The Beauty is the Beast

-3

"Jade!" A pale girl with wavy brown hair calls as she runs up to Jade in the hallway.
"Do I know you?" Jade asks, adjusting the strap of her worn out black book bag.
"I'm Hannah! From fourth period, science... no?" Jade shakes her head and the girl's cheery smile falters.
"Sorry I have no idea who you are," Jade says, looking at the small girl up and down. The girl in front of her contrasted Jade completely. Hannah wore a light pink skirt and a greyish tank top with sparkly earrings and makeup. Jade on the other hand wore some torn shorts, an olive green t-shirt paired with a white and black checkered flannel, and the same beat up converse she always wore. Complete opposites.
"I'm new here, I transferred a few weeks ago," she answers, becoming visibly uncomfortable in the presence of Jade Black.
"Well, welcome to La Push," Jade says and starts to turn around but the girl stops her again.
"Wait! I, uh, found your note book on the floor, you left it in Mr. Hollbrook's," she says handing Jade the notebook. Jade takes it and gives her a small smile.
"See yah later newbie," she says and walks away from the girl.

"Hey," Lina says as Jade sits down next to her. Lina too had dark brown wavy hair that matched her chocolate brown eyes, but her style was much more hipster than the frilly girl Jade had just met.
Ms. Bards starts their English lesson but Jade ignores the teacher, opening the science notebook to what she thought was the next blank page. Instead, she found "Have a great day! -Hannah" written in big swoopy letters.
Jade rolls her eyes and scoffs, catching Lina's attention. She leans over Jade's shoulder, reading the notebook in her lap.
"Who's Hannah? Am I being replaced?" Lina teases and Jade snorts.
Lina and Jade were best friends in school, out of school they didn't talk at all. Jade couldn't tell you a single thing about Lina's home life. She didn't even know where she lived. But neither of them had friends otherwise, and they seemed to have an understanding. If they stayed out of each other's business, they would have someone to sit with at lunch and pair up with on field trips.
"Miss Black," a voice says and Jade looks up from her book to Ms. Bards.
"Yes?" She asks glumly.
"So what do you think Mariam learned? What did her mother teach her?" the teacher asks and Jade looks at the cover of the book they had been reading, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
"Nana wanted Mariam to learn that women endure. That for the rest of Mariam's life she would have to endure the hardships of being a woman," Jade answers.
"Yes but why?" Ms. Bard's pushes.
"I don't know," Jade says with a shrug
"Oh, I think you do," Ms. Bards smiles.
Jade sighs, running a hand through her hair. She did know.
"Because no matter how high you are, no matter how special or how good, there will always be someone who wants to take you down. And being a woman in that day and age, Mariam would always be taken down," Jade answers, the class silent and looking at her.
"Very good Jade... now everyone start reading part two, you're in for shocker," the woman says, giving Jade a smile.

"So how's your brother?" Lina asks Jade as she stares at Jacob across the lunch room.
"Awful, he has an ingrown toenail that's all infected. We took him to the doctor the other day and they shot his toe up with Novocain. He screamed like a baby girl," Jade answers and Lina places a hand over her chest.
"Aw poor baby," Lina says with fake puppy dog eyes.
Jade laughs, throwing a carrot at her. Lina liked Jacob, but not in the girly kind of way they both joked about. She liked him because she thought he was attractive, she would do anything to get some alone time with him, making Jade's skin crawl.
"Hi!" Hannah says as she slides onto their table next to Lina.
"Who are you?" Lina asks and Hannah glances at Jade.
"I'm, uh, Hannah. I gave Jade back her note book today. I was hoping I could maybe sit with you guys," she asks shyly. Lina wasn't exactly the most welcoming person on the outside, neither was Jade. Both of them had a serious resting bitch face, but it didn't seem to scare Hannah off.
Jade sort of liked that about her.
"Sure," Lina says and Hannah smiles relieved.
"Thank you so much. I'm new so I don't know anyone, and everyone else says I'm super annoying and now I'm talking a lot so I should probably go-" Hannah says but Jade stops her.
"No, no it's okay. Everyone gets nervous at a new school. Just try to tone down the chatter and it'll be a breeze," Jade assures her and Hannah smiles brightly at her.