Oh, Heather

Chapter Seventeen

Jada walked into Math, sitting down beside Heather.

“Where are the other two? They’re usually pretty early.” She asked.
“I don’t know.” Heather replied.
“Okay then.” 

She glanced over at her hands, watching Heather pick at her nails. Jada noticed that she did that often. She would pick at her nails or softly scratch the inner part of her arm.

“Why do you do that?”
“Huh?”
“Pick at your nails. I see you do it a lot.”
“It’s a nervous thing. I try not to do it but I can’t help it.” She mumbled.
“I get it.” She replied.

She looked up at the classroom door to see Miley and Leo. 

“Sorry we were late sir.” Miley said.
“It’s alright. I haven’t begun class yet, so take your seats.”

The class went by fast, so did her next few. She sat down in chemistry, hoping it would go by quicker than it had been the last few weeks. The teacher walked in and immediately began with her lesson.

“Today is the last day you will be working with partners. For now at least.” She said. 

She instructed the students to finish up the work they weren’t able to complete since coming back from winter break. Heather pulled out her notebook, placing it in front of Jada.

“Can you go over what we’ve written and make sure it’s right?” She asked.

She rolled her eyes as she opened the notebook. She lightly skimmed over the pages, only searching for obvious mistakes. 

“It looks fine.” She said, sliding the notebook across the table.
“Did you even actually read it?” 
“I read enough.” She replied.
“I’m definitely failing.” Heather groaned.

She thought for a moment about what to say. She knew Heather’s grades were important to her. She bit the inside of her cheek and exhaled an annoyed breath.

“Let me reread it then. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“It's fine. You don’t have to reread it.” She said.

Jada rolled her eyes and took the notebook back. She propped her knees up against the desk, putting the notebook between her legs to comfortably flip through the pages. She tossed the notebook back onto the table.

“I reread it. Again.”
“Do I need to change anything?”
“No. Everything is right.” She said harshly.
“Okay.” Heather replied annoyed.

Jada glanced at Heather’s lips, a light gloss that seemed to be wearing off that she could only see on her top lip. She noticed a small scar that cut through the center of her bottom lip. It looked like it had been there for a while, though it seemed to be healing well. The teacher dismissed them and Jada wasted no time to leave. She slowly made her way through her last two classes, waiting for the day to be over. As she stepped out of the building, she took a deep breath, slowly walking to her usual after school spot. She dropped down, the cold winter air blowing against her bare shoulders.

She pulled her bag from her shoulder, grabbing her jacket from her bag. The rose colored jacket didn’t match what she normally wore, but she enjoyed wearing the jacket. Her grandma gave it to her a few months before she passed. It was the only thing she had that her mother hadn’t taken. She slid it over her shoulders, resting her head against the brick wall. She checked the time on her phone, deciding to head home early.

She opened the front door, her dad passed out drunk on the couch with multiple empty beer cans laid beside the couch. Jada walked quietly into her room, lying down on her bed. She picked up the book that laid open on her bed, the corner of her bed sheet used as a bookmark. She usually enjoyed reading, she would read about 2 or 3 books a month. But as of lately, she hadn’t been reading a lot. 

“Jada!” Her mother called.

She put her phone between the pages and hurried out of the room.

“Yes mom?” She asked.
“Take out the trash.” Her mom slurred.

Gabriella was 39 with a love for partying. She was 5’10 and had the build of a bodybuilder, despite not working out. She had dark skin and wavy black hair that she recently cut into a short bob. She was married to Ryan Garrison, but that never stopped her from bringing other guys in and out of the house. Ryan was a model who got fired a couple years ago. He had brown hair and a few strands of gray that he tried to cover with a hat.

He was white and had blue eyes, but they weren’t as mesmerizing as his teenage fans described whenever he still modeled, they were absent of any emotion and boring, too. There was nothing that stood out about him, not anymore. He worked a normal 9-5, drank whatever he could find whenever he wasn’t working, and stood at exactly 6’0. He had a beer belly, though he constantly denied it. 

Jada tossed the last bag of trash into the dumpster, wiping off what had fallen onto her hands. She walked into the bathroom to wash her hands as she listened to her mother crush a beer can. She could hear the rough whispers of her mom, blabbering about her work day. Jada rolled her eyes as she quietly walked back to her room, trying to avoid Gabriella. She pulled back her curtains, smiling at the gentle sunset.
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A bit more insight to Jada's life.