The Beard

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brown eyes meet mine, theirs slightly puffy and red, mine normal, but confused. Jenny stands, twiddling her thumbs as she looks away from me. She looks miserable if I'm being completely honest. Jennifer Braxton has never looked so sad save for when her grandmother had died a couple years ago, shortly followed by her grandfather. For a teenager, she has always been one of the strongest people I know, so to see her like this, it's a bit odd.

My hands shoot to Miguel's arm, pushing him aside so I can take Jenny in. Despite our friendship being on the rocks, she's been my confidant for years. Even with recent events, Jenny is part of me and I love her like a sister, to see her this way is treacherous.

"We'll talk later, Miguel," I tell him, shooting him an apologetic look, but he nods, motioning for me to go. One thing about Miguel is that he's understanding.

I step towards Jenny and grab her hand. My eyes are wide as I look at her. Complimenting her puffy eyes is a pale face, her usual vibrant skin tone, dull. Her curly hair is pulled back into a ponytail, looking dry as if she woke up and decided to not moisturize her hair which is out of character for Jenny. Her clothes are rumpled too and I'm just going to assume that she had grabbed whatever was on her floor. This isn't my normal Jenny, this is like a shell of her, and I don't like it.

"Come, let's leave the cafeteria." I tug her arm gently as I lead the way to the exit. Deciding the best place is the library, I lead Jenny there, knowing only the librarian will be inside.

Like I had predicted, the place is quiet and almost empty, save for the librarian and a couple of students. They pay us no mind as we walk past the student computers and towards some tables in the back. I pull out Jenny's chair, somehow thinking that will brighten up her mood. It doesn't, the frown remains on her face as she plops down. Her head falls into her arms as she places them on the light, wood table. I take my seat next to Jenny and begin rubbing her back. Her shoulders shake as she cries silently, occasionally sniffing.

I decide to finally break the silence. "What's wrong, Jenny? Tell me what happened," I command softly, hoping my voice is open and inviting, just how I feel.

For a moment it's back to silent. The only sound is the typing coming from the students at the computer and the distant sound of turning pages from the librarian. Jenny's shoulders still, her breathing is a little rough now, but she says nothing.

"Do I get to be a bitch?" she suddenly asks, lifting her head and looking at me. Her face is soaked with her tears, new ones quickly replacing the old.

I furrow my eyebrows as I look at her. "What do you mean?" I ask slowly because I'm not sure where this is coming from. Maybe she's been evaluating her attitude towards Micah?

"I mean," Jenny starts, pushing her chair back from the table. "Do I even have a right to discriminate against Micah? I mean, technically no, right? M, out of all people, should know what it's like to feel outcasted."

A frown slowly starts to make its way onto my face. I want to shake my head and groan from Jenny's words. To me, it sounds like she's trying to grasp at any way to perhaps make herself feel better? I'm not sure what she's trying to say. Maybe because she's black, she doesn't get to discriminate against anyone whether for race, ethnicity, or sexuality. That logic...it's a little twisted.

"Jenny, what's going on? Why are you suddenly changing how you think? Because you feel alone or because you actually feel guilty for what you said?" I ask her, tired of beating around the bush.

"Emie," she shakes her head, her lips curling as she thinks. "Greg broke up with me."

Her words stir more confusion within me. Greg is the reason she's been thinking about everything? He's that silver lining to change her?