Hello everyone! I have decided to finally post a chapter and see what happens. I have had this fanfic in my head for over a year, possibly two, and did type up a rough draft but deleted it since I thought it wasn't very good. However, I'm going to post whatever I want and whatever happens, happens. I have been a fan of West Side Story for a while and thought it needed some more love. I also wanted it to involve a character that it is a bit different from the other Jets, besides Tony and Baby John. So, here it is! Please know that I do not own West Side Story. I only own my OC's. Enjoy!
Chapter One
I took a deep breath as I opened the classroom door and walked inside. As expected all eyes were on me and I didn't enjoy any of it. "Ah, you must be the new student I was informed about." The teacher said with a smile on his face. I nodded my head and waited for whatever was going to happen. "Come here, class this is our new student coming all the way from Texas! What's your name sweetheart?" I walked closer to him and faced the class. "Lola Johnson," I answered. "Well Ms. Johnson, is there anything you want to tell us to get to know you better?" He wrapped an arm around me and gave me a light squeeze which I didn't appreciate. "No," I stated as I looked up at him with a stone cold face. His eyes widened as he quickly let go of me. There were a couple of snickers heard but I didn't care, I just wanted to sit and learn. "Why don't you sit down and we can begin the lesson." I lightly gripped my books as I realized the class was divided into two- well maybe three sections. On one side were the Caucasian students and on the other were the Latino students and awkwardly in the middle was an African American boy, a handicapped girl, some boy snoring in the back, and an empty seat. Gee, I wonder where I'm going to sit. I walked over to that open seat and sat down in it. Carved onto the desk were the words "School is for squares". I placed my books down and took off my bag. "So, today class we will be going over…." I pulled out my journal and pencil and was ready to write whatever we were about to learn, but I felt as if I was being watched. Maybe it was just me but it felt like someone was staring at me. I decided to ignore it and carry on.
-Later On-
After a few classes, it was lunchtime. I decided that I wanted to go check out the library since I hadn't explored the campus yet. Also, no one had bothered to talk to me so I was basically on my own. Once I found my way to the library I sighed in relief, it looked like no one was in there except for the librarian herself. It wasn't very big, but it had books in it so it was good enough for me. I wandered quietly through each of the aisles and just looked around. I then found myself in the history section and couldn't resist stopping and scanning the shelves. I was a bit of a history buff and always read books about world history. I then spotted a black spine that seemed to glisten under the lights. "Pirate's Code" was written on it and I pulled it out. On the cover, it had the Jolly Roger which intrigued me. I opened it up and read a couple of pages, I was hooked in and wanted to take this back home to finish. Without looking up I turned around and was about to head over to the front desk to check it out but someone bumped into me causing both of our books to fall.
"Oh sorry!" He said as he crouched onto the floor to pick up the books. I followed his lead and helped him since he had four large books. As I helped him, I couldn't help but notice two of them were the same. "I didn't know you were going to turn so I tried to hurry." Once both of us had our books we both stood up. I could hear his accent which indicated that English was not his first language. His tan skin and dark brown hair was all very familiar to me and was a bit comforting. "It's alright." I said to him. He gave me a small smile and stared for a bit, something felt weird. "You're the new girl, right?" I nodded my head. "I heard about you in my economics class, we don't get many new students in this school." That seemed a bit odd to me since Manhattan was much larger than Dallas. "Why?" I asked. He didn't seem to have an answer and quickly changed the subject. "So, I heard you're from Texas? But where are you actually from?" I sighed a bit too loudly, I got this question a lot and it got old very fast. "I'm from Texas. Period." I stated. "Oh, sorry it's just that a lot of people, like me, are from San Juan." Oh, I guess each state did have their own kind of Latinos. Back home it's Mexicans, in Florida it's Cubans, and here it's Puerto Ricans. "My name is Jose, yours is Lola, right?" I nodded my head as I stuck out my hand. "Yes, it's nice to meet you Jose." He took it and I gripped it surprising him a bit. That's when I heard whispering and saw the door slightly open and close. Oh, how nice. When I let go I turned around and started to walk towards the front desk again. "So, where's your family from?" He asked as he walked with me. "Who wants to know you or the people you're reporting back to?" I said as I slammed my book down. My frustration was starting to bubble up in my stomach. The librarian grabbed my book and began to write down the name of it on a pad of paper. "What?" The librarian asked for my name and I quickly answered before I walked closer to Jose. "If people want to know so badly they should ask for themselves rather than send you." He gently set down his books and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "No one sent me." He laughed and I saw the sweat on his forehead beginning to form. "No one was here when I got here and you're carrying two of the same book." He looked over at his stack and then back at me. "I'm uh checking out one for my friend." I didn't like being lied to so I grabbed my book and began to walk away. "Goodbye Jose." I said as I walked out the door. That's when I noticed three boys waiting beside the door. They must have been waiting for Jose, because they all jumped in surprise and were looking around for someone else. I scoffed and began to walk down the hallway.
-Later On-
As I walked into my final class for the day I felt that familiar stare on me again. I sat down and waited if the feeling would stop but it didn't. I tried my best to ignore it but the longer it went on the harder it was getting. I had to figure out who it was and get them to knock it off. I "accidentally" dropped my pencil on the floor and leaned over to pick it up and that's when I saw him. He had ice blue eyes and dirty blonde hair parted on the side; he was tall and had a stare that was just as cold as mine. As I picked up my pencil I made sure that I didn't take my eyes off of him. He didn't look away and raised an eyebrow as if I was being rude. As he continued to stare I decided that it would be foolish to play along. I turned around and lightly tapped my pencil on the desk. I had seen him in my first period, and fourth and now here. I wonder who he was and why he was staring at me because I didn't like it one bit. Maybe it was just because I was the new kid? I'm gonna give it a week, and if he continues to stare at me I'm going to confront him about it. I was no pushover and didn't take shit from anyone. If my parents taught me anything, it was to never let people take advantage of you.
Once class was over I packed my things together and stood up. As I was just about to step to the side to walk away from my desk, someone slightly pushed passed me which almost made me drop my things. As he walked by he made sure to make eye contact with me and, boy, did I give it right back to him. He took his time on his way out the door and I was livid. Who does he think he is? No reason for anyone to be a jackass, especially to someone they don't know. When he was out the door I had to fight the urge to run over to him and reach up to his ear yank him down to the floor. Thankfully I was able to take a few deep breaths and remained calm. "Just give it a week," I whispered to myself right before I walked out the door. When I walked out the entrance of the school I felt that familiar pair of eyes on me again, only this time it wasn't just his, it was his entire gang's. I didn't feel threatened but I also didn't feel welcomed either. All of their eyes followed me as I walked passed them and I didn't bother to look any of them in the eye because they didn't deserve my attention. I couldn't wait to get back to the apartment and tell Papa how my day was.
"Hey, girly!" I heard someone shout somewhere behind me. I assumed it was meant for someone else but then a girl ran in front of me. She had light brown hair that stopped right above her shoulders and wore a baby pink colored dress. "Hi, you're the new girl, right?" She asked with a smile on her face. "Yes," I replied. "My name's Susan, but everyone calls me Susie." I stuck out my hand and said "Lola, nice to meet you." She hesitated to take my hand but did and gave me nothing but fish. One thing that was a pet peeve of mine was when people had a weak handshake. I let go and continued walking. "So, how do you like it here in Manhattan?" In all honesty, Manhattan was noisy, crude, and had problems with personal space. "It's okay," I answered. "Oh, well that's nice. I was trying to look for you during lunch but didn't have any luck. If you want you could eat with me and my friends tomorrow." I looked both ways before running across the street. "Thank you for the invite but I like to read when eating," I admitted to her. "Oh, well that's okay! We usually eat by the right side of campus, outside the band hall, so if you wanna come join us you know where we are." She was awfully nice and I didn't want to appear rude in any way but I enjoyed my solidarity. "Oh, I have to go pick up my little sister. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe? Have a nice day!" She then ran off and I watched her hurriedly cross the busy street. Perhaps I would take up her offer, but for now, I just wanted to get home.
-Later On-
I helped my Papa wash up the dishes before turning in. During our dinner, I told him everything that had happened and he didn't seem very happy about the staring boy, but I reassured him that I could take care of myself. After everything was cleaned up he kissed the top of my head and wished me a good night. I walked into my small bedroom, which I didn't mind it being small since I didn't have very many things, and flopped onto the twin sized bed I owned. I looked out the window and passed the fire escape and saw the pitch black sky with very few stars. I guess I was spoiled with how many stars there were back at home because I missed them. Along with my other grandparents that still resided there. The only people that I didn't really miss, that I could never admit to any of my grandparents, were my own parents. Both were stationed off in some other country and had been like that ever since I was just a little kid. I always envied the other kids since they had at least one parent around, neither of mine ever were. Sure, they would visit every once in awhile but they always went back to wherever they came from. Why bother having a kid when you don't ever see them? My mom's parents, my Abuela and Abuelo, had taken care of me up until a few months ago. Then they decided it would be best if I spent the remaining of my teenage years with my Papa here. I didn't fight with them on this because a few years ago I had lost my Nana, and ever since then my Papa was incredibly lonely. This was the least I could do because I didn't know how much time he had left, and I wanted to make sure that whatever time he did have, I was there with him. Family is important, something my parents still haven't figure out.