A/N: Geez... I didn't knew it would be this hard to make a diorama of Angkor Wat. The funny thing is, after we finished, it looked absolutely nothing like the real thing. But, I guess the judges had a few lose screws since our section was named the best among all Grade 8.
Anyways, I'm currently listening to 'Eyes Open' and 'Last Kiss' by Taylor Swift. You should listen to it, I think it's really good. And it kinda explains the whole life of a demigod and the way Annabeth felt when Percy went missing. So, this is the next chappie, please read on!
Disclaimer: Hmm, well, I thought Annabeth owned Percy Jackson... Demo, Rick Riordan owns Annabeth. So, therefore I'm not the author of PJO! Since I'm not a guy... And does Rick Riordan attend Grade 8 classes?
"Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it's not because they enjoy solitude. It's because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them."
― Jodi Picoult
Jasmine's P.O.V.
I stomped my foot in frustration as I continuously glanced at my pink wrist watch. It's already 6:35 and I need to get to school at exacty 7:00, disregarding the fact that my house is just a walking distance from the school and my first class doesn't start until 7:30. Still... You could call me a strange early bird. I hate waking up early but I also want to be the first one to get to school. For me, it's like an accomplishment, which is pretty silly since I don't exactly get anything for being early, just an urge to sleep more. Well, that's me. And according to that new Disney movie, Frozen,"We're not saying you can change him (In this case, ME), cause people don't really change". I knew there was a reason why I found the little trolls quite cute.
"Here you go, dear," Mom finally appeared (Please note the emphasis on 'finally'), handing me a varsity jacket with my name engraved on the back with pink. The vest is all black with the exception of the logo of the school I attend which is positioned on top my left breast. The sleeves, on the other hand, is also colored in hot pink. Sadly, this does not prove that I'm a sporty kind of girl. The only reason I have it is because I once played in a tennis match against the neighboring school. And let me tell you, the experience is not what you'd call enjoyable. Unforgettable, maybe.
"You know how cold it is on December mornings." She pecked me on the cheek and ushered me out of the house before I can sneak in the mini Ipad I was holding. According to her, school is a place for learning, not reading e-books. The only gadget she allowed me to have is my Blackberry phone, which I'd rather not carry. That's right. Another point for my strangeness is that I think phones are completely useless, save for the music stored. I mean, it's not like I have anyone to text. I don't even have a load, for that matter. What can you say? I'm completely lazy and there's many things I can think of that is worthy enough for me to spend all that money for, namely books. There are many things I like, Harry Potter, Fallen, Lord of the Rings, Legend, Kane Chronicles, etc. I even have a mini library in my room. Gods, I really am a nerd.
"Take care! And don't you think of skipping any of your classes." Thanks for the faith, Mom. Besides, I'm not into cutting classes. Everybody in my family knows that even if I got sick, they still need to persuade me to avoid going to school and infecting my classmates. Speaking of sicknesses, I hate syrups and tablets. The only medicine I tolerate are capsules. Just so you know... And no, I definitely don't have ADHD.
"Bye," I mumbled then proceeded walking down the street without a backward glance. Before you can label me as a bad child, meet my older sister first then honestly tell me who is more evil. Seriously, that girl gives me the creeps. Once, my Mom gave us a one hour lecture just because we were trying to claw the other's faces out. It's not really my fault. I mean, she was the one who threw the spatula first! You can't blame me if I tried to give her a haircut with my Dad's razor. I almost tripped while I shudder those disturbing thoughts.
Finally, a plain beige house came into view. Standing in front of it was a girl, about 18 years of age, with long curly auburn hair that falls down to her waist and sparkling emerald eyes. You can tell that she is that type of teenager who wouldn't hesitate to sign up her friend in a singing contest without a warning whatsoever and not feel guilty about it. I should know.
"Hey Jaz," Sakura chirped when I was about a feet away from her. Without missing a beat, she already has her arm slung over mine. "So, do we have any assignment that I should know about?" One thing you should know about me is that I'm a person who forgets easily. Oddly, I don't have any trouble remembering if my parents owe me money. I can imagine my brain right now, with tiny Jasmines wrecking havoc and destroying unimportant things (At least, in my opinion), while the ones deemed important were stored in a strangely small container. I suddenly squealed in delight, making her look at me, when I realized that I just said, well thought, something that Sadie said in the Serpent's Shadow on page 87 (I memorized the whole thing. From the first word 'Sadie' to the last word 'business'). Kinda... Okay, okay, just on the tiny Jasmines part.
She mock glared at me, for which I don't know the reason to. I'm a completely likeable person, thankyouverymuch. "If I'm not mistaken, I'm quite sure that you're in class yesterday, so you should know. Unless, you're hiding something from me, which I find inprobable, since you can't keep your mouth shut. No offense. Though I find it rather strange that you can keep a friend's secret, yet you can't help but share YOUR secret. And anyway, to answer your question, none whatsoever." I just grinned at her in relief since I'm not in the mood to rush if there are any assignments. We skipped along the sidewalk, with occasional vehicles passing by even at this ungodly hour in the morning, though I shouldn't judge, and finally stopping at a familiar building.
Glaring at nothing in particular, I looked around to make sure no one is near then stated, "They really should take those down." I pointed to the 'Goode is Good' slogan that hangs on the school's wall since who-knows-when. "It reminds me of that blond preppy teacher we had on sixth grade. What's her name again?"
Sakura opened the double doors and let me pass first. She shrugged as we neared our classroom. "I transferred here on tenth grade, remember? And you said that you studied in Yancy Academy and transferred here on seventh grade, three years before I did. If my memory serves me right and the stories you told me were true," she ignored my indignant 'Hey!', "her name is Mrs. Kerr, I think. And based on what you told me, she's not all that bad. I personally find her lessons quite..." She bit her lip while rocking her mind for a positive adjective, "interesting."
I snorted as I made a beeline for my seat, which is situated in the very back, next to a window overlooking the school's courtyard. "Puh-lease! I swear she's a demon. Heck, she even called me an unforgivable name. She said and I quote, 'my cute little pumpkin.' Just because she had to go to the museum twice with the other teacher, Mr. Brunner, to escort the first batch and our class does not mean it's our fault and we all have to suffer. "
"You're exaggerating." She rolled her eyes and layed her bag gently.
"Am not!"
"Suuurreeee..."
The classroom door opened, revealing one of our classmates (Duh!), Keith Evans. With his blond hair and electric blue eyes, he could make girls swoon by just smiling. Though I think him being the school's QB helped with it. I personally find that quite shallow. What happened to that saying, "The youth is the hope of our country" or something along those lines? Despite having half of the females' attention (Just half. We're not as hopeless as you may think), all he does is hang out with his friends. Typical boys...
"Ohayo Gozaimas, Keith-san!" Sakura called cheerfully while waving her hands. Living in Japan for the last 15 years of her life made it impossible to erase her habit of greeting everyone in Japanese, though she was getting good at it and now, only her accent is noticeable. When I asked her why it took almost 3 years for her to overcome that habit of hers, she just said, "They do die hard, I guess. And I know that whatever country I am in, I'm still a certified Japanese." She was THAT proud, especially when she found out about my obsession of animes. And the only thing I know about why she transferred here in New York is that it involved a hell lot of fist fights, flying pans, ginormous trash and a crazy lawyer.
Keith just gave a small smile at her and take note of this, SHE DEFINITELY DID NOT SWOON. He then went for his seat which is the one in front of me. "So, do we have any homework?" he asked while rummaging in his bag for his cellphone.
Me and Saki, that's my nickname for Sakura, giggled, remembering our conversation earlier.
Pausing some kind of Youtube video he had been watching, his eyes narrowed. thinking we were laughing at him. Please, it's not as if there's anything about him that is funny enough for us to giggle. Well, maybe except for the fact that if angered, he acts as if he have a stick shoved up his a**, so it's kinda funny to watch his reaction. But we're not that cruel. "What?"
"We just remembered something quite amusing. And no, we don't have any." Satisfied, he turned back to watching Gods-know-what.
AWKWARD. That describes the situation we are in pretty quickly. No one dared to break the silence, not even the usual cheerful Sakura. Considering that Keith and I are not exactly morning persons, explains it.
So, much to my relief, people started arriving, one of whom is my friend, Skylar Rose Evans, Keith's twin sister. Her dirty blond hair flared behind her as the eyes she shared with her twin sparked, making me think of lightning flashing and storm forming, which is a pretty good description since she can be pretty loud when she wants to. I stood immediately and with a book in my hand, hurried towards her. Saki followed behind me. Taking the seat beside her, I watched as she fixed all her things and finally turned to face us.
"Hey Sky. Here's the book you lent me." I said as I handed her a book called 'Betrayed'. It's not really my type of book since I think that the heroine is kinda self-centered or something. But, oh well, who am I to judge? I respect those who love this book, of course, but I know I'm never going to like it. But I still read the book series until the end of the second book.
She took it with surprise, "Already? But I just gave it to you yesterday!" All of my classmates always say that I'm a fast reader. That's how I got the nickname 'Ms. Bookworm' and 'Library Girl'. Kind of lame, isn't it? Though it's not there fault that they're not as imaginative and creative as I am.
Shrugging my shoulders, I gave a sheepish smile, "I may, or may not have listened to Sir Alfred during Algebra. I mean, we already learned that last school year." Not to sound boastful or anything, but I'm not the Top 2 of this class for nothing. And besides, he'll understand. He's just that type of teacher who lets everybody do what they want just as long as they keep up with the lessons. The most awesome part is, he jokes. A big improvement from the previous teacher we have last school year who might as well have carried a flaming whip and jagged bat wings and she could have passed for a Fury.
She and Saki burst into laughter at my not-so-guilty face. I mock scowled at them then laid my head on her table, trying to surpress a yawn and just listening to their conversation.
"How come you didn't arrive at the same time Keith did?" Now, my lighting and storm theory was put into action.
"That good-for-nothing twin of mine left me! Can you believe that?!" Actually, I can. Pretty clearly, in fact. Though I kept my mouth shut since I don't want to die so early and without experiencing my first kiss, too, "Did you know that I have to walk for miles since he took our car?" Yes, they have a car, Maserati Spyder. There family is so loaded that I'm drooling in jealousy. Joke... As if I would ever want a car. If I'm left with one alone, I'm afraid that sooner or later, you'll find that it crashed and exploded. "Now that you reminded me, I'll go straight to him and give him a piece of my mind!" Good going, Sakura. Now, we have someone who wants to attempt murder in our hands.
It took all of our strength to restrain her from going to Keith and banging his head on the door. And believe me, I'm very much tempted to let her go since I still have to get my revenge for that book prank he and his friends pulled on me last week. But as the good and caring friend that I am, I hold on, desite the fact that I feel like my shoulder is being ripped away from its socket. I just occupied my thoughts with the current anime I am watching. Tsubasa Chronicles. Tomoyo Hime-sama. Sakura. Fai D. Flou-AWWW!
Finally giving up and momentarily forgetting her murderous thoughts, she slumped on her chair in defeat and tried to persuade us one last time, "Why don't you just let me slap his face? Just a tiny little slap. Please!"
I turned my eyes away from my limp arm then held my ground, "Nuh-uh!" Saki and I both stated together.
She crossed her arms, "Killjoy."
I sighed in exasperation as I went back to my chair. As soon as I was sitted, I could hear Saki urging Skylar to speak and I knew that soon enough, they'll be talking like best friends.
When it was just me and her, we have a lot of fun and I could confidentially day that she's one of my true and treasured friends. But when surrounded by other people, it's not the same anymore. She pays me little attention, though I doubt she notices her actions. It's not that I want her to stop being friendly and just stay by my side, what I want is to be best friends with her. At first, when she transferred here, she was assigned on the seat next to mine. She told me that I was her first friend. And now... Well, look at us.
That's just what she is, friendly to everyone. A complete opposite of me. Despite my previous actions, I'm shy on the inside. You know the feeling of being someone you were foced to become, the facade you show to everyone just so you can fulfill their expectations about you? I'm a person who loves to have friends... But, I guess not. Different personalities. Different facades. One person.
And all those rare times that we were talking normally in school, someone would call her and she would follow them without missing a beat. Here's how it always go:
Random Person: Hey, Sakura! Let's go to the cafeteria. I'm hungry!
Sakura: Okay! *Turns to me* I'll just take a minute, okay?
Jasmine: Mhmmm...
After a minute...
Sakura: *Enters the room with Random Person and they were laughing and chatting. She sat on her chair as they continued their talk while eating*
Jasmine: *Watches from her seat* It's okay...
But it's not okay. It hurts... Really, really hurts.
I try to hide it with a smile or a joke. It comes naturally to me and I never have to worry about someone seeing through me because nobody really knew me. After all, I have years of practice. And it looks like it's never going to change no matter how much I try.
A/N: Here it is, the next chapter! And I won't tell you why she kept using expressions that a demigod normally uses. You have to find out for yourself. Ja ne!
