Self-imposed shackles

Elizabeth was clearly startled by Jenny's question. "W-what do you mean? Nothing's going on." "There is! You are clearly avoiding any subject that could possibly lead into an argument or fight. Since when have you been one to be afraid to voice your opinion? The Elizabeth I knew stood up for what she believed and didn't care one bit about what others would say or think. She would put anyone who dared to insult her back in their place in an instant. She had an arrogant air around her that could rival a queen. Where did that Elizabeth go?"

Elizabeth's eyes grew to twice their size once she heard these words. Her eyes started turning a bit red as she started talking once more "I-I just don't want to upset anyone anymore. I..I finally got everyone back in my life, I don't want to create some kind of trouble and lose all of you again." A short silence followed along with a single tear that flowed down, after the last word left her mouth. She quickly wiped it away and looked at Jenny who was still staring back at her. "What makes you think you will lose everyone simply by being you? The one we welcomed, the one we befriended, the one we care about, isn't this meek, perfect, little flower, but the real you. The one with the sharp edges and harsh, truth filled words." Elizabeth's eyes grew once more and started turning red again. Jenny wasn't one to know how to handle a person's tears, so she figured that the best form of comfort she could give was to continue her words.

"We aren't so fragile that we will get hurt by a few words. What caused the troubles last time weren't your words, but your actions. And even then you got more than one chance, right? We aren't people who will abandon someone we call a friend over little things." Jenny turned silent for a brief moment and grabbed Elizabeth's hand before looking back up, right into Elizabeth's tear filled eyes. "At least I know I am not that kind of person. I don't know if you consider me a friend, but I can promise that if you do, I will give you a chance to explain yourself any time. I will give you a word of warning if I fear that you are going too far. I will help you if you mess up with one of the others. So as long as you know your boundaries and know ours, please be yourself around us. We don't want to see you walking on eggshells anymore."

A gentle smile appeared on Elizabeth's face as she held on tightly to Jenny's hand. "Thank you..And for what it's worth, I am truly sorry for what I said and did to you. I wasn't thinking clearly back then. I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you, but I do know that I am glad to have you and that I don't want to lose you. So if you say that me being myself is something that will not push you guys away, but is in fact something you want, then I will gladly let go of these self-imposed shackles." Jenny made sure that Elizabeth was looking her directly in the eyes before she responded with a single word. "Good."

The others who had been waiting nearby and heard the last part of their conversation came out from hiding and celebrated their friends "return". Sophia was the first to jump forward and hugged Elizabeth from behind as she said "Yeey! Welcome back Lizzy. This time for real." Julia ignored her boundaries once more and grabbed her by the arms before placing a loud kiss on her cheek. George pushed both of their faces together for his hug and Harry gave her another hair ruffle. Jason kept it simple as he simply placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze and a nod of the head, which was more than she could hope for considering his disposition. Elizabeth couldn't help but chuckle as she watched these silly people, who clearly loved her very much. Nick joined them last and took his seat beside her after which he put his arm around her. "I have been told you were behaving strangely. Did Jenny manage to get it all out of your system?" Another chuckle came from Elizabeth "She sure did. She is one tough lady, with one hell of a power for convincing. Leaving no room for discussion."

Now everyone that had been on the receiving end of these convincing powers couldn't help but laugh. Jenny didn't mind at all. The title of tough little lady had been bestowed upon her since primary school, no need to dispute it now. She had long since accepted that title and found a sense of pride in it. She too was one that didn't hold back her opinion and was a firm believer that if you are liked by everyone, you have never stood up for anyone, including yourself. She flashed them a wide grin and took the comment and laughter in pride, before digging into the cake that Jason had brought along for her. After basking in the sun for some time, they all took their leave. Each feeling content that what they had come here to do, had been successfully done. Now that they had this talk, Jenny was looking forward to what kind of Elizabeth she would get to see tomorrow!

Once they were in the car, Jenny finally asked Jason "How come you didn't reverse the class change for Elizabeth? It wasn't because of me, was it? I meant it when I said I was fine with her, we even became friends." "No, it wasn't because of you. We only had one opening in the class, when I had Elizabeth placed in another class. Now that Nick started attending Mountforth High as well, I would have needed to make a decision. Either Nick could join us, or Elizabeth or neither.. I figured if I kept everything the way it was, it would give Nick the chance to make a decision on his own and that way it could help Elizabeth feel more secure in their relationship." "Wow, did you think that far ahead? How could you be so sure that he would change classes at the last moment?" "Well, he happened to ask me before the term started, how he could be more like me and the other guys in terms of a relationship. And I told him that girls love unexpected sweet surprises, the rest was left up to him.." And by now they all knew what choice Nick had made!