New York City, Aladdin decided, had to be the only place north of Baltimore that it could be above 90 degrees in April. Maybe it was all that pollution. Yes, that was it, he thought as he kicked an empty Coke can down East 8th Street on his way home from the subway stop. Actually, come to think of it, 'home' was probably stretching it for a ratty little East Village apartment with only two working windows. Damn.
Aladdin lifted his faded red baseball cap to push his thick, black hair off of his already sweaty forehead. At eighteen, the local girls generally considered him good-looking, with his limber figure, tan skin and coffee-colored eyes. All that coupled with his optimistic and outgoing nature made him a great favorite with people his own age but his reputation as a troublemaker meant he often found himself in close skirmishes with the law.
Well, not today, he thought, taking the dingy stairs up to the fifth floor two at a time. When he finally reached #517, he knocked rather than attempt to dig his key out from the sediment of junk in his shorts pocket.
"Who is it?" came a singsong voice from inside.
"C'mon, Omar, who else would it be?" Aladdin knew from experience that it was a bad idea to try to force the door open but the thought crossed his mind anyway.
"Ha ha, our little Aladdin. This peephole makes you look hilarious, Aladdin. Like a pretty little pinhead," his friend teased.
"Open the freaking door already, Omar." Aladdin rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"Say the magic word!" Omar was laughing his head off by now.
"Open Sesame!" Aladdin shouted. Finally, the door opened. "Gee, thanks for letting me in, pal."
"Any time, Al-Man, any time." Omar flopped down on the couch. "Bobby's in your room, typing the shit out of the computer. In case you were wondering." Bobby, short for Babkak, was Aladdin and Omar's other roomie and best friend. "And Cassie is right here..." Omar said, tickling his latest girlfriend as the two proceeded to French the living daylights out of each other.
"Gross, Omar!" Aladdin shouted in unison with Bobby, who had just come out of the bedroom he and Aladdin shared.
"So... dinner?" Bobby asked once Omar and Cassie had disconnected.
"Omar is taking me out to dinner," Cassie said demurely before kissing him again.
"Where to, McDonald's?" Aladdin immediately ducked to avoid Omar hitting him with Bobby's calculus book.
"Well, I guess that leaves you and me, Al," Bobby murmured, pretending to bat his eyelashes.
"Okay, okay I'll go get the Chinese," Aladdin laughed. "But only if you cut that out!"
If something exciting didn't happen to Jasmine soon, she was going to scream.
Well, actually, she wasn't. Jasmine despised girls who screamed about everything. However, she was going to make something happen. She just needed to find a proper time to execute her plan. It was a good plan, too. She could almost smell freedom, and it sure didn't smell like the magnolia air-freshener that permeated her room. It smelled like... well, something that didn't belong here. Just like her.
Well, that much was obvious. The bedroom surrounding her was huge and white: huge white canopy bed, huge white carpet, huge white ceiling, huge white French doors leading to huge, white balcony. The only color in the room came from her, the girl lying on the huge white bed, dressed in bright colors and homemade jewelry like a splotch of paint in the pristine room.
"Jasmine?" Her father's face appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing, princess?"
Jasmine sat up, trying not to grimace. She hated the pet name. "Nothing, Daddy. Just... thinking."
"I see." He paused for a moment, studying her face. "Jasmine, I just wanted to tell you that I have to go back to work for a few hours tonight. There's a tough case and they need my help... I'm sorry."
"No, it's ok." Jasmine tried to look sad but she could barely conceal her delight. Perfect! She could do her test run tonight and be back before anyone missed her. "What do you think you'll be done?"
"Around midnight, if I'm lucky. Just promise me you won't turn into a pumpkin or anything," he said with a wink.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't." Jasmine kissed her father's cheek and then waited until he left the room to do a silent victory dance.
Okay. Her watch read 6:37. If she got ready and walked quickly, she could catch the 7:07 at Lexington and 82nd. She would be in the East Village by 7:30. She'd explore, eat, catch the 11:02 at 8th and Astor, and be home by 11:40. It was flawless.
A/N: Well, there it is, Chapter one! Finally! I've been meaning to post this for some time, and I really hope y'all like it. The Review Monkey likes to get bananas... ; ) Also, just FYI: I am looking for a beta for this story, if you're interested, let me know! Email's on my bio page. Thanks again for reading, Ch 2 should be up soon!