1 6
pretty china doll
The lunch bell rings. I catch up to Vic, who just got out of the same English class.
"Hey!" I come in step beside him. "Where's Trey?"
"Hello to you, too." Vic turns to me, and his smile is almost blinding. Blindingly beautiful. Trey and Jude may have built bodies (Jude a lot more), but Vic could model in a runway. His cheekbones, the ocean-blue eyes, and that lean body — I actually halt in my steps.
He stops with me. "Addie?"
"You're beautiful," I blurt out truthfully, and he looks so taken aback that I have to steady him. "Just a fact. I'm not hitting on you. You should really try modelling or something."
"Sure," Vic says uncertainly, more of a question.
I continue walking. "Again, Trey?"
His eyes lit up. Damn. Do all of Trey's friends have bright eyes? Is that part of Trey Gonzalez's friendship requirement? Then again, I don't have bright eyes. And I haven't been personally introduced to all his friends because, well, there's so many of them.
Vic clicks his fingers. "Dude, are you even listening?"
I blink. "Sorry. Got distracted. What did you say?"
He sighs. "He skipped Econ to grab early lunch with Justine. He's probably still there." He frowns. "Didn't he tell you?"
No, he didn't. "Maybe he forgot," I smile, but a light sting hits up my chest. "Thanks."
I follow Vic to the cafeteria and I see them instantly. This is the first time they've eaten lunch together — in the same lunch table. Lunch tables, as small as it is, changes things. This is a statement, like they're telling everyone that they're on the verge of something more.
But they're not together. Not yet.
And they're not alone. There's the usual Iris and Yolanda, but other guys sitting there. Trey's friends?
Vic's wide grin is a confirmation. "Hey!" he calls, striding to them and doing the whole clap-on-the-back kind of thing. Three so far. Jude is nowhere in sight.
Suddenly I am nervous.
Justine turns around and sees me lingering. "What are you standing there for?" She gestures to the seat next to her.
My shoulders sag in relief. I don't know why I hesitated. Seeing Trey and Justine with their own friends... I shake my head, knowing the thought in my head is ridiculous. They would never do that.
I quickly get introduced to Trey's side of the group: Landon, Keith and Sean, who are all surprisingly laid-back and not as arrogant as the ringleader himself. Luckily that particular gene only came in Trey's blood.
"So, uh," I clear my throat. "When did you guys join the party?"
"Justine invited me," Trey answers, his dark eyes glinting with mirth. "How cordial of her, isn't it?"
I chuckle. "Very."
Justine rolls her eyes. "I'm beginning to warm up to your presence."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Hermia."
When she hears him call her by her stage name, she hides a smile.
Awww. I feel like a proud mother.
As my eyes float around the table, though, a realisation hits me. I'm sitting in a table full of popular people. Beautiful, intimidating, popular people. Oh my God.
I meet Trey's eyes, and he senses my tension. He gestures me to breathe, moving his hands up and down with the movements of his chest, and I follow him.
Most of his friends are loud, so I focus on them. They're all laughing obnoxiously at some joke, but one's attention is diverted. Vic's eyes wander around the cafeteria, and I turn my head to follow his gaze. There's Liv. She's eating her food quietly with a few of our mutual friends, and I know she's fine with it, but I feel guilty for not inviting her here.
I turn back around just to catch Vic watching me. He raises his eyebrows and I raise mine, challenging him. He actually blushes a little, embarrassed at getting caught in the act.
But my ears turn into bat mode when I hear her voice.
"Justine," Iris starts. "You're going to Sean's party, right?"
She blinks, before remembering to grin. "I'm not sure. Maybe I'll — "
"Oh, come on," Yolanda perks in. "Everyone's going to be there! Including Parker Hitch!"
Trey raises his eyebrows, and when he meets my eye behind Justine, I give a subtle shake of my head.
"I — there's work to be done," she smiles tightly.
Iris snorts. "What work? You have a 4.0 GPA. Come on," she spreads her hands out. "What else is better than getting free drinks, good music and a night of twerking, girl?"
"A lot of things, surprisingly, Iris."
The mood in the table suddenly goes downhill. What's happening?
"Okay," Trey interrupts in his calm voice. "Justine, you don't have to come to the party. Isn't that right, Sean?"
Sean looks like he's about to protest, but Trey gives him a serious, don't-fuck-this-up look. "Uh, yeah, you don't have to. I mean, it'll mean a lot if — " oof! " — you know what, never mind, it's your choice, yeah."
That little answer is no help at all. Justine's friends are staring at her, Trey's friends are avoiding the situation, and Vic even backs away a little. I'm just the lost one.
But what steals my breath is Trey's face. He's showing concern for her — it's the most expressive I've seen ever since I met him. His dark brown eyes are, for once, bare. For a second, and I can't stand to see it.
"You're going, right?" Yolanda laughs once.
That is about all Justine could take apparently. She abruptly scrapes her chair back and doesn't waste time before walking to the exit. The click of her heels echoes in the room, the only sound right now. Trey is looking after her but I place a hand on his arm.
"Don't. I think I've got this."
"And where do you think you're going?" Iris sneers.
For the first time, I sneer at her back. "Cleaning up your mess."
I race after Justine, feeling all eyes burning through my back. I shove the doors open but the hallway is empty. I go to the next left, thinking she couldn't go too far. After minutes of wasting time, I wonder what place of hers is close from here. A sudden thought flashes in my mind.
The badminton court.
I make my way there, and my theory is proven when I see her sitting on the bleachers. The door creaks as I close it, but Justine doesn't turn around.
I take a deep breath. You can do this.
There's a respectable distance between us. Right now, she's like a jellyfish — pretty to look at from afar, but if I get too close, she might sting me. I mentally prepare myself to say something encouraging but she speaks first.
"I like it when it's quiet here," she whispers. "Feels like the whole world is behind you."
Damn. I hope Justine is less dramatic than she sounds. "Justine... you know if you wanna tell me anything, you can."
She snorts. "Who knew that by the end of the day, you'd be here for me? And I'm not even annoyed by you or whatever. It's shocking."
"Uh, thanks?" I feel awkward. "I mean, I totally agree with you. A few weeks ago, you didn't even know me."
"I did."
This revelation throws me aback. "Really?"
"Yeap," she says nonchalantly, like I'm not hyperventilating right now. "The junior competitor. You're pretty infamous. But at least you don't pretend to be someone you're not."
Yeah, but I get shit for it. I keep my mouth shut.
"Me?" She laughs. "They always want the same thing. They only want me to tell them what they want to hear." She sighs. "They don't understand."
"Then make me understand," I plead.
She turns to me then, and something in my expression dawns on her. "You know me. Justine Reynolds. Tall, skinny, a shopaholic. I date college guys because I'm too good for the average high school guys here." She grazes the edges of her seat, focusing on a crack. She speaks more to herself than to me. "But sometimes I just want to stay home, watch Netflix, and eat burgers. Sometimes I want to play badminton and write plays. Sometimes I don't even like going to parties. I don't like hanging out with the same social circle everyday. And I don't date high school guys because they're immature fools."
I raise my eyebrows at the last bit.
"Maybe with one exception," she adds quietly.
Trey. I can't keep my bright smile this time. "So why don't you?" I pause. "Do those things? Who's stopping you?"
"People," she murmurs, looking away. "Everyone. They'll be unhappy. They expect me to be this outgoing party gal twenty-four-seven. To be this... image they've concocted in their head." She shrugs, but it's a sad one. "Everyone has expectations of me. I have to follow them, even if all they want to do is show me off like a pretty china doll."
I shake my head. "Why?"
"Because they'll never accept me if I don't."
My heart breaks for her. I've always felt like Justine wasn't fully herself, but I had no idea she was a puppet on strings.
Now I understand.
"Iris and Yolanda?" I ask, even though I know the answer.
Justine laughs softly. "And the whole student body. They all want me to be this pretty blonde girl like that's the best I can do."
I put a hand on her shoulder. "You know that's not true." I nudge her again, willing her to look at me. When she does, I give her my warmest smile. She blinks at me. "There are lots of people who'll accept you the way you are, J. You just never give it a chance."
She shrugs, but I can tell by the distant longing in her eyes that she's thinking of actually trying. I beam, and I surprise her by shaking her shoulders rather violently with my positive energy. "C'mon!" I urge.
She stumbles, keeping her stand straight. Her lips turn up a fraction. "Where?"
"To get some burgers."
A/N: We love girls supporting girls.