It's a well-known fact that high school can be a cruel place to grow up, but Jeanette had never imagined that teenaged girls could act so mean and spiteful as they had to her that afternoon. It wasn't her fault that she was born smart and actually studied or that she was clumsy and needed glasses. What ever happened to human kindness?
She went to the one place at school she felt safe, the library. She sat at her normal table against the back wall near the chemistry books and pulled out her homework for that evening.
"Hey, Jeanette," Simon greeted cheerfully as he put down his own book he was studying.
"Hi, Simon," she managed to respond.
"Is there something wrong?"
Jeanette had told Simon about being teased and ridiculed by these girls before. The first time he was sympathetic and made her feel better by refuting their claims about her appearance and intelligence. Jeanette didn't want just encouraging words. She wanted something done. She wanted it to end. She wanted the pain inside her to go away. Simon's solution would be to ignore them or outsmart them, and she knew she didn't want that. This was something she needed to do on her own.
"I'm alright. I'm simply tired from that test we took in calculus."
"Oh, agreed! I knew being in advanced classes would be difficult but I hadn't anticipated so much studying."
Jeanette nodded and went back to pretending to read. She hoped that in the morning, she would feel better, but the hurt was still there. She was even more silent than normal in between her classes, and her sisters seemed too busy with their own school drama to notice her. Before music class, one of the classes she took without Brittany and Eleanor, two of the bullies came up to her.
"Oh look, Carly, it's Jeanette the klutz!"
"Who even gets named 'Jeanette' anymore? It's so old and dumpy."
"Yeah, like the clothes she's wearing."
As she passed her, Carly hit Jeanette in the stomach with her trumpet case. Jeanette leaned forward upon impact, and her glasses fell to the ground. While she groped around on the floor for them, her hand met up with another girl's hand.
"Here, let me help," the stranger kindly said, and she put the glasses on Jeanette's face. "Those girls can be so mean sometimes. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm alright," Jeanette said, all flustered. "Thank you."
"No problem. My name's Haley."
"I'm Jeanette."
"It's nice to meet you. I have to get to art class, but I'll see you later."
Jeanette saw Haley later in the lunch room and later still in library. The girls met almost every day somewhere at school, even if it was to talk for a few minutes. Jeanette was encouraged that at least one girl was kind to her, but she was also puzzled as to why this girl, why to her.
It bothered her so much that one day she asked Haley, "Why are you being so nice to me? Nobody but you has taken the time to get to know me."
"You're a really nice girl, Jeanette! Why shouldn't I?"
"Everyone else thinks I'm nerdy, or klutzy or a ditz."
"Not everyone is a Christian. Jesus loves everyone, no matter how annoying or mean. He created us for a reason, and He asks us to take the time to see what He thinks is so wonderful about each person He created."
"You really believe all that, that Jesus created us?"
"Without a doubt. He loves you, Jeanette. He hates to see you suffer."
"Hmm. Can you tell me a little more about this?"
For the next few days after their conversation, Jeanette researched as much as she could about Jesus and Christianity. She wanted to believe what she read. The words filled her with hope and made her feel loved, but she still wasn't sure she wanted to convert. Haley invited her to come to church to see if hearing a sermon would give her a better idea of what being a Christian would be like. When her family found out she was going to a church service, they thought it was odd but had no other problems about it. The sermon was exactly what Jeanette needed, and she accepted Jesus at the altar.
She went to the one place at school she felt safe, the library. She sat at her normal table against the back wall near the chemistry books and pulled out her homework for that evening.
"Hey, Jeanette," Simon greeted cheerfully as he put down his own book he was studying.
"Hi, Simon," she managed to respond.
"Is there something wrong?"
Jeanette had told Simon about being teased and ridiculed by these girls before. The first time he was sympathetic and made her feel better by refuting their claims about her appearance and intelligence. Jeanette didn't want just encouraging words. She wanted something done. She wanted it to end. She wanted the pain inside her to go away. Simon's solution would be to ignore them or outsmart them, and she knew she didn't want that. This was something she needed to do on her own.
"I'm alright. I'm simply tired from that test we took in calculus."
"Oh, agreed! I knew being in advanced classes would be difficult but I hadn't anticipated so much studying."
Jeanette nodded and went back to pretending to read. She hoped that in the morning, she would feel better, but the hurt was still there. She was even more silent than normal in between her classes, and her sisters seemed too busy with their own school drama to notice her. Before music class, one of the classes she took without Brittany and Eleanor, two of the bullies came up to her.
"Oh look, Carly, it's Jeanette the klutz!"
"Who even gets named 'Jeanette' anymore? It's so old and dumpy."
"Yeah, like the clothes she's wearing."
As she passed her, Carly hit Jeanette in the stomach with her trumpet case. Jeanette leaned forward upon impact, and her glasses fell to the ground. While she groped around on the floor for them, her hand met up with another girl's hand.
"Here, let me help," the stranger kindly said, and she put the glasses on Jeanette's face. "Those girls can be so mean sometimes. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm alright," Jeanette said, all flustered. "Thank you."
"No problem. My name's Haley."
"I'm Jeanette."
"It's nice to meet you. I have to get to art class, but I'll see you later."
Jeanette saw Haley later in the lunch room and later still in library. The girls met almost every day somewhere at school, even if it was to talk for a few minutes. Jeanette was encouraged that at least one girl was kind to her, but she was also puzzled as to why this girl, why to her.
It bothered her so much that one day she asked Haley, "Why are you being so nice to me? Nobody but you has taken the time to get to know me."
"You're a really nice girl, Jeanette! Why shouldn't I?"
"Everyone else thinks I'm nerdy, or klutzy or a ditz."
"Not everyone is a Christian. Jesus loves everyone, no matter how annoying or mean. He created us for a reason, and He asks us to take the time to see what He thinks is so wonderful about each person He created."
"You really believe all that, that Jesus created us?"
"Without a doubt. He loves you, Jeanette. He hates to see you suffer."
"Hmm. Can you tell me a little more about this?"
For the next few days after their conversation, Jeanette researched as much as she could about Jesus and Christianity. She wanted to believe what she read. The words filled her with hope and made her feel loved, but she still wasn't sure she wanted to convert. Haley invited her to come to church to see if hearing a sermon would give her a better idea of what being a Christian would be like. When her family found out she was going to a church service, they thought it was odd but had no other problems about it. The sermon was exactly what Jeanette needed, and she accepted Jesus at the altar.
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