"J-James?" Jasmine breathed, trying to arrange herself properly.
She was taken aback by his presence since she was not expecting anyone, much less, a guy in the girls' convenience.
James laughed at her failed attempt to maintain her usual confidence and composure.
"Don't worry, Jasmine. I won't tell anyone that I've seen you like this."
Jasmine feigned an angry look and glared at him with a growl.
"You better not!" she threatened him.
James playfully lifted his hands in surrender and widened his eyes as if afraid of her threat.
"Sure thing, ma'am. This mouth is sealed."
Jasmine chuckled. It was the first time in the past one hour that her lips had arched into what looked like a smile.
She felt alive for that moment and immediately sank back into the abyss of despair.
Even though she was much better with James' help, Jasmine was still taking long breaths to calm herself.
"It's alright, Jasmine. Take your time."
She glanced up at him as if she realised something all of a sudden.
"What are you doing here by the way?" she asked, "It's the girl washroom. You'd get into trouble just for being here."
"Hehe, maybe I should get into trouble then," he said.
James made silly comments and responded to Jasmine with witty replies just so he could lighten the atmosphere that existed between them.
Jasmine was coming from a terrible place in her mind and nothing could soothe her better than a good laugh... a good laugh to forget her problems even if it was for a few seconds.
"Anyways, Jasmine... I got to head back to my class. You know how Mr. Clamon can get, always looking for his best students. I haven't understood quite yet why he does that.
"I hope you take care of yourself, Jaz."
As he talked, Jasmine gaped at him like a mindlessly lost creature. She stood up from the floor and walked up to James, taking his hands and holding them in hers.
She sobbed and sniffled as she looked into his eyes.
"Thank you, James."
"It's nothing, Jaz. I hope you don't mind me calling your Jaz. It's just a lot easier to say than Jasmine."
"Jaz... Jasmine... Jaz... Jasmine."
Jasmine shook her head, giving her approval to James' version of her name.
James' eyes darted around the restroom space before returning to focus on Jasmine.
"I just wanted to be sure you were okay, you know, after hearing someone cry—"
Before James could finish his sentence, Jasmine's face had already drawn so close to his that her breath brushed over his upper lips.
James immediately stepped back, holding out an arm to stop her.
"Tsk, tsk..." he said, shaking his head.
Jasmine felt embarrassed and immediately stepped back and looked another way, avoiding any form of eye contact with James.
"I don't think your head is in the right space right now, Jaz. Don't do what you'll regret later. Don't think with your emotions, think with this..."
James pointed to his head as he spoke.
"I'll see you around, Jaz."
James turned and walked away, leaving Jaz to study her reflection in the mirror for a moment.
James stepped out of the restroom door, adjusted his uniform and let out a low sinister giggle like a villain whose vile plot was going well.
He didn't notice but another person was just around the corner watching him, angry at him for some reason.
James finally noticed this presence that stalked him.
"Karmen?" he thought, looking her way.
Karmen hissed and walked away, heading in the direction of the Ruby class for second year scholars.
James heaved a sigh and facepalmed.
"Girls..." he muttered under his breath.
"I wonder what she's angry about."
...
...
...
After a long walk through the hallway, I finally reached the girls' restroom where I felt that strange sensation coming from.
Perhaps I was late... maybe too late even, because I wasn't seeing anyone in the restroom.
Well, except big-eyed Bridget that is.
I wasn't expecting to see her. Not like her as in I wasn't expecting to her as a girl but I wasn't expecting that girl to be Bridget.
Shoot! You get what I mean. I'm sure you do.
Jasmine was nowhere in the restroom. So I was left with my eyes gazing at Bridget who was inside the restroom and now, I have to explained to her why I badged into the girls' restroom in the manner that I did.
A wide grin appeared on my face and with a failed attempt at looking or sounding cute, I said hello to Bridget.
Maybe my face was grotesquely distorted enough to scare her but instead of a reply from big-eyed Bridget, I had a lipstick hurled at me.
She missed, leaving a reddish dent on the wall behind me.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologised as I zoomed off before more things bigger than a lipstick found their way to my face.
"Deeeee!"
I could hear my name echoing in Bridget's voice but it wasn't time to stop yet... not until I got to a safe zone.
Well, if Jasmine wasn't here, the next best place to check was the classroom.
...
...
...
And I was right.
There she was, right in her seat, next to mine in the Emerald class.
She didn't look like someone that could exude such a depressing aura.
I could have sworn that I heard her crying, but the Jasmine right before my eyes as I entered the class had not even a tear in her eye.
Pfft! Are my senses dull today?
I did not think much of it and went back to my seat.
"Hey, Jasmine," I said to her. "How are you doing?"
She turned and looked at me. Her face was bland and sickly pale and she gazed at me like she had forgotten who I was.
For a few good seconds, Jasmine kept staring at me and did not say a single word.
"That's odd," I thought, coming from Jasmine who was a pompous lass.
Ordinarily, she would have said one demeaning thing or two by now but she just kept staring.
My nostrils twitched like they were being harassed by something foul.
She shook her head and her face suddenly lit up and came alive.
She recalled herself, wondering why we were staring at me. However, from her point of view, I was the one doing the staring.
I was the weirdo.
"What are you looking at, creep?"
What the hell? She was staring and I am the creep.
Hilarious, isn't it?
In spite of her behaviour, something was off with Jasmine but I'm yet to place my hands on it.