Chapter One.

POV Jake
Today is the day. My friend Phil & I will receive a student from Florida, America. She will be here for six months to experience the life we live in London. She will go to Cambridge University, the same university we go to & she will be staying at our apartment. I am really excited to meet this girl, but also kind of nervous. ‘’Are you ready, Jake’’? I hear my friend Phil ask from the living room. ‘’Almost, I will be there within a minute’’! I respond. I want to look good. Not just for her, I really want to leave a good impression, that’s important. ‘’Finally’’, Phil says as I walk into the living room. ‘’That took forever, what were you doing’’? Phil asks slightly annoyed. ‘’I am so sorry, Phil. I just want to look good, what is wrong with that’’? I ask. ‘’The vanity has really taken over your life’’, He says laughing. ‘’What’’? I ask confused. He shakes his head in disappointment & puts his hands on his forehead. ‘’Never mind. Just don’t be an enormous show off near her, she needs to get to know the real you’’, Phil sounds concerned & a tiny bit annoyed. I wonder what’s wrong with him. ‘’I promise I will behave like myself’’, I put my hand on my heart & smile at him. ‘’Good, now what was her name again’’? He asks. I’ve never seen Phil act like this, he’s being clumsy & it really gets to me. He is my best friend. ‘’Is everything alright Phil’’? I ask, putting my hand on his shoulder. ‘’Huh?... Yeah of course’’, He looks at me with his twinkling eyes. ‘’Are you sure’’? ‘’Didn’t I just say I am alright’’?! He asks with a little anger. I sigh. ‘’Her name is Jazmin’’, I look at him, he looks like he is anxious about something. However, I am not going to ask any further, he is stressed already. ‘’Phil, we should go, she’s almost at the airport’’, I say looking at the time schedule. The airplane she travels with will arrive at 9 ‘o clock & it already is half past 8 right now. Phil stands up & walks to the front door. ‘’Let’s go’’, He says smiling & I nod. ‘’ I will drive’’, I say & we close the door of our apartment.
As we arrive at the airport I can clearly see that Phil is getting nervous. ‘’Phil, you can go wait for her if you please’’, I say stopping right in front of the entrance. ‘’What about you’’? He asks while opening the car door. ‘’I will park the car & see you within 10 minutes, alright’’? ‘’Alright’’, He says almost immediately. ‘’Call me if you can’t find us’’, Phil gets out of the car & closes the door. I see him disappear into the entrance of the airport. All I have to do now is find a parking lot, which is not easy to find. I could just park here, right in front of the entrance, but I am not going to risk anything. I could get a ticket! I start driving once more & soon, I notice a sign which leads to the parking lot. Eureka!


POV Phil
I am waiting for Jazmine, holding up a sign with her name on it. It looks ridiculous, but it’s convenient in case I can’t find her. Or ‘’we’’ if Jake was here. I know have been acting strange lately. It is not because something is wrong with me, but because something is wrong with Jake. He always acts like he is the best at EVERYTHING, especially near girls & it’s working on my nerves. I just don’t want him to steal all of Jazmine’s attention. I deserve a chance at friendship too, maybe even a relationship! That is probably never going to happen, since every girl is attracted to Jake. I just hope this girl also wants to spend some time with me, because I am really excited to meet her & I did everything to get her to London. I had to convince her brother that we are good guides & nothing would happen to her, through phone. Trust me, that was the hardest part. I paid half of the ticket to get her here! Her school was too greedy to pay more than the half of the price. She actually had to pay it herself, but I did it. She even tried to prevent it, but she couldn’t. I really wanted & I still want to meet her. If Jake just grabs her attention as easily as all the other girls their attention, I am done with it. It’s getting more & more crowded. What feels like forever really is just one minute. I feel my stomach turning all over again & my hands are getting sweaty. That’s when I see a girl, looking around. She has got wavy hair & glasses. She carries a bag on her back & a book in her hands. Could she be it? She looks at me, well, I think she does. She starts walking towards me & stops right in front of me. ‘’Hi… Phil’’? She asks shyly & I kind of choke on the words I want to say. She looks so beautiful, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Of course, I have chatted with her before her arrival & we talked on the phone 2 weeks in a row, but I never expected her to be such a beautiful creature. ‘’Jazmine, are you really here’’? I ask as a joke, trying to be funny. ‘’I don’t know, you might be dreaming’’! She says & we start laughing. There’s chemistry between us, I’ve never been so sure! Okay, I might be wrong, but it looks like there is chemistry between us. I am so excited to get to know her, she really seems like a nice girl to me. ‘’I am so happy to finally meet you, after chatting & talking through the phone for hours’’! I say & I hug her. I don’t know why I did that. It just happened, but it seems like she doesn’t mind. She actually hugs me back. Most of the time, the girl would push me away, but she doesn’t. ‘’I wondered who was the person behind the sweet, deep voice’’, She says while looking at me with her green, twinkling, eyes. She stares right into my soul. Her eyes speak words of love, like she doesn’t know what hate is. ‘’Well, now you know’’, I let go of her & take a good look at her. How could she be so beautiful, how could she even bare to look at someone like me? ‘’Where’s your friend Jake? I would like to meet him’’, She says smiling. There we go. She already fell in love with him, just by knowing his name. I guess I will never be someone. ‘’I think he is somewhere in the parking lot, we should go to him. He’s waiting for us, I think’’, I say, a little sad. ‘’What’s wrong Phil, you seem so… , sad all of a sudden’’, Apparently she noticed. ‘’It’s nothing, trust me’’, I say, trying to convince her. I don’t think she believes me, because she keeps staring at me with a worried look. ‘’It really is nothing’’, I try again & she sighs. ‘’Fine, but if something is wrong, you will have to tell me’’, I am just scared… Scared that Jake will grab her attention, so I’ll lose her. ‘’I promise’’, I say, trying to smile & she smiles back. ‘’I have to get my suitcase before we leave’’, She says as I start walking towards the exit. I turn around & catch her laughing. I feel my cheeks turn red. ‘’Eh… of course, I’m sorry. How stupid of me’’, She shakes her head. ‘’Don’t blame yourself, I would’ve forgotten it myself if I were you’’, She says still laughing, but in a cute way. ‘’What do you mean’’? I ask in curiosity. ‘’You’re really nervous & you’re only focussed on me, because I am a priority at the moment, so you do not think of luggage’’, She says smiling & I nod. ‘’You’re right, aren’t you nervous’’? ‘’Not anymore’’, I look down embarrassed. ‘’Now, let’s get my suitcase, before someone steals it’’, She laughs. We start walking towards the space where you can pick up your luggage. We wait while looking at her luggage approach us. ‘’Help’’, She begs. She is struggling to get her suitcase of the conveyor-belt & now she is running after it. I burst out laughing seeing her stumble like that. ‘’Stop laughing’’, She says laughing as well. She trips over someone’s luggage & meets with the ground. ‘’Phil! Get my luggage’’! She says dramatically, acting like it’s her last minute. I look at her & get her luggage. Finally. Now I can’t stop laughing. Everyone is looking at us like we just killed someone. ‘’What’s in this thing, it’s so heavy’’, I grab her hand & help her to stand up & act normal again. ‘’Books, a lot of books’’, She is smart, she reads a lot. I love girls like her. She is funny, smart & really sweet. ‘’I think it’s time to leave, or else we will never find Jake’’, I say looking at my watch.

POV Jake
I lean against a wall, waiting for Phil & Jazmine to come out of the airport. I’ve been waiting here for more than half an hour, what takes them so long. The door of the entrance opens again & again, but no sign of the 2 people I am waiting for. I sigh & that’s when I see someone familiar. Phil! Finally. He’s with a short, blonde girl with glasses & it seems like they are having to funniest time ever, since they are laughing their asses off. She’s way too beautiful for Phil. Out of his reach. ‘’What are you two laughing about’’? They clearly hear I am annoyed, the change in their facial expressions says enough. ‘’Jake, are you really going to act like this? You should just nicely introduce yourself’’, Phil says, as if he is my father. ‘’Maybe he is not having a good day’’, The girl says & I sigh. ‘’My apologies, I’m just fed up with waiting, I am Jake’’, I say & I stick out my hand. ‘’I heard about you, my name is Jazmine’’, She shakes my hand & smiles friendly. She heard about me? How interesting. I would like to know what Phil told about me. ‘’I have been talking to myself all week, just to practice on what I was going to say to you’’, I say, hoping I could make up my bad behaviour. ‘’That’s true, you should’ve seen him, I died with laughter’’, Phil says laughing & she smiles. ‘’Let’s go home’’, I say & hey both nod. They are kind of cute together, but I want her. ‘’Wait, before we go, I have to call my brother’’, She takes out her phone & dials a number.

POV Jazmine
‘’Hi, Ian’’! ‘’Hi, Jazmine’’, My brother responds through the phone. ‘’I arrived in London, alive’! I say laughing. I can hear him giggle. My brother is the sweetest & best brother alive. He’s 19, only 2 years older than me & I have lived with him all my life. Our parents died when I was 6. I don’t exactly know what happened, but my brother took care of me for all of these years. Of course sometimes we have little arguments about nothing, but he loves me more than anything & he would never, ever, let me fall. For no one. I miss him already, but we are going to move to England, he said it would be done within 4 months. I am not going to tell Jake & Phil, because it’s a surprise! ‘’How are the guys’’? My brother asks. ‘’They are really, really nice’’, I respond. I am not even exaggerating. Phil has been nice ever since I started talking to him online! In real life he is even sweeter. Phil is really cute & I think we could be great friends, maybe even more. But I will have to get to know them first, that’s my priority at the moment. ‘’That’s good to hear little sis. I can’t believe you’re not with me’’, He sounds kind of sad right now. Poor Ian, I wish I could comfort him. ‘’We will soon be reunited, don’t worry’’, I say. ‘’I know sis, call me whenever you need to, okay’’? ‘’I promise’’, I say smiling. ‘’Have a nice time, I will see you soon, goodbye, I love you’’, He says & I feel tears streaming down my face. Luckily I turned my back to the guys. ‘’I love you too, Ian, see you soon’’, I hang up the phone & wipe away my tears fast. ‘’Are you ready to come with us’’? Phil says & I turn around. ‘’Let’s go’’! They nod & start walking, while I walk behind them. Jake seems like a douchebag to me. I am not judging him, it’s just… The way he talked to us earlier just makes me wonder what kind of a person he really is. I am not going to say anything about him yet, I just need to talk to him more. Maybe he is like Phil, just not as cute & he smokes. I guess Phil doesn’t. I don’t really like people who smoke. A cigarette is a killing machine. Why would you want to put it between your teeth & let it kill you? It’s like suicide, without realizing it. I feel empty, I don’t know why. Of course I miss my brother, but that’s not the reason. There’s something else, I just don’t know what.

POV Phil
We finally reached the car! There was not much talking while on our way, which is kind of weird. Normally I can’t shut up & Jazmine looks like someone who can’t either. She was so quiet & she looked at the ground almost every time I turned around to check on her. Could there be something wrong? Or is it just me? When all of us are seated in the car, Jake starts the car & slowly drives to the exit of the parking lot. ‘’Are you excited’’? I ask while turning my head to the backseat of the car where Jazmine is sitting. ‘’Yeah, definitely! I waited for this to happen for weeks’’! She says enthusiastic & once again I see her beautiful smile again, which makes me happy. ‘’Can you stop flirting, please’’?! Jake asks annoyed when he catches me staring at Jazmine. What is wrong with him? Is he trying to embarrass me? Is he jealous? ‘’Asking someone if they are excited is not flirting, Jake’’, I say. ‘’Why are you so stressed, if I am allowed to ask’’, Jazmin says looking at Jake. ‘’I’ve just got a lot on my mind, I am sorry’’, He says calmly & I sigh. ‘’It’s okay buddy, we’ll discuss this later on. Just try to have a good time’’, I hope he understands what he is doing. I am trying to be myself & be nice, but if Jake keeps acting like this, I’ll eventually explode. What is he doing? This morning he was so excited & he even wanted to leave a good impression. Now he is acting like some sort of douchebag, Jake is not like this. He’s not a douchebag at all. I wonder what’s wrong with him. ‘’Are we almost there’’? Jazmine asks impatiently & she puts her hands on the sides of my seat. ‘’Almost, just one more minute’’, Jake says & I nod. He is really trying to behave like himself, but it seems like something keeps him from doing that. Could it be me? Should I let him be a show-off? Maybe I should… But no, he needs to learn that not every girl is into him. ‘’We are here’’! I say trying to sound cool, but totally failing. I get out of the car fast & open Jazmin’s door. I take her hand & help her out of the car. ‘’Well thank you, gentleman’’, She says with a weird accent & I smile at her. ‘’You’re welcome, young lady’’, I say in just as weird an accent as she did.

We are standing in front of our apartment, about to show Jazmine where we live. ‘’Are you ready’’? Jake asks smiling while I hold my hands for her eyes. ‘’Always’’, She responds & Jake slowly opens the door. ‘’Welcome ma’am’’, I let her look & almost immediately her mouth opens. ‘’This. Is. Awesome’’ She says & she looks around her while Jake closes the door. ‘’Where do I sleep’’? She asks. ‘’Follow me’’, I start walking & she follows me to the room where she is going to stay for six months. ‘’Here’’, I let her open the door herself. ‘’This is so cool’’, There’s a king-size bed, a flat-screen TV & a huge closet to put her stuff in. ‘’Do you like it’’? I ask & she shakes no. ‘’I love it’’, She scared me for a second, I really thought she didn’t like it. ‘’Good’’, I say. ‘’We would like you to come with us, so we can show London’s biggest attractions, are you in’’? Jake asks while she puts her stuff down. ‘’I haven’t eaten anything yet’’, She looks at me. Why didn’t she? ‘’We can eat something in a restaurant’’, Jake says. ‘’Well, okay’’, She hesitates, but stands up after a while. ‘’Let me fix my face & clothes first please, where’s the bathroom’’? She smiles at me. ‘’This corridor, second door left’’.



Abo & Reactie