Young Adult / J.A.I.L (Analysis)

They were the best of friends...yeah, I know. It's a bit cliché to say but it was true. It was always the four of them. It was the four of them until they went to high school. The first few months went great. They each had some classes with each other and they hung out as much as possible after school and on the weekends. Soon Akira, Laayla and Islean all got boyfriends. Justine was the only one that was just Justine. No Justine and Matthew. No Justine and Joseph. It was just Justine. Her MySpace didn't say anything about needing or wanting a man, it just said "single" and she didn't mind it at all.
In the beginning the other girls of their group J.A.I.L would make their little sly remarks about Justine being, what they called "lonely and desperate" but after a while they got serious and threatened to stop talking to her because they didn't want to be the ones hanging out with the girl who still didn't have a boyfriend, halfway through school. Now these were her best friends since 1st grade, she wasn't about to let some stupid boy problem ruin that. She knew Jeffrey Collins had his eyes on her since P-Ville Highs orientation in August and he was already a sophomore, she also knew that with a little attention his way, they'd be a couple in no time. Even though she wasn't particularly looking for a boyfriend. Jeffrey was cute, a sophomore and most importantly, the key to keep her and her gal pals tight locked.
That Tuesday morning, Justine decided to wear something a little more, attention grabbing. She borrowed a low cut green blouse from her sisters closet, wore the ripped distressed skinny jeans that she never ever wore and decided to wear white Nikes. Sexy and simple. When she went downstairs for breakfast her outfit definitely caught the attention of her family.
"What's going on with the outfit today, Justine?" Her mother asked her as she sipped her coffee at the table.
"Oh, nothing. Today just feels like a day to dress up. That's all." Justine mumbled while grabbing an apple of the table.
"Well, I think she looks hot." Her older sister, Allison winked at her knowing exactly what she was up to.
"Thanks Ally." She smiled as she walked out the door.
When she got to school, her classmates definitely noticed the change. Some approved of it, others did what they do best, hate but Justine didn't care. She had one goal in mind and that was all that mattered at the moment. At lunch, she walked by her usual group of friends and headed over to Jeffrey's table.
"Hey Justine" Jeffrey called, not realizing she was on her way there "Come sit with us."
"Sure. This is exactly where I was headed." She smiled as she slid in the sit across from him, next to his friend Chad.
" No, no. When I said to come sit with us, I really meant come sit next to me." Jeffrey said to her, sliding down to make room next to him.
"Well, what if I knew exactly what you meant but decided to sit next to your boy Chad here instead?"She answered locking eyes with him.
"To be honest with you, I'd be very disappointed to know that."He replied, keeping eye contact.
"Aw, don't be disappointed. That was a completely hypothetical question." And she got up and moved into the space next to Jeffrey.
"Yeah, this is much more what I had in mind." He whispered to her while sliding his arm around her shoulder. She smiled to herself and figured that maybe this whole boyfriend thing wouldn't be too bad after all.
They made small conversation and soon the lunch bell rang.
"Thanks for sitting with us today." Jeff said to her while squeezing her hand and leading her out of the lunch room into the halls.
"Thanks for letting me. I know not many are allowed to sit with you guys especially us lame juniors." She said only loud enough for him to hear.
"Well, I'd make any type of exception for you." And with that, he squeezed her hand once more and headed with his group to class.
That went surprisingly well. She thought as she walked in the other direction to her own 8th period class.

After school she met up with her friends outside.
"That was a lovely performance earlier today, Ms. Justine." Laayla teased, clapping mockingly.
"Why yes. A most astonishing act." Akira continued in a horrible English accent.
"Thank you, thank you." Justine followed, bowing. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"You know we did. Watching you work it like a mechanic with Mr. Big Hottie over there." Islean laughed. "You did well for a first timer."
"I didn't only do well, I did great. I did so great, that I'll be attending a house party with him, at about 5. The whole family is going to my little brothers performance in Jersey so nobody will be home till about 11 meaning, I'm free to do what I want!"She sang, dancing in little circles.
"Then let's just all head over to your house now and help you get ready. You know you need the help and its already 3:50. We don't have that much time." Laayla said already walking in the direction of Justine's house.
"Sounds like a plan." Akira answered, knowing she had nothing better to do.
The afternoon was bright and chilly. Everybody was walking fast heading to their own destinations. The girls of J.A.I.L soon reached Justine's house. Akira, Laayla and Islean stayed downstairs in the kitchen, helping themselves to whatever was in the fridge while Justine took a shower and got dressed. At about 5, she came downstairs wearing a very fitting white collared blouse, dark denim miniskirt with frigged ends, bright purple leggings and black wedged sandals. She looked very put together and the girls let her know it.
There was a clash of words all with the same meaning of "You look great."
"I just need you guys to do my hair and my makeup and that'll be it."
"Well let's get to it then." Islean chirped. She loved doing makeovers so this was a joy for her.
20 minutes later, Justine was more than ready.
"Even perfection has its limits." Akira quoted while pulling a loose thread from Justine's skirt "And you, my dear, have reached its limits."
"Thanks guys. You've always been such a big help to me and I really appreciate it. I don't know where I'd be without you."
"Well, you'd probably be sitting here in this kitchen alone, working your way through a 3rd pint of chunky monkey ice-cream." Islean teased.
"Ha, ha. Very funny Izzy."Justine laughed. "You should be a comedian."
As she said that a car honked outside and Islean ran to peep through the kitchen window.
"Well, it looks like somebody's on time." She said over her shoulder.
"Wow, he's here already..." Justine said to no one in particular as she wiped her palms on the side of her skirt.
"Listen there's nothing to be worried about. If you guys are going to the party at Sean's house, we'll see you at about 6."
"Yeah, that exact the one. I'm so glad you guys'll be there. That really makes me feel alot better about this." Justine breathed. She was a bit on the line between excited and nervous about the whole idea of going to a high school house party with a boy she barely knew but having her friends there sooo threw her over the edge to excited. She and the girls walked to the curb where Jeffrey was waiting.
"So, I'll see you guys in a bit." She said over her shoulder as she slid into the passengers sit of Jeff's black Mercedes.
"Yup, have fun till we get there." Islean told her through the window.
"I'll make sure of that." Jeff smiled to Islean as he started to drive off. The night was crisp and the breeze was light so Justine rolled down her window and stared at the houses and the cars that zoomed past her. About 30 minutes later, she was squeezed on the shoulder. She woke up, realizing she had dozed off. She was a little startled, not exactly sure where she was but then saw Jeffrey and remembered she had been on her way to the party.
"If I had known you were so tired, I would've suggested we slept in." He winked at her.
She smiled at this. "I'm not tired at all but the night is so beautiful and calm, it lulled me to sleep."
"Well, it's not as beautiful as you." He said seriously, then laughed and asked "Was that too corny or was it cute?"
She laughed with him and said "No, it was major corny but you get points for being charming"
"That's good to know." He smiled warmly at her. She was convinced that he smiled at nobody else like that. She claimed that smile for her own.
"Well, I can hear the music blasting and its almost 6 so the girls should be in there. Let's go."
Jeffrey got out the driver's seat and went around to the passenger's side to help Justine out. He locked the doors, then slid her hand into his as he had done early today at lunch. When they got to the porch, the front door was already open. The house was packed, everybody was dancing and drinking. The stuff they were drinking looked like punch but she could smell what it really was. Jeffrey led her through the crowd and then yelled over the music "I'll be right back! You stay here!" and he walked over to some guy who she figured was Sean. She looked around and saw her girls. As she made her way over to them, she got bumped continuously but finally reached them.
"You guys look amazing! Very grown too!" She yelled to them.
"Well, in Rome do like the Romans do right?" Akira quoted, while swaying to the music. She was so off beat. Justine could tell that her usually rhythmic friend was under the influence. She took the cup out of her hand and smelt it.
"Why are you guys drinking this stuff?" Justine asked them, a little annoyed.
"It's not that serious stuff, Justine. You want us to get you something light?" Akira asked her, still dancing to a different beat than everybody else, not that anybody there seemed to be hearing the same thing.
"Just get me some punch. I don't want any alcohol." Justine told Akira.
"Fine, you big whus." And she called over some guy and told him to get her a 'mix', whatever that was. 5 minutes later, Akira handed her a cup.
"What is this?" She asked, staring down into the liquid.
"That's the mix. It's just fruit punch and some other juice stuff." Islean told her reassuringly. "Drink it, it's good for your colon."
"Rrriiiight." Justine didn't smell anything strong in it, so she took a sip. It was really sweet and by 8 o'clock, she had already had about 10 cups and needed to use the bathroom. As she made her way up the stairs, she began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. She stumbled into a dark room and felt for a light switch. While she felt along the wall, she heard the door clothes behind her.
"I've been watching you all night." A low voice said, getting closer to her.
"Who are you?" Justine managed to mumble.
"Don't worry about that." He said. "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm just feeling kind of lonely."
He walked over to her and put his hand over her left breast.
"Your small, but very soft." He continued to fondle her.
She was so weak and confused. She tried to move, she tried to scream but nothing happened.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want to be lonely." He started to unbutton her shirt.
The door creaked open and she heard someone yell "What are you doing to her?!" After that she blacked out.
Hours later, she woke up with Jeffrey at her side. She looked around the room and cringed, remembering some of what just took place.
"Where are my friends?" She asked him.
"They went home, Justine." He told her calmly.
She sat up. "They just, went home? Just like that?"
"They didn't want any part of this." He told her, even more calmly. He was trying his hardest not to upset her.
"They're supposed to be with me. Through thick and thin. I was there with them through everything. When Laayla's dad died, when Akira's parents sent her to live with her grandmother, when Islean's brother told the family that he was gay and it broke them apart. I was there with all of them, through everything. How could they just leave me?" She asked. Not even to him, she was asking herself. She should've realized that they weren't the same once high school started but she was too busy trying to keep them close. Trying to keep everything the same but it wasn't possible. They had changed and that night, the alcohol had changed them more. She knew from then on, that everything would be different. She was older now and she had to start acting like it. She had to be true to herself because if she couldn't do that, she'd spend the rest of her life trying to keep old friends who meant her no good. As she got up, she saw the friendship bracelet that they had made back in 8th grade. She was the only one of the group that still wore it. She unclasped the latch and left it on the bed. She was freeing herself from J.A.I.L