Brand New

Chapter 1

"Nope. Not this one for sure. Followers aren't my kind of thing." I mumble under my breathe. I see another girl and start walking to her when two big green eyes pop up in front of me.

"Hi my name's Maliah. You must be Jody." she grabs my hand and shakes it. "We are gonna be such great friends. I cant wait to bring you out shopping."

The brunette continues to speak out words not taking one breathe   making me smirk in amusement.

"Do you ever take a break?" I ask her but quickly regret it because she starts giving me a long story on why she talks so much. I tune out on her speech and continue looking for my new best friend.

"Can you please excuse me." I say pushing past her. I walk up to the girl and say hi. She just looks at me from head to toes. "Hi to you to but I need to go. Can't be seen with the likes of you." she walks past me. Is it just me or is that a little bit racist. Because I'm black you don't want to be seen with me. I turn around and open my mouth to answer her but familiar green eyes come into my vision shutting me up.

"Don't mind her. She's a bitch. A very sneaky one. You just have to learn to ignore the students in this school. Everything is popularity. If you're not popular then you're nobody." she explains.

"Well that's fucked up. Who lives off being popular." I state. She wraps her arm around my shoulder bring me down a little because I'm taller than her.

"The idiotic people of this school alone and TV." she huffs. I think I like this girl. She might just be my new best friend.

We walk together through the halls she talking non stop about her family.

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Maliah was a very interesting girl. Her life was one of those I wished I had. She had her mother, father, two brothers; one older and one younger. Her life was simple. I was a little jealous. We had my first 3 classes together and we were called out four times because of our incessant talking.

Now we are in the cafeteria laughing away on one of the chairs and tables away from the crowd of students. She is really funny.

"So Jody tell me a little about your parents." she probes on. She asked me the question twice already but I kept changing the subject.

"My parents are simple. That reminds me..." I stop because a finger is pressed against my lips shushing me.

"Please don't change the subject. Just spit it out it wont hurt. Its not as if they were murderers." she chuckles. Memories of that day wash back in and the urge to cry comes. I swallow my tears down and look at her.

"I don't live with my parents. They left me when I was 12." I say hurriedly. It wasn't all a lie. They did leave me.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I'm such a horrible person, pushing you to speak about it." she rambles on apologetically.

"Its okay . I'm kind of over it. I can take care of myself. It has its benefits. I learned to be responsible for myself and my future." I assure her.

"How were you able to afford clothes food and shelter." she looks at me in horror. I wanted to laugh at her. Its funny how she finds it so strange that I had to live alone for all that time.

"I had some help."

"Ohh ok. Well that's great." Maliah goes onto changing the subject and starts talking about her summer like I was a distant friend.

So far I have observed that everything in this school is dramatically amplified. The students always do things a little bit over the top. I look around at the exaggerated laughter chuckling a little to myself.

The room goes quiet all of a sudden. Even Maliah who had been talking non stop shuts up and I can see her eyes following someone's movement. I turn my head in the direction her eyes are moving to see a really handsome young man around the age of 18-19 dressed in black an grey. I to stare at him for a while observing his every move. He walks to a secluded table and seats there.

It stays quiet for a few seconds longer like everyone is waiting for something to happen. When nothing interesting happens they all go back to their eating and non stop talking like that awkward silence never happened.

As I said everything is so dramatic.

"Who's he?" I ask Maliah.

"He's Dylan Jones the scariest and hottest guy in the whole school." she whispers.

"Why you whispering?" I look at her stupidly.

"He's just over there I can't have him hearing me talk about him." she whispers even lower. I just choose to ignore her.

"What's so scary about him?" to me he looks like an ordinary boy who nobody wants to hang out with.

"I heard he killed someone. He was sent to jail repeatedly for stealing, fighting and even bombing a teachers house. He's absolutely crazy. Everyone is afraid to cross him thinking he'll attack them or sum. I'm just scared of him period with his dark and dangerous look." she shivers a little.

"So does he talk to anyone. Where's his good girl. Don't bad boys go for good girls to help them handle their bag of bad deeds." I grimace at the stupidity of it. Cliché and I don't mix cause I sometimes wish I had a life full of clichés. Maybe my dad and brother would still be there.

"His best friend James alone but he's been gone for like 3 weeks. All the good girls are either to busy trying to be seen or studying." she snorts.

"Why don't you go talk to him? You came up to me all jerry. Maybe you can bring some sort of a smile to his face." I suggest.

"Darling you looked like you was in search of a friend and I to was looking for a friend. You are the perfect friend. Brave, non caring and fun." a small smile creeps on my face.

"First genuine smile you have given me all day no matter how small." she gives me a huge smile before looking in Dylan way causing her smile to fade.

"He's so gloomy. Someone needs to put a smile on his face." she huffs slouching in her chair.

"Maybe I can." her jaw drops to the table. "Actually I will. If I get Mr. Grumpy to give me a smile to me you have to buy me a chocolate cake and stop talking so much for a week. I want two weeks to do so." I challenge her.

She looks like she is thinking before putting her hand out for me to shake. I take it and we establish our deal then.

"Your on. I think you'll need a whole month to do so but we shook on it already so. Be prepared to lose." I can see the humor in her eyes like she is imagining me losing in advance. I ignore her, getting up from my seat before heading to where Dylan was situated. I plop myself in the seat next to his.

"Hi Dylan. The names Jody Smith. Made a bet with my friend over there to get you to smile before two weeks end. I need you to corporate with me here. Okay?" I say slowly like I was talking to a child. Dylan turns his head and looks at me cautiously. I give him a short wave of the hand smiling. He turns his head ignoring me. This is gonna be harder than I thought.

"Hey just say a little hello. No need to be mean."

"Who are you." He finally says still nor looking at me.

"As I said my me is Jody Smith. I'm new here and I was wondering if you could use a friend."

"No I don't need a friend especially a girl." He gets up and walks out of the canteen.

Well that didn't go as I wanted. I look over to Maliah and shrug before returning to her.

"How sis it go?" she questions me nervously.

"Not as I expected it to go. What's his problem," I huff, "I can't be your friend because your a girl. That's bullshit."