Young Love

Jasmine went to school and saw Thomas waiting in the locker room. He was talking with his friends. As soon as he saw Jasmine his eyes lit up. She was so pretty he couldn't help but notice her. His friends were used to his behavior by now and didn't take it personally. They left him alone with his girlfriend. Jasmine waved at them politely and they smiled and waved back. She went up to Thomas and hugged him. That was the most they would do, hug and hold hands. They were both virgins and were too shy to advance any further. Jasmine remembered their past life, but technically her body was still a virgin.

Thomas had no idea what Jasmine was thinking about. He innocently smiled at her and asked, "How have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Jasmine smiled at his innocence and said, "I have been ok. My mom is getting a divorce from my stepdad. It might be a little messy, but it will work out for the best." Thomas knew about how James had abused Jasmine's younger siblings. She never got hit because she was the oldest and kept to herself around James. She would have to walk on eggshells not to upset the ticking time bomb

Thomas was a little unsure how to deal with the situation. His parents had been together since before he was born and had a great relationship. His dad was an accountant, and his mom was an office manager. He was an only child and only grandchild, so he got all the attention from his aunt and grandparents. His dad's parents lived in the city and would take care of him on the weekends when he was little. His grandmother cooked well, and his grandfather would take him to the arcade. He had a perfect childhood. He tried to be there emotionally and support his girlfriend even if he couldn't relate. Most of his friends were children of divorced parents, so he knew his family was the strange one. Still, he wouldn't change it for anything. He loved his family with all his heart.

Jasmine knew how supportive Thomas was and would continue to be even after they got married in her past life. She remembered a lot of unnecessary fights because they came from different upbringings, and she thought his family was boring. Later she discovered that his family was normal and hers was the crazy one. Better to be boring and dependable than crazy and dysfunctional. She could read stories or watch movies to get some drama in her life. She didn't need to live it!

She thought back on all the crazy fights they had in her past life. It was all due to her insecurities and unbalanced hormones. She always was the one to start the fight, and he just tried to calm her down and understand why she was upset. He never became abusive or retaliated. She promised herself she would not put him through all of that again. She had already tested his love and he never stopped pursuing her. He chased her back every time she broke up with him and always wanted her more than anyone else. They were drawn to each other like each other's missing half.

Everyone always told her what a great guy he was even when she broke up with him over small things. One time he got her a pair of square diamond earrings and she broke up with him because she liked round earrings. He returned the earrings, and the sales lady was like, "What happened?" He didn't understand. It wasn't about the earrings. Jasmine was unhappy with herself and her home life. This time would be different. With James out of her life and her hormones balanced, she would be a lot happier. She also had her memories and years of experience to learn from.

Thomas just held her and noticed she seemed calmer than she usually was. He felt like she would be okay with the divorce. Most of his friends were fine after their parents divorced. It just sucked dealing with the fighting. He was lucky he didn't have to deal with that at home.

He said, "I'm here for you whatever you need." She said, "Thank you. I know you are here for me. I appreciate it." She knew he would support her emotionally and later physically. For now, she wanted to keep their relationship PG-13. She would feel like a child molester if they tried anything before, he turned 18. She also needed to get her hormones fixed before they did anything and made them worse. Teenagers and their hormones were already hard to control.

She broke away from the hug and they sat down on the bench next to each other holding hands. She said, "We will need to find a new church. James plays guitar at our church, so he won't want to leave. I remember all the different churches we went to before he found one, he could play in the band." She remembered a Baptist church that was near her school from her past life. It was the church where she went to a youth group with Thomas. She was also in the church choir with Amber, and they went caroling around the neighborhood for Christmas.

The most important thing about the church was the pastor was very understanding that no one is perfect. He accepted all types of people and didn't judge them based on appearances. He was a cool guy. She hoped her mom would find some good friends who would support her and help her through this difficult time. She had her brother and his wife, but she needed more women that she could hang out with. She needed to have some fun by herself and not work so much.

Jasmine told Thomas, "When we find a new church, would you like to go with me and meet my mom?" He looked excited and said, "Sure!" His parents were from different religious backgrounds. His dad was technically a Baptist, but he never went to church. His mom was raised as a Mormon, but she also never went to church. They raised him without heavy religious views but taught him morals. They wanted him to be able to decide for himself what was right and wrong. They didn't believe religion was always right. There are different religions all over the world and some people misuse them to justify their wrong behavior. For example, religious crusades.

America was supposed to be the land of the free and free of religious persecution. Thomas was a huge history nerd thanks to his grandparents. His grandfather was stationed in Australia during World War II. He also went to Japan and a few other countries in Europe. He would share his war stories with Thomas when he was younger and watch old movies. He had a lot of souvenirs from his stay overseas. Luckily, he didn't have to fight. It was like tourism for him.

Before Thomas met Jasmine he only listened to oldies with his parents. His dad's favorite band was The Eagles and his mom's favorite was The Bee Gees. Jasmine introduced him to modern rock and country. He liked them a lot. He wasn't a fan of modern pop, but Jasmine liked any music she could dance to. He wasn't a good dancer, but he liked watching her dance.

Jasmine remembered teaching him to dance when they got older and started going to clubs. She would laugh at his clumsy steps. This time she would try not to laugh. He was trying something outside of his comfort zone. He learned the electric slide from his friends for one of his friends quinceañera. It was a popular birthday party for a 15-year-old girl in Mexican culture. Since our town was so close to Mexico, it was heavily influenced by Mexican culture.

Jasmine liked cultures from different countries. Her heritage was a combination of Native American and Irish from her dad's side, French, Polish, Scottish, and probably a lot more from her mom's side. Her mom looked like a doppelganger for her Grandpa Frank's French grandmother based on an old picture they found. It was in black and white, but it looked just like her. Delilah's grandmother on her mother's side was a Polish immigrant. Jasmine's father's side came from Ireland and married a Native American woman a few generations back. All these cultures combined with her upbringing intrigued her. She wanted to learn everything about all the different cultures.

Thomas had German ancestry on his dad's side and English on his mom's side. He wasn't as interested in his heritage and focused more on life right now. He was so busy with football practice and Orchestra lessons that he didn't have a lot of free time. The free time he did have was spent with Jasmine or thinking about the next time he got to see her. Of course, he would go to a youth group with her if it meant spending extra time with her outside of school.