BLACKBiiRDS

3 | J E T T

M A R C H  2 1 | T H U R S D A Y

Tomato Basil soup was the lunch special for the day.

This happened to be Jett's favorite, but unfortunately, she had no appetite. The first three periods that morning were blurs of mundane lessons and annoying chatter from peers. She sat quietly, completed the assigned tasks, but didn't raise her hand for any of the questions or participate in any discussions like she'd been doing recently.

 She was too busy reevaluating her entire life. Training her mind to forget about her family—just like they were doing to her—and to focus on herself.

Los Angeles was ahead of her now.

The more she dwelled on it, the better the idea became. Although it had been nothing more than a flowery dream for her and her best friend, Christina, Jett was now taking the idea more seriously. LA was the land of opportunity. It was where Millennium was, Hollywood's most extensive dance studio, and once referred to as one of the top dance schools in the country.

Jett had to get there. It was crucial now, for her survival and stability. Dance was all she had left.

Taj going to school eight hundred miles away was a hard pill to swallow, but he had actual goals and dreams to chase. Jett understood, and she compensated for him leaving the nest. Her father's absence was and is something she had no control over either, but after eleven months of silence, Jett's hostile resentment towards him had gone numb.

But Melanie?

Chasing after a man that was getting too comfortable in treating her sister as a punching bag? Lance, the flashy, arrogant, selfish asshole who bought Melanie's affection and whom Jett was almost sure sold drugs?

She'd never understood it. And she was never going to try to. Not even for her sister's sake.

But if Melanie wanted to assassinate her future, there was nothing Jett could do.

Her family was teaching her that to obtain true happiness in this family—and in life—you had to seek it alone, relinquishing everyone else in the process.

Jett had been so dazed in her contemplations, the lunch lady had to bang the metal spoon on the side of the steam table to get her attention. This jolted her back into reality, and she shuffled awkwardly forward in line to choose the rest of her lunch.

"Wake up, girl," the server, Ms. Joy, barked. "Tuna, or roast beef?"

"Uh...n-neither. Sorry. Can I have a roll though?"

"There ain't no more rolls. You want some sliced bread?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"I know you like the tomato basil," Ms. Joy said, now in a hushed voice as she leaned forward. She reached underneath the table and materialized another steaming styrofoam cup. "Here, saved you an extra."

Jett was moved, warmth spread from her chest and tingled her body. "Thanks, Miss Joy." No need to refuse the kind gesture. Whether she had an appetite or not, Jett was in no position to pass up any acts of kindness.

Since Chrissy was absent today, Jett had to venture through the cafeteria alone. Which wasn't a major deal, it wasn't like she was an outcast. She knew plenty of people in here, could spot many familiar faces throughout the sea of brown, tan, and olive peers. But Jett's spiking anxiety was due to the realization that she hadn't eaten in the cafeteria like the rest of the students in over a month.

While standing at the end of the line, uncharacteristically self-conscious and confused, moments like this same one played through her mind of the many times she was the new kid in schools. She and Taj had the same lunch period one time in their public school career, back in sophomore year. Other than that, she was left to fend for herself and get in where she fit in.