The Art of Finding Jasmine Rose Peters

41

It was now or never, Ale reminded himself.

The ceremony was a huge success. His mother had for once cleaned herself up and tried to make it up to him. She had worn a fancy dress he could remember her wearing once when he was little and they had gone to dinner to celebrate his father's promotion at work. Back when things were almost like a dream. Even his older brother, Pete, had managed to come despite his busy schedule as a college student now.

It was the happiest day of his life, and it was about to get even better.

The hallways were empty as he tried to remember where he had seen her enter. High school wasn't easy for him and he was too happy to get it over with. He had only about five minutes before his brother realized he was missing, despite chatting with an old classmate.

"Sorry," Ale muttered, stepping aside quickly. He thought there was no one in the hallways.

"It's fine," he heard the angelic voice that could make his heart race and forget about every hardship he had ever been in.

"Amelia?" His wide eyes raked her form. She was wearing a pink skin tight dress underneath her blue graduation gown, and her brown hair was in a neat bun under the blue cap. "I'm super sorry."

"No, don't worry about it," she said, a pretty smile on her face. "You seemed to be in deep thought. Missing high school already?" she teased.

He let out a nervous laugh, adjusting his tie. "No, I don't think I'll ever miss it."

"It wasn't that bad," she said. "Are you going back to the field?"

"Uh, yes!" he said. He was actually going to find her, but she didn't need to know that.

"Me too. Let's go together?" she offered. She was the nicest person he had ever met, and she was all his.

"Sure," he said, already following her. "So, any plans after high school?" he asked her as if he didn't know.

"I'm going to a ballet school. I got a scholarship," she said, smiling excitedly. He knew all about it and had even tried to get into the college close to it, but he couldn't get in. The one he got was a bit far from her ballet school. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm going to a college in Eastwood." He smiled nervously.

She stopped when they reached where everyone was. "Ah, good luck. I have to go. It was nice chatting with you, Ale," she said, with a smile.

This is your last chance, a voice in his head said. If you let her go, you'll never get another chance.

"Amelia," he called, and she turned around.

"Yeah?" she asked, raising her eyebrow with a pretty smile on her face.

"Do you maybe think you," he paused, calming his erratic heartbeat, "want to go out after everything's done?"

"Oh, Ale," she started, and Ale knew exactly what she was going to say. His heart sank and his smile fell. He shouldn't have brought it up. He was so stupid.

"No, you don't have to explain. I get it." He shook his head, brushing her off. "It was stupid of me."

She reached where he was. "This is just the wrong time. I, um, have a boyfriend and I'm so sorry. We can be friends, though?"

He scratched his neck, internally face palming himself. "Yeah, sure. Friends."

"Thanks," she said, placed a kiss on his cheek and left. He watched the girl he had been crushing on since middle school disappear from his view. He wanted to cry.

"What does this have to do with me?" Hayden snorted. "Who is Amelia? And how is she related to everything you've done to me?"

"I don't know what they did to you or how you're talking back to me, but you're going to regret everything you've said if we go back home," he gritted his teeth.

Home? He had the audacity to call it home. That place was a prison and she would never ever go back to it even if it meant killing herself. And if he didn't want her talking rudely to him, she would use every ounce of her strength and energy to do just that. He could kill her for all she cared. But she wasn't going to stop fighting. Not now or ever.

He had once extinguished the fire in her, but he wasn't going to do it again. He had turned her into the worst version of herself. He had pushed her to drugs, and he had tried to ruin her life. But he wasn't going to do it again. She was going to stop him. She only wished she had the courage she did now, before. She could've left him earlier and maybe she wouldn't be as damaged as she was.

She shook her head. What has happened, has happened. All that mattered was what she did now. "Just tell me how it is fucking related to me!" A part of her was scared he would slap her like he did earlier for her behaviour but he just laughed. She breathed a sigh of relief, clutching the nail she had laid her hands on.