First day of the sophomore year. Jennifer had topped the entire school last year, just like ever. Her father wanted to throw a party but decided otherwise because of continuous persuasion from Jennifer. She was looking forward to going to school after the summer break. She missed her friends, especially Darius and Adrian. Jennifer wore her clothes and got ready for school. She was wearing the perfume that her father got for her last time he returned from a business trip. She was smiling.
Adrian, on the other hand, was dragging himself to school forcefully. He had so much fun with his member during the vacation that he didn't want to go to school. He missed Jennifer badly but school? Was that necessary? They both could meet somewhere else. To him, school was nothing but a collection of fools trying to get themselves educated and failing at it miserably. Again and again.
"Mom, I'm going." Jennifer said to her mom. "Coming..." Jennifer's mom replied from across the room. Jennifer's mother waddled her way from the building mess of Jennifer's room and came to greet her daughter. She had a tendency of getting emotional over the smallest of things, like her daughter entering second year of high school.
As expected, Jennifer's mother was close to tears. "Mom, I'm good. Why are you getting emotional?" Jennifer hugged her mother. "My daughter has grown up so much. I just can't believe it!" She sobbed quietly, soaking Jennifer's shirt with her little tears. "Start believing it because soon, your daughter will grow a lot more and then you will be proud of her." Jennifer told her mother.
Jennifer walked into the school and everybody was staring at her, like something big had happened, she just ignored it and continued walking to the class. When she enters, her classmates stare at her and start whispering to each other. Jennifer figured that most probably she was missing out on some gossip due to her lack of friends. But that didn't explain why people are staring at her? She walked to her seat and opened her social media. What she saw left her jaw hanging.
Jennifer was almost crying when Kurt enters the class with Debbie besides him. They walk towards her and make a stop right in front of Jennifer's table. Kurt looked at Debbie, who nodded at him. Kurt left. "So, how does it feel like to be a criminal? Huh!" Debbie screeched. Her usual voice was unpleasant as it was and now she was literally screaming, gaining the attention of the entire class.
"I am not a criminal." Jennifer spoke these words, looking Debbie eye to eye. She very well knew what she did was forbidden but strangely, she wasn't ashamed of it. Underage drinking, going to a club and then running from police, all were prohibited. "So, how do you justify your attempt of running from a club on which police had raided. Given that you are a minor, who is not allowed to consume alcohol." Debbie was threateningly close. Her breath and her scent, both hated by Jennifer exceedingly was all she could sense at the moment. Jennifer was wrong and she knew it. She wanted to remain silent but what Kurt did next angered her a lot.
Darius had walked into the classroom just now and Kurt pushed him against the wall and wrote the word 'criminal' across his shirt. Jennifer knew why this happened. Last time, Debbie tried hurting Jennifer by false accusations to the principal did not end well, If Kurt tried to hurt her, Adrian would probably hurt him like he punished him for hurting someone else by burning his casino. Both of them, held grudges against her but could not touch her. So, they found an easier target but equally effective. Hurt Darius. He was Jennifer's friend. Made sense.
Jennifer decided that she wasn't going to sit back this time. She pushed Debbie against the wall and emptied her water bottle all over her. Her makeup got all flushed and her hair stuck to her face making her the shabbiest girl Jennifer had ever seen. Jennifer kept in mind not to do permanent harm to her as she decided what to do with this girl in front of her eyes. Kurt was taken aback by Jennifer's new move. He thought she would just run away and cry her eyes out, tucked in some corner of the school.
Kurt moves forward slowly and collected Debbie in his arms. He led her outside. Most probably, to the washroom. That was when Jennifer realized what she did. For the first time in he life, she did something rather than crying in the face of trouble. The feeling was still overwhelming. Jennifer stood there and started crying for some unknown reason.
The teacher walked in the classroom and she shot her hand up, "Excuse me mam" she said and ran out of the classroom, she headed to the room near her and burst into tears once again, she palmed her face and cried out again. Suddenly, she heard a knock, "Who's in there?" a man said. "What are you doing here. It's a women's toilet." She said, wiping her tears away.
"I'm sorry but this is a man's toilet." He said in an annoyed tone. Jennifer gasped. She opened the door and saw Adrian. "I'm sorry." She said and headed out. "Wait." He called out. Jennifer stopped on her track and looked at him. "Are you crying?" He said. Jennifer hugged Adrian that very moment. "Why are you crying?" he asked. "Because I'm a bad girl. A bad daughter and a bad human." Jennifer said.
These words pierced through Adrian's heart, causing him to enough pain to bleed to death. Jennifer, the only good soul he had met was self-loathing herself. Jennifer never hurt anyone. She never causes harm to anyone. Why was she saying things like that? She wasn't a bad girl. Quite contrary, she was the most softest, politest and most caring girl Adrian had met. "No. You aren't." He argued. Adrian was ready to fight off the world for this, if he had to.
"Yes. I am. I guess, you haven't opened your social media for ages or otherwise you wouldn't be hugging me right now." Jennifer said through muffled sobs. "I know about the viral video. I know that somebody filmed us running from the club and posted it online. I saw it." What Adrian said left Jennifer dumbfounded. Why would he be with her right now if he had seen the video?
"But that doesn't make you a bad person." Adrian could almost taste the amount of salt in Jennifer's tears that soaked his shirt now. Jennifer sobbed harder, squeezing her fists into Adrian's flesh. She gripped on him for support. "I hurt my parents. I am a bad daughter. I hurt Debbie right now. I am a bad human." Jennifer confessed the actual reason for her guilt. "No. You are not a bad person." He pulled her hands and brought her somewhere in the room. "Sit here." He said. "Jennifer, what you are feeling right now is called guilt. It doesn't make you a bad person. As for Debbie, do you mind explaining the situation so I can help you." Adrian spoke very calmly. Jennifer explained him about what happened in the class and about what she did.
"What you did is called being brave and standing up for the right thing. It is actually a very good thing to do." Adrian was impressed at how bold Jennifer had become. He was quite happy. When he first met Jennifer she was so afraid, so timid. The only display of her boldness was when Winston tried to touch her. But now, she was standing for herself and others. It was a nice sign.
"Y-You don't care about it?" Jennifer said in disbelief. Adrian laughed. "No. If one is good, it will shine. You don't need to be sad." He kneeled in front of her and wiped the tears off her cheeks. Jennifer smiled at him. "How lucky I am to have you in my life?" Jennifer murmured. "Huh! What did you say?" Adrian smirked. "Nothing." She smiled.
"I heard you." Adrian said as he walked out of the room, leaving Jennifer behind to sort her thoughts, alone.