They Never Knew
- A fanfiction by C.B.A. and CinniSummary:
Jean Cadac is not what one calls special. She's not pretty, isn't academically gifted to say the least, and certainly doesn't have any exceptional talents. But she is in band. However, at her small school in Texas, isn't everybody? So out of everyone, why did the hottest guy in school have to choose her?Author's Note
- This chapter is written by C.B.A. (me!) The next chapter will be written by Cinni, and in case if you haven't noticed the pattern, we will switch off after every chapter. Please read and review, it will be much appreciated!Chapter one
- Lost in RealityGreat, it has only the first few minutes of school, and already I'm lost. Why does everybody seem to know where they're going but me? Jean mentally fumed to herself as she roamed the narrow hallways of her school, avoiding student bodies that always seemed to be in her way.
Well I guess it doesn't matter now. Everybody's moving way too slow for me to actually get anywhere. Jean sighed heavily as she miserably eyed all the students conversing and laughing. Why couldn't she be like that and just relax?
The teenage girl vaguely reminded herself that it was because she was a freshman, and freshmen weren't supposed to be at the top of everyone's social list. In fact, they were considered dirt for all the upperclassmen to walk on. Why was everything so unfair?
And why does my school especially have to be so stereotypical?
Jean pursed her lips together, noting how everyone stayed in their own groups, and very rarely let anyone in. It just made it all the harder for new freshmen to belong, something she wasn't good at.
Maybe that's because I've never really belonged anywhere, not even in my own grade. I have no friends, and especially have no boyfriend. She winced, thinking about how strange it would be to actually have an intimate relationship with someone.
But Jean knew that would never happen. Standing at a scrawny 4'8, she was often overlooked and hard to see. She was a very skinny girl, with coke bottle eyeglasses that just magnified her already large gray eyes. Her hair was a dark brown, ruined by do-it-yourself blonde highlighting kits and was cropped very short, just below her ears. She knew the hairstyle was bad for her already round face, but she just didn't want to take care of it if it were to grow any longer.
She as well knew it wasn't just her face that was the problem. It was her overall body. Being one of the "late bloomers," Jean knew she definitely didn't even look how a teenage girl should at age 15. Much to her frustration, people have even mistaken her for a little kid at times.
Jean also was aware of how shy she was in front of people. Never having a strong voice, she found it very difficult to speak up for herself, let alone to not find it embarrassing to talk in front of people at all. Her face would always flush a deep red along with her ears, as her voice would become all choked up making it difficult to control her breathing whenever she spoke. Thus, during school presentations she would always do exceedingly bad whenever it was required of her to speak.
Which was why she never did very well in school. Being too shy to work as a group, or to do presentations, her grade always suffered for her timidity, much to her parents' and teachers' annoyance.
"What's the matter with you? Can't you speak up for yourself at all? Your grade's at stake here!" Jean's mother would always rant whenever she saw her daughter's discouraging report card. There were even times where the teachers had to step in.
"We regret to inform you that your daughter has been earning exceedingly low grades due to her lack of participation. We ask that you, as the parent/guardian of this child, take action to assist your child in achieving grades that will at the very least help him/her graduate from the 8th grade.
Sincerely,
Wedgerton Junior High's School Staff"
Which was why Jean's parents forced their daughter to at least keep one of her school activities the moment she tried to drop out of all of them. Once they found out their daughter's problem was her lack of social skills, her parents refused to let Jean quit the one activity she loathed the most: band.
Naively trying out for band as a clarinet in the fifth grade, Jean at first believed it would be a fun activity to pursue. Never thinking band as a major school activity, she believed it would give her an activity to work on, without attracting too much attention. Band was for geeks, right?
As the years rolled on, Jean soon came to realize how wrong she was. As it turned out, Wedgerton, being the small school it was, decided to make its band their number one priority. It soon became very clear that band would actually attract the most attention of any school activity. Even football, much to its fans' dismay.
Wedgerton High's band soon became one of the best, as they would more and more often participate in contests and parades. They were alarmingly beating out bands that have never been beaten before, and becoming increasingly known to other school bands.
Once Jean found this out, she became more and more desperate to quit band as her last year of Junior High came to an end.
I can't be in the high school band, I refuse! There is no way anyone will make me. They can't force me to be in something I don't want to be in.
And yet, much to the teenage girl's horror, her parents did in fact make her stay in band. Threatening to take the computer and TV out of her room, she was forced to comply to her parents demands. Staying cooped up in her room all day, what else could she do besides watch TV and play computer games? Nothing. Which was why she eventually agreed.
Jean was snapped out of her dismal thoughts the moment the school bell's ringing pierced through the hallways, making all the students scramble to get to class on time. Back where she started. Still as lost as ever. Jean sighed as she clutched onto her books more tightly.
Stop fooling yourself, Jean. You're never going to know where you're going or know what you're doing. Because in reality, you'll always be that lost little freshman that no one will ever give a second glance to. You're just a nobody. Lost in reality.
