Life Through a Lens

19. 12:25am

UNEDITED

19. 12:25am

That night, Jasmine put Peyton to bed earlier than usual and went up to her room to pick her outfit for the next day. She didn't care that he wasn't coming to get her until 4:30pm. She didn't care that she would have plenty of time tomorrow. She didn't care because she was excited. Tomorrow she'd have to wash her hair, and shave her legs that had gone more than a week without a good shave. 

Her dad was home this weekend, that she was lucky of. No Peyton to ship to a friends house, no time she had to pick her up. She could go out and come home as late as she wanted, with the exception of past 12:00am because she thought it was good to have rules for herself. That curfew was just one of them. Letting herself wallow in self-pity was another one. She had broken that one. She cursed herself for doing it. Jasmine vowed to herself, for herself and Peyton's sake that she wouldn't let herself go that far, ever again.

With a bowl of cereal in hand and a spoon in her mouth she began to raid her wardrobe. She opened every drawer in her dresser, threw out every skirt and dress onto her bed from her closet, then stared at all of it. Mostly it was just a mess that she had created and would later have to clean up. Jasmine groaned and slouched down against the side of her bed, she looked up towards the ceiling. She hadn't realized how tired she was until then, or how hungry she had become either; even after the bowl of cereal. 

Her stomach grumbled, and not a quiet grumble either. She had finished the bowl of cereal, so she took it back down stairs and was going to fill the bowl again when she noticed the time. It was 12:55am! She had to pick and outfit and go to sleep or she'd look like a wreck tomorrow. A wrecked sleepless zombie to be exact. No one likes baggy, black eyes and greasy hair. Okay, maybe some people do, but Jasmine didn't. Sure a shower could take care of the second, but sleep would take care of the first.

Jasmine ran back upstairs being as quiet as a mouse, making moves like a ninja. Then looked at all of the mess again. Internally she groaned, and slouched up against the side of her bed. She ran her tired, shaky hands through a tangled mess of hair. Looking at the camera that sat on her desk opposite her as the light from her window glared off of it. It used to be her life form. Her walls. Her safety net. She still wanted it to be, but she wasn't sure if it was any more. She still loved photography, none the less, it was her passion. Her life dream, her goal. She wanted to take pictures for the rest of her life, capturing the most important moments. How she could capture a moment in time and safe it forever, that was special to her.

She drew herself to her feet and began grabbing heaps of the clothing. The chair by her desk was empty, that seemed like the best spot to put them for now. Once the bed was empty, she fell onto it. Could tomorrow be an actual date? What were they even doing? She hoped Carter had a solid plan. Why was this any different than any other time they hung out for the project? It just didn't feel the same. Her mind swirled from all the thoughts. Everything within her screamed for rest, to just stop working. For her brain to stop thinking, for just one moment. Her eyelids drifted closed and lazily opened every few seconds. Everything around her seemed hazy, blurred and slightly spinning. She collapsed there.

*

Jasmine's heavy eyes slowly opened. Her head still ached, presumably more from being thrown and banged on the floor and her room was pitch black. She thought she had kept the light on. Supposedly not. She lay on the floor in a twisted mess of blankets. Fallen out of bed. Again. She rubbed her eyes, moved the blankets from her twisted legs and slowly her vision cleared. Peyton lay, curled up on the pile of clothes on her bed. Not all of them had been put on the chair. Jasmine noticed the pillow that had been under her head. Peyton must've heard the thud when Jasmine fell out of bed and seamlessly fell back asleep. Jasmine had guessed that she passed out from exhaustion, or dehydration, or lack or food. Maybe even all thee. Either way, she felt a little better, oddly enough.

She moved the pillow back to her bed and gingerly stood up, testing her wobbly legs like a baby walking for the first time. She still felt a little dizzy and light-headed but she walked down the stairs as quietly and carefully as she could. Jasmine grabbed a glass and filled it up with water from the fridge, then she grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and munched on it as she made her way up the stairs. 

Normally she wouldn't have went for the granola bar, but she needed something substantial that didn't take a whole lot of effort or noise to get. She gulped down the water and set the empty glass and wrapper on her desk before she gently picking Peyton up and carrying her down a few of the stairs towards her own room. Peyton began to stir and her eyes fluttered open. She nuzzled her head into Jasmine's arm.

"Are you okay Jazzy?" She asked with a yawn and she reached to touch Jasmine's cheek gently. Jasmine smiled at the sweet gesture of a cute little seven-year-old caring about her.

"Yes, I'm fine Pey, don't worry." Jasmine smiled as she walked into Peyton's room, the door had been left open and the sheets were thrown everywhere. Peyton hadn't been sleeping well.

"I heard a loud bang, so I rushed up to your room. But you were asleep, so I just went on your bed until the loud bang went away," she explained as Jasmine set Peyton down in her bed and covered her up with the blankets and tucked her in. She had a habit of rolling out of bed every so often as well.

"Don't worry, there's no big, bad monsters coming to get you," Jasmine assured her. Peyton hummed in agreement before her eyes closed gently. But her small hand stayed locked onto Jasmine's with a firm grip. With the other hand, Jasmine smoothed down Peyton's hair; she'd wait for her to fall asleep again. Then she'd head back upstairs for some better sleep herself.

"Can you sing for me?" Peyton asked, her voice small and quiet.

"Of course," Jasmine replied as she moved the blankets so that she could snuggle in with Peyton. Slowly Jasmine began to sing, she always sang the same song. Disney of course. It was the only thing that would truly soothe little Peyton, Jasmine knew it. She wondered that if things had been different, would it be their mother here instead of Jasmine herself. Pushing the thought away, she started the lyrics of the song.

"Baby mine, don't you cry

Baby mine, dry your eyes

Rest your head close to my heart

Never to part

Baby of mine."

Jasmine continued to sing the song from 'Dumbo' over and over again to Peyton until she fell asleep. With heavy eyelids, Jasmine too, fell asleep.

Jasmine awoke the next morning at 9am. Peyton was still curled up beside her on the bed, sleeping soundly. She tried to move without waking Peyton, and had successfully gotten off the bed and to the door when a floor board creaked. Peyton's groggy eyes lazily opened and her head slowly lifted off the pillow.

"Go back to sleep Pey," Jasmine whispered. Peyton slowly put her head back down on the pillow and Jasmine rushed out of the room.

A/N

Hey everyone! After a very long time, new chapters are finally coming. As I re-acquaint myself with this story and the characters, chapters may be slow but I'm hoping for maybe one every other week! We'll see what happens as I write because life has been hectic and this story and a lot for me to recover.

Advice for me?

I could really use it, positive or negative, let me know. Thanks guys

Read, comment, vote, follow, and BE AWESOME EVERYONE I LOVE YOU ALL!! 

-nessa