Behind the Camera [h.s.]

[Two]

The morning sun seeped through the window curtains, waking Jenna. With a soft and lazy groan, she got out of bed and slipped into a Rolling Stones T-shirt with skinny jeans and worn out converse. She brushed her hair and straightened it a tad with her straightener. Her camera completed her look, and also her. She felt empty and uncomfortable without it.

She fixed herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the dining table, eating while she waited for the bus- she had asked her mom to take her, but she had to leave early today and said she'd take her on Monday instead.

By the time Jenna was finished eating, the bus hadn't arrived, so she busied herself with making her bed because she had decided on doing it after school. After five minutes she checked on the bus, but it hadn't appeared. Did I miss it, she thought. She was certain the bus wouldn't come earlier, and if it had, the bus driver would've told her.

Just as she was making up an excuse to tell her mom, the bus pulled up in the front of her house and a wave of relief washed over her.

"Hey, Jenna," the bus driver beamed as she stepped into the bus.

"Hi, why'd you come so late, Anne?" Who was the bus driver.

"Ask the kids who were throwing the Silly Putty around the bus." She eyed the two little boys sitting in the back from the rear view mirror.

"Bad kids, huh?" Jenna questioned.

"Not bad, just brats," Anne whispered.

Jenna giggled and made her way to the back of the bus and sat in her regular seat.

"Hey," Samantha greeted. Jenna's friend- well, not friend, just someone she would talk to on the bus.

"Hi," Jenna said quietly.

They both looked out the window as Jenna plugged in her earphones. Her music blasted a song by Mayday Parade.

-

The bell rang signaling for lunch and Jenna made her way to the cafeteria. Jenna never ate for lunch, she didn't see the point to it if she only had two minutes to eat. But she always made sure to stuff herself after school at home.

Katie, Jenna's friend- yes, a friend who she talked to all the time for six years now- waved at her.

"Hey, Katie," Jenna said, huffing while taking a seat.

"Hi." Katie's eyes darted down to Jenna's camera. "I honestly don't know why you carry that thing everywhere."

"I like it, okay?" Jenna knew better than to tell her exactly how she felt about her camera. She knew- well, didn't really know, but still felt like Katie would laugh right in front of her face.

"So, there's a party this weekend and-"

"No," Jenna said, cutting her off.

"Oh, come on, please." Katie clasped her hands in a begging pout. "I don't wanna be alone," she added.

"What's going on, ladies?" That was Louis, Jenna's other best friend.

"Jenna doesn't want to come to the party." Katie frowned.

"I'm sorry, Katie, but no." Jenna shrugged and turned to face the table.

"Please, please, please," Katie persisted.

"No," Jenna said sternly. "You know how I feel about these stupid parties."

Louis glanced between the two girls, watching the scene in front of him.

"Yeah, but..." Katie sighed. "Fine. Whatever, don't come."

And now Jenna was guilty, but she didn't show it because that's exactly what Katie wanted.

"Jenna, you should come, it'll be a lot of fun," Louis encouraged. "We could have a few drinks and relax. Besides, this school year's about to end so, why not?"

Jenna shook her head. "No, guys no." She made her point and stuck to it.

So, for the rest of lunch Jenna avoided the conversation about the party, and talked about other meaningless things.

Soon lunch came to an end, and so did school. She waited for her bus on a cement block that was placed under a shaded spot, next the bus lane. She had her earphones in to block out all other sounds of the world. She was so caught up in her music- so into it that she was drumming her fingers on the stone, between her legs-she barely felt the tap on her shoulder.

She took out her earphone and whirled around on the rock. Something deep down inside of her wished that the tapping came from the same person as yesterday- the boy with the gorgeous dimples and curly hair, to be exact. But, it wasn't him, it was Samantha.

"Hey," Samantha said.

"Hi." Jenna tried her best to sound polite. It's not that she didn't like Samantha because Samantha was really cool and fun and Jenna also kind of envied her, but she felt like being alone at the moment.

Since Samantha was so good at reading people, she sensed it and said, "Am I bothering you."

"No, no. Not at all." But she was, and Jenna certainly wasn't gonna tell her that.

Samantha had blonde hair, blue eyes, amazing body, your above average high school girl. She was sweet and she barely did anything to get in trouble. She has a big white smile with only one dimple on the right cheek, which she was chewing at the moment as she thought of what to say.

"Okay, so how was school?"

And that question sounded to formal and unnatural to come from Samantha, and Jenna felt like she was talking to her mother. So instinctively she said, "Fine." Because that's usually how she responds to her mother's questions. Then she saw the distant look on Samantha's face and added, "How was yours?"

"It was good," She said. "Are you going to the party?"

"Oh, God no. I'm not into that stuff," Jenna said, and then caught herself. "Not anymore at least."

Samantha smiled respectively at her choice, and, for that, Jenna was grateful.

The bus had arrived before two of them had a chance to continue the conversation, not that Jenna wanted to, anyway. She hurried to her seat and plugged in her earphones and blasted her music. She glanced at Samantha who was unconsciously staring out the window.

-

When Jenna got home, she went around the back to enter her house; her mother never locked the back door. She tossed her backpack onto the couch and her stomach basically yelled at her to go to the fridge. She made a sandwich and quickly ate it and would keep her stomach pleased for about an hour.

She grabbed her backpack and, as usual, passed her brother's room and went into her own. She got her homework out and almost decided against doing it, but then realized she had nothing better to do. So, with a groan, she started doing her homework.