"Smile"

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The lesson dragged on slow. Like a tortoise in a race. For the whole lecture I have to sit there on my seat and let the other students throw papers at me. Finally the bell rang.

Krrriiiinnnngg!!

I stood up from my seat. Picking bits of paper off from my hair. I grabbed my notebook and pen, placing them in my bag. I swing my bag into my shoulder. I stepped out from the room and was about to walk towards the school yard but a voice stopped me.

"Mika!" I looked behind me and saw Ryan.

"Oh, Ryan."

"Where are you going? We're having lunch together remember?" He reminded me. I looked at him with a disbelief face but then it snapped to realization.

"Oh! Right! I totally forgot, sorry." I smiled at him. He smiled back.

"John and JiJi are in the cafeteria already. They saved a table and are waiting for us now." Ryan mentioned.

"Oh, okay." I nodded and we head for the cafeteria silently.

"Oh and hey. After we eat. We need to talk, just the 4 of us." Ryan said when the doors of the cafeteria are in view.

"What would it be about?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, you'll just have to find out." Ryan opened the cafeteria doors and led me to a table where I can see a jumping JiJi and a tired John. I giggled at them.

"Oh! They're here! They're here! They're here!" JiJi exclaimed. John sighed but gave us a smile.

"Here, sit down. John and I will get lunch. What do you want?" Ryan offered.

"Oh, I'll just take a sandwich please." I replied. They looked at me with disbelief. "What?"

"That's it? A sandwich?" Ryan asked.

"Well, yeah." I said. The boys looked at each other and shrugged before leaving. I turned to JiJi who have a very serious expression.

"So, Jimimah Jill Jones ey?" I said trying to make a conversation.

"Yeah." She replied.

"Why the nickname JiJi?"

"JImimah JIll." I gave a nervous cough. "Sometimes they call me Triple J."

"O-okay." She has a really intimidating stare.

"I need to piss, be right back." JiJi stood up to leave.

"Okay." I sat there on our table alone waiting for any of them to come back. Then a hand slammed at the table making me yelp.

"How's it going bitch!?" Brittany asked.

"I-its--." "I didn't say you should talk!" I shut my mouth.

"That bruise on your cheek is getting pretty bad sweetie." Brittany cooed. I gasped. I literally forgot about my bruise. Why didn't Ryan, JiJi and John said anything!?

"Let me make it better for you." I looked up and saw a carton of milk hovering above me. The next thing I knew, I was bathed in milk. I gasped as my clothes got drenched.

The three girls laughed. I whimpered quietly a bit. Then I heard footsteps but I didn't look up.

Slap!

Everyone in the cafeteria got quiet and witness the kerfuffle. I too looked up but slowly. There, I saw, JiJi, hands on her waist, calmly glaring at Brittany. She closed her eyes and breathed in.

"Why did you do that?" She breathed out to Britt, who was holding her cheek. JiJi must have slapped her.

"Why did you do that!?" Britt demanded back.

"I asked the question first." JiJi calmly replied. "Why did you do that when she did nothing wrong?"

"So what? You've got nothing to do with this." Tiffany backed up when Brittany stayed silent for a while.

"Actually, I do. I am her friend and friends doesn't leave their friends hanging. Just like what you did with your, sweet, friend Brittany here." I can tell their is sass and sarcasm in her reply.

"Now excuse us. I'll be cleaning her in the bathroom." JiJi continued picking me up from the bench. "And I wouldn't mind for you to go back and rot in your dirthole." She smiled sweetly at Brittany and the girls and they gasped.

I watched JiJi picked up all our bags (including the boys), and grabbed my arm. "Ciao!" Then we left.

I hesitantly looked back and saw the three glaring at me. I felt JiJi stopped and turned back to them with a small evil smirk so I stopped as well and looked up. John and Ryan were there standing on our sides. They were flanking us, making JiJi and I in the center (and I also realize how short JiJi is, she's like 5'2 and I'm 5'5 and the boys are like 6' with an inch difference). They almost look like overprotective brothers with their glares.

"Oh and if you keep glaring at us like that. Your faces will stay like that. We wouldn't want you guys to have stiff face syndrome now would we?" JiJi gave them a smug smile. "See yah!" Then we're out of the cafeteria.

"I'll beat the shit out of those bitches soon enough." John muttered once we were all out and Ryan snickered. JiJi stayed silent as she pulled me, John held our lunches which were inside paper bags, Ryan took our bags except JiJi's. JiJi led us to the girl's bathroom, the boys stopped at the entrance while JiJi and I proceed inside.

"Sit on the counter." JiJi ordered, I obliged. "Now to treat that wound of yours first."

"Why didn't you guys tell me I have the wound?" I asked.

"We wouldn't want you to run away from us." I looked at her as she started treating my wound.

"W-what?"

"We knew you were bullied, I bet your thinking that once we know that you are, we'll leave you but no, we wouldn't. We knew you're afraid of not being accepted. You're afraid of being left alone again." JiJi placed a bandage on my cheek. "Afraid of getting hurt again." Tears pricked my eyes.

"Ever since we first met I tried to smile and laugh all the time to make you smile and laugh as well. The plan worked. Turns out I'm as contagious as the boys had said." JiJi giggled before pulling out clothes from her bag as I started crying.

"Here change into these, I'm kinda small but I wear huge clothes. These might fit." She handed me the clothes. She not wrong though, she is wearing an oversized green T-shirt, black high waisted shorts, and the original Adidas color. She also had 6 bracelets on her right wrists, a watch and three hair ties, 1 black and 2 white, on her left.

"Okay." I jumped off from the counter and went to one of the empty stalls to change to the clothes JiJi gave me. It was a white oversized T-shirt and black leggings. A knock was erupted in the door, I opened it, it was JiJi.

"Wipe yourself with this as well." She handed me a wet towel. I nodded as I took it from her and locked the door again. I stripped off my pants, then my jacket, I shivered when I saw the marks. I wiped myself with the wet towel from the now sticky milk, then I changed into the clothes. I looked at my arms and took my arm bands and wore them.

"Are you done?" I heard JiJi asked. I sniffed.

"Y-yeah." I croaked out. I opened the door and stepped out. I looked at JiJi as she turned to look at me, she smiled.

"Gimme your clothes." She said and I did. She took my wet clothes and placed them in a plastic bag she had with her. She took her two white hair ties and propped herself up on the counter. She pulled me by the shoulders closer to her and started braiding my hair.

"Yeah, I know. I'm so short. You can laugh." She snorted as she part my hair into two. I smiled only as she continued braiding. 3 minutes later she was finished. I looked at myself in the mirror, she made twin braids, they started at the very top and ended at the very tip making my hair look beautiful, especially with my natural hair color.

"It's beautiful." I commented. JiJi hummed in response as she arranged her stuff in her bag. I looked at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled at me. "Let's go, the boys are getting impatient." She laughed as she pulled me out of the bathroom.

I smiled at her yet again.