Reflection – The Transdimensional Archives

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</HEAD><BODY leftMargin=15 rightMargin=15 MARGINHEIGHT="15" MARGINWIDTH="15"> <CENTER> </CENTER> Ooo wow, I love this part. This is my second writing...ever and I have to admit it was a really fun one. I'm not counting how many times I had to rewrite this story due to computer crashes and my laziness ways (Why waste my time saving it onto a disk? What can happen?) Well, after three times of doing it over, it's finally done. Thank you Jesus! Anyways, let me start off by thanking all the people that have actually read my work and commented positively on it. You guys are awesome and promise me you'll always stay so damn cool! Of course, Sylver Rose who I couldn't thank enough (She's seriously the coolest person out there)-Who ever hasn't read her stories, do so NOW, you don't know what your missing. The few people who have asked if they could include my fic onto their pages (Symbolic Agony, Phoenix Flame, etc.) thank you guys, it means a lot! Um, let me see what else? Oh yeah, obviously, Power Rangers are a part of Saban Entertainment, you know the deal. Fallon and Faith are my characters and are based on real people in my life. I love you both. For all you Christina Aguilera fans who only clicked on this fic because you wanted to see if this story was based on her amazing song, well...it is. I'll be writing my stories a lot faster now (hellooo cable modems!) so, that's all I really have to say about that and for all you people who continuously write me asking "What ranger is Jasmine going to be?" Well, read and find out- Okay, I'm seriously writing a book here, so let me finish by saying Mariah Carey rocks, Coyote Ugly was a really good movie, David Yost is the most gorgeous man on this planet and Brittany Marie THE ALBUM is coming-courtesy of Sony Records. Much love to my music fans as well as my writing ones!

<h5><center> Reflection By Brittany Marie </center></h5>

It was a rainy and stormy Friday afternoon on the streets of Angel Grove. Jasmine curled up near a window reading a letter from her friends. As she was however, she chatted on the phone with the closest one of her friends, Fallon. The two had known each other since they were three years old and dancing in the same classes. Fallon had dropped out a few years after, but Jasmine had still kept with it. As they got older, the girls attended school together and blossomed a beautiful friendship over the years. To Jasmine, Fallon was the closest thing she had. "Keep reading, keep reading!" Fallon's voice anxiously sounded through the reciever, "Get to my part." Jasmine stared at the letter, trying to make out the words scribbled on the paper. "I'm trying! Seriously, have you TRIED to read Faith's handwriting? Honestly, it's impossible!" Jasmine exclaimed. Fallon laughed loudly on the other end, "All right, here it is....." Jasmine trailed off concentrating on Fallon's section of the letter and read it out loud: Dear Jazz, How's it going out there in sunny California? New York's pretty boring without ya, but the weather is nice so lots of tanning and going to the beach. How's the singing and dancing coming along? You haven't talked about it in such a long time. It was all you ever talked about in New York. What happened? Anyways, how's the boyfriend? Next time he comes over, call me. I want to talk to him. We got your pictures and I'm sorry to say, but Billy...yeah, he's hot. You guys look so cute together. I'm going to start calling you more. I miss you so much! Ahhh. Well, I'll talk to you soon hopefully. Love ya lots and Always, Fallon Jasmine smiled in response to the sincere letter, although she knew Fallon could not see her expression. "So, how IS everything going?" Fallon asked Jasmine when she heard her friend finish reading the letter. "It's great here. I miss home so much, but like, Angel Grove really does feel like my home now. Everyone has done so much to help me fit in, it's incredible." Jasmine answered. "How long have you been there for already?" Fallon questioned. "A few months! I can't even believe it's been that long. I feel like I've been here for a week." Jasmine stated. Fallon chuckled. "Guess you really did fit in nicely." Jasmine stared back down at the letter and a single tear escaped from her. "I really do miss you guys. More than I miss anything else. Are you ever gonna visit or what?" Jasmine impatiently asked. "This summer," Fallon answered, "I promise." Suddenly, Jasmine heard her call waiting and took it as a sign to hang up. "Hey, that's my other line. I'll give you a call next week okay?" she said to Fallon. "Sure thing. Bye hun." The two girls hung up with each other and Jasmine switched on to the other line. "Hello?" "Hey, Hey. How's it going?" the voice on the other end responded. Jasmine smiled at the sound of her boyfriend's friendly tone. "All right. Having a good day I see." Jasmine concluded. "Actually, despite all the rain and gloomy weather...yeah." Billy agreed, "I want to see you today." "Oh really? Well, we can't always get what we want now can we?" Jasmine teased him. "Must you do this?" Billy asked a little annoyed. He took every moment he spent with Jasmine very seriously. She was very close to him. "Oh hush babe, you know I'm kidding." She assured him, "Wanna come over? My parents went away for the weekend and Owen is spending the night at a friends." "You mean you and I at your house alone for the night?" Billy asked, slightly confused. Jasmine frowned. "Yeah, why? Is that not a good idea?" She questioned, a bit puzzled at his strange reaction. "Your parents wouldn't mind this?" Billy tried to get some answers, "I mean, I don't think I would feel comfortable if they would." "Your making this into a bigger deal then it really is. Go to Blockbuster or something, pick us up a few good movies and I'll order a pizza. I really don't feel like going out tonight, but I want to see you." Jasmine explained. Billy sighed. A night alone with Jasmine sounded great to him, however, he would hate to go against her parents' wishes. She reassured him everything was okay so he agreed. "I'll be there in a half an hour." He told her and they both hung up. Jasmine dialed the number to the pizza place and placed her order to be delivered. <center>~*~</center> Jasmine was already undressed and into a comfy pair of plaid pajama pants and a tight white tank top. Her and Billy had been dating for half a year already, so as time passed, she cared less and less about how she looked. It felt good to know that she could be dressed down, with sloppy hair and no make-up and Billy would still think that she looked beautiful. Today, her long brown hair was blow-dried pin straight and she left it down. One of her favorite things was when Billy played with her hair. He happened to like it too. She washed her face quickly and the soap left her flawless skin glowing. She walked over to the family sound system and picked out one of her favorite CD's and popped it into the player. She turned the volume up and listened to the smooth sounds of Mariah Carey. She sang along to the lyrics of "Love Takes Time" and surprised herself at how much she sounded like the multi talented Diva. She started to really get into the song and put her all into it. She belted out every note carefully and perfectly, trying to match Mariah's voice. The song ended and she lowered the music. She turned around and let out a high pitched scream. "Oh my god! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?!" She shouted to Billy, trying to catch her breath. When she had turned around, she saw Billy, no more than six feet behind her, staring at her. "I'm sorry, but your door was open. I walked in and, I just....heard you singing and it totally shocked me." Billy explained to her apologetically. "Well, that's embarrassing. This is why I don't sing in front of crowds." She murmured, taking Billy's statement as a negative one. Billy started to walk towards her. "What are you talking about? Jasmine, that was amazing. You sounded just like her. I never knew you could even sing! Let alone like her!" He paused, "Who was that anyway?" Jasmine couldn't help but laugh. "Mariah Carey." She said in a low tone. Billy's eyes widened. "You're kidding? I know I don't know much about music, but I know of Mariah Carey and I know that if my girlfriend sings just like her, then she's gotta be great!" Jasmine looked away and tried to ignore his compliments. She didn't want to talk about singing what so ever. Billy got the message. He dropped the bag he was carrying onto the couch and walked around to Jasmine. He gave her a warm hug and held her face in his hands. He gave her a soft and gentle kiss on her lips and pressed his forehead against hers. "So anyway, what's up?" Jasmine giggled and looked up at him. "Nothing at all." She gave him a quick kiss back then broke away from him, "So what did you get me? Anything good?" she asked, looking through the bag of videos as she sat on the couch. Billy sat down next to her. "I hope so." Jasmine pulled out three videos and nodded as she read their titles. "Do you know me or what? I've been dying to see all of these," she stated to him. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Good, pizza. I'm starving." "What did you get on it?" Billy asked her. "Nothing. You like yours plain." She answered. He smiled at her. "Very good." He got up and went to answer the door. "What are you doing?" She asked him. "Getting the pizza. What does it look like I'm doing?" He wisecracked back. "Well, then here. Take my money." She said, handing him a twenty. "I don't think so." He called back to her. "Billy!" She screamed, racing him to the door. He beat her to it, and quickly opened the door, grabbed the pizza and threw his money at the delivery boy. "Keep the change." Billy replied, as he closed the door swiftly before the boy could say anything in return. "Thanks Mister!" came from the other side of the door and Billy grinned. An angry Jasmine was standing right before him. "That wasn't right Billy. You paid for the movies. You should let me pay every now and then." She said to him, annoyed. "Okay. You'll pay next time." He told her as he walked passed her and carried the pizza to the table. "You always say that." Jasmine replied, shaking her head. She walked over to him, money still in hand and hugged him. She let her hands slide down his pants and tried to slip the bill in his pocket. He grabbed a hold of her hand before she succeeded and pulled away. "Nice try though." Billy remarked with a sly grin. Jasmine sighed and grabbed a slice of pizza. When they finished eating, Jasmine threw out the paper plates and napkins as Billy closed the cardboard cover of the remaining pizza and put it in the refrigerator. "Well, what now?" he asked. Jasmine scrunched her face and stated in an over-dramatic whisper: "Movie time." Billy couldn't help but laugh as Jasmine walked towards the couch, picked up the movies and asked, "Which one do you want to watch first?" "Doesn't matter to me," Billy replied, "Pick whichever one you want." Jasmine sighed. She hated making little decisions. Especially when she couldn't get a second opinion. It was a little pet peeve of hers. She wished Billy would tell her what he really wanted sometimes. "Alright, lemme see... We've got three different types of movies. Romance, horror and comedy. I say we start the night off with a little fun, a.k.a. comedy, take a little break, continue it with some romance and I mean the film, then, take a LONG break..." she cut off her sentence with a sly smile, looking directly at Billy, "then end the night with the horror, because let's face it, horrors are just not scary unless they're at the latest time possible in the night." Billy looked impressed. "And a very good conclusion my dear." He stated. Jasmine giggled and slipped the first tape in the VCR. The night started to turn to early morning. The couple cuddled on the couch for the three movies and at 2am, they both grew tired. "Maybe I should go," Billy said as Jasmine got up to eject the movie, "Unless, of course, you want me to stay." Jasmine nodded as she stretched. "I just finished watching a movie where a young girl makes the mistake of staying home alone and gets hacked up by a psycho with a chain saw. You're staying." Jasmine stated, in more of a demand, to her boyfriend. "I think I'll do that." "Come on. Let's go get settled for bed," she said as she walked to Owen's bedroom. She went through his drawers and pulled out a pair of comfortable shorts. She threw them in Billy's direction. "There, wear those." She said to him, "They're too big for him and I keep telling him that. You can change in the bathroom." Billy walked into the bathroom as Jasmine walked to her room. When he finished changing, he made his way to Jasmine's room and stood in the door frame, not quite sure about the sleeping arrangements. Jasmine pulled down the sheets to her bed and looked up to see Billy staring back at her. "One pillow or two?" She asked him. "One's fine." He told her. Jasmine glared at him. "Stop being Mr. Nice Guy. If you want two, I want you to say "'Give me two pillows!' You know what your problem is? Your overly sweet." Jasmine shouted. Billy was a little shocked by Jasmine's outburst, but he tried to lighten her up. "Overly sweet huh? Like those Sour Patch candies?" Billy joked. Jasmine didn't laugh, but rather smiled, shaking her head. "I'm serious Billy. Put your foot down once in awhile. Lay down the law, demand things YOUR way for once. Stop being so....considerate." Billy could not understand her reasons. "Wait, you'd rather me be one of those trash talking, leather wearing, motorcycle riding air heads? The ones that parents hate? The ones that abuse and cheat on their girlfriends?" He asked, still curious. "I didn't say that. I just want you to do what YOU want. Don't let people walk all over you." Jasmine said back to him, feeling bad. "I don't let people walk all over me. Where would you get that idea?" Billy questioned. "Not yet. But, Billy, the time is going to come when people are just going to use you. And if your super nice, your more prone to it. I'm just saying. I've been there. I want you to tell me what you want. Don't hide from me. Especially not me!" Jasmine replied. "Jasmine, with all due respect, it seems as if you're the one hiding things from me." Billy spoke slowly. "What are you talking about?" She demanded. "Something isn't right with you. There's more to you than any of us know, but for some reason, you're too scared to show it." He answered. "You know everything about me." Jasmine said to him in denial. "Oh really? Do I? Jasmine, I walked into this house today and heard the most beautiful singing I've ever heard in my life. I'm not even into music, yet I knew that you have what's considered "'talent' and that you must have had training." Billy told her. "I don't know what you're talking about." Jasmine replied as she continued to pull the sheets down and make the bed down for sleeping. Billy walked towards the opposite side of the bed and looked at her from across. "Yes. You do. And if I didn't even know that about you, then I wonder what else it is your keeping from me." There was a moment of absolute silence as Billy saw Jasmine look down and hug herself. She started to tear and cursed herself for it. Billy suddenly felt bad about the way he was talking to his girlfriend and apologized. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you in any way. I just wish we didn't keep secrets from each other. I want you to trust me. I know I trust you and Jasmine, I care about you so much...I love you." Jasmine looked up with wide-eyes and stared at Billy in disbelief. "What?" she asked, wondering if she had heard him correctly. Billy looked down briefly, then back up again to Jasmine's eyes. "I said I love you." He reassured her. Jasmine looked around her, not quite sure what to do. She knew she loved Billy back and was debating on whether or not she should say it back. She looked up at him, teary-eyed. "I love you too Billy" she said in a voice a little lower than a whisper. Billy treated her with a smile, followed by a yawn. "I'm sorry. There are some things I'm not telling you. And I will, but not now, tomorrow. I can see we're both exhausted right now." Jasmine admitted. Billy nodded. "I agree." They both climbed into bed and Jasmine turned the bedroom light off. "Goodnight Jazz." He said to her, as he reached over and gave her a small, gentle kiss on the lips. "Night." She answered. She curled up with the blankets, getting comfortable and closed her eyes. As soon as she felt she was about to drift off to sleep, Billy tapped her shoulder. "You know what? I want two pillows. Get me two please!" <center>~*~</center> "So Tanya, are you entering that competition Angel Grove High is throwing for the musically gifted seniors?" Adam asked his girlfriend during a friendly get together in the park. Adam, along with Tanya, Billy, Rocky and Tommy sat around a large picnic table, located in the center of Angel Grove Park. They all had been so busy with testing and schoolwork, they rarely got to spend some carefree time together to shoot the breeze. Therefore, they savored moments like these and never took them for granted. "Of course. I signed up last week when I first heard about it. The winner gets to perform at graduation. That's so exciting, I'll do anything to win!" said the bubbly eighteen-year-old. The guys smiled. They all knew how serious Tanya was about her vocal ability and how she took pride in it. Whatever it was she wanted, she worked for it and most of the time, succeeded. "Well, we know you deserve to win." Rocky said to his friend. Tanya smiled in thanks and looked around her curiously. "Where's Kat and Jasmine? How come they didn't come with the rest of you?" She asked, just realizing the two other females of the group were missing. "Kat said something about getting some help from Jasmine. Whatever that means. Personally, I think it's a cover up." Tommy stated. Billy looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?" He asked, wanting to know. Tommy took a sip of his soda and responded to Billy's curious question. "It just doesn't make sense to me. Something's not right. Those two are hiding something and it's blatantly obvious." Tommy concurred. "Hiding something? What could they possibly be hiding? And why?" Rocky added in. Tanya cocked her head and squinted her eyes. "I don't know. But I intend to find out." She said. <center>~*~</center> "Kat, I want to thank you for practicing with me. I haven't been dancing for so long, I got scared I might have lost my moves." Jasmine said to her new friend. They had driven a few miles out of Angel Grove to a small dance studio in Stone Canyon. Jasmine had confessed to Kat a couple of weeks beforehand that she was a dancer when Kat accidentally had spotted her practicing in the park. The others had been attending a martial arts match at the Youth Center. Kat hadn't been interested and decided to go for a walk. The park was usually isolated on Sunday nights, so she was surprised to find Jasmine there, dancing by herself with so much grace. "It's not a problem at all. I had fun today. I never though jazz would be my thing, but it was a lot of fun. I surprisingly caught on very well." Kat admitted. Jasmine smiled. "You're a ballerina. Once you have ballet down-packed, you can do anything." Jasmine replied, then added, "So how long have you been dancing for? Professionally speaking?" "Well, as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a ballerina. What little girl didn't really? Anyway, when I was eight, they built a tiny dance studio for young children right near my home in Sydney. After that, I pursued it. It was so much fun and I got praise for actually being good at something." Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. So what happened after that? Were you in any shows or anything in Australia?" "A few, up until I was fourteen. See, when I was seven I had taken up swimming lessons. I didn't like them very much, my parents felt strongly about me doing that. Actually, in order to take ballet, I had to promise to keep up with my swimming. Swimming then got boring so I took it one step higher. At ten, I began improving my diving techniques and made it pretty far with that. The rest of my diving has been a painful memory. I try not to think of it much." Kat put her head down and remembered the tragic day she hit her head on the diving board at the Pan Global Games. She lost all hope for Australia winning the gold. She has since then moved on, but the memories never escaped her fully. Jasmine looked up at Kat sympathetically. "I don't blame you. No one is forcing you to talk. Just be happy your alive and well today, dancing, saving the world and stealing Tommy's heart." Jasmine replied with a sly grin. Kat looked up at her startled. "What are you talking about?!" She exclaimed. Jasmine giggled. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She responded. Kat looked up at Jasmine sternly. "Jasmine, I have a question for you." She said. Jasmine looked at Kat's serious expression a bit puzzled. "Shoot." She answered. "How come you don't want anyone to know about your dancing? You're incredible. I couldn't keep up with you at all." Kat complimented her. Jasmine sighed. "When I got to Angel Grove, everyone had these talents right? Like, you were the dancer, Rocky was the comedian, Billy was the smart guy, Tommy was the heartthrob, Adam was the martial artist and Tanya was the singer. Those were and still are your titles. The last thing I wanted to do is take that from you. I'm the new girl and I don't care where you go, no one likes the new person taking his or her place. So with this whole, "'trying-to-fit-in' phase, I guess I kinda just kept my talents to myself." Jasmine admitted. "Why would you go and do a thing like that?" Kat questioned, "We'd love you to share your talents. Jasmine, we are so open to that. We're your friends now and we don't let jealousy or competition get into the way of friendship." Jasmine smiled as Kat embraced her in a warm, friendly hug. She also added, "In case you haven't noticed, Tommy is a martial artist too. As well as Rocky is." Jasmine nodded. "True, very true." Jasmine agreed. Kat smiled widely. "And uh, in case you failed to notice, your boy is quite a heart throb as well." Kat concurred with a grin. Jasmine laughed. "Oh so very true." She replied again with another laugh, "Come on, we better start heading for the park before the others grow suspicious to our whereabouts."

<center>~*~</center> "How exactly do you plan on finding out what their up to?" Adam asked Tanya back in the park. "Easy," She replied, "I'll ask them." Billy shook his head. "What makes you so sure they'll confess to you so easily, when Jasmine won't even tell me, her own boyfriend, her secrets?" He added, a little annoyed. Four heads turned and stared in his direction. Billy suddenly regretted what he had just said. "So, Jasmine's been keeping secrets from you?" Tommy said, trying to hold back laughter. Billy took on to his humorous reaction. "I really don't see what's so funny." He replied, "I don't know what's up with her. Why does she feel the need to keep things from me?" Tanya reached her hand across the table and placed it over her worried friend's forearm. "Billy, come on, your blowing this way out of proportion. What makes you think Jasmine's hiding anything from you anyway?" She asked, trying to comfort him. Billy sighed and looked up at his friends. "Last weekend I slept over Jasmine's. Well, she wasn't expecting me so early and I walked inside her house, not prepared to see or hear what I did." Billy told them. "She was with another guy?!" Rocky shrieked. Startled, Billy shook his head. "No, No, God no, nothing like that. Please Rocky." Billy answered. The thought of Jasmine ever leaving him or cheating on him was such a painful one. He cared about her too much to think about losing her. "Well then what is it bro?" Tommy asked curiously. "She was singing." Everyone looked up at Billy and frowned, "It wasn't just ANY singing, it was...amazing. She has such a range and just such a beautiful sound. Not only that, but she looked so happy. Like, singing has to be her favorite thing to do in the world. I can't even explain the smile or the look that was on her face. She looked like she escaped into a different world for that single minute I saw her. When I confronted her, she denied everything and didn't want to talk to me about it at all. Like she was ashamed of it. It just really aroused my curiosity." Billy finished. "Well, how good was she? Better than Tanya?" Adam asked. Tanya looked at Adam briefly, then right back at Billy, awaiting his answer. "Please don't make me answer that, this isn't a competition." Billy begged. "And noone's making it into one. I can deal with the fact that someone out there is better than I am." Tanya assured him. Billy sighed. "I don't know. I've never heard you do the things she was doing. Incredibly high notes.....as well as extremely low notes...mixed with the sadness in the song she was singing. I can't compare." Tanya smirked, finding it quite humorous how Billy knew absolutely nothing about music. His explanation had almost made no sense to her at all. But where people excel in some things, they lack knowledge in others. "Besides," He continued, "I know nothing about music or vocal training. I know what's good when I hear it and that's about it." Billy confessed. Tanya looked confused. "Why on earth, if she's as good as you say she is, would she be hiding it? It makes no sense." She stated. The five teens nodded their head in agreement. "Well, did you try to get her to talk?" Rocky asked Billy. Billy nodded. "I did, but she didn't want to talk to me about it. She had said that night she would in the morning, but she never did. I don't want to bug her or aggravate her. Maybe she doesn't like to be noticed for personal reasons." Everyone looked at Billy with "'Oh come on!' expressions on their faces, "Well I don't know!" "You think Kat knows?" Tommy wondered. "I bet she does." Adam responded. Suddenly, the five of them heard footsteps coming their way. They turned their heads to find Katherine and Jasmine walking in their general direction. "Hey!" They both said brightly in unison. Billy, Tommy, Tanya, Adam and Rocky all looked at each other and mumbled a "'hey' together. "Whoa, what pissed off this crowd?" Jasmine asked as she plopped down right beside Billy. He turned his head and stared at her. "Where were you?" He asked. Jasmine was a bit taken back, taking his question more as an accusation. "Out with Kat." She answered, feeling she didn't need to reveal what she didn't want to. Billy shook his head. "That doesn't answer my question." He told her. "Well, I'm sorry, but that's all your getting out of me." She said to him. The rest of the group looked away, sensing that a fight was most likely about to take place at that exact moment. "Why can't you just tell me where you were? I don't see what the big deal is." Billy asked her, growing angry. Jasmine looked directly into his green eyes and sternly replied back to him. "The big deal is, I don't need to have you knowing where I am every second. I was out with Kat, and personally, I don't feel like telling you where, exactly I was." She said calmly, yet angrily. Billy rose from his seat and looked down at her. "What's with you huh? You think it's good for our relationship if you keep secrets? Or are you purposely trying to end it with me?" He questioned loudly, demanding answers. Jasmine stood up as well and looked at him right back. "What the hell are you talking about Billy?! It's not my fault you're getting overly dramatic just because you didn't know where I was for a few brief hours! I have a life and I'm going to live it! You don't need to know everything about me you know. There are a lot of things I don't want to tell you and I since I don't want to, I'm not going to. That's just something you have to deal with and if you want to sacrifice our relationship solely on the fact that you can't handle not knowing EVERYTHING, for once, then fine!" Jasmine shouted back. Billy took a deep breath, shook his head and looked deep into her eyes. "I can handle not knowing everything. However, I can't handle not knowing anything." He looked away from her and started to walk away, "Looks like there's nothing left to discuss here. Only the fact that it's over between you and me." Jasmine stared in disbelief as he walked away. Could it be? Had Billy really just broken up with her? After six months of what she thought to be the best relationship ever? She sat back down on the picnic table bench and closed her eyes. She placed her hands over her eyes and tried hard not to cry. She felt her heart literally break into a thousand pieces inside of her. She didn't know what to do or how to handle it. She started to cry hard now and she crossed her arms on the table and lay her head down. She felt a hand rubbing her back and heard Tanya sit down next to her. She didn't look up. She couldn't face anyone right now. She hated fighting with people. This was the first fight she had been in since living in Angel Grove. Right now, she wanted a friend. She wanted Fallon, Faith, Shannon, Devin, Ashley or Kristina. And it pained her even more to realize she couldn't be with any of them. She got up from the bench and raced home, ignoring Tanya, Kat, Adam, Rocky and Tommy's pleas for her to stay. <center>~*~</center> Three days had gone by since the breakup. The tragic day had happened on a Friday and Jasmine didn't have to go back into school until Wednesday. The juniors at Angel Grove High had testing on Monday and Tuesday and seniors, freshman and sophomores had a few extra days off. Jasmine woke up Monday afternoon to her mother sitting at her bedside. She kissed her forehead and played with her hair. Jasmine remembered how Billy loved playing with her hair. The thought upset her even more. "Baby, please get up. You haven't gotten out of bed for three days. You've hardly eaten anything and your miserable. It kills me to see you this way mija." Her mother pleaded. Jasmine opened her swollen eyes and looked up at her mother's sincere, Spanish gaze. "Has he called?" she asked in a voice as low as a whisper. Her mother shook her head. "Jasmine, give him time to cool off. I'm almost positive it's not over between you two. You guys had a fight. Things like this happen. You'll both apologize after a week and you'll be back together in no time. This moping is just a waste of precious time." Her mother reassured her. "Ma! Telephone!" Owen's voice was heard from the kitchen. Maria looked at Jasmine. "Promise me you'll get up." She said as she walked out of Jasmine's room. After five minutes Jasmine rose from her bed. She walked over to the wide mirror above her dresser and looked herself over. She looked horrible. Her hair was tangled, her face was pale and she looked noticeably thinner. In fact, she looked horribly skinny. Jasmine hugged herself and fell to the floor. She began another crying phase and wondered how long it would be until this treacherous feeling inside her would surpass. <center>~*~</center> Billy had been sitting at the kitchen table, pretending to read the newspaper as his father chatted away on the telephone. The past three days had been agony for him. But he had managed to try and get his mind off Jasmine every once and awhile and concentrate on schoolwork. It actually worked, but only for about fifteen minutes each time. He never meant to invade on her privacy. But he couldn't stand the fact that she kept things from him. Important things that he liked to have in a relationship. Sharing was always something he was all for. He missed her. He missed her smile, her laugh, the way she felt in his arms. He missed kissing her and spending time with her. It was so hard to overcome. Sometimes, he would take a walk to clear his head. When he passed her house, he fought the urges to go there and knock on her door and tell her everything could be fixed, that they could work it all out. He hadn't cried. He was never much of a crier at all. Billy was more of the stereotypical "'male' then most people sought him out to be. "Uh huh, yes, I see...up! Larry, that's my call waiting. I gotta get back to you on that. Talk to ya soon. Bye now....Hello?....Yes, whose calling please?...Okay, just a second. Billy, someone named Owen is on the phone for you." Billy got up from his chair and walked over towards the phone. Owen was never a bad kid. He and Billy had actually always gotten along. He was only thirteen, but he knew a lot for his age. Billy had gotten to really like Owen. He hoped this call was not going to be full of threats and hurtful words in defending his older sister. Besides, Billy never meant to intentionally hurt Jasmine. He just needed to break away in case their relationship would become an empty one. Well actually, he had never meant to break away. He had done that out of anger and hated himself for his heartless action. "Hello?" Billy said into the phone. "Hi, Billy, it's Owen." Billy felt a little uncomfortable. "What's up Owen?" He asked, trying to break the obvious tension that was going on between the two. "Billy, you need to come over and see Jasmine. Please. She's not doing so well and it's scaring all of us. My mother asked me to call you." Owen begged over the phone. Billy looked down at the newspaper that was still in his hand. "Look, Jasmine's going to be fine. She's just having a hard time right now. So am I. Time apart is exactly what we need. I'm sorry." Billy replied back to Owen. "That's such a bunch of bull Billy. Maybe you're doing all right, but she's not! Don't you even care anything about her?!" Owen demanded an answer. "Of course I care Owen! I just....don't need to see her right now. Please, don't make this harder than it already is." Billy pleaded. "God Billy. Your such an as""" Owen started to say, but heard his mother scream at him before he could finish his statement. Billy put his head down in shame, perfectly aware of what Owen was about to say to him. At that moment, another voice came onto the line. Billy noticed, from the Latino accent, it was Jasmine's mother. "Please Billy. You don't need to stay," Maria's voice sounded through the receiver, "Just for a few minutes. Just come see her. I can't take to see my daughter like this any longer." Billy thought long and hard. He sighed loudly. "Give me twenty minutes." <center>~*~</center> Jasmine didn't know how long she was crying, wrapped in a ball in the center of her floor for, but she heard knocking on her bedroom door and did absolutely nothing but stay put. The knocking continued and she still did nothing, but proceeded to cry, hugging herself tightly. The door opened and she heard someone walk into her room. She didn't even care about who it was. Nothing mattered to her anymore. The only thing that mattered was getting rid of the hole that was in her heart. Billy looked down and saw Jasmine curled up in the middle of the room. He felt his guilty conscience kick in. He never thought it would be this bad. He looked her over and took in the image right before his eyes. Her knotted brown hair lost its shine. She wore tiny, little violet shorts and a small tank top. Her beautiful tan had faded and she got so much thinner. The radiant glow she usually carried no longer existed. He walked over to her and knelt down right beside her. He reached for his love and caressed her back, hoping she was going to be all right. A shocked Jasmine quickly looked up and saw the man that had broken her heart staring right back at her. Before she could do anything, he embraced her in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. Jasmine reached for him and held him tightly, not wanting to let go. She started to cry harder and all she could feel and hear were Billy's arms wrapped around her fragile body, his hand stroking her hair and him whispering words of confidence in her ear. "It's going to be alright Jasmine, shhh." He said to her. All Billy could hear were her muffled cries. He felt horrible. He never knew he could hurt someone so bad. He was Billy. He made everyone feel good about themselves. "I don't want to be fighting." Jasmine managed to say, while still within Billy's strong hold. Billy broke apart from her and looked directly into her eyes. "We don't need to be fighting. I don't want to fight with you either." He told her. She looked down and he lifted her chin up with his fingers. "I don't want to be broken up either," She confessed between sobs, "I don't want this to be the end." Billy smiled at her. He knew he didn't want to be apart from her any longer either. "We just need to fix some things in our relationship." Billy explained to her. She looked up at him. He could see the pain in her eyes. "I seriously thought I was in control of everything. That we were doing fine and everything was picture perfect. In the meantime, I couldn't tell you, my own boyfriend, everything about me. God Billy, I hate hiding. It's not fun for me you know! And I don't want to do it. I just wanted you and everyone else to like me. Sometimes I still feel that if I slip, everything's over. Just like that. That you'll leave me, and the group won't want to have anything to do with me, and I'm sorry but it scares me so much. You don't understand, but you're all I have here." The tears rolled down her cheeks, as she spoke, "I don't want anyone to feel that I'm replacing them the way I felt when new people came into my life in New York. I didn't tell you everything because I know how cold-hearted I was. If only I knew what it felt like. I never would have judged anyone." She looked up towards the ceiling and tried to shake the tears. "Oh god, and that day at the park. I never knew that I could hurt so badly. Just the thought of losing you. It was just too much." Billy looked down at the dark blue rug, then back up, only to lock eyes with the girl that had stolen his heart just six short months ago. He never meant to hurt her. He never meant to hurt himself. He wanted to improve things. The way William James Cranston always tried to do. He hated seeing her so heartbroken and sad. I can't believe I did this. He thought. I made someone this upset. "I apologize completely for putting you through this stage of depression. I not only exaggerated, but completely invaded your privacy. And as your boyfriend, I never should have put you on the spot like that. Or made a scene in front of our friends. It was rude and naïve of me and I'll do anything to have you back. I hate living without you Jasmine." Billy told her as he grasped both of her hands within his. Jasmine smiled and interlocked fingers with him. He leaned forward and kissed her simply on the lips, "Man I missed doing that." "I'll never keep anything from you again. I'll tell you everything about me. I don't want to lose your trust." Jasmine stated. "Take your time," Billy told her, "I can wait till you're ready and comfortable to tell me and all the others the little things about you. I know enough of the person Jasmine, it doesn't really matter what kind of special talents she holds and hides." "So, everything's back to normal again?" She asked as she calmed down. Billy smiled. "Everything's back to normal again." He reassured her, "Promise me you'll never get this upset over a stupid mistake I do again." Billy ordered her. Jasmine nodded and he helped her up. "How was I supposed to know you didn't really want to end things?" She asked Billy, "I've never fought with you before." "Because I love you and I'm never going to leave you. And I'm an idiot for even considering ending things with you." He said to her. "I know." She answered meekly with a playful grin. He hugged her again. How he missed her child-like sense of humor. "We have another day off tomorrow. Stay home today with your family. I'll come pick you up at around eleven tomorrow. We'll get lunch," He looked her over, "And dinner for your sake." Jasmine looked at herself and thought he was being a little mean. Billy caught on. "I'm sorry. You've just lost some weight. A surprising amount due to the fact that it's only been three days. Although I shouldn't talk. I don't look like a great prize either. " Jasmine knew he didn't mean to hurt her feelings. She smiled inside as she noticed his messy dark blonde hair and sleepless eyes. He wore baggy clothing for once too. Instead of his normal wide-leg blue jeans, stylish boots and a fitting shirt, he wore Adidas sweat pants, sneakers and a white T-shirt that was two sizes too big. Billy kissed her softly on the cheek and made his way out the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said. Before he left Jasmine called out to him. "What is it?" He answered. "Were you feeling as horrible as I was? Even close?" She asked him. Billy played with the doorknob. "I was feeling wretched Jasmine. Completely empty. I felt like I lost a part of myself that I can't live without. I'm not as strong as you think." He answered as he walked out of the room and closed the door. Jasmine walked back in front of her mirror. She did a once over at herself again and made a disgusted face, "Girl, you look sickly. I need to get myself back on track." <center>~*~</center>

Three weeks later Jasmine and the group had planned to take a trip to the mountains for the weekend. If they liked it, they would spend each weekend there, up to the time of their graduation, like they planned. Billy's uncle owned four cabins there and wasn't planning on using them. The gang had thought it was a great idea as well. While she was in her room packing the night before, her phone rang. "Owen! Get that!" She yelled out. When the phone rang two more times, an aggravated Jasmine answered the noisy device. "Hello?" She asked, a bit annoyed. "Guess where I am." She heard the voice on the other end say to her. Jasmine frowned, a bit puzzled. "Who is this?" She asked, surprised about the anonymous call. "You don't even know your B.F.F.'s own voice?" The other person questioned her. Jasmine could tell the call was coming from a cell phone, because the service wasn't clear at all. She had however, heard the B.F.F. statement and although the voice wasn't clear, knew who it had to be. "Oh my god, Faith," She laughed, "I'm sorry, it's just that all I really hear is static. Where are you and why are you calling me from a cell?" She asked one of her best friends from New York. "Well, I've been trying to call you forever, but I could never get in touch with you. Did Owen tell you about my calls?" Faith asked Jasmine. Jasmine grew angry. "Of course not. Wow, Faith, I'm so sorry." Jasmine apologized, "What's up?" "Oh nothing. But guess where I am." She asked again. Jasmine let her mind wander and thought about what Faith wanted her to answer with. She had no idea. "I don't know. Why don't we end the twenty questions and just tell me?" Jasmine said. Faith laughed, or it sounded to Jasmine as a laugh. She couldn't really tell. "I'm in L.A. Jasmine." Faith answered. Jasmine's eyes widened. Could this be? "Wait, wait. L.A. California?" Jasmine asked. "Yes!" Faith exclaimed excitedly, "You know how my family and I go to Florida every spring vacation? Well, my parents have been growing sick of each other lately and my father went off to Florida with my brother and sister while my mother came here to Cali to stay with my grandmother. I figured if I came with her, I'd rid myself the annoyance that is my siblings." Jasmine giggled. Sometimes, the family hardly ever got along. It never seemed to bother Faith though. Faith continued to talk, "So, how long is L.A. from Angel Grove?" She asked. Jasmine's face lit up. "Are you serious?! Your going to come here and visit?!" Jasmine shrieked. "Of course. I'm not gonna leave my best friend hanging forever. Besides, Fallon and the others are planning to visit in the summer. You shouldn't have to wait that long. I miss you so much. My mother said she'd drive me down there tonight. If that's all right?" Faith wondered. Jasmine thought about the trip to the mountains. It shouldn't matter or make a difference if Faith came. And if it did, she'd cancel and spend the time at her house in Angel Grove with Faith. She didn't care. She was just so happy she could finally see her best friend again. "It's perfect. We may go on a trip to the mountains tomorrow with my new friends, so be prepared." Jasmine warned her. Faith agreed. "Well, I'm out shopping right now. When I get home I'll call you from my grandmother's house. You'll be able to hear me better on her phone. Then you can give me directions and I'll see you tonight. How long does it take to get from here to there?" Faith asked. "A few hours," Jasmine stated, "It's not that bad." When Jasmine hung up the phone with Faith, she not only felt extremely thrilled and excited, but relieved. Things between her and Billy had been awkward for awhile since their breakup. They definitely still showed lots of love and affection towards one another, but they seemed so careful with their words. Neither one wanting to say anything to upset the other. This made them uncomfortable, for neither of them felt they could say exactly what was on their minds at all times. However, they warmed up a little each day. They were almost back to the way they were before. Billy said they needed some time alone to be together. The trip to the mountains would be just what they needed he had said. Just in case things do get weird, I have Faith. She said to herself. Immediately after she hung up with Faith, she picked up the phone and called Billy to tell him about the new arrangements. He said it would be no problem if she joined them for the weekend and that he and the group would love to meet her. Jasmine hung up the phone and floated around her room for the next couple of hours. <center>~*~</center> The reunion between Jasmine and Faith had been a happy, loud and emotional one. When Faith walked out of the black station wagon, Jasmine ran right into her arms, both almost knocking each other down. They screamed, laughed and cried all that the same time. Jasmine gave Faith the tour of her new home and helped her get settled down in her room. They grabbed a late night snack and got prepared for bed soon after. They sat on Jasmine's bed in their pajamas and just started talking about all the things that had happened since Jasmine moved. "So how are these people?" Faith asked Jasmine about her new friends. "Extremely kind and sweet. They welcomed me with open arms since day one." Jasmine answered with a smile. "How are you and Billy doing?" Faith questioned her about the boyfriend she knew so little about. "We had a fight about three weeks ago. Things haven't really been the same since then." Jasmine stated sadly, but openly. Faith was the one of her friends she had to tell everything to. They had no secrets from each other. She always knew when Jasmine was hiding something from her. She'd get right up into Jasmine's face and stare at her with oval-shaped honey colored eyes. She'd scrunch up her face, drawing attention to the small light brown freckles that were only visible on her nose. She was always very pretty. Her pale skin and brown hair, included with thick blonde highlights, added to her beauty. "Oh Jazz, don't worry, that always happens. You're just really sensitive and take things a little too far. You were definitely the drama queen of the group...Along with Ashley." Faith told her as she chowed down on Doritos. Jasmine looked away. "So everyone's been telling me...I just really thought it was going to be over. And it upset me. How was I supposed to know it was just a fight and not a real breakup? I've never been in that position with him before." Jasmine admitted. Faith sighed and looked up at her. "Jazz, seriously, you need to calm down. Starting from tomorrow you guys are gonna be alone for a whole weekend. Just relax when you're around him. That way you'll both feel comfortable. Then you'll be able to build up what you've lost from there." Faith advised her. Jasmine smiled. What she missed the most was Faith's valuable advice. She always knew the right things to say and had helped her out through a lot of her crises'. Faith was what Jasmine liked to think of as a tough friend. One that shows tough love because they care so much. If something was wrong with Jasmine and it was bothering Faith, she would come straight out and say it. No regrets. "Your absolutely right." Jasmine agreed. She looked up at the clock, "Oh wow, it's late. We should get some sleep." She said. "What time are they coming to pick us up tomorrow?" Faith asked. "Eleven. So remember to be ready by then." Jasmine told her friend sternly. "Ohh dear..." she sighed. <center>~*~</center> Two cars pulled up in the Romero driveway the following morning while Faith and Jasmine were carrying their bags out of the house. Faith tried to get a look at the people in the cars. She saw in one of the cars, a red jeep, a young cute guy with long brown hair in the driver's seat. Next to him, in the passenger's seat was a beautiful milky skinned blonde, with piercing blue eyes. As her eyes focused on the couple in the back of the seat, she made out a pretty dark-skinned female with dark hair that matched her eyes. She wore bright clothing as well. The male next to her appeared to be Asian, with soft puppy-like brown eyes and an adorable smile. She then looked at the shiny black Honda, the other car that pulled up and saw a gorgeous male in the driver's seat. He had dirty blonde hair and she could make out that he had light eyes. He wore a black short sleeved shirt and had a great muscular frame. His skin was light and very little tanned but seemed to match his other light features perfectly. Jasmine saw her best friend staring at her man. "That's Billy." Jasmine told her. Faith looked at her in disbelief. "He is gorgeous!" She explained to her giving her the thumbs up sign. Jasmine giggled. "I think so too." Faith let out her infamous laugh, where she throws her head back and gives a quick yell. Jasmine started laughing harder. She missed that laugh so much. Suddenly, Faith saw another male get out of the black car. "Whose that?" She whispered to Jasmine. Jasmine held back a smile. Faith was completely boy crazy. The first thing she had asked Jasmine to do was hook her up with one of her friends. "Are they cute?" She'd ask. "That's Rocky." Jasmine told her, taking in the eye Faith was giving to Rocky. Rocky wore a blue sleeveless shirt with khaki shorts. His hair was really short and nicely cut. He had warm brown eyes as well as a great smile, which revealed a slightly crooked tooth in the front. "He's adorable." Faith responded as Rocky walked in their direction, "Is he seeing anyone?" She managed to get out before Rocky could get as close as to hear her. Jasmine just shook her head. "Hi, I'm Rocky." Rocky said to Faith, reaching out his hand. Faith reached into his hand for a friendly handshake. He had a really firm grip. "I'm Faith." She said with a smile. "Iâ