We're gonna have the time of our lives [Jasmine]

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

After the uncomfortable encounter that had occured at his house, Benji was relieved when he pulled into the beach parking lot. When he opened the car door he could feel the heat that the sun was radiating and he couldnt help but smile. It was like being home in Australia, when he would hang out with his friends Mitch, Travis, Nikki, and Lily all day at the beach. It made him feel a bit homesick, and he missed the great moments that they shared. But right now he was at the beach with Jasmine so he quickly shook his head of Australia beaches.

He slammed his blue Grand Am's doors and quickly sped over to Jasmines door to open it for her. He couldn't help it, he was just a gentleman. He then headed to the trunk to grab the cooler which contained water and soda, and towels. In the back seat were Jasmines guitar, his surfboard, and a large umbrella. He was struggling to carry all of the items and could feel the towels slip from his arms. He would go get them after he set the rest of the stuff up. He found a spot that wasn't too populated then stuck the umbrella in the soft sand. It took him about 5 tries before it actually stuck and then put the cooler under it.

He pulled into the driveway and told Jasmine to wait for one second before running into the house. When he opened the door, the first thing he heard was Gerry scream " Hey look, the fag actually brought home a girl." The kitchen window was open but Benji prayed that Jasmine hadn't heard what he had just said. "Is she going to help you pick out a dress for prom" Gerry and James both broke out in laughter but Benji just ignored them, packing the cooler with plenty of water and pop. " How long you gonna take till you bang her?" Benji turned on his heel and screamed at James. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Girls aren't objects and just cause you wanna collect girlfriends, doesn't mean I do. So fuck off." Then he slammed the cooler down and sped out to the garage to grab his surf board and the big umbrella. He then booked it to the car, threw the cooler and surf board into the car and then pulled out, not saying a word for a while before looking over at Jasmine and smiling, "This should be fun huh?

Benji knew he was gonna get it when he got home, but that would be the last thing on his mind at the moment. He was going to enjoy the time that he had with the waves, seagulls and of course Jasmine. He could surf, teach her to surf and maybe listen to some of her songs. The problems that occured at home would melt away untl he actually arrived back at to reality. He was sure tomorrow he would be the proud owner of a black eye and a busted lip, but what would it matter. He totally forgot about the towels and just thudded into shade underneath the umbrella, putting his sunglasses on and waiting for Jasmine to join him.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

Jasmine had heard bits and pieces of the "conversation" that went on inside Benji's house, though she tried her best not to listen. She bit her lip slightly, hoping she wasn't getting Benji in trouble by being with him. The last thing she wanted was to be the problem. She was the kind of person who wanted to help people, not be the cause of them getting hurt or in trouble. Even so, she decided that she was going to just pretend she hadn't heard anything. She figured it couldn't hurt, and it would hopefully make things a little less awkward. She couldn't say she knew what it was like to have a family like that, and she had a feeling if she tried to say anything about it, it would come out all wrong and simply ruin everything. Silence was indeed a virtue when it came to certain topics... at least in her opinion.

Jeremy had made a bit of a fuss just as she had expected when she got home. She really did love Jeremy, but sometimes he needed to let her just go do things. I mean it was great that her big brother was always there for her and would protect her, but he seemed determined to not let anything at all happen to her, and that sometimes meant she didn't get to do anything because he was constantly worrying about her. She would have told him that he needed to get a girlfriend, since he kind of did, but she had a feeling that wouldn't turn out too well considering his last girlfriend had died from cancer only two years ago, and he still didn't like to talk about it with anyone ever. It was a bit of a sensitive subject for him... just another one of those things for which silence was the best route to take, and just not bring it up.

Jasmine hurried into the house, not wanting to keep Benji waiting for long, and ran up the stairs towards her bedroom. Just as she reached the top of the stairs, Jeremy stepped out of his room, and she very nearly collided with him. Apparently he'd heard the car pull up, and was probably wondering who had brought her home, since she normally walked home from school same as he did. What's the hurry? He asked, partially curious, and partially just being over protective. I can't keep Benji waiting... it wouldn't be polite. She responded and pushed past him into her room, leaving Jeremy standing there looking quite confused. It took her about five minutes to change from her jeans and T-shirt into her bikini and a short summer dress over top of it. She then grabbed her guitar and headed downstairs, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

Jeremy was already downstairs by then playing his guitar in the living room, and she thought she might be able to get out without the ten million questions she knew he was going to ask. She was about half way to the door when she heard his voice. Who's Benji?

[/s] She stopped, and looked over at him. He wasn't even looking at her, and was still playing the song. Sometimes she wondered how he could be so obsessed with music that he could just play without even thinking about what he was playing and have a conversation with someone at the same time. It was amazing multi-tasking that was for sure. He's... a friend. She said, still hoping to get out of it, and moving closer to the door. Ahuh... a friend that I haven't heard of?[/s] Jeremy asked, his music slowing slightly.

Jasmine bit her lips and tried to think of a way to say it in a way that would sound better. She couldn't really think of anything though, so she figured she might as well just go with telling him the whole story and saving time. I just met him today in the gym and he's really nice, and he asked me if I would go to the beach with him and I told him I would... She said hurriedly, and I really really want to go so can you please spare me the Spanish Inquisition and just let me go before he thinks I've died? Of course she thought it had taken her more time than it really had, more like ten or fifteen minutes instead of only five. Unfortunately, Jeremy wasn't done yet. Jasmine you know what happened last time you thought someone was really nice...[/s] He started, but she cut him off quickly before he could continue that. Yes Jeremy I know... but it's not like that this time I swear... can I go now... please? She said pleadingly.

Needless to say, her last relationship hadn't ended well at all, and it had only been a few weeks since it was ended. She really didn't like Jeremy reminding her about it all the time, even though she knew he had the best intentions. Jeremy sighed and nodded, Just be careful Jazzy... I don't want you to get hurt.[/s] Quite relieved that he wasn't going to make more of an issue out of it she smiled and headed for the door. Don't worry Jeremy... I'll be fine, trust me.[/i]

When she and Benji got to the beach, she was just about to open her door when suddenly he appeared there, and opened it for her. She flashed a smile and stepped out, thanking him as she did so. She felt kind of bad, him carrying everything while all she carried was her guitar, so when he dropped the towels, she quickly scooped them up. She may have been a rather small girl, but she wasn't incapable of carrying towels. She stood back a bit and watched with amusement as he struggled to get the umbrella to stand properly. She was also doing her best to not laugh, though it was semi-difficult to do so.

When he finally got it satisfactorily set up and slumped down into the sand, she walked over and joined him, setting her guitar and the towels down beside them. So, what's first? She asked brightly. Jasmine had a good feeling that today, which had started out as an average, everyday, invisible girl in the corner, sort of day was going to end as a wonderfully fantastic day...the sort that she hadn't had in a while. It wasn't every day she met someone who actually bothered to want to do something with her, and it was like a breath of fresh air. Yes, today was going to be an incredibly good day.

Dress[/center][/size]

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

Looking at the two of them now, you would never guess that only hours before they had just gotten to know each other. They appeared to be people who knew each other for a long time or maybe even a couple. Jasmine was the first friend that Benji made at Rosewood and he hoped that she wouldn't be the last. He grabbed the towels and spread them out under the shade, one for him and one for Jasmine. "I'll be right back. I have to get my swim suit." Benji got up quickly and sped to the car to grab his shorts.

He was lucky that they were still in his trunk from two days ago when he went to the recreation center to swim a couple laps. He pulled the damp shorts out of the corner and then ran over to the change rooms to change into his red quiksilver trunks. He hated to keep her waiting but what should they do first? Maybe go swimming for a bit? Play a little guitar? Surf? There were so many choices but he had all day; he was in no rush to return to the screaming and crying. He removed his shirt, revealing his chest then ran back to their spot, his clothes dangling from his arm.

When he returned to the spot, he tossed his clothes to the ground but when he did, he revealed his checkered boxers. He quickly covered them up, blushing a little hoping she didn't see them. He sat down on his towel and grabbed an ice cold pop from the cooler. "Hmmm. Haha, I don't know. We could go for a little bit of a swim or we could go over to the snack bar. The choices are endless. I'm good with anything, what would you like to do?"

Benji would be up for anything and he looked around to take in the surroundings, he noticed a blonde girl making googly eyes at him. He pretended not to see her and snapped his head back to Jasmine, giving her another of his puppy dog smiles. He took a sip of his pop and laid down on the towel, enjoying the moment.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

Up until now, Jasmine had no idea it was so easy to be friends with someone. Most of the time she struggled with it at first until she was finally comfortable around the person. It seemed different with Benji though. She'd only just met him a few hours ago, and already she felt like she'd known him for a while. I mean, she didn't know much about him, but for whatever reason she wasn't nervous and whatnot around him like she normally was with everyone else. Jasmine was fairly sure that it was because he seemed to be kind of similar to her in some ways. Their family lives were obviously quite different, but he seemed kind of shy and quiet like her, and didn't seem to be like everyone else. As far as she could tell he wasn't obsessed with sex, and didn't seem to go with the flow like everyone else. All of these attributes were just like her.

It was no wonder people said chivalry was dead. There were so few people out there who actually bothered to be courteous anymore. Most guys were only interested in girls for what they could get out of them, and most girls were only interested in guys for the same reason. All anyone cared about was the outside appearance, no one really cared about the intentions behind the actions. Sometimes Jasmine just wished she could have lived back in the day when all the men were gentlemen and when women could actually go out alone at night and not worry about who might be lurking around the next corner... but that was wishful thinking, and she knew that it wouldn't get her anywhere so she might as well be happy with where she was and right now that was a pretty easy thing to do.

It had been quite some time since she had visited the beach. She came out here occasionally by herself and wrote/played music, but since her last relationship went south in a hurry, she hadn't come out here. She wasn't entirely sure why... she just hadn't. Jasmine loved the ocean... everything here was so free... so perfect. There weren't a lot of people out here at the moment, and it just seemed so peaceful. It made her feel like she didn't have a care in the world and she could do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted whenever she wanted to do it. That wasn't a feeling that came around very often, though it was a very welcome one. It was interesting to watch the people on the beach too. There was every sort of person out here. Popular ones, unpopular ones, smart ones, not so smart ones, brave ones, and fearful ones. It was all quiet amusing really.

When Benji came back from changing and asked what she wanted to do, she didn't really have an answer. Considering she didn't normally hang out with people, she wasn't entirely sure what would be the best thing to do when she was with them. It was blazing hot out though, so swimming sounded spectacular... at least to her. Since he'd suggested it, she figured that it would be the best thing to do right now, and hey, why not? Wasn't that what he beach was there for? Swimming sounds great. she said with a smile. Already she was having fun, and they weren't even doing anything yet. She could only hope that as Benji got more popular, which she knew he would, considering a guy like him couldn't possibly remain an unknown for long, that he wouldn't forget her like almost everyone else had.

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]


"Swimming sounds awesome!" He jumped to his feet. Benji couldn't wait to feel the nice, salty ocean waves hit his skin. He offered her his hand to help her up and then ran into the waves, stumbling and plunging head-first into the ocean. The water was freezing but refreshing from the scorching heat. He finally felt at home, a feeling he missed since he moved here and being with Jasmine just topped it off. He hoped that when she got more friends, which he knew she would, that she would still have time for him.

He charged towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and fell back words into the waves. He couldn't stop laughing and he could only help that she was having as much fun as he was. "Haha sorry. But if I'm wet, your gonna be too." He was just playing around, and he knew that him and Jasmine would be really great friends. If they were this close after a couple hours, imagine the kind of friends they would be after a few days. OK, Benji even had a little bit of a crush on her but he would never act on them. It would ruin the friendship and that was the last thing he wanted.

He began to splash her with his hands, laughing and smiling all the while. He didn't mean anything by it and was just goofing around. He hoped it didn't bug her. He charged her again, lifting her over his shoulder and took off running through the waves. He quickly put her down however, not really sure if she would get mad because he did that or not. He cocked his head, giving her another of his puppy-dog smiles before going a bit deeper into the ocean, signaling her to follow him.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

Jasmine grinned and took Benji's offered hand, quickly slipping out of her dress and tossing it on her towel before following after him... though she didn't run like he did since she didn't want to turn this into the ever-awkward-bay-watch deal. She hated when people stared just because there was a girl in a bikini on the beach. It wasn't that she was insecure in how much of her body was revealed by the swim suit, she just didn't like people staring at her, and she had figured out that any time a girl runs on the beach in a bikini, no matter who she is or what she looks like, she'll be stared at.

Just as she reached the water, Benji ran over and grabbed her, pulling her down into the ocean with him. She screamed slightly in surprise, but came up laughing. That's what we came here for isn't it? She said when he apologized for tackling her into the water. Besides... I'll find some way to get you back for it later. She had forgotten how much she loved the ocean. The salty air was refreshing, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore was relaxing, and the whole thing was simply spectacular. She loved how it just seemed to stretch on and never end, and sometimes she just wanted to go towards the horizon and not stop until she couldn't go any further. She wanted to be like the sea gulls that were so free to do as they pleased.

She really couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. I mean sure she had fun with Jeremy, but he had been so busy lately with his music that they hadn't done anything together in a while. Besides... fun with your older brother and fun with a guy friend were two entirely different things. Though she wouldn't admit it, partly because she'd told Jeremy it wasn't like that, partly because she didn't want to ruin the friendship, and partly because she had just gotten over the last guy who had hurt her, and she wasn't quite ready for another relationship just yet... she really did like him. Yes, Jasmine fell for guys easily, and she knew it... which was just one more reason she was determined to not make anything more of the friendship at this point.

When he motioned for her to follow him out deeper, she smirked, and did so readily. He was quite a bit taller than she was though, and the water was getting deeper faster for her. Sometimes she hated being short... but most of the time she didn't mind. Besides, since she was short, she didn't have to worry about guys being shorter than her, so she could wear heels as often as she wanted to and not come even close to being the same height as a guy. And she was kind of used to it... considering Jeremy was 6'4", an entire foot taller than she was. He teased her to no end about it, so she had definitely come to terms with it now.

Jasmine was definitely glad she agreed to come to the beach with him. All she would've done at home was homework and worked on her song... same ol' same ol'... what was the fun in that? She could use a little variety in her life, and this was exactly the kind she needed. There really wasn't much of a limit on the things she could do with someone she got along with, and she just happened to get along extremely well with Benji, so she knew they'd be having loads of fun together in the not so distant future.

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

Benji stuck his tongue out at her when she said that she would get him back somehow. He would love to see her try. All the memories of the beaches back home flushed back into his head. Their days would be spent surfing, boogie boarding and every other sport that they could play in the ocean. Then when it would get cooler, they would enjoy a small game of beach volley ball and as soon as it got dark, they would start a bonfire and roast marshmallows and hot-dogs over it. All that was gone now, taken away from him and he couldn't help but miss Lily.

She was his girlfriend back home and they were almost inseparable, spending every waking moment together. It was the first girl he had actually believed that he loved and it tore him apart to end it with her. He told her that it was because he needed some time to figure himself out but he knew that wasn't the case. The real reason was the fact that Gerry became abusive and would constantly give Benji black eyes, fat lips, cuts and bruises all over his body. Once this started, his confidence was shot. The great times at the beach ended right there and then. He stopped hanging with his friends and of course broke up with Lily.

Here he was though, at the beach again after almost months at with-drawl. When he returned back to reality, he noticed that the water was getting pretty deep and decided to back towards Jasmine would be comfortable. He smiled down at her, and gently rustled her hair. All thoughts of home life escaped his head and reality wouldn't set back in until he dropped Jasmine back off at her house and actually headed home. He would most likely take the long way home.

Maybe his step-dad would be asleep and he could evade the beating, at least for the night. He wasn't looking forward to tomorrow when Jasmine would see his face and the new bruise around his eye. He quickly dove head first into the refreshing water and emerged only a few feet from Jasmine. He was going to enjoy this day throughly. He knew the day would be worth anything that he received later on.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

There wasn't much Jasmine wouldn't do, though she would almost never suggest or come up with anything crazy. Jeremy was all about doing crazy things, and he almost always made Jasmine go do them with him. Like the time they went to the Hilton Garden Inn and rode the elevator while he played/sang his most recent song with a bunch of random people in there with him. Or time when he talked her into going on a road trip where they would only stop at Carl's Juniors. Or the time when he convinced her to "sneak" onto someone's private yacht by saying they were the music "crew" for the party that night to get past security, then actually do the music for them... if there was something weird that could be done here, odds were Jeremy had done it, and odds were he'd dragged Jasmine into doing it with him.

People often wondered why he did it, and he would always just say that it was because you can't have fun doing nothing... but Jasmine knew it was to keep his mind off the death of his girlfriend. It had taken a harder toll on him than most people realized, and even though it might look like it to them, she knew he wasn't over her death. That was why she went along with whatever he wanted to do... plus it normally did end up being pretty fun when it all came down to it. When you were with Jeremy, it was practically impossible to not have fun... and if you weren't, he would go out of his way to make sure that you were. Jasmine knew she was going to have a hard time with it if Jeremy decided to move away. He was her best friend, and she would miss him like crazy.

She had Benji now... though she didn't know if he was here for good or not... maybe he would go off to college after they graduated or something like that... but if he wasn't... well then she had a feeling that she would survive... so she wasn't too horribly worried. She needed all the friends she could get... and even if that was only two she would be happy with it... after all, two was better than none right? Besides, even if they did both leave she would still have her parents on holidays... and music... and there was always her cat... okay so she had a really lame life, could you blame her for that?

She shot him a mock glare when he ruffled her hair, and pushed herself off the ocean floor as he dove under, moving out towards deeper water. Just because she couldn't wade out further than that didn't mean she couldn't swim out further. She wasn't like the tourists who were all afraid of sharks and other such ocean life. She'd been living in California her whole life, and she hadn't ever even seen a real live shark anywhere near this beach... so she knew the odds of there being one now were pretty much non-existent. Besides, they'd come her to swim, not just stand around in the water. A rather large wave crashed towards her, and she ducked under the water, swimming beneath it, then turned back towards Benji to see if he was following her. She knew that she had a crush on him, and she was trying to force herself to ignore it so that she wouldn't ruin all of this. If they ever had a relationship more than just friends she wanted to wait a while... she figured she could stand to be single for a time since she'd gone through so many guys in the past few years. It was kind of like attempting to maybe sort of half-way turn over a new leaf... she could only hope it would work.

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

Benji was following Jasmine, only a couple feet behind her. "Hey speed demon, wait up." He called out to her. When he finally caught up to her, he realized that he was actually out of breath and was struggling a bit to keep his head above water. Some Aussie he was, a surfer who was actually struggling to keep afloat. Not that he was a poor swimmer in fact he excelled at it quite well, but something was wrong. He struggled to make his way to the shallower part where he could actually touch the bottom and felt his face become hot. " That doesn't normally happen to me, I swear. I'm not quite sure whats wrong. Must be a little tired."[/color]

Guilt began to well up inside him. He had just ruined their good time and he felt awful. " Hey you wanna maybe play me one of your songs. I'm so anxious to hear one." He really was, in fact he was ecstatic. He was falling for her and he couldn't stop it. Why was she perfect? He didn't want to act on the feelings, in fear that he would wound her heart or his. It was the last thing he wanted and he would do anything to prevent it, even if it meant hindering his feelings towards her. He knew it would be hard, but for Jasmines sake he would make it happen.

He headed towards the beach, moving quite slow to make sure that Jasmine could keep up to him. After I could teach you yo surf if your up for it or we could resume our little swimming session." If he did teach her to surf, he would be extra careful to not let go of the board or her. He knew how traumatizing it could be to be taken away by the waves, unable to control yourself and being at the mercy of the ocean. It wasn't a great feeling. When he reached the sandy shore, he looked back towards Jasmine with the a large smile before heading back to their little spot.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

Swimming certainly wasn't Jasmine's strongest point. I mean sure, she grew up in California, being at least fairly good at swimming was a requirement of living there, but she definitely was better at many other things than she was at swimming. She wasn't your typical beach tramp that was all athletic and perfect. There wasn't a single extra ounce on her body anywhere, but there wasn't much muscle tone either. She was thin, but not exactly fit. Long periods of exercise didn't suit her, and swimming did take up quite a bit of energy. She glanced back at him as he started to catch up, though her smile faded when she saw he seemed to be having a hard time with it. That didn't seem right... if he was a surfer shouldn't he be a good swimmer as well? He was also pretty athletic in his build so she'd figured that he would be a good swimmer... but he was definitely having a harder time than she expected him to be.

Are you okay? She asked once they got back to where they could touch the bottom. Of course she was concerned about him... if something was wrong and he needed something then she definitely wanted to help him. Jasmine was a natural worrier, especially when something didn't seem right. She was also absolutely terrified of violence. She couldn't stand watching fights... heck she couldn't even stand watching someone take one punch. Seeing people get hurt was the thing she hated the most. She always wanted so badly to help them and stop them from getting hurt further. Some people said she should be a doctor or a nurse or something of the sort, but that wasn't going to fly... she hated blood to. It didn't make her sick or anything, she just didn't like it at all, it sort of creeped her out.

He really didn't need to feel guilty though... her good time hadn't been ruined. The only way it could have been ruined was if something terrible happened to him or if he just up and left... since neither had happened, she was still perfectly content. Yeah alright, She said when he asked if she'd play one of her songs, I will warn you though... they're kind of depressing. She got the inspiration for most of her songs from the bad relationships she'd been through, so naturally most of them were about breaking up and such... though not the hardcore type of songs, more remorseful and heartbroken. She liked to write music that she thought maybe other people could relate to as well, so she took her inspiration from everything she went through. Life songs really. Like Jeremy had told her, "music's not about dancing or making noise... it's about life and and making a difference in it."

Jeremy really wasn't the best speaker in the world, but he had a lot of good advice, and she would take any she could get. Whatever you're up to is fine by me. She said, returning the smile and following him up to their spot. If she could, Jasmine would stay here with him all day long. It's general knowledge that Jasmine Scott was a cuddler, and she really would have liked to do so with him, but she wouldn't ever say so... that would be much too bold and forward... and probably moving too quickly. She'd only just met him today, and she wanted to get to know him better before she did anything like that. It just wouldn't seem right for her to make a move like that... she was far too shy. Maybe someday though... just maybe.

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

Benji sat down on the towel in the shade and just fell backward. It felt good to lie down and just chill. Sure, the beach was awesome to dive in the waves but at times it felt terrific to hang out on the beach and catch some rays. " Yeah, I'm fine." He wasn't really sure what was wrong with him but he wasn't going to dwell on it. He was far more excited that he was going to hear Jasmine play one of her songs. He acted all cool and nonchalant but he was anticipating the tunes.

"Its all good. No matter what kind of genre it is, I'm sure it will sound awesome." No song would ever be depressing while Jasmine around, only joyous. It really didn't matter how sad the sound was or how dark the lyrics were, if Jasmine was going to sing it he was sure it would sound amazing. He flipped over onto his stomach and propped his head up with his arms. God, everything about her was amazing and he just didn't know how much more he could take.

No, he would never leave her if he got other friends, in fact he would introduce her to them helping her broaden her social circle. He hoped that when she got more popular which he knew she would, that she wouldn't forget about him. He wouldn't be surprised but he was sure that she wouldn't do that, she didn't seem like the type of person to do that. "After you sing one of your songs, you wanna learn how to surf. I promise I won't let go of the board."

He hoped that they would stay out here to watch the sunset. He heard it was truly beautiful and he wanted to witness it for himself. Maybe he would even get to wrap his arm around Jasmine, the way a guy friend would do with a girl friend. If she couldn't, well that was just fine. He could always catch it another day and besides, it wouldn't all of a sudden not happen anymore or disappear. Jasmine was much more special then a sunset and one hundred times more beautiful.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

Truthfully, no one except her parents and her brother had ever heard any of her music. She was much too timid to play for anyone else, and she didn't have enough confidence in herself even if she wanted to. When she looked at herself, she didn't see anything special, just another girl... just Jasmine. She wasn't any different than any of the other people out there... average is what she would call herself. Other people had told her plenty of times that she was pretty... though it was usually her boyfriends who said it, and they always used the term "hot" not pretty, and she figured they were just saying that to get her to sleep with them. Her family told her all the time that she was talented and she could really make something of herself with her music, but she figured they were just being nice. Jeremy told her constantly that if she would just break out of her shell, everyone would see what he saw all the time and she would get more friends... but she figured that was just Jeremy being Jeremy. She literally had no self-confidence.

Jasmine bit her lip slightly as she settled onto her towel, almost sort of nervous, though she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Benji was a large crowd of people that were there to critique her. Still... it was her first time playing for someone she wasn't related to, so she had an excuse. She reached over and took her guitar out of it's case. She was still worried about Benji, but trying not to think too much about it. If he said he was fine he had to be right? Ah Jasmine... much too trusting. She always took everyone at their word. Some people were honest enough for that, but most of them would take advantage of someone like her, and many already had... which was part of why she was so insecure with herself. She was trying to change that now, make more of herself and get rid of her image as someone who was easy to take advantage of... so far it wasn't working at all.

I'd love to... she said, brushing her fingers over the strings lightly, making sure the instrument was tuned properly, if I don't die of embarrassment first... and I'm pretty sure it's going to take more than one day for me to get a hang of it. Of course she said that with good humor. Jasmine was teased and made fun of so much by her brother that she could make fun of herself pretty easily now too... and she didn't get offended by things people said either. The joys of having an insane older brother. In a way it was a good thing, and since she'd lived with him her whole life it didn't annoy her anymore. He used to drive her insane, but now she just accepted him for who he was. There would be no changing him... ever. The only time he'd ever not been just like he was now was for the week or two after Brittany died... now he was just as happy-go-lucky as ever, and she loved him for it.

You just have to promise not to laugh at me... Jasmine added, looking up at him with a bright smile, and you can't tell anyone else either. She couldn't even explain how much fun she was having with him... and of course she would stay to watch the sun go down. Since they essentially had no parents around, that meant no rules. Jeremy would worry... but he was just going to have to try to trust Jasmine's judgment this time, because she wasn't going to come home until she and Benji had thoroughly exhausted all their options... and that was going to take a while.

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

Benji cocked his head to one side before laughing. Again, she was questioning her abilities. He knew deep down that she was a very talented girl and he didn't want her to keep selling herself short. He was determined to help her. " Haha don't worry Jazz. I'm sure you'll do great. Hey, it didn't take me one day to figure it out. Trust me, I was awful the first time I tried it. Hey, if we need to come out here everyday until you can shred these waves like a pro, so be it. I ain't got any plans and for you I'll wipe my whole schedule." He really was. He was going to be there for Jasmine, no matter what it meant for him in the long run. Taking a beating or driving all over the city, all of it would be worth it if it helped Jasmine.

She reminded him a lot of Lilly and that made him both happy and sad. He remembered the times they often had together, getting in a bunch of trouble. No matter how much trouble they got in however, it would never hinder the fun they had. They would constantly pull pranks, nothing harmful or deadly just fun little stunts. They would sneak out at 3 in the morning and go sit at Rodney's Peak, a large hill in their town. They wouldn't do anything, just sit there and watch the stars enjoying each other's company. He couldn't believe that he had ended it because of Gerry's abusive actions. Now he was with Jasmine and he reanalyzed his first impression of how crappy this move was.

He and his siblings, James and Samantha had used to be close before. Benji and James were almost joined at the hip, doing whatever they could get away with. When Samantha was old enough to join in on their antics, the three of them would constantly terrorize their neighborhood. The older they got, the less they ran amok in the neighborhood. They each got their own friends and instead of hanging with each other, hung with their friends. They were still close but not nearly as close as they once were and Benji sorta missed it. When Gerry came into the picture, all of it changed. James quickly became his favorite child and Gerry would do whatever he could to make him happy, even if that meant leaving Benji and Samantha in the dust. Benji and Samantha were still pretty close, they had to be. Benji took all the abuse that he could because he knew if he didn't, Gerry would most likely go after Samantha.

Remembering his past was hard and he was sure that if he didn't take his mind off it soon, his emotions would get the better of him. He wasn't really a emotional person, he learned over the years to block it out but when he thought about all the things that happened in the past all at once, something was bound to go wrong. Maybe later when he and Jasmine became really close, he would share his story with her but now it just seemed too soon. Not that he didn't trust her but he didn't want to scare her off. People just seem to think that kids from abusive families were trouble and no good. Benji was the complete opposite of the stereotype so he kept it hidden. If people found out about his family life, they would think he was disturbed and would therefore keep their distance from him. He leaned in real close to Jasmine and wrapped her in a large hug, being very careful of her guitar. " Thanks for coming to the beach with me. I really needed to get out. I'm really glad I met you." His voice was quivering a little. He didn't want to let her go but he reluctantly pulled himself away from her and gave a heart warming smile.

[JASMINE ELISE SCOTT]

A bright smile lit up Jasmine's face when he assured her that she would do fine, and he would change his whole schedule for her until she had gotten surfing down to a T. No one had ever said they would change any and all plans they had for her... it was a completely new concept to her, but one that she was very welcoming towards. Possibly the biggest thing though, that caught her attention and cause the bright smile was the fact that he called her Jazz, which was the same nickname Jeremy had given her when they were little because he couldn't pronounce Jasmine. It had stuck, and he'd been calling her Jazz or Jazzy ever since. So naturally, she associated being called by that name with someone that she really truly cared for. Jeremy was her brother and best friend... and Benji... well, he was already well on his way to taking Jeremy's place of best friend.

Try not to get your hopes up too much... She said with a laugh, I'd hate to disappoint you. There was a good chance Jasmine could already guess his response to that. It was likely going to be something about her not being capable of disappointing him, and though she would probably blush bright red, she hoped it was true. As much as she was trying to deny it in her mind, she knew she was already falling for him, but she had a feeling that he didn't feel the same way, so she would keep quiet about it, and just continue as friends. She was also a little worried about what her being with him would do to his reputation. She was well known for being easy and falling for the guys who only wanted to screw her, and she was afraid that if she and Benji ever got together, when people found out they would think he was just like all the other guys Jasmine had been with. That would kill her.

When he leaned over and hugged her, Jasmine was taken slightly by surprise, though she didn't object to it at all... in fact, she sort of melted into his embrace. Anything she had put up in her attempts to resist liking him just completely fell apart, and he most definitely had captured her heart completely. The poor girl was so easily captivated by any guy that was nice to her, but somehow with Benji it was different. He wasn't the kind of guy she normally went out with. In general the guys she went out with were the ones that Jeremy classified as the "arrogant, self-centered, ego inflated bastards," and Benji clearly didn't fall into that category at all. I mean, even the way she had met him wasn't anything like the way she had met the other guys. None of them had ever completely humiliated themselves in front of her.

For a moment she wasn't quite sure what to do. Should she hug him back, do nothing, kiss him? Oh god how she would have loved to kiss him... but she had a feeling that would ruin everything, so she restrained herself, and settled on hugging him back. It totally wasn't a awkward hug either, more of a best friends possibly with a hint of "you have stolen my heart" hidden within it. I wouldn't have missed this for the world... She said honestly, practically glowing she was so happy right now, and I'm really glad I met you too. She knew all too well that "really glad she met him" was a drastic understatement. She was more than just glad she met him, though she couldn't quite explain how she felt about it. All she knew was that she couldn't even remember the last time she had really been this happy.

[BENJI TIMOTHY LESSART]

The oceans warm and the tunes are chill

We're staying here till we get our fill.

[/color][/size][/center]

Here she was doubting herself but almost being worried that Benji would actually be disappointed in her. There was no way in the world that would ever make him disappointed in her and he wished that could show her that. "Jazz, there is nothing in this world that would ever make me disappointed in you." These words were one hundred percent truth. No matter what she did in life, he would be at the sidelines cheering her on the whole way. Benji wished that he could tell her that and tell her how he truly felt about her. How when she spoke, his ears muted out all other sounds and when he saw her it was if his eyes couldn't view anything else but her. He never felt this way about any other girl except maybe Lily and he would have to move on someday.

His heart almost skipped a beat when she hugged him back, and he began to question everything. Did he really want this to only be a friendship or did he truly want something more? No, not sex but a real relationship. His heart still ached from the loss of Lily but with every moment he spent with Jasmine, he began to move on. Being with her was like being in a dream totally immune to the pains and torment of reality and he wasn't sure if he wanted to wake up. Why couldn't he just muster up the courage to tell her how he felt about her? There was always the chance that she wouldn't return those feeling and then where he would he be. The great friendship that he had would vanish and he would be back where he started only with a freshly wounded heart.

When she told him that she was glad that she met him, he could feel his eyes beginning to sting. Why was he being tested like this? He wanted to lean in like they did in movies and give her one, small kiss. Too bad this wasn't a movie or romance novel. This was real life and everyone knows that reality was much more complicated. "Jazz I...." He stammered on his words. He couldn't tell her, not at the moment. He hoped that she felt the same way, if she did they could move forward but until then, he was just going have to wait. "I can't wait to hear you play." He offered her a large smile that just screamed 'I like you' but he sort of hoped she wouldn't catch it. He hoped that she just assumed it was like his many smiles. However, a part of his secretly wished that she knew and would feel the same way. Benji never really believed in love in first sight, it was just something that happened in movies and stories. However, being with Jasmine was definitely making him reconsider it.