Embracing Jasmine

Berry's Diner

Tuesday, May 30th

I jumped up to the sound of my 7:00 am alarm. Aria's picking me up at 1 so I definitely did not need to wake up this early, but I always give myself a lot of extra time to both physically and mentally prepare when I have somewhere to be the same day.

After I brushed my teeth and showered, I put on a gray cropped shirt with a purple jellyfish on the front and a pair of blue denim shorts. I put my box braids back into a high ponytail, using a purple bow to match with my shirt. I applied eyeliner to my lash line and made the wings an equal length on both eyes, a skill that does not come easily to me and usually takes me 20 minutes to get right, but I guess I got lucky this time.

I lined my lips with black lipliner before grabbing my favorite shiny pink lipgloss from my night stand and applying it to my lips. I don't like how foundation feels on my face when it's hot outside, so I decided to skip that part of my makeup routine.

By the time I finished getting ready, it was around 8:30 am. I passed the time by watching Ocean Souls, a documentary about marine life and the intelligence that lives beneath the waves of the ocean. I've watched about 20 documentaries about the ocean and the creatures that live within it and I learn so many interesting facts about the ocean and the sea creatures that inhabit it. It makes me so excited I have to take deep breaths so I don't overwhelm myself with my own emotions. Before I knew it, it was 12:55 and Aria was outside of my house waiting for me. I grabbed the purse hanging from my bed frame and ran downstairs. I said goodbye to my mom and my sister, Julia, before heading out the door and into Aria's car.

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"Can I get my usual please?" Aria asked the waitress that was standing over us ready to take our order.

"What would you like, Jasmine?"

I was skimming through the menu looking for something that I might like, which was a challenge considering how picky I am. I saw that they served an extremely yummy looking chicken tender meal with a side of crinkle cut fries. I turned my attention back onto the waitress.

"Could I get the chicken tender meal with a side of medium-sized crinkle cut fries and a large water?"

"No problem!" The waitress moved the pen across her tiny notepad at a speedy pace. "The total will be $15.50"

As soon as Aria saw me glance at my purse, she held up the palm of her hand in front of me.

"Don't worry about, I'll pay for us."

"Are you sure? I uhm... I can pay you back I promise."

Aria chuckled. "Don't worry about paying me back, Jasmin. This is my treat."

I blushed a little and thanked her. Once Aria paid for our meals plus a tip, I gave myself time to take in the diner. Some of the walls were a black and white checkered pattern while other walls were a solid tan color. The seating booths were made of leather that shined a vibrant red, which kind of reminded me of the restaurants my mom described going to when she was a little girl. Only 10 minutes had passed and the waitress was coming back with our food on separate silver plates, the drinks balancing on top of each one.

"I hope you ladies enjoy your meal!" She said as she gently placed our plates onto our table.

Aria and I thanked her in unison and prepared to dig into our food. Aria's "usual" was a double cheeseburger with added pickles and onions with a side large-sized crinkle cut fries and a Pepsi for her drink.

"I would have a stomach ache if I tried to eat all that."

She giggled at my comment. "Trust me, my stomach speaks for itself in the bathroom after I eat this."

"Girl.." I shook my head and gave the chicken tenders a try.

"Oh my god- this is really good" I said in between bites.

"It's even better with ketchup."

"Ketchup..?" I questioned. I had never put ketchup on my tenders ever in my life, barbecue sauce only, but I decided to try ketchup with it this time. I grabbed a big bottle of ketchup that was next to a salt shaker and put some on a tender. I have to say, Aria was right. This was pretty good.