Ford Le Faye frantically forced himself from his bed frame Friday morning. He carelessly collected his clothes. Darted down the dorms. And hoped his e-scooter could speedily send him to the school.

His pink beanie stuck out in the dark. His scooter’s little headlight just barely showed every crack and bump to avoid. The elevated sidewalk turned into a ramp at his speed.

It was a shame his scooter wasn’t built with suspension. Or that he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Or had good reflexes.

Ford would limp into his math class. He had a broken phone charger. A dead phone. A mangled scooter. And torn clothes.

Guess what Jiji thought the second she saw him step out of class?

“Where’s ‘Dick’?! I’m going to rip his ‘Nick’ off!”

“My scooter broke and I fell! Promise!” Ford swore.

Like a coin, Jiji flipped emotions.

“Oh, that makes more sense. Are you ok? Any bleeding?”

She checked Ford’s bruises. Spotted every tear. Looked into his eyes to see if there was any change. Like a doting mother, she didn’t care about the other boys chuckling.

That included the scolding, “You really went to class looking like this?”

“I don’t exactly have healing powers, Jiji.”

Jiji’s, “Uh-hu,” was that of a challenge over a confirmation.

“What?” Ford asked.

“Nothing,” Jiji grabbed Ford’s hand. “Let’s get you dressed up.”

All Ford could ask was, “What?!” Before he was pulled off to go get changed.

Jiji dragged her friend into the closest empty room. In full view of other students. Despite Ford’s bashful babbling.

The classroom was small. One of the only rooms with tablet armchairs made out of plastic. It reminded Ford of his middle school days.

Jiji closed the door.

“So uh, where’re the new clothes?” Ford asked.

Jiji locked the door.

“…where’s, yeah uhm. Where’s the new clothes?”

“What are you?” Jiji asked.

On guard, “Uh…French.”

Jiji flicked her finger as if she were hitting a light switch. All of the blinds shut. Plunged into darkness, Ford’s blue eye was the only source of light.

“I surrender,” Ford called out. “Not trying to fight an Ifrit.”

The lights turned on. Not the bulbs, however. Pink flames illuminated the room. Like floating lanterns, down the rows of chairs.

Jiji sat on the teacher's desk up front. Her hoodie, shorts, and leggings were gone. Ford finally got to see a genie in uniform.

“So, you know what I am. It’s only fair I know what you are.” Jiji crossed her legs and leaned back. “So, again, what are you?”

Ford understood one thing. Jiji could’ve attacked him. Teleported him to the mountains. Gave him acne.

She could've done something to interrogate the answer out of him. But this woman proved she would’ve made a great theater kid. All of her phenomenal cosmic power, used for ambiance.

Ford sat on the desk part of the nearest chair. His goal was to seem suave. Like a cool guy.

“I am a humble photographer with a fake eye,” he said.

The chair tipped over. Jiji did nothing. Not to make Ford fall on his ass. Not to save him as his uncentered weight tipped the cheap seat.

He calmly sat into another seat. As if he didn’t just wipe out for the second time that day.

“So, yeah. I just have a weird eye.”

“How’d you get the eye?” Jiji asked.

“Not telling.”

“When did you get it?”

“Not telling.”

“Ok. Can you at least tell me if you’re a human with powers or, you know, like me?”

“Nope.”

Jiji stared into his soul, “You’re really not going to tell me anything?”

“Nope,” Ford smirked.

A lightbulb flashed over Jiji’s head. She grabbed it. Then, with a flick of the wrist, turned it into her phone.

“You know, Professor Barrett already told me what you told her.”

“No,” he exhaled. “No, she didn’t.”

“How do you know?”

Did he bring up Jiji’s subpar poker face? Or how if Dante did sell out, that would’ve been the first thing Jiji mentioned? Ford certainly wasn’t dumb enough to tell her he read all of her text the second she pulled her phone out.

He held his hand above his head. Gesturing the lightbulb.

“Ding,” he joked.

Jiji had to snicker. It was too obvious a mistake to be angry about. Not serious enough either.

“Ok, what will it take for you to tell me what you are?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not telling you.”

“Why not?”

“Well,” Ford leaned back in his chair. “You can’t keep a secret.”

“Yes, I can!”

He had a library of texts and calls that proved otherwise.

Ford set the trap, “How many people know you’re not human?”

Jiji counted off, “Well, there’s my goddess of a girlfriend, Marilyn. My smart and sexy girlfriend, Alice. The professor, but you already knew that. Her wife whom I call Aunt Tatiana. Or Aunt Tea. But I turned it into ‘Aun-Tea’.”

“Don’t forget, you used your powers in front of me,” Ford reminded. “And Nick probably knows to cause of his creeper moment.”

“Oh, right! And then there’s you and Nick.”

She immediately stopped talking. Jiji saw Ford’s smug posture and hated it.

“You know, that wasn’t as clever as you think it was,” Jiji hissed.

Curious, “What was your plan exactly? Did you just expect me to spill my guts because of a light show that took 2% of your daily magic?”

Jiji returned the room to normal. The little flames and the darkness around them were sucked into her purse like a vacuum. When the light bulbs turned on, she was back into her pink shirt, blue hoodie, and leggings.

Ford was in a brand-new plaid shirt and comfy jeans. No showmanship. He blinked and he had new shoes.

Jiji slung her purse over her shoulder, “You’re not as cute as I thought you were.”

“I still think you’re beautiful,” he complimented.

Charmed, “…Careful, my aunt might not like my photographer flirting with me.”

Ford got up from his seat, “That’s fair. I probably shouldn’t date clients. Professionalism and all. Mind teleporting me to my next class?”

“You gonna tell me if you’re a fairy like my girlfriend thinks you are?”

Ford gave a flat, “…excuse me?”

“Oh! No, no, no! Like ‘Morgan Le Faye’. Not the slur for ‘gay man’. Sorry!” Jiji clarified.

“Oh! Yeah no. I’m just French. I’m bisexual too. But it’s just a name. I wouldn’t name myself something like ‘Jiji Jinn’ to hide that I’m a genie. Ya know? Use my lamp as a purse. Advertising I’m not human to any magic users on campus.”

Jiji Jinn the genie sat still. Eyebrows lowered. Finger tapping on the desk. Legs still crossed.

“I just lost that free ride?” He guessed.

She confirmed, “You just lost that free ride.”

End