Forgetting Billions | ✓

04 | Forgetting Detention

THAT DAY, after school ended, Jasmine made her way from her final class to detention. She had never gotten detention before and wondered just what it was like. Would she have to clean the classroom, or just sit and do her homework? Either way, she was most definitely keeping herself low on the school's radar. After the letter she received, the last thing she needed was a bigger spotlight aimed on her.

She knew she should be more careful, but she believed it was just some kind of sick prank that didn't deserve even a sliver of her time. Selena assured her that that was the perfect way to think of it. It was nothing more than a tiny bump in the road, a minuscule hurdle during a not so important race.

When she found herself outside of Ms. Vienna's classroom, all thoughts regarding the letter flying out of her mind, she saw Shayan strolling out the other way, towards the exits. Confusion registered on her face and she called after him, running over when he didn't answer.

"Where are you going?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm and collected. She didn't want to seem too eager.

"Home. Isn't obvious? And to think, you're the straight shoot for Valedictorian," he muttered something under his breath about her being the smartest of the idiots, before shoving his hands in his pockets, not even waiting for her to catch up.

Jasmine huffed, slightly offended but she decided to ignore his side comment, "But we have detention. Don't tell me you're skipping. You said we could talk now."

"Yes, we can talk, but why here?" he flashed her a sly grin. "You always follow the rules. I think it's about time you popped that bubble that always surrounds you. The real world isn't that bad and believe me, skipping one detention won't ruin your life."

She rolled her eyes, "Don't get your hopes up. No matter how much you try to convince me otherwise, I'm not skipping. The rules are there for a reason and they should be followed. We would be chaotic and animalistic without them."

"Suit yourself. Also, as humans, we are animals, just higher evolved versions of them. Every now and then, you should tap into your carnal side. With someone like you, it would be cathartic. You won't listen to me, though. After all, I'm just the blast from the past you never asked for," he forced out a dry chuckle. "Have fun in detention for me and tell that awful woman that I'm sorry to have missed it."

Jasmine found herself yearning to get everything out in the open, the sooner, the better. She just had to ignore the smartass remarks he loved so much, especially when lecturing her and her somewhat uptight— but extremely safe—way of going about her life. She groaned before running up to him again, "Fine. Let's skip. But-"

"How? Leave it to me, amateur, I've done this enough to know the tricks."

While he maneuvered them out of the school carefully, making sure not to attract the attention of the few teachers left, she took the moment as a good time to ponder over what she was going to say to him and just how she would approach this situation. Just the idea of facing him again sent her brain into maximum overdrive.

There were too many thoughts for her to focus on, most of which were about the note from SS. Her brain, however, went straight to the few regarding the man standing beside her. It was so long ago, what had happened between them, but she couldn't forget a single moment. They had been best friends since they were four. He was there when her uncle was killed right before her eyes. Even as an elementary school student, he was her unwavering rock and while she screamed and cried in the art closet, he just held his breath and her.

They grew even closer after the tragedy and he eased Jasmine through her anxiety attacks, finding a way to soothe her, time after time after time.

And then, his parents got divorced. Soon after, both his sisters lost themselves and used Shayan as their rock too, and the only person he had left to lean on was Jasmine.

She wasn't there for him.

She was still so preoccupied with her grieving, which continued to last in full swing until their sophomore year, three months after Shayan's parents got divorced. And Jasmine continued to dismiss him over and over again until one day, he pulled away from her for good.

She found him a week later, in his house raiding the medicine cabinet. She remembered yelling at him to stop, to put the pills down. She remembered taking him in her arms the way he had done so many times before, and whispering how much she needed him. How if he died, she would too. How they had lost so much that they couldn't afford to lose each other too.

He listened to her, his dark eyes piercing her body like a freshly sharpened sword. And perhaps they were high on emotions, tears, or some bizarre combination of both, but he kissed her.

Barely a minute had passed before his father found them, holding each other tight, surrounded by scattered pills and bottles. He asked Jasmine to leave immediately before grabbing his son by the arm and marching him upstairs.

She had always believed his father moved them to Manhattan because of her. She never found out though, because when he physically left her, he left her in every other way too. There were no texts, no emails, no letters, even. He truly disappeared, leaving her with nothing but the memory of their last encounter and their first kiss.

And now, he was back. She was more than confused and was determined to ask him what happened– to demand why he left her like that, why he broke her heart so easily.

But despite everything— seeing him here completely reinvented, two whole years later— she found herself wishing for what they used to have. The kiss probably meant nothing to him and over time, she had trained it so that it meant nothing to her either. This wasn't the case with their friendship, the foundation that she'd built her life around.

It could never be forgotten.

Jasmine was mindlessly following him as her brain replayed the events from two years ago and when he suddenly stopped, she ran right into him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed in a low whisper, as the sound of Ms. Vienna's familiar clicking heels echoed from the hallway across the one they stood in. Jasmine quickly whispered an apology and followed his gaze around the hallways, her heart beating out of her chest. "Okay, student parking is right over there. Let's go."

His fingers tightly wrapped around her wrist and she inhaled a sharp, charged breath as he took her to his car. It was a beat up truck, with more dents in it than she could count, but he seemed so proud of it once they arrived. His hand left hers and he absentmindedly brushed some dust off the hood of the car. His lips were pulled into a grin, his eyes crinkling at the edges. She hadn't seen him so happy in so long. It lit her up from within, like an old chandelier that finally clicked on after years of abandonment.

"What do you think? I bought it myself," he grinned, smiling in a way that wasn't arrogant or teasing for the first time since she saw him that morning. She wanted to do more than congratulate him for his hard work. She wished she could hug him, maybe run her fingers through his hair, for she knew how much louder a touch could speak when compared to her lackluster words.

But that was exactly the issue. She couldn't touch him no matter how much she wanted to.

"It's amazing, Shayan," she smiled back, trying her hardest to be friendly with him, but finding it so difficult. "But on another note, where are we going?"

"You'll see. I have a feeling you'll love it," Shayan's expression was truly genuine and Jasmine felt herself hoping to see that more often in the future, if they didn't fall apart again before then.

"It's not your bedroom, is it?" she retorted, resorting to empty jokes to fill the desire in her heart.

He chuckled, his laughter resembling the thunder that came before a lightning storm. He opened his own door, "I know I'm a jackass sometimes but I'd like to believe that the last thing I'll ever be is a pervert."

He stepped into his car, leaving her standing outside in the breezy summer air. She rolled her eyes with a huff, "Well, not only are you a jackass, but you're also not chivalrous." She walked around to her side of the car and took a seat once she got in, flashing him a tired grin.

"I think you're strong enough to open your own door, sweetheart," he replied with a little snark and kick started the engine as they sped off to God-knows-where.