Beautiful

Chap. 3

5 minutes before lunchtime ended, Jennifer was back in her next class. The teacher was busy sorting out something on his desk to even notice her, but Jennifer didn't mind that. She reached inside her pocket and took out her phone, before heading towards the desk she knew belonged to Isla. Jennifer bent down and placed her phone down, right beside the desk, before hurrying back out of the class with a smirk. I just need to make George realize she's not worth it! And with those words in mind, Jennifer headed over to the rest of her friends.

Isla walked out of the bathroom after eating her lunch outside. The cafeteria was always crowded, so she never went there. Of course, she couldn't go home. Her parents never allowed her to come home when school wasn't even done for the day, so her only two options were eat in the bathroom or eat outside. She would have picked the bathroom, but lately Isla had heard that a group of girls liked hanging out in the bathroom at lunchtime, so she had to go outside.

She caught sight of George waiting by her locker and immediately turned around, not wanting to go to her locker anymore. Getting inside class, she took her seat and stuffed her lunchbox inside of her bag before the rest of the other students started rolling in. This was History class, so they were probably going to watch a history video like they had done last class.

"I. . . My phone! It's gone!"

Isla rolled her eyes, but didn't look up. She bent her head down so as to rest before the teacher started class. Suddenly though, she felt someone grab her hair and tug on it, getting her attention. Isla looked up and turned around to see it was Jennifer herself. Jennifer suddenly raised a hand and hit it hard against Isla's cheek. Isla could hear the others laughing in the back. Even the teacher had pretended he hadn't seen anything.

"You thief!" Jennifer yelled in her face. "I get that you're poor and all that, but did you really have to go all the way and steal my phone?!" Jennifer then walked over to where the phone was being placed, right beside Isla's desk. Isla rolled her eyes and bent her head back, tired of the same trick being pulled over and over.

Then the door opened and George walked in. He looked over at where Jennifer was standing — right behind Isla — and he could hear giggles from other girls, so he knew this wasn't a good thing. When Jennifer noticed George standing by the door, she fixed a hidden smirk on her face and turned to Isla again.

"I know we aren't exactly on good terms, but did you really have to steal my phone!" She looked more upset than angry, but Isla could tell it was just an act. In fact, she knew everyone else knew it was just an act, but they pretended it wasn't and just went along with it. "I've already apologized for accidently tripping you over before, is that why you were so mad?" Jennifer sighed, wiping a fake tear from her eyes. "I'm just trying to make friends, not enemies."

Isla could now hear the other students whispering about her. Some of them were even talking too loud on purpose just so she could hear them. They talked about how she was just a thief because her mother never bought her anything. Isla ignored them all, her head still bent and resting on her desk. She had her own phone. Her best friend — her first ever friend — had bought her a phone for her 13th birthday before she moved away. Isla had hidden her phone from her family, afraid that they'd break it. Her sister didn't have her own phone, so she was sure to get mad and jealous once she saw that Isla had one.

She never bothered showing the kids in school her phone either. She always tried her hardest to hide it. If they knew she had her own phone, they would have probably believed that she wasn't a thief then, or maybe they'd accuse her of stealing the phone, so she didn't bother speaking for herself when Jennifer exclaimed that she has stolen her phone.

"Don't have anything to say, huh?" Jennifer grumbled. "You thief! She knows she's a thief, that's why she's not saying anything!" Jennifer laughed along with the others as she headed back to her own desk, putting her phone on top of the desk, and looking over at George. George had sat down on a chair, but he didn't bother laughing along with the other students, nor did he throw crumbled papers with insulting words on them at Isla. Instead, he looked to be minding his own business, not caring what was going on behind him.

George, you'll come around one day!

•

The bell rang and students filed out of the classroom. Jennifer left, but waited by the door. Inside the class, George and Isla were left, busy packing their stuff inside their bags. After he was done, George looked back and started walking over to Isla, although Isla pretended she didn't see him. She tried walking over to the door, but George instantly stopped her from doing so.

"This school is so toxic," He spoke, still holding unto her arm, as if afraid of letting go. "It's okay, though. I believe you. Jennifer's phone is useless, and she probably has a password on it as well, so it wouldn't make sense that you'd steal a phone and hide it where it's so obvious. Jennifer obviously did it to make you look bad."

"Wow," Isla chuckled, turning back to face him. "Well, I'm glad someone has a brain in this class. Even the teachers don't!"

George laughed along with her, before stopping, finally letting go of Isla's arm. "I just wanted to ask. . .why didn't you do or say anything to defend yourself?"

Isla looked down at the floor, before staring at the door. "Because even if I had said anything, everyone were going to still see me as a thief." Isla sighed and walked to the door. "Why waste my breath trying to explain myself on something so stupid?" She didn't say anything else as she opened the door and walked out. Jennifer was still standing by the door, probably waiting for George to walk out, but Isla ignored her, walking past her. Jennifer tried tripping her by stepping her foot out, but Isla jumped over it without a word.

When Jennifer looked at the door, George was standing there, staring at her. "Hey, Georg-" and he walked past her without a word, running towards Isla and telling her to wait up. Jennifer stood there, angry and confused. What the heck does he see in that girl?! What's so good about Isla?!

George caught up with Isla and started walking beside her. Even though as they walked and students stared at them with either a disgusted look or a shocked look on their faces, both George and Isla ignored them all and continued walking, until they got to the exit. When they stepped out of school, George decided it was finally time to ask his question. "Hey, Isla. . . About the project. We're still partners, right?"

"I mean. . . Sure."

George smiled. "Great. I just got an idea of what we could do. How about this? I live together with you for a whole day, get to know how you live your life, spend your day, and you live with me for a whole day and see how I live my life. That way, we can both get an idea of what the other person likes to do in their free time. Then after that, the both of us will switch lives, live as one another, for an entire day. What do you think of that idea?"

Though she knew the idea was pretty great for getting to know each other better, Isla didn't want it. She shook her head disagreeing with what George had said. "I don't like it." She didn't wait for George to say anything after that as she took off and started running back home.