Pretty Jasper, Little Venny & Eddie Who?

Manhattan, New York.

The place of wonders and dreams and beautiful people. Well, as beautiful as Gucci and Armani Exchange were. And as wondrous as the crazy morning traffic too. The dreams aspect was a manmade fantasy created in the hands of the people behind that 32” screen plasma television sitting in your living room. Which was exactly why Venus couldn’t understand the attractiveness of New York City. Yeah sure, the luxury outlets were only a few blocks away from her house (how convenient). And it was definitely a city full of endless opportunities.

However, imagine having spent your entire life here, you tend to notice the gaps and cracks in between. Like how the subways reek of dried up piss and puke. Or how Central Park was overhyped in movies because no sane New Yorker would ever step foot there. And if you were wondering, no locals would ever go to Times Square (unless you were desperately wishing for a traffic congestion suicide).

So sue Venus for not appreciating her hometown. To her, New York was another synonym for imprisonment. Of course, she had friends and adoring fans on social media. Academically, she aced all her projects (despite her tardiness) and hasn’t failed a single course… yet. Judging by the traffic, Venus wouldn’t be surprised if Javerson might fail her for being tardy thrice in a term.

“Pretty wild night, huh Ms. Stinx,” The same masculine voice commented. From the angle that Venus was sitting, she could feel the reflection coming from his cheeky pearly white smile.

Slowly, the ends of Venus’s lips curled upwards, “Nothing I can’t handle, Sir Jasper,” was her response. Jasper let out an audible gasp, before both of them launched into a fit of laughter.

If Amey felt like a mother to Venus, well then Jasper was definitely that charming step-brother whose mom got married to Venus’s dad out of wedlock. Jokes aside, Venus only knew about Jasper when she was 13, and the man just turned legal. Now, at 22, Venus couldn’t care less about the age gap. When you grew up in a household without proper parents, you tend to cultivate certain… issues.

Plus, how could she ever say no to those pretty shades of blue eyes and ashy blonde hair that reminded her of sun-kissed sand along tropical beaches? However, ever since she knew Jasper, he was a man that meant business. But whenever the clock strikes the end of another working day… Well, let’s just say there would be a 180 degrees flip. Although, even with that flip, Jasper was cautious with his boundaries around Venus. Instead, bringing her out for drinks or to this cool old-school arcade behind Amey’s back. Ignoring the childhood crush that Venus harbored, Jasper was someone trustworthy, sincere, and familiar. Someone that Venus knew she could count on. Especially if it meant putting her life on the line.

“Thanks, I know I’ve got pretty blue eyes, Ms. Stinx,” Jasper replied coolly, resulting in Venus's face turning a bright shade of red in embarrassment. She had to work on her habit of subconsciously voicing out her thoughts, sheesh.

“Eyes on the road, Jasper,” Venus retorted back, struggling to pull her sweater over her head. She swore she heard muffled laughter coming from the front seat.

Instead, she decided to avert her attention towards the hustling street beside her. They were about half an hour away from the Centrale, where Venus stayed. Streets were filled with all sorts of people - the riches, the rags, and the ordinary. There was also a stretch of beggars with makeshift shelters made out entirely of cardboard boxes. Dressed in tatters and torn, their faces were caked with dirt and overgrown facial hair.

Some were huddled against each other to combat the autumn breeze. A few were holding up huge white signs that said the same thing throughout; “Spare us some change, please”. Everything was repetitive here in New York City. Not to mention how Venus spotted one beggar immediately throwing away a spare prosthetic limb into the garbage when a kind yet gullible lady gave him a hundred dollar bill. How ironic.

At the corner of the street, something was peaking out which caught the brunette’s attention. While it was difficult to make out the shape and words, Venus squinted. All she saw were scribbles on the sign and a young girl with long tangled brown hair, with small sharp black eyes staring right back at Venus. Somehow, the kid appeared uncannily like Venus Stinx. What on Earth…

“We’re almost there, Ms. Stinx,” Jasper said, snapping Venus’s attention back inside the SUV. When she turned out of the window, the vehicle had driven past the young girl with the strange signboard. Somehow, a cold chill ran down Venus’s spine. What the hell did she just witness?

“Right, sure thanks Jasper,” Venus mumbled, letting out a soft cough while she rubbed her hands together as a means to ease herself.

Her shoulders were visibly shaking from the encounter as Venus tried to come up with an explanation. There was no way she had another sibling. If she did, Amey would’ve gone hell and back searching for the little Stinx. And after her parents had Venus, they up and left immediately to sort out some “issues” in their respective international offices. Perhaps, Venus must’ve mistaken the girl. After all, her face was a mix of western and Asian features. Anyone would’ve looked just like her. With the long brown hair and sharp black eyes…

“Is everything okay?” He asked, after spewing out a series of honks and vulgarities at other drivers. Venus made eye contact with furrowed eyebrows and a tint of concern in those blue oceanic eyes.

She respected and liked the man from afar for so long, sometimes she forgot how observant he was too. Such a reliable man, sometimes Venus found herself wondering if he even enjoyed spending his working hours with Venus. Maybe to him, Venus was just another task on his to-do list in order to get some monthly cash to survive. Suddenly, that thought itself only made Venus nauseous.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Venus hastily replied, keeping her sight downwards. She heard a soft sigh before the air-conditioning increased by a few degrees.

She could practically hear the smug-eating grin right off her crush slash chauffeur’s face, “If the AC is too cold, just let me know, Ms. Stinx. I don’t mind increasing it to keep you warm.”

Venus let out a strangled laugh, nodding while her face was scrunched up in forced glee. Maybe Jasper really was dubious and didn’t notice the young kid that looked just like mini-Venus Stinx. Obviously, he didn’t see her, Jasper was busy being a responsible driver! His eyes were on the road and Venus… She should’ve just tried to catch a few Zzzs before her entire day plummeted to hell. Starting with Javerson and her overdue fashion show campaign report.

The entire ride was spent in muted silence — Venus pondering about the little look-alike and Jasper occasionally swearing at other reckless drivers. There was something about the little girl and Amey’s sudden lack of spirits that made Venus have a weird feeling about everything.

What were the odds of two separate factors having a relation towards each other? Little to none, Venus thought. Yet, her gut feeling was yelling at her to disagree. While she was deep in her thoughts, Venus completely missed the way a particular pair of blue eyes narrowed towards her from the rearview mirror.

“Ms. Stinx, we’re here! Have a great day in school today, just drop me a text once you’re done,” Jasper’s voice brought Venus out of her thoughts as she realized the familiar modernized buildings towering by her side.

“‘Mkay, thanks Jasper,” Venus said, leaving the car with her Louis Vuitton bag over her shoulders. A quick glance from her phone and she knew there was no point. Javerson’s lecture ended 10 minutes ago. How peachy.

“Hey, Venus?” Jasper called out in a tone that immediately left Venus’s heart skipping erratically. He rarely ever called her by her first name. Let alone in such a soft, soothing voice.

She’d been so used to his formal and rigid appearance and this sudden change was almost too much for her to handle that. Somewhere deep inside of Venus, she was hoping it was a casual confession. As much as she disliked some parts of her life, Venus wasn’t an insecure woman. She knew she was pretty valued in the market, and there were even suitors after her heart.

But none as charming and yummy as Jasper. Knowing how he was, Venus hoped the confession wouldn’t be too sappy nor too cliche. Maybe a synonym of those three measly words would cheer her up for the rest of the day! Something along the lines of, “You’re pretty today,” or “My Venus is gorgeous,”

Just imagining it had Venus steaming. Her logical side, however, noticed the way Jasper frowned. As if he was considering, whatever it is, to confide into Venus about something. The only things he had ever shared with Venus were his safe money and his cheap magic tricks.

“Nah, nevermind. I’ll check on Amey and join for dinner later. See you!” The young chauffeur spoke, all creases of worry and doubt immediately dissipated from his features. Before Venus could press further, he sped away.

Just what on Earth was going on?

Experiencing Amey’s sadness was a major red flag. But to experience Jasper’s misplaced affection? On the same day? There was something major happening, and Venus had no clue whatsoever. Somewhere in the back of her head, she felt like the answer was just right under her nose. Her brain disagreed, constantly thrashing around buried memories during her childhood years.

What could be the correlation anyway?

Before Venus could dial a cab to chase after Jasper, her phone rang. Her screen was dominated by the face of a blonde bob girl with huge baby doll violet eyes. There was a stupid creme coloured beret on her head, with her fingers posed in a typical V sign. Seeing a familiar face made Venus’s chest a whole lot lighter.

“Vee! I can’t believe you skipped Javerson’s lecture. He’s fuming dude,” A shrill voice shrieked out loud, shocking Venus out of her frenzied thoughts.

“Javerson can wait, where are you Liv?” She asked mindlessly, her eyes focused on the flight of steps before her. No way in hell was Venus getting caught tripping right in front of campus.

“I’m at the South Cafeteria, but you ought to see Javerson first,” The shrill voice went a pitch down, however at this rate, Venus could already bid farewell to her magnificent eardrums. God, why the hell was the cafeteria so loud at freaking 10 AM?

“Mkay, see you later babe,” Venus replied, eyes shifting to her phone. In that split second, her left foot took a misstep and everything was tumbling downwards.

It was never an exaggeration when it came to Venus Stinx. She was mostly feared or favoured by her peers. She was also complimented for her inquisitive talent within her faculty. Not to mention, she was heavily rumored as that rich kid whose parents suddenly disappear. Yet one thing that no one knew about her (except for Amey, Jasper, and especially Liv), was how an absolute klutz she could be.

And right now, here she was by the steps of Stanford University. Face flat on the stony ground, butt sticking up in the air and phone way out of her reach. Quickly, Venus shot up into a sitting formation. Just a few scratches on her hands due to the fall, and thankfully no wet substances on her face nor head. Although, the pounding returned, not as loud as a rock and roll concert. It was more like being stuck in a room with a bunch of kids and their loud obnoxious tantrums. Her Louis Vuitton bag was still slung across her shoulder but she couldn’t find her phone anywhere. Where was it—

“Um.. are you okay?”

Oh, how Venus wished she had opted to sleep in throughout the entire day instead. Slowly, and praying this wouldn’t affect her status quo, she turned around to face the disembodied voice. Standing in front of her was a tall, lanky man wearing large thin-framed spectacles. A typical Herschel backpack was a lot bigger in comparison to his skinny built, making him look like an unbalanced terrapin. He had questioning coal-black eyes, which made his tousled black hair even more mysterious. Something about the grey hoodie made him oddly familiar. Had Venus seen him before?

“Yeah, um thanks..?” Venus tried to sound polite, but her tone betrayed her. The man shifted on his feet awkwardly, his hair sheltering his eyes away from the fallen girl.

“Eden Lee. We’re in the same photography class this semester?” His voice was gravelly, and finally, it clicked to Venus who exactly was he. The talented loner in her photography module. If Venus had, to be honest, there was nothing remotely friendly or approachable about the man. Even with him towering over her right now, Venus only felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

What was his deal, anyway?

“Oh right, thanks, Eddie!” At that, Venus stood up and wiped off any dust collected on her pullover. Her mind started racing for any excuse to leave her schoolmate. But there was something that was missing. What was it…

“Your phone kinda flew and I caught it—,” Eden explained, his pointy right index finger facing towards the koi pond right beside the admission office, “...so it wouldn’t fall into the pond there.”

In contrast to his solemn appearance, the sparkling iPhone 11 stood out in his hands. Instinctively, Venus snatched it away, mumbling other thanks. It wasn’t that she meant to be rude, but the thought of some rando assessing through her phone second made her skin crawl. He did seem harmless, especially when he bowed his head. But you could never be too sure what idiots would do. Especially to Venus Stinx’s phone. Everything she had, the secrets she’d kept were all collated in that singular device.

While they stood there, stiff and thick silence between them, Venus noticed him fidgeting, balling his hands into fists and expanding out his fingers. Anyone who was observing him would wave it off as simple hand stretches. However, Venus knew better. It was similar to Amey’s bad habit earlier this morning and before she could stop herself, she was staring intently at his fingers. Long bony fingers curling inward to his palms, short blunt nails scraping at the surface of his skin. Again, and again, and again, and again.

A part of her wondered why he was nervous since Venus wasn’t as brutal as the other Stanford girls. Another part of her was curious, eagerly concocting up causes that contributed to the person he was right now. There had to be a reason why Venus barely remembered him. A complete opposite of her, whereby she shone with every waking step. Whereas Eden Lee had the way to disappear at will. Somehow, that thought made Venus intrigued and uncomfortable.

“Thanks again, Eddie, I’ll see you around?” Venus couldn’t hide her surprise when she noticed how her abruptness made Eden jump. His coal-black eyes focused on her with an unreadable expression.

“Sure, take care, Venus,” And just like that, Venus bolted away. Only God knew how long she wasted standing idly with someone she barely remembered. Now, she had to convince Javerson to accept her project proposal and head up to meet Liv at the cafeteria. Not to mention, there were still two more lectures scheduled after lunch.

With a deep breath, she willed the kiddish tantrums and weird shenanigans to the back of her head.