Chapter One

Jasmine.

I had 'friends' who thought that the best way to let go after having a shitty weekend spent on a vacation with your mom, her husband and his successful daughter and then coming back home to find out your boyfriend was cheating on you was going to a club.

"To be fair, you knew he wasn't faithful from the beginning," Jane shouted over the sound of the music while she swayed her hips around.

"That doesn't mean I want to walk in on him, butt naked and thrusting into my neighbor's ass" I replied straining my voice so I could be heard. I wasn't dancing on the dance floor, that was for sure but I knew I was doing something.

Rachel was the real dancer amongst the three of us. She expertly moved her waist and hips to the rhythm of the song and danced away from anyone that tried to join in.

"That's such an explicit description, Steven is gross," Rachel laughed out loud after she said that, she was overcome with joy at this very moment.

"Anal is one of the best, my baby can stick it there all day long," Jane smacked her ass after saying that which made us all laugh or in my case, the corner of my lips rose up to show a little smile.

"Do you know what you should do, J?" Jane asked after a while.

"What?" I asked.

I was still wriggling my hips at this moment, thinking I was dancing but one can only do embarrassing things for a short while. This wasn't my scene, I couldn't even believe they had successfully dragged me here this night.

"What?" I asked again, louder this time so she could hear me.

Jane giggled, "You don't need to be so serious Jasmine, relax, feel the flow of the music and just find your rhythm," She giggled again at the end, it was almost like she couldn't stop giggling.

I turned to Rachel and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Such a lightweight," Rachel groaned. She stopped dancing and watched Jane jiggle like someone on drugs, "She takes too much everytime even though she knows better and tomorrow, she'll have the shittiest hangover and I would have to take care of her."

This was the first time I went clubbing with them, I didn't know their antics and so I was confused when Jane started running and Rachel had to catch her.

"Damn it," She whispered under her breath before she began the run and dance movement to get Jane.

Whatever they were doing wasn't really my style so I turned the other way. To get another drink.

"A gin martini and a virgin margarita please," I told the bartender the moment my ass touched one of the stool.

Memories from the weekend with family kept flashing behind my eyes anytime I blinked. Mom's disappointment was at the forefront, glaring at me.

****

"I had such hopes for you Jasmine, you could have read law and be a successful lawyer like me or at least pursue your dreams to your highest capacity, why did you stop at being an assistant to some dude working a small freelance writing house," She had said the moment she laid her eyes on me. No hello, no how are you doing daughter, just rolled out the disappointment.

"Good day to you too mom," I tried joking to ease the tension that would have suffocated everyone.

Charles, my stepfather pretended to be working on his laptop. The tool couldn't even stop pretending for a few minutes to say hello to me.

Charles was the man my mother got married to few months after my dad died when I was ten. I resented him and told him everytime I got the chance.

His daughter used to be my best friend though. We did everything together and now, I couldn't care less about her.

"Hey Jasmine," She greeted from the kitchen, she wore a chef's apron and was probably cooking.

Constantly being compared to her had been the highlight of my life. I hated it.

"Hey Amanda, how's the baby?" I asked.

She shrugged, "He's fine, he's going to be with his dad this weekend so we can catch up," She said.

The lie came out of her mouth so seamlessly, following my mom's footsteps must have taught her well. The only person she might catch up with is my mother, not me.

***

"I'm going to take Jane home," Rachel appeared by my side suddenly which made me jump.

"She's in the car."

I nodded, "I'll see you guys at work tomorrow then," I told her.

Rachel bit her lips, "Would you be okay being here alone, you can just come with us and we'll have one giant sleepover in my house. There's room," She tried to explain but I had to step in.

"Don't worry Rachel, I'll be okay."

She didn't look like she was convinced but perhaps she was too tired to pursue the conversation any longer. She waved me bye and walked away.

I wondered what Jane had wanted to say to me on the dancefloor. Those words were probably lost now because she wouldn't remember a lot after the state she found herself.

Finally my drinks arrived. I took the gin martini first, half of the glass. Then another half of the glass of the margarita, sweet.

"Are you planning on going home drunk, especially when you don't have anyone to go with?" Someone said, his voice seemed to suck the air out of the room because I was pretty sure I knew who was talking.

Surely I was imagining things.

"And who told you I have no one?" This time all I took was a sip from the gin.

It warmed my body up.

"Well I just overheard your friend tell you they were leaving and you should come with them to which you refused," Was his reply. He had not turned around yet and so I couldn't see his face but I was so convinced I knew the voice now.

He had to be him.

"Didn't your mom tell you it's rude to eavesdrop in someone else's conversation?" I asked, mainly out of spite than anything else.

The movement was so sudden that if I wasn't watching, I would have been convinced it didn't happen. The small flinch he made at the mention of his mother.

Perhaps he was the one.

"And didn't she also tell you it's rude to hide your face from someone you're talking to," I tsked at him and shook my head, couldn't believe how fun it was to tease a stranger that might not be a stranger.

"The young lady wants to see my face, well I shouldn't fail to oblige then," He chuckled at his own words as he turned around so I could look at him.

He wasn't the one.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," I hoped the disappointment in my voice was not very evident as I packed up my bag so I could leave.

"My dear," The guy tried to call after me and this time I could hear him clearly, he didn't sound like him anymore.

What was wrong with me?

Why did I think that was him anyway?

I rushed outside for some fresh air before I called a Uber. The only thing I needed now was my bed and sleep.

The day was a total burst anyway.

******

The next day was even more horrible. I had unintentionally spoilt the advertisement for a new customer's brand, adding colours that weren't supposed to be on the logo and going off script in a wrong manner.

My boss was livid to say the least.

"That was the best customer yet, she would have been the one to spread the word about our company and our saving grace," He shouted while pacing from the left to the right in his small office.

He really shouldn't do that. He already looked quite red in the face.

"I'm sorry but I always go off script sometimes, I didn't know this time would end badly," I tried to apologize, my mom's words kept on playing on repeat in my head.

"Well your off script ideas are terrible and I'm sorry no one told you about that," He was still pacing, "I should have double checked before we allowed you launch it on our social media platform."

Cue eyeroll, "You can just call it I*******m," I muttered under my breath but he heard.

"That's the last of it, I can't handle you anymore Jasmine."

Wait, I didn't understand what was happening.

"What?" I gasped out, it couldn't mean what I thought it meant right.

"I'll work on the project again, I'll make it better. Just call her......"

"Don't start saying gibberish Jasmine," My boss interrupted me, "I should have done this the moment she called me and told me, she even paid a lot of money for it but I said no, you were still a young girl with a lot to learn..."

She. Mom.

My boss seemed to be talking loudly to himself, like he had forgotten I was even here. I cleared my throat to reintroduce my presence.

"I'm sorry Jasmine but we have to let you go," He concluded, "Don't feel bad, we have to let everyone go eventually. The business is going bankrupt anyway."

Everyone but you started with me.

"Who told you to get rid of me?" I asked, I wasn't leaving here without knowing. Mom wouldn't be so callous, would she?

I knew she didn't like my job but she would let me be.

My boss looked conflicted, like he didn't want to divulge the information out but one look at my face and he started talking.

"I believe she called herself Amanda, Amanda Castor. Your elder sister," He said tiredly, he slumped on his chair like those words had taken everything from him.

"She meant...."

There was no way Amanda would do something like this. She wasn't that cruel.

Oh was she and I just didn't know?