Flashback to years ago.
"Jazzlin, wake up." I heard someone's calling me. I looked up and Barra sat in front of me, smiling.
Wait a minute, didn't I just get shot? I looked at my body, I was fine, no wounds hurting me.
"What's wrong?" Barra asked again. He looked different from what I had ever seen. He looked younger. This was what he looked like when he was a teenager. I saw us sitting in a cafe. Our table was filled with textbooks.
"No problem." I answered slowly, I thought I was reborn but back to the previous year. Wait, what year was this? I dig into each of my pockets to find a phone.
"Are you looking for this?" He showed me a flip phone. I nodded quickly and wanted to take it, but quickly he pulled back his hand.
"Sadly, you have to study first." He pointed to the book in front of me. I saw the book in front of me, it was an economics lesson.
"I can't." I said the truth.
"What? Are you kidding? You've been doing it right." He took a sip. "You can do it. The graduation exam is coming. There's no way you get bad grades, right?"
"I'll do my homework if you just let me take a look at my phone for a moment." He seemed to considering my words before finally giving me my phone.
I opened it, and my guess was true. "2002?" I said quietly, and turned to the transparent glass to saw my reflection. Jazzlin put her hair on pigtails. She wore shorts with a combined crop-top.
I wasn't yet died this year, I thought.
"Come on, now finish it." He told me.
I really didn't understand about the task. But, somehow my hand started writing in ease. I thought this was inherited from what happened.
The answer was declared correct by Barra.
Wow.
"Don't waste your time partying all the time. The graduation exam will take place in two weeks. Don't waste it." He reminded me.
"Yes, boss." I said and arranged my books into my bag. Wait, I was talking without my control anymore?
"Take care of your health too." He hit my head lightly with a bundle of paper.
"Max's having a party today. You have to come with me." Max? Was he the same Max we ever talked about?
"Didn't I already say that the exam will be implemented soon? Do you want you not to pass it?" He glared.
"Oh hell! I'm smart. I can understand right away even if I study for just one day." I arrogantly answered. "Besides, Max is so handsome, how can I leave his party?"
"You know he's a player. He'll only hurt you." He got up from his seat and backpacked his bag.
"Mr. Know-it-All." I taunted him.
"It's me." We exited the cafe and walked together on the walkway.
"You always say every single man doesn't deserve me. He's a player, he's a cheater, he's an idiot, he's a fool. Then, who deserves me huh?"
"The man who deserves you. Obviously in accordance with my criteria."
"Geez, you talk so easily. Nothing has matched your criteria so far." I said. "The only man who fits your criteria is yourself." I unwrapped the gum and put it in my mouth.
He chuckled, "But, you're not my criteria Mia Bella." He said, scornful me.
"Italian, eh." I hit his arm.
"You must be secretly hoping to marry me in the future right?" He laughed again seeing me glaring with gum bubbles in my mouth.
"Your dreams are too high." I popped the bubble and chewed it again. "Max is even better looking than you."
"Oh really?" He smirked.
I nodded. "He's got dimples, and you? You don't have any." I teased him while shaking my head.
I just found out that Jazzlin liked men who have dimples.
"But, I have more fans than him." He smiled, smugly.
"I don't care." I answered after feeling lost interest in the argument.
He held my hand as I was walking ahead of him. I turned at him who was a little worried. "Hey, I won't disappear, or get hit, or die ---" His hand covered my mouth quickly.
"Don't talk about such scary things." His eyes showed seriousness, "I don't want to lose my best friend."
He had been a superior seed since he was a teenager, how could Jazzlin waste him? His lashes were so curved making me wanted to touch them.
"Whoops." I gave him my peace fingers. "I was just rambling, didn't realize saying those stupid things." I grinned.
"Never mind."
"Soooo???" I gave him my narrow gaze, "Will you accompany me to Max's party?"
"I told you that you can't go even if I don't go." He was looking at me a little annoyed.
"Just have fun before the exam." I put on a begging face.
"That's not the problem. Max and his friends aren't good people, Jazzlin." He tried to explain. I was tired of hearing the same explanation. I walked away from him while he was still talking.
"Jazzlin." He called me and ran to me.
I gave him my silence treatment, since he never agreed to let me go.
"Jazzlin." He knocked on my bedroom window. His mansion was next to mine, and our windows were right next to each other.
I closed the window curtains, making him even more frustrated for dealing my childish attitude.
"Jazzlin." He knocked again, while occasionally singing to annoyed me.
"I'm not opening it until you wanna come with me. Jerk." I screamed with emotion. I was sitting at my study table with my back to the window.
"Max is dangerous."
"It's just your alibi, I know you don't want me to be close to him right? You don't want that to happen because you'll be alone!' I insisted.
"You misunderstood. He's a dangerous person, Jazzlin."
"Don't wanna know, don't even care." I said then turning off my lamp. For a moment he was quiet. Until he cleared his throat, "Okay, I'll accompany you there."
I jumped then opening the window. "Is it true?"
He nodded, "As long as you don't stay away from me."
I felt like I was in Jazzlin's body with the real Jazzlin controlling it. Barra was so gentle with her.
The next scene I was in a party crowd with the music playing loudly. Jazzlin wore her tiny dress, which exposed her shoulders. She looked beautiful with her hair that she let loose.
"Hi, Max." I greeted him flirtatiously.
"Wow, Jazzlin." Max's eyes looked me up and down, repeated. "You look so sexy." What kind of compliment was that? Bara was right, this Max guy wasn't a good boy. He didn't praise me in other words but chose 'sexy' instead. What a real jerk.
"Don't try to get close." Barra blocked him, who tried to hold my hand.
"What's your problem man?" Max looked displeased when someone told him not to.
"You." Barra answered without the slightest fear. Meanwhile, all around us was filled with Max's friends.
I was trembling waiting for what Jazzlin would do. At this time, she was just silent. If I could control this body, I'll make sure to beat them all one by one.
"You dare to fight me?" Max and his friends laughed. "Your father is just a businessman, whereas you know who my father is? He's a gang leader who's not easily defeated by a few entrepreneurs." Barra's hands were clenched into fists.
"Barra, don't." I endured him who wanted to throw his punch.
"Let him, baby." Max said 'baby' so seductively and passionately, making Barra burned in rage. In the blink of an eye, I could tell he had thrown his first punch on Max's lips.
"Fuck you." Max hit him back. His other friends intervened. I was shaking not knowing what to do, I didn't think it would turn out like this.
"No no, please don't hit him." I was begging to one of Jake's friends.
"Then you must serve us." My eyes bulged.
"Come on, come closer baby." They were all really not good people.
"Don't you fucking dare touch her." Barra shouted and immediately pulled me away from them. I was right behind him, fear enveloping my heart.
Max stepped back and threw his shot, but Barra easily dodged it and hit Max's stomach. What I didn't like was Jake's friends ganging up on me.
"Don't touch me." I screamed. They almost touched me when Barra fell helpless, but somebody was helping me. I saw all the cops had secured the others. Unfortunately, before Max was caught, he managed to shot his gun right on Barra's thigh. I screamed hysterically wanting to see Barra. However, the cop detained me then brought me to a secure place.
"No." I shakened.
Barra was unconscious for three days after losing a lot of blood. And here I was full of regrets even though I wasn't the one who made things screw up, but the real Jazzlin.
"He's gonna be okay." Mr. Sumedh came to me. "Before going to the party, he told me about this fellow kids. And we've prepared everything for any time this happened."
I was gobsmacked. Barra had always been smart. Wohoo.
"He agreed your wishes just to make you happy. You know what you feel is important to him." I smiled and hugged him.
"Is my beloved daughter okay?" I was shocked when I saw the scene of Jeremy Ozza coming and bringing me food. "See? I brought your favorite chocolate cake."
"Wow, thanks dad." I smiled and opened it. "Do you want some?" I offered Mr. Sumedh who sat next to me.
"No. I wanted to talk to your father for a while. You wait here, Ok?" The two of them chatted down the hall, apparently about business.
I remembered about Jazzlin's father and mother who had divorced since she was little. It was possible that her father didn't live in the same house with her.
I ate one slice and I brought the rest into the room where Barra was being treated. He was still asleep. I approached him, looking at his face which still had a slight wound with his bandaged thigh.
"I'm sorry, I should've listened to you." I started crying.
"It's okay, Jazzlin." He almost made me die by surprise, I thought he was falling asleep.
"But, because of me ... you'll have a hard time walking. Soon there'll be a final exam. How can you come if you haven't recovered?" I was sobbing when his hand touched my wet cheek.
"I'll get better soon. It's only temporary. Two weeks is still a long time tho." He chuckled. "The most important thing is you're okay."
I bit my lip as he wiped my tears. "I didn't like what they were doing at that time. Max was the same as his father, he used drugs and also did illegal things." He looked at me. "That's why I didn't let you go there."