A LEAP OF FATE

Chapter 5 - Surprise

       Sydney's P.O.V

    Jerome Johnson? Why was Jerome Johnson talking to me? Wait, why was Jerome Johnson here? Was he attending the same university as me? And why was he coming towards me, to mock me, to call me names, or just to flat out embarrass me? I didn't wait to find out the reason. I bolted away as fast as I could.

     "Oh, hey, wai....." I pushed past him before he even got to me, there was no way I was getting embarrassed by some jock from my highschool, and why exactly was he here anyway?

     When I asked myself that question again, I realized how stupid it was, The university of Miami was one of the top d1 colleges in the country, and Jerome was one of the top highschool basketball players in the country, probably one that would get to play professionally. Of course, he'd pick this place.

    Thinking about it now, a lot of people from Rosecliff would actually pick this place, they worshipped basketball players over there, and this was a basketball superior university.

    I guess my decision to pick UOM because of it's distance wasn't a good one afterall. The thought made me groan. What was the point of coming all this way then? Oh, wait, my dancing school.

       I'd gotten a good distance away from Jerome Johnson by now, so I stopped to rest by a wall around the corner. I needed sometime to think, my first day at the institute had been awful, I was doing perfectly until the teacher told me to attempt a big jump with one of the male dancers, the moment he lifted me up into the air, flashbacks of the accident came rushing back to me extremely fast, the scary pop I'd heard at the bottom of my kneecap rang in my ears, and I'd pushed myself off of him immediately.

     Every single attempt I made yielded the same result, and at the end of the lesson, the teacher had left the class very annoyed. The rest of my lessons didn't go too well either, memories of the accident just kept hindering every move I wanted to make. It was only my first day and I'd already messed up in front of everyone. It wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.

    I started walking slowly towards the minimart across the street, while evaluating my college life at the moment. So, I failed to make a good first impression at MICD, I was pretty sure a popular jock from my highschool was out to get me, oh and I had to get a job because I was broke.

    The perfect college life I'd imagined was falling apart pretty fast, this was not at all how I pictured it. If I got a job, I was pretty sure I would die in about three weeks. Classes started next week, in between that, dance school and the job I was going to get, I would be working myself into the ground, and I don't know if I'd survive that kind of exhaustion.

    Not to mention, I'd also have to be running around avoiding Jerome Johnson. The thought made me groan, what exactly did he want anyway?  I'd really just bolted off without thinking there, what if he wanted to be nice? I doubted it. We'd been neighbours for nine years, and we attended the same highschool, and not once had he ever spoken to me. Why would he start now? Especially when he knew my highschool status, who'd want to befriend the broken cheerleader?

     I'd gotten to the mart by now, and decided to stop thinking about Jerome. Why was I thinking so much anyway? I'd managed to avoid him and I could do it again, so there was no big deal. At least, I hoped so.

    I walked into the minimart and immediately made my way to the fruit section, I liked to eat healthy, fruits were one of the top foods in my diet.

   I got some apples, pears and plums and sauntered over to the cashier. I noticed there was a little restaurant connected to the mart, and, maybe it was pure luck or, just a coincidence, but I immediately noticed it. The large 'HELP WANTED' sign.

    "Hello, are you paying or.........?" I realised I was still standing at the cashier's, I quickly brought out my wallet.

     "That'll be 4.95 dollars" she said, I paid quickly and made my way over to the restaurant section. An Asian boy manned the counter, and I could hear some voices in the room behind him, which I assumed was the kitchen. I walked over to the counter and the boy immediately looked at me. He looked young, probably in high school, not that much younger than me though.

     "Good evening" he politely greeted, I smiled.

  "How may I help you?" He said, I realised that a thick Korean accent was entwined in his voice, it sounded nice.
    "Um, I just noticed the help wanted sign and I was wondering what the job is for" I said, gesturing to the large sign situated above his head.

     "Oh" he said. "We need a new fry cook, our old one just graduated and can't work anymore" he continued, the Korean accent in his voice completely entrancing.

    I thought about the job, a fry cook, I was especially exceptional in that department. I was, and had always been a good cook. Mom used to always beg me to cook meals when she was tired or being lazy.

    "The pay's pretty good" the boy continued to say. "It's about 90 dollars a week, and you'll only be working for 4 days in a 7 day week" he finally finished.

     I weighed my options, a weekly pay. That was good. In fact, it was better than good. It was more than I could've hoped for.

    "I......." the sound of the door opening cut off my sentence, and when I turned to look at who it was, it cut off my breathing. Jerome Johnson was headed my way, he was coming with the same guy I saw him with earlier. The look on his face made it clear that he had already seen me.

    The thought of actually trying to talk to him crossed my mind, but I dismissed it immediately. There was no way I was going to embarrass myself in front of all these people.

    Jerome was getting closer, my eyes flashed to the door on my right, the one connected to the minimart, then flash back to him, he was almost at my spot, with a very sickening grin plastered on his face.

    I look towards the door again ,and before I knew what was happening, I was running towards it.

    "Hey, what's wrong?" I heard the Asian boy at the counter yell from behind me, but I don't bother to answer. I could go back another time, a time when Jerome Johnson wasn't there.

     A few minutes later, I'm at my dorm room. Exhausted with all the running I'd done, Paige raised her head from the book she was reading as she saw me come back into the room.

     "Hey" she said, I look towards her and sigh, falling on my bed with a thud.

     "Well, you seem tired" she continued.

   "Tired dosen't even begin to cover it" I reply, my hands rubbing at my face.

      "Bad day?"

     "You have no idea"

    Paige laughed and stopped talking after that, I looked to see she'd gone back to her book. I picked up one of mine and also started reading.

    Before we knew it, 3 hours had passed and I was starting to get cramped on the tiny bed. I got up from it and made my way to the window. Opening it, I sit on the chair beside it and bring out my phone.

    I was about to text my mom when I heard my name. I looked around trying to find the source before I looked to the direction of the voice, which happened to be the building that contained the boys, and I saw the face of the person I'd been trying to avoid.

      Jerome Johnson. Apparently, fate wasn't going to make it easy for me.

      "Please don't run this time"

     *                                    *                                  *
   I'm sorry the pacing of the book is so slow, I promise they'll officially meet in the next chapter.😇
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