•Jessica's POV•
I stepped off the bus and into the parking lot. The crunching of the tar beneath my feet becomes more clear to me. I walk up the steps and through the double doors. The overwhelming noise flooded my ears. I rushed to my locker. I turned the lock trying not to draw attention to myself. I look from side to side. I see a girl with blue hair, a boy with shaggy brown hair, a girl with curly red hair. I averted my eyes back to my locker. I put my backpack, and my leather jacket in there. I looked down at my feet. I slid them across the floor leaving scuff marks from my combat boots. I looked down at the black mark from the rubber on the blue and white tiles. I picked up and went in the general direction of homeroom. I felt like I was walking in circles. Finally I stopped a teacher. " Hi where is Mrs. Rogers room." He pointed to the room behind me. " Thank you." I said waving and hurrying into the classroom. She pointed to my desk. It was next to a girl with curly red hair. As I got closer up I realised she had blue eyes and light freckles. I tucked some strands of hair behind my ear and sat down. " You guys are all excused from class today." Mrs. Rogers said. I zoned out until she said " Ariana with Jessica." I glanced up. The girl beside me whispered " Is Jessica your friend?" she asked. " I am Jessica" I say quietly. " Well, hi." She says smiling a perfect smile. I smile my famous lop-sided smile that I got from my dad. " Hi" I say back. The teacher says something that I can't quite catch. " Come on" She says dragging me by my wrist. She bumps into someone and I hear " Watch where your going" I glance down at my shoes. " Nope, now leave me a-lone." She said walking past. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of this and the other girl grabbed my other wrist. " What did you just say to me" I gathered up the courage and shouted, " She said to leave her alone." I suddenly regretted it the shy person I am my stomach started twisting in knots. " Oh, and what exactly is Ms. Freshman going to do about it." I breathed in my heart starting to beat faster. " Leave that innocent freshman alone" Ariana yelled out. " And if I don't." " Then I'll do this harder." Ariana slapped the girl. I shied away from the situation and ran to the bathroom getting away. I stepped in and looked in the mirror. Then I wished for the middle school back. My best friend who moved at the end of summer and my oldest brother who graduated. I got underneath the sink and thought keeping quiet. I listened to the droplets of water. " Jessica are you in here." I hear. " Yes" I say quietly. I hear the shuffling of feet. She crouches down and asks " Did I scare you?" " A little bit." I replied. I blew some hair out of my face. I sighed and glanced at the brick wall. I looked back into her beautiful blue eyes. I learned my head against the wall. " I kinda scared myself also, I just, the anger took over." I mumbled to myself. " I'm sorry she is my enemy I scared myself also I just hate her" She holds her hand out to me. I grab it graciously. " Well you have seen the bathroom" she says jokingly. " Well, ya." I laughed. We entered... a hallway. " So who were those people you were with earlier" I asked curiously. " My best friend Lila and my crush and friend Brett." She said quickly. I nodded. " Well, he is kinda cute." I didn't even look at her. " Oh stop blushing." I opened my locker. I grabbed my notebook. It had all of my inspiration in it. I smiled as I looked at the leather book with golden letters that spelled out Inspire on it. " Do you have a boyfriend?" she asks playing with her hair. " No" I said " Crush.." " Yes" ' Ohh who" She asked opening her locker which just happened to be next to mine. " Ohh just a boy named Garrett" I say starting to decorate my locker. I put in a calender, mirror, a white board, and many magnets. I then glanced at her. " What?" she asked. " Its just that your so pretty and I'm ugly" " Trust me your gorgeous, I'm hideous, with my tangled curly hair and ugly freckles, while you have pretty brown strait hair and cute freckles." I held out my hand. " Let's make a pact" I paused " We're both ugly and pretty and we have good qualities and bad qualities." She grabbed my hand. " Deal" She said shaking it.
~ Lunch ~
I closed my locker and waved goodbye to Ariana. I walked outside for my lunch break. I had my paper bag and my book with me. I sat on a hill and ate my sandwich. The boys football practice had started. I watched as Garrett passed it perfectly to his partner. I finished my lunch and opened my book. I started drawing him. I drew his features. His cheekbones and his eyes, his lips and his nose, his hair and his body, with his football uniform on. I stared at the junior. I closed my book and then looked back at the boy. He was older brother's best friend. I saw a shadow in front of me. I looked up. It was Garrett's girlfriend. " I see you've been staring at my boyfriend, what was that about." She said. " I was watching my older brother play football" I stuttered. " Your older brother plays Soccer sweetheart." I bit my lip. " You like my boyfriend, follow me." I got up and followed her. She brought me to the bathroom. " This is what you deserve" She sneered. Than she balled up her fist and punched me in the stomach. I crippled to the floor in pain. She left the bathroom. I reached over and grabbed my book and pencil. I brought it with me in my hiding spot. I whimpered and hung my head back in dismay. I allowed my soft cry out. " Hello?" I heard a voice ring out. I bite my cheek to keep from speaking. " Jess are you okay?" " Yep" " Yeah, sure you are." " It's about Garrett and his girlfriend isn't it." " How'd you know." " I can read facial expressions." " His girlfriend punched me in the stomach" " Then punch her back." " I can't do that I'm not outgoing Ariana, I'm shy Jessica." I answer. " I'm not outgoing I only have one friend and a boyfriend." " A boyfriend" " Brett asked me out." " Lucky! My crush has a girlfriend, I gotta go" I waved and walked out of the bathroom. I walked towards my locker. I overheard an argument. " How could you hurt her Kait, her brother's going to kill me." Garrett cried out. " He doesn't have to know." I heard Kait answer. I turned my head to see Kait tracing her thumb over his lips. Tears pricked at my eyes. He pushed her off. " No Kait, we're over, done." I looked back at my locker. I realized that today I have all free periods. They are letting us leave the school for a little bit if we want to in five minutes. The five minutes ticked by. The bell rang out. I ran outside in the direction of the Middle School. I got there and saw the tree. I climbed up and watched the clouds roll by. I heard a bunch of screaming. I looked to the side and saw two girls. I shimmied down and ran back to the high school. I sprinted right in. I walked to my locker. I saw my brother waiting for me. " Jack" I said running up and hugging him. Joe came up behind us. " My brother's home" I yelled jumping up and down. " Jess are you kay?" Joe asked I glared at him and gave Jack another hug. " Let's go home" Jack said. " No, we're going to Robert's ice cream shop." I forced. Jack put his hands up in surrender. I dragged him out the door. We went to the shop and shared stories. We left and went home. When we got home I ran to my room. I opened the window and took my bubbles that I had hidden in a box in the back of my closet. I blew them out my window. I smiled as it jiggled and popped. I heard a cream in the floorboards. I spun around to see Jack standing there. I closed my window. We both sat down on my bed. " I'm glad your back" I said. He smiled and pulled me in for a hug. " Me too sis, me too." We sat like that for a long time. " Joe won't talk to me" he said breaking the silence. " Well you sort of just weren't there one day, he stayed in his rooms breaking things putting holes through the wall, it was an empty space without you." I told him. Well, I have to take a shower I said pushing him out. I then went into my bathroom. I got in the shower letting the warm water melt away my problems. I get out of the shower and open the window allowing the crisp air in. " Yo! Girl, what's your name?" I hear. " Jessica" I shout. Jack walks in again with red eyes. " Whats wrong Jack." " M-My girlfriend Lisa just broke up with me because she hooked up with my roommate last night." I choked on my water. I engulfed him into a bear hug while he sobbed into the hem of my hoodie. " Lisa and you were dating for three years though." He looked up at me with puffy eyes. " Come on" I said. I took him downstairs and sat him on the couch. " One sec." I grabbed some blankets from the dryer, some comedies and two tubs of ice cream and two spoons. " This is how girls handle break ups." I told him. We got ourselves comfortable and switched on the movie marathon. By the end he still seemed quite upset but, he had lightened up a bit. " Feel better?" I asked placing my hand on his shoulder. " Yep" he answered heading up the stairs to his room. I was so comfortable I just fell asleep on the couch.
