Sharp Edges

Chapter 1

Jeanette hater her name.

To her, it sounded old-fashioned, high-class, like some noble lady from a french historical drama. She didn't like how unnecessary long it was, how it sounded on her tongue.

Moreover, she hated the meaning of it.

Jeanette meant 'God is gracious'.

How ironic. To Jeanette, it seemed as if God was anything but gracious.

She'll never forgive her parents for choosing such a name.

Why couldn't they just settle for an ordinary, simple name? Why do they had to make everything so extra?

Her parents liked to be a little more than everyone else, liked to do things with a little bit more thought and sense. When they were choosing their little girl's name, they carefully examined every single one, from the count of the letter to the exact meaning.

They decided for Jeanette, because they had wanted her life to be perfect, so that everything would go her way.

But her life was nothing as she had wished for. It was a long lost battle, the pathway leading straight to hell, lonely, dreary.

Her parents had changed a lot since those times, too. Life also managed to get the best of them eventually, but she couldn't blame them for who they had become.

She couldn't blame them, but she did blame herself.

"Jeanette," she begrudgingly responded to the boy who was staring at her expectantly, waiting for her name to roll of her tongue. As always, she pronounced the name with excessive, exaggerated hatred.

The boy reacted completely opposite to hers. His eyes lit up, "Jeanette? That's such a pretty name!"

His comment surprised her and she looked at him with wide eyes, finally looking at his face and seeing how he actually looked like.

The boy had a nest of messy hair on his face, but it didn't look bad - it looked very good, in fact. He was wearing a genuine smile on his handsome face, his dark chocolate eyes crinkling and his nose scrunched up a little.

Jeanette held her breath at the sight.

Is someone like this actually talking to me?

She wasn't used to people being nice to her, not to say boys showing interest in her. She couldn't remember the last time someone was smiling so widely at her.

Maybe this exactly was the reason as to why she lacked social skills.

She lacked social skills and had no idea how to befriend someone, and she definitely had no idea how she should respond to the compliment from the boy.

She furrowed her eyebrows. It was a compliment, right?

The boy must've sensed her hesitation and laughed to ease the tension.

She felt even more embarrassed he had noticed and shyly tried to smile at him.

Great first impression, Jeanette, she mentally told herself. He's going to be stuck sitting next to you for the next few months, you could've tried a little harder.

But, to be honest, it seemed as if the boy didn't mind her reserved behavior, his overly cheerful personality making up for the lack of hers.

Maybe this was Jeanette's chance to make her first friend and she wasn't about to let it go so easily.