Nice Girl

Chapter 1

In every school there is that one girl that everyone knows, she is kind and always has a smile on her face as she says hello to people in the corridor or when she lends you her notes from the class you missed, this girl is the one who normally comes across the crying girl in the toilets and makes sure they have a smile on their face before they leave for class again. Every school has one and it just so happens that Willow Academy’s nice girl who never had a publicly bad word to say about anyone was Isabelle Jones, and equally no one had a bad word to say about her. Belle was on the school council, newspaper and was the lead in the choir as well as all of this she was extremely proud of the straight A’s she got in nearly all of her exams, to everyone, including the teachers, Belle Jones was the perfect student and the perfect girl.

It was a chilly October morning when Belle sat reading at a table in the Library, waiting for her friends to join her, her blazer was slung over the back of the chair and her dark curling hair was up in a high ponytail to get it out of the way, even though her fringe still disrupted her blue eyes she constantly tucked it behind her ears, she was wanted to be absorbed into the book to wake herself up, she had woken up extremely early but the more she tried to get back to sleep the more she couldn’t so in the end she didn’t see the point of going back to sleep since she would only have to wake up to take her brother to primary. Belle rubbed her eyes slightly and put on a smile she’d have to have a nap after her meeting at the newspaper, she gave a decisive nod and put all thoughts of sleep from her mind as her best friend Jenny Allen plopped herself down across from her smiling, her blonde straightened hair was bobbed and her pretty face was complementary done up with makeup. she looked like she was about to explode with excitement so Belle put down her book and raised a perfect eyebrow. “Guess what!” Jenny burst
“Um they’ve finally found a cure for exam nerves?” Belle suggested, Jenny gave her a look and she laughed “You told me to guess,”
“Well you guessed wrong,” she bounced on the plastic chair gaining excitement
“Enlighten me,”
“Jack Bennett is single!” Jenny grinned “Laura broke up with him last night,”
The words made Belle raise an eyebrow, Jack was the head of the school council and had been going out with Laura since third year, they were the type of couple that people voted ‘most likely to get married’ or ‘most likely to have kids first’ “whoa,”
“I know right! It’s such good news,” Jenny grinned “I mean not for him, well not right now anyway,” she gave Belle a wink and laughed, the school bell rang and Belle looked around for the twins who were probably running late, which was unlike them.
“He’s just gotten out of a 4 year relationship do you really think he’ll jump into bed with you?” Belle laughed softly as she packed away her book and shrugged on her blazer.
“Don’t underestimate the rebound girl Belle,” they both laughed and the pointy librarian scowled at them as they walked by, Jenny linked her arms with Belle as they walked down the ancient, and still busy as ever, corridors of Willow Academy to their English class. “Also on the grapevine I heard we have a new student coming soon so I bet you’ll be pulled in,” Belle smiled of course she would be, not that she was complaining she was like a poster girl to the academy it was quite an honour. True to Jenny’s words Belle was pulled from her English lesson by their head of year Mrs Easton, a lovely slightly rounding woman who was known for her ruthlessness with other teacher but was perfectly lovely to student… especially Belle, not 20 minutes later.
“Hello Darling,” Mrs Easton smiled affectionately and Belle stepped out from her English class “I guess you’ve heard the news,”
Belle smiled “About the love birds or the new student,”
“Love birds?” Belle knew how much of a gossip junkie Mrs Easton was so smiled softly and gave her a fix telling her about the break up. Mrs Easton’s eyes popped as she told her what she had heard from Jenny and the others in her English class feeling awful as she did.
“Oh bless the lad,” Mrs Easton cooed then remembered why she was here “Anyway yes there will be a new student arriving sometime soon and I was hoping you’d take him under your wing,” Him… well I’ll have to tell Jenny before she makes a move on Jack, wouldn’t want her to be disappointed “Only for the first few weeks of course,”
“Sure that’s fine Miss,” Belle smiled
“You’re a doll Belle,” Mrs Easton smiled eyes crinkling “Well I’ll give you some more information when I know,”
“Okay,” Belle nodded before waving and slipping back into her English lesson. Jenny and the other girls in her English hammered her with questions but she just smiled telling her the little that she knew. It was lunch time when Belle knew she had to do something, Laura was laughing almost cruelly with her friends that used to be Jack’s friends and the said ex-boyfriend was nowhere to be seen, Belle had seen him mopping around, extremely unlike the head strong boy everyone knew, and knew he’d be hiding somewhere in school. She finished her lunch quickly then set off searching the quiet halls, it didn’t take her long since she put herself in his shoes and knew he’d go where none of his ‘friends’ would ever venture voluntarily… the Library. The said moping boy was sat at a table at the back of the library hidden by towering bookshelves, his blonde curly head hidden behind a book and his broad shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. Belle walked right up to him took the book from his hands and raised a perfect eyebrow, the two weren't best friends but they knew each other well enough for it not to be considered strange he looked up slightly shocked at Belle's entrance but smiled up at her softly, Belle raised her eyebrow at his sad blue eyes.
"What are you doing?" Belle asked
"I was reading, but then you came and kind of..." He motioned to the book in her hand
"Oh," she gave it him back and plopped herself down "are you alright?"
He blinked slightly "yeah of course I am," he smiled again but it didn't reach his eyes
"Don't lie to me," she frowned and his smile faltered as he sighed "I saw Laura,"
He looked to his hands "I haven't seen her this happy in months," Belle knew that look it wouldn't be long before Jack spilled his guts to her and she’d listen because that's what she was here for. "She said she doesn't love me anymore, that I'm boring," Belle didn't comment so he carried on "I thought we were okay, I thought we could work it out," he sighed "but she's been cheating on me," Belle let out a gasp and he continued "her driving instructor," his hands covered his face as he groaned "I feel like a total tosser,"
"She should feel like a tosser," Belle breathed supportively he looked up slightly before sighing
"And now I've got no one, she has told all my friends that they have to choose between us... And they have," he sighed rubbing his forehead,
He looked to Belle expecting her to say something profound that would make him feel better but she just shrugged "fuck her,"
Jack looked at the nice girl before he began to laugh eyes watering as he did, Belle grinned mission accomplished. Once he had sobered up still smiling he asked "ah you won't tell anyone about this will you."
Belle just smiled "you'd be surprised how many secrets I actually have Bennett,"
He smiled softly "and um..." He looked a little awkward for a moment and Belle grinned
"No you’re not boring, I know lots of girls who'd love to be your rebound girl," Belle smiled as he raised an eyebrow “Come on you haven't had lunch yet and I need to give my maths homework to Jenny," she bounced up but Jack hesitated slightly, Belle raised an eyebrow at him
"I don't want to be any bother," he sighed scrunching his nose.
Belle rolled her eyes "of course you won't be, I think I saw your cousin down there too, you're never alone Jack,” she added smiling gently
He got to his feet smiling as well "you're too nice Belle,"
"No one can be too nice Bennett," she linked arms with him and pulled him off to lunch.