"Hello," she waved slightly as she got closer, "having fun?"
"Of course, we are." Ciara responded, turning to Jason, and Kimberly understood. "I'm Ci..."
"No need. Jayden already introduced you guys."
"Are you Jasmine or Kimberly?" Moira asked.
"I'm Kimberly. And it's Kimberly or Jasmine."
"What?" Moira asked again confused, tucking a strand of hair the wind blew to her face behind her ear to get a better view of Kimberly, her body glowing from some lotion.
"I'm Older."
"I see."
"I won't get this next time." Said the person whose hand was dangling in front of Kimberly, holding her ear plugs.
She reached for her ears immediately to find they were really missing. Kimberly took hold of it, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, thanks, you're the sweetest."
"You must be Jasmine?" Ciara smiled this time, holding out a hand. "I'm Ciara."
Jasmine looked her over and made a low hum in her throat before she turned to Kimberly, ignoring completely, the hand held out to her.
"Where's Baxter?" She asked instead, wondering where Kimberly's Dog was. "Why is he not hanging around you?"
Kimberly's eyes darted between her and Ciara, sensing the awkwardness Jasmine seemed immune to. "Uh, Paige took him for a walk."
Just then, Jasmine felt something soft and little touch her back.
Baxter.
She arched her back to be able to reach behind her, but he moved, too, so she had to turn fully.
Kimberly frowned slightly, disturbed by Jasmine's movements.
"What's the matter?"
Jasmine wordlessly picked him up and gave it over.
"Oh, so you've been the one disturbing her." She said, stroking his fine fur.
But Baxter, who had been craving Jasmine's attention wasn't pleased.
He struggled, turned, but still, he wasn't stronger than Kimberly.
He had one option left.
He looked at her with his cute, sad eyes, then lay his head slowly and gently on her lap, and sat still.
Kimberly couldn't bear to see Baxter so sad, so, she decided to intercede on his behalf.
"Jasmine, c'mon he just wants to be held." She said shaking Jasmine's arm, but Jasmine just looked down coldly at Kimberly's fingers on her arm.
And Kimberly had no option, but to slowly take her hands off Jasmine.
Then, she decided. Since she couldn't make Jasmine hold Baxter, she could at least let him free so, he would do anything he wanted...
"You don't want to pay for anything he might do, do you?" Jasmine drawled, giving her a side-way glance and Kimberly retreated from that plan of hers at once.
Jasmine's payments were not usually monetary.
Then, she remembered and whispered to Jasmine
"That was rude." She said, making a gesture with her mouth toward Ciara.
"Stupid obvious question." Jasmine replied, nonchalantly, seeing movement from the corner of her eye.
"Moira, Jasmine," she said uncertainly, smiling, "nice to finally meet you..."
"Mmm." She said reluctantly, cutting her off as Keeon nudged her with his foot.
"Turn on your hotspot, it won't be long."
"Done that a long time ago."
"What is the..."
"Same password, just a D at the end."
Kimberly frowned, eyeing Keeon. "He knows your password? You won't even do that, if it were me."
"People who do reasonable things with my stuff, are the only ones who gain access."
"So, I do unreasonable things with your stuff. Really?"
"You said it yourself, stop whining."
"Yeah, Jasmine, has anyone ever told you, that I'm Older than you? You can't talk to me like that." Kimberly said, her face turning red slightly.
"Jasmine," Jason frowned.
Bickering was Kimberly and Keeon's thing, they were not usually like this.
"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the water..."
"Nobody does," Jasmine muttered under her breath, swiping quickly across her phone, "luckily."
Kimberly scoffed in disbelief as she marched away, Jason's eyes following her.
"You have got to fix this." He said, fixing her a stare. But, Jasmine just continued to type away on her phone. "Jasmine?"
"Later."
"Jasmine!"
But, no matter how much he forced her, she wouldn't move from her place, unless she wants to.
The Smiths felt... Awkward to be in the midst of someone who had completely ignored them. Only, they couldn't just up and leave.
Jasmine looked around when she was sure her issue had been sorted out, and spotted Kimberly swimming, with the ear plugs plugged in.
"Really, Jason?" She sighed, tilting her head to the side. He fixed her another stare that got her dusting her butt as she went to Kimberly, reluctantly dragging her feet behind her.
"What?"
"It's not like I want to be here," she said truthfully, "stop sulking already, I have something to get back to, not waste my time on some silly Kid throwing a tantrum."
"I don't sulk. Secondly, whoever talks to people they're trying to persuade like that?!" She flailed her hands in exasperation, frowning.
"You are, right now. Second, me." She shrugged, using Kimberly's words.
Her frown deepened. "I thought you were here to console me!"
"Not even a little," Jasmine shook her head, being as brutally honest as she could, "I'm just here to fulfill all righteousness." She ended, causing Kimberly to give her a good, over-all look as her shoulders sagged in resignation.
"You should hug an angry person." She smiled then, spreading her arms wide to envelope Jasmine's lean frame.
She took a step back. "That's not a good advice."
"You're not escaping."
"Kimberly, I'm not here to console you."
"Keep saying it, till you believe it."
"You better don't touch me..." Jasmine sighed, crossing both her arms over her chest to hinder much movement. "I hate this."
"Why, it's sweet!"
"For Childish people." She scoffed.
Kimberly smiled. "There's one more thing."
"What?"
"Baxter."
She gave out a low grunt before she asked, "what do you really need my data for?"
"Junk and stuff."
"You can use it anytime you want."
"Wait. Really?"
"Yes."
"Don't go back on your word."
"I don't do that. Time you let go of me."
"Sorry," she smiled awkwardly, taking Jasmine's hand. She pulled away. "Let's go back."
Baxter was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's he?" Kimberly asked no one in particular.
"The one I suppose is Paige took him for a walk. Again." Adrian replied, giving her a lop-sided smile.
They hadn't really had a talk.
"Guess you'll have to wait, Jasmine..."
"I wait for nothing."
"You won't, they are here." Kimberly said, jabbing an elbow in Jasmine's rib.
It was a good thing Paige didn't take him far, Jasmine was not escaping holding him.
Paige was hanging the little, furry thing to Kimberly, when Jasmine reached out for him. She just stopped and stared in surprise until Jasmine glared.
"Give, don't just freeze there and look stupid."
Kimberly pursed her lips, trying not to face-palm herself. Why would people ever agree to work for this rude, little thing that was her Savage of a Sister?
She could feel the stare the others gave her as she smiled at her to alleviate the tension, "thank you, Nanny, for watching him."
Paige blinked as she forced her eyes from Jasmine, clearing her throat. "I-It's Okay, I'm not so old."
She wasn't even 'Old' at all, only lots of young years Older than Kimberly.
"Thanks anyway."
"You're welcome."
She held Baxter longer then Kimberly had expected before she gave it back to her. It seemed the little guy wasn't that bad.
"I'll hold him later, I'm going to get something..." She bumped into Darrell as she turned, the Soda he held spilling over her swim-suit quite a bit.
Darrell clamped his lips shut for a while. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that..."
"It's fine." Jasmine said coldly, wiping the drink that flowed down her lap.
"I'm really sorry," Darrell kept apologizing, since he thought she was angry.
But, it only made her glare at him in irritation.
"Well, you want to lick it?" She asked rhetorically, making her way past him as the wind blew her hair in his face.
Everywhere... Turned cold, people around them moving away, while Ciara stared, tongue-tied, not knowing what she had expected.
Surely, Moira was dumbfounded. That wasn't the most appropriate thing to say to a Married Man, for Christ's sake!
While Dylan stared after her with Adrian at elbow, blinking rapidly in amusement. He had called her a 'Devil' last time, now, he deemed her 'mannerless'.
Kimberly cleared her throat, drawing the attention from the Sister she had to clean after.
Gods, what was the problem with her, why wouldn't she just...?
"She doesn't really like being apologized to." She said, heaving a deep sigh of exhaustion.
Ciara frowned. It was obvious the girl was weird, but this was weirder. "Why?"
"I don't know, Ciara." She answered, causing her to huff.
"The two of you are so different! Your names do not even match... Wait, do you have matching names?"
"I... guess?"
"Which?"
"Zendaya and Theodora, Kaylee and Kayla, Melissa and Marissa."
"Beautiful names." Moira commented, drawing her attention from that embarrassing moment.
"Thanks."
And slowly, the tension faded.
"Here." Jasmine was already back, and saying so, she threw a bottle of soda to Kimberly, Moira and others.
But, only because, Ray had told her to.
"Thanks...?" Moira said unsurely, just realizing her throat was dry.
Kimberly leaned into Moira where Jasmine didn't acknowledge her, whispering under her breath, "she's usually like that."
"Cold?"
"Always."
"How hard is it to live with her?" Ciara asked, throwing her a discreet glance. "She looks tough enough." She added, causing Kimberly to chuckle.
"Trud, it's really hard to survive with her."
"How hard?"
"Let's say she's my..." She poked a tongue in her cheek, thinking of the best illustration. "...Mum. She would give me a very huge allowance. But she'd tell me to write down everything I use the money for, the date I used it and show it to her.
She shouldn't see candy more than four times in a week, because if you get a tooth ache, you're on your own."
"It's easy...."
"Oh, no, no, no, you don't know her..." She ended with a gasp as someone grabbed her ear and twisted it painfully.
"Don't gossip with my name."
"I will not, let go!"
"Good." She said, giving it one final twist before she finally let go.
Kimberly's face scrunched up in pain that surpassed subtle, blood rushing back to the spot.
She rubbed it, reaching out to take hold of it. She knocked it over instead and had it spilling on Jasmine for the second time.
"You seem to have bad luck with drinks today, Jasmine." She smiled awkwardly, getting to her feet to find a rag.
"Catch."
Jasmine turned to see something being swung in her direction. She caught it at once.
A towel.
From Adrian.
She nodded at him once, running it over the length of her already wet body and turned to him when she was done.
"Discard or keep?"
He shrugged. "As you please."
"Paige," the girl turned, hoping she wouldn't get bullied again, "catch."
"Are we going watch the Sun go down?" Kimberly asked Jasmine when she came, digging up the Earth with her feet.
Jasmine blinked up at her. "How should I know?"
"You look cute when you blink." Ciara said, but was ignored again and she didn't need to be told to clamp her lips shut.