Ch.1 “It’s Not Fair”

Jasmina’s POV

My heels were clicking loudly on the pavement. The rain dripped slowly down my face and tickled my nose. I honestly hadn’t been sure if that was the rain…or my tears. I decided to cut through the trees and head to the park. The forest smelt wonderful with the rain highlighting all of its scents. I looked up and could see the stars peeking down at me through the tree tops. It honestly was a beautiful night out; the rain made it all better. I wish the rain could wash away bad memories….oh to dream. I walked for a few more minutes and I could see the park just ahead of me. It was empty; good. I made my way to the swing and brushed the rain droplets away before I sat down.

I looked down at my feet and began making circles in them with the woodchips just like I did when I was a child. I gripped the wet chains of the swing tightly and pushed off of the ground and began swinging. The wind in my face was almost heavenly. My jacket flapped open each time I swung forward. I leaned back so I could see the stars and silently thank them for their beauty. Why do I have to have emotions? I began to stop swinging my legs and I gradually slowed down. I grated my feet against the ground to bring myself to a full stop. The tears just came pouring out. I definitely wasn’t one for being weak but I was so tired of holding it together all of the time…especially after tonight.

I used the supporting chains of the swing to hold me from falling forward as I leaned further into my sadness. “Why?” I whispered quietly to no one but the wind. I did nothing wrong to anyone…why did this happen to me. I can’t believe I ever trusted him. He was a liar just like all of the others. I’d had enough of self pitying so I made my way out of the park and back home. The walk felt like forever even though my house was only about two blocks away. As I approached the house I noticed the living room light was on. I made my way up the steps onto the porch. I opened the door and sure enough my parents were there sitting in the living room watching the news.

“Oh thank god!” They both stood up instantly and approached me. “Where were you…we were worried!” I looked over at the clock hanging on the wall in the hallway and it only read 11:35. “Your boyfriend kept calling and he said he couldn’t find you anywhere so we worried. And we kept calling your phone…why didn’t you answer it?” I really wasn’t in the mood for a round of twenty-one questions right now. “He’s not my boyfriend anymore…..I’m going to bed.” I went to walk away but my father grabbed my arm stopping me in my tracks. “Jasmina…what happened?” I yanked my arm away and continued walking down the hall. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” I could feel their eyes staring me down but I continued on towards my room.

I opened the door and shut it behind me locking it. I instantly plopped down on my bed and kicked my annoying shoes off. I breathed deeply and let out a long exasperating sigh. I leaned up so I could take my jacket off. I threw it onto the floor with my pile of clothes I had created when deciding what to wear for this evening. I pulled my phone out of pocket and turned it off placing it on the nightstand next to my bed. I saw the picture of me and him. In that picture we were at the beach and he had been giving me a piggy back ride. We both looked happy…..screw happiness. I knocked the picture off of the nightstand and laid back down on the bed. I pulled my comforter over me and let the warmth take me over. My eyes fluttered gently several times before I eventually fell into a sound sleep.

I heard pounding on the door and I shot up from my bed. I looked over at my alarm clock and rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes. It was 10 in the morning exactly….ugh why did I have to be awake. “Jasmina get up and come get some breakfast!” I could hear the annoyed tone in my mother’s voice. She definitely wasn’t the only one annoyed right now. She sure knew how to hit my nerves. I kicked the covers off of me and walked over to my dresser. I grabbed a brush and fixed my messy hair before meeting them for breakfast. I walked out of the room and instantly was hit with the scent of pancakes and eggs along with a hint of fresh fruit. I eagerly made my way to the kitchen as I felt a grumbling sensation growing in my stomach.

As I rounded the corner and saw the living room I snatched up the pitcher of orange juice and graciously poured myself a glass. “Nice of you too join us” my father said as he flipped through another page of his newspaper. I swear he read the newspaper religiously every morning. My looked up at me and smiled slightly. “Go ahead and sit I’m almost done with your plate.” Something was up…..she was never that cheery in the morning…especially with me. I eyed around the room cautiously staring both of them down. I was looking for hidden motives and I was hoping I wouldn’t find them. “Here you go” my mother said and she sat the plate down in front of me and sat down right beside me.

I grabbed my fork and took a bite of eggs. The flavor brought me a tiny bit of happiness. I looked up from my plate and noticed the both of them looking at me. I nervously put my fork down. “What’s going on?” I asked cautiously. My father shifted and set the newspaper down on the table; this definitely wasn’t good. “We’ve been thinking….” Who just starts a sentence off like that? Did they expect me to not be worrying right now because I definitely was. I felt the sudden urge to throw my plate at his head but refrained…plus I was still hungry. My mother smiled nervously while my face was completely straight. “We know that you’ve had a lot going on lately….and we just want to get you away from it.” What the hell was he talking about? “Being here isn’t the best place for you. It’s not allowing you to reach your full potential.”

“Dad what are you talking about?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up pamphlet and handed it over to me. I eyed it curiously at I unfolded it. “Madame Eve’s…..what the hell is this?” The eyed each other before looking back at me. “Now listen…..it’s a boarding school. We want you to go there. It’ll be good for you! You’ll be able to take classes you enjoy and meet people with the same interests as you.” What did they take me for? “Why would I want to go here?” They both sighed at my response. “We are doing this for you….why can’t you see that? Plus…we’ve already signed you up.” I stood up from my seat abruptly. “You did what?!?” I could tell I hadn’t responded in the way that they wanted me too. “Jasmina sit back down…let’s talk.” I wasn’t willing to oblige.

“My life is here….why would you send me away?” I decided to sit down anyways as I was getting weighed down by emotions. “It’s what’s best…end of discussion.” I stood up from the table with tears hanging on the corners of my eyes. I ran back to my room slamming and relocking the door behind me. I raised the pamphlet up to eye level eyeing it curiously. This place looked so….proper. It did have some interesting classes to offer though. Maybe it would be good for me to get away from home….I just don’t know. I tossed the pamphlet onto my bed and stood in front of my mirror. I tried visualizing myself in a school uniform. “Oh god.”