Project: EUPHORIA

Part 3 - Friend

The warm summer breeze brushes over Jane's cheeks, both seemed to be littered with freckles in deep contrast with her rosy slightly sunburnt complexion. Her eyes dances along with the leaves blowing across the clear blue sky. She felt the damp grass tickling the soft skin in between her fingers.

"That's not probable." A timid voice comes from her side. Her hair sways as she turns her head, she moves a strand slightly covering her mouth and combs it to the top of her ear. This was Jane, but her face is less wrinkled, less worn by time and stress.

"Think harder." Jane dismisses the voice. She felt a sharp pang of annoyance travelling through her little mind. She felt insulted in-fact.

Beside her sits a much younger version, but still the same sharp angles Alexander Vera has. His jet black hair perfect and still, glued down by hair products Jane could not help but smell with every breeze blowing through it. He looked extremely formal for his age, he looked almost like a man more than a boy compared to Jane's youthful features.

Jane loved it, loved the smell, loved the mystery she associated with him, loved every moment she could manage to spend with him.

She would do her usual bouts everyday, eat her healthy meals cooked up by her Father and she goes back to her high school. An endless cycle she thought to herself, but she also knew the importance of education and the privilege that comes with it regardless.

Knowledge will be the most lethal weapon you will ever wield, her father used to tell her.

"Still not..." Alexander looks up to meet Jane's gaze. All she could do was divert her attention to something else, like the strings off the hemline of her sweater. Every time Alexander looks at her all she could do is distract herself in some other way before he draws her in completely. Before his eyes gobbles her up whole.

Jane was about to open her mouth, ready for a snarky reply when she spotted Roxanne waving her arm from a distance. She tried her hardest not to roll her eyes, and held her right arm up instead to wave back. She's trying her best to form a smile, it doesn't matter how far she is. Make it look convincing.

"You're very obvious." A sly smirk creeps across Alexander's lips as he squints his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Roxanne approaches. Her bright auburn red hair blowing against the wind. Curly and natural. Specks of freckles splattered across the tip of her nose and just below her eyes. Her skin ivory white against the bright sunlight. She seemed to float just like the leaves falling from the trees all around them, seemed to be carried by the wind.

Jane focuses on the necklace Roxanne is wearing sparkling from the sunlight.

What do you think? Doesn't it look amazing?

Who got you that?

Mom did.

For your birthday?

No! I told you didn't I? They just got back from Italy last night.

Right.

Jane felt the jealousy creep up to her, felt its cold clammy hands creeping all over her. She could not help but feel ashamed. She has been trying her hardest not to let her emotions get the best of her, just like Alexander would. She knew that emotions are a natural part of growing but she also knew that there are more important things in life.

"Still, an all in one serum still doesn't seem like a profitable investment." Alexander says as Roxanne approaches closer and closer.

"We'll discuss this another time."