Forgetting Billions | ✓

07 | Forgetting Blame

Karina Karesh looked up and squealed, giving Jasmine a quick hug. "Can you believe it, Jas? We're roommates now. It's like an endless sleepover." She grinned at her older cousin, causing Jasmine's smile to only brighten.

"You better let me sleep when I can, though. Unlike you, I need my beauty sleep."

Karina blushed, twirling a stray blonde curl around her finger, "Really?"

"Really." Jasmine's eyes moved to Karina's twin brother, who paused the game from the other side of the room. "Hi, Aditya."

"Hey, Jasmine." he lifted his chin to address her, trying his hardest not to grin just like his sister. "What's up?"

Karina threw a pillow at Aditya Karesh, shooting him a tell-tale look, "Don't take his withdrawal too harsh, Jasmine. Apparently cool thirteen-year-olds don't get excited over family."

The young boy threw his hands up with a roll of his charcoal eyes, "The fact that I won't squeal at my cousin does not make me any less excited to see her. And for your information, I'm incredibly cool."

"I'm pretty sure cool guys don't beg their sister to play Just Dance with them."

Jasmine laughed and sat down beside Aditya, who was now turning red with embarrassment. "You know, I still play Just Dance and I'm seventeen."

He flashed her a grateful smile before continuing to bicker with his sister. As she watched them, a series of memories she had forgotten until today rushed into her mind like a waterfall.

Two weeks after the accident, Bianca threw her up lunch and she reluctantly went to the doctor after incessant nagging from Jasmine's mother. Once they came to terms with her pregnancy, the entire family believed that the twins were blessings from Rahul himself.

However, Bianca feared she would never love again. She knew she had found her one true soulmate and that it would only be greedy of her to strive for another. She discovered something more precious than love in Karina and Aditya Karesh, though. With their charming smiles and coal-black eyes, her children embodied the husband she had lost in every way and she couldn't help but deem them as her own saviors.

Those two children made Bianca Karesh feel somewhat whole again, filling— but never replacing— the void in her heart.

When Jasmine looked up at her cousins again, they were watching her, exchanging worried glances. "You're drifting off in another world, Jas," Karina observed.

"Did you even hear what we said?" Aditya asked, a small hint of disappointment lacing his voice.

"I'm sorry," she flashed them a weak smile. "Forgive me?"

Aditya shrugged, "Of course we will. Oh, and by the way, we have a gift for you," he flashed his sister a furtive glance. "Close your eyes."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, not exactly sure what these pranksters were up to, but she obliged and let her eyelids fall shut. She heard Karina's whispers, followed by giggles, and before she knew it, her cousins were throwing water balloons at her.

"Hey!" Jasmine sputtered. "What are you doing? Where did you even get that?"

"It's a gift," Aditya repeated, laughing as they backed her into a corner, assaulting her with water balloons.

Jasmine placed her arms in front of her face in an 'x' formation, screaming at the top of her lungs. She didn't attempt to move, knowing her parents would be furious if they got water outside of her room, but she did play along, yelling and pleading for mercy whenever was best.

She was forgiven already.

If only her parents were like this. She often wondered how they became the people they were today. Even the slightest offense had them holding a grudge but sometimes, she saw glimpses of the people they used to be flicker in their eyes when they looked at each other. She could only hope that one day, the old Aishwarya and Varun Karesh would be there for her again.

"Quit it, Adi," Karina ordered and Aditya slowly dropped a water balloon. "She's out of it. Do you think something is wrong?"

Aditya shook his head, "There's never anything wrong with Jas."

"She never ignores us like this."

"Maybe she has a lot on her mind."

Jasmine's words came out sharp as they disrupted her thought process again, "I'm not ignoring you."

Karina flinched at the distinct harshness that lied beneath her words and Aditya gave her a pointed look, wrapping a protective arm around his sister.

Jasmine sat in front of them with her fingers laced together in her lap, her damp clothes and hair sticking to her body, causing shivers to run down her spine. She wanted so badly to apologize for her tone, but an ugly part of her believed that they were acting much too childish over something as small as her dissociating for a few minutes.

"Come on, Karina. Let's go to our room," Aditya whispered with a shake of his head.

"I didn't mean to be rude, I-," Jasmine said, hurriedly trying to mend her mistakes, although she wasn't quite sure what she was apologizing for. It didn't matter, though, because she was dealing with family. The last thing she wanted was to lose them too, despite how immaturely they may react.

"It's okay," Karina smiled softly, "Call us over when you want to play next time."

Jasmine looked down, her lips parting as she let out a deep sigh. She seemed to be letting all kinds of people down recently. Unable to deal with that fact, she decided to distract herself by finding someone else to blame for her actions, for her sudden change in personality.

She couldn't think of anyone.

She knew that her parents would point the finger straight to her, even if they were the people who had raised her to become the person she was today. In her parent's eyes, everyone else was to be blamed. In their little world, they were perfect and anyone who didn't follow their lead was wrong, even if it was their own daughter. They were hard to please and even more difficult to keep in her life, but Jasmine knew that they would love her even when no one else would.

That had to count for something.

Hey, guys! So I've entered Forgetting Billions in the Watty's and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Any feedback or comments would mean the world! Speaking of, make sure to vote and comment!

I can't wait to post another chapter and I should in about a week!

Until then, see you soon!