Pretty Girls

7

Jess was sitting in her room, hugging her knees to her chest as she was wrapped in her fuzzy blanket. She has been sitting in her bedroom for 2 weeks at this point. Elias had never left her side even when Jessica asked. 

She started out the window, her fingers playing with one of the petals of a flower her parents had gotten her after the death of her best friend. She started to rip the flower apart, starting to scream in pain as the memory of seeing her friend on the bathroom floor filled her head. 

Elias ran into the room and up to the girl. He hugged the girl and held her, shushing her and burying her head into his neck. He was starting to worry about the girl, watching her outbursts get longer and longer every day. Jess screamed into the man's chest, and she sobbed her hands taking fistfuls of his shirt. 

Elias had started to stay longer every day, even after his shift was over to care for the girl as he realized that her parents couldn't be bothered to stay with her. 

Jess cried for a few minutes before resorting to sniffling and her body shaking. She held onto Elias tightly, fearful of falling apart. Elias rested his cheek on her head and held the girl in his arms. 

He let her calm down before sliding his arm under her legs and lifting her easily. He carried the girl into the bathroom and set her on the sink counter before grabbing a rag and wetting it with cold water. He ran the cotton rag gently on Jess's blotchy face, cleaning her tears and cooling down her hot cheeks and neck. 

Jess sniffed and forced a small smile to her bodyguard and cast her eyes downward to the floor. 

"You know Tess wouldn't want you to be this upset all the time. You know she would want you to go kick Mary's ass." Elias chuckled to himself and smiled at the small girl on the counter. 

Yes she was enhanced, but her body couldn't burn fat or gain muscle. Elias was having a hard time determining when the girl last ate. 

Jess sniffled and shrugged. Elias started at her before grabbing her hand and leading her down the stairs. He lifted her onto the kitchen counter and grabbed her favorite ingredients, cooking her favorite dish. Jess laughed as she watched the bodyguard start to cook the girl waffles at 6 pm. 

Jess smiled lightly before pulling her phone out of her pocket and she started at her screensaver of her and her best friend when they were at band camp back in freshman year. They had done Color Guard together and she loved the picture of them in their light blue and white uniforms that had fit their figures well. 

Jess looked at Elias who was staring at the girl worriedly, but she gave a large smile and a laugh, as a light tear strolled down her cheek. 

Elias smiled back and rubbed the girls head and stared at her eyes, before continuing to cook for the girl. 

The Next Morning 

Jess got up and sighed, getting dressed for the day. She threw her head up into a bun and grabbed a dark washed pair of jean shorts and pulled a black baggy hoodie over it, not bothering for makeup that day. She grabbed her backpack and pulled her plaid and black boots and walked downstairs.

Her parents gasped and seemed to choke on their coffee seeing their daughter come out of her room. 
"Jessica? You're going to school today?" Her dad coughed and looked his daughter up and down checking for signs of anything. 

Elias was smiling at the girl in the corner. He was back into his suit and opened the front door, as Jess just smiled at her parents and gave them both a kiss before grabbing an orange and walking outside with Elias. 

Elias opened the passengers' door for the girl, closed it, and got into the driver's seat. He already had Jess's favorite station playing for the girl as she peeled the orange, the citrusy scent filling the car. 

Elias smiled at the girl as he had pulled up to the school in the short minutes that he was driving as the girl scarfed down the orange. Jess smiled back and was about to get out of the car before Elias grabbed her arm gently, reached across and wiped some of the juice droplets on her cheek away before telling Jess to get to class. 

Jess's face flushed red and she groaned as she got out of the car with her bag and a smile. She walked up to the school steps, her heels clicking and she heard the car pull away. 

Jess skipped her locker, and she heard gasps as she walked through the hall, holding her head up high and she didn't look anyone in the eyes. She bit her tongue and took a deep breath as she approached her homeroom classroom. She could hear the chatter inside, and as the door opened she saw students heads turn to her and the talking ceased. 

Jess walked in and went up to her desk and sat down. She took her phone out and tried her best to look bored. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw the blank and empty seat next to her. She swallowed hard and looked up. People were stealthy looking at her and she forced a smile. 

The teacher rushed in and noticed Jess and sent a large smile to the girl. The bell rang loudly, signaling the start of class. The class silenced and the teacher clapped. 

"Okay, class! We have a new student joining us today!" The teacher smiled and started to clap but froze as Harrison and Mitch walked in. They both looked bored and unamused, but the teachers' facial expression woke them up in fear and caused the class to laugh. 

The pair rushed to their seats, but Harrison faltered as he saw Jess. He ran a hand over her knuckles and sent a pitiful smile, causing the girl to scoff and rip her hand away. 

The teacher cleared her voice and looked at the door. A tall male walked in, with the tousled golden hair. Gasps rang out from the girls in the class and Jess slightly rose her head, anger seething on her face. She met the eyes of the new student and her heart skipped a beat. 

Standing at the front of the classroom.. was... 

"Hi, my name is Elias Gray. I'm a Pretty Guy." He smiled softly at the class but started only at Jess's eyes and winked. 

Jess's face flared red and she sat there in shock as she stared at her bodyguard. 

Harrison whipped his head from Elias to Jess in confusion, then anger. 

"Okay Elias, why don't you sit next to Jess?" The teacher commented, sending a pitiful smile to the girl as that was her dead best friend's seat. 

Elias walked to the seat, ignoring every girls drooling eyes as he only stared at Jess. 

She matched his stare and tried to even her breathing. He sat next to her and bit his lip in a quick motion while staring at Jess. 

Her face got even redder and she ducked her head trying to contain the new and painful butterflies in her stomach. 

Harrison was glaring at the new boy in the class who was effecting Jess this much, while he couldn't even get the girl to blush. 

Elias looked past Jess to Harrison and smirked in that boyish way. 

Mary sighed out loud and fanned herself in an exaggeratingly way trying to get Elias's attention. 

Jess internally groaned as she knew she would dread this school day.