickly standing straight. Shadow couldn't help her surprise.

  "Um, two movie tickets?" Jasper requested, clearly put off by his reaction. The boy said nothing. He stared at Jasper as his face got redder.

  Shadow sighed and gently nudged Jasper over with her hip. She shot the (obviously starstruck) boy a kind smile. Her fist rapped against the counter, catching his attention.