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[Kinewa]

I'm trying for the 50 000 words again this year, and hopefully it'll be a success. I'm using this thread to dump my written diarrhea. If you read it, it will take you along the story line, but won't necessarily be pretty. Enjoy?

[Kinewa]

Jasmine woke up to see that it was exactly midnight. No, wait, the numbers on her alarm clock were flashing. Must have been a power outage.

She attempted to follow a trail of broken images fading quickly from her mind, but failed to remember her last dream. An itching nagging feeling told her it was an interesting dream, too. Oh well. Suddenly her dark bedroom lit up in a blue-ish glow, outlining a short dresser overflowing with clothing. She leaned over to grab the light source from the table next to her bed. It was her cell phone.

Flipping the phone open with one hand, Jasmine learned that it was just past three in the morning. She also had a new text message. As she opened her inbox, Jasmine's heart skipped a beat. The text message was from Joshua Rin, her long-time crush. After pausing to make sure that she had read the name right, she opened the message. She read it twice, absorbing the words but unable to believe them.

Jazz, it's Josh. I can't get you out of my head. Do you want to go out tomorrow?

Too many thoughts swirled through Jasmine's brain at once, and for a moment she just leaned back against her headboard and stared blankly at the message. She'd been craving his attention for years now, since grade nine at least. He was a wonderful musician, a real nice guy, and drop dead gorgeus to boot. But he was completely out of her league. Why would he be texting her now, at three in the morning, when they hadn't even had a class together in two months?

Lightning shining through her window made the little room as bright as day for a full second, but no thunder followed. There was no sound of rain either. The storm must have already passed through. Jasmine immediately began to compose her reply to Josh, hoping that the power wouldn't go out again because her phone's battery was low.

I would love to hang out, Josh. Let's meet at Glories for breakfast?

She hit the send button, hoping, praying that he would still be awake. She fidgeted, impatient for his reply. After an eternal minute, the phone lit up in her palms. She frowned, not remembering having put her phone on silent mode, but her expression changed for the better as she read the message.

Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry! How about I pick you up at your place at nine? Hope that isn't too early....

She didn't hesitate before replying, assuring him that it would be perfect. Beaming, she saved both of his text messages into her phone memory and read them over again. Once she had his words memorized, she reset the time on her alarm clock and set it to wake her up at 8am. Sleepiness and the silence of her bedroom eventually won out against her flurried mind, and she drifted off to sleep.

The room was blindingly bright as hands on Jasmine's shoulders shook her awake. She grumbled at the hands, trying to hide under the blanket, but not a sound escaped her lips. Jasmine's eyes popped open. She grumbled again. The rumbling in her throat was there, but not a sound again. She rolled over to see her mother mouting words at her. She looked angry.

Mom, speak up.

The rumbling was there in her throat, but Jasmine couldn't hear a thing. She realized then that her mom wasn't mouthing. She just couldn't hear. Panic swept into Jasmine's chest, constricting her ribs.

Mom! I can't hear you! I can't hear anything! I can't hear!

She yelled this at the top of her voice, not hearing anything herself, but her mom's terrified expression was enough to show that she got the message. Jasmine began gasping for air. Still confined to silence, she hugged her mom and began to shake. Suddenly, Josh appeared in the doorway, followed by her little sister, Kate. Her mom said something to Kate and she disappeared for a moment, returning with a brown paper bag. Mom held the bag to Jasmine's mouth, and as she breathed into it everything went black.

She woke up in the back seat of Josh's car, with her mother's arm around her for support. Mom was stroking her hair, and Josh was driving. The car swerved into a different lane, just barely missing the front bumper of a rusty pickup. The force of the turn almost threw Jasmine across the seat, but her mom held her tighly against her. It was comical to see Kate holding onto the door handle for dear life, her eyes wide with panic. Jasmine rested her head against Mom's shoulder, hoping that everything would be sorted out at the hospital.

As they entered the waiting room, Josh gently took her arm and led her to a chair while Mom and Kate went to the nurses' station. Her skin tingled where it touched his, and she felt her heart flutter. He smelled like aftershave and cigarettes. It was a good change compared to the sterilized, flowery smell of the hospital. Trying not to stare at Josh sitting next to her, she observed the rest of the room. The only other people there were a woman with a fidgety young boy in a cast and an elderly man with an oxygen tank connected to the tube in his nose. The stiff chairs were set in a rectangle around a coffee table covered in outdated magazines. She turned her gaze to the nurses' station where mom was rooting for something in her purse. A poster on the fibreglass window caught her eye, and although she couldn't read the words from where she was sitting, Jasmine knew what it said.

The poster showed Jasmine's silhouette sitting at a grande piano. It was an announcement that she would be playing and singing at the Hammond theatre in two weeks. Jasmine's tears fought to break free again. No more music. Her body began to shake. Something warm touched her shoulder, and before she even realized it to be Josh's arm he had pulled her into his chest. The floodgates broke.

A few minutes later, a nurse lead her into an examination room, stopping Josh and Kate at the door. Jasmine hopped onto the stiff hospital bed and Mom sat in the chair beside her, holding her hand the whole time. By now Jasmine had regained her composure, though her red puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks gave her away.

The nurse was a middle aged woman with graying curly hair and tweety scrubs. She smiled and chatted with mom while checking Jasmine's ears with an otoscope. Next she shone a light into her eyes and had her follow her finger with her gaze. She pulled a notepad and pen out of her pocket, quickly scrawling out some questions, then handed it to Jasmine. They were easy questions, such as what her name was, where she lived, and her parent's names. Hoping she wouldn't be too loud or quiet, Jasmine answered out loud. The nurse left, and mom wrote a message to Jasmine on the notepad saying that the doctor should be there soon.

The doctor came in after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. He asked a few more questions using the notepad and checked Jasmines ears, just as the nurse had. Then he left for a few minutes and returned with a sheet of paper with notes and a phone number scrawled on it, which he handed to Mom. They talked while Jasmine impatiently swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Mom jabbed the paper into the doctor's chest, her eyebrows furrowed. She guestured to Jasmine a few times as she spoke, and the doctor took a couple of steps backwards, looking mildly frazzled. He left he room and mom sat next to Jasmine in the hospital bed. Jasmine raised one eyebrow as she met, her mother's eyes, and mom held up a finger. Wait a minute.

The nurse returned, all smiles again, and escorted Jasmine and Mom out of the room. When they reached the waiting room, Josh jumped up from his chair. A pile of ripped up pieces of paper fell from his lap, sprinkling to the floor in a miniature blizzard. He held half a pamphlet about AIDs awareness in his hands and continued to rip off little sections as he walked towards them. Kate, who had been completely absorbed in a magazine, was the last to notice that they were back, and looked less concerned than bored witht the entire situation.

They headed out into the parking lot, mom fuming that the doctor wouldn't talk to her face to face again. Once they got to Josh's Trans Am, Kate flung the door open and squeezed into the back seat without bothering to flip the front seat forward. Mom looked at Jasmine for a moment, then at Josh, and climbed into the back seat as well. She pulled the front seat back in front of her and waited for Jasmine to get into the car. Jasmine met Josh's eyes for a moment before she got into the car, her heartbeat fluttering like KSJHDFPOHESPOJFOISHDNFIOHAWNfd;'

She pulled the seatbelt around her and Tried to buckle it in while Josh walked around the car to the driver's side. She shot an icy glare at her mother that said ?You're going to explain this.? Josh hopped into the front seat while she was still struggling with the buckle. He reached to help her and as his hand touched hers she felt her face go beet red. Hoping he wouldn't see her face through her veil of hair, she sat back in the seat. Him and Mom must have decided where they were going because he started the car and swerved out of the parking lot without a moment's hesitation.

Josh drove with serene calmness, meanwhile keeping his car at least 20 kilometers above the speed limit and speeding up at corners. The Trans Am weaved across the highway, headed towards Jasmines house. She held on to the door handle, wishing she could be sitting with her Mom again for the cushy support. After nearly hitting her head against the window for the third time, they finally began to slow down in her neighbourhood.

The car parked abruptly in front of her house, and a faint smell of burnt rubber trailed into theut. vehicle. For a few moments, Jasmine had comepletely forgotten the burning questions in her mind, as she was preoccupied with the panic of careening off the road. Josh got out of the car and quickly walked over to the other side, opening the door for her. She tried to get out, but had forgotten about the seatbelt and ended up falling to the side. Blushing, she began to battle with tthe buckle, but no matter how hard she pushed on the button it wouldn't release. Josh leaned over her and squeezed the sides ofthe metal buckle. It worked like a charm. He took Jasmine's hand and half helped- half pulled her out of the car before pulling the seat forward for Mom and Kate.

Kate looked sick, but Mom walked with ease towards the house. Jasmine, regaining her composure, Stood on the curb with her arms crossed. Are you going to tell me what's going on? What did the doctor say? Her mom guestured for her to come into the house, and mimed writing with an invisible pen. Josh turned to give Jasmine a hug, said a few words to Mom, and walked back to his car. Taking the point, Jasmine turned to follow her Mom into the house as Kate tagged along.

They sat down at the kitchen table and Mom grabbed a notepad from the fridge. She began scrawling a letter on the pad while everyone watched.. When she was done, she passed it to jazz and gave her a chance to read. Mom and Kate watched expectantly.

The docter can't figure out what`s wrong with you. Besides the fact that you can`t hear, you seem perfectly fine. They... they wantt you to hold tight for a few days until we can make an appointment with a specialist. Don`t worry, we`re going to fix this.

By reflex, Jasmine wanted to write back on the paper, but she refused to do this when she still had a voice.

`Hang tight? I'm deaf! I want to be fixed!?

Mom grabbed the notepad from her hand and wrote her reply.

Honey... you aren't in any pain. This shouldn't be so bad, you'll be fine I promise. Now why don't you go on your date and I'll get on the phone with the specialist.

?You want me to go on a date. I just woke up missing one of my senses, and you want me to pretend like nothing's wrong?!?

Mom shook her head and reached for Jasmine's hand with hers as she wrote on the sheet once again.

You aren't going to get any better by worrying about it. There is a nice young man waiting for you outside and it would be very rude of you to keep him waiting! Off you go.

Jasmine's heart leapt into her throat. ?Wait. He's still outside? He hasn't run away?! Holy crap... I look terrible!?

Mom smiled for the first time all morning. She wrote one last message on the sheet.

He hasn't minded all morning, kiddo. Now hurry up. Get dressed and ready to go.

Jasmine Got up from the table and gave her mom a hug before running up the swtairs to her bedroom, her heartbeat running double time from the jog up the stairs. She Ripped off her pyjama shirt and threw it in the laundry bin, impatiently digging through her pile of clothes for something at least sort of nice to wear. She found an April Wine shirt and pulled it on as well as a pair of jeans, then tied her long hair into a messy bun and ran for the door, grabbing her purse and cell phone on the way out.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Jasmine was almost completely out of breath. Mom stood in the hallway. She passed Jasmine a pack of gum and winked, holding up her hand with the index and middle fingers rossed. ?Seriously, Mom. You're weird.? Having caught her breath, Jasmine walked out the door.

Josh stood in front of his car. He was leaning Against the passenger door typing something into his cellphone. Jasmine approached the car, trembling from nerves. When josh saw her, he hit one last button on his cell phone and snapped it shut before stuffing it into his pocket. He smiled at her and opened the passenger door. On the seat was a bouquet of lilies.

Jasmine's jaw dropped. She had been picturing this moment for years. It all felt so surreal. Maybe because she couldn't hear a thing.

?Pinch me?

Josh smiled some more, tilting his head in confusion. He guestured for her to sit in the car. Jasmine climbed into the seat, placing the flowers on her lap and smelled them while he got into the driver's seat. He sat down and leaned over her to grab her seatbelt, fastening it with no trouble at all. She blushed as he leaned over her, and even more when she realized that she had totally forgotten about buckling up. That was unusual for her.

She went to sneak a look at Josh, only to find that he was looking right back at her. She went to look away until she realized that he was trying to tell her something. He mimed opening a tiny book or something, she couldn't really tell. Seeing her confusion, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pointed to gher purse.

?aha?

She reached into the bag and pulled out her cell phone. Surprise surprise, there was a new text message. She smiled at him before opening the message, then turned to read.

Well that was an eventful morning. Do you still want breakfast or should we have lunch by now?

She checked the time on her phone and was amaed to find that it was already one o'clock

?Wow. Lunch, I guess??

It was awkward to stare at Josh's face when she had spent so much time trying not to let him notice her before, but Jasmine couldn't help but watch him as he drove, hardly paying attention to where they were going in the hopes that he would try to 'say' something to her. She didn't want to miss a single thing. Once again. The Trans Am began careening around corners and sliding to abrupt stops at the lights. Although she was still very uncomfortable with his driving, josh's confidence boosted her own and eventually she was able to ignore her possible death.

First, they stopped at a small strip mall a few blocks away form her house. Josh stopped the car and turned it off, then pointed to a dollar store and guestured to her, asking if she would go in with him.

?What kind of date is this??

He winked and got out of the car. Once again, Jasmine was left struggling with the seatbelt buckle while he walked around the car and opened the door for her. She felt a draft as the door open and turned to look at him as he rolled his eyes before leaning over her once again to unbuckle the belt. After freeing her from the bonds of his car, he took her hand and helped her out. Her heart began to do backflips at his touch, but all she could think was Oh god, he thinks I'm completely incapacitated! He let go of her hand once she was out of the car and they walked into the store.

Josh headed for the stationary aisle, and Jasmine followed him, wondering what was going on. She never figured out his intent until he grabbed a notebook and a package of pens. Jasmine panicked for a second, wondering if she would have to spend the rest of her life reading notes from people rather than hearing their voices. Don't worry about that. Just enjoy your date. Get out of my head mom!

Josh paid for the notebood and they walked back to the car. As Jazmine reached for the door handle, Josh intercepted her grasp and grabbed the door instead. He said something to her, but she could only see his mouth moving. She mumbled a thank you as she hopped into the seat, and as soon as he closed the door behind her she began to frantically struggle with the seatbelt, hoping to save herself the embarassment of being helped again. No luck. She looked up to see Josh smiling at her through the driver's window. He had been standing there with his hands in his pockets, watching her for who knows how long. She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed, then opened the door and climbed into the car next to her.

This time when he buckled her in, he demonstrated how squeezing the side of the buckle made if clasp more easily. Then he started the car and they screeched out of the parking lot. Jasmine felt grateful that she was buckled in as she felt her stomach lurch to one side. They turned onto main street and before going vary far swerved into the parking lot of Glorie's family restaurant. By this point Jasmine's knuckles were white from hanging onto the seatbelt for dear life.

This time Josh undid her seatbelt buckle before getting out of the car, and they walked into the restaurant together. After sitting across from each other in a booth, he pulled hte dollar store bag out of his leather jacket pocket and ripped the packaging off of the notebook and pens. Jasmine watched him as he did this, trying not to be mesmerized by the way his red hair curled around his ears or how his bright green eyes seemed to pull her in. He wrote a quick note onthe pad and passed it across the table.

I hope you don't mind me writing. I think if I had to mime the whole date it would get pretty awkward. So do you normally wake up with one of your senses missing?

Jasmine was amazed by his calmness, the relaxed way he seemed t be taking everything. It was unnerving.

?I.. I have no idea what's going on. This had never happened before! And I can't believe you're still here!?

Josh frowned. He took the notepad from under her hand and scrawled across the bottom of the page.

Yeah, just because you're deaf I'm suddenly going to be completely unattracted to you. Seriously, you're nuts.

?You're attracted to me? Me?! I... uh.. oh wow.?

Wait.. you do know this is a date, right? I really like you, Jasmine. I'm sorry if that's weird for you.

She felt his gaze on her face as she read the note, her heart pounding with every word. This couldn't be real. How could the perfect guy like her?

?Josh... of course. I like you too. ?

She felt her heart thumping against her chest as their gazes met, and she became improsoned in heis eyes. He had a huge grin on his face and she couldn't help but smile as well. It almot felt worthi it to have lost her hearing. Today was just that good.

The waitress came up to the table and handed them some menues, glancing at the notepad for a moment with an eyebrow raised. Josh hrugged at her and she left them to order their meals. She moved her attention to the menue and read through for a few minutes, hardly noticing what was written there but rather using the book as a cover for her beet red face. After what seemed like only a few seonds, she felt a tap on her arm. Josh motioned to the waitress, who was back again, and tilted an invisible cup to his face.

?Uh... water please? She stammered. The waitress gave her a funny look and walked back to the kitchen. Josh was smiling a crooked grin., he grabbed the notepad and scrawled out one sentence before handing it over.

You've been pretty loud... maybe you should stick to writing....

?Oh yeah, that's great. Why don't I just become a mute too, eh? I just lost my hearing this morning! Have a little compassion!?

Josh raised his eyebrows. He pointed to his mouth and raised one hand over his head. You're yelling now.

?Oh God. I just yelled on a date... at you! I'm so sorry! Oh damn! ?

Josh just laughed. By now the waitress was back with a glass of water and a pepsi. She smiled at Josh as she handed him his drink, then shot a glare at Jasmine. Josh paid little attention at the waitress, but instead pointed to the menu in Jasmine's hands and tilted his head questioningly. Hoping not to draw much attention, Jasmine pointed to the first thing she saw, which was chicken fingers, and tilted the menu to show the waitress. She wanted to be on the best behaviour for the rest of the date, if she hadn't ruined her chances already.

Josh waved his hand the slightest bit, catching Jasmine's attention from her perephrial vision as she watched the waitress walking away. She turned to look at him and saw that he had written a new note for her. I'm going to get sick of reading fast.

I'm sorry if I come off as uncaring. To be honest, I'm worried about your hearing. That's a terrible thing to lose, but I'm sure the doctors will fix it once you've seen the specialist. It really sucks that this had to happen today, but maybe it was meant to be. Can I make you feel any better?

Tears welled up in Jasmine's eyes. She swallowed the huge lump in her throat and tried to speak quietly.

?I'm scared out of my mind, Josh. This is all happening really fast and I haven't really processed anything. I'm so afraid I'll never hear again!?

He reached across the table and hel her hands in his. She stared down at their hands, and he squeezed them before lifting one of his hands to her chin, lifting her gaze to his. He smiled, but it looked shaky. He mouthed two words, slowly so she could hear them. She watched for a moment, surprised that she could actually tell what he was saying. It's okay.

She felt awkward being allowed to look into his eyes for so long, and wanted to look back down at her hands but couldn't bring herslef to do it. He began stroking her palm slowly with his thumb, and she felt her wntire body starting to relax. Josh was right. It was going to be okay. Here she was, holding hands with thte guy of her dreams. Who cared if she couldn't hear him?

?It's probably just temporary anyway. I'll be okay.?

He winked at her. That's the spirit.

By then the waitress had returned once more with the food. She left immediately after putting the plates down without stopping to see if they needed anything else. Jasmine tentatively poked her chicken with the fork.

?Do you suppose she poisoned it??

Josh smiled and tilted his head to the side, completely confused by the question. Jasmine laughed. It's okay. I'm okay.

They ate their meals in silence, not knowing what to talk about , especially since getting the message across took so much effort. Jasmine could hardly finish her meal, but stuffed herself with the last bits of fried potato when he raised his eyebrows at her half-full plate. She felt bloated, sleepy, and thrilled all at the same time.

Josh paid the watressa t the till and they headed out of the restaurant. Not knowing what else do do, Jasmine kept her hands in her pockets. She began to walk back towards his car, but he nudged her elbow and began to walk the other way, towards the waterfront. When she caught up to him, he held out his hand and smiled sweetly with his head cocked to the side questioningly. Blushing, she took his hand in hers.

Josh lead the way, and soon they were next to lake Nipissing. They strolled along the waterfront for a while and Jasmine stopped to take off her shoes. She tucked her socks into the runners and rolled up her jeans, then stepped into the shallow water, relishing the soft sand under her feet. Josh took off his jacket and joined her, leaving his shoes in a litle pile next to hers. He took her hand again and looked her in the eyes for a serious moment, drawing her into his gaze, then his face lit up and he smiled before picking her up and tossing her into the water.

?Oh no way you did that! Josh Trent, you are DEAD!?

He only laughed as she splashed him with water, so she decided to chase him instead. Unfortunately Josh was a faster runner, and he had the benefit of mostly dry clothing. He got a good distance ahead of her then turned to make a face before starting to run again. Finally he stopped running and Jasmine tackled him, hoping to make him fall over in the water. Instead, he kept his balanced and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

She went limp in his arms, savouring the moment for as long as she could. She rested her head against his chest and felt his heartbeat against her cheek. Almost too soon he moved his hands to her arms, tilting her back to look in his face. He was saying something to her, but she couldn't understand from the movement of his lips. He must have been able to tell from her confused expression, because he looked troubled. Jasmine could feel the tension between them, as if both were wondering if they should kiss right now. She'd been imagining it for years, her first kiss with him... but now wasn't the time.

Jasmine wrapped her arms around his neck, then pulled all of her body weight to the side, toppling both of them into the lake. It was weird, to feel her chest rumbling with laughter but not hear it at all. He had a wide grin spread across his face as he stood up from the water, his button up shirt sagging with wetness. He shook his head at her and splashed her again, then ran to the sandy beach.

Jasmine followed him, pulling the elastic out of her hair as she went and allowing the damp curls some temporary freedom. She tried to ring out her shirt, fully grateful she had chosen to wear black instead of a light colour, and re rolled her jeans before they would get all full of sand. Josh stood with his jacket in one hand, seemingly confused about what to do about it now that his clothes were wet. The breeze which seemed to be just the right temparature before had become increasingly chilly, and Jasmine started to shiver.

When Josh saw this, he crossed his arms in front of his chest as though to ask if she was cold. She nodded a yes and he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, leaving his arm around her back and pulling her close. She could feel the notebook on the inside pocket against her ribs. The jacket was so big it almost reached her knees, and she smiled at how much it smelled like him. She leaned into his one-armed embrace, and carried her shoes as they walked back towards Glories. Looking out over the water, she saw some white caps forming in the middle of the lake, and dark clouds on the horizon warned of another summer storm. No wonder it was getting so chilly!

They got back to the car and Josh opened her door for her before getting into the driver's seat. He let the car idle for a few minutes with the heat on, and after a little while she was warm enough to take off the jacked. Her clothes were still damp.

The car radio had been lit up the whole time, and now the little screen had Back In Black scrolling across it. Jasmine sighed.

?I wish I could hear it.?

Josh cocked his head to the side and cupped a hand to his ear. Jasmine pointed to the radio and he said ?ah..? Then Held one finger up before hitting the scan button, putting it back to the beginning of the song. He pointed to her temple, then hit play. He Began tapping her arm to the rhythm of the music. She could hear the song in her head as he kept rhythm. He sang along with the music. She felt like singing with him, but didn't out of fear of being 'tone deaf.' There's a concept.

The song ended, and Josh reached over to buckle up her seatbelt (which she had completely forgotten about) before putting the car into gear. ?Where are we going??

Josh didn't reply. For an instant, Jasmine panicked. Holy crap... I'm alone in a car with a guy who's a lot stronger than I am. He could be driving me to some creepy forest to kill me. Oh shit. They swung onto main street and began driving towards the downtown. It didn't take long for her to notice that her biggest fear ought to be his driving. She was amazed they had survived as far as they had with the way he weaved in and out of traffic.

They had just cut in front or a motorcycle when she decided to bring up his driving skills. ?Umm.. do you think you could slow down a bit??

He shook his head no and smiled, but eased off the gas. A little bit. They skidded to a stop at a sign stating that the road ahead was closed for the sidewalk art festival. The sidewalks were especially crowded with tourists heading towards the festival, and most of the parking lots were filled. Fortunately, a car that had been paralell parked pulled out just ahead, and Josh slid his Trans Am into the space.

Jasmine had been looking out the window at a family with about seven small children walking by when Josh tapped her shoulder to get her attention. He had grabbed the notepad and scrawled on it with amazing speed, being as they had only just parked.

Do you want to go? Sorry I didn't ask before but I wanted to surprise you. If you don't want to go we could do something else or whatever.

?Of course I want to go! I was planning on seeing it tomorrow, actually.?

He smiled and clicked off her seatbelt before she had a chance to battle with it before climbing out of the car. She got her door opened before he could get to her, but her reached for her hand as though he were an english gentleman helping some maiden out of a carriage. She smiled, mildy embarassed but amused. They headed towards The crowd of people and entered the street, which had been blocked off expecially for the festival. The entire road was covered in beautiful chalk murals and comics, and the sidewalks were packed full of merchant's stands and water stations.

?This is beautiful! I hope that storm doesn't come.?

Josh frowned and surveyed the horizon between two buildings. Their clothes were mostly dried out thanks to the sunlight and breeze, and as they walked along the road they eventually became scompletely dried off. Josh held her hand in his as she walked, and she felt almost as if she were being paraded by him, as though she were something to be proud of. She beamed.

Eventually, though, the storm did come in, and the streets cleared out not longer after the first drops of rain fell on their faces. Some of the larger murals were covered up with tarps while the others melted away into the river of rainwater that fell into the gutters. Jasmine and Josh ran back to his car and hopped in, but couldn't get out of the parking space because of the flood of pedestrians exiting the street. Josh pulled out his notebook.

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

?Damn rain. Thank you so much Josh, I'm having an amazing time.?

What would you like to do now? It's about suppertime. Hungry?

?No way, I'm still full from those chicken strips earlier?

Wimp! What do you suggest then?

?Umm... let's go to my house? No, wait. That's a bad idea. I have a little sister....?

Yes. Kate. Let's go anyway! We can rent a movie.

?Oh! That's great! I'll just look at the pretty pictures then??

They have subtitles, you goof.

?Okay, you win. We can stop at Luke's convenience, I have an account there.?

Josh smiled and gave her a thumbs up, then started up the car. By now the street had just about cleared of pedestrians, and the rain was streaming down in bucketloads from the sky. He set his windwhield wipers as fast as they could go and put the car into gear.

When they reached the corner store, the rain hadn't even begun to slow down. Jasmine hammered at her seatbelt buckle with her palm, trying her best to squeeze the sides but still failing at getting the stupid thing undone. By the time Josh got her door open and leaned over to set her free, his clothes were soaked. She got out of the car, slammed the door behind her and they ran into the store.

They picked out a foreign movie called OIAHFOIHOIH and brought it to the checkout with a bag of microwave popcorn and a couple of jones sodas. The clerk was a friend of Jasmine's Mom, and she seemed annoyed as she spoke at Jasmine. She must think I've been ignoring her. Man, this is weird.

?I've got an ear infection, Monique. Can't hear a thing you're saying. Sorry.?

The cashier tried to speak to her again, but seeing that it was futile she just waved and pointed to her own ear while crossing her fingers. They grabbed their purchase and fled into the rain, barely stopping to open the car doors as they leapt into the safety of the Trans Am. Jasmine laughed at Josh's wet hair, which had flattened to his forehead and become a dark orangey brown in the water. He shook his head and water flew everywhere, his hair standing on end from the force.

He started up the car once more and they zoomed out of the parking lot and onto Jasmine's street. When they reached the house, they headed inside and found Mom and Kate in the kitchen eating some meatloaf and potatoes. The smell of Mom's cooking was overpoweringly appetizing, making Jasmine have to use a good amount of willpower not to drool. When Mom saw them in their wet clothes, she Shook her head and pointed to the doorway floor. Water had begun to pool in little puddles under their feet.

Mom went to the hall closet and grabbed a couple of old towels, handing them to Josh and Jasmine so they could dry off. Once they were acceptably dry, she invited them to join the family for supper. Josh must have said yes, because before Jasmine could figure out what was going on him and Mom went to sit at the kitchen table. Jasmine decided not to argue, what with how hungry the smell of the food made her, and sat down across from Josh and beside Kate.

Mom dished Josh a bountiful portion of meatloaf and made some small talk while Kate stared at her food. She put all of her focus into completely liquifying just about everything on her plate with her fork. Once her meatloaf had the same consistency as the mashed potatoes, she began eating the meat paste, her face in an expression of intense focus.

Josh stared at her for a moment, then turned to his own food and began to eat. After his first bite he smiled and said something to Mom before beginning to shovel the food in. Jasmine grinned and served herself some food too.

?Thank you mom!?

Mom smiled in reply. She had just finished her meal, and got up to put her dishes on the counter. On her way back to the table she grabbed a folded letter off the kitchen counter and passed it to Jasmine so she could read it as she ate. It was written in Mom's neat printing.

Hey Kiddo
I hope you had a really good date today. I approve of this one I called the specialist's office today and it turns out he's on vacation in Cancun, but he'll be back in three weeks. I made an appointment for as soon as he gets back. If you want, we could fly to Boston where the nearest specialist of that type is. We can't really afford that right now but I'm sure we could make do if we needed to. I hope you're feeling okay, honey. I love you.

Jasmine stopped eating to read the letter, and she sat for almost a minute, staring at the letter. Three weeks. That's like an eternity when you just lost one of your senses. What if it got worse before she could get to the doctor? What if she would never hear again? The distractions of the day filtered away and she began to hyperventilate. She felt her chest constricting as she gasped for air, and he vision started to black out. Josh had rushed to her side, and had his arms around her in an instant. He carried her to the living room and lay her on the couch while mom grabbed the paper bag from that morning and put it to her mouth.

After breathing into the bag for a few minutes, Jasmine regained her composure. She felt weak, strained. Mom had written a new note, and she held it in front of her eyes so she could read it.

Honey, it's okay. The doctor said your problem probably wouldnt get any worse, and the three week wait is perfectly acceptable. You can go without this for a little while, look at how much fun you had today! But if you want to go to Boston we can leave tonight.

Jasmine looked to her mom, then josh and back again.

?No. I'm okay. Let's wait for the specialist to come back from vacation.?

Mom looked concerned. She looked meaningfully into Jasmine's eyes.

?Really, Mom. I'll be fine. Really.?

They went back into the kitchen, and Kate stared at Jasmine as she finished her meal as though she were some strange creature that had wandered into the house. Jasmine made a face at her and she laughed. Jasmine could almost hear the sound, but when she tapped her ear she knew that it wasn't actual hearing but only memory. This was going to be hard to deal with.

Once they were done eating supper, Mom took their dishes and brought them into the kitchen. Jasmine got up to help with the cleanup, but Mom pointed to her, then Josh, then the living room. Jasmine smiled a thank you and grabbed the plastic bag from the convenience store, then headed to the living room with Josh by her side. He sat down at the corner of the couch, and she was ready to sit with him until she realized just how uncomfortable she was in her wet jeans. She asked him to wait for a moment while she changed, and he nodded.

She got into her pyjamas and returned to the living room, where he waited on the couch after having put the dvd into the player and turned the tv on. She sat next to him and he put his arm around her, pulling her close to his side. As they watched the movie, she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the warmth of his embrace. She woke up just as the movie ended. He hugged her tightly and looked into her eyes before she saw him out. She watched through the window as he started up the Trans Am and swung out of her driveway, making a large arch of water as he drove off.

She stumbled off to bed in a daze. She had a feeling that soon she would wake up to discover that the entire day had been a dream. It was weird enough to be a dream, that was for sure. Part of her wished it was, if only so she would have her hearing back, but another part of her felt she would give up her hearing forever for the day's experiences to be true. She collapsed into her bed and fell asleep immediately, snuggling into the warmth of her blankets and the memory of Josh's arms.

She walked down the street alone. It wasn't a familiar part of town. The buildings were derelict, and many of them were abandoned. It smelled like smoke, and one of the houses up ahead had only a skeleton left, it's insides still smouldering from a recent fire. Across the street she heard a little bell ringing as the door opened and a man in a business suit exited a building. There was a sign up front, with most of the letters faded so that they were almost illegible. It said: The Ozone.

The storefront had a giant window, behind which various oddments were on display,, including a pink dress that looked to be sequined, but up close was made entirely of fish scales. There were an assortment of old lamps, mostly broken and ancient, as well as a cat stuffed by a taxidermist.

She crossed the street, peering thtrough the store window at thousands of products inside, all used and worn out. Someone was standing at the counter, but she couldn't see their face because they were looking the other way. Suddenly she felt afraid that if she did see the clerk's face, something bad would happen. She went to turn away from the store, but her hands stuck to the glass.

The clerk began to turn towards her, slowly, but Jasmine didn't want to see. She pulled at her hands as hard as she could, yet could not control anything past her wrist. She screamed as the woman in the store turned and looked at her. Her face was wrinkled and worn to the same degree as most of the store's merchandise, but not scary. Jasmine sighed in relief, and laughed to herself as she pulled her hands away from the window, placing them in her pants pockets before continuing on her walk down the street.

Jasmine had been awake for a few minutes already, but kept her eyes closed, staring at the pinkish red colour of her eyelids from the inside. It was going to be bright. She opened her eyes to a stream of sunlight filtering in from the bedroom window, and moved one hand to block it as she adjusted. She swung out of bed and landed silently on the floor. She scratched her head for a moment before grabbing her purse, taking out her cell phone and flipping it open in one motion.

There were nine new text messages. Nine! She opened the inbox to see that six of the messages were from her best friend, Angela, two from Greg, and one from Josh. She grinned and opened Josh's text message first.

Had a great time yesterday. Thank you. Let's hang out later this week?

She replied an affirmative, then checked the rest of her messages. Angela was frantic.

Where are you? We're supposed to go out today! Are you ignoring me? What's going on?

Jasmine swore and began dialing Angela's phone number. She had completely forgotten about their plans yesterday. It wasn't until the phone had been ringing for half a minute that Jasmine realized she couldn't call her friend because she wouldn't be able to hear. She swore again and clicked the phone shut, then opened it and composed a new text to Angela.

Are you online? Let's talk over MSN. I have a crazy story for you

She hit the power button on her computer tower with one big toe and read through Greg's messages while the operating system booted up. He had seen her with Josh at the beach, and took advantage of the opportunity to tease her about wedding dates. She smiled, but didn't bother replying.

By the time she had MSN booted up, Anegla was online, and she immediately attacked her with a barrage of questions.

Jazz! Is it true that Greg saw you and Josh on a date at the beach? That's nuts!

Jasmine told her the entire story of their date, from beginning to end, ommiting the fact that she couldn't hear a thing the entire time. She didn't want to get into that when she had enough typing to do just to describe the date.

But how come he suddenly likes you know? Haven't you been crushing on him for years? I mean, he's dreamy so I completely understand your liking him, but isn't it a little wierd that he suddenly asked you out out of the blue like that?

Yeah, sure it's weird, but I'm glad he did!

Oh Geez, Of course! Congratulations! Why aren't you picking up your phone? I just called you. We should get together and talk in person or something.

Well, about that... I have a problem...

What's up?

Yesterday morning, I lost my hearing.

What, like losing your voice?

Look, Angie, why don't you come over and I'll tell you all about it.

Sounds great. Be there in five.

Jasmine threw on some semi-clean clothes and put her hair into a braid, then ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth before Angela would get there. That girl was a stickler for punctuality. She walked downstairs to the sweet smell of maple smoked bacon, and followed the scent to the kitchen where her mom was making some breakfast.

?Morning, Mom.?

Mom turned to her and started talking, then realized what she was doing and smiled instead. She speared a piece of bacon with her fork and placed it on a sheet of paper towel before handing it to Jazz. Then she grabbed a magnetic dry erase marker from the fridge and wrote on the grocery list:

How was the rest of your date? Did you kiss him?

?Mom! You're crazy. Not on a first date! By the way, Angela's coming over.?

Mom pointed over Jasmine's shoulder and Jasmine turned to see Angie taking off her shoes at the front entrance.

?Guess you know already. Hey Angie!?

Angie didn't reply, mainly because she had a cellphone in her mouth, a giant purse hanging from her elbow, and shaggy black hair hanging in her eyes as she fought with her shoelaces for freedom. With one defiant kick she was able to dislodge the shoe and send it flying across the room, just missing a lamp on the end table and landing in the middle of the living room floor. Angie's eyes widened in shock as she flicked her head to the side to get the hair out of her eyes.

Angela regained her composure (and her shoe) and spat the cell phone into her hand, wiping it on her shirt before stuffing it into the already full purse. She began to talk to Jasmine, but Mom interuppted. It must have been something about kicking shoes in the house, because Angela started to wring her hands like she had countless times before when her clumsiness got her into trouble.

Jasmine, unsure how to tell her friend that she couldn't hear since the day before, decided to be blunt.

?So, I've been meaning to tell you. I can't hear a thing you say.?

Immediately, Angela began talking to her, and Jasmine sighed in exasperation.

?I can't hear you, Angie. I've been deaf since yesterday.?

Angela laughed, but by then Mom had walked over form the kitchen, laying one hand on Jasmine's shoulder so she would know she was there. She must of explained the situation to Angela, because her expression faltered. She lunged toward Jasmine and dramatically threw her arms around her. By the time Jasmine was released, she could barely breathe. I

?I'll be fine, really. Don't worry so much, Angela!?

Angie didn't take the advice. She mimed playing a piano, and Jasmine began to worry too. Again.

?Hopefully I can play music again once they fix my ears. Of course I will! But..shit. I have to cancell the concert at the OHDFOH theatre.?

Jasmine put a hand to her forehead, wishing she would just hurry up and get better. Mom put a folded note into her hand befpre going back into the kitchen, and Jasmine and Angela headed to Jaz's room. She opened the note on her way there.

Remember, Beethoven still played when he went deaf. And you won't be like this forever anyway. Chin up, kid.
Jasmine hung out with Angela for a couple of hours, but her company wasn't the same as it used to be. She could feel tension between them, mainly because Angie was getting so frustrated with getting her message across without words. She would something, then shen Jasmine asked her to write it down would just shrug as though to say it wasn't important enough to write anyway. They painted their nails for a bit while 'talking,' then Angela made an excuse to leave. Something about having to babysit her little brothers. Both girls were relieved when Angie drove off in her mom's mini van.

The relief didn't last for long; after Angie left, there wasn't anything to do. Mom offered that they go for a walk, but Jasmine declined, going to her room instead. She sat down at the computer and checked her msn to see who was online, then realized that she didn't even have Josh's email address. It was weird how they had hardly spoken before yesterday, and now everything was so different.

Jasmine left her computer desk and flopped down on her bed, recalling her earliest memories of Josh and reliving them in order. She had met him in her first year of highschool. He had the same homeroom as her but they never really talked. In grade ten, they had music class together. That was when she really started to like him. He was a guitarist, playing mostly metal but amazing at classical guitar. The two of them had been paired up for a duet project, which is how he had originally gotten her phone number.

For the next two years she had continued to like him from a distance, but was too shy to approach him. They had a completely different group of friends, it would have been awkward to just start talking to him in the hallways. Whenever she saw him walking with a girl she would become jealous, and she had never managed to get into a relationship with anyone because she just couldn't focus on anyone else. Jasmine's friends had made fun of her for it, and Mom had shown some concern for her. Well, I'm glad about it now. Josh is amazing.

She grabbed her cell phone off of the computer desk and flipped it open. There was one new message from Josh.

Is tomorrow too soon?

She smiled and sent a reply.

How about tonight? I'm not doing anything

She had just barely closed the phone when it vibrated in her hand. He was quick to reply.

Tonight would be amazing. Be there at seven.
She grinned and ran downstairs to tell her mom, then to the bathroom for a shower. As she got out of the shower the sun was beginning to set, and she rushed through getting ready for her date, wearing a red plaid kilt and a black tank top. She had just finished getting ready when her mom came into her room to tell her that he was there.

Jasmine smiled as she rushed down the stairs. As she reache the bottom step, her eyes began to sting. She stopped to rub at them, and they began hurting more. The pain throbbing into her skull. She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands. She felt Josh's arm around her, pulling her into his chest. Tears welled from her eyes and she cried out, the stabbing pain unrelenting.

She felt hands wrap around hers and pull them from her face.

?NO!?

She tried to pull them back, wanted to cover her sore eyes, but the other hands won out. She opened her eyes, barely able to see through the tears and met her mother's face. Mom was ghostly pale. She was mouthing the same two words over and over again, and after a moment Jasmine was able to figure out that she was asking what was wrong.

Through her sobbing, she was able to explain the burning pain in her eyes to her mom. Mom leaned in close, inspecting first her left eye and then her right. They went into the kitchen and mom splashed some cold water form the tap into Jasmine's eyes. The icy water only increased the pain, and Jasmine screamed at the top of her lungs. Mom yelled something to Josh and before Jasmine knew what was happening he scooped her into his arms, rushing her outside to his car.

He planted her in the passenger seat of his trans am and stood with the door open for a moment, talking to Mom. Mom handed him Jasmine's purse, checking first to make sure her wallet was in there. She stood on the front porch, wringing her hands nervously as Josh slammed the passenger door shut and ran to the driver's side.

The trip to the hospital lasted a lifetime. Jasmine leaned against the window, trying not to cry out in pain but unable to keep back her sobs. She didn't notice when the car weaved between other cars on the highway. They reached the hospital and Josh ran to her side and opened the door for her. He motioned to pick her up again, but Jasmine refused.

Nevertheless, Josh kept his arm around her back as they rushed into the emergency room, as though she had hurt her leg and not her eyes. They did not have to wait long before she was accepted into a doctor's office, where the nurse tried to get Jasmine to the eye wash station. Jasmine screamed and pulled away, remembering how much it had hurt to get the tapwater at home in her eyes. The nurse called in a male nurse to help her, and they forced her to the eye cleaning station.

As water sprayed into Jasmine's eyes, she screamed even louder. The searing pain began to blacken the edges of her vision and she wished for unconsciousness, death, anything to take her away. The nurses pulled her away from the tap and lay her on the hospital bed. Josh ran into the room and yelled something at a nurse, then rushed to Jasmine and took her hand, squeezing it and stroking her arm with his other hand. She lay back in the bed, eyes closed, and squeezed his hand as hard as she could. It didn't take the pain away but it calmed her.

The nurse came back, looking very concerned, and took out an otoscope to check her eyes. Jasmine tried to stay still, and the pain began to numb. It wasn't long before a doctor came in, the same man form the morning before. He frowned when he saw her face and said something to her, but she couldn't understand. Josh replied for her instead.

Just then, Mom walked into the room with a very sleepy Katie in her arms. She set Katie down on a chair in the corner of the room and came to Jasmine's bed, speaking with the doctor as she did. Josh gave Jasmine's hand an extra squeeze before leaving her side and Mom took his place next to the bed, gently brushing Jasmine's hair out of her face. The doctor said something to Josh and he scooped Katie into his arms then headed out to the waiting room.

The doctor checked Jasmine's eyes again, talking to Mom the whole time. He took a notepad out of his pocket and jotted down questions for Jasmine. She squinted to read them, her eyes burning but not as intensely as before.

How's the pain?

?Getting better. It was really bad.?

Do you think you got anything in your eyes, some soap or anything?

?No. I was walking down the stairs when they began to hurt.?

The doctor frowned and wrote some more.

I can't see anything wrong with your eyes. I can give you some drops if you want to try that.

?No! The water hurt them!?

The doctor turned to ask mom about this, and he strode to the doorway to call the nurse back in, then asked her a few questions. Jasmine lay on the bed, watching her mom speak to the doctor and waiting for something to happen. She went to rub at her eye, but Mom held her hand down so she couldn't. Jasmine closed her eyes, wanting only to rest them. She felt worn out fmr the pain as though she had just run a marathon.

She opened her eyes about a minute later and wimpered. Mom and the Doctor turned to look at her.

?I can't see colours....?

They frowned. The Doctor had Jasmine follow his pen with her eyes. He shrugged and pointed to Mom while mouthing Who is this?. Jasmine answered that it was her mom, and the doctor seemed pleased with her response. He checked her temperature by placing the back of his hand on her forehead, then pulled out his notebook once more.

You can't see any colours, or are they altered?

?None. It's a black and white movie. This is really scary.?

Mom had been standing behind the doctor wringing her hands. Now she moved towards the bed and put her arm around Jasmine, stroking her hair gently with one hand. Jasmine was shaking, but not with as much fervor as she had the day before.

The doctor left the room, and Jasmine watched through the half opene door as he headed to the nurses' station and picked up a phone. He returned after a minute and said a few words to Mom while continuing to check Jasmine's reflexes and reaction times.

Soon, a female doctor entered the room. She was absolutely gorgeous, with long dark hair swept back into a braid and thin framed glasses. She was slender and short, and her nametag labelled her as Dr. Elizabeth Sutry. She shook hands with Mom and then spoke with the other doctor for a minute before conducting some of the same tests over again, using her otoscope to shine a light in Jasmine's eyes and ears. She had Jasmine count to ten by following her fingers, then wrote some things down on a clipboard.

Meanwhile, the other doctor spoke with mom for a few minutes, then left to the nurses' station to fetch some papers. He returned with the forms and a clipboard, which he showed to mom but then handed to Jasmine.

It was a waiver for a CT Scan. Jasmine read over the front page, which was an explanation of the procedure and how she could prepare for it. She had seen stuff like this on tv, where people were slid into giant tubes and had pictures taken of their bodies or brains. It had always freaked her out. The waiver stated that it was a very low risk procedure used to identify tumours, blood clots, and infections in the body. Jasmine shuddered as the C-word came to mind, but tried her best to ignore that chance. She went to sign the waiver, but her mother took the pen away from her and signed it herself, seeing that Jasmine was willing. She pointed to a paragraph which Jasmine had skimmed over, saying that a patient under the age of 18 needed parental consent.
She read through the rest of the sheets in her hands, trying to understand what she needed to do to make this work. To make her better. She felt tired. Worn to the bone. She knew that she ought to be paying close attention to everything she read, but all she wanted to do was sleep. She needed some form of escape. Mom put a hand on her shoulder, and another under her chin, drawing Jasmine's gase into her face. Mom looked concerned, and her eyes were watery. She forced a smile and jasmine a thumbs up, as in to say things will be okay.
The doctor informed them that Jasmine would have to stay the night so she could be observed, and that she could not eat anything until after the Cat Scan. Her appointment was at 8am the next morning. Mom offered to stay the night, and although Jasmine was scared out of her wits of being in the hospital alone, she said no.
?You need to take care of Kate, Mom. Go home, get some sleep. We'll see each other in the morning.?
Mom raised her eyebrows. Are you sure?
?Don't worry, Mom. I'll just be sleeping anyway. I'm beat.?
Mom hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go as though this would be their last hug or something. This scared Jasmine more than anything, and although she wanted to cling back, to hold her mother there with her forever, she refused to believe that they wouldn't see each other in the morning. It wasn't like she had a heart or lung problem.
The doctors had left the room, and were soon replaced by a nursing student with straight hair and black rimmed glasses. She had a university nametag that identified her as a student and plain, dark coloured scrubs. She handed Jasmine a folded hospital gown and lead her down the hall to a room with two beds and a removable curtain in between. Mom waited in this room while Jasmine headed into the tiny bathroom and changed.
She slid the hospital gown over head, not knowing what colour it was, only that it was pastel. It better not be pink. She examined herself in the mirror, her eyes red and puffy from crying, her runny nose leaving trails on her upper lip. Ew. She grabbed some toilet paper and ran it under the tap, trying to clean herself up as best as possible before returning to the room. Her fatigue lead her straight to the hospital bed, and she sat on the edge of it as the nurse fitted something to the index finger of her left hand. It was a little clip that squeezed her skin, and before long Jasmine could feel her own pulse in the finger. Through this contraption, she was connected by a wire to a machine beside her that displayed her heart rate. There were no green lines going by in spikes like Jasmine had seen in the movies, only digital numbers gradually fluctuating up or down. Jasmine lay down in the bed, using the remote control to move it into a sitting position, and wrapped the blanket around herself, hoping to cover as much of the embarassing hospital gown as possible.
Mom used a pad of paper borrowed form the nursing student to ask Jasmine if she minded having visitors, and Jasmine nodded an okay. Mom left and returned with Kate, barely conscious, in her arms and Josh followed, looking awkward and out of place. He watched Jasmine the entire time, and when she caught his eye he would smile or wink, then look away.
Jasmine felt her eyes closing despite all efforts to keep them open. After zoning out for the third time while trying to read her mom's notes, Mom suggested that they let her be so she could sleep. Josh said something to mom, who shook her head at him, but he moved to Jasmine's side and held her hand, continuing to speak to Mom. They both looked at Jasmine, who had no clue what was going on.
Josh pointed to himself, then at the other bed in the room, which was empty. Jasmine's heart rate increased as she realized his meaning. She blushed because Mom and Josh's attention snapped to the heart rate moniter. Mom tapped Josh's shoulder and motioned that they needed to leave, but Josh was looking into Jasmine's eyes. Silently pleading that she let him stay.
?Just let him stay Mom. Then if there's a problem he can pick you up a lot faster than a cab can.?
Mom rested her fingertips on her forehead and sighed, then gave Jasmine a kiss on the cheek before scooping up Kate and heading to the door. Josh stopped them from leaving, probably offering them a ride home. Mom nodded her head, smiling slightly. Josh looked at Jasmine, jingled his keys to show her what was going on, and promised to come back. They left.
Jasmine did her best to stay awake while Josh was gone. The light was on in the room, but that didn?t hinder her from zoning out and entering the realm of half dreams. She was almost asleep when she felt his warm hand cover hers. She opened her eyes and his face was only two inches away from hers. She could smell his slightly minty breath and her heart began to flutter. She forgot the rest of the room, forgot that she couldn?t hear or see right, she found herself immersed in the moment. Josh?s warm breath caressed he cheek, and she considered kissing him. It would be so easy... her first kiss... with her first crush.
He looked into her eyes and they stayed still for a second, a minute, an eternity. Her eyelids were heavy, but all she wanted to do is stay lost in the moment. She wanted to kiss him, but she didn?t want anything about this perfect moment to change. Against her will, her eyes slipped closed. He brushed his lips gently against her forehead and stroked her arm as she fell asleep.

[Drackir]

I'll have to install something on the boards that lets me mark these up in RED.

[Kinewa]

Now that's just mean! It's a very rough rough copy