Kim dragged her feet all the way to her campus. She had stopped by a sub shop on to eat a late breakfast and an early lunch. A few blocks into Harvard Yard, she then realized that she forgot to ask Bonnie if she knew what jasmine flowers stood for. This realization made her even more depressed. Nearing the Carpenter Center, she heard someone call her name.
"KIM!!" a bespectacled Asian girl yelled, running up to catch up to her. She looked sane enough to an outsider's point of view but Kim knew better. Kim met her during her freshman year at Harvard and they became fast friends. She had the tendency to be reckless and was a little weird at times, but Kim enjoyed her company.
As proof of Newton's first law, Alice almost tackled Kim to the ground. They had to stop and rearrange themselves.
"Hey, Alice." Kim greeted her glumly.
"Aw. Who stole your happy rainbow marshmallow cereal today, Kim?" Alice sincerely asked her, in her odd way.
"Well, I've been trying to figure out who my secret admirer was but I've hit a dead end," Kim said, "I don't even know why I'm so upset over it."
"What exactly was your lead?" Alice queried.
"I've found the flower shop that sold them to whomever it was that left me those flowers," Kim said, "But they couldn't tell me who bought them. They said something about the person not wanting to be known." Kim also told her about the sitch between her best friend, Monique, and her high school rival, Bonnie.
"Well, at least you didn't freak out," Alice said uncertainly, "Guess I should come clean as well…"
"What!? Not you, too!?"
Alice nodded sheepishly.
"You'd think that being an art major in college, you'd get used to these things." Kim groaned; half to Alice, half to herself.
"It's a little weird, I guess," Alice began to explain, "I mean, it all started out with a little experimenting and then I realized I liked women. Just like that. Hit me like a ton of bricks."
"So, are you seeing anybody?" Kim asked.
"Why… Ms. Possible, are you offering?" Alice teased, getting into Kim's space.
"Um! N-no!" Kim blushed, slightly moving away.
When Alice didn't say anything in reply, Kim continued to stutter, "Uh! It's not that I don't like you or anything. I like you a lot! I mean, you're pretty and all b-but I just d-don't l-like you t-that way."
Alice giggled. "Kim, you are just too cute sometimes." Kim blushed even further. "I was just pulling your leg."
To spare the redhead further embarrassment, she continued, "About your earlier question: No, I haven't been seeing anybody. I don't know how to explain it but I have this feeling that I'll know when I find the perfect girl… so I'm saving myself for her."
Kim smiled. Alice could be so endearing sometimes.
"Anyway, going back on the original topic, I'm gonna have to figure out what jasmine flowers mean..." Kim said.
"Jasmines? Huh…" Alice had a thoughtful look on her face.
"What?" Kim asked.
"Well, in Southern parts of Asia, women wear them in their hair. Many countries have them as national flowers." Alice began, "In the Philippines, they use jasmine garlands to adorn religious figures, and in Thailand, jasmine flowers symbolize 'mother'."
Kim crinkled her nose, "That's kind of creepy."
Alice laughed and continued, "It is, I believe, the Hindu symbol of love. I think they also use it to honor Vishnu, Hinduism's Ultimate Being. In China and Indonesia, they use them at weddings. To the Chinese, jasmines mean feminine sweetness, elegance, happiness, and beauty, as well as deep affection. Oh and they use them in teas, as well; my favorite, actually." (9)
"Uh, since when did you know so much about jasmines?" Kim laughed.
"Selective memory," Alice sighed, "I read a lot but it's things that I don't need for class that stick."
Kim nodded. "I guess this means that I either have a really obsessive stalker, or my secret admirer really is just romantic. " Alice had to agree.
Suddenly, Kim's watch beeped, warning them that class will be starting soon.
"Let's head down." Alice suggested.
As they passed through the crowd to get to the Carpenter Center's entrance, Kim stopped suddenly. She quickly scanned the crowd again. Someone caught her eye. She was about to run for a closer inspection, she felt a tug on her wrist.
"Kim?" Alice looked at her, "Class is starting in five minutes, where do you think you're going?"
"I--" Kim stopped and looked for the familiar figure she thought she saw.
Not finding what she was looking for, she shook her head and turned her attention to Alice. "I thought I saw someone but... never mind. Let's go."
Kim walked to and from school every day as a routine. However, when she got back to her apartment in Boston that night, something was definitely different.
The window next to her bed seemed to be opened. Preparing herself to fight off any possible intruders, she quickly flicked the lights on.
"Shego!" She gasped.
The green-skinned villainess sat on Kim's bed as if it was the most normal thing in the world, she smiled devilishly at the shell shocked redhead.
"Princess," She purred.
Kim promptly fainted, her body just had too many ups and downs today. (10)