Jett

12

Kayden awoke the next morning to the sound of a horn coming from his front yard. It was a cheerful little beep-beep that sounded more like someone announcing their presence rather than demanding his. For a moment he sat with the covers tangled between his legs and blinked sleepily, allowing his foggy mind to realise it was awake, his droopy eyelids staring blankly at the wall ahead of him. His hair was sticking out at all kinds of angles and his bare chest ached for the warmth of the blanket once more. Though, his sleepy haze was quickly dissipated when he remembered what day it was.

Quickly tossing the covers off of himself, he jumped out of his bed and ran to his window. Sure enough, there was a large silver coach waiting outside. It had dark tinted windows and, across it in blue cursive font, were the words 'America's Future Leaders' surrounded by little white stars. He simultaneously wanted to gag at how corny it was and commend the girls for their commitment to the ruse.

In record timing he had his clothes changed and hair semi-obeying the laws of gravity before he heard the knock on his front door. His mother's cheerful "Coming!" following quite soon after. He looked down at the large stuffed duffle bag that was currently at the foot of his bed, worrying that his mum would see through it all and he'd end up having to explain everything to her. Where would he even start? 

'So, basically mum, it all started when I tried to hit on his hot girl and she punched me in the face. Yes! That girl. I know she seems like a bitch but, apparently she's my only hope to live now. Yeah, I'm getting to that part—'

"Kayden!" His mother's voice cut through his internal ramblings and without hesitation he hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and made his way to the living room. Though, he definitely wasn't prepared for the sight before him. Jazz sat on one of the creamy coloured sofas as his mother placed two mugs on the glass coffee table and sat across from her. It took a few seconds before the two noticed his presence. Or, more accurately, his mother noticed his presence as she was the only one who seemed the slightest bit fazed by his sudden appearance. Jazz on the other hand just cocked her head to the side and didn't even try to hide the once over she gave him.

"Oh, you're ready to go," his mother observed looking quite a bit shocked as he lazily leaned against the doorway. She then turned and gestured to Jazz but before she could say any words, the other girl stood up. Shamelessly, he took her all in. He had already discovered from the figure hugging dress she wore the other day that Jazz had an excellent body. Not to mention, it was undisputed that she was just over all incredibly attractive. Yet there was something about seeing her in more business like attire that really got to him. She wore a tight, hip hugging black pencil skirt that stopped just above her knees and her crisp white chest hugging blouse was cloaked by a thin black blazer tailored just so it accentuated her waist. He didn't know much about clothes but he could definitely tell when it was hugging all the right places.

The way her dark eyes peered at him from behind presumably fake glasses told him that she knew very well that he was looking. Though, the quirk of her lips further conveyed that she didn't really care. 

"Kayden, nice to meet you, I'm Jasmine, and I will be your mentor for our Future Leaders program." She introduced herself easily, the fake British accent effortless as she held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too," Kayden replied awkwardly as he grasped her hand, slightly shocked by how firm her grip was. 

She stepped back and turned to his mother with the kind of smile that could win Emmys.

"Unless you have any further questions for me, Mrs Schäfer, I'm afraid this is the part where we must leave." She said politely, "I'll leave you two to say your goodbyes." She added, slightly less enthusiastically. 

Kayden caught the way Jazz's eyes grazed over the family photos decorating the walls of his living room with a forced smile. He found himself trying to picture the kind of place a girl like Jazz would grow up in. He could picture her amidst family portraits trying to look unimpressed but unable the smile tugging at her lips. He could also easily picture Jinx beaming at the camera, surrounded by numerous brothers and sisters. Yet, he couldn't quite picture Jett standing in a living room filled with portraits of her smiling at cameras, if he were being completely honest, which kind of made him wonder what her home looked like. And, more importantly, what kind of parents raised someone so... stern.

"Thank you, Jasmine, it was lovely to meet you. You better make sure to take good care of my son, or else there'll be trouble," his mother added the last part jokingly as she shook Jazz's hand 

"Mrs Schäfer, I promise you that no harm will come to your son while he is in our care." Jazz's face was void of any humour as she spoke, her determined eyes meeting Kayden's for an instance, letting him know that she was not joking.

"I'm holding you to that," his mother let go of Jazz's hand and turned to Kayden, giving the red head the signal that she was free to leave.

"She seems nice," his mother commented as soon as they heard the front door close behind Jazz, "a little young though." 

Kayden shrugged "some people just naturally look younger than they actually are," he commented offhandedly, hoping she didn't have any doubts towards their story.

She just nodded absentmindedly and the two stood silently for a moment before she pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "Have fun," she whispered as he struggled to find any feeling in his arms. "But also make sure that you actually learn something."

"I'll try," he chuckled as he disentangled himself from her tight grip before hoisting his duffle bag into a more comfortable position on his shoulder and turning towards the door. 

"Ich liebe dich!" 

He smiled faintly as he stepped out the door "Ich habe dich auch lieb!"

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Excuse the German as I basically just relied on google translate for it so, hopefully, it does actually translate to 'I love you' and 'I love you too' if not just pop a comment below and I'll fix it haha. This chapter didn't have much going on but it was important and in the next chapter we'll learn a little more about the school Jett, Jinx and Jazz go to. 

Out of curiosity what kind of family do you guys picture Jett growing up in? 

Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter, if so don't hesitate to comment, vote and share! 

Until next time, 
stay safe and treat yourselves kindly, 
Arte