"Tilt your head a little to the left miss...smile"
"Yeah_perfect" Dylan, who worked as a photographer at the studio said during a shoot
Jasmine had stayed after she finished the client's makeup, just in case something came off and needed to be fixed or if Dylan needed her
By the time they were done with the birthday shoot, her legs ached from standing for too long.
The lady thanked both of them for their work, she was satisfied with her makeup and their 'top-notch customer service' like she said.
After the lady left, they packed up the appliances and began to clean up the studio
"You good?" Dylan asked her curiously
"Yeah...why?"
"You seem distracted" he shrugged
You're not your usual sarcastic self"
She smirked "I thought you'd appreciate it if I 'toned' down on the sarcasm
I see I shouldn't have"
He laughed "Can you lock up on your own? I gotta be somewhere"
"Yeah sure, go ahead"
"You're the best" He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, and she groaned, pushing him away in mock annoyance
"got another hot date tonight?" she called after him
"You know it" he grinned leaving the studio.
Jasmine's mood had hit rock bottom since the beginning of the week due to her argument with her mom and all she wanted was a way to de-stress and maybe someone to talk to
This means a smoke break is in order, she locked up and pulled out her phone to call Moses, a close friend of hers.
Moses came off as a cold person when they first met, but in no time he became a friend she could vent to and be real with, he was like an older brother.
Katie is her best friend, but she keeps certain parts of her locked away around her.
He picked on the first ring
"Hey you__what's up," he said in his deep, smooth voice, she could hear music playing in the background
"Nothing much love" she answered fondly
"You coming over?"
"Depends on where I'm coming to"
He chuckled "I'm at the house, there's lots of pot too"
"I'll be there in a few" she answered then hung up
She called his phone when she got there, then sent him a text when he didn't answer, he wouldn't hear his phone ring from the loud music playing inside
"I'm outside"
Walking in on her own wasn't a good idea since she wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody else
She sat on the porch, playing Call of duty on her phone
The door opened, and a while later
she glanced up at him, He raked his gaze over her and she did the same. He looked good wearing a black Tee, black jeans, and a black beanie.
He even had stubble and it suited him, his hair in a buzz cut, it brought out his defined cheekbones and square jaw, he looked handsome in his usual brooding manner
His normally expressionless eyes glinted with warmth as they usually did when she was with him. Eyes that held knowledge and some things she could never figure out despite his boyish charm
She went to hug him, and he held her at the small of her back when she drew away
"It's good to see you, I missed you"
He raised a brow "So you're not here for the smoke" his gravelly voice took a teasing tone
"Alright, I missed you both," she said laughing
"Come on in, it's cold out here and your jeans I'm sure isn't helping," he said looking pointedly at her ripped jeans
She glanced down at the said jeans and smirked, he moved aside and ushered her in, a hand still at the small of her back
The house was built like a dorm.
The entrance, waiting or living room, whatever the owners called it, a hallway with three rooms at each side then a kitchenette that led to the back
It wasn't as packed as it was usually, on some days you'd walk in on people making out without a care in the world and people snorting white up their noses.
It was a typical frat house with druggies, sex addicts, and people her mom would call "the wrong crowd"
She sometimes hung out with Moses and the guys here but today she wanted just to smoke and Moses' company.
"The guys are in our usual room, you wanna go there?" He spoke into her ear over the loud music
"The back" she mouthed at him and he nodded
They got out the door that led to the back and she shut it, blocking out the sounds from inside.
She stood breathing in the clean fresh air, maybe it was because of the trees, but this place is her favorite place here, especially at noon
Calming sounds of birds chirping, the wind blowing and the rustle of leaves.
She could wax lyrical about this place for days, it was her haven, it was where she and Moses bonded
He knocked down the cups on a bench and motioned her to sit, as thoughtful as ever
"Thanks" she sat next to him on the bench and watched him pull a small packet of weed from his pocket and a wad of rolling paper, then mixed it just the way she liked it, while she watched him intently
"You need to teach me how to do that sometime," she said staring at the spliff he was rolling
He snorted "Not on your life"
"What___why?" She grumbled
"So you'd become a proper junkie?" He asked rhetorically
He passed it to her with a lighter, she lit it then she took a long inhale, holding it in for a while before releasing her breath, the mixture of the cool air, smoke, and the way her insides responded almost immediately gave her a sense of calm...good shit
"I love watching you do that"
She scrunched her eyebrows with a questioning stare
"You inhale with your eyes closed then you open them when blowing it out and stare at the spliff like it's the most amazing thing since flavored Rizla__It's a beautiful sight"
"Well, it's beautiful!" She grinned, gesturing at the spliff
He chuckled
"I can't help but admire something that calms me after a long day," she said sighing
She passed him the blunt, he inhaled then gave it back
"Wanna talk about it?"
You only had to take one look at Moses to know he wasn't the type of man you vent to, but he was one of the few people that understood her
She took another drag, the smoke halfway down now and she looked at it intently, the way it slowly burned...
"My mom wants me to go to college"
"What's wrong with college?" He asked calmly
"I'm not ready, I'd prefer to go to the community college
Hell I planned on taking online courses"
"Online courses?" He scoffed
"You work all the time, and rarely stay at home
Going to college is better than taking online classes"
She rolled her eyes at him, even Moses agreed with her mom's idea
They'd gotten into a heated argument earlier today and she left home in anger
The bills were going to increase with her tuition and stuff, her mom had enough to worry about, and she wasn't ready to leave a job that helped pull in money
"I take it that's why you needed a smoke"
She snorted "No I just came here to bask in your calming presence" he rolled his eyes at her "You know I always need a smoke"
He flashed her one of his rare smiles
"Don't we all?" he said in a posh voice, they shared a look and burst out laughing
"I can't believe you said that
please don't ever speak in that terrible accent" she wheezed holding her mid-riff, her stomach ached from laughing too hard
"Damn bruh, this shit is strong
But as long as I can walk straight, I'll be fine" she said grinning at him
"You've been offered admission into some hot shot school
And you've got money saved up, your mom can handle it, so I say you go for it, and not waste the opportunity"
Jay took the last drag and dropped the end of the blunt on the ground then stomped it with the sole of her black slides
"I gotta get going, I'm late" she stood pulling a pocket perfume from her jeans and spraying it on her hair and clothes
rule 101 of being a smoker: always have perfume on your person
don't wanna go around smelling of weed...
"Just think about it," He said
"I will, thanks...
let's go through the back"
He shrugged and fell into step with her.
There was a path at the back of the frat house that led to the estate Jasmine and her family lived in. It was eerily quiet and dark at night with the faulty streetlights on the path, so he always walked her home
They got to the gate of her house and he hugged her goodbye
"See ya"
She fiddled in her bag for the keys to the gate and opened them since he always waits till she locks the gate before leaving
She shook her bag for the housekeys and cursed softly when she realized she left them at home this morning, she strained her ears at the door and knew her siblings had gone to bed when it was quiet, taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and knocked.
Her mom opened the door on the second knock, in a blue robe, she took one look at her and crossed her arms with a stern look on her face
"Good evening ma"
Her mom stared her down, she was pissed "Evening, what's the time?"
She tapped her phone screen and put it away from her face, trying not to look at it directly, her eyes could still be glassy
"It says 10 o'clock ma"
"Yes___And what did I tell you about staying out late?" She asked and stepped inside
She followed behind and locked the door, without fumbling too much
"Turn on the lights," her mom said leaning against the wall
Jay flipped the switch and looked down to avoid eye contact with her, just in case her eyes were glassy
"The next time you come home late, you'll be sleeping outside"
She tried and failed to hold in her laughter despite her present situation
"You're gonna leave me outside mom?" She asked still laughing
Her mom pinned her with a withering loom and she sobered quickly
"It won't be funny the next time you come home late
You're a girl, you shouldn't be out at late hours, it's not safe"
"I know ma
But Moses walked me home"
Her mom sighed exasperatedly
"Moses___always Moses is he your boyfriend or something"
"He's not my boyfriend " she groaned
"Just be careful"
"I'm careful ma, I'll be home early tomorrow"
Her mom raised an eyebrow at the promise
"I'll try to be home early" she amended she seemed to be doing that a lot lately, first with her band mates, now with her mom
"Did you leave any food for me?" She asked in a voice that she hoped sounded pitiful, she didn't think she had it in her to fix a meal for herself
"You should have been home early enough to cook dinner but you always come home late__there's food in the fridge but remember the next time you come home late you'll not only sleep outside but without dinner too," her mom said and walked into her room
She sighed in relief, well that went better than expected
Then went into the kitchen to pop the food in the microwave, she was starving.