Chapter 3 - Paths Cross

Sighing sadly, a dark-haired woman stared out the window of her condo.
"Never saw Jasmine again," she said sadly. "It turns out that Matt was hiding something, but he never told us.

Shaking her head, Franci tied her hair up into a ponytail. It had been ten years since her junior year in high school, and she and her friends never found out what had happened to Jasmine. Looking around her condo Franci smiled softly. Even though Jasmine had mysteriously vanished, things had gotten better for her every year. After graduating from high school, Franci continued her education at a college in Tennessee, and from there she pursued her dream to become a chef by attending the Cordon Bleu school in California. But before attending the school, her boyfriend, Robbie had proposed to her and from there, things just got better. And now she and her husband were a happy family with one 4-year-old daughter.

"Sweetie?" Robbie called. "Are you leaving yet?"
"Yes," Franci replied. Grabbing the copies of her menu, purse and car keys, she walked out of her condo.
Besides, thought Franci. The day I see Pluffy-chan is the day I divorce with Robbie.

Chuckling to herself, Franci started her blue Ferrarri and drove out of the building parking lot, and headed towards her resturant. And yet Franci has no idea how high those chances were.

Walking down Alabama Avenue is a twenty-five year old Jasmine. Her black hair flowing behind her, and the ever so familiar glasses were now gone. Grinning to herself, Jasmine jogged towards her hotel. It felt good to be back in California, after being gone for ten years, it was comforting to know that nothing has changed too much. Climbing up the stairs towards her hotel room, Jasmine begins to ponder what has happened to her fellow classmates. Taking out the key to her room, Jasmine slipped it into its slot and pushed the door open. As she entered, she picked up a list of recommended resturants and cafes to visit. As she lazily skimmed through the list, Jasmine froze at the sight of a cafe's name.

"Le Smile?" she whispered, recalling the name of the resturant Franci had desired.

Grinning, Jasmine grabbed her car keys and ran out the room, dashing towards her car.



A blue Ferarri was driving down Tennessee Street with Franci as driver. Checking her watch, she grumbled, "Dang! Stupid traffic jam! I'm already behind schedule by fifteen minutes!"

Seeing her entrance into the parking lot of her resturant, Franci turned sharply, nearly running over a nearby pedestrian, hearing the pedestrian shout at her in a language she couldn't understand, Franci called back, "Sorry!"

A few minutes later Franci pulls into the front of her resturant. Jumping out of her car, she grabs her purse and menus and rushes to the front door, crashing into Jasmine in the process.

"Aray ko!" Jasmine cried in Tagalog. "Watch where your going!"
"My menus!" Franci yelped as the menus scattered all over the parking lot.
"Nice to meet you too," mumbled Jasmine, as she picked up a few of the menus.
"I-I'm sorry," Franci said, scrambling after the menus. "I'm behind schedule, and I have a lot to do before I open the resturant."
"Is there any way for me to help?" Jasmine asked offering the menus she had managed to gather.
"Thanks," Franci replied grabbing the menus from the girl's hand. "ANd that would be a lot of help."

Smiling in response, Jasmine followed Franci to the front door and asked, "So what do you want me to do first?"
"Just set up the tables and chairs, and come into the kitchen once your done," Franci said as she flipped on the light switch."
"Well," Jasmine said. "How bad----OH MY GOSH!"

For in the entire resturant was sixty to seventy chairs, and over a twenty tables set on top of each other.

"Crap!" Jasmine yelped, as she pulled up her sleeves. "Do you even have this many customers?!"

But before Franci could answer, she takes notice of the scar on Jasmine's right hand. Immediately she shakes her head, dismissing the though that this woman was her old classmate.

"Ah, well you know where to find me when your finished," Franci said, as she mindlessly walked towards the kitchen.

About an hour later, Jasmine had completed setting up the final chair and table, letting out a deep sigh of relief, she walked towards the kitchen.

"All right chief," Jasmine called watching Franci place a pan of chocolate cupcakes into the oven. "What else do you have for me?"
Grinning in response, Franci pointed to a metal table, "Just set up those plates, and we're good to go."

Nodding, Jasmine placed the plates on the metal table, while Franci grabbed a sack of flour to cook another dozen of cupcakes. Setting the flour down with a loud 'Thud!' As a small cloud of flour rose from the sack, Franci sneezed her signature squeaking sneeze.

"Bless you!" Jasmine said with a raised eyebrow.
"Thank you," Franci replied, still in her squeaking voice.
After several minutes of silence, Jasmine asked, "So how are you and Robbie?"
Yelping in response, Franci fumbled the carton of milk she had.

"H-How do you know my husband's name?!" she cried. "A-Are you some kind of stalker?!"

Growling softly, Jasmine thought, A stalker? She is dead once she finds out who I am!.

"You seriously don't recognize me Franci?" Jasmine laughed. But seeing that Franci really couldn't recognize her, she pulled out her backup glasses, and placed them on, and tied her hair into a ponytail. "How 'bout now?"

"J-J-Jasmine?!" Franci gasped.

(ITS A MIRACLE! Okay first off, I apologize for the shortness of the last chapter but I made it up didn't I?)

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