Over the Rainbow

Heart of Stone: Story 3: Part 1

Jane

I was lost. I was so deep in my own head, that I felt nothing could ever pull me out. I'd locked away my love, kept it in a steel cage guarded by darkness. I thought that I was unbreakable after I'd been broken. No more. I'd told myself. No more love. No love, no pain. I'd stopped caring. Yes, deep down I still loved my family, and I knew I was capable of feeling. I just didn't want to. I didn't want that pain, the pain of knowing I'd be left behind and abandoned. Discarded like a food wrapper.

I used to be fine. I used to be that happy go lucky girl, yet still somewhat distant. Then I met my boyfriend near the end of freshman year. I'd fallen in love so fast I could have gotten whiplash. Then on our nine month anniversary, he broke up with me. Said it'd all been a dare. He took a chunk of my heart that day I never got back.

Then my dad left. Abandoned me with my mom, who I only saw her when she came home for a brief period before going to a bar or opening a new bottle of whiskey. My dad didn't text, didn't call, only filed the divorce and left without a second thought. He took the other chunk of my heart.

I closed myself off. Any friends I had slipped away, I was no longer that happy girl. Just the quiet and distant one. I didn't bother talking to people. I didn't bother going out of my way to be nice. I just sat in the shadows, hoping and praying that nobody would notice me. And it worked. Until we got a new girl junior year.

She was my opposite in every way. She was happy and upbeat. Athletic, tall, and pretty. Long brown hair with an undercut, golden tan skin. Only too bad for the boys. Their "All-American" girl wore a rainbow bracelet on her right wrist, a watch on her left. Not that they noticed anyways. Or maybe they just didn't care. I first saw her in my math class, first thing in the morning. The teacher has introduced her to the class and that had been that. Her name was Mya, by the way. She'd sat in the empty desk in the back left corner, nodding and smiling at people as she walked towards it. She looked so nice. But as I'd learned, looks could be deceiving.

Mya and I had no classes together after Math, until lunch. She seemed to be the new talk of the school, everyone buzzing and gossiping about the new girl. I walked through the halls with my head down, earbuds in blasting some song I barely knew to block out the voices. I reached the lunchroom, walking through the line, grabbing my small tray of food, and sitting down at my normal table. By myself, might I add.

Mya walked in surrounded by the Popular's. Laughing and joking with them, playfully shoving around with the boys. The girls just seemed to watch her, faking a laugh before turning their heads to whisper about her. The boys enjoyed her company, it seemed. The girls? Not so much.

She sat with them on the other side of the lunch room, pulling up some extra chairs to fit all of them. The lunch room was quieter than normal, as it was nice out today, so most kids went outside. I was always inside. Especially in the spring and summer season where the lunch room was basically vacated. They all must have gotten the same idea to go outside, because a few minutes later they all stood and exited the lunch room with their trays.

Mya caught my eye on their way out. She gave me a small smile, but I quickly dropped my eyes and ignored her. I wasn't going to have anything to do with the Popular's and their groupies anymore.

Mya

Another new school, and absolutely nothing different from the last one. Everyone was nice, yeah, but it was still all the same. The cliches and groups, the same approach and pickup lines. No homophobes yet, surprisingly. I was immediately picked up by the group of kids, and it was very obvious that they were the Popular group. I didn't really care though, they all seemed nice. Four boys, four girls. The boys liked me, liked that they could shove around one of the girls like they did with the boys. Didn't even seem to notice the rainbow bracelet, and I'm pretty sure the other four girls were their girlfriends anyways. The girlfriends, on the other hand, obviously didn't like me. They faked their smiles, laughing and dropping subtle hints that I wasn't accepted. I walked through the day with the group, and one of them seemed to be in almost everyone of my classes. The boys talked with me, the girls basically ignored my existence.

I walked into the lunch room with the boys, rough housing and laughing, the girls following behind with subtle scowls on their faces. We got out food and sat down at some table in the far corner, pulling up a few extra chairs to fit us all. Eventually we decided to head outside with our food because it was really nice out, and there was like, nobody else in the cafeteria. A few stragglers, but even they were heading outside. Except the one girl in the far corner, black hoodie and earbuds in.

As we walked out I looked over and saw her looking at me. I gave her a small smile, and she immediately snapped her head down, focusing on her food intensely. I raised my eyebrow slightly, turning to ask one of the boys who she was. He looked over at her, recognition flashing in his eyes, along with a hint of humor.

"That's Jane. She's in our grade. She kinda keeps to herself, and doesn't have any friends. I wouldn't bother with her." He said. I gave her a quick side glance once more as we walked out the doors, and she was still focusing intently on her food, tapping her foot slightly to whatever she was listening to. We walked out and I didn't see her again until last period.

I walked into last period with a three of my newfound friends, two of the boys and one of their girlfriends. Said girlfriend was clinging to her boyfriends arm as he spoke with me. She was very obviously shooting daggers at me with her eyes, and it was freaking hilarious. We sat at a table in the back, talking slightly quieter as to not disturb the teacher and other kids. The girl, Jane? Was sitting across the room in one of the few desks scattered across the room. She was hunched over a notebook, writing furiously, with her earbuds in. I nudged the Girlfriend, and she pulled her arm way from me faster than I thought possible. Her reaction was the equivalent to if I'd licked her or something.

"What?" She snapped, and I smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. I nodded my head in Jane's direction, and asked,

"What do you know about her?" She looked over at Jane, annoyed I was bothering her. The two boys were talking with each other, so they didn't notice our interaction. The Girlfriend smirked evilly, and it didn't really sit well with me.

"She's a loner. Has been since like, halfway through sophomore year or something. Got her precious heartbroken and closed everyone off. She doesn't have any friends either, and she's not really good at anything. Why?" The Girlfriend replied, shooting me another glare from the side. I looked back over at Jane, who had stopped writing but was still hunched over the notebook, chewing in the cap of her pen. I looked back at the Girlfriend and shrugged.

"Curious." Was all I said. Maybe I'd talk to her later. I don't know why, but she just intrigued me. I wanted to get to know her, and I haven't wanted to get to know someone in a while.

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*edited*

First short story! There will be 3 or 4 parts and I'll update either throughout the week, or I'll try to update on Saturdays. Thanks!