Status: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writting it :)
I Dare Not Ask Who's Been Helping You Fall Asleep
The First Touch
I was fourteen when I moved to Baltimore. I’ll admit I was nervous, but I was more excited than nervous. I mean that was my first year of high school and I would be at a school where no one knew who I was. I could be a completely person. That is why when I first met Alex I had this sense of courage that I could not explain…
I climbed onto the yellow school bus and was suddenly overwhelmed by unfamiliar faces. I scanned the bus quickly for an empty seat. There was only one. It was about five seats from the front.
I headed toward it when I saw a scrawny dark haired boy get pushed into it. “Don’t you ever sit in the back again, Gaskarth.” He pushed him again, roughly. “Got it?”
The kid called Gaskarth shook his head slowly.
The bus started moving. I quickly sat down next to him. He didn’t seem to care or notice.
“Hey! I’m Jasmine Dubberly.” I said brightly.
No answer.
“I’m new here.”
Still nothing.
I suddenly felt really awkward. I was finally beginning to realize how difficult moving could be. In my hometown in California everybody was always so cheerful and friendly.
I tried again, “So what’s it like here in Baltimore.”
He grunted and mumbled something like, “It’s okay.”
Finally we were getting somewhere.
“That’s cool. What do you like about it?”
“Um..uh..I-I like th-the winter.” He stuttered like there was no tomorrow but he finally said something. I clapped my hands together.
“You speak!” I said excitedly. He gave me a weird look and then looked back out the window.
Obviously he didn’t want to talk to me.
I tried again. “So… what’s your name?”
He sighed and turned to face me. He brushed the hair out of his eyes, “Alex, why do you care?”
I was momentarily frozen when my eyes connected with his. He had the lightest brown eyes I had ever seen. I ignored his question. “Nice to meet you Alex, I’m Jasmine.” I offered a hand.
He took it and shook it. He cocked his head to the side, like a curious little puppy dog. “Why are you so nice to me?” He asked suspiciously. “Did those guys,” he said motioning toward the back of the bus, “put you up to this.”
I laughed, “Nooooo, like I said earlier, I’m new here.”
“Oh…”
“What do you have against those guys?” I said motioning toward the back of the bus.
He scoffed. “You mean what do they have against me right? Those guys think that everyone else are lower than them.”
I eyed their leather jackets and varsity letters. I immediately recognized who they were. Every school had them, “Football players?” I asked.
Alex shook his head yes. “I fucking hate those guys. They make my life hell just because they’re bigger than me and they know that I won’t do shit about it.”
The bus stopped and a couple of people walked on. I turned back to Alex but saw that his eyes were focused on something. I followed his gaze and my eyes fell on a girl with dark hair that fell to her chest in soft curls.
I watched her walk to the back of the bus and sit on the lap of the same guy that had pushed Alex. She kissed him lightly.
I turned back around, “Who’s that?”
Alex sighed heavily. The way most people do when they’re in love. “That is Jasey Rae Smith.”
We looked at her again. She was beautiful. “Do you like her?”
“Oh, I live for her.” He paused to sigh again. “But she doesn’t notice me.”
I looked at his hair and his clothes and thought, there’s a reason why.
“What year is she and what year are you?”
“I’m a freshman. She’s a junior. There’s no way we could ever be.” He said a little pathetically.
I watched Jasey as she laughed with that football player. He must have sad something stupid, because her laugh looked fake. Suddenly I knew what I had to do.
“Alex, I know girls like Jasey and I think I can help you get her.”
Alex sat up straighter and looked at me hopefully. “Really? How?”
“It’s going to be hard, but you’re going to have makeover. I’m going to change your appearance and help you build some confidence.”
He grinned and lifted his hand. I stared at it. A high five? No, ‘thank you you’re the best’ or a hug?
Boy did I have a lot of work to do.
I climbed onto the yellow school bus and was suddenly overwhelmed by unfamiliar faces. I scanned the bus quickly for an empty seat. There was only one. It was about five seats from the front.
I headed toward it when I saw a scrawny dark haired boy get pushed into it. “Don’t you ever sit in the back again, Gaskarth.” He pushed him again, roughly. “Got it?”
The kid called Gaskarth shook his head slowly.
The bus started moving. I quickly sat down next to him. He didn’t seem to care or notice.
“Hey! I’m Jasmine Dubberly.” I said brightly.
No answer.
“I’m new here.”
Still nothing.
I suddenly felt really awkward. I was finally beginning to realize how difficult moving could be. In my hometown in California everybody was always so cheerful and friendly.
I tried again, “So what’s it like here in Baltimore.”
He grunted and mumbled something like, “It’s okay.”
Finally we were getting somewhere.
“That’s cool. What do you like about it?”
“Um..uh..I-I like th-the winter.” He stuttered like there was no tomorrow but he finally said something. I clapped my hands together.
“You speak!” I said excitedly. He gave me a weird look and then looked back out the window.
Obviously he didn’t want to talk to me.
I tried again. “So… what’s your name?”
He sighed and turned to face me. He brushed the hair out of his eyes, “Alex, why do you care?”
I was momentarily frozen when my eyes connected with his. He had the lightest brown eyes I had ever seen. I ignored his question. “Nice to meet you Alex, I’m Jasmine.” I offered a hand.
He took it and shook it. He cocked his head to the side, like a curious little puppy dog. “Why are you so nice to me?” He asked suspiciously. “Did those guys,” he said motioning toward the back of the bus, “put you up to this.”
I laughed, “Nooooo, like I said earlier, I’m new here.”
“Oh…”
“What do you have against those guys?” I said motioning toward the back of the bus.
He scoffed. “You mean what do they have against me right? Those guys think that everyone else are lower than them.”
I eyed their leather jackets and varsity letters. I immediately recognized who they were. Every school had them, “Football players?” I asked.
Alex shook his head yes. “I fucking hate those guys. They make my life hell just because they’re bigger than me and they know that I won’t do shit about it.”
The bus stopped and a couple of people walked on. I turned back to Alex but saw that his eyes were focused on something. I followed his gaze and my eyes fell on a girl with dark hair that fell to her chest in soft curls.
I watched her walk to the back of the bus and sit on the lap of the same guy that had pushed Alex. She kissed him lightly.
I turned back around, “Who’s that?”
Alex sighed heavily. The way most people do when they’re in love. “That is Jasey Rae Smith.”
We looked at her again. She was beautiful. “Do you like her?”
“Oh, I live for her.” He paused to sigh again. “But she doesn’t notice me.”
I looked at his hair and his clothes and thought, there’s a reason why.
“What year is she and what year are you?”
“I’m a freshman. She’s a junior. There’s no way we could ever be.” He said a little pathetically.
I watched Jasey as she laughed with that football player. He must have sad something stupid, because her laugh looked fake. Suddenly I knew what I had to do.
“Alex, I know girls like Jasey and I think I can help you get her.”
Alex sat up straighter and looked at me hopefully. “Really? How?”
“It’s going to be hard, but you’re going to have makeover. I’m going to change your appearance and help you build some confidence.”
He grinned and lifted his hand. I stared at it. A high five? No, ‘thank you you’re the best’ or a hug?
Boy did I have a lot of work to do.