"𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞."
Jasmine has always been known as the "new kid". She has never felt at home, but then she moves to Salt...
sebmatthewsmith oh my god i'm OBSESSED with you ↳ jasmine.collins um what i'm obsessed with you!!💋 @sebmatthewsmith
skaterricky okay wow no love for me?😢
-Jasmine's POV-
I decided to drive to school today, instead of walking with Ricky. Since the read-through yesterday, I haven't really talked to him. I feel like he was just using me yesterday to make Nini jealous. I get that he wants to be with her and everything, but that doesn't mean he should use me as his fake girlfriend. And on top of that, he didn't defend Red. That's his best friend and he couldn't even say anything back to EJ.
As I got out of my car, I heard someone running behind me. I turned around and saw Ricky coming towards me with his skateboard in his hand, out of breath. "Hey, I was waiting at your house. I didn't know you were driving,"he said, walking alongside me towards the school.
"Uh, yeah,"I mumbled, not looking over at him as I sped up.
Ricky stopped and pulled on my hand to make me stop too. "Did I do something wrong, Jas? Is that why you haven't talked to me since the read-through yesterday?"he asked quietly, looking into my eyes.
I took a deep breath and pulled my hand away. "Ricky, look, I know you want Nini back and everything, but can you please not use me as a fake girlfriend?"
A confused expression covered his face. "What're you talking about? I'm not doing that, Jas, I promise." I rolled my eyes and continued walking. He quickly matched my pace. "Jas, look at me. I'm not doing that. I wouldn't do that,"he protested.
"It feels a lot like that, holding my hand and getting close to me whenever Nini's around. And you didn't even correct her when she called me your girlfriend yesterday,"I said, staring straight ahead as we walked into the school.
Ricky sighed,"No, it's not like that. You and I became friends so quickly, and I just love spending time with you. I didn't correct Nini yesterday because okay, yes, I wanted her to be a bit jealous. But I didn't want you to think I'm playing you, because I'm not."
"You kinda just admitted to using me..."
His eyes widened. "No, I didn't mean it like that! You're beautiful and amazing and I-"
I cut him off,"You know what, it's fine. Let's just not talk about it." One of the things I hate about myself: I let people get away with things, even if it bothers me.
"Uh, okay, if that's what you want..."Ricky trailed off.
In English class, I decided to sit with Ashlyn instead of Ricky. We actually got to know each other quite a bit during the read-through yesterday. She was telling me about how she's EJ's cousin, but I promised I wouldn't judge her based off of that. She's genuinely sweet and kind, the complete opposite of EJ. Also, she's playing Ms. Darbus in the musical, so I stan.
"So, tell me about you and Ricky,"Ashlyn said as we were given a few minutes to discuss a poem.
I shrugged. "He's just a friend. We're actually neighbours so we got close really fast." I quickly added,"You're not asking all of this for EJ, are you?"
She laughed. "No, of course not! He's my cousin and all, but he's also an idiot."
I laughed lightly. "I'm sure he's got some good qualities, but he doesn't show them around me and Ricky."
"He's just like that. Don't worry about him,"Ashlyn assured.
At lunch, I caught up with Gina. Red and Ricky were sitting at a table nearby, looking over at me. I ignored them and asked Gina,"Are you excited for the musical?"
"Yeah, I'm really excited actually. What about you?"she asked, a big smile on her face.
I admitted,"I'm super nervous. I've never been a lead, I haven't even been in a musical before!"
Gina laughed and put her hand on top of mine. "It's okay! You'll be great. Don't worry about it too much now. Just focus on your lines and songs for now."
I smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Gina."
Someone came and sat beside me at the table. I turned and saw Ricky, but immediately looked back at Gina.
She quickly got up and said,"I actually have to go talk to the principal before lunch period ends, so I'll talk to you later." Before I could say anything else, she walked away.
I took a deep breath and turned to Ricky, who looked at me intently.
"Why are you still ignoring me?"he asked.
"It's nothing. Just drop it,"I mumbled, trying to get up.
He grabbed my arm and softly said,"Please, sit."
I reluctantly sat back down and faced him. "It's hard to make new friends, and it's scary how close we got in just a few days. It worries me,"I admitted.
"Why does it worry you?"he asked, looking intently into my eyes.
I took a deep breath. "Because I've known many guys like you, Ricky, and I've always ended up being hurt by them."
Ricky's face fell into a frown. "Jas, I know I did a stupid thing, but I promise I will never do something like that again. Your friendship over these past few days has already meant everything to me."
I could hear the sincerity in his voice, which made me want to believe him so bad. But I don't know...
He added,"Let me take you on a date and prove it to you."
My eyes shot wide open. "A d-d-date?"I stuttered. Why am I like this?
"Uh, yeah, a friend date,"he quickly added, probably seeing the terror in the eyes.
A little bit of the nervousness lifted off my shoulders. "Oh, yeah, sure. That would be great,"I said.
Ricky smiled brightly and hugged me. "Great, thank you,"he whispered into my ear. And as he pulled away from the hug, he kissed me on the cheek.
My cheeks burned, and I could tell I was seriously blushing. Luckily the bell rang, and I quickly stood up. "Uh, I'll see you in Chemistry,"I said, throwing my bag over my shoulder.
"See ya!"he called after me as I rushed out of the cafeteria doors. I know what I'm feeling right now, but I can't allow myself to do this. This happens every time, but I will not let myself fall in love again. It never ends well.
