Treat You Better

Chapter Forty-four: Dollhouse.

"Don't touch! You'll get your peanut butter hands all over it!" Cassie snapped before tossing her hair. "My Daddy says it was really expensive."

"My Daddy says it was really expensive!" Jason mimicked and laughed when Cassie turned on him with more threats which would have made her seem angry if she wasn't blushing and fighting a smile.

"Jason is so cute." Faith sighed and expected Violet to sigh along with her but she was already near the side of the dollhouse where Hale stood, telling Lloyd a story.

"...so that's why I have to take extra lessons after school, I'm so going to crush my cousin in tennis when we see again..."

"Hi Hale." Violet greeted as casually as possible.

"....my cousin's so cool, he's been to space before, he showed me his moon rock. When I go, I'm gonna get so much more moon rocks than him..."

"H- hi Hale..."

"...told me that's how he got taller and it's true! On the internet, they say you grow some inches taller when you go to space, because gravity..."

"Hi Hale, Hi Hale!" Violet would have kept going too, except this time he finally noticed her presence.

Now that he did, she had no idea what to say. "Um... Do you...? Uh... nothing."

Lloyd and Hale exchanged an odd look and they were probably about to call her names when the teacher finally walked in.

"Sorry to take too long, children. Please settle down now." She said and everyone hurried to their seats.

"Teacherrrr, Jason took my scrunchieeee!" Cassie whined. "Give it back, Jasonnnnuuhhhh!"

"I don't have it" Jason said from his seat, holding his hands up, even though the scrunchie was currently holding up his black, unruly hair so he looked like a pineapple.

Everyone laughed with him when Cassie reached forward from behind him and snatched it off his head.

"Alright, now that's settled, let's welcome your new classmate." The teacher said and gestured for the new student to come in.

"Her hair is so pretty...!" Violet turned and whispered to Faith who nodded in agreement.

She had black curly hair which she'd styled with a few braids and hair gel and cute hair clips so her hair stayed up in one big puff. The pink dress she wore was the perfect shade to compliment her light brown skin and she was waving at everyone with a shy smile.

"Wow, she's beautiful." Jason said quietly and Cassie glared at the back of his head in disbelief.

Her voice was rather quiet when she spoke, "My name's Mary-Anne Norway and um..."

"What?" Someone asked having not heard her.

"What did she say?" Faith asked from behind but Violet hadn't really heard either.

Jason did apparently, "She said her name's-"

"My name is Annie!" The new girl said, much louder. "Nice to meet you all."

"Welcome, Annie." The teacher said and pointed, "The desk in front of Jason is free, so why don't you take a seat?

"Yeah! Take a seat." Jason said and made a show of wiping imaginary dust off the chair, making everyone laugh.

Cassie shifted in her seat before snapping, "Stop trying to embarrass the new girl, Jason, she just got here." Then she leaned to the side so she could see Annie "Watch out for whoopee cushions, he's a prankster."