Chapter Four:
I slammed the door shut behind me, frustration for Jinn, Mr. Vittore and myself pouring out of me. The dark wood vibrated, sending a buzzing noise out into the empty hallways.
“Hey, I was just joking around, I didn’t think he’d get that upset,” Jinn said, reaching out for my hand. I shook him off, storming down the hallways in a fury.
“Oh yeah? Well guess what, he’s pissed and my mom’s probably going to get a call from the office regarding my behaviour. Like I haven’t got enough on my plate without you waltzing in like you own the place,” I muttered, annoyed that I was getting so riled up over this.
“Hey, don’t start crying on me, I’m not that good with consoling people,” Jinn joked, trying to lighten the mood, “plus, now we’ve got the rest of the day to ourselves! Surely better than sitting around listening to boring lectures at school.”
I smiled faintly at his reply, and shook my head. “Did you not listen to a word I said? No, you don’t understand. I just got kicked out of class Jinn, I got kicked out. Do you know how bad I need that grade for college? This is so unlike me, never in my eighteen years of life have I done something so bad to warrant me this. It’s going to go on my records, and then I’ll get rejected from every college I applied to, and-“
“Shut up.”
“But-“
“Honestly Lexi, you need to stop stressing out, there’s nothing wrong with being kicked out of class once in a while. Your teacher isn’t going to fail you just because of one class, and your grades are okay anyways. Since you’re technically an adult, what’s holding you back?”
I sighed, he was right. Might as well take advantage of the situation right?
“Get in the car Jinn, we’re taking a little trip.” I said, smiling inwardly at my rebellious behaviour.
“Atta girl!”
* * *
“As much as I love surprises, I would like to know where we’re going Lexi,” Jinn drawled, checking out his appearance in the rear view mirror.
“Remember how you said that you could become visible to other people if I wanted you to?” I asked, avoiding his question, “Well I want you to do that.”
“Whoa hold on, you’re the same person who wanted to hide me from your mom last night, how is this going to help?” Jinn replied, scrunching up his forehead in confusion.
“That was different, my mom would have freaked out if she saw a strange man sitting in her kitchen. I want you to become visible to the world so that I don’t have to worry about you playing pranks on me without other people noticing.” I grinned triumphantly at my master plan, wondering why I hadn’t thought of this earlier.
“Are you sure about this Lexi? There’s no going back from here.”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, I’ll do it. On one condition though, I get to enrol in your school as a fellow student.”
“How are you going to manage that?” I asked, although I think I already knew his answer.
He brought a hand to his heart, pretending to be offended by what I said. “The way you underestimate my power really hurts me in the heart Lexi,” he sighed dramatically, closing his eyes in the process. “And you still didn’t answer my question, where are we headed?”
“We’re going to need some equipment for this mission; Project-Faking-Normal.”
* * *
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but based on the almost-identical stores and sweaty crowds of people I’m guessing we’re at the mall?” the now-visible Jinn asked me, lifting an eyebrow in confusion.
I had to stop myself from smiling; a confused-looking Jinn was pretty cute. “If we want Project-Faking-Normal to be a success, we need to get you new clothes for sure.” I looked down at his clothes distastefully. “Although I am not one to judge one’s desire to look homeless, I would like it if this went as smoothly as possible.”
“That was so funny that I forgot to laugh,” he said, rolling his eyes at me.
“That comeback was so 5 years ago- Oh wait, so are you!” I laughed at my own joke, mentally hi- fiving myself. Not bad Lexi, not bad.
“It wasn’t even that good,” Jinn muttered, not willing to admit defeat. “Let’s get going, we haven’t got all day.”
“Technically, we do.” I grinned, still quite proud of myself for skipping the rest of the school day.
“You get what I mean,” he said exasperatedly, “I’ve known you for less than 24 hours and you’re already getting on my nerves.”
“Thanks, it’s a talent,” I smiled, pulling him along to the closest store, “What do you think is more your style: Gothic Emo or Preppy Nerd?”
* * *
Now, I wouldn’t call myself a Fashionista- On the contrary, I dressed pretty lazy on a daily basis. Sure, I could dress up once in a while, I shopped at all the right stores, and I definitely knew that you do not wear denim on denim.
Apparently Jinn did not.
I wasn’t sure whether I should laugh or cry. Jinn had stepped out of the changing stall wearing a denim jacket… paired with a denim bottom. Keep in mind that this was 2014 and he was no Justin Timberlake. When I had handed him an armful of clothes, I had picked out these pieces for their individual appeal, but little did I know that a disaster like this could happen.
“So, what do you think? I quite like how it defines my form,” Jinn said, adjusting the collar of the jacket around his neck.
“Um… it’s a unique pairing.” I stated simply, not able to look him in the eye. “But I think that the gray T-shirt on its own would look better with those jeans.”
“Hmm… I’ll think about it.” Jinn said, walking back into the change room.
Tired, I glanced at the clock on the wall. We had been at the mall for three hours now and still no luck. Men’s clothing was far more limited than women’s clothing, I had learned. My stomach was growling and there seemed to be no hope for Jinn.
“Hurry up, I’m starving!” I whined, knocking on Jinn’s door. Nearby, a young mother glared at me as her infant woke up and started crying. “Sorry!” I whispered-yelled, as she got up and walked away angrily. I glanced at the previously-occupied seat, my eyes landing on a couple of fashion magazines. Perfect, I thought, just what I needed.
Quickly checking my surroundings for any onlookers, I stuffed the magazines into my school bag. I was not the kind of person to steal, but then again a few cheap magazines wouldn’t make a big difference. After all, they did put them out here for customer use. I jumped as the stall door opened, revealing a struggling Jinn.
“I could use some help here please,” he grunted, trying to balance all the clothing he was carrying. Just as I was going to help him, I heard someone call me.
“Excuse me miss!” a sales assistant called, quickly walking up behind me.
I froze, had he seen me taking the magazines? Crap, I messed up. Why did I think that stealing would be okay? Now I was going to have no future and it was all because of-
“Excuse me miss, but I think you left something behind,” the young man said, reaching me and holding out his hand. Gaping at him, I stuck out my hand. He dropped my phone into my palm, smiling. “Have a nice day!”
“Thank you,” I replied, relieved that I hadn’t been caught.
“What was that all about?” Jinn asked as he piled everything onto the check-out counter.
Smiling mischievously, I stood on my tiptoes and whispered what had happened into his ear.
“That’s it?” He chuckled, “And here I was thinking you committed something serious. You looked like you were being caught for murder!”
“Shut up,” I said, embarrassed that he was laughing at my expense, “it required a certain level of skill to get them okay?” I paid for the clothes and left the store, leaving Jinn to handle all the bags. Serves him right for laughing at me, I was feeling pretty rebellious.
We walked into the food court, which was refreshingly empty at this time of day. Spotting my favourite fast food place, I walked up to the cashier, Jinn following closely behind me.
“Two combo 7s please,” I said, reaching into my purse for my credit card, “and could you upgrade the fries to the supreme fries?”
The cashier nodded in acknowledgement, and I turned to Jinn’s dumbfounded expression.
“Do you usually eat this much junk food or are you just trying to impress me?” Jinn deadpanned.
“Shut up,” I said, feeling flushed. Good job Lexi, A++ for the comeback, I mentally slapped myself. I didn’t let Jinn’s remark get to me as I picked up our trays of food. He was just being an @ss as per usual. “Hey, if you really don’t want to eat all this food I could help you,” I smirked, taking his fries and adding it to my tray. No point in trying to hide my eating habits from him, I had a feeling he was going to be around for a long time. Plus I’m sure a boy will fall for my thick thighs and overfed stomach one day.
“I’m not even going to protest, I have a feeling that I’d lose,” he replied, picking up his burger and scrutinizing it, “and this much fatty food after 5 years of slumber isn’t exactly appealing.”
“Too bad for you, this is some pretty good stuff,” I muttered, practically inhaling my food. I let out a contented sigh. “By the way, I got you those magazines for some wardrobe inspiration, treat them like the bible for the next few weeks, you need it.”
“But I’m not even Christian…”
“Details, details.”
* * *
Hey guys, I’m sorry I haven’t updated in forever but I thought I could change that c: I had the biggest writer’s block and all my schoolwork didn’t help :/ But if you did like this chapter, please please please vote/comment/share! :D I'm aiming for at least 4 votes before my next update, but of course I'll still update if I don't get that many (though I'd really love it if I got there!). I'll most likely be ready with a new chapter by this following Friday, September 5th.
School's starting next week and I am not emotionally prepared for it D; Oh and songs I add on the sidebar are completely random, nothing to do with the story. Today it shall be MKTO's 'Classic,' because I have heard it on repeat at least 40 times today alone (no joke). I am in love with Tony Oller, and he's especially adorable in this music video. Any music suggestions from you guys?
xoxo