Vincent's Arrival

Author's Note:

Single Quotation marks/Italics indicate thoughts only.

"You don't know how to solve this one? Come on! You must be kidding. A kid two years younger than you can solve this."

"I'm sorry but I don't know how to do this?" younger Jazz said. She felt her ears burning with shame. Her palms were sweating; she couldn't raise her eyes above ground. She knew very well that any student of her last grade can do it but still, she felt it wasn't her fault. She was afraid of strict teachers at her school to ask again. And the kids at the school always made fun of her. She was under pressure. And at home she couldn't ask because that would lead them to know what a failure she was at school.

'Why can't he just teach me and leave?' she thought.

"How did you passed? You cheated or what? I'm really surprised; I had heard that you're a brilliant student. If this is brilliance then I'm so thankful, I'm not studying here."

'He didn't require saying that.'

Her whole body felt like burning, not because of embarrassment like earlier but from anger. She bolted from her chair and slapped him hard and screamed,

"Shut up, you cocky ass bastard! Why don't you just fuck off?"

When she calmed down, she put her hand over her mouth. "O God! What did I do?"

"J... J?"

"Huh?"

"J, wake up. It's 12 o'clock. I know it's your vacation but it's too late. C'mon get up. Vince must be arriving here at any moment. Your dad has gone to receive him an hour ago. You wouldn't want him to see you still sleeping. Now would you?" said Mrs. Bennet.

"Oh Shit!"

"Jazz! Watch your language."

"Oops! But it was a mild one you know. Now why don't you get out so I could get ready otherwise I'd get a lengthy lecture from Mr. Perfectionist."

"Jazz!" Her mom warned.

"Okays! Okays! Now give me some space. Hey! That rhymes."

"Silly girl."

Jazz smiled at her mom, closed the door of her room and started to get ready hastily.

She was blow-drying her hair so Vince couldn't tell that she woke up late today. She heard her dad's voice along with His.

'Only if I could slap him for once in real life. It'd be like dream come true.' She mused happily.

She came down to kitchen and stopped at the entrance. There He was, sitting on dining table, talking to her family. His back was toward her. He was wearing a plain blue T-shirt and blue jeans. 'Typical but perfect.' No strand of his hair was out of place. His back was straight. His voice matched his status. He was speaking frankly but nothing unnecessary. 'So perfect! I'm hating him already, never gonna change my mind even after so many years.' Thinking this she went to the table.

"Oh J! Here you are." Aunt May said on noticing her. J hugged her and sat down next to her. Vince turned his head to her. She offered him a shy but welcoming smile. She always felt shy among new people. Although she knew Vincent but they were meeting after many years. Then he was a high school boy and she was a fat, nerd-looking girl. Now, He's a professor and she's now a smart looking final year student.

"Hi!" she said to Vincent shyly, a little flustered too, he was looking at very intensely. 'I know he must be confused to see a slim and smart. What did he expected? That I'll be same fat girl with a large pair of glasses resting on my little nose?' She was slightly frowning now.

"Hi J! How are you doing?" Vincent asked her.

"I'm fine" After answering him she turned to her mom, asked for pancakes to eat. She began eating while studying him discreetly while he was talking to others. 'Now he's good looking too. Has he got to be perfect in every way? Just one chink in his armor and Bam! I wonder what kind of poor girl will he find to marry. Maybe those trophy wives kind. But aren't they dumb and he hates dumb people. God knows whom? No one. Yes no one. Maybe he'll stay unmarried his whole life unless he finds a girl who's perfect like him. Now that'd be so horrifying. Mr. & Mrs. Perfectionist? They'll mock me together, maybe my choice too. And their perfect children will taunt my poor babies…'

"J? J?" called her mother

"Huh?"

"Vince is asking you something." Aunt May said.

She turned to Vince who was smiling at her. She cursed him mentally but asked him politely, "I'm sorry I didn't heard you. I was thinking about something else. What were you asking?"

"How are your studies going on?"

She felt nervous, lowered her eyes to her plate. 'As I expected.'

"I'm doing well I guess."

Her mother saved her from more questions but not from more troubles. Her mother started proudly, telling him about her being second last year and right now scoring highest in all of her tests. Jazz thought grimly at this, ' Who'd thought that my grave will be dug out by my sweet mom only. Now he'll test me and God forbids if I did something wrong?'

Her mother asked, seeing her leaving the table, "J, aren't you going to eat more? You'd skipped your breakfast, dear."

'Oh no.'

"Skipped her breakfast? Now I think how she lost her weight." Vincent stated.

'Here we go.'

Everyone in the kitchen was laughing at the comment.

"No Vince, She just woke up late today. You know how she gets in holidays." Informed her mother.

'Thank you, mom. Thank you indeed for giving him another opportunity to mock me.'

"Oh! And I thought she has changed. I see she's the same lazy girl."

'Like I expected.'

Jazz went out of bungalow, took out her phone and dialed Alana and Keira's number putting them in conference call.

"Hey!" Both chirped.

"Hey!" she answered dryly.

"So, she finally met Mr. Hot and Perfect." Alana said while giggling and soon Keira joined her too.

"Eeeew! How could you think like that? Anyway I'm right now on my way to mall. Come, meet me at restaurant, there."

"OK!" "OK!" Both girls agreed while laughing.

Jazz ended the call and thought that both girls have actually lost their brains somewhere. 'Who keeps laughing all the time?'

'You.' She answered herself.

She went into the restaurant, ordered her meal and chose to sit near the glass window, so she could enjoy the view outside while eating.

'Thanks goodness, there are restaurants on the earth. I just couldn't eat at peace while my whole family was busy in teasing me with Prof. Vin-Vin. And they wonder why I hate him. But why to ruin my mood now. I can enjoy my meal here silently.' Her eyes shifted to the entrance and she froze.

'Scratch that. It's already ruined. Oh God, you really hate me, no?'