Fire in the Woods

Chapter Three

"So, are you ready for the Mystic Fyres tournament online tonight?" Jason asked Jasmine as they packed their backpacks full of homework. They both had the same - freshmen year - except for Jasmine was taking some advanced art classes. "I'm totally going to wipe the floor with you," he added.

Jasmine bit her lip. Both of them had been waiting for the tournament all season long - Mystic Fyres was one of their favorite games - and she would love to have joined in with the friendly trash talk any other day, but she needed to tell him about her parents' trip.

"Jason..." she started.

Jason swore as he dropped his pencil case on his foot, then picked it up and turned back to Jasmine. "Yeah?"

"Jason, I won't be able to play Mystic tonight."

He frowned. "Why? It's all we've been waiting for for the last season."

"I'll be preparing to leave," she told him, and proceeded to lay out what she had learned about her parents' trip and how she would be gone for a month. Jason listened to it all patiently, a slight frown wavering across his features.

"So you'll be gone tomorrow? Just like that?" Jason asked. "Wow. That was sudden."

"I know," Jasmine muttered. She was still secretly elated about going to her grandparents' place, but she knew that Jason wasn't quite as thrilled.

"So, that's what you were called down to the office for," Jason realized.

"Pretty much." Jasmine grunted as she crammed her folders into her too-small backpack. She zipped it up and slung it over her shoulders, then turned back to Jason, who had packed up his backpack as well.

"So... this is it," Jason mumbled, fiddling with his glasses.

She grinned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic. I'll be back in a month, and we can still chat online in the meantime." Neither of them had phones, but they knew each other's email addresses and Mystic Fyres usernames.

Jason brightened up a little, but he still looked mostly crestfallen. "I don't have many friends at school...neither of us do," he said quietly.

"You'll be fine," Jasmine told him, and tried to believe it, but she hoped that she wasn't being a horrible friend by leaving him alone at school. "You're super smart. You can make friends."

Jason smiled a bit more and picked up his backpack. "Come on. We need to get on the bus now."

"Actually...my parents are picking me up today," Jasmine said.

"Okay then," Jason said, looking surprised. They always rode the bus together. "I can walk you to your parents' car then. Be all gentleman-y and stuff." Jasmine snorted a laugh and grinned as Jason mocked a bow. "After you, my lady."

As they joked like this all the way to the door, Jasmine felt the weight on her shoulders lessen. She hadn't realized how worried she had been that Jason would be mad at her for leaving. He had been surprised, sure, but he seemed to understand that it hadn't exactly been her choice.

It would be a happy farewell. That was one good thing, especially since Jasmine knew that she would miss him. Better to have good memories of Jason until she left.

"Hey! Jasmine!" a familiar voice called, and Jasmine turned around to see Emily racing toward them. So much for the happy farewell.

"What?" Jasmine asked her sharply.

Emily fidgeted. "I wasn't eavesdropping, exactly, but...I couldn't help hearing that you were leaving."

"You were totally eavesdropping," Jason accused her.

"Alright, fine," Emily muttered. "I was. You happy?"

"No."

"Just get to the point," Jasmine demanded.

Emily wrung her fingers. "Look. I know I was a jerk at the party, but my friends were there, and there was so much pressure. You know how it goes." Jasmine actually didn't, and she was about to tell Emily exactly what she thought of that pathetic excuse, but Emily, unfortunately, wasn't done. "Anyway, afterwards I didn't know what to do. You were hanging out with Jason, I had my friends, and there didn't seem to be a right time to make amends. So I didn't."

"Good. And don't think that you can start now." Jasmine turned around and walked away sharply, her tennis shoes squeaking on the tiled floor. Jason was right behind her.

"Wait!" Emily cried, grabbing Jasmine's shirt to stop her.

Jasmine turned to face her. "Look. I know that you have a lot of friends. I know that there's such a thing as peer pressure. But if you really wanted to make amends, you would have by now. I'm leaving."

And with that, she and Jason swung open the doors and exited the building, leaving Emily behind.