Jaclyn Tedesco takes us back to school – an environment every bit as vicious and dramatic, where the scars run deep and memories are forged. But fortunately, a square jaw is sign of will power.
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Not So Sweet Tea
In the early hours of the morning chill, roosters crowed and the sounds of tractors were blaring through Bobbi Rae’s window. Slowly her eyes opened, as she stepped foot onto the cool wood of her bedroom floor. The day was September 7th and Bobbi was getting ready for her first day of high school. Wimberley is a small town in Texas, just about an hour west of Austin nestled in the soft rolling hills of Texas’ Hill Country. In a town with a population of only 5,000, not only does everyone know each other, but when someone new comes to town, to say its obvious is an understatement.
Bobbi Rae’s family had just moved to Wimberley from Savannah, Georgia after her father was offered a promotion at the local Dairy Plant. She and her brothers were anything but excited about the move. They were not only leaving their friends, but the entire Jenkins family residing back in Georgia. The kids of this small Texas town literally grew up together since their first days of Kindergarten, accepting new comers was not something they were keen on doing.
Anyone could look at Bobbi Rae and notice her. She was tall, she was thin and she had a head full of think, blond hair. Her smile could make any room light up. The unfortunate thing for Bobbi Rae was that she was new and beautiful. Each classroom she walked into the boys stopped what they were doing to make subtle eye contact, while the looks competing girls gave had different intentions beaming through each glare they shot in her direction. During the first few weeks at her new school, the girls tried to find any little thing about Bobbi Rae to scrutinize. This proved itself to be a little harder than the “mean girls” anticipated. As much as they wanted to criticize her clothes, they were in style, her hair was always done perfect, and she was as sweet as a Georgia peach. There was only one thing the girls eventually capitalized on. While Bobbi Rae’s face seemed nearly perfect she had one defining characteristic- a very pronounced jaw. It was a characteristic that had not gone un-noticed before.
By the end of her first day, Bobbi became known amongst the popular girls as “Jaws” and every time she walked by them they would collectively hum the theme song to the 1975 thriller. She didn’t understand why these girls were being so mean when they hadn’t even taken the chance to get to know her. But the truth was, they didn’t want to. As far as they were concerned, Bobbi was just a flea they would scratch away until it was dead. Bobbi came home from that first day of school and when her mother asked how her day was, she broke down in tears. After she explained how the girls had treated her, her mother explained to Bobbi that beauty rests in the soul and that a square jaw was a sign of willpower. It was that willpower that was going to keep her strong and confident. It would show and prove the “popular” girls to be jealous of what Bobbi had to offer.
As much as she wanted to remain under the warm covers, Bobbie went to her second day of school with her head held high. She walked the halls with confidence and poise. This didn’t stop the girls from teasing her but by not letting it get to her it didn’t give the group the satisfaction they were expecting. It took a couple months before the “Jaws” nickname got put to rest. However, once it did, things began to look up for Bobbi. In fact, one girl broke away from the pack and began to get to know Bobbi Rae. Through their friendship, the rest of the girls slowly began to give her a chance and get to know her. To all of their surprise, the girls became the best of friends for the next four years. And from then on, any time a new girl moved to town, Bobbi reminded them of what they did to her to make sure no one else had to go through it again.
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And that’s it, m’dears. The final presented entry in our contest. So why not dip into the ATQ archive and see what grabs your fancy? Meantime the committee will burn some midnight oil for the next few days and see what comes to light.
But don’t stop your own creative flow – there’s a contest with your name on it:
http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/2010/07/15/a-dish-called-wanda-our-new-contet/
Or maybe you’d prefer a little Independence Date?
http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/2010/07/04/we-hold-this-contest-to-be-self-evident/
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