Genieology 101

Chapter Five

"Y-yeah definitely," Jinn trailed off, looking flabbergasted.

"Great, which reminds me, party at my house this Saturday, be there!" she waved at both of us, exiting the store without buying anything.

"Close your mouth and wipe the drool off your face weirdo," I said, swatting Jinn's arm.

"Was I hallucinating or is she real?"

Glaring at him I replied, "Yes, but beware, she's not someone you want to hang out with."

"Oh trust me, I do."

The feeling of happiness from earlier had disappeared, paving way for pure annoyance. How dare he associate with someone I disliked?

"C'mon Jinn, it's getting late and I need to get home," I huffed, grumpily walking away from him. I was only getting this mad because he chose her of all people- He could have chosen anyone else and I couldn't care less.

Right?

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling cranky. My mother hadn't come back home until the early hours of the morning, and from god knows where. She refused to tell me where she was and then proceeded to collapse onto the couch downstairs, falling asleep immediately. I hated feeling like the parent in the relationship.

Stretching, I reached for my phone, checking a few text messages from Sierra.

Why werent you at school today?? -Sierra

Like the great friend I am I picked up your chem hmwk -Sierra

Should I be worried that youre not picking up your phone? - Sierra

PICK UP YOUR PHONE GODDAMMIT!! - Sierra

Sighing at the 11 missed calls she gave me, I sent her a quick text.

I'll explain during lunch -Lexi

After a bit of scrabbling, a tired-looking Jinn stumbled out of my closet. We agreed that it would be safer for him to take his cot to the closet in case my mother walked in and saw him. That most likely wouldn't be a problem since it wasn't like she checked up on me.

"Lexi," his voice sounded hoarse as he shielded his eyes from the light, "I'm hungry."

Great, another child in the house. "Why don't you just whip up some food out of thin air?" I asked, feeling more irritable by the second.

"Were you not listening when I told you I cannot do things like that? I can only work with things that already exist; I cannot create new things out of thin air." He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair.

"What about the cot then?"

"I got that from my lamp, it's a Genie privilege."

"Fine fine, whatever you say lazy butt." I climbed out of bed and put on my fluffy cow slippers, padding my way downstairs.

Feeling lazy, I made toast and scrambled some eggs. I even added my secret ingredient- a pinch of cinnamon. Sierra always hated how I added it to almost everything I made, but I can promise you that it tasted a lot better than it sounded. I debated making some breakfast for my mother as well, but then again she never ate breakfast. The smell of food wafted through the house, making me feel better instantly. Silently walking up the wooden stairs, I took it up to Jinn, who beamed when he saw it.

"Wow, I never knew you could cook," he licked his lips, picking up his fork to dig in. The way his eyes lit up, you would have thought that he just won the lottery. The look of gratitude in his eyes made me feel like a superhero, really. Men were so easy to please; some food and a bit of ego-boosting were just about all you needed to give them.