New Girl ~Jade West~

2

At the end of my first week at Hollywood Arts, things were going alright. I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my new friends, André, Beck, Cat, Robbie and Rex, and Lexi had decided to give me the cold shoulder. Tori and I had decided to go out for coffee at Starbucks, and I told her how my week went. "Dang, this Lexi girl sounds like a real grunch," she said. "Oh, you have no idea. She already thinks that I'm a freak because of how I dress and the music I listen to," I said. "Don't let her get to you, babygirl. You're not a freak. By the way, Trina told me about what happened at lunch on your first day at Hollywood Arts," she said, leaning in to kiss me. I kissed her deeply and hungrily, like it had been months or even years since the last time we kissed instead of a week. "I love you and your kisses so much, boo," I said. "Love you too, babygirl," Tori said with a smile.

I was sitting at home watching TMZ when I got a phone call from Robbie. "Yeah?" I asked. "Have you checked The Slap recently?" he asked, referring to the social media platform used by students at Hollywood Arts. "What, no hello?" I asked sarcastically. "Seriously, have you checked it or not?" He asked me, worry emanating from his voice. "No, why?" I asked, now becoming concerned. "I don't want to say anything about it. Call me back once you've checked The Slap, okay?" He asked. "Okay. Ttyl," I said, and I hung up, immediately going onto The Slap. What I saw turned my world upside down. It was a photograph of me. And Tori. At Starbucks. Making out. I looked to see who had posted it, and it was a name that I didn't recognize. Despite that, I had a feeling that I knew who had taken the picture. I texted the link to the post to Tori, then called Robbie back. "And?" He asked. "I'm gonna kill that witch," I growled angrily. "Woah, calm down a little," he said. "Look, that was something that was private! I didn't want people knowing that I'm into girls!" I said angrily. "I know, I know. I'm sorry I brought it up to you," he said. "Don't be. I'm glad that you brought it up to me. It's better than finding out about it on Monday," I said. "True," he said.

"I gotta go, I've got another call," I said, and hung up with Robbie to answer the call I had from Tori. "Who posted that picture?" She asked before I got a chance to say anything. "I don't know for sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say that it was Lexi," I said. "Okay, this has to be more than just how you dress and what music you listen to," she said. "Well... I think that she thought that I was trying to steal her boyfriend from her on my first day," I said, explaining my theory. "Makes sense, and a lot of people are against same-sex couples. It sounds to me like she's trying to make you seem like an outcast," she said. "I don't know what to do about this," I said. "I don't know either. This won't change the fact that we love each other, and no one can separate us," she said warmly. "Amen to that, boo," I said. I heard her laugh before we said goodbye and hung up, and I sighed, wondering how I got so lucky that I can call a beautiful, funny, kind girl mine.

On Monday, almost as soon as I walked into Hollywood Arts, I knew it wasn't going to be a very good day. I could hear most of the students whispering, and I caught bits and pieces of what they were whispering about. "Can you believe the new girl is going out with another girl?" Was a pretty common one. The ones that really bothered me were the ones saying, "Why would she go out with that girl? She's plain and boring." Then I saw Lexi, who had a triumphant smirk on her face. That smirk made me so angry that I wanted to march right up to her and slap it off her face, but I held myself back. "Hey Jade. How's your little girlfriend?" She asked me in a singsong voice when I got to my locker, which I had customized with some lights that alternated between red, blue, and deep violet, which were found in the band logos that I had made myself during the week when I had some free time. I ignored her and focused on getting my stuff, wishing I could just put my earbuds in and drown out her annoyingly sweet voice. She continued to try to ask me about Tori, and I continued to ignore her.

I don't know what caused the situation in Mr. Sikowitz's class. We were doing some accent exercises, since actors frequently have to use an accent different from their own in movies and television. I was having a conversation with Beck, with him speaking with a British accent, and me speaking with an Irish accent. At one point, our conversation was interrupted by Lexi, who was speaking with a French accent. I hated to admit it, but she had a really good French accent. Out of nowhere, she shoved Beck out of the way and kissed me before I even knew what was happening. I was stunned, and I couldn't will myself to move, and then Lexi pulled me up against her side and took a selfie with me before walking away like nothing happened. "Are you okay, Jade?" Beck asked in his normal voice. I still couldn't will myself to move, and I was still too stunned to speak. "Jade, say something," Cat said, and I could feel the tears coming to my eyes, and I didn't want my friends to see me upset, so instinct took over. I ran out of the classroom, out of the school, finally finding a nice, private spot where I could sit down and let my emotions take control. I put my earbuds in, turned up the volume on my iPod, and hit shuffle, not caring what playlist I was on, or if I was even on a playlist. I sat there and simply cried. I was terrified of what happened in Sikowitz's class, and I was terrified of what Lexi would do with the selfie she took with me.

Just as the song "I Don't Love You" by My Chemical Romance ended, I felt someone lightly tap me on the shoulder, so I paused my music, turned off my iPod, and took out my earbuds before I turned to look at who had tapped my shoulder. It was Cat. "Jade, I don't know what to tell you to help you feel better, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need comfort," she said. "Thank you, Cat. I could really use some comfort right now," I said, just as a familiar text notify sound went off on my phone. "Who texted you?" She asked softly. "T-Tori..." I said with a sniffle. "I can turn around so you can read it privately," she said. "No. You don't have to do that. I'll end up telling you what she said or showing you anyway," I replied as I shakily opened my texts, tapping on Tori's name. I couldn't even finish reading it before my eyes became so clouded with tears that everything was blurry. I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me, and I let my body relax in Cat's embrace. "I'm so sorry. I wish there was something that I could do," she said. "C-can you p-please drive me h-home?" I asked her. "Sure. Come on, let's get you home," she said, helping me walk to my car. She stayed with me when we got to my house, doing everything she could to make it so I didn't have to do much of anything.

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Poor Jade 😥. I included a song below that kind of sums up the last few paragraphs of this chapter. Until next time.