28th October 2006

"Malden you're too slow! If you can't give me a good game then you shouldn't have shown up in the first place!"

On any other day that comment would have been enough to make her lose her temper and snap back. On any other day it would have been uncalled for. That Friday afternoon, Jasmine Malden gritted her teeth and took their coach's comment wordlessly. She didn't care what others had to say. What mattered was that she got to play in the friendly match against Ipswich High. Originally Gemma, the thirty-year-old blonde soccer coach, planned on letting her sit the game out.

"Considering what just happened," she said.

Jasmine went bonkers and refused to stop bugging her until the coach relented. She needed to play, to be in the field with a clear cut mission of scoring a goal against the opposing team. It was the only way that she could stop thinking about everything else.

She heard one of the girls call out her name before she saw the ball speeding her way. Automatically, her legs moved to latch on to it. She quickly turned around and manoeuvred herself away from the field's center where Ipswich's defence was at its strongest. She dribbled the ball forward as fast as she could towards the western part of the field where their goal post was located. Within seconds, Ipswich's right-back was on to her. Jasmine waited until her opponent loosened her stance in preparation for a tackle before she volleyed the ball with her left foot towards Ashley, Spencer's striker. The pass was smooth and on point. On the fifty-ninth minute, Ashley Bedford scored a goal for Spencer breaking the tie. Everyone rushed to the striker to smother her with bearhugs. Jasmine jumped in along with her teammates grinning from ear to ear. For a few minutes things were going as they should. Her world made sense again.

It was midday by the time the post game team brief finished. The girls' soccer team chatted excitedly among themselves as they filed out of the locker room. Ashley and Jasmine headed out to the bleachers where Mia was waiting for them. Unlike the two, she played lacrosse instead of soccer. Their match wasn't until this evening and so she decided to cheer for her friends.

"You bitches rock as always," Mia hollered as they approached her. "Good job on that goal Ash. Very sharp."

Ashley slumped beside her while Jasmine leaned against the metal railing to face her. "All thanks to JJ's pass. Girl, that was surgical precision right there. Looks like that week off did you some good."

"Maybe," she shrugged, leaving out the fact that she spent the said week overthinking and replaying the library scene in her head over and over and over again in an attempt to make herself believe that she hallucinated half of it.

And then there's Monday, when she would have to go back to class. As if she wasn't busy enough trying to effectively gaslight herself, her friends kindly filled her in that she would have to brace herself for the gossip train. Whispers had started regarding her and Caleb. People were curious how the both of them ended up in a rather secluded area in the library together. The way they lied so close to each other when they were found passed out apparently also raised a couple of eyebrows. And despite Ashley and Mia pointing out to anyone who cared to listen that Jasmine in fact worked in the library, many of the students preferred to speculate on more salacious possibilities. At one point Kira Snyder suggested that perhaps they were doing something that caused that bookshelf's collapse.

"Wouldn't be surprised. Caleb is on the rebound is he not?"

Ashley nearly punched her in the face.

"You guys wanna grab pizza? I'm starting to feel hungry," Jasmine suggested. She realised that both girls were not looking at her. Rather, they were both staring at something on her right. She followed her gaze and let out a surprised "Oh".

A few yards away, on the same level of the bleachers where they sat, Caleb Danvers was walking towards them, a small smile gracing his full lips as he tossed his head back at them in greeting.

"JJ if you really did take him up on his offer for some kinky rebound sex please know I totally understand," Ashley said in a low voice, earning a jab on the ribs from Mia.

"Bitch you're not helping," she hissed.

Jasmine gave her a dirty look but said nothing else. Her gaze went back to Caleb. He could be the spawn of Satan himself for all she knew but she couldn't deny the fact that the swim team's captain was attractive as hell. Even in his rather casual get up of dark coat, dark jeans and trainers and slightly tousled hair the guy looked like he had just stepped out of a photo shoot. He stopped about a foot in front of her. She had to look up to meet his gaze. He had to be at least six foot three.

'He has such kind eyes,' she thought. 'There's no way-'

"Hey," he greeted.

"Good afternoon," she replied.

"Hey," he said again, this time to Ashley and Mia. The former gave him a silent wave while the latter gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Congrats on the game by the way," he said. He sounded so casual that it was as if they've been chitchatting with each other often. "Jasmine that was an epic assist."

"That's what I told her," Ashley replied, giving Jasmine a very pointed look. "Maybe she'll believe it coming from you."

"I believed you the first time," Jasmine retorted.

Mia narrowed her hazel eyes at him, "What brings you here?"

He turned to Jasmine. "Can I speak to you?" When he asked this he took a step closer to her and tipped his head down as though to whisper to her ear. His sudden proximity sent a tingle of electricity down her back. He smelled faintly of vetiver and damn did it make him just a little bit more…irresistible.

Jasmine cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. What about?"

He looked her straight in the eyes before swiftly shifting his gaze sideways.

Not here.

Jasmine stared at him intently. He wanted to talk about what happened in the library. That was for certain. And with the way he was behaving, it was to talk about what she saw.

That was it. It was her chance to prove to herself that what she saw had been real. It was not a hallucination nor was it a false memory. And the truth will be coming straight out of the horse's mouth.

She nodded once then motioned for him to lead the way.

"I guess I'll see you after," she said to her friends.

"Don't worry Mia. She will be back for your game," he said.

'Wait wasn't that in five hours?'

Before she could ask anymore question he placed his left hand on the middle of her back as they headed out of the bleachers and onto the field side by side.

"She better be back in one piece Danvers!" Mia shouted from behind. "I mean it."

Jasmine looked up just in time to see Caleb look back to Mia with devilish smirk. The logical part of her was lowkey scared. If there was one thing she was certain of it was that she had no idea what this boy was capable of. The hormonal teenage part of her on the other hand was currently on the process of melting into a puddle. How could she forget? There was a reason half of Spenser's student body was going feral over him. And she just had a front seat view of said reason. She felt the hand on her back give her a soft nudge and so they resumed walking.

"Where are we having this conversation anyway?" She asked.

"Not here in school grounds that's for sure," he replied. "My car is parked not far from here."

'Jasmine run,' a voice in her head warned. Something felt off. She shouldn't be getting in the car of the same boy whose eyes turned black like midnight, the same boy who could make objects levitate without even looking at them. No, no, she had to run. And yet a part of her was compelled to go with him. It defied logic but she was exactly where she needed to be at that moment.

Besides she knew Caleb enough to know that he was too smart to do something to her when two people clearly saw them walk away together.

He's not gonna kill her.

Right?

Author's Note:

How do they say it...rate, review and subscribe! (No seriously. I'm curious about what you all have to say.)