Page 21 of Behind the Bars

I just smiled back, half convinced I was having a weirdhallucination.

The past few weeks felt like a dream I was afraid to wake up from. Things like Jasmine didn’t happen to guys like me, not inreality.

Once we arrived, we grabbed a few hot dogs from Dat Dog and sat on one of the balconies, looking down on Frenchmen Street. The later it grew, the more the street came to life with people and music. I was shocked to see how fast and how much Jasmineate.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” she moaned, stuffing fries into her mouth. “My mom would murder me if she knew I was eating this. How many calories do you think is in all this food?” I parted my lips, but she held up a finger to silence me. “Don’t ever tell a girl how many calories are in the food she’s alreadyeaten.”

“Even if sheasks?”

“Especially if she asks.” She tossed the last fry into hermouth.

“Jasmine?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you hang out with me? I mean, I’m pretty much aloser.”

“Don’t worry, I amtoo.”

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my hand up and down my arm. “You’re not a loser, Jasmine. Everyone lovesyou.”

She frowned and shook her head. “How can everyone love me if they don’t even know who Iam?”

I wasn’t certain what to say to that, so I just sat there studying her. That’s when I saw it in her eyes—the same kind of loneliness I felt daily. How could someone as beautiful as Jasmine ever feelalone?

“I know you look at me and probably think I have it easy, but I don’t. There’s a lot to me that people don’tknow.”

“Sorry, I didn’tmean—”

“It’s fine, Elliott. No apologies needed. Now come on, I want to hear yourmusic.”

We went down to the street, and as I began playing, she sat on the curb and never took her eyes off me. Whenever I paused, I saw her chin was resting in her hands and she was grinning. I wondered if she knew how nervous and happy she made me, how she made me confident and fearful all atonce.

I wondered if she knew I’d dreamed of someone like her, and I wondered if she’d dreamed of someone like me,too.

After I finished, she stood up and clapped, shouting, “Encore!” over and over again. Then, she rushed over and pulled me into a hug. I loved when she hugged me because she knew she didn’t have to askpermission.

“So good,” she said earnestly. “So, sogood.”

I glanced at my watch, checking the time before looking back at her. “Do you have to go ri-rightnow?”

She shrugged. “Why do youask?”

“I just wanted to show you something I think you mightlike.”

“Lead theway.”

I led, and she followed. Every now and then I’d pinch myself, just to make sure I was awake. I took her down the alleyway, and I could see her getting nervous. “I promise you’re safe,” I told her. She walked closer to me, wrapping her arm aroundmine.

I didn’tcomplain.

We reached my spot, right in front of a dumpster that was closed, and I held my hands out. “Tada!” I saidjokingly.

“What am I looking at exactly?” shequestioned.

“No, it’s not something you see. It’s something you hear…something you feel.” I rubbed my hand on the back of my neck.Man, this is weird. I should not have listened to Jason’s terrible advice.“Normally I hop on top of the dumpster and sit, but I doubt a girl—” I didn’t finish my sentence because Jasmine leaped on top of the dumpster. I followed right after her. “I can’t get into the bars to listen to the music, but here, I’m able to hear everything.” We sat in the alleyway behind the bars, and I asked her to close her eyes. “Tell me what youhear.”

“Country music,” she whispered, making mesmile.

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