Beautiful

Chapter One

Finally. The day I've been waiting for. Today is the day the school posts the scores from the standardized testing. Granted, any junior high schooler in Japan would be excited and nervous. But, when you're the only foreign student in your school, it's different.

I transferred in as a third year, and it was in the middle of the year. It would have been good though if I would have been able to transfer in as a first year. But, I can't control when my dad's company moves him here.

It has been completely hellish trying to get used to how the schools here work. There's a lot more pressure to get good grades and test scores, and a lot more tests in general. You'd think the hardest part of moving to a new country would be the language, but I seem to excel in that category. When most students go to study English, I go in with our homeroom teacher and practice my Japanese.

Even though the school has gotten tougher, I'm still happy that we moved to Japan. My mother and father both have higher paying jobs than they did in America.

"Jenny?" My friend calls my name causing me to break out of my thoughts "Yes, Aki?" I asked as I looked into her eyes. She was wearing her red contacts today. It's funny, when I moved here most assumed I would have long blonde hair, tan skin, and blue eyes. But, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I have brown eyes, a brown bob, and pale skin. My friend Aki, resembled that closer than me. Granted, she had dark brown eyes and a black pixie haircut. She liked to express herself with her makeup, hair, and so on. She wore a wig and contacts everyday. Usually she would wear her pink wig, but today she was wearing a more natural long light brown wig. It was cute. She does wear makeup everyday, but she does it as artistic expression, not because she thinks she needs it or anything. Today she was wearing toned down makeup, it was still very noticeable and colorful, but because we were going to the museum I guess she wanted to look her best.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt whatever you're thinking about, but the scores were posted and everyone's headed out to the hallway to see."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" I grab her hand and we run for the hallway.

All the students crowd around the paper as we try to squeeze through. They have everyone listed in order of there scores. It's like a big competition.

I finally get close enough to see. I got sixth place in my class and Aki, of course, got second. "Aki! I got higher than last time! Studying with you really helped!" Aki looked at me and then looked down at the floor "Yeah." She must be upset that she didn't get the highest score like she did last time.

"Hey, cheer up! You'll get first next time! I just know it." She looks up at me with a smile "Yeah, and besides because your score got better you remember what that means. Right?"
We both giggle "Yeah!"

After that, we hear the familiar sound of the bell. It was time to head home.

Before Aki headed home I said, "Aki, tell your mom, and I'll meet you at my house when I'm done."

I hurried with my cleaning duty and after a while, I was done. I grabbed my bag and sprinted home. Luckily, club time was suspended for a little while because of the recent testing.

When I opened the door my mother was typing away on her laptop at the kitchen table while Aki and my dad sat chatting about school and things like that. I sat down and continued the small talk while we waited for my mom to finish her work.

"I'm surprised you girls are so excited. Most girls your age are more interested in fashion and your phones and boys." My dad laughs. I hit his shoulder playfully "Dad! Stop!" Aki laughs, "Jenny and I became friends in the first place bonding over our shared interest in art."

That is true, I figured because I was transferred into the school in the middle of the year I would have trouble making friends. But, it was actually the complete opposite. Everyone wanted to talk to me and hang out with me. I have a lot of friends, but none as genuine as Aki.

After being at school for a short while, my teachers and friends alike were asking on me if I was planning on joining any clubs. I soon figured out that in Japan, more people join clubs, and you were the odd one out if you didn't join one. So, I decided to join the art club.

When I applied, the leader of the club asked to see my drawings and paintings. This girl was Aki.

She was surprised when she saw my art. Most of the people who joined the club were interested in manga and things like that. But, I really didn't like drawing that type of stuff. I liked to paint. Most of my paintings I guess you would call abstract and when I drew, I drew real things, not cartoons. I was interested in classic paintings and artists. The history of art fascinated me, and as it turned out, you could say the same for her.

Aki paints things, that are hard to explain. It is color, but where she puts color, what color, and where color packs are all important. She conveys emotions and deep meanings with just colors. If I could use one word to describe her art I would say beautiful.

She and I soon exchanged contact info and would text and call almost every night. We found out we were in the same class and talked often in class as well. Me and her both go over to each other houses often and have fun together with club time. She's my best friend, and I wouldn't change that for anything.

"Dad. How was work today?" "Well, today we held a meeting about new employees needing to better understand what is expected of them at work and-" he Was cut off by my mom shutting her laptop. She then looked up at us all with a smile. "I'm done!"

We all grabbed our stuff, put our shoes on and headed out the door. "I'm so excited to see the new exhibit!" I yelled. "Me too!" Aki grabbed my hand as we started running down the sidewalk ahead of my parents towards the museum. Today was going to be a great day.