Life Through a Lens

18. Bounce Back

UNEDITED

18. Bounce Back

The next week Jasmine took off work and stayed home with Peyton, worried that she had been traumatized from the events of the week before. Jasmine herself wasn't quite sure what had actually happened.  She wasn't sure if she was protecting Peyton or herself from a traumatized mind set. It looked like her mother had a moment of remembrance, but then it quickly disappeared. First, Jasmine had thought that her mother had remembered her, Peyton, and their dad the way she had before the depression and disorders had set in. But she would never know for sure. She wanted her mother to remember, or at least she thought she did, she wasn't quite sure to be honest. Jasmine wanted her mother back, that she was for sure of. She wanted the mother she used to know. The one who read her stories and tucked her in before she went to sleep. The one who helped her deal with her first crush and her first bad grade. She wanted someone in her life to take care of her again, other than her father, she wanted someone to take care of Peyton, other than herself. She wanted the woman back the one before depression and whatever it was took over. But she highly doubted it that that was going to happen you can't just cure depression you can't just cure whatever it is that she has, it's not possible. It wasn't known that depression was just there one day and gone the next. Her mother had this now for two years. That's how long it had been since the accident. Jasmine's heart ached. She couldn't sleep most nights, and the only thing that kept her going was waiting for Carter and their next photography project meet up. But who knew when that was going to happen, she had forgotten that they had planned to go to the art festival that was in town this weekend. Jasmine was getting too caught up in all this. In being depressed herself, she had to shake herself out out it, or it would become her. She wasn't eating, and she didn't want to get out of bed, she told herself that she had stayed home because of Peyton, but she knew that wasn't it. Jasmine had stayed home to protect herself, to put up higher barrier, to cocoon herself in a thicker layer of safety. She didn't really know what to make of anything that had happened, she wanted to think about it more, but at the same time she didn't. The more she thought about it, the more it confused her and messed up her brain. Jasmine and Peyton had spent the whole week mostly watching Disney movies up in Safe Haven. That's what kept Jasmine content; spending time with Peyton and making sure that she was alright. 

It was a Friday night when finally something happen again. Jasmine's dad still wasn't home and they were watching Disney movies as usual. Jasmine had made Peyton dinner before they started the movie, but none for herself. That seemed to be happening a lot over the last week. But then Jasmine's cell phone started ringing, she looked down at the back of her phone case. Her phone was vibrating violently, almost falling off the couch. She picked it up and turned it over, to see Carter's smiling face on the front of her screen. She answered it  warily, walking to the table and sitting down on a stool, away from the movie so that she could listen to Carter and Peyton could still watch the movie.

"Hi," Jasmine answered feebly. She wasn't sure why he was calling her or why she even picked up the phone. Of course she wanted to talk to him, but with everything that was going (in her brain and thoughts) all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball. But with the thought of Carter on her mind again a smile came to her lips. It was the first time that she smiled in a week. Peyton stole a glance at her, smiling as Jasmine had smiled. If Jazzy was smiling so was Peyton. Carter made Jasmine brighten up, it took her mind and thoughts off of her mother. 

"Hey there," Carter replied, you could hear the smile in his voice. He was happy that she had picked up. Carter hadn't had the best week either, but he would play it off as coolly as possible, because that's what he was: cool, nothing bothered him and nothing ever would. Or at least he would never show people that things beat him up inside. Jasmine was really the first person that he could be real around, and he was starting to get comfortable with having someone like that around. Jasmine was glad to hear his voice again, it was calming, soothing, and just made her happy. That's all she needed at the moment, to be happy. She was glad that something as small as a talk on the phone, one word from him, and a smile was brought to her face.