Chapter 6 (pt 1)

Jasmine

It was a breezy November morning, cold winds piercing through the thick of the coats the girls wore.

"I can't feel my hands," Anna whined. "I can't feel my feet. It's too much for us to walk in this dang cold!" Her head swung back dramatically.

"Gee Mae, if you don't shut up! You not the only one gotta walk in the cold," Jasmine snapped sharply, rubbing her gloved hands together.

"I don't gotta shut up! Mommy has a car and daddy does too. One of them could've gave us a ride in this stupid cold."

Looking at Anna, it was hard for Shanelle to contain her laughter. The young girl looked like an Eskimo bundled in a brown marshmallow coat, lined with dark chocolate fur. Her plaid uniform dress peeked from under it, worn over a thick long sleeve shirt and even thicker stockings. Her fur-lined boots came up mid calf, water proof gloves dressing her hands, and a knitted scarf around her neck. Shanelle never knew a person could wear so many layers and still be "cold". She was just grateful for the coat June gave her to wear over her own thin jacket.

"What's so funny you skeleton?" Mae grumbled, cutting her eyes.

Undaunted, Shanelle sighed heavily. "Mae, we know the only reason you upset is because June didn't get a chance to make biscuits this morning and your chunky butt has to eat school breakfast."

Jasmine giggled. Anna's face turned red. She put her head down as they neared the school's gate.

"At least I got a home and parents to go back to," Anna mumbled.

Gasping, Jasmine punched Anna's shoulder.

"Shut up Mae..." She scolded. Her sister! The nerve...

"She shouldn't be laughing, she ain got nothing to laugh about." Anna stuck her pink tongue out at the two older girls.

"What you say?" Shanelle stopped on the sidewalk, students milling around them to get into the school. Jasmine punched Anna harder in the back of her shoulder. "Go on to school girl! And you better not cry fore I tell ma exactly why I hit you."

Hot tears filled her eyes as she seethed, balling her fists and locking her jaw tight. Running ahead of them, Anna bounded to the cafeteria where her classes were.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Jasmine nudged Shanelle playfully. "You alright girl? She ain mean it. Dumb kids." She waved her hands jokingly, glancing at her friend for any sign of light heartedness. She saw none. Shanelle wasn't laughing. In fact she didn't smile at all. She stared ahead, lips tight, eyes cold.

Jasmine swallowed. It was going to be a long day.

On their way into the building, Jasmine glanced to her right to see if she could spot any familiar faces from the car loading area. Oh what she'd give to see Michael drop off his cousin again. He used to be a student too, though he'd graduated early the summer before. Sweet Michael...

Turning her head to continue on, she ran right into someone, dropping all her books. Sucking her teeth, she scooped down to pick them up, glaring up at the person who stood above her. It was a boy... Another student. He had a hoody pulled over his head, strands of blonde hair straying from it's shelter. He had a slender nose, full eyebrows, a squared chin, and light freckles.

Reaching down to help her pick up the books, he handed them carefully back.

"Sorry... I didn't see you." He tilted his head.

"Yeah sure. It's aight. Thanks." Jasmine forced a response as polite as she could. How clumsy could you be to walk right into someone?

Standing up, she looked for Shanelle, discouraged to see that her friend was already gone. Maybe it was a good thing. Nelle wouldn't have been so nice. Shaking her head solemnly, she turned to go to class.

"Hey!" The boy called to her. Looking over her shoulder annoyed, she raised her head in question.

"You .... Wanna know my name?" He asked in an odd manner.

"Nah, I'm straight. Thank you though" Jasmine replied, walking backwards.

"Its Timothy... " He answered anyway, shielded eyes twinkling with humor. "What's yours?"

Jasmine frowned, turning her back to keep walking. "Nice to meet ya Timothy!" She called.

Timothy smiled lightly as Jasmine walked right into the class he was about to go in.

Carrying on to her first period, Jasmine let out another frustrated sigh. Whoever asked such stupid questions? 'Do you wanna know my name?' Ew. Michael was the man she loved, and she had to be strong for him. No one was going to take that away from her. They were destined to be together.

---

Entering the class, Jasmine looked around for any empty seats. Algebra was the only subject she had where their seats weren't assigned. This was a good thing sometimes... Other times, it was just an inconvenience. Squinting, she tried not to look directly at anyone. Maria and Denise caught her glance and immediately waved her down to an empty seat next to them. Smiling, she took it gratefully.

"Hey y'all," she whispered grinning.

"What's up Jas! Girl you know Mr. Chance come late. You don't gotta whisper," Denise waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh guess what? I'm having a sleepover Friday after school! Mi Madre is cooking and we get to watch two of those new movies I was telling you about. Wanna come?" Maria shared with her, grinning brightly.

Smiling unrestrained, Jasmine's heart soared. A part of her felt exhilarated and relieved to be free of Shanelle's downing company. It felt good to be invited to something, though her smile soon faded. She couldn't go without Shanelle. Her mama would kill her if she did.

"What's wrong? You can't go? Just ask your ma, I know she'll let you." Maria insisted.

"Or ask your dad..." Denise shrugged, hopeful.

"Nah, I'm sure they'll let me come. But... I gotta bring Nelle if I go... Is that okay?"

Both friends grimaced and made unpleasant faces.

"I see what you mean" Denise mumbled.

"God, Jas does she have to go? You're your own person. Plus she stinks, and she's so depressing!"

"She hasn't smelled bad lately," Jasmine said in defense.

"She is right Maria. I haven't smelled her recently. But she is depressing." Denise threw a hand up.

Folding her arms, Jasmine gave them a stern look. As much as she resented it, Shanelle was her best friend, and that was that. "If I go..." She raised her eyebrows.

Maria and Denise groaned in unison. "She goes..."

"Fine!" Maria rolled her eyes. "Just make sure she's not on any of that depressing stuff. Tell her to smile for God's sake!"

"I promise. I promise!" Jasmine said, grabbing Maria's arm. Something inwardly cringed on the inside. She felt... Wrong? Bad? Unable to place a word, she overlooked it.

"Any who.... it's time to have funnnnn, it's time to get liiitttt, it's time to partyyyyyy, ayyyyeee, AYYYEEEEE!" Denise sang, throwing one hand in the air while dancing. Jasmine stood in a chair dancing with her, Maria taking her place while clapping, standing on the desk. One of the kids in the back of the class started to beat box on a table, and soon the whole class was riled up.

The final bell rang and Mr. Chance stumbled in, dropping papers as he came. Jasmine quickly hopped down, the class scattering to their chairs.

"My apologies class, there was another.... Accident. Tardiness is never intentional. Do what I say, not what I do. "

"Rightttt, like the time your cat got ran over" a student called out.

"Or that time your keys got locked in the house." Said another.

"Ay, what about when you said your grandma had a funeral at 7 am on a Wednesday!"

Mr. Chance peered up over the rim of his glasses, expression conflicted. "Those incidents... Were all true, I assure you."

"Get outta hereee man!" Some of the students laughed, waving him off. Jasmine giggled. Why did she feel so liberated? So free? Yet still... Wrong?

In the middle of her euphoric dilemma, a stillness came over Jasmine, and once again, she heard that same voice.

"Jasmine."

Like a drunk man immediately sobered, she looked around for a person, though she knew deep within, the One who called her couldn't be seen. Sliding low in her chair, she continued to work undistracted for the rest of the class.

---

Hearing her name called threw her off so much so, by the end of the period, on her way walking out of the door she didn't even notice the pair of eyes locked onto her from beneath a hoody.

At lunchtime Jasmine couldn't wait to tell Shanelle about the sleepover. Thankfully, lunch was the only period they shared together, so Shanelle's ever present heaviness was momentarily forgotten.

Going to the lunch line, Jasmine spotted her first, waving her to join her spot in line. Squeezing past a large group of athletes, Shanelle came to her. A large, burly football player looked her over as she walked, whistling loud. He had a short cut, dark brown skin, and the only thing that seemed small about him, Jasmine assumed, was his pinky toe.

"There's a line pissy." He said loud enough for the both of them to hear. He and his friends began to laugh. Snapping her head up, Jasmine stared, boldly and angry. "Oh yeah? Maybe she couldn't tell which side of you it started on, you rotund pig."

"What did you just call me?" He straightened, clearly embarrassed to not know what she meant.

"Oh I'm sorry. H-O-G... It's another way of saying fat a-"

Shanelle yanked her away before she could finish. The boy's face turned red, his friends hooting all around him in laughter.

"What's wrong with you? I had him girl! You saw how red his face turned." Jasmine grabbed a milk puzzled.

"Ain't you supposed to be changed now?" Shanelle asked stingingly, grabbing a carton as well. Taken back, Jasmine stared at her in disbelief. Shame washed over her. "I was taking up for you Nelle..."

"I don't need nobody taking up for me! I ain a baby. And you not my security guard." Shanelle glared, revealing red eyes rimmed with tears. "They ain't worth it anyway."

Unable to hear past the word "guard", Jasmine rang up her food and threw it in the trash before leaving the cafeteria. Shanelle stared after her.

Going straight to the restrooms behind the library, Jasmine closed the stall door behind her and clenched her chest. Tears burned in her eyes. Why did she feel so conflicted? Why is it everything she did felt wrong now? And why would Shanelle throw her comment up in her face like that? She was only trying to help...

Jasmine tried to talk to Jesus through her tears, but for some reason it felt as if she were talking to a wall. She'd heard Him call her earlier... Why didn't He say anything back now?

In truth, everything seemed to be going wrong since she had the "vision". Her household number increased over the last month or so. Not that Jasmine minded, but with the baggage that came along with Shanelle, it was starting to take a toll on her mental health. She couldn't remain strong for the both of them... At least not for long. Michael was fighting for his life... Was this the change Jesus was talking about?

Hearing the bathroom door open, Jasmine shallowed her breathing and wiped her eyes.

"Jasmine?"

It was Shanelle. The last person Jasmine wanted to see right now. Rolling her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling painfully. "What do you want?"

Shanelle placed her back against the stall Jasmine was in, head hanging low. Jasmine waited for Shanelle to gaslight her, or give her a sad excuse as to why she acted the way she did. But all she heard was silence. If she hadn't seen the bottom of her shoes, she would have thought Shanelle had walked out.

"I'm sorry Jasmine. I shouldn't have snapped on you. Thank you for sticking up for me."

Taken back, Jasmine shook her head confused. Boy, could Shanelle take you up and down! Somehow, the apology itself didn't feel like enough for Jasmine. She was tired of hearing the word "sorry". Tired of Shanelle.

Pausing carefully, Jasmine contemplated her next words.

"Maria's having a sleepover Friday..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

She hesitated. God, she didn't want this to blow back up in her face.

"You wanna go?" She asked, sounding more hopeful than she felt.

There was a small pause. Jasmine hoped her answer was no.

"Sure." Shanelle responded softly.

Jasmine bit her lip, closing her eyes.

"Okay."

"Aight."