Attention Get Her 13
or she wouldn’t be playing so hard to get with Jenkins." Monique pouted; she pushed out her pearly pink lips, puckered up for a brawl.
"Oh, and who are we talking about now, Moni?" Kami rolled her eyes.
"Moni, are you talking about yourself in the third person again?" Chai smiled politely.
"Whatever! You know who! Her sister died, like a year ago. She can stop with the dramatics. My mom had a miscarriage once; you don't see me crying about it!" She put her hands on her hips, flipping her perfect aligned hair.
"Now that is exactly the same situation! You are completely right!" I stood behind her, hearing everything that flowed out of that petite mouth. Chai and Kami gleaming heroically.
"Oh, Autumn Jazmine! Hey, I didn’t see you there!" She whipped around with a fake smirk on a plastic face.
"Just hanging out, is there something you wanted to say, Monique?" I batted my eyelashes, real ones, not her fake drug store versions, untroubled with her jealousy.
"Nope. Not that I can think of!" She shrugged lightly.
"I'll catch up with you guys later. I got to go meet Jenks." I walk past Chai and Kami, giving them high fives.
“Bye, Autumn Jazmine! See you later!” Monique is killing the kindness bit.
“Yeah, later Moni.” I turn away too soon, as she whispers under her minty breath.
"I bet he’s only with her because he feels sorry for her.” I try not to hear the words her voice is making; I ignore it until…
“I mean, sure, Chatt was Jenkins’ cousin. Chatt and Winter dated for like a minute, not serious at all. In all morality, I think you all should know she cuts herself.” Knives digging into my backbone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, Monique. What did you say?" I was more interested in what she wasn’t going to say to my face this time. My eyes widen; she went too far, once more. But never again.
"Nothing. Just something Jenks told me." She started to walk away with a careless wave.
“You insensitive slut!” In unison my best gal pals attack.
"You never stop, do you? It really shouldn't be a big surprise’ he dumped you for AJ. She’s gorgeous and way more fun than you!" Taron once again jumps into the rescue. Fury started raging in these faces. I should be too, but I just stood there unaffected, realizing that she was a flamingo and we were alligators.
"Oh really?" Her skin blushing from true confessions.
"REALLY!" Both Chai and Kami stood up.
"I'm glad she can speak for herself. Anything you wanted to say, AJ?" She stared at me with eyes that gave her away. She stood scared, the one envious of me.
“Think they about covered everything in your screwed up life!” I smiled, tapping them on their shoulders. It’s not that I couldn’t talk back to her and approach her meaningless accusations. It seemed impractical to waste energy on proving her wrong.
"My life is perfectly fine, just like it always has been." Conveying half the truth.
"Sure, Moni! Whatever you say." If I cared less, I would be a mannequin at the display window.
"I can't believe he picked you over me! I mean seriously. I don't even know what he sees in someone like you..." She puffed her furies. The word YOU used like a disease, making her feel vile.
"I know why." Jenkins smiled, coming up, cradling me. "Get over it, Monique. It's been done for a long time. So drop it already!" Jenks placing kisses on my cheeks. Making the jealousy in her blood run deep into her veins.
"I'm with AJ. She has something you never will have; a heart." We all portrayed winning looks. Her eyes filled with sparkles of teardrops. I didn’t have time to feel sorry. The noise broke out around the hallway. Four against one isn't my style, but she needed to be taken down. It was time to put this to rest.
"Whatever. Don't care!" She smirked. As defeat laid upon her shoulders, she walked on past the towering crowd.
"You know it's true." Murmurs still in the hearing range.
The princess’s crown fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. As we dispersed, it was trampled into debris. A ting of pain engulfed in my throat, a part of me wanted to believe what she said wasn’t true.
"What was that whole thing with Monique about?" Jenks wondered as he passed me the fry sauce for my French fries at lunch.
"Ha! What do you think? Your little girly friend thinks I’m your charity case." I bit into my roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwich; bliss.
"What did she say this time?" He studied his fry, anxious about the beckoning answer.
“Why are you getting nervous?” Has he been talking to her like she said he has?
“I just don’t want us to get in a fight over gossip or jealousy.” He lifts his sandwich for another gigantic bite. I continued, harmless.
"She said that you told her you were dating me because you felt sorry for me. Of course, I didn't listen to her she can’t say anything true." I raised my eyebrow to him.
"I did?" Admittance as if asking a question.
"What?" I placed my sandwich down and interlocked my knuckles.
"I did. But I didn't mean it. I just wanted her to get off my back." His gaze was low, not connecting to mine.
"You told her that you were only with me because you felt sorry?" My voice trailed off; of course, he did.
"Yes, but I didn't mean it. It's not like it meant anything." He bites his BLT.
"It meant something, Jenks. What are you embarrassed now to be seen with the girl whose sister died? I suppose I’ll go mark my pain in red ink wherever you came up with that idea." I get up; I place money on the table. I smile at the waitress and walk out.
"AJ! Wait. Come on, I didn't mean it. It was a stupid thing to do, and I was put on the spot. I don't know why I said anything of the sort!" He sputtered out excuses; I didn't have any pleasure of hearing. I get to the car only to notice its Jenks’s, mine was back at school.
"Do I really not mean that much to you? You couldn't even tell Monique, that you were really with me for the reason of just wanting to be."
"No! AJ, come on! You mean everything to me now!" He shouts as thunder rolls; guesses two storms are brewing.
"I guess I will never know. I'm walking home." I turn and pass by him. It starts drizzling. It was only a few blocks to my house.
“I'm sorry I said that AJ. I didn’t mean any of it." He stood in the cold sorrowful.
Now, it's starting to pour.
"YOU ARE SUCH A JERK! Make up your mind on who you want to be before you become a bipolar boondock.” I start shuffling to the street.
"She's just jealous! Let's not fight about it. I'm sorry." He was out of excuses.
"Jealous? I am sick of being envied for whatever this thing is between us." Point to vapid air surrounding us. Aches arise to scratch away this anger.
"I'm sorry, Autumn Jazmine. I’ll go and tell her right now we are together for real." His words float towards me; I push them away. “You deserve better than what my actions have misled you to believe.”
"I don't deserve anything." I spoke harshly, fed up with fighting.
Jenks followed me all the way to my house in his car, worried about the flu taking hostage of me. Which helped ease the anger. But not enough to take what he had said out of my heart.
I wish I could find you, Winnie. She would know how to handle this.