The Unwanted One

Jean held the tips of her fingers up to her twisted lips, and she was nervously biting at her fingernails. The once-intact nails were now jagged, with white powdery debris scattered at the edges.

When she noticed I had caught her in the act, she looked flustered. Her once-bright eyes were bloodshot and anxious, and she stepped back rapidly.

Jean backed up so far that her pink shirt nearly blended into the crabapple blossoms outside the window. After a while, she clutched at her chest with difficulty. Then, she turned away and refused to look at me.

I was overwhelmed by the stark contrast between her previous demeanor and now. My nerves were frayed under the weight of confusion.

I rushed forward and grabbed her hand. "What is it? What's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"

"No, it's not you!" Jean cried.

Jean was normally bold and confident. Yet, she suddenly screamed and shook her hand away as if I were some menacing monster.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned my head away.

Why? Why was this happening?

I hadn't done anything wrong. I had always treated them kindly.

First Willow, and now Jean—they both reacted to me in the same way.

I pulled out a mirror and inspected my reflection from every angle. Try as I might, I failed to see if there was anything wrong with my face or features.

I wasn't beautiful, alright. But surely I wasn't repulsive either, was I?

As I thought about this, tears filled my eyes.

Upon noticing my distress, Jean initially seemed regretful and wanted to console me.

But suddenly, she jumped up in terror and frantically clawed at her back.

She screamed hysterically, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Then, without warning, she turned and ran. She headed straight for the window as if she intended to jump out!

I was startled at this. Along with a few other classmates who had woken up, I quickly pulled her back.

After that incident, I became genuinely concerned about her mental state. I decided not to push her as I had with Willow. Instead, I quietly observed her, worried she might harm herself.

One day during gym class, I noticed Jean was missing and anxiously searched for her everywhere.

I finally found her in the classroom, sitting at my desk. She had an unhinged look in her eyes, and she was frantically rummaging through my things.

"What are you doing, Jean?" I shouted, my eyes wide with shock.

Jean ignored me. When she finally found a piece of paper, she screamed. When she looked up at me, her pupils seemed to be trembling from fear.

Before the gym class had even ended, she stormed into the teacher's office and insisted on changing seats.

Our form teacher, Paulina Reed, was exasperated. "Your seat is perfectly fine—it's right at the front of the classroom. And now, are you telling me that you want to move to the middle?"

"Yes! I don't want the front or the back. Please… I'm begging you, Ms. Reed," Jean pleaded.

She spoke nervously while glancing toward the window.

Just then, she noticed me standing in the doorway.

She immediately broke down in tears and wailed, "Please, Ms. Reed. I'm begging you!"

Paulina, on the other hand, was losing her patience. "I have to consider the other students as well. You're asking for too much, and I can't accommodate it."

Jean froze like she'd been struck by lightning. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. She looked utterly desperate to escape. But upon seeing me standing in the doorway, she didn't dare to leave the office.

With a heavy sigh, I turned and walked back to the classroom.

The seat beside me remained empty, as Jean didn't return.

The next day, Paulina announced that she had taken a leave of absence.

"Jean has requested some time off due to health issues," Paulina said. Then, she rapped the blackboard to get our attention and remind us. "You're in junior year. Still, it's important to stay focused on your studies. Environmental factors shouldn't affect you as long as you're calm on the inside."

Although what she said made sense, I couldn't stop dwelling on the situation.

As soon as class ended, I turned to Ramona, and we headed to the hallway to chat.

Clenching my fists, I declared, "I have to figure out what's going on. Otherwise, this will keep eating away at me."

Ramona sighed and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't know what's happening either, but if you want to investigate, I'll help you."