Chapter Eleven: The Wish That Set Jean Free

We spent the rest of the Sunday driving home, drinking peach tea, and eating sandwiches. I told Jean everything with how Megan got the necklace, to how Jason and I tried to get the principal to help us, to how Mrs. Wu knew about Jean being a genie all along, to how I got to the studio. Jean in turn told me about how Megan treated her, to how Megan wanted to be famous and on the same show as Gloriana Florea and she ended up being her 'assistant', to how Gloriana Florea didn't like her so she ended up wishing they were sisters. We talked in detail about everything, but it wasn't one of those kinds of conversations where we spoke about all that was wrong, but about the adventures we've been on and how we conquered the battles in the end. It was a beautiful feeling, talking and laughing with her once more. This was my personal last wish, to have a moment like this with her again before I set her free.

It was about 7 in the evening when I finally dropped Jean off. Jean's mother and father swarmed her with hugs and kisses. They insisted I stay for dinner, and I had no choice but to say yes.

After dinner, Jean and I sat in her room, talking like normal. We talked about both nothing and everything at the same time if that made any sense. But I knew in the pit of my gut that this conversation had to end, but there was one last thing that needed to be said before I did that.

"Jean . . ." I think you and I both know what has to come next," I said.

"Your third wish . . ."

I was sitting on her chair, and she was sitting on the bed. I got up and sat next to her, taking her by both hands. "I promise I'm going to make the wish this time, but before I do I have some things I need to say. Jean, you being in my life these past few weeks has taught me a lot. You've taught me a lot. You've taught me that no matter external factors are changed, the biggest changes have to come from inside ourselves. You taught me to stop wishing for things, and to work for the things I've always wished for. You've also taught me how to care for people. How to trust in people. How to let everyone in. I guess ultimately what I'm trying to say is that--"

"You love me?" She asked.

"No. Well yes, but that's not what I was trying to say. What I'm trying to say is, I am so grateful that I met you. No matter what will happen to us after the third wish is made, I will always remember everything you've done for me. I will always remember the impact you made."

I pulled out a gold-plated ring with a crayon maroon rose in the center, and put it around her finger. "I know you don't like it when you're bought fancy things, but this isn't just a fancy peice of jewelry I got at the mall. I made this, Jean."

She admired the ring on her finger, turning her hand 180 a few times. "What's the story behind this?" She asked.

"I made melted a maroon crayon in the shape of a rose," I said. "I guess it's a thank you for lending me that crayon that day in kindergarten. I never really did get to thank you."

"Did the crayon really mean that much to you then? To me, it was just a crayon."

"Well to me, it was an act of kindness that I badly needed that day. I guess you could even say that kindness was seeded inside me somewhere and blossomed its own flower. And I know that my soul isn't intertwined with this ring or whatever like your necklace is, but it really does have a part of me with it."

Her face got closer to mine. "What a nice romantic gesture."

I traced my thumb on her cheek. "Romantic, platonic, or otherwise, I care about you in more dimensions than one."

"What did you mean before when you said 'whatever will happen to us once the third wish is made', Nick?"

"All this time I haven't made it because . . . Well I'm afraid things will change. I'm afraid you wouldn't choose me."

She gently pushed me back on the bed and straddled me. She closed her eyes, then I closed mine, and she kissed me softly. "Of course I would choose you." She kissed me again, vigorously this time. "I love you."

I smiled.

We kissed more and more, but I pulled away.

"You won't choose me, Jean," I said.

"Yes I will."

"No you won't!"

"And why not?"

"Because I'm going to make a wish that will REALLY set you free. From the past, the present, and the future. I'm going to make a wish where you'll never be someone's slave ever again, and you'll forget you ever were a genie. Could you really say you'd choose me then after you've forgotten all we've been through?"

"I would. I know I would."

I kissed her one last time. "Jean, I wish you would be forever free. Free from the haunting memories of you ever being a genie, free from your troubles in the present, and free from becoming someone's slave ever again, no matter who holds the necklace. For you to be your own person. And for you to be happy."

A tear fell down her cheek, but she tried to smile anyway. "I know I'm not one to make a flashy presentation with a wish, but seeing as this is the last wish I'll ever grant, I will just this once."

The wind blew so hard that it swung her windows open. It wasn't just wind you could feel. It was wind you could see. The wind circled all around us with its golden and maroon rays of sparkles and light, illuminating the whole room with red and yellow dancing colors. The wind began to become calmer, and the circle or light around us slowed down until the two of us were there admiring the way each other's skin and body looked in the illuminance of the magic.

"Show off," I smirked. "So you really could put on a show after all."

"Of course," she said. "Kiss me."

I hesitantly pulled her close, and pressed my lips against hers, holding her, taking in her scent, taking in her breaths, taking in the light, taking in everything about her that I could because I was afraid this would be the only chance I had to do it.

I opened my eyes and she was fast asleep. I took the necklace off of my neck, and put it around hers. Even if she were free, it still was intertwined with her soul after all. I quietly got off the bed and snuck out the door, careful not to wake her up.

The next day at lunch, Kaylee and Ryan were pestering me about my trip in Los Angeles. It was hard to explain to them in a way they would understand, but though my story had holes, I made it clear that Megan was taken care of and that I brought Jean home safe.

"Megan hella messed herself up after what happened wit chu and her in front of the paparazzi," Kaylee said. "Her ass got fired from both the reality show and the Gloriana show. Oh and you know what else? This morning she got arrested for fraud cuz someone snitched to the cops that she was lying about being sisters with Gloriana and had evidence, and it was true."

It was Jason. It had to be. There was no one else that knew the truth.

"Well you can get everything you want, but not even magic can save a person from themself," I said.

"Look over there," Ryan pointed.

It was Jean sitting alone at a table reading a book. Well, there were other people there, but she wasn't with them. She looked up for a second and for a moment we held eye contact, but then she went back to reading her book.

"Why isn't she sitting with us?" Ryan asked. "Are you two okay?"

How could I put this in a way they'd understand? "Things got awkward on Sunday because she told me she loved me."

"OH MY GOD!" Kaylee said, slapping her hand on the table. "Did you say it back?"

"I couldn't bring myself to."

"Maybe that's why she's avoiding you."

"Talk to her, man," Ryan said.

"What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"

"Well how are you going to know if you don't ASK HER? I swear, you've always told me how bluntness is important and how we have to be real with one another, and now in the moment of truth you're chickening out."

In my defense Jean had just lost her memory of her entire genie past and I wasn't quite sure what filled their place. I mean, I don't think she got amnesia about everything that happened, and the way she looked at me, I don't think she filled her genie days with herself reading idley in the hallways. If she did that and someone such as her mother asked about me or Jason then that would create too many inconsistencies with her memory and reality. No, she had to tweak her memory in a way she would understand, and I had to find out what that understanding was. I had to find out why she wasn't talking to me.

During history, we sat next to each other in awkward silence. We were doing an activity in class and most of our classmates were speaking anyway, but the two of us kept to ourselves like we did before the whole necklace ordeal.

I watched her answer a question on the page, and quickly looked away and pretended to answer a question when she looked at me too. For a fraction of a second I looked at her, looking at me. I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, wonder if she wanted me to talk to her as badly as I wanted to talk to her.

"Hey," I finally said.

She startled at my ice-breaking. "Hi," she replied in monotone.

I had to find out context clues about what she thought was going on. "Jean, can we talk about everything that's been going on the past few weeks?"

"Yeah. I kinda wanted to talk to you about that too."

"Great because I--:

"But not here. Let's meet by your locker after class."

I agreed.

We walked together to my locker after class, and though we weren't alone, students were too busy shuffling past each other to go home to even care or listen to our conversation.

"So what did you want to say?" Asked Jean.

"You first," I insisted. I needed to know what she thought before I even spoke. I needed her to give me some context.

"I'm sorry if I freaked you out a little last night is all," she said.

"What do you remember about last night exactly?"

"That you gave me this ring and I told you I loved you and we kissed, but you didn't say it back." She stared at the floor, hugging her books. "I thought maybe you needed space because you didn't text me or pick me up like you usually do every day."

"And what is your reflection about everything that happened with Jason? And Megan? And Los Angeles? And us?"

"Why are you asking me all these questions all of a sudden?"

"Just answer it, please."

She visibly searched her memory with that distant stare people usually give when they're trying to recall something that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It was like she was processing it, or her mind was trying to process it in a way she'd understand.

"I don't know why, but I was dating Jason and I didn't want to. I guess I didn't break up with him because I felt . . . stuck somehow. Then you and Jason were having your disagreements and I was sick of him, so we teamed up and pretended to date so you could get your revenge, and I could get him off my back, but he still wanted me back. And then Megan got offered that deal in Los Angeles and for some reason blackmailed me into being her assistant? I don't even remember what she blackmailed me with. But then you came to the studio and confronted her, and Jason exposed her for pretending to be sisters with Gloriana Florea and she got arrested and you brought me home." She said it all as if that was the first time she heard that story, or if it was a story she was trying to recall but couldn't remember the important details. "Now that I say that out loud, it all sounds crazy. But that is what happened, right?" She was anxiously waiting for my response to confirm her story was true and I knew that because it seemed as though she herself was having a hard time believing it.

I simply nodded. "Yeah, that's basically what happened."

"It's weird because there are so many things that don't make sense."

"Hey," I said. "If you taught me anything, it's that it's good not to think about everything too much."

She laughed. "And if you taught me anything, it was that we have to constantly seek the truth."

I laughed. "No matter what the petty details are, I think we both know the most important truth deep down."

"And what's that?"

"We have a special bond between us. One that can't be faked. One that isn't bound by objects. One that would still exist even if one of us got amnesia and didn't know it."

She laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I think I know what you mean."

"Actions speak louder than words Jean, but if you must really hear the words, I love you too."

She smiled. I expected her to kiss me then, but she did something even more meaningful. She took her gold coin necklace off, and put it around my neck. The same neckalce that was intertwined with her soul. "I want you to have this, Nick. As a thanks for the ring."

She had amnesia and could no way know that the necklace was her lifeline that she just exchanged for a ring of crayon, so I, the knowing party, was under obligation to decline. "Jean, I don't think you know how important this necklace is. It's literally a part of you. I can't accept it."

"I'm aware of how important this necklace is. I've had it since I was a baby. I know that it's a part of me, and that's why I want you to have it. I want you to have a part of me wherever you go."

"AWW!" Kaylee came up to us, her hand interlocked with Ryan's. "Are you guys okay now?"

I touched the necklace on my neck. Deep down, Jean knew what it was worth, and she gave it to me anyway. I wanted Jean to be happy, and I made her happy. Me. Coming to this apiffany made me happy too.

"More than okay," I said, smiling at Jean, smiling at me.

Me, Ryan, Jean, and Kaylee went to the bowling alley after school. We weren't really playing to win, but playing just to play and have fun. We talked, laughed, and had a good time together in our own little world. It felt good to finally feel like I was a part of something. It felt good to know I wasn't alone wrapped in plastic.