The Title-less story you just have to read!

It all starts in late December, 1997....

Jazmine stared at the cement sidewalk from the front steps of her new house. Her head jerked up as large Doc Martins appeared in the space where she had been staring.
"Uh, hi" muttered Jazmine as she stood up and brushed herself off. The person who was standing there was tall, blondish-brown hair, almost to his shoulders. Jazmine's eyes were fixed on his, they were the most expressive eyes she had ever seen.
"Hi," he finally said. "You're new around here, aren't you?"
"Yeah. All our stuff finally came yesterday." While still looking at his eyes, "You live around here?"
"Yeah." There was an awkward silence, which neither of them seemed to enjoy. Finally he stuck out his hand, "I'm Isaac, and you?"
"Jazmine." She said as she shook his hand.
Isaac stood there, trying to think of something to say. "Like the outfit."
"Thanks. Black is the only color I seem to be able to pull off lately." They were looking into each others eyes, which startled Jazmine into saying something. "I was just about to take a walk around the neighborhood, want to come with me?"
"Sure," he said and they walked down the sidewalk. "That's actually why I came over." "You came over to walk me around the neighborhood?"
"Yeah, you see, my mom has appointed our family as the 'Welcoming Committee.' Each time someone moves in, she assigns one of us to go over and welcome them."
Jazmine was looking at the rows of houses they were passing, each one still decked in their holiday decorations. "I guess it's a good thing you did come, I'd never have been able to make it back to my house, I'm not used to living in a place like this "
"Really? Where did you live before?"
"In a tiny condo, near a tiny mall, in a tiny college town. I never really had to deal with actual neighborhoods."
"Oh. I've lived here pretty much all my life, except for when we went overseas."
Jazmine stopped and turned towards Isaac. "Overseas? damn you're lucky. I had lived in the same place my entire life, and never went anywhere." She continued walking as they reached the corner.
"So, I guess this is a pretty big move for you." Jazmine nodded, for she was too interested in the houses she was passing.
"These are some amazing houses. I've never seen so many beautiful..." she stopped as she stumbled over some old rollerblades, the heal of her boot getting stuck between them. She fell, landing on her ankle that was in a contorted position, and a loud crack was heard, getting Isaac's attention. He bent down to help her up, but she couldn't stand.
"I'll have to carry you to my house, it's not far from here. You can rest there."
Cringing in pain, Jazmine said, "I have no objections." Isaac picked her up and managed to grab the laces of the rollerblades between his fingers. "These stupid boots," Jazmine said. "Something like this was bound to happen.
"Here we are," Isaac said as they turned down the driveway. When they reached the door it was closed. "Could you try opening it?"
"Sure, it's the least I can do." She reached for the knob and opened the door. "Wow, what a trusting neighborhood this is."
As they walked in, one of Isaac's brothers came down the stairs. 'Ike, couldn't you have at least invited us to the wedding?"
Jazmine chuckled with sarcasm. "My, what a funny little boy."
"Yeah, Zac's just a laugh a minute." He turned to the stairs and called out. "Tay, get down here!" He walked Jazmine over to the sofa in the living room. He propped up her foot with a few pillows. "I'll go get some ice." He put down the rollerblades he had been carrying and walked down a hallway, into the kitchen.
Jazmine leaned back and closed her eyes, she barely noticed the loud steps of someone coming down the stairs. In fact, she didn't know anyone was around until someone called out, "What do you want, Ike?"
Jazmine opened her eyes and turned her head to see someone standing over her. "You Tay?" she asked. He nodded, too surprised by her presence to say anything. "He's in the kitchen, he'll be back soon."
Taylor sat down next to the sofa, continuing to look at Jazmine as she resumed her previous position. Isaac walked in with a bag of ice, wrapped in a thin towel. Jazmine thanked him and placed it on her ankle. He then picked up the rollerblades and tossed them on Taylor's lap.
"Why don't you throw these things away, they're doing more harm than good." Isaac sat behind Jazmine as she continued to hold the ice to her ankle. "Feeling any better?
She leaned back, expecting a pillow, but when she realized it was Isaac, she jerked back up and leaned against the back of the sofa. "Not really, I'm no medical expert, but I think that cracking meant something."
Isaac got off the sofa and kneeled at the other end to look at her ankle. He picked up the ice and carefully pulled off her boot. "You should have taken that off." He placed the boot on the floor and looked at her bare ankle. It was very swollen, and was turning a bright purple. He replaced the ice and stood up. "I'm going to take you to the doctor, that needs to be looked at."
"Don't tell me you're going to carry me all the way!"
"No, I'm going to drive you."
"If you can drive, why did you walk to my house?"
"He only uses it in emergencies, or when he wants to impress people. I think now, it's both," Taylor interjected. Isaac sneered at his younger brother and picked up Jazmine. Taylor stood up, "I feel responsible for this, so I think I should go with you."
Isaac was about to refuse when Jazmine said, "Sure, why not. Let's just get going." They all walked out the door, after Taylor wrote a note explaining the situation.
Jazmine was placed in the back seat and the brothers got in front. She strapped herself in, though Isaac assured her that wouldn't be necessary, he's a very careful driver, and plus, "That must be very uncomfortable." The drive was pretty quiet, Jazmine overly tired and Isaac too mad to talk with Tay. When they finally got there the brothers got out and attempted to help Jazmine out. However, she couldn't get the seat belt undone. Isaac leaned in, trying to help her, when someone walked to the car parked next to them and said "Could you at least close the door, for our sake!"
Both Isaac and Jazmine blushed, and Taylor stood outside trying to hold back his laughter. Isaac finally picked Jazmine up and told Taylor to close the door. When they reached the doctor's office, Isaac and Taylor were told to leave. Dr. Spencer asked what happened, and, without placing the blame on anyone, Jazmine explained. Dr. Spencer had been looking at the ankle in question, and deduced that an x-ray would be needed, to be sure of what happened. After the x-ray was taken, Isaac and Taylor were allowed to go into Dr. Spencer's office. She placed it on the light board, and showed them where Jazmine's ankle was broken in three places. A cast was put on, and they went back to the guys' house.
* * *
By the time they got in, Jazmine was asleep. Their parents had company over, and Zac was away at a friends house, so they went upstairs and lay her on Zac's bed.
When Jazmine woke up it was dark, and she could hear the steady breathing of two people. She sat up and looked at her watch, which read 12:03. Uneasy in that room, she got up and squinted to find the door in the dim moonlight. After some time of searching, she found it and before she closed the door, she turned to see Isaac sleeping peacefully on a top bunk. Closing the door behind her, she walked down the hallway, feeling along the wall to find where the stairs might be. She found them and tried to hobble down them as quietly as possible, keeping the creaking to a minimum.
Jazmine figured she would feel more comfortable on the sofa, so she sat down and closed her eyes. She thought she was dreaming when she saw Isaac sit down beside her, so she closed her eyes, curled up, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What harm could come? It's only a dream," she thought.
However, this wasn't a dream, and Isaac became tense when she leaned on him. He looked at her hair, so soft in the dim moonlight. He reached out to touch it, but she moved, and instead his arm fell softly on her shoulder. His tenseness eased up, and decided it best to let her sleep. But he, too, was tired, and soon fell asleep.
* * *
The dark on the VCR read 3 A.M. as Taylor came down the stairs in search of a snack. As he walked towards the kitchen he heard a whine, like a dog when it's asleep. He looked around until he saw Jazmine and Isaac curled up together on the sofa.
A pang of jealousy arose in Taylor, not because he had feelings for Jazmine, but because the girls that they met always liked him, not Isaac. He stood over them, glaring, thinking of how he should wake his brother up. But Jazmine's hand fell against his leg, and he realized that it would be cruel. He started to walk upstairs when he looked back and thought, "I have to do this."
* * *
Jazmine woke up, keeping her eyes closed. She felt warm and safe, which is something she hadn't felt in a long, long time. As she curled into what she thought was a pillow, she felt an arm fall from her shoulder to her waist. She became stiff with fright, and after working up all her courage she opened her eyes. "Isaac," she thought. "I thought it was just a dream." She looked at her watch, which read 6:43 A.M. "I've got to get home," she said to herself. "Now that it's light, I'll be able to find the way."
She turned herself a little, trying to wiggle her way out without waking up Isaac. When she was almost out, she turned to look at him. His hair lay against his bare shoulder, and there was one strand in front of his face. She gently brushed it away with the edge of her pinkie.
She stood up, placing a pillow under his arm where she had been. She hobbled over to the front door, where there were crutches the doctor had apparently given her. Not turning back, she opened the door and left.
* * *
It was 7:30. Isaac's eyes slowly opened. It took him some time to regain full awareness. When he did, he realized Jazmine was gone. Sighing, he went up to his room where Taylor had moved up to the top bunk to sleep. After getting dressed he threw a pillow at his brother's face. "Come on, Tay, get up."
Taylor groaned and sat up. "So, where's Jazmine?" he asked as he jumped down onto his bed.
"She left." Isaac sat down on Zac's bed and sighed.
"Do you know when?" Taylor had gotten up off the bed and began getting dressed. Isaac shook his head.
"For all I know, she left at 2 A.M." he said as he got up and went over to his closet.
Taylor shook his head. "Nah, she was still here then."
"How do you know?"
"Oh, I came down last night at around 3." Taylor walked over to the dresser to get a rubber-band to pull his hair back. "You two looked cute."
Isaac blushed and stuttered, "I, I couldn't help it, she fell asleep on my shoulder."
"You don't need to explain, Ike. I understand. Sometimes these things just happen."
Isaac was leaning against the door frame of his closet. He stayed quiet for a while before bending down and picking up his rollerblades. "I'm going to go over to her house, to see if she got home okay." He walked out the door, and out of the house.
When he reached her house the door was shut and all the curtains were closed. He took off his rollerblades and set them beside the door. When he rang the doorbell a woman seeming to be on her early to mid 40's opened the door. She stood, staring at him for a while before he spoke. "Good morning, Mrs. Belmont. Is Jazmine in?"
"Yes." There was a long silence before she resumed talking. "You want to see her?"
Isaac nodded, and Mrs. Belmont let him in. She pointed him up the stairs and left. When he reached the top of the stairs he heard music, so he followed it to a door at the end of the hall.
When he opened the door a cloud of scented smoke rushed at his face. Startled, he coughed. When the smoke cleared a bit he saw a movement of black and the volume went down a few notches. "Yes, mom, I know I'm not supposed to be burning this, but since you grounded me, I think I have a right to do what I want up here."
Isaac walked over to her. "Um, Jazmine?" She turned to see him standing over her. She grabbed the remote to the stereo and turned it off.
"Sorry, I thought you were someone else." She walked over to the other side of the room and snuffed out her incense. "Who let you in?"
Isaac sat down at Jazmine's desk. "Your mom, I think." He waited while she sat back down on her bed, leg outstretched. "You're grounded? I thought my mom called here and explained everything."
"Oh, she did. But mom didn't care. She said I was imposing on out new neighbors, and made myself look like a pathetic tramp." She turned to get her remote. "You mind if I turn it back on?"
"Sure, go ahead." Isaac said as he prepared himself for the loud, booming music. "Who is it?" "Nine Inch Nails. My mom hates 'em, maybe that's why I listen to them so much." She closed her eyes and bobbed her head back and forth. "Or maybe it's just so mind numbing it takes the pain away." She stopped and leaned back against her headboard.
Isaac looked around the room and finally focused on Jazmine's leg. "Who signed your cast?"
Jazmine sat up and looked at her ankle. "I didn't know anyone did."
Isaac knelt at Jazmine's foot and started to read. "Jazmine, I'm sorry, I was the cause of all of this. But, I think what surfaced because of it was worth it. The two of you together looks so natural. Oh, hi Ike. I know you're reading this, so get home by noon, and bring Jazmine, Mom invited her over. -Taylor" Both started laughing and Isaac's head fell on the cast.
Just then Mrs. Belmont came in the room. Jazmine stopped laughing and cleared her throat. "Yes mom?" Isaac stood up and went back to where he had been sitting before.
"Jazmine, turn off that dreadful music." Jazmine willingly obeyed her mother. "Now, Mrs. Hanson just called and invited you to spend the afternoon with them. You can go, but only if you change first, you've been in that disgusting outfit for ages."
"Yes m'am."
"Now, Isaac, you should be getting home. I'll make sure Jazmine gets over in time." Isaac got up, thanked Mrs. Belmont for allowing Jazmine to come, and left.
Mrs. Belmont closed the door behind him and stood over Jazmine's bed. "I don't know what you were doing in here. I don't think I want to know. The only reason I'm letting you go is because the mother asked, and I don't want her to think I'm impolite." Jazmine lay back down looking at the ceiling. Her mother grabbed her hair and pulled her up. "You listen to me, tramp. You don't do anything when you're there. Pull another stunt like you did last night and that ankle won't be the only thing broken." She threw down her daughter's hair and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
Jazmine lay there and cried herself to sleep. When she awoke it was 11, so she got up and changed. She left at 11:30, mother screaming at her even as the door slammed shut. She went as quickly as possible, and found Isaac sitting on the front porch when she arrived. He stood and helped her up the steps.
After lunch Jazmine and Isaac went for a walk. Isaac had said he knew a park that looked very nice this time of year, and when they finally reached it they sat down on the grass. Both were silent, until Jazmine fell on his shoulder and started crying. He wrapped his arm around her and asked what was wrong.
"Ever since my sister ran away with her boyfriend, Mom has treated me like scum. She abuses me, calls me a tramp, a slut, a bitch, and a good for nothing whore. The woman hasn't said a kind word or done a kind thing to me in three years. I can't stand to be around her anymore. She's dangerous, and I'm afraid"
Isaac stroked her hair. "Don't worry, I'm not going to let her near you. You're staying with us tonight."
* * *
Jazmine lay on the sofa, wide awake. She jumped at every noise, and every shadow at the window made her tense up. She knew there was no way she would get any sleep that night. She could close her eyes and see her mother coming at her, fists first. So she lay, eyes open, staring at the clock on the VCR. The stairs creaked behind her and she looked to see who it was. Isaac knelt down in front of her and brushed the hair from her face. "You okay?"
"I can't sleep, I'm still afraid. She'll come, and I'll have to go back. I don't want to be around her, I'm so afraid."
The expression on Isaac's face showed his concern. He patted the floor next to him, and Jazmine slid herself off the sofa. He took a pillow from a nearby chair and put it down next to him, motioning Jazmine to lie down. For a while she just lay there, back facing him. Then she took his hand that was on her waist, pulled it over, and held it. Uncomfortable sitting, he lay down behind her, his arm still over her waist. He brushed away the hair that lay down her back and gently kissed her neck. As she held his hand tighter, she felt that safe feeling return to her. Soon, both of them fell asleep.
A few hours later Isaac jerked awake. He heard loud footsteps coming down the stairs. When, for a while, he didn't hear anything else he relaxed and tried to go back to sleep. Then, a hard breathing was heard over him Before he could turn around, a deep voice boomed, "Clarke Isaac Hanson, you get up this instant." No one ever called him by his full name, unless he was in trouble, so he stood up to face his father. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm not doing anything. She was afraid and couldn't sleep. She didn't want to be alone, and I wasn't going to leave her."
"Have you learned nothing from what your mother and I have taught you?"
"Yes, I've learned never to desert a friend when they need you."
"What if one of your brothers or sisters saw that? What message would that send them?"
"Tay and Zac could care less, and Jessie, Avery, and Mac couldn't get down the stairs this late if they wanted to."
His father stood, arms crossed. "Son, either you go upstairs now, or she goes home."
"Dad, she needs me, and she can't go back to that woman."
"One more word out of you, young man, and she'll never set foot in this house again." Stone faced, Isaac sat back down next to Jazmine and leaned against the chair. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Dad, I love her, and I'm not going to leave her."
His father gave a guttural chuckle. "To think we bought that story of yours. We should have known. You're teenagers, driven by hormones. You'd make up anything. You can stay down here for now, I don't feel like arguing. She'll be going home in the morning." He turned and walked up the stairs.
Isaac looked up the stairs, then down at Jazmine. "Not if I can help it."
* * *
It was morning and Zac went down to get some breakfast. When he walked past the living room his eyes grew wide. He ran upstairs to his room and looked out the window. "Oh no." He ran over to where his brother was sleeping. "Tay, Tay! Get up!" His brother groaned a reply. "Tay, they're gone!" Taylor got up and gave a questioning look to his brother. "Isaac and Jazmine, they took the car, and they're gone!"
Part 2