Breaking Point

Wish You Were Here Pt. 2

Everyone, even the adults, who were listening to Anna and Maribelle's indirect argument, ready to intervene if necessary, turned to look at Jennifer's reaction. Jennifer was shocked. She felt like Anna pierced her right in her heart with a stick made out of razor blades and shards of broken glass.

Jennifer stood up, silent tears falling from her eyes, and she slowly made her way out of the seat. Everyone assumed that she was merely going in the bathroom for some privacy.

Nobody expected what came next.

Jennifer felt like she wasn't in control of her own body. Her feet were not her own. Her head was swarming as insult after insult ran through her head.

You shouldn't have overexaggerated, then maybe he still would've been alive

What was he doing with you in the first place?

You killed him.

You killed him.

It's your fault he's dead.

His death is on your hands.

You killed him.

Jennifer reached Anna's seat and she stood in front of her, tears falling from her eyes in a silent stream. Her breathing got heavy as the words bounced around her head in a torturous broken record.

"What are you gonna do, Barbie?" Anna sneered, and Jennifer took another deep breath, and she felt like a robot as her arm raised itself.

And she punched Anna in her mouth.

By the first hit, Jennifer couldn't stop. She kept hitting Anna, punching and scratching her, lost in anguish and grief and sorrow. It wasn't until Justin grabbed her by the waist and pulled her all the way across from Anna that Jennifer fell slack against his hold, causing them both to fall to the floor.

Nobody spoke or moved, apart from Anna's sobbing. Carin took Anna to get cleaned up, but everyone else were statues. They stared at Justin and Jennifer in shock.

The shy and quiet girl had cracked.

Jennifer couldn't even cry. She was too buried in her grief. She held onto Justin's shirt sleeve as if her life depended on it and sat in silence, her breathing hard and heavy, as if she'd run a twenty-mile marathon. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she buried her face into Justin's shirt.

"I didn't mean to hit her." She said quickly, apologetically.

"Shh, calm down, Jen, it's all right. It's okay, nobody's mad at you." Justin said soothingly, but Jennifer shook her head.

"Anna is." She whined in a helpless voice. Everyone started laughing, just as Anna and Carin came back in the room, with Anna holding ice to her eye, and tissue to her nose. Maribelle scoffed and sat next to Jennifer.

"Between you and me, Jen. I don't think Anna is in any position to have opinions about you." Justin whispered in Jennifer's ear, which coaxed a small, miserable laugh from her. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. She cracked a sad smile in return and he stood them both up. "Come on, let's get back in our seats."

They sat down in their seats, avoiding the shocked stares the crew gave them, and Justin leaned Jennifer back on his shoulder, and she closed her eyes. Justin started to pet her hair behind her ear and she sighed as happy memories flooded her mind.