#veronica jade

[snzical]

it’s the violin jazz lady

[coffeefueledopinions]

Without looking at him, she followed his footsteps and climbed the rust colored steps that matched the walls around her. His steady hand reached out and opened the door, waiting for her to enter ahead of him. This was her life, others waiting to follow behind her in whatever she did, and yet somehow she had a feeling that all of that was about to change. Public school had never even been a thought before. It had always been like a fairy tale, a campfire story told to rich kids to frighten them into behaving. Large ugly buildings where children of all ages congregated behind locked doors to mingle and attempt to learn all at the same pace were a thing of nightmares, not reality. Walking through the hallways adorned with gray lockers and off-white paint was almost suffocating. If she hadn't been so distracted by her thoughts she might have felt the walls closing in on her. Weren't they supposed to have cheesy posters or something? The high schools in movies always had club advertisements and ridiculous motivational posters plastered all over the walls. Somehow this place didn't quite seem real without them.

There were people everywhere. Kids ranging in ages from fourteen to eighteen moved to the sides of the hallways as she passed. They parted like the Red Sea, and she was Moses with a man in a suit instead of a blessed staff. Dark Prada sunglasses concealed the uncertainty in her eyes as she glanced around at her new peers. She could see them sizing her up, taking in the loose fitting sleeveless band tee, her shredded gray skinny jeans, and calf-length studded combat boots. Chocolate brown hair fell naturally around her face in a way that generally made people wonder whether she'd spent all morning making it look windswept or if she'd merely rolled out of bed and put on clothes. Dark red lipstick stood out in contrast with her alabaster skin. Beneath the sunglasses were guarded grey eyes rimmed with lashes worthy of anyone's envy and darkened with smoky shadow and liquid black liner. Bracelets of varying sizes took up half of each forearm. She'd made her earrings herself out of guitar picks from her favorite concerts, and a thin black cord wrapped tightly around her neck to serve as a necklace.

Though she knew she looked nothing like people imagined, it was obvious that everyone knew who she was. It was pretty difficult to miss the only girl in school with a body guard. The expression on the students' faces ranged from pity to wonder, and the teachers were even less successful at hiding their curiosity. A brief sigh escaped her as she turned towards a doorway and bodies scurried to get out of her way. Sixteen years of being kept from the world had made her a commodity, something that people would pay to see. Now that she was out and attempting to integrate into society it seemed that people would never stop gawking. Normally she ignored those around her, but the glow of admiration from a girl to the right of the door practically blinded her as she was about to pass. Stopping briefly for a bit of fun, she turned her head and gave the girl an obvious once over before lifting the edge of her lips in a sexy smirk and turning to enter the room.

A swift intake of breath and a small squeak were all she heard before footsteps tore away from the door. A brief glance over her shoulder confirmed that the girl had run off, and her peers had found it amusing. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Her oversized bag dropped at the base of a desk at the front of the room as she slouched into the seat. If they wanted to spend all of their time looking at her then she might as well give them a good view. Her suited muscle positioned himself in the corner of the room next to the door, silently watching everything and everyone. As she waited for some signal that class was to start, her heart began to race. This was really happening. She was at a public school, as a student, enrolled and waiting for an actual class to begin. Something between fear and excitement bubbled in her chest. Never before had she experienced stage fright, but she had a feeling that this was something similar to how that must feel.

Her anxiety climbed each time another student entered the room. Though her posture was slack and uncaring, as though sitting in this uncomfortable desk was the most natural thing in the world to her, she could feel the urge to run building as each second passed. Were anyone to pay enough attention they would notice her feet planted squarely on the ground and the muscles in her arms tightened as she forced herself to remain still and feign nonchalance. Her mind was spinning, blaming her father for all of this. If only he would have listened to her before. If only he hadn't married that monster. If only they hadn't been so desperate to go to Spain for a month. A hard wall shot up in her brain, keeping her thoughts from going any further. This was not the time or place for such things to be occupying her mind. She had different worries to deal with now.

A loud buzzing echoed above her head and caused her body to jerk involuntarily. A few more students hurried into the room and took their seats before the sound cut out suddenly, making her wonder if she'd only imagined the strange noise. The room was suddenly filled with a silence that was almost palpable. If anyone hadn't noticed her in the center of the front row before then it was obvious they all had now. Slow breaths forced their way in and out of her lungs as she fought back the slow blush that was attempting to creep up from her chest. It hadn't yet reached visible skin, but if she didn't calm down then it soon would. Her brain began to count in intervals of six, shutting out the world and all of the perils it birthed.

As her brain worked to put up walls, someone in the room decided to brave the silence. She'd known it would happen sooner rather than later, but she had hoped to get through at least one class first. A voice from the back of the room bounced off the walls, shoving its words into her ears with a force like a tornado. The pitch of the voice was deep, but somehow still managed to carry a slight whine in its words. Her chest clenched as she heard it, trying to somehow prevent her ears from hearing him by willing her not to breathe. It was a slap in the face, a challenge presented by one of her new classmates. It was a test, and she could feel the room watching to see if she would pass or fall on her face.

"So this is Veronica Jade. Everyone spends sixteen years trying to figure out if the daughter of Henry Jade even exists or if she's just a myth, and suddenly she's a student at Vickery Mills High. No one would even believe it was her if it weren't for the muscle in the corner. What's the matter, afraid some kids are going to be mean to you? Can't handle it if people aren't sunshine and rainbows? Hey Jade, tell me, do you give as good of head as the tabloids say you do? I hear you can work magic with your tongue. C'mon, why don't you come over here and show everyone what you can do."

It was as if the air had been vacuumed out of the room. Twenty students held their breath in anticipation of her response. The suit brought his weight forward, waiting for her to give him the go ahead to remove this bully. This was something she needed to handle herself, though. Thousands of scenarios hurried through her brain as she tried to figure out what to do. This was the moment that would define the rest of her high school career. The way she responded here would shape how every person in this building saw her for the next two years. Would she crumble and become the sissy disappointment, letting down every hope and dream any of these kids had ever had for her? Would she laugh and make pals with the kid who was attempting to torment her, effectively setting herself up to be just like him? Would she ignore it and become the strange silent girl who cloaks herself in mystery but isn't truly that exciting?

All of these options raced through her mind in the span of a single blink. As much as she would like to choose how others saw her, his words sparked a fire of anger within her. The adrenaline that had been fueling her energy all morning was set ablaze by his disrespect, and the decision was suddenly made for her. Slowly she reached up and removed her sunglasses, placing them carefully on the desk in front of her. She could feel every eye in the room trained on her as she turned in her seat, placing her feet to one side of the desk and lifting herself to a standing position. With careful steps she sauntered towards the boy who was obviously the source of the voice. Her hips swayed slightly as she moved, a lazy smirk on her lips and danger dancing in her eyes.

It wasn't difficult to size the kid up in the few seconds it took to reach him. His build and cocky smile would have made it obvious that he was a football player even if he hadn't been wearing a school jersey. The way he leaned back in his chair made it seem as if he wanted everyone to think he were at ease with himself, laughing at the world, but she could see the uncertainty hidden deep in the brown eyes that watched her approach. She had seen the concealed pain and fear often enough in mirrors to recognize it in someone else. This was a boy who needed to prove that he was worth being on top, even to himself. The top was a lonely place, she knew this from experience. Even though high school had a different dynamic than the world she knew, how the system worked was uniform across the world. This was one of the school's token popular kids, and she was about to take him down a notch.

Leaning forward as she reached him, she bent at the waist and placed both hands on his desk. Her lips stretched in a way that to anyone else it would look like she were smiling, but the jock could see the threat in her eyes. She was a lioness showing her teeth. His facade faltered for only a second as he realized what was about to happen, but there was no turning back now and so he replaced it almost immediately with a little bit of effort. He had made a mistake, and she was thrilled to see that he knew it. She leaned over his desk a little more, making sure that there were only about six inches between their faces and allowing anyone behind her a fantastic view of the ass she put so much effort into toning. Heart racing, she prayed that no one around her could hear it as loudly as it pounded in her ears. Anger, adrenaline, fear, and something that resembled excitement flooded through her and gave her the courage to speak.

"The tabloids don't know shit. Baby, I could make you cum without even touching you. You'll never get to experience the pleasure I could bring to you, though. See, I've heard stories about the big bad football players who think they're hot shit. Honestly I was a little worried about how I would handle average bullies like you. I figured you might have some different ammo or more creative tactics than the trashy magazines. This is really disappointing for me. Turns out you get everything you need from reading People and Star and other ridiculous tabloids. Now, you have two choices here. Either you can get some better material and come back when you've grown enough of a brain to make this battle of wits a little more even, or you can attempt to show your classmates that you're smarter than me and I'll not only prove you wrong, but also use mystical powers of deduction to figure out which guy in here you think is the cutest and reveal your crush to the world. Your choice meat head."

The jock's face was about the color of a tomato by the time her raspy voice had finished tearing him apart. Her teeth exhibiting smile had turned into an almost lustful glare as she'd watched the transformation. His confidence was gone, the cocky slouch tightened and transformed into a defensive position that suggested he would prefer to be anywhere but in that room. It was a powerful feeling, standing over the obviously admired student and feeling the revered hush that fell on the room as she knocked him off his pedestal. Veronica had never thought she could gain such pleasure out of making someone else feel bad about themselves. The thought was quickly dashed from her mind and she told herself that she was only pleased to have put the bully in his place. She ignored the growing feeling of desire pooling in the pit of her belly as she watched him contemplate how to respond. It had nothing to do with how cruel she was being. It merely the stress, tension, and adrenaline of the morning attempting to find an outlet.

Just as the bully was about to attempt a response, a loud slam sounded at the entrance to the room and all heads whipped around to see who had entered. Veronica's breath caught in her throat as she laid eyes on him for the first time. He was perfect. He wore faded jeans, a white button down shirt, and a tweed jacket. Intelligent green eyes attempted to hide behind thick rimmed glasses as they surveyed the classroom, obviously taking note of what was out of place and checking for trouble. Her lips parted slightly as she inhaled, noticing the dark edge of a tattoo trying to peek out above the buttons at the top of his shirt. Suddenly the rest of the room was gone. The students had disappeared. There was nothing and no one there but for the girl and this strangely gorgeous creature before her. She wanted to run her fingers through his thick copper hair, kiss each and every freckle, and press herself against his slim figure until the day turned to night and back again. Her mind was attempting to run wild with fantasies when she was jerked back to reality as he opened his mouth and words were directed towards her.

"Miss, I realize that you are a new student, but that does not change the rules. Once the bell has rung all students should be in their seats and ready to begin the class. My tardiness is unacceptable, but that does not excuse you from the rules. Please return to your seat and pull out your supplies. The rest of you who know the rules and have followed them, turn to page thirty one and we shall pick up where we left off yesterday."

His voice was like honey dripping over her skin. It took a moment for her to realize what he'd actually said, and by then it was obvious that the class had noticed her hesitancy to move. With an attempted air of rebellion, she strutted slowly back to her desk and slid into the seat in what she hoped was a fluid motion. She placed her sunglasses on her head and reached into her bag to pull out the book she'd been provided, a notebook, and a sharpened pencil. Humiliation was attempting to banish all other feelings from her mind, but she was too caught up in those eyes for anything else to matter. She didn't hear a word he said for the rest of the class. Her mind was too lost in the sea of green, trying to wrap itself around the fact that this Adonis was her teacher and she would be forced to look but not touch for however long she was in this school. Nothing else mattered more than finding a way to sate the heat that was growing within her as she watched him. Time flew by too quickly, and by the end of class Veronica had begun to form a plan.