sixteen → jade west

how it all began

Jade had always been one to stand out from the crowd, with her unique style and defiant attitude. The first semester of junior year was no different. She had decided to experiment with her look, dying her hair jet black and plucking her eyebrows to be as thin as possible. Her classmates, however, didn't react as she had hoped.

"Hey, Amy Lee, where's your band?" one of the students jested, referring to the lead singer of Evanescence. Laughter erupted in the hallway.

"Oh, no, it's a vampire from Twilight!" another one called out, covering his neck with his hands dramatically, prompting even more laughter.

Day after day, the mockery continued. From insinuations about her needing to stay out of the sun to questions about her next concert tour, the comments were relentless.

"Do you sleep in a coffin, too?" a classmate asked one day, making Jade roll her eyes.

"Can you play 'Bring Me to Life' on the piano?" another chimed in. This constant barrage of snide remarks had the whole school referring to her as "Amy Lee."

For all her strong personality and confident demeanor, it was starting to wear on her. Even her walk to class wasn't spared, with people humming Evanescence's songs when she passed. No matter how many times she rolled her eyes or told them to shut up, the jokes just kept coming. It was frustrating, to say the least. She had changed her look because she wanted to, not to provide entertainment for the rest of the school.

Jade's frustration turned into anger and annoyance. This was supposed to be a fresh start, a new semester. Instead, it turned into a running joke, a constant reminder of how shallow and petty people could be.