The Art of Finding Jasmine Rose Peters

01

'Life is like the ocean, once you get lost in it, you might never be found... again.'
~JRP

Hayden paced around her apartment building. It was not the first day of school, and she hated it.

She had planned to start school the day everyone started. Nothing stopped her from doing that, but herself. She didn't want to meet anyone new, nor did she want anyone to call her the 'new girl.' So, she stayed at home and tried to convince herself it was nothing to worry about.

The convincing took an entire week.

It didn't take long for Hayden to reach the school.

The school was the largest place Hayden had ever set her eyes on. It had floor to bottom glass windows everywhere that sparkled in the sun. The brightness was a bit too much for Hayden. The walls that didn't have windows were painted a warm grey colour.

Everything about it was modern, from the trending architecture to the glass doors. It looked as if it was finished yesterday.

Even the grass and flowers surrounding the school were in perfect shape. The grass was the greenest she had ever seen, and the flowers were arranged in perfect circles. She couldn't help but wonder how much money they spent just taking care of the flowers.

Realizing she had hardly seen anyone on foot, Hayden took three gulps of air, slowly calming herself down before entering the school grounds with a hurry, just like everyone else.

This is for you, Dad.

She walked into the school compound with slow steps and her head down. The first thing she needed to do was see the Secretary. Staring at the chaos of students in the hall, she didn't know where to start from. Neither had she a map of the school—which would have been essential at the moment—nor did she know anyone, apart from the Secretary, whom she had a phone conversation with.

The students stood or moved around in cliques. Hayden didn't know whom to ask for directions.

She could ask the red-haired, lean boy, or the dark curly-haired girl, or the Asian-looking short girl with huge glasses. She watched as a tattooed 'bad-boy' approached the girl. Striking the hugging couple from her list, she moved on.

The redhead looked dangerous. Doing the needful, Hayden struck him from her list. Her best option was the curly-haired girl. She assessed the girl and was glad to find her looking almost as lost as she was.

She had almost made her way to the curvy girl when she made the mistake of raising her head and making eye contact with the glasses girl. The girl smiled at her. Hayden found the smile inviting and decided to approach. Not because the boyfriend had left her or anything.

Act natural. Three deep breaths.

She did her best impression of a smile. "Hi," she said, testing out the smallest word in her mind. Hello, she decided, was too long of a word.

"Hello, I'm Wren," she replied, adjusting her black-rimmed glasses. Up close, her skin looked like a baby's. Her pencil-dark hair was packed into a perfect bun with no strand peeking out. She looked flawless.

"Um, can you show me the secretary's office?" She raised her head to look back at Hayden with eyes darker than the night sky. Wren was some inches shorter than her. Hayden had a hard time believing she forgot her manners. He would never tolerate it. "Please."

"Oh, sorry for zoning out. I'll definitely take you. It's just your eyes. They're captivating. I have never seen anything like them."

No one had ever said something like that about her eyes. They weren't captivating; they were just light grey. But the girl was trying to be nice, and Hayden wanted to return the compliment.