Chapter 6: The perils of dealing with Jasmine

After that sentence, Remy's face looked as if it had been smeared with red paint and for some reason, he got so angry, that he kicked both girls out of his shop and threatened them to don't come again.

Ryder didn't pay much attention to this reaction, while Jasmine was pouting, looking almost as if she was about to cry.

"You can't say such things so normally. He probably feels embarrassed."

They were going back to Ryder's house, walking down the streets side by side, Jasmine leaning her head on Ryder's shoulder. She must have gotten worn out from all the fighting.

Jasmine shook her head. "His pretty face... bruised..."

Ryder rolled her eyes. Of course, this idiot would turn an ear deaf to any words of rejection. "What are you going to do about those guys? They will definitely come back again" It would be troublesome if they tried to pick a fight with Jasmine and her as well. "We probably angered them more. What if made it worse?"

Jasmine shook her hand, not bothered at all. For such a situation, she was quite calm. "Don't worry, my child. I have everything under control."

"How come?"

Straightening her back, Jasmine smirked. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. With that smirk, the wild curly hair, and those eyes, Jasmine looked astonishingly terrifying. However, now with bruises on her cheek and lip, her left eye turning black... the girl looked murderous.

Ryder shivered. Suddenly, she felt sorry for those guys. "Please don't kill anyone."

Jasmine chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't do anything. Eddie is from their college. I will tell him to handle things."

Eddie was her oldest brother. Usually, he was very gentle, but because of his cold face and huge muscles, the guy had a bad reputation. This could also be because he punched a guy who tried to harass Jasmine to death, and then had the audacity to take him to the hospital and pay the bill. He also had a lot of scary friends.

"What if he doesn't agree?" Ryder asked. After all, even though Eddie would kill a man for Jasmine, he was also the culprit of some of the bruises Jasmine had, even though they were not on purpose. They fight a lot for the smallest things, like the remote or who ate the last slice of cake. Seeing their relationship Ryder felt fortunate to be an only child.

"Don't worry, he will." Jasmine giggled as she recalled what happened last week with her brother. "He came back home drunk once and pissed his bed. I will threaten him with that."

Oh... then it should be fine. Ryder shrugged it off just like that.

On their way back, they stopped by a few shops, mostly it was just Ryder looking for scraps, books, or paint. By the fifth shop, Jasmine couldn't handle it anymore, her patience ran out and she angrily pinched Ryder on the shoulder. "Why do you need all this crap for? What are you planning on doing?"

Even though they had walked inside five shops by now, Ryder always came out empty-handed, which only made Jasmine even angrier.

"I don't know. Haven't decided yet." Ryder shrugged. They had walked into a textiles shop, in which Ryder was without exception, touching every piece of cloth in there, muttering to herself, and letting out a small thoughtful "hmmm" every now and then. Jasmine was going crazy. She should have just cleaned that shop for Remy and stuck by his side.

However, it was too late, so Jasmine accepted her defeat and while sporting a scorn on her face, she started to touch the textiles as well.

Suddenly, her face lit up. "Will you make me another stuffed animal? A rabbit this time."

Ryder thought about it for a bit then nodded. "Mhm... I can make one for Remy too if you want."

The brown eyes of Jasmine flashed with excitement. Seeing her so excited Ryder couldn't help and pinch her cheeks. She threw an arm over Jasmine's shoulders. "You have to help though."

"Mhm." Jasmine nodded excitingly.

When they walked through the front door, the sight that greeted Michelle was that of her daughter and her best friend whose face was bruised all over, the left eye almost black and she couldn't open it, but both of them had huge grins on their faces, bags with different textiles and one huge bag filled with padding, the latter being so big only the heads and legs of the girls could be seen.

"Hi, Mrs. Quin." Jasmine beamed at Michelle.

"Hi?" Michelle answered but it sounded more like a question for she wasn't sure what to make of such a sight.

"We're making stuffed animals." Ryder explained to her mother who just said a soft "oh" and didn't comment any further. "We will be in the backyard."

"O-okay? I will call you when dinner is ready." Michelle finally came to her senses but the girls had already walked out in the backyard. "What the hell do they need stuffed animals for?" She wondered aloud.

The backyard, thanks to yesterday's cleaning, was more organized and had less trash around. It still made Michelle's heart tighten in pain whenever she saw it but at least now it looks more presentable.

Jasmine dropped the things on the working table and looked around. "It looks cleaner."

"Dad made me clean it yesterday." Ryder picked up one of the bags and took out the piece of cloth in it. Her fingers ran through the soft and fluffy textile, a satisfied smile hanging on her lips.

"Isn't your mother's birthday coming up?"

"Mhm."

"Have you thought of a present?"

"Haven't decided yet."

Jasmine sat on a nearby chair that Ryder usually used when taking a break. She looked at the backyard once more and could understand why Mrs. Quin looked so pained whenever she walked out here. The woman literally avoided the backyard as if it would give her a heart attack if she looked at it for more than a minute.

"Why don't you turn the backyard like it was before? The flowers look like seeking for a quicker, less miserable death." Jasmine said as she glanced at the roses that once were imagistic and beautiful, but now they were like going through stage four of anal cancer. It truly was pitiful. "Tsk tsk tsk. You will be responsible for their agony."

Ryder looked at the flowers as if just now realizing that such things were in the backyard. A frown formed on her lips as she thought: They do be looking like going through stage four of anal cancer.

"But then I won't have where to work."

"It's going to get colder sooner anyway. You won't be able to stay outside like now. Your hands will freeze and fall off." Jasmine leaned on the chair and crossed her legs, making herself comfortable. "I don't understand why you won't use the garage. A nice flowery garden would be so nice out here."

The excitement of making the stuffed animal evaporated in thin air as Jasmine talked. She had a point. Usually, in winter, Ryder would just stop doing anything too big, because the cold was unbearable and it was hard to work in such conditions. The garage wouldn't do as well for it was too small, and it only fit the car. If she did use it, she would have to move her things every time her father came from work. It wasn't convenient. But seeing her mother mourn her backyard every day was a bit too much to bear. After all, Ryder already felt bad for wasting money on scraps and other materials for her projects.

Seeing her troubled, Jasmine tilted her head to the right and grinned. "Why don't you use the attic?"

Ryder felt like a new world revealed itself right in front of her eyes. She do be stupid for not having thought of this before. She jumped on Jasmine's arms and placed a big loud kiss on the cheek that wasn't bruised. "I'm an idiot."

Jasmine chuckled and nodded in agreement. "You are an idiot."

"You're more than me though. How can you jump like that at a college guy?"

The look in Jasmine's eyes filled with loath. "That brat almost punched Remy."

"Your face looks terrifying."

"This is the face of a real champion." Jasmine boasted. "Let's start with the stuffed animals. I want to make Remy a wolf."

Laughing and fooling around, the two girls laid the pieces of cloth on the working table drawing patterns and cutting them off. While Jasmine was daydreaming of how cute and adorable the wolf would come out, just like her precious son, Ryder fell deep in thoughts.

She was thinking of Aiden. Of Midnight. Of the garden... she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

"He will show up again tonight," Ryder said to Jasmine. The words had left her mouth without thinking it through first, almost as if in a daze. When Ryder came back to her senses, it was already too late.

"That creep?" Jasmine sneered.

"Yeah."

For some reason, hearing Jasmine call him a creep, made Ryder feel guilty as if she somehow was bullying Midnight herself. She just couldn't take her mind off the way he talked, the tone of his voice, sounding like someone who had nothing to lose, for he had already lost it all. Why did he sound so desperate? Why would he go to such lengths just to talk to her?

Ryder was vexed.

She didn't trust him, yet at the same time a feeling she couldn't quite describe told her that everything was fine. It made her want to comfort him, to know more about him... to unveil the truth behind his identity like a birthday present beautifully wrapped.

Such mystery... Ryder was feeling guilty for finding the whole situation with Midnight entertaining while knowing fully well that he was most likely in pain. Yet she couldn't help it... she just couldn't...

"Don't worry." Jasmine patted her shoulder. Ryder had no idea what Jasmine thought she was worried about. "We will catch him tonight. We can use that taser from earlier. Or this Momma here will just use brutal force."

To say that Ryder felt terrified wasn't enough. Was Jasmine planning on beating Midnight to death?

"Let's not do that."

"Let's dig a hole and trap him there."

Are you fucking kidding me? Ryder's face palmed herself. On what cartoons was Jasmine basing her plans? Tom and Jerry? Why was she planning on catching Midnight in the first place?

"I don't want to catch him."

Jasmine smacked the back of Ryder's head without a warning and scolded her. "What the fuck is wrong with you? What are you planning to do? Have a nice conversation and drink tea?"

The tips of her ears turned red as Ryder refused to answer that question. That was exactly what she was planning to do, not including the tea. However, even though Ryder didn't answer, Jasmine figured out herself what was going through that chicken head of hers. This idiot was really planning on just having a conversation over tea.

"Were you dropped in the head when you were a baby? Why would you do such a thing?"

The chicken head just shrugged. Jasmine was starting to consider beating the shit out of her.

No matter how much Jasmine yelled and scolded, Ryder wouldn't budge. In the end, the former had to give up on the idea of doing a sneak attack on Midnight. This girl has already a black eye and her face is bruised all over. What was she looking for more fights for?

In the end, they came to an agreement. Jasmine would sit still and study Midnight. If she came to the conclusion that he was bad news, Ryder wouldn't let him come again and if he came, she would call the police. Still, Jasmine wasn't satisfied. Only when Ryder allowed her to punch Midnight if he tried something funny (even though she was pretty sure such a thing wouldn't happen for some unknown reason) did Jasmine agree.

By the time the sky got dark and the stars sprinkled all over it, Ryder had finished making a white rabbit for Jasmine and a black wolf for Remy. The stuffed animals weren't top-notch. They were simple designs, just a big head with two large eyes and a small body, but this only made the stuffed animals look cuter.

Aside from the rabbit and the wolf, Ryder made a cat with the pieces left from the white textile used for the rabbit. The cat was smaller than the other two animals, not bigger than a fist, but Ryder couldn't help and smile whenever she saw it. She was too satisfied with how it had come out.

After eating dinner, Ryder and Jasmine cleaned up the working table and sat down, Jasmine on the chair and Ryder on the ground, next to her. Ryder's laptop lay on Jasmine's lap as her eyes were focused on the screen. The concentrated look on her face was something rare to witness, but Ryder was too busy scrolling down on her phone, looking for ideas on how to make the backyard into a beautiful garden for her mother.

Michelle and Henry had gone to sleep earlier than usual, leaving the girls with a simple goodnight and a warning not to stay outside for too long.

"How the fuck did he not die?" Jasmine hissed at the laptop.

Ryder was taken aback, horror flashed in her eyes as for a moment she thought this thug was going to kill someone. It wasn't until she heard fighting sounds coming from the laptop that Ryder understood that Jasmine was playing video games. Just as she was about to retort, Jasmine roared again.

"What is this bullshit!!! This is rigged! Scam." Jasmine angrily shut the laptop and snorted once, before looking at Ryder who was currently looking like she wanted to cut off her head for mistreating her precious laptop like that. Seeing that she was in a dire situation, Jasmine giggled awkwardly and rushed to change the topic. "So why did you name that guy Midnight?"

Ryder wasn't that much of an idiot to be fooled by these cheap tactics. She punched Jasmine on the shin. Only then did she answer. "For two reasons." And then she didn't talk anymore, just to get on Jasmine's nerves for treating her laptop like a piece of scrap.

"Those two reasons being..." Jasmine urged her, but Ryder just smirked at her and scrolled down her phone. "Just spit it out already. I'm sorry, okay?!"

Ryder giggled happily at her achievement in angering Jasmine. "Okay, okay. Well, the nickname first came to me because of a book I have read. You know the one with the psychopath that killed his victims every midnight."

Jasmine frowned in distaste. Is this girl courting death? Why would she name a stranger after a psychopath? "The one you kept calling your baby? That died in the end and you mourned him for a whole week?"

Ryder nodded. "He was precious and adorable and didn't deserve all that happened to him. My baby deserved all the love in the world." She stubbornly defended a psychopath from a book. The book was written by the same author that had written "The Ashen Soul" that she was currently reading, titled "Who Killed Midnight". This book was one of the earliest works of the writer and also his first book Ryder read. The story was about a young man who because of being possessed by demons would go on a killing spree every midnight, the sight and scent of blood being the only salvation from the mental and physical pain these demons gave him. That was until a certain someone entered his life. Ryder loved this character so much, it was almost painful. The writing style, the characters, the plot... everything about the book was perfect.

If Jasmine would run around calling random people her babies, Ryder would claim book characters as her babies, and this young man with the nickname "Midnight" given by the media, was one of the first characters to be claimed as her precious baby.

Even though Ryder had felt hesitant about giving the stranger a name from a book, even worse, that of a "psychopath", she couldn't help but think that this situation and that of the book were somewhat similar. She thought the stranger most likely hadn't read that book. This thought was mostly based on her belief that not many males read books. This belief was a result of many years of reading books and getting teased by boys for doing so, mocking the size of the book or the titles. However, judging by the way the stranger talked, Ryder somewhat believed he was well-read, so to save herself some face in case the stranger had read that particular book, she came up with the second reason, which was 40% an excuse.

"The second reason is that by so far he has shown up in the middle of the night."

"Why at midnight?" Jasmine asked, now getting earnestly curious. This dude really is weird and mysterious. No wonder why this headless chicken wants to find out who he is. This dumb daughter of mine is trying to play Sherlock Holmes.

"I don't know." Ryder shrugged. She had also wondered about this but didn't dare to ponder over it too much, scared that her imagination would take her too far.

"Maybe he's into some weird shit." Jasmine thought twirling a strand of hair on her finger.

"None of the kind." A male voice came from over the fence, startling both girls.

Being too absorbed in their conversation, both Ryder and Jasmine had failed to notice Midnight's appearance. He had thought of leaving when he saw Jasmine, not wanting to deal with her. But just as he was about to leave, Jasmine was asking Ryder about him. Even if he didn't want to eavesdrop, his curiosity got the best of him. He wanted to know Ryder's thoughts on him, but when he heard that this girl really did name him after that psychopath, he didn't know how to feel. Angry? Disappointed? Happy?

Then the conversation was going astray. What kind of weird shit did these two think he was up to? He couldn't just eavesdrop anymore. If he didn't intrude, this Jasmine girl would put all sorts of weird ideas in Ryder's head. What would he do if Ryder thought he was some kind of drug dealer or a pimp?

With this being the fourth time Midnight had scared her shitless with his sudden appearance, Ryder was starting to consider tying a bell on his neck. But the scare Ryder got, didn't even compare with the almost heart attack Jasmine got. However, unlike Ryder who just screams and jumps in fright, Jasmine has an entirely other way of reacting to being scared. This girl goes berserk.

Upon noticing the dark figure of Midnight, only a head and two arms resting over the fence, with the light nearby barely casting any light on him, a hoodie covering half of his face AND with the thought of the psychopath Ryder just had mentioned giving this man a terrifying aura, Jasmine lost her shit. "What the actual hell!!!"

Killer mode ➡ On.

Activate instant kill.

Target located.

ATTACK!

Ryder barely had time to grab the laptop off Jasmine's hands as the brat almost threw it at Midnight, not caring if it would kill the guy or if it would make Ryder kill her for breaking THE DAMNED LAPTOP!!! Yet, by the time Ryder snatched the laptop from Jasmine, hugging it on her chest like a baby in need of comfort, Jasmine had already gotten hold of the nearest thing to her and threw it to Midnight.

That thing being the chair she was sitting on a minute ago.

The chair hit the fence and Midnight flinched instinctively. Holy shit this nutcase wants to kill me!

The chair had just hit the fence when Jasmine grabbed the bag with leftover padding, then some markers, the scissors, an empty cup that fortunately was plastic... Ryder watched in a daze as Jasmine was showering the poor Midnight in all sorts of things, dodging most of them, some almost hitting him. The plastic cup though struck him right in the forehead. That flared him up and he was about to shout, but right then he saw Jasmine trying to grab the small sewing machine on the working table and paled.

Does she want to fucking kill him on the spot?

Little did Midnight know that Jasmine did want to fucking kill him on the spot. She grabbed the sewing machine but due to it being too heavy to be thrown, she went for the other best thing to throw, but the table was empty for this idiot had thrown at the poor guy everything. Seeing the working table empty, without thinking about it, she went to grab Ryder. Only when she met Ryder's cognac eyes which were like pits of fire as if daring her to touch her, did Jasmine come back to her senses.

When she realized that she had tried to throw Ryder at the stranger, her face flushed red in embarrassment. To hide the embarrassment, she directed her attention at the dark figure of the man that was panting and sweating from all the dodging. The scare he got from all this, shortened his lifespan by thirty years.

"Who the fuck are you, you creep!!!"

Angry that Jasmine had ignored her promise not to do anything to Midnight unless he tried anything funny, Ryder was in a bad mood. She smacked the back of Jasmine's head. "What are you being an idiot for? Who else could he be?"

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at the guy and snorted. "He's ugly."

Midnight "...." Where am I ugly, you old fart!!! You can't even see my face!

Ryder rolled her eyes in annoyance. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring Jasmine along. If this goes on, they would end up at the police station with the charge of attempt of murder at best. "Can you just... calm down please?" She bent over and grabbed the two stuffed animals, one rabbit, and one wolf, that had fallen on the ground when Jasmine threw the chair and handed them to Jasmine as if saying: think of happy thoughts. Think of your precious Rem Rem.

Jasmine glared at Midnight one last time before looking down at the wolf and her expression finally softened. A sigh of relief left Ryder's heart as she saw that the situation had finally calmed down. After she made sure that Jasmine wouldn't go berserk again, Ryder turned her eyes at Midnight and guilt filled her eyes.

She had wanted to fish out some other hint from the guy, but it was not likely to happen now that he had gone through a near-death experience in Jasmine's hands. Furthermore, the dude who most likely got bullied during the day just got bullied by a wild chihuahua. Vexed, Ryder put down the laptop and gave a warning look at Jasmine: if you so much as dare to touch the fucking laptop, I will chop off your hands. Then she walked over to where Midnight was to collect the things Jasmine had thrown. Midnight took a few steps back, hiding further into the darkness of the night.

"Are you hurt?" Ryder asked him, somewhat worried.

Does my pride count? Midnight thought, but he shook his head. "She's quite... charming."

Ryder glared at him for ridiculing Jasmine, but couldn't help and chuckle a bit. If it were someone else, they would have already jumped over the fence and thrown hands, or at least sworn all kinds of names and profanities, yet Midnight appeared calm and collected as if nothing had happened. Seeing this, Ryder's impression of him improved.

"Why are you bothering my sweet daughter, you ugly creep!" Jasmine called from the working table where she was sitting on in the absence of the chair.

Midnight bit his tongue. This nutjob...

Ryder brought all the things that Jasmine had thrown back to their places and pinched Jasmine's ass off the working table. "Don't bully him."

"How am I bullying him?" Jasmine felt wronged. How is it her fault for trying to protect her precious daughter?

"Jaz, you promised."

Only now did Jasmine remind the promise. Blushing in embarrassment, she shut her mouth and sat on the chair with a pout. Ryder ruffled her hair in satisfaction and sat on the table, her legs dangling in the air. "This is my friend, Jasmine." She introduced her.

"Mhm... I know." Midnight muttered, and then instantly regretted it. Shoot! He shouldn't have said that.

Ryder widened her eyes and Jasmine who had just calmed down jumped at Midnight grabbing his hood. The two, standing on two different sides of the fence, were fighting over a hood. One was trying to rip the thing off the head of the other, while the other was fighting with all his might to keep the hood where it was, trying desperately to hide his face.

"Who the hell are you?! How do you know me? How do you know her? What are your intentions?" Jasmine spat the questions rapidly, with her claws on Midnight's hood, almost scratching him a few times. Ryder once more was stupefied in such a situation not knowing what to do. Half of her was hoping for Jasmine to shove the hood off, the other half was feeling bad for Midnight and the puzzle of his identity that would be gone the moment the hood would be off.

After a lot of struggles, Midnight freed himself from Jasmine's claws, falling on the ground, his hands still holding onto the hood. Since he had succeeded in protecting his secret identity, Ryder decided to come to his help and dragged Jasmine away before she could jump on him again.

Midnight patted his clothes off the dirt and stood up. "Soft and gentle in appearance, but with the spirit of a beast." He muttered to himself, but Ryder caught the words and froze. Her face flushed bright red. In order to hide it, she pushed Jasmine inside the house. "Please stay put and at least let me see him off."

"What if he does anything to you?" Jasmine asked concerned.

"He didn't do anything to you even after you attacked him twice."

Jasmine frowned. She has a point. "Whatever. I had to shit anyway." She snorted and left before she could do or say anything else that would make her lose her face.

With Jasmine walking inside the house, Ryder turned to Midnight and leaned over the fence, on her hands she held the small white cat she had made. Somewhat she hadn't let go of it all this time. The blush on her face had somewhat faded and she appeared calmer. Midnight was still standing a few steps away from the fence, hugged by the darkness like a ghost that would disappear anytime now. "I'm sorry." She muttered to him.

"It's okay." Midnight pulled the hood down his face farther down, now feeling self-conscious after the hood almost got shoved off his face and he got called ugly twice. He's not ugly, okay?

Ryder tapped the fence lightly with her foot. "I have two things to ask you. Will you answer them?"

Midnight bit his lower lip. "Depends on the question."

"Sometimes tears can ease the pain in one's heart... This phrase is from "Who Killed Midnight", isn't it?" Even though she had calmed down, the redness surfaced on her face again from embarrassment. Only after hearing the young man use another phrase from that book, did she remember where the first one was from.

"Mhm."

"Why didn't you say anything then? I named you after a book character."

"You looked quite excited about it." Midnight said softly.

Ryder felt even more guilty. Why the fuck did she name him Midnight? Better named him Spiderman, no difference. "We can think of another nickname..."

"It's okay..." Midnight interrupted her. "What's the second question?"

Ryder chewed on her lip for a bit, fidgeting with the small stuffed animal, not that confident about asking anymore. In the end, she had nothing to lose anyway. "Why did you come at midnight these few nights?"

Midnight didn't answer right away. His heart felt heavy as he got reminded of things he had pushed at the back of his head. The air filling his lungs suddenly felt more like water, as if he was drowning. "I like the stars." His voice sounded somewhat distant. "And I like quietness... I wanted to taste both of them at the same time."

Ryder didn't know how to respond to such a confession. It wasn't the reply she wanted, and Midnight had avoided the answer quite skillfully. Suddenly, she felt bad for him without understanding where this feeling came from. For the first time, Ryder understood the urge to protect Jasmine had towards Remy and the Ryder of two years ago. With the redness of her cheeks turning bright scarlet by the overwhelming feeling that suddenly filled her heart and took her by surprise, she threw the small stuffed cat at Midnight and left after muttering a quick "I made it myself".

Midnight had barely managed to catch the stuffed animal thrown at him. He looked down at it in confusion. When he looked up at Ryder, she had already returned to the house, closing the door behind her. The small white cat in his hands was made of soft material, with big black eyes... a soft smile lingered on the young man's lips.  

EXTRA:

Jasmine: # this cute guy I'm trying to adopt always drives me away. What to do? waiting online for an answer #

Remy: # [scared and confused] this crazy batshit girl is trying to adopt me. What to do? waiting online for an answer. URGENT! #

Aiden: # how do I make this girl who has a crush on me understand that I want to date her? Waiting online for an answer #

Midnight: # the girl I visit every night in her backyard gave me a stuffed cat toy... What is the meaning of this? waiting online for an answer #

Midnight: # the girl I mentioned before named me after a psychopath from a book that she likes. Does this mean she likes me too? URGENT!!! Waiting online for an answer. Hurry, hurry!!! #

Ryder: .... WTF?