Outliers

Chapter 5: Jennifer White

Jennifer's POV:

The math test was in front of Jennifer, her eyes swimming in tears of frustration. Why couldn't she understand any of this? Gosh, it was like her brain was dis-functional; the way Jennifer couldn't understand any of this. Why couldn't her brain work as well as others? Why should she have to work so hard just to keep C's, while there were those brainiacs who were born just to be smart - flying through quizzes like nobody's business.

Tired of it, Jennifer bubbled in a random pattern into the sheet next to the packet of questions, and got up to turn it all in. As though Jennifer thought it was easy, she beamed a confident smile at the math teacher, Mr. Dobbis. He beamed back with a false pride, because he knew how she struggled. Mr. Dobbis watched as she struggled at the 5 question quizzes, pulling at her hair, and he sat back. She thought it was ignorant of him.

"Well, here, Mr. Dobbis. I'm done." Jennifer held the quiz by the fingertips, wanting the burning itch of failure off of her hands. His look changed from fake pride to a slight irritation, because I was taking too much time loitering at his desk. Mr. Dobbis wouldn't take it from her hands, so Jennifer rolled her eyes and dropped the paper on his desk.

The bell rang as she reached her desk again, and she grabbed her thin, blue math binder and left. She could not get out of any of these classrooms fast enough. Jennifer started walking faster down the halls, rubbing her forehead under her overgrown bangs in irritation. A throat cleared next to her, and she opened her eyes in surprise to see that Austin kid.

He towered over her and was about 75 pounds heavier, and a happy grin showed mangled braces. Jennifer flashed him a big smile for his entertainment. She heard Austin almost gasp, and she looked back up at him in an urgent worry. He seemed alright enough, except for his deep, almost-sea like green eyes, watching Jennifer's face almost gently and as though he could caress her jaw line with his pupils. She looked back down at her binders and notebooks self-consciously, her cheeks beginning to heat up as they turned a corner.

Next thing Jennifer knew, she had crashed into someone in front of her. She winced, and all of her school books, binders, pencils, and notebooks all fell to the floor in a giant mess of papers and color. Jennifer let out a giant groan, and bent down onto her knees busily to pick them all up. A foot stepped on the messy pile with purpose, and Jennifer imagined the dirty, black, Chuck Taylor shoe belonged to the person who had crashed into her. Or they could have knocked her stuff out of her hands, but Jennifer hadn't been able to tell. After all, she was looking down and blushing.

Her eyes followed the shoe up, making out two legs in tight, white skinny jeans, held together with a jeweled belt made of rhinestones. A pink, skin-tight graphic tee sporting Rihanna lipped the top of the sparkly, black belt, and Jennifer topped her looking by seeing the face, and saw that it was Bridget McAllen, with her dirty blond hair, and a smirk poised on her pink lips and in her cold, dark blue eyes. Jennifer realized this is who the girl next to her was in English. She never realized how pretty she really was, as she tried to pull a paper out from under the sneaker.

But the shoe was pressed down so hard, the paper spilt off in the middle and Jennifer glanced at the scrap of paper in her hand, the jagged rip with half of a filthy, muddy, criss-cross shoe pattern printed over the math equations she had to do for homework.

"Whoops, I'm so sorry, there...," Bridget squinted down at the paper to read the name. "Jennifer. Oh! I know you, it's "I-Can't-Read-icus". So, did you get the chapter read by yourself yet? Or does your mommy still read to you?" She popped her gum as a confident laugh at how smart she thought herself as. A few titters revealed Adam Adams and Simone Crowley with her. Adam Adams ran his fingers through his tufted up, brown hair, and gave Jennifer a wicked smile that scrunched up his freckles and reached his hazel eyes. Simone tossed her dark brown hair over her shoulder and stared daggers into Jennifer with grey eyes.

"Don't hurt your pretty, blond brain thinking of that insult, bimbo." Jennifer retorted, and yanked herself up off the floor, brushing off the dust on her knees from the floor. Bridget gave Jennifer a dirty look, and Jennifer smugly smiled back, knowing she won that one.

"Aw, you called me pretty! What a good little girl," Bridget petted Jennifer's head, and Jennifer attempted to bite her hand. Bridget pulled her perfectly manicured hand back. "Bad girl, no biting. Trust me, I didn't hurt my brain on that one. At the very least, if you wrote down your insult, I could read it." She gave Jennifer a challenging glare and an amused smirk, giving Simone a horizontal high-5.

"Is that all you have?" Jennifer started on a rant, slowly putting her hands on her hips. "Is all you can do is pick on those that are not basking in your glory, or being perfect with glossed lips and manicured nails, or being able to be a cheerleader, a sports player, anything? Why do you have to bring others down, based on a single flaw, and that be the only material you have? Can't you see, that these people go home, and think only of how they could be without that one flaw and how they feel it's all on their own fault? You're just sick." Jennifer spat, and Bridget's eyes grew angry blue flames.

But then Bridget closed her eyes and smiled sly, taking in a calming breath. Bridget's eyes flew open, and Jennifer saw raw, empty emotion in her dark blue eyes. "Sick? Sick? Who are you to say I'm sick, you illiterate girl. You only wish you could get on my level. You only wish you could be someone like me. You're a jealous little girl who's got nothing better to do besides hate on those who can have what they want, without having to struggle to read it." Bridget managed to keep her calm composure. But Jennifer hadn't been able to, and her own pale, icy blue eyes started to burn in hatred.

"Whatever." Jennifer rolled her eyes, and saw that her books no longer occupied Bridget's shoe. Jennifer sat down on her calves like a frog, and picked up her stuff, brushing it off. She smirked at a comment she could make about Bridget's filthy shoes, and would use it. "You ever heard of a washing machine for those shoes?"

Not a single giggle was for Jennifer's snide remark. The bell rang, and the few people that had crowded scattered for classes. Jennifer tried to take off for English, where Jennifer knew she'd have to deal with Bridget. So, she'd probably just skip class, although she'd know she'd get a helluva lot of teasing from this. But Bridget barred an arm so that Jennifer couldn't pass. Bridget brought her flawless face closer to Jennifer's, and Jennifer tightened her muscles in a panic response.

"Okay, Jennifer," Bridget snarled, "Don't think you're so much better than me. I will always be prettier, smarter, richer and more popular than you will ever... ever be. Now, why don't you scatter off to class."

Jennifer nodded in a sudden fear, all of her confidence suddenly dissipated. Looking around, Jennifer saw that Austin had disappeared to class, given the bell just rang. She looked down, her bangs hanging back in her face as she hugged her books even tighter to her chest like a life line, and froze in her position. Bridget leaned over and put her lips to Jennifer's ear.

"And learn to read."

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Oh my gosh... I totally got writer's block when I first started right now. I didn't even want to write this week, I dunno why, but then I thought of the few followers I have and thought that I couldn't leave y'all in the dust !:D So, i'll try to publish more often than once a week. Just for you guys ! Anyways.... I wouldn't mind if you clicked on that button over thereeeeeee.... Says "Vote"......(;