by Seven Steps
“Uh, than-thank you.”
“I am here to offer you a spot in my summer internship program, if you are still interested.”
What? What?
A lump filled my throat.
Heat rushed up the back of my nose, burning my eyes. Before I knew it, tears were splashing onto the hardwood floor.
Did she just say what I thought she said? Devinta Holly wanted me, ME, to be a part of the summer internship program. The program I’d been dying to get into for months.
This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening.
“I take it that is a yes?”
I threw my arms around her, and she hugged me tight.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me!”
“Oh, it is my pleasure, child. It’s spirits like yours that infuse me with fresh creativity every day. Being around young people like you keeps me young.”
I shook my head. Devinta couldn’t have been more than fifty years old. She wasn’t old yet. At least not to me.
I disengaged my arms from her and wiped my face with my palms.
“I’ll send along the necessary documentation and we’ll get you enrolled as soon as possible,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“No, Jasmine. Thank you.” She grinned at me once more before a man standing in the corner of the room, whom I hadn’t noticed before, ran to open the door for her and escort her out.
It was unbelievable.
It was impossible.
Devinta Holly had asked me to be in her summer internship program.
Me?
I wanted to run around the room screaming.
I wanted to do cartwheels.
But I wasn’t a runner and I couldn’t do cartwheels, so I settled for the next best thing.
Jumping up and down and screaming my freaking head off.
I was going to work with my idol. My dreams were on the cusp of coming true.
I had to find Bella. I had to thank her. I had to—
My mother smiled at me from the other side of the couch, and my defenses rose high. She and Devinta had been talking.
Had Mom agreed to this internship or was she just waiting to pull the rug out from beneath me.
“She’s a nice woman,” Mom said.
I nodded slowly. “She’s a legend.”
“Is this something you really want to do?”
I leaned one hip on the counter. “Yes. I don’t want to be a doctor. I want to paint.”
Mom closed her eyes.
“You’ve said some things to me lately that were hurtful and completely out of line.”
This was it. This was when she’d tell me I couldn’t do the internship. I should have known not to get my hopes up. I should have known she would ruin my dreams.
“But you also said some things that were true.”
My eyes widened. My ears perked up, anxious for her next words.
She shook her head and frowned. “Your father and I haven’t been happy for a long time and there was nothing I could do about it. So, I tried to control the things I could. Like you and your future. But, now I know that trying to control you would only drive you farther away. I’ve already lost my husband and my sons. I love you, Jasmine, and I don’t want to lose you too.” A single tear fell down my mother’s face. “If you want to paint, paint. Whatever you do, I promise you I’ll support it.”
I stood stunned and silent.
Was this real?
Was my mother finally listening to me?
Was she finally giving me control of my own life?
She opened her arms and waited for me to come to her.
I hadn’t hugged my mother in years. There were times when I needed her, and she wasn’t there. Times when I wanted to talk, but she wouldn’t listen. Times when I craved her love, but she wasn’t there to give it to me.
And now she was offering me a second chance. A time for us to start over. A time for us to be a real mother and daughter.
I didn’t know if I could trust her not to hurt me again.
But I did know I wanted to try.
I threw myself into my mother’s arms and she held me close. Our tears merged and mingled between us, as we wept for all the times we’d missed. Everything we’d lost. All our broken pieces that would never be right again. But, out of all of that, there was still hope. And that was what we cried over most of all. We were thankful there still was a hope. A time for a second chance.
Some people never got that.
When our tears had thinned down to a trickle and our hugs loosened, Mom took my hand and squeezed it between hers.
“What do you say we make a bowl of popcorn and you can tell me all about your day?”
I nodded.
“Sure.”
It was a small start, but it was a start, and sometimes that was the biggest step of all.
80
February and March flew by.
Mom returned to New York General as one of the medical directors. She said she was always happier working than she was sitting at home all day. I agreed that she did look happy. Mostly. But I didn’t miss the times she cried. All I could do was hold her then and tell her everything would be okay. I wondered if Mom would ever be whole again. If she would date or marry again. Whatever she did, I would be by her side. We were a package deal now, and we were going to be that way forever.
Mom and Dad’s divorce was done within a month and Dad was married to another woman, the owner of the red lingerie, by the next month. After that, the board of his directors forced him to step down. Now he and his new family lived a few buildings away from us.
It was always hard seeing him, especially since I knew what had happened between him and Mom. He was still my dad, but our relationship was different now. Less comfortable. I guess that’s what happens when two people lose trust. You lose the connection trust brings with it. Maybe we would build that trust again one day, but I doubted it. Once your parents lie to you, it’s hard to go back to where you were before.
Ollie’s grades improved now that we were study partners. He came over after school and we both hung out in my living room and, when Mom was home, she pretended not to hover nearby. We suspected there were cameras in the living room, so we kept the kisses to a minimum.
Mom liked Ollie well enough. She called him charming, and I had to agree. Ollie was quite the charmer. I thought it was all the royal training he’d had growing up, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.
Able was cleared of any involvement with the assassination attempt and returned to school in the middle of February. It was good to see his face again and to hear his wise words. Once a week, I joined him in the garden on the roof of my building. I never really was a dirty sort of girl, but I liked planting things and watching things grow. Go figure.
Jean was apprehended somewhere in Brazil, and both she and Jeff were charged with attempted murder of the king and imprisoned. Knowing that two teens’ lives were over before they’d even turned twenty-one saddened me sometimes. But then I thought of what they were trying to do, and I wasn’t so sad after all.
Blue Persia played at the Spring Formal, belting out their tunes from the stage like they were rock legends.
Ollie was my date, obviously. He picked me up in a tux that reminded me that he was, indeed, royalty. I wore a powder blue off the shoulder dress and sparkly silver heels. And yes, I carried a pair of flats in my purse. Word to the wise girls, always carry flats in your purse.
Ollie gripped my hips and swayed with me, while my hands rested on his shoulders.
“I love how the decorations turned out,” I said.
Ollie and I had been chosen to decorate the gym. Using the same technology we used for the virtual tag, we projected streamers, balloons, and different pictures on the walls and floors. It was like standing in one of Ariel’s hyper realistic video games.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” he said. But he was looking deep
into my eyes, and I had the feeling he wasn’t talking about the decorations anymore.
He inclined his head for a kiss when we were interrupted by Able dancing next to us. In his arms was Purity.
“Hey, guys, after party at our house,” Able said.
“After party? We didn’t plan for that,” Ollie said.
“Cleaning crew is on its way, food is being stocked, and you will be treated to dishes prepared by Ms. Dubois and myself.”
“Ms. Dubois?” I asked, eyeing Purity.
She shook her head. “I told him I needed a cooler nickname.”
“It’s respectful,” Able argued.
“It’s old.”
He thought a minute. “What are your thoughts about fairy tales?”
“Hm, I could get behind that. If it was the right name?”
“Pure as the driven snow,” he said, smiling at her. She smiled back.
“You mean Snow White?”
“Too long. Maybe just Snow.”
She shrugged. “I like it.”
I laughed. Yeah, Purity did kind of seem like Snow White, with her black hair, pale skin, and red lips.
Leave it to Able to be so perceptive.
The two danced away.
“I’m glad Able is back,” I said.
“Yeah. He’s the best guard I ever had. At least he won’t try to kiss me.”
“No. I think he’d rather kiss Purity.”
He chuckled. “You know, I think you’re right.” He raised an eyebrow. “And speaking of kissing. I think it’s time we resume our favorite activity.”
I put my finger to his approaching lips. “You’re not ruining my makeup. I barely wear it anymore, and I want to look nice for pictures.”
He kissed the tip of my fingers, giving me shivers.
“Well, if I can’t kiss you, then I guess we’ll have to do the next best thing.”
“Which is?”
“I have it on good authority that there are some sketchpads and pencils hidden beneath the refreshment table. What do you say we do an impromptu art session?”
I glowed. “Now you’re talking my language.”
Laughing, we jogged over to the table and found the sketchbooks.
“Did you plan this?” I asked, as I followed him out the front door.
“I always plan an art break,” he replied.
I fell in love with Ollie just a little bit more. No one understood my love of art like he did.
The March night was unusually warm, and the sky was clear, full of twinkling stars.
“What about over there?” Ollie asked, pointing to two chairs set up on the front lawn.
I laughed and hit him with the sketchbook. “Wow, you’re prepared.”
“Always.”
We were just heading over to the chairs when an unfamiliar voice called behind us.
“Hey. Uh, excuse me.”
We turned to it and looked directly into a tall, well-built boy with dark hair. His skin looked tanned, like he’d been working in a field somewhere, and he wore a white dress shirt and a suit pants, but no tie.
“Do either of you know a girl named Sophia Johnson?”
Ollie and I looked at each other.
“Yeah, I think she’s on stage right now.” I glanced at my seat, then back at the very handsome boy. “I can take you to her. She’s like my best friend.”
His heavy brows pressed up. “Is she?” he asked. But there was something in his voice that sounded off. Like he didn’t quite believe she was, in fact, my best friend.
Weird.
“Yeah. Um, I’ll take you to her.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Taking one last look at our chairs, Ollie and I led the boy back inside the school.
“So, how do you know Sophia?” Ollie asked.
“We met last year at my high school prom. She’s my best friend’s cousin.”
“Oh. So, she’s expecting you?” Ollie asked.
The boy shook his head. “No. Let’s call it a surprise.”
I frowned. For a moment, I thought about turning this boy around and sending him on his way. But we were already back in the gym, and Sophia was singing a One Direction song.
“Is that who you’re looking for?” I asked, pointing to Sophia.
He nodded.
“Yup. That’s her.”
He walked through the crowd, squeezing through the students in his march toward the stage.
Ollie and I looked at each other, then followed.
Who was this kid? What if he was here to hurt Sophia? Did he even go to this school?
Once we made it to the front of the stage, the boy stood there, arms crossed, glaring up at the stage.
My heartbeat picked up.
What was going on? Who was this guy?
I caught Ariel’s and Eric’s eye from across the room and they came to join us.
Halfway through the song, Sophia looked at us.
No.
At him.
Her face stretched, as if she’d just seen a ghost.
“Josiah?” she whispered into the microphone.
The boy gave her a small wave. “Hello, Georgia Rose.”
Continue Reading The Trouble With Kissing Frogs (Sophia’s Story)
The Trouble With Kissing Frogs
Prologue
One Year Ago…
Well, I definitely stood out.
I stepped into the Wilkes High School gymnasium in fitted jeans, a cropped Metallica band T-shirt, and sneakers. A far cry from the colorful gowns, high heels, and fancy hairstyles that surrounded me.
But I didn’t care. I was at my first school dance in, well, ever. And a prom no less.
“I can’t believe I’m here!” My insides bubbled over with excitement, and I gripped my cousin, Quincey’s, arm to steady myself.
But my cousin wasn’t bubbly or cheerful. In fact, the tight skin around his eyes and his turned down mouth revealed he was decidedly unbubbly.
“Chill, Sophia. Just keep it down and try to blend in, okay?”
“You know me,” I said, striking a sassy pose. “I don’t blend. I sparkle.”
Quincey rolled his eyes, but, surprisingly, his bad mood didn’t dampen my spirit. Nothing could.
For the past fifteen years of my life, I’d only known my mom’s ever-present gospel music, all-girls schools, and the four walls of my bedroom. I didn’t even have friends outside of my classmates. I was practically Rapunzel sitting in my stone tower in Gray Town, Vermont, waiting for someone to climb my hair and rescue me. The only reprieve from my dreary days was the music I streamed on my phone without my mom knowing, and my and Mom’s annual trips to Texas to visit Quincey.
Quincey’s eyes darted around the room like he was starring in his very own horror movie.
“This is a bad idea, Soph. If anyone figures out who you are, I’ll spend my last days of high school known as the guy who brought his cousin to prom. I’ll be humiliated!”
I put my hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him.
“Relax, cuz. We’re going to enjoy ourselves and support each other. You know why? Because we’re Johnsons. And Johnsons always stick together.”
His eyes bulged at our family’s mantra and he pushed his hand over my mouth.
“Keep it down, will you?” He hissed. “What if someone hears you?”
I bit his palm, and he jumped back, shaking his hand.
“Ow! What’d you do that for?”
“Um… because you were suffocating me, maybe?”
“That’s it. We’re going back.”
“No! Please!” I wanted to stay here, and I wasn’t above begging to do it. “I’m sorry I bit you, but this is the one night in my life I’ll get to have fun before Mom locks me up again. We can’t just leave!”
“Yes, we can.”
“No, we can’t. Q, this is your prom and, by extension, it’s my prom too. The only prom I’ll ever go to. You don’t want to deny me of that, do you?”
I pushed my glossy lips into a pout, but Quincey didn’t seem moved.
“Maybe.”
“That’s not fair. You asked me here, remember?”
He shook his hand again, glowering at me. “I asked you here because my date broke her ankle.”
“And I accepted your invitation. You can’t take it back now.”
He blew out a frustrated breath.
“Fine. But only for an hour.”
A victorious smile burst onto my lips, and I jumped into Quincey’s arms.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
He gave me a quick squeeze, then released me before anyone saw.
“Okay. Don’t get excited. Remember. One hour, then we’re leaving.”
“Got it. Now let’s dance!” I grabbed onto his sleeve, heading toward the dance floor.
Scents of sugary punch and salty popcorn wafted into my nose as we passed the snack table. I loved popcorn, and I was thirsty, but my need to be on the dance floor overpowered my need for sustenance.
The only floor I’d ever danced on was the carpet in Quincey’s bedroom, or my own when Mom wasn’t home. Neither events happened often.
I should’ve been used to my sheltered life by now, but I wasn’t. I wanted more. I wanted to go to parties and movies with my friends. I wanted to hang out at the mall and I wanted to sing non-religious music. But those things were all against Mom’s ridiculous rules. Maybe that’s why tonight felt so big. So important. Maybe that’s why, amongst the balloons, streamers, fake corn stalks, and real haystacks, I felt free.
“Cotton Eyed Joe” by Rednex boomed through the speakers, drawing me forward. Before me, dozens of bodies hopped from left to right in time to the beat. I’d heard this song before while hanging out in Quincey’s room, but I’d never seen the dance to it. I hoped I could pick it up.
The pungent scents of sweat and perfume grew stronger. My throat thickened in response, but I kept moving, determined to dance with non-relatives for once. I’d power through the nausea for just one minute of teenage normalcy.
We were less than three feet from the dance floor when Quincey yanked me back.