Baby's in Black (Beatles One-Shot)

Oh Dear What Can I Do?

The light, autumnal air battered the face of Jessie Edison as she walked on the sidewalk to The Liverpool Institute. She clutched her books closer to chest as young men laughed and pedaled their bicycles on the road next to her. She felt her long blonde hair brush back and forth against her back and feared it was getting messy. She positioned a strand of it behind her right ear, helping nothing. Her black Mary Janes clamped across the cement as she neared the school.

When she walked through the gates to the courtyard, a bit late in fact, she saw groups of girls talking lower their voices and turn to look at her. She blinked once heavily, then focused her stare on the ground. Mutters filled her ears as she walked the steps and into the doors of the school. She had only toured the building once, and today she had no clue where she was going to. The hallways were empty; everyone must of been in their first period classes already. There was no possible way she'd walk back outside and ask those girls where she was headed. So she stopped in the middle of the hallway and sighed, completely unsure. She walked farther down the hall, looking straight ahead of her. Her hopes were to be met with a professor; someone polite in which she could ask for instructions. But she was met with the opposite.

She saw a small group of teddy boys huddled around a locker, skipping class she assumed. A few were smoking, and the others were just laughing. In the few moments she stood there, she heard many clear swear words escape from their mouths without hesitation. One with a cigarette looked over his shoulder, saw her and turned around. "Well, how can I be of service to a sexy little bird like yourself?" He asked with his thick, Scouse accent.

"Uh, I..." Jessie started to say, though no one was listening. Another boy took a quick drag off his ciggie and threw it on the ground.

"Screw it, John. She's obviously a freshman." He smirked the slightest.

The boy she figured was John kept his eyes on her, but lowered his voice to reply to the other boy. "Yes, Stu, but she's very tall, don't you think?" She pressed her lips together. The boy who was standing next to John who looked much younger stepped in front.

"Please." He said, looked back and hushed his tone. "Don't mind John. He does this with every girl he meets." He raised his voice again, and a little shyly held out his hand. "I'm Paul." He said nicely. She took it gently and shook it, and Paul timidly let go smiling. She hesitated, then muttered in response.

"Jessie."

"That's a lovely name." He replied.

"Ah, there's the McCharmly we know and love." John mumbled behind him. Paul pursed his lips. John smoothed back his greased hair. Jessie's teeth brushed her bottom lip. She decided she might as well ask one of them for directions. Probably the one named Paul. He seemed polite enough; she didn't think he would lie to her.

"If one of you wouldn't mind, I, um, need to get to my first period class. I'm not sure where to go, though..."

John's eyebrows raised as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "Why are you so worried about it? Just skip." He said. Jessie stared at him blankly. Paul piped up again.

"John, it's her first day here. You really think a girl like her would skip over her first period on her first day of classes? A bird like herself probably wants a better reputation than that." He glanced at her, as if to say, "Am I right?"

Jessie shrugged slightly and nodded.

"'O do you have, anyway?" Stu asked, uninterested it seemed.

"Professor Ferman." She answered. Stu and John stifled laughs, and Paul's eyes just widened.

"Ferman?" He asked. She nodded again. "Oh, dear." He chuckled a bit himself. "It's too late t' get you to his class now. If you walk in late, he'll give you a two 'our detention. Hell, he's the worst. I 'ated Ferman." John took a short drag off his cigarette and shrugged in agreement.

"His detentions drove me mad."

"You weren't in any of 'is classes, John." Stu pointed out.

"You don't have to be in a class to get detention from a professor." John said in reply, casually yet matter-of-factly. Stu laughed. John just grinned, somewhat proudly. All the sudden, another young, similarly dressed boy cautiously opened the front entrance of the school and walked down the steps, hands in his pockets. He hastily walked past Jessie and the boys. John poked his arm, cigarette still between his fingers. "There's little Georgie Porgie!" He teased. The boy didn't look annoyed; more used to it.

"I have to get to class." He muttered. John rolled his eyes.

"Who's your first period?" He asked.

George pulled a crumpled piece of paper of the pocket of his leather jacket. "Uh, Ferman." John smirked back in the direction of Stu.

"Well you better hurry off to class then!" John said. "Don't want to be late, do you?" Jessie's face turned red. She locked her knees. She started to say something, but nothing came out. George began down the hall again.

"Where I'm headed."

Stu stifled a laugh. John stood there with a sarcastic, sympathetic smile. Paul looked oddly uncomfortable. Jessie timidly adjusted her bag across her shoulder and glanced from the boys back to an anxious George. She followed after him, picking up her pace a bit. She lightly touched his arm.

"Excuse me." He turned to look at her. Jessie didn't dare gaze back at the lockers. "John's pulling your leg. He just told me to skip. Apparently if you're late, he, uh, gives detentions." She uttered.

George sighed softly. He seemed embarrassed. "I figured. Uh, thanks." He paused a moment and looked over his shoulder. "Can I get your name?" He asked.

"Jessie." She replied, simply but quietly. George just smiled a little. He looked over at his small group of friends. Jessie kept her eyes on George.

His dark brown hair looked like it was hastily quiffed back with grease. It looked had been messed up a little by the wind. He had a similar jacket to that of the other teddy boys, but his was a bit looser than Paul's. He wore tight blue jeans and black boots with a short heel in the back. He had very defined features; everything from his jawline to his cheekbones. He was tall and thin like her. Jessie liked the way he looked. He had something unique to him she thought. Something unlike the others.