JASMINE BEADLE: WINTER, 1998
Jasmine's main goal, from the moment she entered The Academy at eleven years old, was to be invisible. Sometimes being invisible didn't feel all that nice.
Like on her thirteenth birthday, when the boy she had a crush on went to her birthday party because Joceline asked him to (even though Jasmine had asked him only a day before and he refused).
Or during exam week, fourth year. When Jasmine got the highest mark in her year on the Ritual Magic exam but it didn't matter, because Jonathan had gotten a low mark on his Binding Rituals exam and Joceline forced Jasmine to help comfort him. She hadn't been allowed to celebrate with Jonathan until the summer before their fifth year (Joceline said her mentioning getting a good mark would upset him, Jasmine couldn't find it in herself to care).
She got used to it, eventually. By the time her sixth year came around, she was a seasoned veteran at being invisible.
Which is why it felt so horribly odd when Steve Dothan sat next to her in Spiritualism II. Why it felt so uncomfortable when he leaned over and cracked whispered jokes in her ear. Why she was so confused when he smiled whilst she tried to muffle her laughter.
She assumed at some point in the year, Dothan would move. He would get sick of her and her invisibility. The way Joceline shined brighter, and Jasmine let her. The way the eyes went to Jonathan when all three of them walked into a room together because "Did he do something different with his hair?" and "Wasn't his mum in the Judas Society or somethin'?" because there was nothing notable to say about Jasmine and her family.
She figured, eventually, Steve would get bored. Almost everyone did, that's why she sat alone in any class that Joceline and Jonathan didn't take with her.
As the winter holidays drew closer and closer, though, Jasmine was becoming...worried. Steve hadn't even moved his chair an inch away from hers. What in the world was he sticking around for?
"Can we play tic-tac-toe?" Steve mumbled, his eyes glazed over with boredom as he stared mindlessly at the board.
Jasmine nodded wordlessly and pushed her parchment forward (that way when they turned in his paper, he wouldn't get in trouble for doodling on his when they were meant to be taking notes). "X or O?"
A wicked smirk crossed Steve's face, and his eyes focused lazily on Jasmine. "From you, Beadle? X's."
Jasmine forced the blush down (unsuccessfully, she figured she was bright red, as per usual) and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Steve. You go first, X."
Whispered words stopped as he leaned forward and marked an X in the center of the squares Jasmine had drawn on the parchment.
Jasmine frowned, drawing an O in the top right box. "I hate when you do that."
"Why? 'Cause it's always a draw?" Steve mumbled, his head being held up by his palm as his free hand reached forward to draw an X above the one in the center.
Jasmine drew an O under the X in the center. "Yeah. It's annoying."
"Would you rather I let you win?" An X in the top left corner.
"Sometimes. At least then one of us would." An O in the bottom right box. A sly smile gracing her face.
Silence for one second, two, and Jasmine knew he'd caught on. "Well, here you are then, Beadle." An X in the middle right box. Followed by an O in the bottom left corner, and then a line being drawn through them.
"Boom." She clicked her tongue, letting her quill fall onto the table dramatically.
"Rematch." Steve grumbled, reaching forward and re-drawing the boxes next to their previous one. "X's."
