AN:
In The End, Linkin Park; Bring Me to Life, Evanescence; Last Hope, Paramore; XO, Fall Out Boy; Famous Last Words, My Chemical Romance; and/or Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day.
{The first wall
Keeps most people away.}
It extends about three feet around her
In every direction
Blocking off most people from seein g
(It's the best secret-keeper ever.)
Jade got it for her eleventh birthday
When her parents split
It's made of stainless steel and barbed wire...
It could take forever to break
Or it could take two seconds.
And it wasn't luck of the draw.
Robbie Shapiro
Envied the wall.
He needed protection.
He was getting enough trouble
For his awkwardness and afro
And adding Rex to the mix
Didn't exactly help.
He saw Jade one day
At her locker, which was right next to his
(Though out of fear, he made a point
Of never getting out his books
At the same time as her.)
Suddenly, he felt a sort of uneasiness
Because what self-respecting guy
Is jealous of a girl's toughness?
(He didn't know much about people,
But he was pretty sure
That wasn't how things should work.)
And the needneedNEED
For a barrier, for a safe haven
{a friend}
Was suddenly overwhelming.
He circled the steel wall
Frowning, looking for a crack
That he could squeeze his skinny frame through
(Quiet, quiet)
Jade still saw him.
"The hell are you doing, Shapiro?"
The words were sharp
And sliced Robbie's pale skin
Even though he tried to dodge them
(Still he was determined not to run.)
"I'm just- j-"
"What?"
It was a snarl.
Robbie tried again.
"Just-"
Rex cut in.
"Hunting for swordfish.
Geez, waddaya think?"
Jade raised an eyebrow.
Shoot.
Why did he have to do that?
Robbie held his breath.
(WhatWasHeThinkingHe'sDeadDeadDead-)
Two cracks:
Jade cracking a smile
And a crack in the wall.
Robbie slipped inside
And that was that.
He wasn't the first.
He had gotten his barrier, his safe haven, his-
["Don't you dare call me your friend, Shapiro."]
Still.
He didn't want to push his luck
He hadn't gotten so close to anyone
(Because everyone has walls, see,
Most are just invisible.)
And you know what?
He'd done well.
And he'd passed through one
Of the Infamous Jade West's.
The problem is,
Inside that wall
There were more.