Extraordinary Individuals : Josiah Rising

Chapter 9

After a my conversation with Mrs Knight I went upstairs to Yasmine's room. I had just made a promise to keep Yasmine safe and it made me realize that I would need to really start pushing myself with mastering my powers. But there was one thing that still bothered me.
Why me specifically?
What made Mrs Knight so sure that I could keep her daughter safe? I could barely keep myself out of trouble even without the use of my powers. It wasn't like her daughter was weak or even needed my protection and yet Mrs Knight had made me swear to keep Yasmine safe. But from what? Charter rarely dealt with any major threats and Yasmine was well liked at school so I doubt she had enemies among the student body. I shrugged it off but made sure to keep an eye on her during school hours. Making my way up the stairs, I rounded the corner and saw that Yasmine was in her room with the door cracked and music softly playing on a Bluetooth speaker. Yasmine's room was very...unique. Her walls were painted light blue (her favorite color) with framed pictures of her with her friends and various family members. Her bed was a queen size with covers the same color as her wall and various pillows and a stuffed bear in the center. There was a desk in the corner with notebooks and textbooks on it, a smart TV, and shelves above the desk full of her track meet trophies. Yasmine herself was sitting on the edge of her bed texting rapidly on her phone but glanced up with a smile when she saw me come in.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," I replied, my voice an octave lower than usual.
She patted the spot next to her and I sat down, being careful to but a few feet of space between us just in case her mom came upstairs and got the wrong idea. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that Yasmine was staring at me, her eyes curious and her lips slightly parted.
"Yas?" I asked, leaning forward slightly.
She blinked. "Sorry. I just....got lost in my thoughts looking at you. What did my mom talk to you about?"
Keeping a neutral expression, I answered, "She told me just keep being a good friend to you and to keep you safe."
It was partially the truth. She did tell me to keep Yasmine safe so I wasn't really lying, just omitting certain details. Yasmine shook her head in exasperation at what I said, a faint blush playing on her cheeks.
"My mom's a bit overprotective since my dad isn't around right now," she said dismissively. "What did you say in response?"
"I promised her that I would," I said solemnly.
Yasmine looked at me with wide eyes. I could tell that my answer had shocked her but she there was a small smile on her lips that told she felt happy that I had made the promise to protect her.
"So you're my personal hero?" She teased, scooting closer to me.
We were practically sitting shoulder to shoulder and I could feel my body temperature rising. I had never been this close to a girl before and it was making my mind go nuts. She smelled like honey and pomegranate and I involuntarily inhaled the scent. I was also suddenly aware of how pretty Yasmine was up close. I was so caught up in studying her features until our eyes met causing me to freeze. The look in her eyes was....inviting. She wanted something.
"Josiah," she said, her voice barely an audible whisper.
"Yeah?"
"Close your eyes."
Hesitating for a second, I decided to trust her and close my eyes. I felt movement and then there was the softness of Yasmine's lips pressed against mine. My mind went blank as she cupped my face with her hands to hold me steady as she deepened the kiss.
She's actually kissing me! I thought.
After what felt like an eternity (possibly longer. I honestly lost track of time) we separated, both of us breathing heavily as we stared into each other's eyes. My mind was still reeling from what just happened. Yasmine Knight, the vice captain of the track team and the most popular girl in the school, had just stole my first kiss while we were in her bedroom. My heart was pounding and my face felt hot but I didn't know if it was from arousal or the tension between me and Yasmine as we continued to stare at each other. Suddenly, she placed her hand on chest and leaned in until her lips were close to my ear.
"Lay back, Babyboy," she whispered in my ear, using the nickname she had come up with for me.
I laid back on the bed, making sure to not take my eyes off of Yasmine unless I missed something. She straddled me and placed her hands on my chest as she looked down at me, her eyes half lidded. She slid her hands upwards from chest, to my shoulders , to my neck before finally cupping my face and leaning down so that our foreheads were touching. I impulsively placed my hands on her waist which caused her to smile and laugh faintly.
"You make me feel funny, you know?" Yasmine said quietly.
I chuckled. "The feeling is mutual."
She kissed me softly, slowly pulling back to look at me once again.
"I've never felt this way about a guy before," she continued, placing another kiss on my lips. "You've made me feel so many things in the past few weeks of us getting to know each other."
"Like what?" I asked, my voice coming out a barely audible whisper.
"Happiness," she said, kissing me. "You make me very happy, Josiah."
"I do?" I asked, internally cringing at how dumbfounded I sounded.
Yasmine laughed. "Yes, dummy. I wouldn't be smiling so hard if you didn't."
She sat up and slid off the bed, leaving me a bit confused as to what she was doing. She stood by the side of her bed stretching before she grabbed the notes and textbooks of her study desk.
"Come on," she said teasingly. "Let's study. If you get a question right I'll give you a kiss."
I rolled my eyes but adhered to her request. For the next hour and a half, Yasmine and I studied everything we had gone over in the semester. From reading, to English, to math, and even the writing portion of the ACT. We spent majority of the time on math since that was my specific weak point and I realized that Yasmine was a really good tutor. The way she explained the formulas and how to solve complex equations was simple and easy to understand unlike in school where I was lost and confused majority of the class. She would create mock tests for me to take and time me then explain how to correct the problems that I got wrong without coming across as condescending which was something that I appreciated. Next, I helped her with the writing portion since Yasmine tended to struggle with organizing her ideas and staying on topic. We stayed like this until her mom called us downstairs for dinner. After eating Chinese food (and avoiding the gaze of Mrs Knight for majority of dinner) Yasmine and I sat out on the front porch watching the sunset. Yasmine was resting her head on my shoulder, the faint scent of honey and pomegranate coming from her curls making me feel at ease and peaceful.
"I'd say we got a lot done today, huh?" Yasmine said, breaking the calm silence.
"I'd say so. I feel a bit more confident about the math section of the ACT so hopefully I'll pull a good enough score," I responded.
Yasmine chuckled and hit my arm playfully. "You'll be fine, Babyboy. I believe in you."
That made my heart skip a beat. What was it about hearing a girl you liked tell you that she believed in you? I knew she meant it though. Yasmine was a genuine person. She never said anything that she didn't mean and never minced her words which was something that I appreciated and respected. A soft breeze blew past, causing one of her curls to blow onto her face. We both laughed as she brushed her curls behind her ear then she sat up and turned to face me, her expression serious.
"So. After today, I think we can both agree that we both see each other as more than friends?" She prompted.
"Very much so," I responded, my tone slightly teasing.
Yasmine rolled eyes. "Be serious. But I think.... I think I'd like to see how far we can go."
No way, I thought.
"Are you saying that you...," I said, trailing off.
Yasmine nodded, cupping my cheek with her hand and bringing our foreheads together. She looked me in the eyes, amber staring into cognac brown, our breaths mingling as we matched each other's breathing. She lightly pressed her lips to mine, giving me a gossamer kiss that sent chills up my spine.
"I want us to be exclusive," she breathed.
I let a shuddering breath but nodded my head. "We can be exclusive. So are we privately exclusive or publicly exclusive?"
Yasmine laughed, throwing her head back which made her curls bounce slightly.
"Is there a difference?"
Is there? I thought.
"I guess what I'm asking is if we're keeping this," I said, gesturing between me and her, "between you and me or are we letting our friends know that we're exclusive?"
Yasmine pondered for a second, pulling her curls in a contemplative manner and murmuring to herself but her voice was so low that I couldn't make out what she was saying. After a few more minutes of this she looked at me with narrowed eyes before speaking in a slow voice.
"You can tell all your friends except Braxton," she said, her tone becoming steely when she said his name.
I raised an eyebrow at that. "Why do I have to exclude Braxton? He's my best friend."
Yasmine took a deep breath like she was bracing for something.
"I've noticed that you two seem to be getting distant lately and because of that...he's tried to shoot his shot with me."
The expression on her face was sincere so I knew that she wasn't lying but that didn't stop my blood from boiling a bit. Braxton was trying to get with Yasmine even though he knew that I had feelings for her. Why was he trying to one up me with the girl that I liked? I assumed that our rivalry was mainly centered around who was stronger when it came to our powers but now he wanted to try and take Yasmine from me? I felt my eye twitch from my brain trying to process everything and I could feel my stress level rising which was something that I didn't need happening right now while Yasmine was literally right in front of me.
Calm down. Breathe and slow your heartbeat. You're in control.
I repeated what my mom had taught me to keep control of my stress level and keep my powers in check. I closed my eyes and let out my breath slowly, feeling my stress decrease bit by bit the more I did my breathing exercise.
"Babyboy?" Yasmine said.
I felt her hand cup my face tenderly, causing me to open my eyes and look her in the eyes. Confusion and barely masked fear danced in her eyes as she stared at me, she was waiting for my answer. I sighed resignedly before smiling at her, though it felt forced because I wasn't happy at all.
"That's fine with me," I said, hearing the shake in my voice but remaining in tact.
Yasmine let her hand fall and glanced away but I caught sight of a tear before she brushed it away and mumbled "Okay".

...

Afterwards, I told Mrs Knight and the twins that I was leaving to go home before it got too dark out. We stood in the hallway as I slipped my shoes on and grabbed my jacket before turning to say goodbye to Kennedy and Zachariah.
"Are you gonna come back and visit again?" Kennedy asked, looking up at me with innocent eyes.
I chuckled and patted her head. "Of course. It's a promise."
She squealed in delight, wrapping me in a tight hug before running off somewhere in the house. I turned my attention to Zachariah who offered me a simple fist bump before running after his twin. I was left standing there with Yasmine, who was avoiding eye contact with me after our conversation on her porch, and Mrs Knight who could sense the tension between her daughter and I. Mrs Knight cleared her throat to break the awkward silence before speaking.
"I enjoyed meeting you today, Josiah. I think you're a very unique young man."
I nodded my head and smiled. "Likewise, Mrs Knight. Thank you for the food as well."
"Don't worry about it," she said, chuckling lightly. "I treat all of Yasmine's friends like they're my children."
I smiled at that. My mom was the same way. Any time any of my friends came over she would always make sure they ate before they went home or she would let them stay the night if it was too late for them to leave. Mrs Knight seemed to be the same way which warmed my heart a bit. After that she waved goodbye and left me standing there with Yasmine. I took a step towards her so that we were close enough to touch and she raised her head so she could look at me. She gave me a small smile, showing off her chipped front tooth which made me laugh a bit.
"Call me when you get home?" She asked hopefully, swaying lightly from side to side.
"After my workout," I answered.
Then on I'm impulse, I leaned forward and kissed her cheek then pulled back to look her in the face. Yasmine was a blushing mess but managed to maintain her composure as she walked me out the front door. I waved goodbye and started my walk home. It was still fairly light out but the sun was beginning to set so I hurried home. When I got to my house I took my shoes off, headed upstairs then flopped right onto my bed face first. I rolled onto my back with a heavy sigh as I thought about everything that had happened today. Despite our little intimate moment, Yasmine and I had managed to get a good amount of studying done and I was feeling slightly more confident about the ACT. However, Mrs Knight knew my secret, and that was troubling. While she had promised to not to say anything to Yasmine, I would still have to be careful around her which was going to be hard. Then there was the promise that I had made to Mrs Knight.
"Protect my daughter. Whether it's as her friend or potential boyfriend. Keep her safe."
The words played in my mind over and over like an endless echo. I didn't know exactly I was going to keep her safe, but I intended to keep my promise to Mrs Knight. The final thought in my mind was Yasmine. Beautiful, sweet Yasmine who was now the object of my affection. I had learned a lot about her during our study date and I felt like there was still much, much more for me to know about her. She was affectionate and intimate, never missing a chance to hold my hand, play with my fingers or caress my face. Her love language, as she put it, was physical touch and she expressed her affection towards me through kisses on the cheek, cupping my face during heart to heart conversations, and long hugs where she would nuzzle into my neck and whisper in my ear. I sighed through my nose. Yasmine was slowly but surely becoming very important to me and it mirrored how my relationship with Alexis had first started. The thought of Alexis made my fist clench involuntarily. I hadn't seen or heard from her since moving to Charter and I planned to keep it that way. Mentally exhausted, I clicked off my lights and lay on my pillow, feeling the bliss of sleep wash over me as I closed my eyes (not even bothering to change my clothes, I was that tired). I was hoping for no dreams but unfortunately, I had the worst dream I'd ever had in my life.