"It's Wednesday, Jas." Celeste said, "You gotta tell him if you really like him."

Jasmine looked at her best friend who was browsing through a book that was on her bed.

"Do you think I really need to?" Jasmine asked
"Okay, do you want me to tell you what I really think or do you want me to tell you what a best friend thinks?" Celeste said

Jasmine thought for a while and said, "Would there be a difference?"

"Nope." Celeste said
"Okay… Then just tell me honestly." Jasmine said
"You have to tell him. No matter what. If you don't tell him, he would find out eventually... And when he does, it's just going to be way worse than telling him from the start." Celeste said
"Come on Celeste… It isn't that bad…" Jasmine said
"Are you kidding?! Jas, it's a rally, organized by people who are not FOR the makers. You don't think the makers will get wind of this?" Celeste said
"So… You're saying I shouldn't go or I shouldn't tell?" Jasmine asked

Celeste sighed, "No… Yes… I mean… If you want to go for it, you should tell Colby the truth and take him with you."

"I don't know how to approach the subject." Jasmine said
"Just say, 'Hey… You know what's fun? A rally that I heard was happening in an abandoned warehouse!'" Celeste said

Jasmine lightly pushed Celeste and she laughed a little.

"I'm being serious, Celeste." Jasmine said

"I know." Celeste said, "Look… Just be as truthful as you can be. Then however he reacts will tell you what kind of a man he is."

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!"

Colby smiled as Jasmine ran up to him. They had agreed to meet at the small park where they held their first re-do date.

"Big Show was taking extra stuff out from the storage so I stayed back a little to help." Jasmine said
"That's sweet of you. And no worries… I just got here about 5 minutes ago?" Colby said
"You mean 15 minutes ago." Jasmine said

Colby smiled and shrugged, "I run on a watch that's 10 minutes slower."

Jasmine smiled and re-adjusted her scarf when Colby spoke.

"So, where shall we head off to? Shall we go grab an early dinner and then go catch a movie?" Colby asked
"About that… Colby… I can't do those today." Jasmine said

He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? You said you didn't have plans today."

"Well… I kinda lied." Jasmine said, "I'm going for a rally today."

"A rally?" Colby asked, "The one where they are having talks about a revolution?"

Jasmine nodded, "Yup. I know it sounds bad but trust me it's nothing harmless. They are merely forums where people can express their worries and be heard."

"No, Jasmine." Colby said, "It is a place where people get excited about ideas to overthrow the makers. Those places are dangerous and illegal. Anybody who gets caught staging a rally or getting involved in a rally don't get fair trials, Jas. They get trialed as a traitor immediately. They lose everything and sometimes they lose their lives."

"But this one is different." Jasmine said, "The makers don't know where it is and they have no way of finding out what's happening inside."

"Nothing is ever that easy, Jasmine!" Colby exclaimed.

He looked at her, "Have you been brainwashed by the leader?"

Colby tried to reach out for Jasmine's shoulder when she stepped back.

"Are you saying that I have no mind of my own? That I have been swayed into something that I know is beyond me and I could lose my life and my family?" Jasmine said

Colby closed the gap between them and said, "That's not what I meant."

"No. That's exactly what you meant! You think I don't know the risks of getting involved? I do! But sometimes, it's good to know that there are people on your side, willing to challenge the very thing that holds them down." Jasmine said

She continued, "I saw my parents murdered right in front of my eyes and those men were never caught. Why? Because the makers were behind it. They were behind it every step of the way. So, yeah. Maybe I like something dangerous and illegal. At least when I'm there, I know that there are people who feel the same way I do and wanna do something about it."

With that said, she turned and walked away. But she had only managed to walk a few steps when she felt someone hold her back.

"Please don't go, Jas." Colby said, "I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

"You know what Colby?" She said, "Maybe this was a huge mistake. We never should have started."

"What are you talking about? Are you breaking up with me?" Colby said

"I'm saying we're a bad match." Jasmine said, "Besides, we never did officially start anything."

Colby felt Jasmine's hand leave his grip as he watched her silhouette get smaller till she disappeared.

Jasmine arrived at the warehouse, feeling a change in her mood. She had originally felt a huge hole in her heart as she made her way over. But as she thought about the conversation she had, she realized that what she said to Colby was what she had kept hidden for years. She had been afraid of the makers because she had no one to turn to and she didn't want to lose the only family she had left. Because of that, she had oppressed her feelings of unjust, anger and determination to fight back. But now… Now was the time to access those feelings again. She was with a crowd that felt the same way she felt and they were going to change something.

"Jas! You made it!"

She looked up and smiled when she saw Bryan waving to her from the doors. Jasmine smiled and made her way towards Bryan.

"It's a huge turn out today." Bryan said
"I can see that." Jasmine said
"Looks like word-of-mouth worked." Bryan said

He looked at Jasmine, "Come on. Let's head to the back area. Phil will be real glad to see you."

She merely gave him a small smile as she followed Bryan towards the stage, through a door into the back area.

"Phil! Look who's here!" Bryan exclaimed

Phil stopped prepping and looked up to see Jasmine come in behind Bryan. He smiled as he stood up to walk over to her.

"Hey." Phil said, "You made it."

"I didn't say I wasn't coming, right?" Jasmine said
"Bryan didn't tell me anything." Phil said
"I told him to keep my answer a secret so that it could be a small surprise." Jasmine said

Phil smiled, "Well, it's a pleasant surprise. Thank you."

Jasmine smiled back, "You're welcome."

"Phil, we need to rework these lines."

He looked at Jasmine and she gestured for him to go. "Go. I'll be okay here."

Phil nodded and headed over to one of the guys that were part of the prepping process. Just as Jasmine was left alone for a while, Brianna lightly touched her arm as she stood beside her.

"Hey you." Brianna said

Jasmine smiled, "Hey, Brianna!"

"You know… You coming here just gave him an extra boost in confidence." Brianna said
"What? Nah… He looks like he's got it all under control." Jasmine said

"This is now. A while ago, he was pacing up and down." Brianna said, "You're definitely the confidence booster."

Jasmine merely smiled as a large looking guy came in.

"Phil, we're ready for you."