Saints (SAINTS #1) | ✓

23

ELLA SEEMED TO BE the most easy-going person Jasmina had ever met. She was leaning against the wall of the elevator, arms folded over each other, not paying any heed to the screaming and overwhelmingly panicked guys down below. There was no worry on her face either about the fact that they were up halfway in the air, stuck in a glass box with two strangers.

Growing up in a world where business came first and everything else second, Jasmina always had prided herself in being able to read people. So instead of questioning Lucy about her choice in life-changing guru, she looked at the girl instead. She practically screamed broken rules, the confidence lacing her every move that of a person who knew she could shatter the world.

Lucy tapped Jasmina's arm then, words appearing in a lavish pink cursive in front of her eyes as she mouthed them at her.

"So? You can see it, right? She's chill."

"Fine," Jasmina whispered," I'll go along with you. For now. But if the devil doesn't call me a good person after enduring this -"

"Did you say something?" Ella asked.

"No," Jasmina smiled," nothing at all."

Lucy's smirk melted into sugar as she looked at Ella, her eyes glowing a faint pink when she spoke.

"So, Ella was it?" she said," now we're stuck anyway, do you think we can get your advice on something? We've been arguing about it all day long and we could use an unbiased opinion."

"Why not?" Ella shrugged," hit me up."

"So," Lucy said," you see, my friend's boyfriend cheated on her with her close friend."

"That sucks, I'm sorry," Ella grimaced at Jasmina," cheaters are the worst. If you want I could beat him up for you?"

Lucy laughed, before stopping when Ella's face remained normal. "Oh, you're serious."

"Actually," Jasmina began, but Lucy stopped her.

"No need," Lucy said," you're too nice to inflict damage on anyone, right Jasmina?" Jasmina shot her a look, but Lucy continued. "Still, what do you think she should do, physical damage aside?"

"That really narrows it down," Ella said," physical damage was involved in almost a hundred percent of my plans."

"Psychological damage was going to be more of my focus," Jasmina said," physical damage you can recover from, but psychological -"

"As you can see she's already thought up plans to ruin them both," Lucy sighed," do you agree?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter if I do, right?" Ella said," in the end it only matters what you think. So tell me, Jasmina, do you still love them both?"

Jasmina blinked at the unexpected question, but the answer had long since been in the back of her mind. What she had felt for Alan was a vague sort of friendship, a camaraderie of sorts at being two heirs of fortunes. On paper they had been the perfect couple and oh, how their parents had adored them together.

In real life, however, they had been a disaster.

They always had been a mess of fights, meaningless kisses and little to none affection. She always had known he was more in love with the idea of them than her, but she hadn't minded - if only because she wasn't even in love with him at all.

Her mother had once told her that the only person she should be in love with was herself, if only because that was the only person you could trust. And she had listened to that advice, smiling at the paparazzi as they took another picture of the golden couple.

If there was anything they'd been, it'd have been more close to friends than anything else. Still, it had stung when he had betrayed her for Lena. She had never seen the girl as a friend, just as one of her many followers, but betrayal was betrayal.

Her mother had been right.

She hadn't loved either of them.

"Tell me," Jasmina said," do you have someone you like, Ella?"

Ella blinked, before a vague warmth filled her eyes as she chuckled, gone so quickly Jasmina almost thought she'd imagined the temporary softness.

"I do actually," she said," I'm dating him."

"What's that like?" Jasmina said as she leaned against the glass wall with her back, arms folded over each other," I'm curious."

"It's -" Ella began, before laughing and shaking her head," well, it's messy and loud and soft all the same. It's the look on his face when he does something right and the look on his face when he doesn't - it's feeling at peace, even when the whole world is going to hell."

"What does he have to offer you?" Jasmina said.

"What do you mean?" Ella frowned," he doesn't have to offer me anything but himself."

"That's a horrible business deal," she remarked.

"Dating isn't business," Ella said.

"I suppose not," Jasmina slowly drawled.

"She should forgive, right?" Lucy said then," if just to let it go and be able to move on. There's no reason to be stuck in the past, not when you can focus on being a good person instead."

Jasmina rolled her eyes, already anticipating a cheesy answer before it was given. As if she would heed the peaceful advice of anyone, let alone weirdly sensible strangers in elevators.

"No."

Jasmina blinked at the answer, unsure if she heard the girl right. Lucy seemed to be taken aback as well, frowning in confusion as her lips parted.

"Why should she?" Ella said," forgiveness is not given, it's granted and not everyone deserves it. I think that whole "forgive everyone and move on" stuff is bullshit. If you don't want to, no one can force you to do so. Some things just can't be forgiven and that doesn't make you a bad person."

"I like you, Ella," Jasmina laughed as Lucy stared, baffled.

"You seem like an interesting person as well," Ella chuckled.

Lucy's eyes glowed pink again as she looked into Ella's, something what seemed like memories flashing in them when she spoke. "I took you for a forgiving person, to be honest."

"Watched her past wrong?" Jasmina whispered amusedly.

"I'm not," Ella laughed, before her face softened a bit," although I can be for the people I love. But even love has it's limits and cheating is something you should never forgive." She glanced at Jasmina then. "Besides, it doesn't seem like you're that hurt about the break-up or him, you seem angrier about the betrayal than anything else."

"I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with someone," Jasmina smiled," but you are right, elevator girl."

Lucy sighed as she waved a hand then, the elevator starting to move as Ella looked up in faint recognition.

"Seems like we're getting out after all," she said.

"Seems so," Jasmina said.

The elevator stopped then and in the distance Jasmina could see the three guys from before sprinting on the stairs to get to them, Ella's reaction to it just a vague amusement.

"What's your full name, Ella?" she said," it isn't often that I like people, I'm curious."

"It's Eleanora," she smiled," Eleanora Martinez. And I can see us become friends as well, Jasmina -"

"Nawar," Jasmina supplied," if you're ever in town, do come visit."

"Perhaps I'll take you up on that offer," she said as she stepped out of the elevator," see you."

She halted then, looking back one last time before the elevator closed, her smile all but screaming danger.

"Oh and also," she said," fuck being a good person."

Her last words rang in the air as she walked away and almost got tackled by the tallest guy, who pulled her into a hug, and Jasmina laughed.

"Sometimes it's so much better being bad."