The Day Before Pt.1

Jasmine danced around her room while getting ready for school, it was nearing the end of the school year which meant summer was in full swing with its warm long days here to stay for the next few months, all she had to do was get through her entry-level exams and she was home free, although, that's a lot easier said than done; she hated studying, she always got distracted by one thing or another but she knew that if she wanted to accomplish her dreams of being a microbiologist she had to keep her studies up.

She heads downstairs where her family is sitting down for their breakfast, they didn't tend to eat together as a family unit all that much, mostly because both of her parents were usually always at work, but on the odd occasions where we were all in the house for a meal, they would sit down and enjoy it together. She sits down between her Father and younger brother and fills her plate with bacon, toast, and eggs while the family converses about different things, as she pops a piece of bacon into her mouth her father turns to address her "I know you usually hang out with your friends after school, but I was hoping you would come straight home today, I'm being sent to the Apate base tonight for a two-month rotation, so I won't see you all for a while, I was thinking we could have a big family dinner before I go, invite some friends if you want, the more the merrier"

She knew what this was, a manipulation tactic to make her feel bad, he was great at them, see, Jasmine had been distant with her Father in recent months, she never told him but she thought he was neglecting his family with him always being away, she understood that his job was important, but she was also taught that family was important too, and lately it seemed to her that he had forgotten that lesson that he, had taught her. Thing is, Jasmine had always been more like her father than her mother, which meant that she was able to see through the manipulations he would subconsciously create and either call him out on it or beat him at his own game, and with Summer here, she was feeling some sort of way and decided to call him out, so, with the raise of an eyebrow, a smug smile, and a slitted side eye she replied to her father "Oh, heading to Apate during the end of the year exams. Again. After you promised you would be here to help this year? So original. You know what Dad, I don't think I will be coming back after school, I gave my word to Anita that I would help her get ready for the game and I know how you always taught me to keep my word."

Jasmine's family all stopped eating and looked at her, each portraying a different emotion; her mother was beside herself with horror, her older sister was stifling a giggle with pride, and her younger brother looking between the two with confusion, her father, however, was not having it "Listen here Jasmine, I know I made a promise and I hate that I have to bail, but believe it or not, sometimes you have to make compromises in your life for the betterment of your family, that is what I am doing. I understand your upset, love, I would be too if I were you but you need to know that if I could choose without consequences, I would undoubtedly pick you and this family every single time; alas we still need food and shelter, and the capabilities to live the life that you children deserve, which means I will sometimes need to 'bail' as you so kindly put it on plans I made. I hope with this explanation, you can understand and rethink your position on tonight's dinner, I would still love to see you and Anita there." With that, he got up, took the empty plates in front of everybody, and moved further into the kitchen to clean the dishes.

Jasmine immediately feels guilty but still feels justified in her argument, how is Killian supposed to have a decent male role model when he's gone all the time, both Cameron and her didn't see their father that much growing up either and they were not afraid to admit that it made them feel a certain way. Expressing those feelings to their parents though was another story, they always got defensive, which made the girls feel like expressing their thoughts to them was something that should be well thought about first.

No longer wanting to endure the disappointed looks from her mother, Jasmine decides to head to school early, while walking there she starts thinking about her father's job and what brought them to this point. Jasmine's dad is a well-respected, decorated marine veteran, he's seen active duty in warzones and negotiated peace treaties with terrorist organizations, needless to say, he's a badass that's amazing at his job, so much so that he got a call to come out to Deloraine around 2 years ago when she was 12 to assist with the protection of some 'asset'. Hence, the reason their family is there, and why he has been so absent lately, more so now than he was before they moved to Deloraine. Whatever the asset is he's been assigned to protect, apparently needs him more than his own family. Shaking her head, Jasmine walks into school to start studying for her exams.

Later that day.

As the principal rambles on about the stupid football game tonight, I try to concentrate on the music in my EarPods. Much to my parents' confusion, I am currently obsessed with Stray Kids and I'm not afraid to show it, I listen to them so much that I'm starting to be able to sing a decent amount of their songs, as long as I listen carefully and do the pronunciations correctly; Miroh was my current song I was learning, but this damned principal keeps distracting me. I turn off the music and turn towards my best friend Anita.

"We're still going to your place before the game, right?" I ask her, already knowing the answer but wanting verbal confirmation.

"Yup, Sam, Cam, and Killian will be meeting us there, are you sure you don't want to see your dad before we go? I know this morning was rough but he's going to be gone for a while, might be good to get some things off your chest before he does, or at least try to articulate it a little better" she replies turning to me with a look of understanding. That's one of the main things that I have always loved about her, she never judges anyone for their decisions; questions them for sure, but never judges. It's by far her best quality, well, that and being able to tell when something is wrong with another human being even if they don't realize it themselves. I sigh and shake my head no. "I honestly don't see the point right now, I tried this morning, and I get that it wasn't the politest way to say it, but I did try, to no avail, all he did was make me feel bad about speaking up. Like, I know that his work is what got us to where we are and that I should be grateful that we are in the position we are in, but that doesn't stop me from wanting more from him. Plus, it's not like it's anything new, it's part of his job to have to up and go for weeks or even months on end, I guess I was mostly upset for Killian, he's only eight but already learning that he can't particularly rely on Dad's word. It's sad to see it all."

Anita nods, making her long red wavy hair bounce, and picks up her backpack from the gymnasium floor. "Let's start heading out now before people start stampeding everywhere like a herd of elephants" she giggles as she starts us towards the gym doors that lead outside, while in front she easily speaks to anyone who happens to be near her while we're moving down, with her bright smile and captivating blue eyes making it easy to strike up a conversation with her. Then there's my dull blonde hair, and plain blue eyes, trying to dodge the unruly teenagers who are goofing off with one another instead of paying attention to the assembly while trying to make sure I don't make eye contact with anyone out of fear of them striking a conversation with me. When it came to social standings, Anita and I couldn't be more different, she has friends and people want to be her friend, she's my only friend and people weren't interested in having me as one. So, I stopped trying.

Finally, we make it to the door and escape into the warm afternoon sun to start our walk to Anita's house, which is right beside my own, that's how we met and became friends; I had just moved in and was sitting on the front lawn reading The Two Towers by J.R.R.Tolkien when she appeared in front of me and asked if I also liked the movies, it was instant friendship created through our love for hobbits, wizards, elves, and dwarves, we've been inseparable since.

As we stroll up to her house I see Cameron, Samantha, and Killian come out of our house, there's no car in the driveway and only the living room lamp light is turned on. 'Maybe Mom and Dad have gone to the rally already' I think as we greet the others on the lawn of Anita's house. As we all talked about the day's events and what we plan to do once at the game, I give my group a once-over.

The eldest in our group is Samantha Jones, she's 18 and currently studying at the Harrison Research Facility, which also happens to be the only university for miles around, the next closest was in the city, 4 hours away. She has long brown hair that reaches her waist with brown eyes to match. She moved here at the age of 16 when she got offered an advanced placement at the university in the technological department due to her ability to create anything out of nothing.

Then there's my older sister Cameron, who is best friends with Samantha, since both Samantha and I moved here around the same time, Cam and Sam ended up becoming close friends quickly even though there is a little bit of an age difference. Cam is 16, she has blonde hair and likes to keep it up in a ponytail, she has blue eyes and even though she is older than me, she is a little shorter, comes from our Nana on our dad's side. Sam is truly her only real friend, at school, she tends to follow the crowd and doesn't speak her mind even if it means she must participate in an event she might not want to. She is the 'mother' of the group, always making sure everyone is safe and always looking out for Killian.

Then finally I look at my little brother Killian, with his shaggy blonde hair that never seemed to stay in one place, his bright blue eyes that seem to see into your soul when he looks at you, the limp in his left leg that he has when walking due to a complication at birth, then there's the little fact that he's in the same grade as Anita and I due to him being a genius. I mean, he's still a clumsy 8-year-old, makes a mess in the kitchen, and doesn't clean it up, but he is smart, so gotta give the kid some credit where it's due.

As I come out of my daydream, I realize everyone has finished conversing and are getting ready to make their way to the game, which was being held at the high school football field, I start walking along with our little group with Cam and Killion on my left, Anita on my right and Sam staggering behind Cam on her cell phone. I turn to Cam, curious about our parents.

"Hey, did Mom and Dad leave for the game early? I didn't see the car in the driveway." I ask her.

"No, Dad got called in early, something about the project being on the edge of a breakthrough or something, I honestly don't know, you know how much he likes to talk about his job, and mom is at the hospital working a double, so she won't be back until morning, why, what's up?" She replies looking sideways at me.

"Oh, nothing, I was just wanting to speak to Dad about something, but I guess it can wait until he gets back." I try to play it off like it's nothing, and Cam continues her conversation with Killian, so I assume it did. Honestly, though, I was thinking on the walk home that it might have been a good idea to talk to Dad about how I was feeling and clear the air. How can anything change if he doesn't know how we are feeling? Well, next time I see him, I will say what's on my mind but this time more articulately and kindly. Just must wait for him to get back from his rotation.