POV: Lena
About a 2 week ago, Jay walked me home. It wasn't a big deal or at least, that's what I thought at first. But when my parents saw him, they were livid. Their faces turned red like I had dragged some criminal into the house. And honestly, maybe that's what they thought. Every parent in town seemed to know about Jay, the kid from the worst area in the city somehow attending the top school. It was the kind of thing people whispered about at PTA meetings, shaking their heads in disbelief. I even heard some parents started a petition to get him expelled, but since it's a public school, they didn't have any real power.
My parents, though? They overreacted. He didn't do anything weird he just walked me home because it was getting dark. That's it. But that's not what mattered to them. It never mattered if he did anything or not. What they cared about was me. Or rather, the version of me they wanted to show the world: their perfect little daughter. Perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect manners. Not a strand of hair out of place. And walking home with Jay? That shattered their image of me, made them think I was tainting myself just by being near him.
Since then, I haven't talked to him much. Well… except for when he asked me for twenty dollars. That's the only thing he's said to me since that day. I wanted to ask him why he stopped talking to me, but part of me is scared he resents me now. Maybe he thinks I didn't stand up for him or that I've judged him like everyone else. He hasn't made any effort to reach out, either. It's like we've gone back to being strangers.
Instead, I've noticed him spending more time with this guy in our class Trevon. I know his name because everyone knows his name. The girls in class won't stop talking about him. How tall he is, how cute he looks when he smiles, how he's smart enough to ace every test without even trying. He's their "perfect guy." Some girls have even tried confessing to him, but they always chicken out or get so flustered they can't say a word. He already has a harem of admirers, so I never really paid much attention to him.
Every day, I see them talking more and more, like they're becoming friends. Good friends, even. It's weird, seeing Jay with someone like that. Trevon is everything Jay isn'tpopular, polished, almost untouchable. And yet, they seem to get along. Meanwhile, Jay hasn't spoken to me once. Not even a "hi" in the hallways.
Granted, I haven't tried either. I'm starting to wonder if we were ever really friends to begin with. Maybe he never cared about me and only saw me as someone to use. The idea stings more than I want to admit, but his actions… they make it hard to think otherwise.
And yet, something in my gut tells me I'm wrong. That there's more to him than what I see on the surface. He's always been quiet, but lately, it feels like he's hiding something something big.
I just don't know if I'll ever get close enough to find out what it is.
It's been a full week now since Jay started hanging out with Trevon. And after Monday, I've seen the Queen with them, too. She's actually hanging out with him. Him. The guy everyone whispered about for being from the worst part of town. Now, suddenly, he's part of their circle.
He even came to karate club once. Jay. In my space. The place I always went to blow off steam, to forget about my parents and their endless demands. And there he was, standing on the sidelines, watching like he belonged there.
It's like the second he stopped talking to me, his life got better. Like I was holding him back somehow.
The thought twists in my gut. I tried my best to be there for him. I wanted to help him, to make him feel like he wasn't alone. But maybe all I ever did was weigh him down. Now I see him walking home with Trevon and the Queen, all three of them laughing and talking like they've been friends forever. And me? I'm left behind, wondering if he even remembers I exist.
Did he forget about me? Does he even care? Or was I just… nothing to him?
I don't understand. The more I think about it, the more my chest tightens, the harder it gets to hold back the tears. I just want to scream. Or cry. Or both.
And then there's the Queen. Why did she suddenly start hanging out with him? I've seen Jay seek her out in the hallways, starting conversations like it's the easiest thing in the world. He's never done that with me. Not once. And when he showed up at the karate club, I noticed the faint blush on her cheeks. Nobody else seemed to, but I did.
It's obvious. She has a crush on him.
That's why she's always around him now. That's why he keeps talking to her. And the worst part? He seems okay with it. Maybe even happy about it.
Meanwhile, I'm stuck on the outside, watching it all happen. I have friends plenty of them. I'm one of the most popular girls in school, after all. But when I'm with them, I have to be perfect. I can't slip up, can't let my guard down, can't say the wrong thing. It's exhausting, suffocating.
But when I was with Jay… I didn't have to pretend. I could be myself the real me, the one I've been suppressing for years. The messy, imperfect version my parents would never accept. He didn't care about my perfect exterior. He never judged me for the cracks beneath the surface.
And now he's gone.
It's my parents' fault. If they hadn't freaked out about him walking me home, none of this would've happened. I'd still be there with him. I'd be part of their group. We'd be a four, not a three.
But no. My parents had to ruin it. They ruin everything. They don't see me as a person they see me as a reflection of themselves. Every time I get less than a perfect score, every time I fail to meet their impossible standards, they punish me.
My dad doesn't even need a belt he uses his powers. He whips me with energy lashes that leave marks all over my body. Marks I have to hide, even in gym class. I can't change in front of anyone because if they see… if they see, I'll lose everything.
Sometimes I catch myself staring at those marks in the mirror, wondering what they mean. Are they proof that I'm broken?
The anger is always there now, simmering just beneath the surface. Every time my parents criticize me, every time they look at me like I'm a failure, it bubbles up a little more. I can feel it building, and I don't know how much longer I can keep it in.
I'm tired of pretending. Tired of being their perfect daughter. Tired of living in a cage they built around me.
One day, I'm going to snap. And when I do, they'll finally see the real me the me they tried so hard to destroy.