"The New Girl"
Oh I forgot about the Jasmine twist it's been so long. So let's see what she's really up to!
Rated T for Teen.
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She saunters over to me, "I know you're jealous."
"Ugh! I am. She just swoops in here like I don't exist."
"Don't worry. She knows you exist. And," she pushes my hair behind my ear, "I think it's time for us to go to bed too."
"I'd like that."
She kisses my lips, "Good. Jasmine is no threat to you unless you allow her to be."
"Can I at least be a little jealous?"
"Hell yeah! You wouldn't be human if you weren't," she nuzzles my ear with the tip of her nose.
Maya takes my hand leading me to her bedroom but all I can think about is—what is that Jasmine really up to…
Chapter 35: Jasmine
Emily POV
I wake up early and take a shower. My mom asked me to be home for dinner and I want to be since my dad will be there too. I want to spend time with him. I want to figure out where I will be to finish off my senior year. Do I go back to California with Ali? Or do I start all over in Texas? Or do I stay right here in Rosewood? I'm leaning towards Rosewood but my motives are driven by jealousy. That Jasmine isn't being completely honest about her feelings for Maya. I have a feeling that not liking the school wasn't her only motive for coming to Rosewood. She may be talented but this friendship she has with Maya is making me nervous. I know she was faithful to me while I was in California but can she continue to be after having had sex with me. She's taught me so much and I know there's so much more for me to learn. The question is – has Jasmine learned more than me. Can she make Maya feel things that I have yet to make her feel? Ughh! Why do I obsess over this stuff!
While Maya is in the shower, I go downstairs to the kitchen to make some coffee. I need some advice on how to deal with this situation. I need Dani and Malena…
"Hey guys," I talk to them on speaker phone.
"Emily! Happy birthday!" They shout in unison.
"Was it an awesome party?" Malena asks excitedly.
"It was more than I ever could've expected! All of my high school friends were there including the swim team…"
"Don't tell me that Paige girl was there," Dani interrupts.
"She was."
"What did she do?" Dani doesn't waste anytime wanting details.
"How did you know she did anything?"
"Come on Em, the way you explained it, she's obsessed with you," she pretty much nails it.
"Well, she got a hold of Maya's cell and tricked me into meeting her outside."
"Oh my god, what happened?" Malena's curiosity takes over.
"She basically tried to convince me that Maya isn't the one."
"Wait, so she wants you for herself? Paige is gay!" Dani deduces.
"Maya and I promised we'd keep her secret."
"The secret that she's gay is gay! This is getting juicier and juicier!" Dani can't contain herself.
"Well, she's not who I'm worried about at the moment."
"Oh no? Then who?" Marlena asks with concern.
"It's Maya's best friend Jasmine."
"Jasmine? How does she figure in all of this?" Dani asks.
"She's a very talented musician who was going to school overseas."
"So what happened?" Malena asks.
"She didn't like it there so she transferred to Rosewood High. I guess they have one of the best orchestra's in the country."
"She transferred!" Dani laughs!
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because you're right. That Jasmine has more than orchestra on her mind!"
"Dani!" I hear Malena smack her, most likely her arm.
"What! Emily has every right to be nervous about her sudden appearance."
"Dani, you're not helping the situation. Maya would never hurt Emily."
"Not intentionally."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I jump in.
"This Jasmine has an agenda and you need to make sure her agenda fails," Dani explains.
"But how?"
"You know that saying; keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Well, that's exactly what you have to do Emily."
"The thing is I'm not sure if I want to finish my senior year in Rosewood."
"What?" Malena sounds surprised.
"There's more."
"What more could there possibly be?" Malena asks surprised and confused.
"My parents just informed me they're getting a divorce."
"What!" They react in sync.
"Yeah, my father is staying in Texas and my mom is staying in Rosewood. So they told me I could choose where to finish my senior year. I can go back to California with Ali or live with my father in Texas or stay in Rosewood with my mom." I leave out the part about my mom being a lesbian. I just can't with that right now.
"Oh Emily, I'm so sorry to hear about your parents. But you've got to do what's best for you and your future," Malena empathizes.
"I know but now that Jasmine's in the picture I don't know what to do."
"Well, if you trust Maya then the decision should be a little easier," Dani points out.
"I do. It's Jasmine I don't trust."
"Well maybe you should introduce Jasmine to Paige. Kill two birds with one stone," Dani jokes but I feel a surge of adrenaline. Introduce Jasmine to Paige! Hmm….
I finish up the phone call as Jasmine, all freshly groomed, makes her way to the kitchen.
"Is that coffee you're making?"
"Yeah, would you like some?"
"Thanks."
I pour her a cup and she helps herself to the milk and sugar. Oh Maya, hurry up! I don't want to be alone with her! But then I remember what Dani said, keep your enemies closer…
"So Jasmine, you'll be pretty busy with your music and it sounds like from when I met you before that your parents are quite strict about it."
"They are. I need discipline that's why they agreed to let me come to Rosewood."
"What do you mean?"
"Maya is much disciplined when it comes to her music. I need that. Being around her will help me be better."
"That makes sense."
"And it will be nice to have a friend. In my other schools I felt like I had to impress the people I met so I didn't make the best decisions for me. That's when I asked my parents to let me transfer. I need Maya. I need her focus."
"And Jeremy, your boyfriend, he's just a train ride away from what I can remember."
"Sadly Jeremy and I broke up."
"What? Why?"
"I was in Japan and I blocked everyone out, even Maya. I lost Jeremy but I'm not about to lose Maya."
You can have her focus as long as it's for your music and nothing else! And then I wonder if she'll be a different Jasmine once school starts again. Is she getting all her play time out now? It's possible but I still don't trust her, not completely.
"I bet you're not," I say under my breath.
"What?"
Just then the doorbell rings. Thank you god!
"I'll get it."
I open the door to Spencer, Hanna and Ali.
"Hey guys, come in."
They stomp the fresh snow out off of their boots and step inside.
"We're gonna take Ali back to the city and wanted to know if you and Maya wanted to come too," Spencer says.
"Hello, hi," she walks towards the girls holding her coffee in both hands, "I'm Jasmine, Maya's best friend." I roll my eyes and everyone catches me.
"Oh yeah, I remember, aren't you supposed to be in Japan?" Spencer enquires quickly about this new development.
"I was but I didn't like it so I came to the best orchestra ensemble in the country."
"Rosewood High?" Hanna questions.
"Believe it or not, yeah."
"Hi, I'm Ali; I go to school with Emily in California."
"Oh, Emily, you're in California now?" She sips her coffee trying but failing to mask her delight.
"I'm not sure where I'll be. A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours."
"What do you mean?" Ali asks with much interest.
"Um, I'll tell you on the way."
"Oh, okay, don't let me keep you, Maya and I have a lot to catch up on anyway," Jasmine with her agenda is more than happy to shove me out the door.
"Hey, guys, what's everyone doing here?" Maya asks as she walks down the stairs.
"We're bringing Ali back to the city and were wondering if you wanted to come with," Spencer fills Maya in.
"Yeah, that sounds fun."
"But can you all fit in one car?" Jasmine asks.
"Of course we can, we'll be back in a couple hours so you'll have the whole place to yourself," I strongly suggest she stay behind and it felt really good to obstruct her conniving!
"I'm sure we can squeeze one more," Hanna says and we all look at her like what the fuck are you doing? I guess she didn't get the eye roll!
"Well, okay then. I'm in. Just let me get my bag. It's upstairs."
"Thanks for including her, she's staying with me for a couple of days and I wasn't sure what to do with her."
"She knows what to do with you," I say quietly.
"What?"
"It's nothing. Forget it."
"Em, are you sure you want to go after everything that's happened?" Maya asks thoughtfully.
"What? What's happened?" Hanna can barely contain herself. "Tell us!"
I take a breath and just say it, "My parents are getting a divorce."
"What?"
"What?"
"What now?"
"You heard her," Maya takes my hand squeezing it in an effort to comfort me.
"It's true, what we thought about my mom. She is gay. She is with Mrs. Kahn. And my father seems to be okay with it. He'll be staying in Texas."
"So, what about you Em? Where will you live?" Ali asks knowing how difficult this is for me.
"I honestly don't know."
And then she comes trotting back down the stairs.
"Ready?"
The drive to the city is kind of quiet with the exception of Jasmine who's doing the remember when bullshit with Maya. It's like they're the only two who exist. And they kind of are having the third row all to themselves while Hanna and I have the second row and Ali sits in the front with Spencer. Jasmine's like; remember when Santa brought us the same toy in different colors. You got the pink one I wanted and I got the purple one you wanted! Hee hee hee. Oh brother. Dramatic eye roll.
This time Hanna gets the eye roll and sees the disdain on my face and can't keep quiet. But more so she can sense as much as I can the scent of seduction in the air.
"So, Emily, did you have a nice time at your birthday?" She asks loud enough to draw Maya's attention to us.
"Yeah, it was great. It really was an amazing surprise. I hope I thanked you guys because I was really overwhelmed at the time."
"It was your birthday?" Jasmine includes herself in the conversation.
"It was her seventeenth birthday," Maya proudly smiles.
"Oh, how cute, you just turned seventeen. I'll be eighteen in February and Maya will be shortly after me. How about you three?"
They all tell her when they'll be eighteen.
"That's adorable! You're the youngest and you always will be," she goes on and on and I want to punch her over and over.
"So Jasmine, where is your new house?" Spencer quickly changes the subject as she peers in the rearview mirror sensing me about to explode.
"We moved to Oak Street. Do you know where that is?"
"That's close to me," Hanna responds.
They start chatting while Maya leans forward in the hopes of reassuring me.
"Hey, don't let her get to you."
"It's hard not to."
"You just remember what we did the past few nights. I'm not going to jeopardize that for anyone," she winks.
"Oh Maya, I'm just not as confident as you."
"Well, you should be. She'll find someone who interests her more than me. She's like that."
"And you're okay with that?"
"I'm used to it."
"Hey, maybe we can hook her up with Paige," I whisper but when we make eye contact we bust out laughing.
"What? What did we miss?" Jasmine has to know.
"It's nothing. Just an inside joke you wouldn't get," Maya leans back still giggling. A joke that just might turn into a reality!
"So, do you guys want to do some sightseeing while you're here?" Ali asks from the front.
"Sure," we all respond.
"But I have to be back for dinner. I promised my parents." And I swear Jasmine gets this twinkle in her eye like she's plotting something. Or did she? I just can't tell with her though I can't help having this feeling that she's up to no good.
When we arrive in Philadelphia, Spencer parks the car in the hotel parking garage where Ali and her family are staying. We bring her overnight bag up to her room and then head out into the cold for some light sightseeing. We walk in a close group down the sidewalk but it's not close enough for Jasmine who tries to hook arms with Maya. But Hanna is on to her! She sees what Jasmine is doing so she hooks her arm first and fast walks ahead of us. When Hanna peers behind her I give her an appreciative nod and hook arms with Maya. Then when Maya looks up at me I kiss her sweetly but maybe for an extra few seconds.
"Don't worry Em, I saw it too and I take it Hanna did as well," she winks.
I drop my head in a smile, "Was it that obvious?"
"You both were," she giggles softly.
Alison brings us to a coffee shop to warm up and have a bite to eat. We all order sandwiches and salads with lattes and whatever other foamy frothy drinks they have to take the chill out, the chill from the weather outside, not the room.
But as the focus turns to music, both Maya and Jasmine light up. They're both very passionate about it and you can tell they truly love to play. This sort of softens Jasmine's exterior. She seems more like herself and less like someone trying to make a claim on my girlfriend. If I wasn't so suspicious of her, I imagine I could be real friends with her but there's this underlying agenda (There's that word again!) I just can't shake!
As the day pushes forward, we drop Alison off at her hotel.
"Thanks everyone for spending the day with me," she hugs us all saving the last one for me.
She holds me close.
And while we're in an embrace she whispers, "I'm so sorry about your parents Emily. I wish there was more I could offer you than that. Just know I'm here for you and I really, really want you to go back to California with me."
I get a bit choked up, "I'd like that too. I just need to figure some stuff out first."
"Sure. Take your time."
"Bye Alison."
"Bye everyone, safe trip back."
We drive away somehow managing to get Jasmine in the front seat; actually I think Hanna was mainly responsible for that. She sits in the back seat while Maya and I take the third row. I snuggle against her wishing nothing had changed but it has. My parents are divorcing. My mom is gay. I have to choose which state I'm going to live in. Paige professed her whatever to me and now Maya's bestie is back. What the fuck!
"I can feel whatever it is that's weighing on that pretty little brain of yours."
"Am I that transparent?"
"Well, you have a lot going on and I know at least one of those things is Jasmine isn't it?"
I sit up so I can look at Maya to talk to her, "I can't help it Maya. Every time I feel like she's all right she does something to make me doubt her. I don't want to doubt her motives but I don't think she's being completely honest with you."
"How so?"
"Rosewood? Really? Is the best orchestra in the country? I find that hard to believe."
"So, you don't think I'm talented enough to play for the best."
"That's not what I meant and you know it. You're amazing! You play effortlessly. But don't you think New York or Boston would be more…"
"More what?"
"Prestigious?"
"Look Em, Rosewood is prestigious in its own way. My parents wouldn't have moved here if they weren't convinced of that."
"I suppose."
"You still can't let it go can you?"
"The jealousy?"
"Yeah that."
"It's hard ya know. We just sort of finally became a real couple and I can't help but want you all to myself."
"Ahh, I see. Well, who am I to argue with that. Come here," she tilts my head so she can kiss me.
"Hey, you're steaming up the windows back there!" Spencer yells from the front.
"Okay, okay," we reluctantly stop kissing.
Spencer drops me off at my house just in time for dinner with my parents.
"I'll catch ya later?" Maya asks sweetly.
"Yes, please catch me later," I giggle which I'm sure caused an eye roll from the front seat.
Hanna lets me out and softly says, "Maya is yours. You have to believe that. Jasmine will get bored with it if you do too."
"You're right Hanna. It's just hard."
"Well, Spencer and I are gonna hang out at Maya's for a while so you can relax some, okay?"
"Thanks Hanna," we hug and I say goodbye to Spencer and Jasmine. I watch them drive away but then quickly text Hanna to mention Jasmine's boyfriend in front of Maya. I want to know her reaction. Hanna texts back a "Will do." And then I walk into my house for a "fun" night with my parents.
"Hey Emmy, how was Spencer's last night?"
"Huh, oh it was good," I take off my coat and other winter apparel.
"And the city?" My mom asks.
"It was fun. We had a nice time all of us together. And Maya's friend Jasmine went too."
"Jasmine?" My mom asks as we sit down to dinner.
"She's Maya's best friend from California. She was in school in Japan but didn't like it so she transferred to Rosewood High."
"Rosewood High? That's quite a difference from being in Japan."
"Yeah I know but I guess she wanted to go to school with at least one person she knows."
"That makes sense. And, how about you Emmy? Have you given any thoughts as to which school you'd like to finish up your senior year?"
"I have. I can't stop thinking about it actually."
"And have you come to a decision?" My mom can barely stand the suspense.
"I have."
"And?" My father pushes for an answer.
"Emily, the suspense is killing us. Where are you going next semester?"
"I've decided I want to go to…."
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To Be Continued…
You knew I was gonna do that!
Where should Emily go to school?
Any thoughts?