Turning Tables (Paul LaHote)

Nineteen

Jazmine took a deep breath before phasing and landing down onto her paws. She took a second to take in her surroundings before heading for the patrol track. Paul was waiting for her, unsure of which way to go.

"Head East, we've the track wore in pretty well but you can follow any of our scents if you think you've gone off track." She directed him. She headed West and started running.

Most of Paul's thoughts for the first while was following the track and then his mind wandered to other things. It was clear he was thinking stupid things to avoid other thoughts but Jazmine left him. Six hours of patrol were no joke if you were angry.

"Do I just not mention how close the track gets to my house or..." Paul's thoughts trailed off as he found a fork in the path. One was Jazmine's scent and the other was Jared, Embry and Sam's.

"You know why it does." Jazmine huffed and watched through his eyes as he followed her scent down past his house.

"You can see into my room." He said and without warning the image of him pacing from the day of the accident popped into her mind.

"Yikes, that's not creepy at all." She sighed and continued running.

"You act like you weren't like that before we were together." Paul laughed and Jazmine barked in indignation.

"Lies, you're the one who showed up at my house because you were 'in the neighbourhood'. I live on a dirt road and my nearest neighbours are ten minutes away." Jazmine laughed before sighing.

"Okay, but who was it that wrote terrible love poems?" He asked and she laughed again.

"You!"Jazmine barked which made Paul laugh again and she did her best to remember some of the worst ones.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, I like your face and your butt too." Jazmine had to stop running and barked out a laugh again.

"That's poetic genius. It was then I decided my future was in poetry." He argued.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jazmine was humming softly along to the radio while preparing some food to bring over to Joy when a car pulled onto the drive.

She wasn't expecting anyone but she figured it was probably one of the boy's who had nothing to do. She could hear bickering but the engine of the car was louder so she struggled to hear over it.

She dropped the spoon she was using to stir soup into the pot and swore as she stuck her hand in to take it out. Rachel and Rebecca were discussing the best way to handle the situation. Jacob was helping Billy into his chair and Jazmine panicked.

She debated just skipping out the back door but she had missed her father and she had too much food on to just hope someone would take over.

"Jaz?" Billy called when Jake opened the door.

"In the kitchen." She replied and stirred the soup again.

"All of that for us?" He asked in surprise.

"Actually I didn't know you guys were gonna be home so early. Joy was in an accident recently so I was giving her some help." Jasmine admitted sheepishly.

"She okay?" Billy asked and Jazmine nodded.

"She broke her arm in a few places, she's not able to cook," Jazmine explained.

"Well you better have something for us to eat, I'm starved." He rolled himself up to the table and Jazmine laughed.

"Harry dropped in some of his fish fry?" She offered and Billy smiled.

"Good, I've been craving some of that since I left." Jazmine laughed and turned the stove off and made her way over to the fish.

"How was Hawaii?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Too hot and full of men just like Becky's boy." Jazmine laughed and out the fish fry into the microwave.

"Dad, about the girls.." Jazmine trailed off and Billy sighed.

"Every time I managed to convince them you were fine Jacob would throw another spanner in the works. You'll just have to grin and bear it, for now, Jaz." Billy looked up when the girls came in the front door.

"Oh my, she has grown." Rachel looked Jazmine up and down in shock.

"Anabolic steroids tend to do that," Jacob muttered.

"Don't be jealous Jake, you'll hit puberty some day." Jazmine rolled her eyes when he grumbled.

"Now kids, play nice." Billy chuckled and smiled when Jazmine handed him his plate. She moved back to the other dishes she'd made and began covering them with aluminium foil.

"Who's all the food for?" Rebecca asked.

"Joy LaHote, she's been in an accident," Jazmine explained.

"Thought you and Paul broke up?" Rachel asked and Jazmine clamped her hand down onto the counter to stop them shaking.

"I don't remember mentioning Paul." She frowned.

"Who's not mentioning me?" Paul asked from the doorway before knocking on the open door. He looked like an idiot with only denim shorts and sunglasses while it rained outside.

"I'm not, what are you doing here?" Jazmine asked and he shrugged.

"My mom said you had some stuff for me to collect?" Paul shrugged and she nodded.

"Yeah, the food." She gestured to the counted and Paul nodded happily.

"Also, is Jake here?" He asked. Jacob looked out from his room door at the mention of his name.

"Here." He called.

"I was thinking we could work on the rabbit later on?" Jacob looked to Jazmine before looking back to Paul.

"I don't know-"

"Oh, I don't care if you work on the stupid car with him." She sighed in exasperation. Jacob's face lit up and Jazmine rolled her eyes before making eye contact with a fuming Rebecca.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You broke up with him and now you're cooking for his family?" Rebecca yelled and Jazmine stared at her with her eyebrows raised.

"If you put both those points on a Venn diagram the circles wouldn't intersect," Jazmine said and Rebecca frowned before turning to Rachel.

"Don't use math against her." Rachel scolded and Jazmine pursed her lips so she wouldn't smile.

"This isn't a joke. We're worried about you." Rachel sighed. Jazmine continued to stare at her with a blank expression and wondered if Jared would be willing to take on her next shift.

"You have no reason to be. I'm perfectly healthy. Loads of people decide not to go to college. Ask Charlie Swan, he agrees with my decision." Jazmine pointed out.

"Someone with brains like yours doesn't decide to just drop out with two months left," Rebecca argued. Jazmine looked up the ceiling.

"What does it matter? In the grand scheme of things who genuinely cares if I go to school or not? In the end, I'll be six foot under just like the rest of you. Just let me be happy." Jazmine sighed.

"You won't be happy in ten years with no future." Rachel looked over her glasses and Jazmine and she sighed.

"Rach do you ever get tired of being-"

"Why can't you tell us why you dropped out? The way you phrased it on the phone, it was like you weren't allowed tell me. Are you in trouble Jaz?" Rebecca asked softly. Jazmine was going to answer but a knock at the door saved her.

"I'll get it." She opened the door to find a bouquet of chrysanthemums and a small card on top.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I haven't gotten any better at this,

Dinner date, tomorrow at Wu's?