Just As I Am 2 ~Senior Year~

Chapter 1

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. Judy Garland

~Jasmine~

Every teenager dreams of what senior year will be like. If they say they don’t, they’re lying. Everyone, boy or girl, wants to make their mark. Some want to be popular, some want to get into a great school, and some simply want to enjoy their last year of high school.  I’d fantasized about my senior year, but I never imagined it would anything close to great. I was a smart girl; I had enough credits to graduate early. That was the plan since freshman year: work hard enough to end the nightmare of high school early. Everything changed halfway through my junior year. My parents made me move to Texas and to quote the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, “my life got flipped, turned upside down”. Though it could have turned into a disaster, I quickly adapted. I loved living in Texas, surrounded by great friends and loving family. I was no longer the sad little girl from Petersburg, Virginia who didn’t seem to fit in, which was evident by my new outlook on senior year. I was going into it as co-captain of the varsity cheerleading squad, dating the captain of the state champion basketball team. I had a flyy car and I lived in a mansion. Did I mention I had an after school job at a record label? My life was freaking awesome!

            “Jasmine, are you listening to me?” I was startled out of my thoughts by Bianca’s loud voice in my ear.

            “Yes, of course,” I lied, because I had no earthly idea what my two best friends were talking about.

            “Then what did I say,” she asked. It was clear in her voice that she didn’t believe I was truly listening.

            “What is this, a quiz,” I asked defensively. “You know what you said!”

            “She wasn’t listening,” Isis laughed, “But honestly, neither was I.”

            “Well, if you two don’t care, why should I bother? It’s only our senior year of high school; not that big of a deal,” Bianca said angrily.

            “Calm down fool, we care,” I assured her. “It’s just that we’ve talked about this all summer and we still have two weeks before the first day.”

            “We’ve already planned our wardrobe for the first two weeks and we’ve changed it three times. We’ll probably change our minds another three times before the weekend is over,” Isis added.

            “But this is a big deal,” Bianca protested.

            “We know,” Isis and I said together.

            “Can we please just enjoy these next two weeks of summer vacation,” Isis begged. “I can’t speak for Jasmine, but I promise I’ll let you choose my first day outfit if you could just give it a rest!”

            Bianca looked at me, probably for my agreement with Isis, but I couldn’t give it to her. “I agree with the part about not wanting to talk about it anymore, but I already promised Tamia she could help me pick out my outfit. She’s looking forward to it.”

            “Okay, fine,” Bianca sighed, “what are we doing today?”

            That was a great question. We were lounging by my aunt’s pool like we didn’t have a care in the world. It was a sunny Friday afternoon, and the temperature was close to 100. We lay under the covered patio of the pool house, sipping sweet tea. Aunt Mia had taken Tamia and Tia to gymnastics class and Uncle Trey and T.J were at baseball practice. The girls were staying the night so we could go to a concert my aunt’s magazine was throwing. All the biggest names were performing and we had VIP and backstage access. We’d spent the morning shopping, but after that there wasn’t much to do. I was about to suggest a movie when my cellphone rang. We all knew who was calling by the ringtone, and I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face.