CHAPTER ONE

Sometimes partying was fun. I'd get wasted, smoke a little, maybe make out with some guys, and pass out on a nearby couch. But I just wasn't feeling it tonight.

The people around me didn't mind that I was sitting this one out, they barely even noticed me. They were all plastered drunk and didn't seem to notice anything beyond their direct line of sight. Some girl was all over some guy, there were a couple guys passing a bong around a circle, a bunch of people danced drunkenly around the room, and some people were passed out in random places.

Sure, I had had a little beer and could still feel a buzz, but it wasn't enough for me to have zero control over what I was doing. I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. 11:34. Still pretty early, but I wasn't in the mood to stick around any longer. I left my corner and started for the door, not feeling any need to announce my departure. They didn't care, not really. They would just call me up next time there was a party.

"Hey, Jas! Where ya goin'?" I turned toward the voice and internally groaned. Jasper. Of course, it had to be him. He leered at me as he approached, his eyes half-lidded. He was high. Even better.

"I was just gonna head out. I'm not really up for partying tonight," I said and started to inch toward the door.

He frowned. "Whaaaat? You're always up for partyin', Jas."

"Well, I'm not tonight, Jasper. So leave me alone before something happens that you're gonna regret," I mutter to him, my fists clenching at my sides. I didn't want to get into another fight today, but I would do what I had to.

Jasper eyed my fists and backed away a step, seeming to get the hint. He shrugged. "Alright, alright. Chill out, Jasmine. I'm not gonna stop you from leavin'."

I unclenched my fists, letting them relax at my sides. With a nod I turned toward the door and exited the house. I didn't know who's house it was, but I never did. I shut the door behind me and sighed in relief. Jasper had been hassling me ever since we broke up. I don't know why he was so beat up about it, hadn't he known that he was just a fling?

I shook my head and made my way down the drive to my bike. It was a black 2014 Suzuki GSX-R 1000. Mom had offered to buy it for me for my seventeenth birthday and I had gladly accepted. Climbing onto the seat, I wondered if there were any races going on tonight. I could use the quick cash and the adrenaline rush. Thinking that, I pull my phone back out of my pocket and dial a number. It rings a few times before I get an answer.

"This is Oscar. May I ask who is calling?" Oscar's voice crackles out of the phone. Oscar was the guy who always knew what was going down in town. He was also my drug dealer.

"It's Jasmine," I said. "I need to know if-"

"Yeah, hold on a minute, babe," he interrupted, and I could hear him talk to someone on the other end of the phone. "Sorry about that, hun. What do you need? More grass for the Jas Master?"

I almost groan at his ridiculous nickname, but am somehow able to hold it in. "No, I just wanna know if there are any races goin' down tonight."

I could hear pages shuffling and waited patiently for his response. After a few moments he grunted. "Yeah, there's a race. Over by the junkyard. Starts at 11:45 though, Jas. You ain't got much time."

"That's no problem, Oscar and you already know that. Thanks for the info. Talk to you again soon," I say.

"Later, babe," he replies and hangs up. I had given up trying to get Oscar to stop calling me by pet names a long time ago. There was just no stopping him. I slipped my phone back into my black skinny jeans and reached for my helmet, putting it on and switching on my bike. I revved up the engine and took off down the street, my leather jacket and graphic tee flying about as the wind whipped at me. I only had a few minutes to get to the race before it started, so I tore down the streets one after another.

With a couple minutes to spare I pulled up to the starting line of the race. I pushed out my kickstand and got off the bike, setting my helmet down on the seat. I took my black and blue-streaked hair out of its bun and let it fall to my waist, attracting a few glances. I ignored them and looked around for the man in charge.

"Well, if it ain't Jasmine Minami," said a voice from behind me. I turned and found it was Mikoto, a big-time gambler who hosted a lot of races. Jackpot. Mikoto's races always had the big-time rewards. "What's goin' on, Jas? You here to race?"

I smirked and walked over to him, my black heeled boots echoing on the concrete. "You know it, Mikoto. How much is the reward for tonight? And how many laps?"

"130,000 yen*. That's a pretty sufficient reward, don't ya think?" Mikoto says with a grin. "It doesn't matter how much I gotta dish out to you, 'cause I know I can get it back just by bettin' on you. So ya better win, Jas. And it's only a one lap race."

I widen my smirk and give him a wink. "You know I'm gonna win, Mikoto. Have you ever seen me lose?"

"I have not, and I dread the day I see that happen," he replies. "You better get to your spot. Race is gonna start soon."

I nodded and turned my back to him, walking back to my bike. The other racers were getting ready as well, and I saw Mikoto make his way to a platform. As we got ready, he spoke.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Mikoto started with a wide grin. "Thanks for coming to this fine establishment for a race. I'm sure you're all excited, and I've got a special treat for y'all. We've got an up-and-coming star racer in our midst. I'm sure you've all heard her name on the streets. She's fast, she's mean, she's extremely attractive. Give it up for Jasmine Minami!"

The crowd cheered and I waved my hand, earning louder cheers as well as some glares from the other riders. I ignored their glares and put on my helmet as I sat down on my seat. I revved my engine, eliciting more cheers from the crowd. Mikoto waved his hands, signaling he was ready to continue, and the crowd grew quiet.

"Alright, alright. Now folks, I hope you've got your bets placed, because it's time to race!" Mikoto shouted enthusiastically. He gestured to a girl at the starting line, who held up a checkered flag. The air buzzed with excitement, both from the racers and the crowd. I revved my engine along with many others as we waited for the flag to fly. The girl smiled and suddenly waved down the flag, signaling he beginning of the race.

We took off, engines roaring and wheels screeching. I knew I would have to be fast considering that the race was only a lap. I sped up and passed a few bikes, weaving around them and leaving them in the dust. Since I had showed up late, I had been forced to start in the back. But I knew in the end it didn't matter. I would beat out these losers easy-peasy.

I was in second now, and the guy in first knew I was coming. His shoulders were tensed and he tried to speed up, but his bike had met its speed limit. I tried to go around him, but he cut me off by shadowing my movements. Asshole. We went through this a couple more times until I tricked him to go a different way than me, getting around. He glared at me as I passed him and I just smirked.

I crossed the finish line in first place, not that it was surprising to me. I could hear Mikoto announce me as the winner and smiled under my helmet. The crowd cheered as I slowed my bike down and stopped at the bottom of the platform. Mikoto, after making a few more announcements, came down to meet me.

"Knew you could do it, Jas," he said as he handed me the prize money. I tucked the stash away into my pocket and smirked at Mikoto. He laughed and waved a hand as he began to turn away. "See ya at the next race, Jas."

I didn't answer, and instead made a quiet retreat to my bike. I tugged on my helmet and got out of there fast, knowing that if I stayed I would run into trouble. The racers around here weren't very happy about a seventeen year old beating them out. And a girl at that. Sexist, I know.

I casually rode back home, not needing to rush to get there. Though at times I enjoyed the speed, I also enjoyed a nice and casual ride. The streets were quiet tonight, though they tended to be that way around here. It was kind of chilly, and I was glad I had decided to wear my leather jacket tonight. It really helped to keep out the cold.

A ways down the street from my house, I turned off my bike and got off. I knew that if dad heard it on this late at night, he would lecture me tomorrow morning. So just as extra precaution, I walked it down to my driveway as quietly as possible. When I got down there I noticed a car parked outside my house and scowled.

"That asshole parked in front again," I muttered to myself as I walked my bike up the drive to its spot. I popped out the kickstand and left it there, walking over to the door. I was about to unlock it when I got an idea. I looked down at the keys on my hand and smirked. Perfect.

I walked back down the driveway, keys in hand, to the car parked in front of my house. This guy had been parking here for months now and it was starting to get annoying. It wasn't even a once in a while thing, it was almost every day. So, I decided to teach him a lesson.

Being as quiet as possible, I crouched down next to the car and began to scrape one of my keys against it, scratching off the paint. I wondered silently if I should leave a message or just scratch it up. I guess it didn't matter, but I decided to start scratching 'assclown' into it, finding that a fitting insult.

"What the hell are you doing to my car?"

I spun around and almost popped the guy in the nose just out of surprise. Luckily, he was able to dodge and save his nose. I glared at him and crossed my arms, irritated that he had been able to dodge. He was taller than me, and it looked like he had a resting bitchface. His eyes were blank and his hair was brown with a blonde streak going through the middle. He had multiple piercings in his ears and had a little bit of stubble on his chin. To be honest, he didn't look half bad.

"This your car?" I asked him.

He scowled at me. "Yes, it's my car. What are you doing to it?"

"I'm not doing anything to it."

"You were clearly just tampering with it."

"No I wasn't."

He looked past me to examine the car. I hadn't finished the whole word so it only said 'assclo'. He frowned and looked back at me. He looked at my hand and seemed to notice the keys I had. Shoot. "You keyed my car? Really? What are you twelve?"

I glared at him and mirrored his frown with my own. "Are you? Why do you keep parking in front of my house?"

"My friend lives across the street."

"You can't park somewhere else? And you gotta be at your friend's everyday?"

"I enjoy spending time with my friend."

"Well stop parking here."

"I can park where I want!"

"I'll call the cops right now, you dickhead!"

"Yeah and I'll tell em how you vandalized my car!"

"Fight me, shitbag!"

"I'm not gonna fight a girl!"

"Sexist pig!"

"Whatever!"

I turned away from him and began walking up the drive to the door, not wanting to deal with this guy anymore. He shouted after me. "Where're you going?"

"To sleep!" I shouted back. I unlocked the door and went inside, shutting it and locking it behind me. He could press charges on me for vandalism, I knew that. I had made a stupid decision. But hey, it wasn't my first and I'm sure it wouldn't be my last. I would survive. Who knows? Maybe I would never see that guy again.

I guess I could only hope.

*This is just a little over a thousand dollars in U.S. dollars and found it a sufficient amount because Mikoto is a gambling tycoon.

Hey guys, this is my new story Keyed! I got the inspiration from a tumblr post that had ideas about people meeting in bad situations. I decided to use Bon for this story because 1. I haven't written a story with Bon as a main character yet and 2. He seemed like the best match for Jasmine. There are gonna be a couple more OCs in this but not many because the only OCs are Jasmine and her family. And Oscar and Mikoto and Jasper but they don't show up often. Anyeah, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and stick around for the rest. Love ya! -Gen