Chapter 5

"Where have you been Jasper?" A voice asked him as he stepped into the house.

He turned around and met his mother Miranda Smith standing beside her with a worried expression. He sighed and hugged her.

"I've been out mom. I didn't know it got so late. You don't need to worry about me, I'm thirty not thirteen." He said to her with a smile.

Miranda frowned, "Well your sister and I have been waiting for you to join us for dinner. You never said you were going to have dinner out, and you were not answering your phone."

"I forgot the phone mom. I am so sorry about that. Stop frowning, go to bed. I'm fine." He pushed her towards her room.

"Your food is in the kitchen if you're still hungry." Miranda said and walked into her room.

Jasper sighed and walked to the kitchen. He dished his own food and sat on the couch in the living room. He had been out searching for a job all day, he didn't find a satisfying one yet. Then he bumped into someone when coming from the restaurant where he had gone to ask for the vacancy.

She was very rude, even though she looked classy and rich. She wanted him to bow down to her, he chuckled at the thought. He thought he has seen stubborn girls, but this one is extraordinary.

He left when her nice friend whom he later found out is Carly spoke nicely to her. He wonders why girls like that have the nicest friends. How do they even cope with people like that?

He wasn't expecting to see her at that lonely road when he did. He was going back home when her car broke down. He watched her come out of the car and made a call. Then she checked the car before some bad guys walked over to her.

He saw how stubborn she was, he wanted to intervene but changed her mind. Then he saw her kick the leader and get chased by the gang. He decided to help her escape, he wasn't in the mood to fight the guys anytime soon. Yet she still proved to be stubborn.

"I wonder why I have to encounter a stubborn person like her. Who is she anyway?" He thought.

He went straight to bed after having dinner thinking his job hunt will start again. Strange circumstances is the reason why he is searching for a job despite having a degree in medicine. It's a sad past he hardly talks about or discusses with anyone. It's been three years already, so he has to move on.

His phone rang just when his eyes were closing to sleep. He already knows who would call him by this time of the night.

"Bella." He called.

"Hey Jasper. I just wanted to check on you since you haven't called all day. How is the job hunt going?" She asked.

"Fine." Was all he could say.

Bella sighed, that wasn't good news.

"Okay. I'll come see you tomorrow. I have to go now, bye." She said and hung up.

Jasper dropped his phone and sighed deeply. Despite all of Bella's persuasion to help him, he refused the help because he wanted to do it on his own. Bella comes from a very good and wealthy family, she has been a very good friend to him since he got back three years ago.

They met when he went for a job vacancy at the Tanner's Corporation. He didn't get hired but he met her, she liked him at first sight.

So they became friends from there. Bella offered to help him in all ways but he refused. He has gotten a lot of job since three years, but they all don't last more than two to six months. He always seems to be unlucky with the people he works with.

"This is so frustrating." He muttered closing his eyes to sleep.

••••

Morning came, Jasper woke up late. Since he wasn't going to work, he found it hard to leave bed early. His sister Stephanie came to wake him up. She tugged his shirt until he opened his eyes. Then she let go.

"What are you doing Steph?" He asked with a frown.

"Waking you up duh." She rolled her eyes.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Because mom asked me to. Move your lazy butt from bed. Breakfast is ready, I am just repeating what mom said." She ran out of the room after saying that.

Jasper shook his head and got out of bed. His sister is up early because she's going to help their mother at her small food stand. Stephanie is still a college student and nineteen, so she's not working much except for helping their mother.

He took his bath and got changed. Then he left for the dining table where his mother and sister are seated eating breakfast.

"Morning mom." He said to his mom ignoring his sister's troublesome stares. 

"You finally decided to get out bed." Stephanie cut in.

He still ignored her and ate his breakfast in silence.

"I haven't seen your girlfriend in a while. Where is she?" Stephanie asked making Jasper choke on his food.

"Stephanie!" Miranda scolded and offered Jasper some water.

"I'm sorry mom. I didn't know talking about Bella Tanner was now a big deal." Stephanie scoffed.

"Bella is not my girlfriend! I keep telling you that. I'm done eating." He got up and left.

Miranda glared at Stephanie, "I think I'm full too. Oh I need to use the toilet." She ran away to avoid her mother's anger.

Jasper bumped into Bella just as he got out of the house. She smiled upon seeing him, then hugged him.

"Bella, I wasn't expecting you to come this early." He said.

"I actually wanted to give this to you, that's why I'm here the early. Sorry if I am bothering you." She stretched some papers towards him. 

He collected from her and saw it's a list of job vacancies in the city.

"Thanks Bella. You're not bothering me at all."