Dedicated to IconicSpirit for the awesome edit on the side! ;D You should go check out their stories :)
Chapter Five
For as long as I can remember, I have been faking confidence. You heard me right; I pretend to be a lot more confident than I actually am. I'm not an insecure person, but I do try and cover up my awkwardness with a façade of nonchalance and apathy. Once in a while however, that façade comes very close to being pulled right off. Hanging out with Jinn seemed to be having that effect on me.
Jinn and I were currently in a little bookstore at the far end of the mall, looking through the 'Young Adults' section. To be more accurate, Jinn was looking through the books- I strategically placed myself in a spot that would allow me to ogle him from afar without drawing attention to myself. Yes, I was ogling a man I barely knew. He could be a world-class illusionist for all I know. But let's face it; he was an attractive male and I was a hormonal teenager. Wait, am I even a teenager? Does turning eighteen automatically make me an adult? I was not ready for that kind of responsibility.
Once in a while Jinn asked me for an opinion on a book he picked out. He said that books were one of the most classic forms of expression, and simply could not understand why teens were so obsessed with things like 'Tweeter.' At this comment I looked away; after all I was one of those teens. I loved reading like no tomorrow, but social media had a grasp on me that I could not ignore. We spent most of our time there discussing such things and I felt content. This little bubble of freedom was a refreshing break from reality and I tried to cherish it as much as possible.
That is, until she walked in.
At first, I thought I was imaging things. Surely this lovely moment would not come to such an abrupt end? Unfortunately, I wasn't.
In she walked, her eyes scanning bookshelves like a vulture scouring the desert for lunch. Her perfectly styled hair bobbed up and down with each step she took, and her eyes landed on me, lighting up in recognition. Oh dear.
"Lexi! Oh my god I can't believe you're here!" she cried, engulfing me in a hug.
"Well this is a free country," I muttered under my breath, trying to breathe through the fumes of her intoxicating perfume.
Ignoring what I said, she turned to Jinn, giving him a quick once-over. "And who's your friend Lexi?" she smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. I think I was going to throw up.
Jinn grinned at her, his eyes betraying the fact that he was definitely interested. And who wouldn't be? Amy White, in short, was beautiful. As much as I'd like to villain-ize her, she came off as a decent person. She was pretty, she played basketball, she had a grade point average higher than I'd ever aim for, she was well-liked, and worst of all she was nice. Or at least she pretended to be, very well might I add. You might be wondering why I would dislike such a seemingly good person, and in reality I did not know. Was I jealous? Maybe. From the day I met her I felt like there was something off about her, I was just never able to pinpoint what.
Jinn put out his hand for a handshake, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Amy shook it.
"Hi, I'm Jinn. I'm guessing you're a friend of Lexi's?"
Amy's smile broadened, and she glanced at me. "Oh yes I am, I'm surprised she hasn't told you about me."
"I must have forgotten," I interject, trying to end the 'moment' they were both sharing, "after all, Jinn is still new to the place."
"Ahh, no wonder, I would've remembered a face like yours," she said, winking at him. Jinn blushed as she said this. Ugh. "Maybe I can show you around some time?"
"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.
"Well now you do," I smiled, grabbing a fluffy yellow towel.
Just as I was headed to the bathroom, I heard a gagging noise from behind me. Turning around, I made eye contact with a presumably choking Jinn.
"Exactly how much salt did you put in this?" Jinn asked, trying to cover up his distaste. I had to suppress my laughter as a tear threatened to spill from his eye.
"I put my sweat, blood, and tears into making that, don't you dare throw it away," I said, faking hurt as I went into the bathroom. As soon I was sure I was out of earshot, I burst into a fit of giggles. Poor, poor Jinn.
* * *
"Class, I'd like to introduce you to our new student, Jinn... Jones?" Ms. Blanchno read off a piece of paper, unsure if she had read it right.
I immediately perked up at his name, chuckling lightly at his choice of a surname. I hadn't seen him since I used him as a test subject for my 'food' this morning, and was slightly worried as to how he would manage to enrol in school.
Taking in his choice of clothing, I grinned. The magazine seemed to be helping, as Jinn 'Jones' was dressed as an average high school student- dark jeans paired with a light blue button-down shirt. Jinn gave a polite nod to the class, and then looked around, presumably trying to spot me. I gave him a little wave, trying to get his, and only his attention. He quickly noticed me and strolled down the aisle, taking a seat in the empty wooden desk beside me.
"Oh my god. Hey Jinn!" A sugary sweet voice called him rather loudly.
Did she start all her conversations with an 'Oh my god?' I cringed, almost forgetting that Amy White was in the same Chemistry class as me. She was also conveniently seated on the other side of Jinn, I noticed glumly.
As the two of them chattered away, I leaned back in my chair, feeling quite disappointed. I zoned out completely, ignoring Ms. Blanchno, Jinn, and even Amy. Strumming my fingers on my desk, I look around, for the first time realizing how unfulfilling my daily life was. All my life consisted of at this point was 'eat-sleep-school' on repeat. I wasn't feeling inspired lately and my attempts at creating art reflected that. I had no siblings, and I barely had a mother. I had one real friend, and my only serious hobby was collecting antiques. Though I'd never admit it, the unexpected arrival of Jinn added a bit of a twist to my very ordinary life, axe murderer or not.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket, pretending to check for messages when I already knew I would have none. I lowered the brightness on my phone, trying to conceal it as I scrolled through my twitter feed. The usual tweets about cats, tumblr, and Beyoncé flooded my screen, but a few unusual ones caught my attention.
"@XXNextEinsteinXX: So who's the tall, dark, mysterious stranger roaming the halls of Maple High???"
"@MooMooCow09: Heard he's an undercover cop trying to rat out the weed distributors. He does look old enough anyways."
"@Pizza5Ever: undercover cop or not, he's kinda cute.. Last spotted entering Blanchno's chem class!"
Wrestling Amy off of Jinn was one thing, but fending off a couple of more girls? And knowing them, the rumours would multiply like bunnies in heat. So much for keeping a low-profile.
* * *
The bell finally rang, signalling the end of this torturous chemistry class. On the bright side, I finally got to see Sierra and introduce Jinn to her. I hadn't mentioned the whole genie situation because:
A) She would think I was crazy.
B) A small, selfish part of me wanted to keep a secret that I could call my own. I am aware that I just won the 'Worst-Best-Friend' award.
Stuffing the last of my books into my bag, I turned to Jinn. "Hey, I can't wait to show you-"
I stopped abruptly as I realized Jinn was no longer beside me, and instead glued to Amy's side. I clenched my fists, eavesdropping on a bit of their conversation as they excited class together.
"..They're going to love you, trust me. Especially Aaron, you two would get along so well!"
If only looks could kill. Not only did Little Miss Perfect get Aaron, she got the closest thing I had to a male friend as well. Trying not to let such a trivial thing affect the rest of my day, I hurried out of class, eager to get some food into my rumbling stomach. I reached my locker and twisted the cold metal, entering the 4 digit passcode- 2368. I thought the idea of locks for our lockers was ridiculous, after all which sane person would steal school textbooks and maybe a pair of smelly gym shoes if they were lucky? Not me for sure. I pulled out my lunch box and shoved it into my backpack, trying to feel optimistic about the stale grilled cheese sandwich I had packed.
When I entered the dreary place my school called a cafeteria, I immediately spotted Sierra- which wasn't very difficult when considering her sequined orange top and fluorescent headband. I slid into the gray seat opposite to her, trying not to squint at the brightness.
"So what inspired your fashion statement today? A traffic cone?" I said sarcastically, smiling slightly at her offended expression.
"And who inspired your mood today? Grumpy Cat?" she retorted, arching an eyebrow at her comeback.
"That wasn't half as good as mine," I responded, taking a bite of my stinking lunch. Mm-mm, a cup of misery with a pinch of disappointment, my favourite.
"Whatever you say," she said, "now tell me why you were MIA yesterday."
I took a deep breath before I dived into the story, excluding obvious points such as the fact that Jinn was a genie. I explained how he was an old family friend and how he was staying over at my house for a bit since his parents had some work to do back in their country. I just prayed she didn't bring it up in front of my mother. I finished off with how he had just transferred into this school, and with that Sierra couldn't seem to keep quiet anymore.
"Wait what?" She yelled, earning a few stares from students seated nearby.
"Sierra shush!" I pulled her back into her seat, trying to stop her from creating a scene.
"So you're telling me that that beautiful being over there," she said, gesturing to Jinn, who was now seated at Amy's table, "is your friend?"
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"Lexi, you must not be thinking clearly but let me simplify this for you; a hot male actually associates with you and you let Amy take him?!"
"No, no of course not! And we're barely friends, calm down," I said, feeling slightly nervous as Sierra's expression turned slightly psychotic, like she was ready to kill someone. She looked past me, presumably at Jinn's table and her mouth slowly curved into a sly smile. This was even scarier, to say the least.
"Well if you really don't care about Jinn, then it should be no problem that Amy is literally all over him now is it?" She said, arching an eyebrow and smiling triumphantly.
In shock, I turned around and witnessed the scene that Sierra had told me about. Amy was on Jinn's lap, her head resting on his shoulder. Although his posture seemed stiff, he wasn't exactly pushing her off was he? I wanted to wash my eyes out; I really didn't need to see that.
I turned back to Sierra and tried to keep my face neutral, undoubtedly failing. After a long pause, I finally spoke.
"What do you think I should do?" I said, trying not to put too much emotion into my voice.
"Well if it were me, I'd probably go up there and pull her off him by her hair, stomp on her face for a few minutes and then maybe make out with him until he realized what a mistake choosing anyone else was," she said nonchalantly. "But since it is you we're talking about, we'll have to settle for something more subtle."
I nodded my head, knowing full well that she was capable of doing that.
She continued, "Why don't you just go and interrupt their conversation? Say you have to speak with him and then improvise. It'll get Jinn away from Amy, and even better- he'll be with you."
At this point I was willing to try anything. "Wish me luck," I said, adjusting my hair and getting up from my seat.
"Go get him tiger!" she said enthusiastically, giving me a wink.
Walking quickly before I could change my mind, I stopped at his table. At first, no one bothered to pay any attention to me and I was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. Sierra's idea didn't seem that great at the moment. Just as I was about to give up and turn back, Jinn noticed me.
"Hey Lexi, what's up?" he said coolly, flashing me a cute smile. Immediately, the whole table stopped talking and instead turned to me with scrutinizing gazes. I tried not to let my smile falter as Amy shot me a glare.
"I need to talk to you about something," I said, proud that I wasn't stuttering. "It'll be quick," I added. Some of the girls from the table were sending me annoyed looks, angry that I was taking their plaything away from them. Sucks for them.
"Uh... sure, no problem," he said, giving me a questioning look. At this he tried to slide himself out from under Amy, but of course she protested.
"But Jinn, can't you stay," she said, smiling sweetly at him, "I'm sure Lexi can wait." I clenched my jaw, seething in anger. There are 214 nerves in the human body, and she managed to get on every single one of mine.
"No it's okay, I'll catch up with you guys later," Jinn stated, lightly pushing her off and picking up his bag. He turned to me, a concerned look on his face. I immediately felt bad. In a way, I was manipulating him- I was just as bad as Amy. Since there was nothing I could do about it now, I decided to go with the flow.
We walked towards the doors of the cafeteria, our footsteps in-sync. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, his dark eyes boring into mine. Trying not to let that distract me, I looked away. I had to improvise, and fast. I watched the crowds of students pushing past us, trying to think of something relevant to say. Jinn was patiently waiting for me to reply, silently walking beside me. Just as I was about to admit that this was all just a ploy and that I didn't really have anything to say to him, an idea struck me. Feeling a bit excited, I gave myself a hi-five mentally. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this sooner, it was persistently on my mind for the past few days. I had wanted to wait a bit longer but now seemed a good time as any.
"Jinn," I said, slowly turning to face him, "I want to make my first wish."
* * *
Hello my poopies :) Hope you liked this chapter, with the number of times I've read over it I've practically memorized it word for word :P Took me all my self- control to not post it until today.. but on the bright side it's longer than usual (7.5 pages on word)! :D Btw thank you so much for the 5 votes on my last chapter! Made my day really :) So what are your thoughts on Jinn? Lexi? Amy? And Ms. Blanchno is pronounced 'BLAWNSH-no.' Alsoo what do you think Lexi's first wish is gunna be? :D
School has started for me (ugh) but hopefully I'll still be able to update a few times a month. Keep in mind that I'm a senior student and university applications are coming up :/ Anyways, if you liked the chapter, please vote/ comment/ fan/ share or all four! ;) And I'm aiming for 6 votes this chapter! :)
Hopefully I'll be able to update Friday the 19th of Septemeber.. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Xoxo