Count Your Burdens

I'm Me

Jade's POV

High school is hell, and I'm growing convinced that the entire planet is hell, painted different blue's and green's. Of course, you all expect me to be average, to have a golden girl personality, who loves the bad boy. Let me refer you to my best friend, WE Club leader, and council president, Amy Damens. That's the golden girl. Miss so-sweet-boys-melt-for-her Damens. Although around me, she's J-where-is-my-food Damens. I'm single, of course you knew, nobody can ever start out happy. Amy can tell you. I'm a peach at school, and smile 24/7. But being truly happy is such a cliche fairy tale. Fairy Tales are hard work, and I bust my butt earning my tale.

See, I hang out with everybody. I basically mask whatever honest opinion I have of 'em to be their friend. Pretty crazy, I know, you must'n't be used to common courtesy. It has vanished, I agree. Basically, I'm J Sorsin. For short, of course, I just don't fancy my name is all.

(A/N J is short for Jane)

I just have this life long term to live by. No matter your past, or your present, you deserve a decent future. Pain is so unnecessary. Same with grudges. Honestly, inflicting those things on others gets you zero, zip, Nada, no where, no how.

Unfortunately , not many people see through my eyes. It doesn't particularly matter, anyhow. There are those rare occasions when somebody hates me, but it doesn't phase me often. What phases me is the same idiot I deal with yearly. Asher Alia. Honestly, he was probably the most hated kid at school.. he had some serious issues, but I could relate to a certain degree. He completely started bashing on me around third grade, and here I am, a junior in high school, with some seriously mixed results.

I mean, around seventh grade, people started saying he liked me. Honestly, I'M NOT LIKE ABLE. Let's get down to it, I'm me.

I've been a giant since seventh grade where I was 5'7, I've got serious muscle from sports which isn't exactly attractive. I'm completely bitchy, and my face is what I call spotted. See, I'm no pretty princess. Most of my true friends are guys, and a majority of them are scared of me.

Except Asher. He wasn't scared... according to everyone else, anyway. I guess even though we totally started war with each other at school, we never really stopped being friends.

Oddly enough, I've known him almost as long as my best friend, Amy. He's actually half decent now. I mean he used to lay in the road and stay there until I made him move his sorry ass.

Anyhow, the bell's ringing, which means I've got some houses to hit up. No, I'm not a drug dealer. I'm just me. Hit up means I'm gettin' my people. We're goin' down to our lake.

My older friend, Christina, is a senior. She drives me around. We pull up in front of Amy's house and I start buzzing the doorbell like crazy. "Hey J, why such a rush?" she asked in curiosity, shutting the door behind her. I grab her wrist and run her to the car, "It's Friday ya idiot," Christina can't help but start laughing as she floors it over to the next houses. "It's the Friday before school let's out, you know what that means.." I call to Amy in the back seat.

Amy's got this huge grin spreading from ear to ear as she nod her head, "It's lake day," she says quickly.

"Ya got the play list, right Ams?" Christina was always afraid this would go wrong.

In her defense, it would be her last lake day, so she probably wanted it to be a good one. Besides that, she always made sure we had everything any ways. I'm sure putting the whole package together was a burden, but I always keep my mouth shut, because I do a majority of actually making this thing happen.

Anyways, Amy nods. She's always got the playlist ready. It's not only our playlist that we specifically designed for lake day, it's the playlist we always had on when we were hanging out.

We finally stop at Maddie's house and Amy hurries out to get her. Nobody ever really calls her Maddie, we all say Mads.

Basically Mads has people with her already. She's got Taylor, Izzy, Nat, and Joy.

"Damn this is a squeeze," Nat blurted as he sat on top of me. My nose scrunches in disgust.

"You always gotta sit on me Nat?" I shout in his ear, and I see the smirk on his face in the mirror. I groan, but Joy fits fine. She sits on Mads, and Izzy sits on Taylor. Amy smirks in comfort, which makes me want to laugh, but I can't with this big oaf crushing me.

Anyways, there aren't very many people at this. It's kind of our thing. We're this little group. Christina was never really part of it, but hey, she's our wheels. Plus, I've actually known her for a really long time. She's chill.

We finally hit the lake. There's an old rickety platform up in this large tree that hangs over the lake. It isn't a house, but you can climb this rope ladder up to the floor. We hung lanterns in the tree, and we put cracked glow sticks in them at night. It's gorgeous. This assortments of colors shines on the lake, and before we call our parents making up stories about who we're staying with, we all carve the year, and our names, in the tree.

You see, as the years of high school pressed on, our group got smaller. But everyone here today, had been here since the first lake day. Amy and I started the tradition. We decided exactly who to invite based on exactly who would result in the best time.

Nat and Joy were sophomores, Christina a senior, and the rest of us were juniors. We were like family, I swear it.

Nat climbed up the platform where I was already cracking glow sticks. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

"What cha doin J?" he mumbled in my ear.

No, Nat does not like me. He acts like this quite often, actually, he's playful towards me but it isn't like that.

I laugh softly at his actions, "Starting up the lanterns.. it isn't too soon, sun's already setting," he nodded and let go.

He started cracking handfuls and handing them to me, so I could finish up. Joy and Taylor were setting up the stereo, and Amy was starting up the playlist. Christina and Izzy pulled out the table. There was a cooler of drinks beside it, and food on the table. We had set up this old barbecue on the first lake day, and Nat always grilled burgers and hot dogs.

"Ready for a swim?" I froze as he snaked his left arm around my waist. There's this rope that hangs over the lake, and Nat grabbed onto it.

"You wouldn't dare," I utter. He grinned evilly and hopped off the platform. I screamed as he let go and we hit the freezing cold water. I pulled off my shirt, of course I had a bikini on under, and threw my T it at him.

"Your such a.. a.. ugh" I mumble at him, and he chuckled at me, and his gaze fell away from me. We had a little.. bet, that I couldn't go a day without insulting Nat.

Joy ran in after me. Her boyfriend Jake was coming this year. They went to different high schools.. this was like a meet up for them. Jake pulled up, and joined Joy in the water, immediately. I climbed out and tied my hair up in a high pony.

We nearly forgot Michael. He had arrived with Jake, good thing.

"Boy, I feel loved," he scoffed. Maddie ran up to him and bear hugged him.

"Awe c'mon Michael, we'd never forget you," she smiled politely.

Amy and Christina were nibbling on pb & j, while Nat teased Izzy. He kept throwing lake moss in her hair. Izzy, being violent, tackled him in the water. Taylor laughed hysterically.

Jake and Joy were on the platform, inching closer to each other, he finally wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Joy really loved him. Poor things, not even at the same school, how terrible. It was good to see them so happy, anyhow.

I guess I may not be like able to some, but these guys enjoyed me. So yeah, I'm me, but that's good enough for them.