Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been two months since you had officially moved into the new neighborhood in Texas. You father had gotten promoted, but, unfortunately, that meant that you were forced to move away from your rather large family, your social life, your home that you had grown up in. Of course, you didn't have much of a choice in the matter so you tried to liven the mood as much as possible by baking with all of the food that they would have thrown away had you not swooped in to rescue the eggs and milk that were scheduled to get tossed in the dump. There had been many tears from your cousins and brother (John had elected to move in with Jake and Jade a few years prior so he wasn't moving with you) and you all savored your last few minutes together, but even that had to come to a close. The final hugs were probably the hardest, but your family promised that they'd visit you and your father over every break. Finally, the tears dried, and you climbed into your father's truck, waving your final farewells as your father began the drive to the airport.

Behind you, your large, white, suburban home disappeared to be replaced with models of almost duplicate style and build. From the black trim around the windows and the chimney rising up out of the balcony...it caused a small pang in your chest. These were sights that you were familiar with, that you wouldn't get to see for a long time. You'd miss it all. The neatly trimmed lawns, the old tire swing and pogo ride in your front yard...hell, even the shitty Republican neighbors would be somewhat missed. After all, what was suburbia without the occasional yelling about how Gladys was stealing Elena's cookie recipe?

You supposed the thing you'd miss most was the neighborhood cat. The feline didn't have a name, but your family had dubbed it “God Cat” or “G.C” quite a while ago. He was a beautiful cat, pure white with a white spot over his left eye. His name had come from his tendency to get stuck in random places. You had found him in trees and on roofs, but those were more normal than some of the other places he'd been discovered such as the garbage can with a rock on the lid or your home freezer (he'd somehow just walked out of there, not cold at all). He'd been wandering the neighborhood for years, no one knew where he'd come from, but you'd grown close to him so no one bothered to have him taken away (even if he did give Georgia's allergies a run for their money).

It was pretty sad to have nostalgia already creeping into your system when you hadn't even been out of your home for more than two minutes. But what could you say? You didn't really want to move, but you didn't want to leave your father to deal with having both of his children leave before they were even eighteen (you had a year left to go and...your father deserved to have that last year of memory making). It had been a tough choice and John had nearly convinced you to just stay with him, Jake, and Jade, but your stubbornness in your decision had persevered and you declined the invitation. You hated to leave the rest of your family, but you were closer to your father than anyone, even your brother.

That had always been a bit of a conflict in your home. John and your father had always had a bit of friction between the two of them. You never understood it. Your father did everything he could to make John happy, taking up weird hobbies, and buying random posters because John always scribbled on them in his sleep. For goodness' sake he'd filled your home with Harlequin dolls because he thought that your brother loved them. Unfortunately, those actions had evidently been a mistake as it only made your brother more frustrated with your father to the point that he left home. After John left, your father was upset, but you thought it was for the best as their relationship grew stronger due to the slight distance it gave the two of them.

Unlike John, you always got along with him. Your fascination with baking was likely what had sealed the icing on that cake. He would often beckon you into the kitchen and the two of you would take turns pulling pranks until the timer dinged. You both would laugh and clean up the mess of exploded flour and icing while you waited for whatever desert to cool off for decorating. More often than not you had to shower after those encounters and you remember them fondly. However, despite the fact that all of you enjoyed pranks, John seemed to think that he never fit in. It made you sad, but you knew he was happier living with your two rambunctious cousins.

Jake and Jade were another story. The two were adventurous souls who weren't meant to fit in in your tiny town. They got into more trouble than you and John did with your pranks with their firing B.Bs into people's windows, consistent screaming, and their rowdy dog. Of course, your conservative neighbors couldn't always complain when Jake and Jade got to liberal with a gun, but they had tried to call animal control on Becquerel a few times. Somehow the dog always wound up back at their home...despite the fact that it had been locked up in a kennel (you swear that thing has transportation powers sometimes).

Your trip down nostalgia lane was abruptly put to a stop as the truck stopped at the airport. Someone else was going to take the truck down to Texas, but you would have a car until then. It would only take a day or two and you'd scoffed at the idea of taking a car when you would only need to use a taxi to get home. It wasn't as though you were planning to go anywhere. After all, there was a whole weekend of unpacking for you to do! But your father had insisted that an emergency could come up and he'd rented the car anyways while ignoring your eye rolls and attempts to click on the fancy Mercedes instead of the simple Volts Wagon Beetle he was renting.

The last of your suitcases got heaved up into your and your father's arms and then you'd stepped into the slightly-heated airport. You followed your father through security, shifting the weight of the suitcases in your arms as you longed to set them down. Finally, they were taken, and you sighed with relief. The rest of the time after that was spent grabbing a quick bite of lunch before you both sat down to wait for your plane to arrive. You had read one of your Nancy Drew books while chewing at your burger, ignoring the looks of horror and scandal that flashed across people's faces when they saw someone like you eating a hamburger of all things. One lady had the nerve to tell you that you should have gotten a salad instead and you smiled sweetly before kindly telling her to piss off while your father frantically tried to apologize to the astonished and offended woman.

You could care less about her, but your father was upset with you for “using such foul language against an old woman!”. However, he couldn't be too mad at you. He knew what you'd been through. Not to mention the boarding call for your section was made and you both got to your feet, pulling out your tickets while you went through the long tunnel-like thing to get into the flying tube that would carry you to Texas.

At least the seats were comfortable, but the peanuts nearly gave you an allergic reaction.

The plane ride had been long and relatively boring, but it gave you time to plan out what it was that you were going to do when you got to your new home. First you'd set up your bedroom and unpack as much as you could before you helped with dinner and dessert to celebrate your moving in. Then you'd go to bed, anxious, and worried as the days drawing towards your introduction to your high school began drawing closer. You had the weekend and then you would be heading into class. The thought was mildly terrifying as you weren't sure how well you would fit into the new school.

Your father called the whole move a fresh start. He said that you could make plenty of new friends and expand your horizons. You'd simply smiled and nodded a little, even though you had a sinking feeling that the people at your new school would not be that kind. It had taken a while for you to even make the small circle of friends that you had had at your old school as most people didn't want to be friends with the “fat” girl. Of course, everyone had eventually gotten used to you at least, and you made a few friends, but that was the extent of it. You weren't the type of person who would be able to easily fit in, especially with the fact that you didn't exactly fit the desired physical appearance that most people strove for. The lack of supposed “beauty” that you didn't have caused a lot of people to send spite and hate your way which led to a horrid time of your life.

Your arms were still covered with scars.

But, you had managed to pull yourself out of that pit. You knew it was a precarious balance though, the dark hole beckoned to you daily, trying to bring up buried memories of hateful words, doing anything it could to make you fall back into it. You fought it though and you persevered. Slowly, you managed to build up a level of self-confidence that you had once thought to be impossible. It was a meager shield, but it kept you from falling back into painful old tendencies. Not that that was the only thing helping you as your father had taken you to a therapist who prescribed some anti-depressants, but you liked to think that you'd helped with the process, and you had. After all, it was your mind.

Thinking about entering a new area, filled with new peers who could sneer and mock you made you unconsciously rub at the light pink scars on your skin. No matter what, you told yourself, you would not slip back into that mindset. You would not. Of course, easier said than done. So, you took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. You had to calm your racing mind and ease the anxiety and tension off of your shoulders. It was the only way that you'd even start to make it through an entire day of high school.

The two days before school started passed by relatively quickly, unfortunately for you. Finally, Monday crept up upon you, and you stood in front of your mirror, hands combing through your short, bobbed hair. You reached down, adjusting your shirt for the thousandth time as you tried to keep it from clinging to the rolls on your stomach, but it seemed to have a mind of it's own, and was doing the same thing within a few second after you removed your hands to pull your skirt down over your thighs (damn private schools and their uniforms). Sighing softly, you shook your head, forcing your red stained lips to curl up into a smile. You needed all of the confidence that you could get and, for some reason, smiling into the mirror always helped you calm down and feel good about yourself.

You managed to brush your bangs one more time before your father was calling you from down the stairs. He insisted on making you breakfast on your first day, despite your insistence that you could make pancakes with your eyes closed. A stern fatherly look was all it took to crumble that defense and you'd relented which earned you a gentle pat on the head before he'd ushered you off to get ready. After all, you needed to look nice for your first day. People may say that first impressions don't always matter, but for you...well your first impression could be everything.

With a faint smile and a murmured “thank you”, you sank down into your seat at the kitchen table, and began to eat the few pancakes that your father had made for you. The cake-like texture was delicious as always and sprinkled with...cinnamon? Yes, definitely cinnamon. You could pick up that taste anywhere and you knew that your father was always a fan of it. The syrup was neglected as the pancakes were moist enough without it, but you did apply some whipped cream to the tops of the breakfast food. That last added ingredient made them nearly god-like, but you didn't have time to sit and savor them, so you hurried to finish them before your bus arrived.

“Are you sure that you don't want me to drive you?” your father's concern nearly made you laugh, but you knew that your father was genuinely concerned for his little girl. After all, to him, it had only been a few days ago that you were running to Kindergarten only to trip and scrape your knees. Your father would tenderly bandage them, wiping away the tears before he carried you to school, and set you down at the front steps. He'd then kiss the top of your head and bid you a good day before ushering you inside.

“Yes, I'm sure dad. I can handle riding on the bus.” your voice sounded strained, even to your ears, but you were determined to ride the bus, “Besides,” you added, “you've got work and you don't want to be late for your first day or they might just ship us back to Washington!” laughter came easily enough and he seemed convinced, despite the fact that your fork clattered against your plate as you finished off your pancakes.

Standing, you ran over, and kissed his cheek before you picked up your lunch box, and slid your backpack straps over your shoulders. You went to the door, waving good-bye to your father before you stepped outside, the hot, humid air of your new residence hitting you hard. It was much different than the cool temperatures that normally hung over Washington along with rain clouds. Then again, you had always said that you liked the heat more than you did the cold.

You went to the corner, standing a little farther away from it as you avoided looking at the four other individuals that stood at your stop. They didn't seem to notice you...or if they did they ignored you. You figured that was better than having them poke fun at you so you allowed yourself to relax a little. Still, you had to keep your guard up, just in case. You didn't know what would be waiting for you on the sickeningly yellow vehicle that you could hear pulling up right next to you and the four other people. The doors squeak open and you follow the four of them in, looking around for an empty seat.

You stop when you see that all of the seats are filled and you glance around for a second before you quietly ask someone if you can sit next to them. The girl looked you up and down, lips tugging back in a slight sneer for a second before she finally nodded and scooted to the side to let you sit down. Just the sight made your heart sink and you sat down, staying as close to the edge as you could. Maybe this would be the one occurrence...maybe everyone else would just ignore you. You could only hope and you closed your eyes for a second, taking a deep breath as the doors shut and the bus lurched before it began taking you to the school.

You kept your eyes closed for a second longer, praying with all your might that today would go well. That you wouldn't get pushed back into the pit which was already starting to rumble and whisper, replaying the twitch of the girl's lips over and over again. The memory began to plague you and you struggled to keep calm, but forced your eyes open. You would not let the memory ruin your day. You repeated that phrase over and over in your mind until the hole finally hushed and you relaxed back against the bus seat. But things weren't always going to be that easy.

It should have been obvious based on the first response that you got, but the peers at your school were cruel. You managed to get off the bus without too much trouble and you got into the office with only a couple of weird looks and giggles. The heavy door shut behind you and you looked at the secretary who had wrinkled her nose as though you were a stain on her spotless white dress. Almost as if on cue to that thought, she picked a long black hair off of her dress, and looked at you, “I'm assuming you're the new girl. Your schedule is right here,” she pushed the papers forward, shiny blue nails reflecting light off of them before she retracted her hand. You pick up your schedule, nodding a little as she went on in a haughty voice that made your stomach churn, “Your locker combination is on there as well. First period starts in ten minutes. I'd suggest stopping there to put your lunch in there.”

The last sentence was an obvious blow, but you forced a smile, wondering just how this woman would react to a desk full of spiders. She'd probably enjoy it too much, she seemed like the type who would weave a web of lies and do whatever it took to keep that web stable, “Thank you ma'am,” you make sure enunciate your sarcasm and you swear you see a flicker of a smile on her lips before she waves you off and you exit the office. That was two negative interactions already...what a great start.

You let a soft sigh escape your lips as you looked for your locker. You found that it was almost directly in front of your first period class, which was good, and you spun in the combination. The metal door swings open and you put your lunch box inside. Thankfully, it seemed as though you would have the locker to yourself. Maybe it was a sign that things would start picking up from there.

Oh how wrong you were.

It wasn't even two minutes later when you'd walked into class that the stares started. You swallowed down your fear, going to the teacher to receive your seating assignment. The man looked at your schedule and huffed a little, mumbling about “increased work loads” and “what do they think I am, a baby-sitter?” before he gestured to a seat in the second row. You pulled the chair back, sitting down in it as you dared to look around. As you expected, all eyes were on you, and you bit your lower lip before chastising yourself for ruining your carefully applied lipstick. Almost on cue, your lips rubbed together, and you sighed softly. You loved your father dearly, but you weren't sure if you'd be able to handle this. Maybe online school wouldn't be that bad...

“Hey, you're the new gill, right?” a slightly tanned girl with two long braids plopped down in the seat next to you, kicking her feet up on the desk as a rather large wad of gum was blown into a bubble before popping, “Whale, one of 'em. There's always a couple that show up durin' the year.”

Her manner of speaking was a little strange, but...you supposed strange was alright. Strange was better than normal. Normal meant taunting, normal meant jeering, normal meant...well, not good things. “Yes, I'm Jane. It's nice to meet you um...sorry, I didn't catch your name?” you let your sentence end in a slight question. You didn't want to make the first person you met pissed off right off the bat.

She laughed and you could have sworn her teeth were pointed, “The name's Meenah, new gill. Meenah Peixes. My mom's the principal here. Which is why I kinda get away with everyfin.”

Indeed she did, as was evident from her clothes which obviously didn't fit dress code. Her top was a low-cut, black shirt, that looked as though it had been forcibly ripped at the middle, and she was wearing extremely baggy sweats. You supposed it wasn't the worse dress code violation you'd ever seen, but you figured that Meenah likely got away with wearing whatever she wanted, “Oh? That's cool. My last name is Crocker by the way-”

“Woah, hold up just a glubbin' minute,” she put a finely manicured hand up, sitting up a bit more in her chair to look her over, “Crocker as in Betty Crocker? The baked goods lady, right? Guess that kinda fits...”

The last few words were a bit of a blow, but you pretended to be oblivious, “Everyone always thinks that, but I'm not related to the company really. At least, not in a big way. My dad is a manager at one of the stores, he just got promoted, which is why we moved down here.”

Meenah laughed, more of a cackle really, but you could get used to it if it meant you two got along, “Aw shell. Gill you funny. I like you. If you need someone to come and sit by at lunch whale...you keep an eye out for me. Pretty sure you can spot me, right?”

You nodded quickly, amazed that you had managed to hit it off with her so easily on the first day, “Yeah, of course. Thank you, Meenah.”

“No problem gill. Now hush up. Mister Crabby-Pants is a good teach, but he's snappy as fuck,” she murmured to you as the bell started to ring and the rest of the class fell into a quick hush. Meenah seemed to be the only one at ease with a cocky smile on her face and her feet still up on the desk. The teacher remained still for a second, glaring at his computer before he seemed to give up and rose to his feet.

“Peixes, get your feet off of my desk. Your mom might be the principal, but in this classroom, I'm still in charge,” his cold stare only seemed to make her smile grow (and yes, her teeth are definitely pointed), but she dropped her feet off of the desk.

“My apologuppies Mr. V. Seems like I forgot aboat that one li'l rule,” she shot a wink at him and he simply rolled his eyes in response. It seemed to you as though this was a daily thing as the class was just quietly laughing or talking among themselves while they talked.

His reply was dry and sarcastic, “You always forget 'aboat that one li'l rule'. I know you're absolutely fascinated with trying to piss me off, but I have a class to teach, and I've already got your mom breathing down my neck about making sure you empty-headed-dead-brains do well at the end of year testing. Unfortunately for you and your sadistic plans, that means I can't sit up here and ramble all class period or else I'm going to wind up losing my job. Now, if you don't mind I would like to actually do that instead of blabbering my head off. If any of you actually cared to shut up and listen then maybe this wouldn't be such a big deal but...”

Meenah leaned over to whisper to you as Mr. Vantas (you finally noticed his name-tag on his desk) rambled on and on about how he wasn't supposed to be rambling, “Shit always sets him off. He'll start teachin' in a few weeks when the dead-lines get hella close.”

“You...you did this on purpose,” you laughed a little, amazed at how such a simple thing as putting feet on a desk could cause someone to launch into an entire rage. It blew your mind that Meenah was able to set him off like that, but you stifled your laughter. You didn't want Mr. Vantas' rage getting directed towards you when, at the moment at least, his lecture seemed to be directed at no one in particular. In fact, it seemed like he was starting to just mutter angrily to himself. Only, he was still talking to loud for it to really be considered muttering.

He spent about half of the class period managing to throw random words together into various names to call the class before he realized what had happened and started working on actually teaching, but everyone was already so rambunctious that he gave up. You realized as the bell was ringing that he never introduced you, but you didn't really mind, so you shrugged it off, and bid farewell to Meenah. It wasn't until you got out of the class and heard laughing from behind you that it occurred to you that there was an odd pinch on your shirt. Your hands shook a little as you reached back and grabbed the paper that was taped to your back. Shutting your eyes, you simply chucked the paper into the trash without looking at it before you hurried off to your next class so that no one else would have a chance to laugh at you.

So much for the great start.

Chapter Text

The next class period was a bit longer than the last. No one really spoke to you, although you were fairly certain that the girl next to you wanted too. She seemed to be as much of an outcast as you. A pale white beanie rested on top of her head and she kept her head turned away from you. Still, you caught glimpses of the scars that littered her face. You counted three in total from the brief glimpse of her that you got when you were sat next to her (poor dear had been nearly completely isolated from the rest of the class), but you decided not to ask questions. After all, you knew what it felt like to be in her position.

A few minutes before the bell rang was allotted as free time. You made sure to guard your back more carefully this time around and hesitantly let your front teeth gnaw on your lower lip. Finally, you cracked, and smiled at the girl next to you, “Hello. My name's Jane, what's your's?”

The slender thing seemed surprised that you had even glanced her way, her brilliant green eyes lifting hesitantly to look up at you, “Calliope Umbra.”

“That is just about the cutest darned name I've ever heard of,” you smiled, thinking that it suited her fairly well, “It's the name of a muse isn't it? From Greek mythology?” you inquired, hoping to keep up a small conversation with her before the end of class. If you could manage to get on good terms with two people on the first day then that was an achievement and you really did want to become friends with Calliope. She just seemed like such a sweetheart!

“Yes, that's why my mother picked it,” her lips twitched into a faint smile as she seemed to relax a bit, “She was a history teacher at the university. She really loved the Greek and Roman units, those were her favorite parts to teach. So, naturally, when I was born, and she got to name me, she decided on her favorite muse.”

The story behind it fascinated you, “She sounds like a wonderful woman,” you said, only having time to get those words out before the shrill sound of the bell interrupted your conversation. You cursed the damn thing, wishing you had had time to chat more with the new girl, “Where are you heading?” you asked.

“I'm going to history actually,” the two of you laughed at the coincidental happenings of that occurrence, “What about you? We should compare schedules!” Calliope added excitedly. You got the feeling that she didn't have that many friends around the school.

“I've got the foods class next,” you said, not even having to look down at your schedule for that one. That was the only class you were genuinely looking forward too. It would be nice to be back in the familiar kitchen setting that you so desperately adored.

Calliope seemed a bit crestfallen, “Darn. Well, we'd better get going. I can show you to the class. That hall's right before the history one,” she perked up a bit, slinging her single-strap bag over her shoulder as you hiked up your own back-pack, “Come on, it's not that far either. We'd better hurry before the bell rings though!”

You nodded in agreement, laughing a little at her eagerness as you walked next to her. People stared and snickered at the two of you, but it was easy enough to ignore their aggression as you chatted with Calliope the whole way there. Unfortunately, the two of you did have to part, but you promised to continue the tragic tale of your grandfather's demise on a later date. It did seem as though the two of you had lunch together and Calliope promised you that you could sit with her and her small group of friends. You'd agreed, making a mental note to tell Meenah that you found someone to sit with, and bid her farewell before stepping into the kitchen area of the school.

The smell of fresh baked bread, cookies, and various other goods greeted your nose and you smiled contently, stepping into the tiled room. A couple of people were already there and you cringed as someone turned the beater on to max, sending bits of dough all over the place. Good heavens you hoped everyone else wasn't like that or you might have to wind up teaching the class...

“You glubbin' idiot,” the teacher abruptly stepped forward, snatching the beater away in her dark hands before she flicked it off with one glamorously painted nail, “I told ya not to turn it on until I told ya too!” she snapped as the teen lowered their eyes, rubbing the back of their neck as a couple of muttered apologies slid out of their mouth, “Yeah, shore. You're shella sorry. I don't give a clam. You're off the hook for this time, since ya haven't fishappointed me this year so far.”

You watched the exchange, marveling at several things. The first was the height of this old woman (you could really only tell that she was older from the wrinkles on her forehead). She had a good head or two on you and towered over nearly everyone in the classroom. The next was the sheer amount of hair on her head. It would have flown down past the floor had it not been carefully wound up and pinned into the largest bun you had ever seen in your life. Finally, you were astounded that this woman had a job. She seemed like the most bitter pill and the way she spoke to the students was a bit unnerving.

Still, she turned and greeted you with a chilling smile, “Whale shello there li'l miss. What brings a lil guppie like yourshellf around these parts?” she asked, the heels of her shoes clicking on the ground as she stepped closer to you (you weren't sure why she was wearing heels. She had enough height already without the added four inches that those things gave her. How was she even wearing those?).

“I'm the new student ma'am,” you noted a name tag over the white board. Peixes. Meenah's mom? You could faintly recall her saying that her mom was the principal, not the foods teacher, “Are you Meenah's mom?”

The older woman paused a few feet from you and then let out a sharp laugh that was more of a bark than anything, “These old bones ain't been rasin' no clammin' kid for a shella long time gill. No, I'm not Meenah's mom, she's my grand-guppie. I'm guessin' ya gotta li'l bit of a chat outta her earlier? She's the soshell type.”

“Yes, we have first period together,” you nodded, smiling a bit despite the fact that this woman gave off more creep vibes than you had ever experienced in your life.

“Whale don't think that that's gonna earn ya any brownie points. We run a tight ship around these parts and I expect nothin' short of perfection from all ya glubbin' guppies. Kapeesh?” she narrowed her eyes at you, the dark brown color rimmed by fuchsia frames that sparkled in the light of the room.

Another quick jerk of your head on the normal fashion, “Don't worry ma'am, I think you'll find that I'm plenty prepared for this.”

Her lip pulled back over her teeth in something resembling a sneer, “Yeah, I can sea that,” she turned away, shuffling off. Once she reached the front, she pointed to one of the tables up there, and you quickly scrambled to make your way to your indicated seat, “Alright ya incompetant shell-sniffers, get yo basses to your tables and let's get this show on the road.”

It took everything in your power not to snicker. You had an inkling of a feeling that if you had things would have gone a little more poorly than they did. All in all though, you enjoyed yourself, and Ms. Peixes seemed to take on the role of an older sibling as she snapped at kids who started snickering behind your back. She herself, however, was content with making comments about beached whales and various other lewd notes that were obviously aimed at you.

However, once she got the end result of one of your cakes the teasing stopped. Everyone in the class was required to eat the red velvet dessert that you had crafted during the time that you had and you blushed as nearly everyone seemed eager to eat more of. The only one who didn't was a scruffy boy with a mess of black hair who glared at you with vibrant red eyes before violently chucking his burnt husk of, what you assumed was supposed to be, a key-lime pie. It was easy enough to brush off that one little complaint though as you received more praise than you had in awhile, causing a small blush to creep into your cheeks.

After the bell rang, each of the cakes you had made were gone (you had three in total; the red velvet, a chocolate, and a delicious carrot cake) save for the one that you had stored in the oven. Luckily, Ms. Peixes was more than happy to provide you with a container and clapped you on the shoulder before you left, declaring that you were more than welcome to use her kitchen and supplies so long as she got a bite of those “glubbin' miracles on a sealver platter”. You had laughed and thanked her, figuring that if you ever needed a break you could come hide out in the kitchens instead. Sure, you had your own stuff at home, but you were already taking a liking to the foods room.

You stuffed the cake into the tupperware and scampered out of the classroom, heading for your locker to grab your lunch. The worn handle of the metal box fit contently in your hand and you shut the door before merging into the crowd of people that were flocking to the cafeteria. It seemed as though many people were eager to eat...even if it was all bland, tasteless, and non-existant (you had many problems with the school lunch program).

As you entered the wooden room, you realized that you hadn't thought to look for Calliope. Thankfully, she seemed to have spotted you, and came up next to you, tapping your shoulder with a smile, “Hey Jane! You've got home lunch? Lucky. My dad won't let us bring home lunch,” she frowned a bit, the scars on the corners of her mouth pulling downwards, “We're just over here though.” she pointed to a table with two other people sitting at it, “Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone!” suddenly, her hand was on your's and you were tugged through the crowd people over to the rounded table where you hesitantly took a seat next to spiky-haired boy who was wearing...sunglasses?

“Callie, is the girl you were tellin' us about?” you could have sworn you'd seen this girl before. The flipped out style of her blonde hair made you remember something...”Hey! I know where I've seen you! You're the new girl at the bus stop, right?”

That's right! You remembered seeing her and the boy next to you at the stop, “Yes, that's me. I thought that I recognized the two of you as well. I'm Jane Crocker, pleasure to meet you.”

“Crocker like the baked goods place?” the blonde girl asked, tipping her head to the side as her pink eyes lit up with excitement, “That's so cool. Y'know, I haven't had one of their things for a while. For being so cheap those mixes are delicious.”

You laughed, opening your lunch box, and pulling out the beautifully crafted turkey sandwich that your father had prepared for you the night before, “Funnily enough my dad works there and I love to bake, but we don't have any relation to the founder or any predecessor thereof.”

“Criminey, what have I missed? And who is this darling dame who happens to be sitting in my normal spot?” a dashing young man with a goofy grin on his face plops down on the other side of the unintroduced teen that you're sitting next too.

Color floods your cheeks and you cover your mouth with your hand, “Oh heavens, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize-”

“It's alright Janey, Jake's just messin' with you. Right Jake?” a warning look was sent Jake's way from across the table and the dark haired boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Of course, of course. It was a mere joke,” he smiled, “As our dear friend Roxy has said, I'm Jake. Jake English. Pleasure to meet you Ms. Crocker, right? I assume that I heard correctly. That'd be a doosy of a blunder on my part if I'm wrong.”

You couldn't but return the slight grin, the corners of your mouth twitching upward, “You're quite right Mr. English. But call me Jane, Ms. Crocker is too formal,” you insisted, taking a careful bite of your sandwich.

“Very well then Jane,” he perked up a bit more, “Have you met everyone? I believe I mentioned Roxy's name and Calliope was simply raving about you all last period. This fellow here is Dirk,” he clapped the boy next to you on the back, “He comes off as a bit of a prick, but he's really an alright chap!”

Dirk snorted a bit and sat back, “Thanks Jake. I'm glad you could praise me with the most elegeant of vocabulary. Truly, your linguistic skills are unmatched. Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelly, and every other dead author they make us read about bow down to their new ruler.”

Calliope leaned over to you, whispering in you ear, “He tends to ramble off sometimes. I have a hard time understanding half of what he says most of the time.”

“Oh Dirk, you're a hoot!” Jake half-hugged the other male before releasing him and poking a fork at the sludge of noodles that they dared to call pasta in front of him, “Do you think it'll come to life if we add something to it Dirk?”

“I'm surprised it's not already quivering and attempting to consume the world,” Dirk said, plopping some of the mush into his mouth, and chewing.

Roxy rolled her eyes, “Aw c'mon guys, it can't be as bad as the meatloaf-” she took a bite and wrinkled her nose, “Nevermind, it can be worse than the meatloaf. Ugh,” she pushed her tray away from her, looking back towards you, “See, Janey's got the right idea. Home lunch is hella better than whatever this shit is.”

You perked up suddenly, “Oh! You know, I have some leftover cake from foods class if you guys want some,” you turned around and pulled the container out of your backpack, opening the blue lid to allow them access to it, “I really don't have need for it. My father and I bake at least once a week and...well, I'm not doing myself any favors by eating it.”

Roxy blinked and looked at you before frowning, “Aw don't say that Janey. You're hella pretty just like this,” she insisted, using the plastic butter knife provided to cut herself a piece of cake. Jake, Dirk, and Calliope did the same before Roxy insistently put a piece on the lid of your lunch box as well.

“Holy heaven!” Roxy exclaimed, eyes widening when she took a bite, “Are you sure you aren't the heiress to Crocker Corp? This is so good Jane! You could box this shit up and make millions just off of the one box!”

You blushed at the praise as similar compliments followed from the other three at the table, “It's not that good. I'm sure I've made better for the fairs or just in practicing, but thank you,” you added quickly, taking a bite of it yourself with a soft sigh of contentment.

It was just the perfect blend of moist and thick. The chocolate taste exploding across your tongue with a delicious flavor that was evident, but not overpowering, “Mmm....” the girl across from you shivered a bit and grinned, her teeth somewhat stained brown from the chocolate, “Jane I think you should drop out and come bake desserts for the school. Seriously, the shit they feed us shouldn't even be considered edible. I could eat this all day though!”

“Really Jane, how did you learn to bake like this? I can barely put a piece of toast in the oven without burning it to ashes,” Jake said, between the large mouthfuls that he had shoved into his mouth as the rest of them somewhat savored their own slice.

“Jake if you keep eating like that you're going to-” Jake suddenly gagged and heaved, coughing a bit as he scrambled to down some of the milk from the carton, “choke.” Dirk finished the sentence despite their being no point and sighed, silently handing Jake a napkin to wipe his mouth with as a bit of white liquid slid down his chin.

Jake smiled sheepishly, brushing his bangs out of his face into a more swooped up position as he scratched the back of his head, “My mistake. It was just too good to not have in my mouth!” he laughed, taking a second before taking more measured bites of the cake.

Meanwhile, Roxy was practically snorting louder than the beefy pig at the fair which then spread to Calliope who started giggling with her. Soon enough, the two of them were putting “rofl” into a literal sense as they clutched at their stomachs. You smiled a bit, chuckling softly as you stood up to help the two of them back to their feet, “Thanks Janey, you're a real life-saver.”

“You're quite welcome Roxy,” you patted her back and then sat back down to finish your lunch. The five of you chatted back and forth the remainder of the time and, for the first time since you moved, you felt certain that you'd found yourself in a happier place than you had been before. Sure, you'd hit a few speed bumps, but things seemed as though they were only going to go uphill from where you were. And by the end of the lunch period, you were smiling, and making plans with Roxy and Calliope to have a girl's night.

You bid your new friends farewell as you all split up to go to your different classes and you sighed contently. Surely, nothing could go wrong with this day.

That's what you thought, until you looked at your schedule and your stomach sank. Your next class was the most dreaded of all: gym.

Chapter Text

Coughing, you pushed aside the gut-clenching feeling that held your stomach captive as you entered the girl's locker room. The stench of overly used perfume and sweat assaulted your nostrils as you entered. God, why couldn't they just bring extra deodorant instead of walking around like mobile perfume departments? It was frankly disgusting and your poor nose twitched due to the fact that you didn't dare breath through your mouth in fear of actually getting a taste of the nasty stuff. Smelling it was awful enough, you didn't need the bitter flavor to spread across your taste buds either (although with so much of it in the air you may as well have been drinking it straight from the over-priced bottle that it came in).

Making your way through the crowd of people, you approached the coach's office, knocking timidly on the door. It was opened by a woman wearing a dark green shirt and black gym shorts. The shirt matched the tint of her irises and she smiled warmly at you, “Well hello there! You must be the new girl um...” she glanced back into her office, “Jane if I'm not mistaken?”

You cleared your throat, nodding, “Yes ma'am. I was wondering if I could maybe get a locker? I don't have my clothes today. I wasn't sure if my schedule would include gym this semester or not. You can never tell when you move after all.”

“It's not a problem!” weird, it almost sounded like she purred when she said 'problem', “Here,” she pressed something cool and metallic into your palm; your new padlock for your locker, “And here's the combination,” she added a paper to the top of that, “just test the combination. You're welcome to take any empty locker you want, but,” she leaned in closer, pointing to a far corner, “there's a bit more privacy over there.”

Another subtle pun. 'Purr-ivacy' and 'o-fur'. Clever, “Thank you ma'am.” You were relieved that she was giving you a spot to duck away from the prying eye to change. The last thing you needed was anyone seeing you partially naked while you switched your skirt for shorts. You wished that locker rooms would just get dividers so you didn't feel so awkward when you were forced to change. Maybe you'd just be late every day for gym so that you didn't have to change in front of everyone. Bathroom stalls weren't an option since there was the risk of dropping your clothes into the toilet. Plus, they were just really cramped and you didn't want to step on the floor (who knew how long it had been since those tiles were properly scrubbed and sanitized!).

Holding the two objects in your hand stiffly, you made your way over to where the gym teacher had pointed. Sucking in a breath, you quickly found an unlocked locker, and clamped the lock down on it. A couple of twists of the lock later and it fell open with a swift tug. Well, that was done. Now to brace for humiliation as soon as you brought your gym clothes and had to change with the other girls. Then again, you doubted that you even needed to switch out your clothes for them to make fun of you. Taunting was only to be expected. Still, that didn't make it any easier.

Thankfully, most everyone had already changed, and left.. A few chatty stragglers stayed behind, but it didn't really matter since you didn't have to change. That didn't mean that you wanted to go the gymnasium. Maybe the coach wouldn't mind if you just sat up here. She seemed to understand your desire for privacy, surely she'd understand not wanting to sit on the sidelines when everyone else was doing something. Everyone else would think that you were just being lazy or something if they saw you sitting there on your first day in gym. You'll just say that you were having trouble with your lock.

All-in-all, the rest of the period wasn't so bad. You reached into your bag and finished off the homework that you'd received for the day before sitting back and reflecting over the day's events. After all, for a first day, it had been very eventful, and you wanted to go back and make sure that everything you remembered happening actually did happen.

It had started as expected; weird stares, taunting, silent mocking, etc. but it had evolved into so much more. First, you'd met Meenah, and you had a blast chatting with her while Mr. Vantas went off on a tangent. Then, you had a great time in your foods class, and out-baked everyone in there which scored you (quite literal) brownie points with Ms. Peixes. Not to mention that along the way you met Calliope and then got introduced to several other people that you could sit back and relax with. They didn't judge you, but, then again, they all had their own little quirks. Despite that, they were all very sweet, and you felt yourself getting somewhat excited at the prospect of having new friends who didn't automatically judge you for your appearance. It was a different sensation, but you didn't mind it in the slightest.

As you were day-dreaming, the clean-up bell rang, and students began pouring back into the locker room. You quickly evacuated, waving your hand in front of your face to escape the intoxicating fumes that were consuming every inch of unoccupied space with their noxious smell. The memory of first walking into the room breached your thoughts and you smiled to yourself, shaking your head as you exited the locker room, and turned to walk away.

No one bothered you as you slipped down the hall and away from the poisonous cloud that was the locker room so you headed outside before the final bell rang. Having four class periods a day was exhausting, but you kind of liked this whole A-day B-day thing that they had going on. Sure, classes were longer, but the day almost seemed to go by faster with so few. Then again, you supposed that some people saw it the other way. Oh well, it still gave you an extra day to do your homework, and a day to get a break from the first four classes on your schedule (including gym).

You sat on the front steps to the school, flipping through your phone as you waited for the tell-tale signs of the buses that were inevitably approaching. Abruptly, a flash of movement caused a certain blonde to settle down next to you, “Hey there Janey!” Roxy exclaimed as she flung an arm around your shoulders and pulled you in for a hug, “How's it goin' you cute li'l thing?”

Your cheeks flushed a bit at her compliment and you cleared your throat (seems like you're doing that quite a bit today), “It's going just fine Roxy,” you laughed a little, moving an arm around to hug her back, “How did you get out here so early? There's still a few minutes until the bell rings.” you pointed out, glancing at her as she pushed her thick, curly hair out of her face.

“Good question, I could ask you the same thing, but based on that smell on you you had gym last. As for me...well my fourth period teacher usually lets us go early. He's a pretty chill guy. Like, seriously, I'm pretty sure he's stoned half the time that we're in class. I don't even remember what that class is supposed to be,” she tapped her finger on her chin as though in thought before shrugging it off, “Oh well. As long as I pass I don't really care. Besides, it's a good time to do homework and shit.”

“Oh no, that smell stuck to me?” you pulled a face, making a note to take a very long, and very thorough shower when you got home. The last thing you wanted was the smell of B.O and perfume clinging to every pore on your body. Well, laundry was another thing you decided to cross off your list. You did need to make sure everything was clean since you heavily questioned the cleanliness of the majority of the boxes that you had hauled into this town when you moved in.

“It's alright, it's not that bad Janey,” Roxy assured you, bringing her hand up to pat your hair before dropping it next to her hip on the cement steps, “just a little whiff is all. P-U though, am I right?” she gently elbowed you, grinning from ear to ear as she winked, “Stinks worse than a skunk that sprayed all over a sweaty athlete.”

You smile back at her, unable to help it, “I'm pretty sure that's what the smell is in the first place, isn't it?”

“Oh shit, get roasted! Jane you are on fire! Better be careful before some smexy firemen come and try to hose you down. Don't be afraid to burn a few people though. In fact, if you want to help me out a bit...” she trailed off, watching your confused expression before she started laughing again, hands clutching her stomach in an imitation of what happened earlier, “S-sorry Jane, you just look so adorable!”

You started to retort, but the bell rang, and there was almost an instantaneous flood of teenagers sweeping down the steps. Standing, you slung your backpack over your shoulder as you and Roxy bolted to the approaching buses. It was easy enough to find a seat and she invited you to sit next to her. It felt nice to be wanted on a seat instead of ignored and treated as though you were a literal piece of garbage that had dared to tread upon the clean floors of a hospital. Setting that aside, you were more than happy to forget about the events from earlier in favor of paying attention to the bubbly girl beside you.

Within a few minutes, the bus was nearly packed. Dirk walked onto the bus, sitting down behind you and Roxy with Jake. Jake waved at you, resting his chin on the bus-seat in such a perfect imitation of a begging puppy that you couldn't help but coo and scratch the underside of it, “Aw, who's a good boy?”

Jake snickered and pushed your hand away, “Sorry madam, but that sort of thing isn't what I'd call my cup of tea,” he winked, causing your cheeks to flush. Damn him and his unintentional charm! “I do appreciate the sentiment however,” he added as an afterthought, smiling wildly with his teeth poking out just slightly over his lower lip.

“So Jake, why are you riding our bus today?” Roxy raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips flipping up mischievously, “Is it because you're going to be riding something else later, huh?” that got an immediate reaction as Jake choked and sputtered his words out, eyes widening as he tried to hurry to cover his ass, “I'm just messing with you Jake, chill out,” she reached an arm back, slugging his arm with a short laugh.

The dark-haired boy pouted as he rubbed his arm, “Honestly Roxy, you can't drop that sort of erotica onto my lap like a flopping aquatic creature and expect me to respond accurately!” he dropped his hands back to his side, cheeks slowly draining of the blood that had crept up blatantly into his tanned cheeks.

“Roxy would you stop tormenting my potential boyfriend?” Dirk sighed, but it was obviously dramatized, and he smiled faintly. It was brief, but you're certain that it was there. What was it with this boy and his decision to remain aloof all the time? Maybe it was just an insecurity thing...

“Dirk, you dick,” a voice spoke up from behind all of you as a boy with aviators decided to join in on the conversation, “why'd you have to bring your boyfriend along? He stole my seat and now I have to stretch my legs out without my leg rest. This is unacceptable. Cruel and unusual punishment is forbidden in the Constitution you know.”

“You've used that analogy so many times that I would have to have become a certain blue 'aquatic creature' as Jake put it to forget,” his head tipped back slightly as he rolled his eyes, “Seriously Dave, get some new material, or at least recycle what you have into something that hasn't been used a thousand times over and over again.”

The new boy, Dave, scoffed, and put a hand over his chest, “You wound me Dirk. Your words are like a flying arrow that's digging into my heart while slowly allowing me to bleed out. Is that what you want Dirk? Huh? You want me to bleed out? Would that make it easier for you and your boyfriend to get it on?”

Dirk's expression remained neutral, “Sure. Go ahead, just don't stain the carpet. If you do then I might just have to drag your ass out of hell to whoop it before I make you clean the whole thing...”

The bickering between the two (who turned out to be brothers) continued well on to your stop. The five of you exited with you, Roxy, and Jake picking up on your own conversation while you allowed the blond brothers to duke it out among themselves. What an interesting day. You couldn't wait to get home to tell your father all about it.

Chapter Text

Eventually, you made it back home, and bid your new friends good-bye. Roxy and Jake gave you enthusiastic hugs while the blonde promised that she would come pick you up in the morning to walk to the bus-stop before waving as she walked away with the other three boys. She rolled her eyes as she walked away, mouthing “help me” in a dramatic manner before the two of you started cracking up all over again. All-in-all, you'd say that it had been quite an interesting day. At least, it was better than what you could have ever hoped for.

Sweeping into the living room, you hurried over to hug your father, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before you sat on the couch next to him. He smiled, knowing that this was a sign that you wanted to talk, and scooted over to make room before smiling kindly at you, “So, how was your first day at school?”

“It was so much better than I ever thought it could be. There were some rude people, but I made new friends already, and it seems as though quite a bit of people actually like me!” you beamed happily, adjusting your bottom lip so that it didn't get hooked on your upper teeth, “My cooking class is amazing and everyone was falling head-over-heels for my cakes! Goodness it was just so much fun!”

Your dad smiled, pulling into a tight hug as he let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief, “I'm so glad everything was okay and I'm proud of you for making friends, Jane. I think things are going to be just fine here.”

You nodded, happily hugging him back before you pulled away, “I'm making dinner tonight!” you proclaimed and he didn't try to stop you as you went into the kitchen and began preparing that night's meal. It was simple enough, just some enchiladas, but boy did they just melt in your mouth. In fact, you were absolutely positive that these were some of the best dishes that you had created in a long time.

After dinner, your father went to his office, shutting the door so that he could work in peace while you went upstairs to do homework. Hours of pain, suffering, and torture later, you ended with finished assignments and a horrifically chewed on pencil. In reality, it had only been about thirty-minutes, but the agony of homework was enough to make it feel like an eternity. Still, you were relieved that you were finished, and carefully tucked it into your backpack. Part of you wondered if you'd actually keep up on homework this year, the other part of you figured that you'd slip eventually. That was what happened every year.

Humming softly, you found other activities to occupy the rest of your night until you showered, and got yourself ready for bed. As you stepped out of the shower, you refused to glance at the mirror, and didn't look down as you slid on a long night-shirt. Once that was on, you felt a little bit better, and began brushing your hair while making sure your legs were pressed up against the cabinets. It had been a long time since you'd done anything to hurt yourself, but you didn't need the reminder.

Finally, you felt prepared for bed, and went to tell your father good-night. He was lounging casually and you leaned over to hug him, bidding him a nice evening of rest, and he returned the gesture. Smiling at him one last time, you walked upstairs, and tucked yourself into bed. Your dreams were peaceful and calm and you wished that it could be like that every night.

~The Next Day~

Something abruptly grabbed your shoulder and you gasped as you jerked awake. Blinking, you saw a mess of blonde hair above you with a pink-eyed girl grinning down at you, “Mornin' Janey! Hope you don't mind that I came over to get ready with you. It's just so damn-dang annoying with those boys over there. You'd think I'd take longer in the bathroom, but Dirk's all about gettin' his hair just right while Dave whines about Dirk takin' too long and-" she stopped herself, sighing, "it just gets super hella dumb Jane."

"Oh w-well um..." you sat up, grabbing your glasses from the side table, and slid them onto your face, "That's alright Roxy. You can get ready with me if you want too."

Her face split into a wide smile again as she threw her arms around you, "Thanks Janey! You're the bestest! And I'm not just sayin' that because you make awesome cakes and you're lettin' me bust all up in your morning business, I mean it."

A slight flush crept into your cheeks, but it was dark enough in your room that you couldn't really see it, "It's really no big deal Roxy, I promise. Just um...let me get dressed really quick," you said, sliding out of bed with a yawn, and shuffling towards your closet. Roxy got herself comfortable on your bed while you slipped into the bathroom, cringing at your disheveled appearance. Oh well, Roxy didn't seem like one to judge so you slid off your pajamas, and quickly got dressed. Your reflection seemed to taunt you and you caught a faint glimpse of a long and nasty vertical scar on your thigh as you pulled your skirt up. You were glad that they allowed you to wear tights, but you wished that they had longer sleeves on their shirts.

Your glanced up from your tights, flushing when you saw Roxy standing in the doorway. She seemed concerned about something and walked in as you fumbled with your words. Oh god, she'd seen, she knew what you had tried to do, and now she was going to hate you for being such an attention-

Your runaway thoughts were cut off as she hugged you tightly, not saying anything. Slowly, you realized that she didn't hate you, and began to hug her back. It took all your strength not to burst into tears then and there, but you did begin rambling, "I didn't know what I was doing. It was an awful day at school and I-"

"Sh." Roxy hushed you, biting her lip as she rolled up her skirt to show similar scars, "I know," she dropped it back down again and you were somewhat shocked.

"You...?" you couldn't finish the thought, let alone the sentence, and she nodded solemnly before she put on a strained smile.

"It's um...personal. I'll tell you the story later, but, hey," she put a hand on your shoulder, "We're both here now right? And that's pretty awesome. Come on, let's get ready for school," she added, grabbing your brush.

The two of you squabbled for a second, but eventually, she got you to let her do your hair, and you swear that she had magic fingers. It was practically glowing by the time she was done with it and you touched in gingerly, finger it soft and silky to the touch, "My god, Roxy! How did you do that?" you asked through your amazement, unable to help your fingers as they brushed more and more through your hair.

She shrugged, smiling at you into the mirror, "Just a lucky gift I guess?" she laughed, running the brush through her own hair before she set it aside, "Anyways, I brought my own make-up, but..." she looked at you with a mischievous grin, "I kind of want to do your's."

"Mine?" you raised an eyebrow, "No, it's alright. I can do my own, you really don't have to worry about my appearance Roxy, I'll be fine."

She tutted, shaking her head, "I never said you weren't pretty Jane, I just want to add another layer to make everyone trip over themselves when they get jelly of your fucking amazing good-looks," she sifted through your drawers before withdrawing what she needed, "Now lemme see..."

A few minutes later and it looked as though your make-up had been done by a professional, "Oh my god Roxy!" you couldn't help yourself, it was just...amazing! You'd never had a friend who would do something like this with you. No one had ever come over early in the morning to get ready and they definitely had never offered to do your hair or help with your makeup. It was...surprisingly nice and you found yourself hoping that this could become a more common thing between you and your new friend, "Thank you so much."

"It's not big deal Janey girl! If you ever want some tips I am totes willin' to help a gal out," she smiled, leaning over to hug you, "Just ring me up any day you want me to come over, alright? I'm never busy, so you don't gotta worry about bugging me."

"I'll be sure to remember that," you glanced at the time and stood up, "Oh! Breakfast should be ready, are you hungry? Dad's an excellent cook."

Roxy put her finger to her chin as though she were actually contemplating whether or not to join you for breakfast, but soon enough she shrugged, and nodded, "Why not? I haven't had a good breakfast in ages," she added, following you out of your room, and entering the lower level of your home.

The two of you were hit with the scent of freshly baked muffins and you happily bit into one, handing another to Roxy. You both chatted for a while, in-between bites at least, and laughed together while eating your muffins. Your father kept his distance, only coming in to give you both glasses of orange juice that 'two young ladies needed to stay fit and strong'. Roxy smiled, accepting her's with a 'thank you'. You followed suit with gratuitous thanks and your father nodded to the two of you before heading downstairs to get ready for work.

Soon enough, you and Roxy began heading for the bus-stop, chatting happily along the way. Eventually, you arrived at the corner where you had been waiting yesterday, and you melded into the group composing of the Striders and the other Lalonde. Rose hadn't been with you on the bus yesterday, but Roxy had been quick to ask Rose how her club meetings were. It easily clicked in your mind, so you didn't comment too much, and simply smiled as you all chatted.

Eventually, the unmistakable sound of a gas-guzzling giant became apparent, and the five of you turned to greet the yellow beast. You clambered onto the bus, settling down next to Roxy. Dirk and Dave sat behind the two of you while Rose sank down next to another girl with spiked, black hair. The two of them sat fairly close together, but you didn't comment on that.

The bus-ride was fairly uneventful, and you were grateful for that, so you soon got off of the bus. You had a few minutes before the bell rang, so you hung out with Roxy and the boys a little bit more (Rose was nowhere to be found...Roxy murmured something about "back to locker" syndrome, but you weren't sure what she meant by that) before the bell rang. Once it did, you bid the others a good day, and went to your new class period that started off your B-day.

You passed through your schedule with ease, pleased to find that you shared a lunch with the same gang as before. Once again, you had a home-lunch, but you'd packed a little extra today, and a couple of goodies were spread around the table. Calliope seemed extra happy with her slice of goodness, thanking you repeatedly while the others smiled fondly at her. Eventually, Roxy slung an arm around the girl, planting an exaggerated kiss on her cheek while exclaiming, "And that's why I love you Callie!"

The green-eyed girl blushed, putting her hand on her cheek, "R-Roxy..."

She didn't get too far in her sentence before an obnoxious voice spoke up and you turned your head to glimpse a pale-skinned boy with dark hair walking towards your table. He wore overalls and a black shirt underneath and he looked as though he hadn't showered in weeks, "How dare you exhibit such disgusting behavior with my sister you disgusting pig!" he snapped, every word he said sounding like an extreme shout.

Roxy immediately glared, along with everyone else at the table, "Go wallow in your own filth Caliborn, it's obvious that you've got enough of it. I'm surprised the school isn't drowning in the grease from your hair."

"You fucking faggot," he spat at her, eyes scouring the entire table, "you're all disgusting and you!" he rounded on Calliope, "should find better people to associate with."

Dirk started to get out of his seat, but Roxy grabbed his arm, and pulled him back down, shaking her head, "Just go away Caliborn. At least she has people to hang out with who aren't totally desperate."

"The people that I hang out with are classy," he retorted, "and they know what they want from the world. They're refined and somewhat normal unlike this clusterfuck of stupid decisions and gays."

"We are normal you piece of shit, now fuck off before I kick your ass here and now," Dirk sounded calm, but there was an edge to his voice that sent chills down your spine. Caliborn stared at the blond, their eyes locked for what seemed like ages, but he finally relented, and scoffed.

"Whatever. You're all gross anyways," he sneered, "at least I don't hang out with fat pigs and guys in skirts."

That hit a little too close to home and you swallowed as you looked intently at your lunch. That sure was an interesting bit of lettuce sticking out of the side of your bread...

Suddenly, a loud 'crack' echoed through the lunch-room, and you looked back to see Caliborn out cold on the floor. Calliope was standing over him, panting a little with bleeding knuckles, but her condition was nothing compared to the blood coming from Caliborn's nose, "I-I'm sorry. I-I couldn't stand him m-making fun of you all anymore," she said softly, shaking her hand off, "I'm going to go to the principal's office now."

"Callie..." Roxy started to stand up, but Calliope shook her head, and quietly walked away.

Silently, a couple of guys stepped forward, grabbing Caliborn under the armpits, and dragging him away from the scene. The entire lunch table was still tense and ate silently. Actually, the entire lunch-room seemed to be affected. It was one of the first times that Miss Calliope Umbra had ever acted so violent towards anyone so that sent a bit of a chill through the air.

All-in-all, it was one of the most awkward lunches that you had ever sat through and you were almost relieved that it was over as you packed up your things, and bid your friends a good rest of their day. In a daze, you walked to class, sitting down, and barely paying attention as the seconds slowly ticked by.

Agonizingly, you wondered if Calliope was going to be okay, but you couldn't seem to figure out an answer for that, and wound up worrying yourself silly for the rest of the class period. However, your rational side said that she'd be fine. After all, she couldn't have a bad track record, and it could probably be written off as sibling rivalry. It wasn't as though two families had to get involved so you allowed that thought to comfort you until the end of the day.

The bell rang and you stood from your desk, heading outside. On your way out, you spotted Calliope, and smiled, "Callie!" you waved to her, drawing closer, "What happened with the office?"

The other girl managed to pull her lips upwards, "I've got a three-day suspension, but otherwise nothing. They aren't going to mark it, so it won't affect anything."

You let out a sight of relief, hugging her, "Thank you, for what you did earlier. That was very kind of you to stand up to him like that. Especially with him being your own family."

Callie shrugged, eyes flashing with something that looked like happiness, "Friends are a bit more important to me than my family."

"Well..." you looked at the buses, paling a little, "Shoot! Sorry Callie, I'll talk to you later, okay?" you waved, rushing to get on the bus before it left. Luckily, Roxy saved your spot, and you sank down gratefully into the leather seat. Sighing, you slumped back against it, and watched out the window as Caliborn and Calliope began their walk home.

You couldn't help but worry for your friend, praying to god that Caliborn wouldn't seek revenge of her week of suspension.

Chapter Text

It was a long bus ride home. You and Roxy didn't say much to each other, just making small comments about your day before falling into silence. Likewise, her brothers were silent behind you, but the rest of the bus kept up its loud, obnoxious chatting. The sound grated on your ears, but you knew you couldn't be upset with anyone. Still, you were worried for Calliope, and anxiety tore at your gut like a beast trying to climb its way out of a god-forsaken pit. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant feeling, but a quick nudge from Roxy made you jerk out of it, and you looked at her as she gave you an understanding smile, patting your shoulder, "She'll be alright Janey, she's a tough cookie."

You were somewhat amazed that Roxy could just...tell that you were concerned, "I know, I just-" you stopped yourself, putting on a small smile, and shrugging, "I worry a little to much sometimes." you explained, interlocking your fingers, and looking down at your lap as the bus hit a deep pothole, launching you two part way out of your seats.

Instantly, Roxy was whooping with joy, and you couldn't help the laugh that tumbled from your lips. The bus-driver shot a look at the two of you and you both exchanged looks before falling into a fit of giggles. You finally calmed down after a minute, not looking in the mirror above the bus driver's head as they shook their head, and kept their eyes on the road. Roxy wiped at her eyes, still chuckling before she sat back against the seat, "Whew. Dunno why that was so funny. Guess stressful times call for lots of laughs, huh?"

"It seems like it," you agreed, looking across Roxy to glance out the window. The bus was starting to approach the first stop, so you had a little ways to go. You rubbed your arm, fingers releasing from their tight hold as you relaxed, scolding yourself for getting so worked up about Callie. Obviously she knew what she was doing, she'd clocked Caliborn to the point of unconsciousness after all! She'd be fine. That didn't stop a feeling of unease from creeping down your shoulders, however.

The gigantic vehicle squealed to a stop and you realized that you'd been so sucked into your thoughts that you hadn't been paying attention to where you were. Roxy nudged you though and you got up, gathering your things and stepping off the bus. Soon, you and the three other members of your group were walking home. No one made much conversation, but it was nice to walk with other people. You were happy about it, even though everyone had somewhat sobered up. No doubt you weren't the only one with fears for Callie's safety.

All to soon, you came up to your house, and you began to bid your friends good-bye, giving a wave of your hand. Roxy smiled, giving you a quick hug, "I'll come over tomorrow morning again, alright? School starts later by the way. Always does on Wednesday," she pulled back, but put her hands on your shoulders, looking you in the eye, "and don't take what Caliborn says to heart. He's a prejudiced prick, alright?" you gave a nod, blinking slowly before she pulled you into another hug. You hugged her back that time, smiling.

"I won't Roxy, I promise," you swore, feeling as though a weight were lifted off of your shoulders. She gave you another smile before moving away, hurrying to catch up to the other two Striders, and leaving you standing on the walkway to your house for a moment as you thought about what had been said. Shaking your head, you made your way inside, and greeted your father, but he seemed a little...off.

"Jane I got a call from the school," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as the beast from before began to make another appearance, "Someone accused you of being part of a fight, is this true?"

You stared at him in shock for a second. How had you been dragged into that? You'd simply been there! You realized you'd probably been quiet for to long and quickly shook your head, "No, dad it's not like that, I promise! I was at lunch and a kid came up and made fun of everybody. His sister got upset that he was doing that and punched him. That's all that happened, I swear."

He looked at you for a second before his posture relaxed and he nodded, "Okay, I believe you," he walked over, kissing the top of your head, "You didn't get hurt in any way?"

That calmed you down and you looked at him, "No. He didn't hurt anyone. Not physically at least. It's all okay though dad, honest."

Your words got him to relax the rest of the way and he pulled back, patting your shoulder, "I'm proud of you for holding your temper Jane. I'll make dinner tonight, you go get ready, and wash up. I'm sure that all that must have made your day very stressful."

"Come to think of it, a shower does sound nice," you admitted, "or a bath..." you trailed off, noticing the look on your dad's face when you mentioned a bath, "But I'm sure dinner will be done to quickly for a bath to be useful," you said quickly, turning to head up the stairs until a heavy hand fell on your shoulder once more.

"Jane," he hesitated for a second before he pulled you into a tight, fatherly hug, "I love you. Don't forget that. No matter what anyone else says, I'm here for you."

You blinked quickly, hugging him back, and nodding, "I know Dad. I love you too." he held you close for a moment, your ear pressed against his chest so that you could hear his heart beating with each passing second. It was calming and you let yourself forget about your troubles for a moment, feeling safe in his arms until he finally let go, and you slipped back into reality. He moved his hand to the top of your head, ruffling your hair as the two of you smiled at each other.

"Go take your shower, I'll call you down for dinner," he nodded his head to the hallway and you made your way up the stairs, going into the bathroom. You bit your lip for a second, taking a deep breath before reaching into the tub, and starting the water to get it warmed up. After a moment, you pulled the plug up, letting the water squirt out in a rush, and prepared for your shower.

The warm water was nice and you let it calm you down once more. You washed quickly and then just stood under the sprays for a couple extra minutes. Finally, you turned the water off, making sure to make a deal out of grabbing the towel, and drying your hair. You ran a brush through it once you were done, satisfied enough since you had nowhere to be for the remainder of the night, and your father wasn't having guests.You stepped out of the bathroom, going to your closet before you realized someone was sitting on your bed. Gasping, you clutched the towel tighter around you until you recognized the bright blonde hair, "Roxy? Oh goodness you scared me," you frowned a little, "Are you okay?"

"Shnickies Janey, sorry. I'll butt out for a minute. Thought you were dressed," her cheeks colored and she stepped out of the room quickly. You noticed her aversion to your question, but you didn't get a good look at her as she let herself out so swiftly.

You pulled on some pajamas, not really caring if Roxy saw you in them. After all, she was kind, and wouldn't care if you wore some sweats. You opened your bedroom door, seeing her sitting in the hallway. As quickly as she left, she darted back in, sitting on your bed, and hiding her face in her hands, "S-sorry Janey. Shouldn't be bothering you like this, but..."

"Roxy?" it clicked with you then that she was crying, shoulders heaving. You sat next to her, putting a hand on her back, "Roxy what happened?" you looked her over, but she was hunched over herself to the point that you could barely see any bit of skin.

"G-gimme a sec," her voice came out mumbled from under her hands until she slowly sat up and you gasped. Her arms...

Without thinking, you shot up, running to the bathroom, and grabbing the medical kit that was overflowing with bandages and neosporin. You sat down next to her, taking her arm gently, and disinfecting the cuts before you wrapped them up with the bandages. The other arm got the same process and Roxy sat still, not looking at you as she took shaky breaths while a few more tears slid down her cheeks. You didn't press or ask questions. If she wanted to tell you why she would, but for the time being you could at least keep her from getting any nasty infections.

She inhaled deeply, but it came out jerky, and sharply. She looked straight ahead, shaking hard enough that you could feel it from your bed. It stunned you, but you recalled the conversation from the morning, and you slowly wrapped your arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. For a second, she was still, but then she was clinging to you, fingers curling into your shirt, and head tucking into your shoulder as she sobbed, tears leaving blotches on your t-shirt.

You found yourself biting back tears of your own and you absolutely refused to cry. Roxy was the one who needed help and it was definitely not the time for your own selfish concerns. The two of you sat like that for a while as Roxy slowly stopped crying, just hiccuping softly as she continued to hold tightly to you as though she needed some sort of anchor to keep her from flying away completely. To distract yourself, you tried to comfort her, rubbing her back, and stroking her hair, carefully plucking through any knots in it.

An unknown amount of time passed before she finally pulled back, futily wiping under her eyes. Luckily, you were prepared, and handed her a tissue from the box tucked expertly into your nightstand. She smiled faintly at you, but it just looked so heart-wrenchingly sad. Her makeup was smeared all over her face, her eyes puffy and red from crying so much, and she was still trying to smile through it. The thought made you want to reach out and hug her again, but you refrained from doing so, letting her pull herself together as she sighed, looking at the messy tissue that she quickly balled up. You noticed, taking it from her, and handing her the box rather than just one.

"Thanks Jane," her voice was a little hoarse, deeper than it usually was before she cleared it, "Sorry to dump all this on you, but...I didn't know what to do," she wrapped her arms around herself, clutching them tightly before you carefully reached over, putting a hand on her shoulder so she didn't wind up breaking skin with her nails.

"Don't apologize Roxy, it's okay," you shook your head, slowly scooting closer to her until your hips were touching, "You don't have to talk about it. I know it's-it's hard, but I'm here, okay? I'm right here."

Roxy looked at you, eyes brimming over again before she flung herself towards you, hugging you again, and bursting into tears, "Janey you're the b-best friend e-ever," she hiccuped, laughing through her tears as the two of you sat there for a little bit again, laughing, and crying at the same time until she pulled back, dabbing at her eyes again. She seemed a bit better, taking a breath, and looking down as she shook her head, "That was...so stupid," she moved a hand up to rub her forehead, then looked at her bandaged arm, and quickly dropped it, "and then I dumped it on you and...god I'm sorry Jane."

You smiled softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "It's okay Roxy, I promise. I'm happy to help out a friend," you assured her, squeezing lightly, "but-" she tensed up a little and you bit back a laugh, "I think you should stay for the night. I'm sure my dad will be okay with it."

"Are you sure?" she relaxed slowly, looking at you. The redness in her eyes was already starting to ebb away and she sniffled taking a tissue to the underside of her nose before blowing it. She made a face, chucking the tissue into the garbage at the side of your bed, "I don't wanna be anymore trouble than I already have-"

"Oh hush," you stopped her, shaking your head, and standing up, taking one of her hands, and pulling on it until she got up as well, "we always have leftovers and tomorrow we start late, right?" she nodded in affirmation and you smiled at her, "Then there's no reason that dad won't let you stay. As long as we don't stay up too late."

Roxy rubbed at one eye, nodding, "If you say so Janey. I appreciate this, by the way. I appreciate it a lot," she bit her lip, "but. Can you promise not to tell anyone about this? I don't wanna ruin my perfect image at school."

You looked at her, laughing softly, "I wouldn't ever dare to tell a soul Roxy, I promise. I know what it's like," you gave her another quick hug, glancing up at her, "Let's go see if dinner's done...I'm guessing dad saw you?"

"Yeah. I was hopin' you'd answer, but your dad was pretty chill. 'Course. He didn't see everything," she looked at her wrists, then picked up a baggy hoodie, pulling it on to hide the bandages. The hood fell over her eyes and you couldn't help but laugh at the sight as she yanked it down, her hair flying up in all sorts of crazy fashions. She grinned at you, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes before she starting laughing too. Much like on the bus, the two of you doubled over with laughter, unable to help it as the roars of happiness just kept coming and coming.

Finally, you calmed down, a couple of giggles escaping, but the tension in the room was gone, replaced by a much happier, lighter feeling. You took her hand, pulling her towards the stairs. The two of you began descending right as your dad appeared to look up the stairs, an eyebrow raised up as he dried his hands with a dish towel, "Are you girls alright?"

You and Roxy looked at each other with a smile before you gave the nod, "We're fine dad. It's just girl stuff," you winked at him and he cleared his throat.

"Ah. I...see. Is your friend staying with us for dinner tonight?" he asked, directing the question more towards Roxy as he looked at her. She glanced at you, seeming a little hesitant to answer, so you nudged her until she nodded.

"If that's okay with you sir," she added quickly, which earned a laugh from both you and your father. It wasn't a mean one though, in all honesty, you just felt as though you needed to have some fun after the depressing mood that had just been going on in your bedroom.

Roxy, however seemed confused, but finally your dad spoke, smiling kindly all the way up to his eyes, "Of course that's alright. We have plenty of food to spare, so don't feel like you can't have any," he added.

"Dad, could Roxy spend the night?" you asked, looking at him pleadingly, "School starts late tomorrow and we won't stay up that long, I promise."

He seemed to think over that for a moment, eyes flicking between you and Roxy before he sighed, "Alright, but just this once. I think you've deserved after today. Both of you," he added, looking at Roxy's covered arms for a second before he turned and went back into the kitchen.

Roxy looked at you, quirking an eyebrow, "Does he...?"

"He learned all the tricks a long time ago," you told her, "He sort of had too," you looked down at the carpeted stairs before giving a shake of your head, "But that doesn't matter. Come on, you're going to love dad's cooking. If you think I'm good then just wait until you get a taste of his stuff."

You took her hand again and she entwined your fingers, the two of you rushing down the stairs, and into the dining room. The two of you were inseparable for the rest of the night, sticking close to each other with your dad butting in on occasion to make sure everything was okay or to bring by some treats. Overall, it wound up being a good time, and the two of you fell asleep in your bed, a small bit of space between you, but still close enough to assure the other that you were right there.

It was one of the most comforting feelings that you'd had in a while.

Chapter Text

The next morning, you woke up curled into your friend, who had one arm draped over her forehead while the other sat on her stomach. The darker haired of the two of you laughed softly as Roxy snored and carefully pulled yourself away from your pal. You glanced at her alarm clock that blinked at you telling you that it was about 7:00 A.M. Yawning, you shuffled to your slippers, sliding them on (because gosh darnit those floors are cold!), and making your way to the kitchen so that you could make breakfast. Soon enough, bacon was sizzling, toast was popping out of the oven, and a stack of chocolate-chip pancakes towered over the whole thing. Satisfied, you made up two plates (leaving leftovers for your father), and set them on the table along with silverware. Once that was done, you left the kitchen, treading the stairs back up into your room to fetch your sleeping friend.

"Roxy, wake up. I've got breakfast made," you prompted and she shifted in response, dragging her arm off of her forehead before stretching them above her head. You heard an uncomfortable pop before she let out a satisfied sigh, settling back down. The sleeves of her hoodie had dropped down to her elbows, leaving her arms exposed, but they seemed just fine, and you didn't worry yourself with it. The last thing you wanted to do was to dig up old scars for her. It wouldn't be very kind, "Hurry before it gets cold you silly goose!" you added from the doorway, smiling as she dragged herself out of the bed as though she had just risen from the dead. Which, based on her sleeping pattern, was basically what she had just done.

"Mm...smells yummy," she noted, her voice hoarse from sleep. She cleared her throat, rubbing it a bit, and smiling at you. You returned the gesture, leading her back down into the kitchen, and taking your seat. She took the other, inhaling deeply, and groaning, "Jesus Janey, if this tastes as good as it smells it's gonna be orgasmic."

You flushed slightly, whacking her arm with your hand, "Oh my heavens Roxy, sh!" still, you were flattered. Although you wouldn't describe anything as "orgasmic". You worked on getting the color out of your cheeks as Roxy helped herself to the syrup and some powdered sugar to drape all over the pancakes set in front of her. Once she was finished, you lightly dabbed your singular pancake with powdered sugar, not bothering with the sticky syrup before you started to eat. Meanwhile, Roxy was snarfing down her food as quickly as she could, making lewd sounds just drive up the temperature in your face as she did. You shot her a look of slight impatience, but she just winked, and you couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her cheeks covered in syrup and lips stained white with powder.

"Did I get somethin' on my face?" she asked between bites, but you didn't have the heart to tell her that she looked as though she'd just walked straight out of a wig powdering session. She took your laughter as a yes, smiling as she wiped her face off with a paper towel. Unfortunately for her, it just got stuck to her cheeks, ripping off, and leaving small bits of white clinging to her skin. Sighing with dramatic exasperation, she painstakingly picked the pieces off. She got to one, wincing, and excusing herself quickly from the table, cheeks going bright pink.

The movement startled you. She'd been perfectly happy just a moment before, but pulling on one particular piece of paper towel had upset her? You couldn't help but feel a little curious, the inherent sleuth within you coming out as you quietly followed her to the bathroom (your excuse was that you were making sure that she wasn't doing anything rash). You sat outside for a moment, listening intently, and then cautiously knocking on the door, "Roxy? Are you alright? You seemed a little perturbed for a moment at the table. Did the paper towel stick to well? Your bandages don't need changing do they?"

"I'm fine Janey! I'll be out in a second it's uh...uh...a girl emergency!" her voice rang out from behind the door, sounding a little sheepish and embarrassed. Your own cheeks flushed as you realized what that likely meant and backed away from the door, feeling awful that you'd been bugging her when that was going on.

"Oh heavens I'm sorry Roxy! If you need er...any...supplies there's some under the sink! Whatever you need!" you insisted. You swore that you could hear a small chuckle from behind the door, but you shrugged it off. Turning on heel, you went back to the kitchen before you embarrassed the poor girl anymore. You'd had no idea that it was so close to her time...no wonder she'd been in such a hurry to get out of the room! Goodness, you couldn't imagine starting at a friend's. How awful!

Roxy came out a few minutes later, seeming perfectly fine, and even a little amused as she sat back down to finish her food. You looked at her curiously. Her's must have not been that terrible if she was capable of putting a smile on her face. You would have been dying in the bathroom if it had been you. Part of you wondered if you should offer her an ice pack or go to the store to buy some chocolates, but you also didn't want to further her suffering. After all, a period was an unfortunate part of being a woman. It was something that you could definitely live without.

"Janey you don't have to worry, it wasn't that kind of emergency," she assured you and you blinked, realizing that you'd been staring with a worried expression on your face. Immediately, you attempted to apologize, but she cut you off, "Don't worry Jane, you don't know-oh man! I haven't told you and I came over all bawling about...that shit," she seemed hesitant suddenly, looking down at her pants, and anxiously curling and uncurling her fingers in her pants, "Look. Um. Just. Don't freak out if I tell you, okay?"

"Why would I freak out?" you asked. Was something wrong with her? Did she just not have periods? Lucky duck! You'd give anything to not go through that. Then again, children were something that you had considered. Pregnancy wasn't always something that you looked forward too, but the reward seemed worthwhile-your mind was getting awfully off track with that conversation.

Roxy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "When I came over last night, I had a reason for hurting myself, but I didn't tell you because I was really upset, and afraid that you'd hate me. But, you're a nice person, and I think you'll be chill with it. I mean, really, it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but some people are just really close-minded, y'know? Gotta be careful who finds out. There's to many whackos in this world..."

"Roxy, what are you trying to tell me?" you interrupted. It wasn't that you were trying to be rude, you were just...curious, and your questions about why Roxy was so weird about having a period really weren't being answered. You hoped that she didn't take your inquiry the wrong way, the last thing you needed was to make her shut off completely about it.

"I'm trans," she blurted it out and you stared at her for a second, processing what she'd just said. Once the words came out, she looked away from you, bringing her hand up to rub at the back of her neck as she chewed nervously on her lip. It took a second for you to realize that she was waiting for your reaction, but you weren't entirely sure how to. It didn't seem like that big of a deal to you, although a bunch of things did click; Caliborn's "dude in a dress" comment, the lack of menstruation...

It hit you that you'd been silent for a good moment and you quickly tried to cover your mistake as Roxy looked ready to start bawling, "Oh Roxy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blank out. That just...took me by surprise is all! I don't hate you for that, of course not, that'd be silly! You're my friend, no matter what. I'm just. I'm glad that you trust me enough to tell me that. I promise I won't tell anyone without your permission-"

Arms flung around you, squeezing you tightly as Roxy's face came to rest on your breasts as she sobbed in relief. You blinked, wrapping your own arms around her, and moving your fingers up to gently stroke her bed-wraggled hair. Tension leaked out of her and the two of you sat like that for a moment, Roxy seeming ecstatic that you hadn't reacted in a negative way. Not that you would have even if you'd known at first, you considered yourself to be a rather open-minded person, and you wouldn't judge one of the few people that had spoken to you based on that. No sir! Besides, you knew what it felt like to be hated because you were different. You could never do that to someone else.

"Thank you," she breathed out, shifting her position so that she could sit back in her chair. You let her go, smiling slightly at her, "I was so worried. I haven't told anyone, but Dirk, Dave, and Callie. Jake doesn't even know. Unless Dirk told him, but I don't think he'd do that."

"Roxy you don't have to thank me. You're my friend and I'm not going to hate you because of who you are," you assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder, and giving it a comforting squeeze, "You're perfectly fine. And, like I said, I won't tell anyone unless you say it's okay. I should be thanking you for trusting me enough to tell me that!"

She wiped at her eyes, lashes heavy, and wet, but you knew that the tears weren't sad as she beamed happily at you, "I knew I could tell you. But...y'know. Some people seem great and nice until you tell 'em things about you and then they freak out. I lost a couple of friends because of that. That's why I...why I hurt sometimes," she put one hand on the opposite forearm, smile flickering for a second before she put it back on in full force.

You shook your head, tutting, "Well you won't be losing this friend Roxy, I promise. And I'll be here if anything like this happens again. You're one of the sweetest people that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. In fact, you put some of my pastries to shame with your kindness!"

That got a laugh out of her, shoulders shaking as she wiped away the last of the tears that dripped down her face, "Janey, I love you girl. I'm glad that you came here too. I mean that! You're a great addition to our li'l group of weirdos," she winked at you, picking up another paper towel, and blowing her nose into, "And sorry for freaking out earlier. I pulled one of those damn pieces of paper off and I realized I haven't shaved in a while. Luckily it doesn't grow back super fast, but I can't afford that laser shit," she sighed, dabbing at her eyes, "It's hard being a woman Jane. It's hard and no one understands."

The two of you started cracking up and the morning continued on smoothly. You were both finished eating, so you put your plates in the sink (after rinsing the syrup off), and went back upstairs to get ready. Roxy had, fortunately, had the forsight to call Dirk and Dave to see if one of those "unreliable nincompoops" would bring her some clean clothes and her backpack. Soon enough a very miffed looking Dave showed up. He shoved the clothes and bag into Roxy's arms, grumbling about Dirk before he waved, and walked down the driveway. You watched him, raising an eyebrow at Roxy, who just shrugged, and shut the door.

You both got dressed, then entered the bathroom. You made a face at your appearance and Roxy mirrored it, grabbing your brush, and running it through the pale curls in her hair. Smiling, you pulled out all of your makeup, and began messing with it. Abruptly, something went through your hair, and you looked in the mirror to see Roxy happily fixing your hair with it. Luckily, your's was short enough to save you from many problems, and soon it was neatly parted, "Perfect!" Roxy exclaimed, "Now gimme the makeup. We are gonna look so fuckin' good that we'll put Cleopatra to shame."

You laughed and she left the room, dragging in your desk chair, and plopping you down into it. The next few minutes were spent with orders barked in your direction: "Close your eyes! No-wait, open. Purse your lips, now open-rub 'em together. There ya go...", but when you were done you looked amazing. Much like the day before and you couldn't help but feel amazed at Roxy's ability to wield a couple of brushes to create such beauty.

"There ya go girly," she grinned, pressing a kiss to your temple, and hugging you from behind. The kiss was a little strange, but you shrugged it off, smiling happily at her. You really were blessed to have her as a friend, "My turn!" she added, leaning up against the counter, and getting to work. It only took a moment for her to make her appearance just astounding and she hook her arm in your's, pulling you out of the bathroom, and grabbing her backpack.

As you'd gotten dressed, she'd discarded the bandages, and her cuts had minimized to scabs, which was a relief. You'd have hated to have her show up to school with her arms like that, even if she could have hidden them with somewhat relative ease. But, you didn't have to worry about that, so you didn't, and instead grabbed your backpack. Roxy snatched her's up as well, humming softly, and doing a once over on both of you before declaring the two of you to be, "Absolutely fabulous, darling!"

She led you outside, walking down your driveway, and joining Dirk, Dave, and Rose in walking to the bus stop. The two of you molded easily into the group of people, chatting contently as you waited for the honking mess of smog to show up. You felt somewhat out of place among the four of them, each one beautiful in their own way, but a glance at Roxy reminded you that you belonged with them. It felt right, being among the four siblings, and you were extremely grateful for your father's new job. When he'd said it would be a fresh new start, you hadn't realized that it would be quite like this after all.

Chapter Text

The bus came pattering along, creaking to a stop at the edge of the curb. The doors swung open and you stepped onto the bus with your friends, taking a seat next to Roxy. Dirk and Dave took the chair behind the two of you and Rose sank into a seat with her "make-out gal" as Roxy had put it. You laughed softly, but the two of them seemed relatively close, and...adorable? It was obvious that they were in a close relationship, although Roxy made it very clear that "close" was an understatement when they were all but sitting in each other's laps during class.

You smiled, comfortably chatting with your friends as you made your way to the school, occasionally hitting a godawful pothole that sent everyone shooting out of their seats. Still, it was made the journey all the more entertaining, and you and Roxy began to whoop every time you nearly got launched. But, like all good things, it came to an end, and everyone began to shove and push to make their way out of the bus. The four of you waited until the crowd thinned, walking off, and slinging your backpacks over your shoulders.

All to soon, the first bell was ringing, and you waved good-bye to all of them. Sighing, you went to first period, but were glad to see Meenah sitting in her usual seat. You sat down next to her, giving her a small smile, that she returned, "So ya got my grandma for the foods teacher huh?" she asked, leaning back in her seat, hands clasped over her stomach.

"How did you know?" you asked her, somewhat curious as to how she'd come to know that you were in her grandmother's class.

"Grandma C is a bit of a witch if ya catch my drift, but she's shella excited aboat you bein' in her class," Meenah informed you, glancing at the clock as the seconds began to tick down until class would actually start, "You made a good impression for the first day gill, so good job. Ya betta share some of that cake at lunch though," she winked, finishing her sentence just a second before the bell rang, and Mr. Vantas got to his feet to address the class.

"All fu-class," he seemed to cut himself off, causing half the class to let out a low chuckle, which earned them a sharp glare, "Knock it off. Pull out your notebooks, we didn't get anything done yesterday, so we need to work double time today-groan again you ungrateful nitwits! See if I care! Except I do, because you empty-heads determine how much I get paid, and I'd really like to keep affording my one bedroom apartment so that I don't wind up homeless. So shut your blabbering traps and pay attention!"

Surprisingly, everyone, even Meenah, listened to that, and the lesson continued with relative ease. Sure, having math for a first period class wasn't the best, but the way that Mr. Vantas described derivatives actually made calculus bearable. The whole time was spent taking notes, but the bell rang inevitably, and you got to your feet. You made sure to check your back, but no one had stuck anything to you that time, although your reaction still got a few people to laugh at you. What really surprised you, was when Mr. Vantas called for the two to see him after class, and he almost seemed to look at you sympathetically.

Ducking your head, you lowered your eyes, and hurried to English. It was rather dull without Calliope to chat with and the vacancy of her seat hung heavily over your consciousness. You scribbled for most of the class, not particularly engaged in the lesson, but at least you had Foods to look forward too. Regardless, the hour and a half long class dragged on, until you realized that it wasn't entirely that long. It was late start after all, but only about ten minutes had been shaved off of the normal class time. Without your friend though, it felt longer than it had a few days before.

Finally, the familiar "ding" of the bell went off, and you got to your feet, picking up your backpack, and hurrying to the Foods room. You walked in, nodding to Ms. Peixes, and went to your station. She laid out the instructions for a simple spaghetti recipe (made from scratch) and you got to work.

The feeling of dough between your fingers was familiar and you powered with them flour to keep it from sticking too much (but what was the fun in cooking if you didn't get a little messy?). It squished and oozed between every crack and crevice that it could, squishing, and molding to the shape of your fisted fingers. Your then rolled it out, carefully putting it through the pasta maker, and getting the noodles ready.

While those were preparing, you cut up a couple of tomatoes, and blended those into a paste that you then poured into a pot. Spices, meat, and everything else were soon added in. Once that was bubbling, you took it off the heat, finishing up anything else that you needed to put into it, and dished up the pasta. To touch it off, you sprinkled a small bit of Parmesan cheese onto it, and then stood back to wait for critique.

Behind you, Caliborn (whose nose was swollen and bruised) was cursing, and trying to scrape out burnt noodles from his pan. You winced, smelling that the noodles weren't the only thing burning. Ms. Peixes appeared to be onto the scent, however, and walked over, taking the pan from Caliborn, and putting it into the sink, "Mr. Umbra if you ever want to pass my class ya betta start takin' care of my pans! I told ya to put the heat onto medium, puttin' it that high, and not takin' care of it, is gonna make it glubbin' burn. Try to salvage your sauce at least and put that up for tasting," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, and walking over to your station.

Her hair was done different and you liked it as you counted all of the tiny braids that created rows on her head. She'd also pulled them through a ponytail, bunching them all together, and decorating the ends with fuchsia colored beads. It was a good look for her, but you didn't say anything about it as your attention was taking away from that as she tasted your food, "Hm. Not bad Crocker. Roll the dough a li'l less and boil the pasta a li'l longer, but that's mostly just an old lady's preferences. Glad that on of you glubbin' kids can read the board," she shot a look over your shoulder at Caliborn and you swore that you could feel daggers digging into your spine.

She went around the room and you started cleaning up. You packaged the rest of your pasta, figuring your friends would like some, and started to hand-wash all of your pans. They were dried and put neatly away fairly quickly and Ms. Peixes allowed you to go a little early. Glad to be away from the death glare that Caliborn kept shooting at you, you hurried to your locker, and fished your lunchbox out from the inside. Just as you closed it, you realized that someone was behind you, and you turned to see Caliborn standing there.

"Of course the fatty does well in Foods," he sneered and you felt your hand curling into the lunchbox tighter, "My sister's not here to protect you anymore, pig, and I can't stand people like you. You're so fucking abnormal and you act like you're better than everyone else. So how about you just go throw yourself-"

"Caliborn," a cold voice cut him off and both of you looked back to see a very tall and very scary looking girl. You recognized her as Rose's girlfriend, but you hadn't realized how much taller than you she was. Rose came to the side of her girlfriend, quirking an eyebrow. Together, the two of them stared down Caliborn until he relented, but not before he turned back to you, and spat on your face.

You were startled and humiliated, but, if anything, it just resolved you to make your food even better in class. Just to spite him. Kanaya sighed, plucking a piece of fabric from the pocket of her skirt, and wiped the spit off before chucking that. Her nose wrinkled in distaste and she put a hand on your shoulder, smiling gently, and pronouncing every word carefully, "I am sorry about him. He is a bit of a pain. Are you alright?"

"I'll be okay," you nodded, "Thank you for stepping in." The bell rang and Kanaya pulled her hand away, dropping it, and entwining it with Rose's with a smile.

"I'm happy to help," she assured you before the two of them walked away. You still felt as though you could feel the spit on your face and you shuddered, going to the nearest bathroom. You set your lunchbox down on the sink, taking a papertowel, and rubbing at the spot that he'd hit on your face harshly. It came away red by the time you were finished and you through the wet towel into the garbage before leaving the room. You weren't going to let someone like him make you feel bad, you refused...but it still hurt.

You went to the lunchroom, sitting down next to Roxy, and opening up your lunchbox, "Janey, are you okay?" Roxy asked, likely noticing the bright red and irritated spot on your cheek, "Why's your face all red?"

"It was nothing," you assured her, smiling slightly, and dropping the back of spaghetti on the table, "I brought leftovers from Foods if you guys would like some," you added. The bag was passed around the moment you said that, everyone shoving food to the side, and scraping out noodles and sauce onto their plate. You felt relieved that that seemed to have distracted them and helped yourself to a ham and cheese sandwich, making it through lunch.

Once it started to come to an end, however, your stomach dropped. You had gym. You took a breath, picking up your backpack, and waving good-bye to your friends. Making your way towards the gym, you went into the locker room, and moved to your locker. Luckily, you had quick changes down to an art, and got dressed into your shirt and gym shorts without much problem. You followed the rest of the girls down to the polished basketball court, scuffing your sneakers lightly on the ground while waiting for the bell to ring.

The gym teacher entered, a small, but stocky woman entered, and you recalled that she was the coach who had given you your locker. She had the stereotypical gym-teacher outfit on, a pair of shorts, long socks, sneakers, and a white shirt with a green trim around the collar and sleeves. Holding up a clipboard, she called out roll, and then pushed everyone through warm-ups. You made it through that and she smiled softly at you before going to the corner, and pulling out a large metal basket full of basketballs, "Alright girls, I'm splitting you up into two teams! I want a clean game, no rough-housing! Get in line, hurry up so you can play!"

She counted off down the line and you went to your side of the court, putting yourself closer to the back since you already knew you were lousy at basketball. The rest of your team seemed okay with that, but one girl slid back to stand by you, "Hey, new girl! I'm Latula, but you can call me Tula. Care if I guard with you?" she asked, pulling down her dark red glasses to wink at you.

"No, I don't mind," you shook your head, admiring the bright red streak in her hair. It went over the top of her head, pulled back into a ponytail, "I like your hair," you added, admiring the dark, silky texture of it.

"Thanks," she grinned, shooting you a thumbs up, and then tensing up, "Get ready, coach is about to blow the whistle, and then it's game time!" you had a feeling that she was likely a lot more into the game than you were. You really just hated sports though, but you figured that if Latula could help you then it would be okay.

A shrill shriek went through the air and the game went into full force. Surprisingly, you actually enjoyed messing around with Latula. You both managed to put up a decent defense, but your team still lost by a couple of points. At the end, you high-fived anyways, cheering as though you'd just won the national championship. You both cracked up after that, chatting the rest of the way up to the locker room, and bidding farewell as you changed.

Feeling better about gym, you got into your regular clothes, rubbing on some more deodorant, and packing the rest of your stuff into your locker. You then left the locker room, heading outside to wait for the buses to pull up. Roxy was already there and you sat down on the stone steps next to her, "Amazingly enough, gym wasn't that bad today," you noted.

She looked at you, frowning slightly, "Why didn't you tell us about what happened with Caliborn?"

A small bit of anxiety started to bubble in your chest and you turned your head away from her, "I didn't want you guys to worry. It wasn't anything that bad and it got taken care of before it could escalate that high."

"I wish you would've said something. Then again, maybe it's good you didn't. I really want to beat that snot-nosed piece of-" she stopped herself, taking a breath, and letting it out sharply, "Nevermind. C'mon, the bus is here," she put on a smile after that and you relaxed, getting to your feet, and walking with her to the bus.

Still, even though she seemed to have forgiven you, there was an undeniable tension entering the bus, and you wondered why she was so upset. You didn't ask and the bus ride was relatively quiet between the two of you. No one said much, even Dirk and Dave were silent, and you were starting to worry that they were giving you the silent treatment. Reflexively, you curled your fingers into your skirt, trying to calm your slowly panicking body.

The bus couldn't stop soon enough. You slid out of the seat, stepping down, and heading to your home. You didn't bother to wait for your friends and slipped inside before you could fall into a complete panic attack. Resolving yourself, you shakily made your way up the stairs, and collapsed onto your bed. You grabbed your pillow, squeezing, and praying to god that the panic attack would pass. Luckily, everything was silent, but even the faint traffic outside your window ground against your ears. You got up, flicking the light off a little too harshly, and tried to quit letting every little thing get to you, but you couldn't help it.

It took time, but it passed, and you laid on your bed, staring at the wall. You scolded yourself, hating that you'd succumbed to an attack so easily, and got to your feet. Small tremors still shook your hands and your hair was a rumpled mess, but you would be okay. Making your way to your computer, you flicked it on, and started on your English homework.

At least that way you could pretend that nothing had happened, although you were still trying to convince yourself that your friends didn't hate you. Still, you couldn't shake off the worry that were angry with you, and, suddenly, walking to the bus stop just didn't have the same thrill that it had just that morning.

Chapter Text

The next morning came and you woke slowly. For a moment, everything was okay, and you stretched with a content sigh before a fresh wave of heart-twisting anxiety hit. You put your hand over your heart, closing your eyes, and counting your breaths. Inhale. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Exhale. One. Two. Three. Four. Inhale...

You repeated the process for a few minutes until you felt a bit better. The knot inbetween your rib cage lessened and you sat up. From there, you let instinct carry you to the bathroom to go through the daily routine. Brush your hair. Brush your teeth. Apply a small bit of makeup so you didn't look so dead. Leave the bathroom. Pull on your outfit for school. Stare in the mirror. Fidget because your shirt hugged your body in just the wrong way. Your skirt felt tighter than normal. Had you put on weight? Were you doing worse than you thought?

Flinch. You yanked your fingers away from your arm, staring at the indented fingernail marks, and swallowing slowly. You rested your hands on the cool granite of your counter, hanging your head, closing your eyes, and just trying to breathe. Surely your father would understand if you needed a day to yourself. The thought of going to school just made the ache in your chest grow until it seemed as though it would consume you.

You left your room, walking downstairs, and pausing at the last step. Really. It shouldn't be that big of a deal. You were just overreacting about a silent bus trip. A bus trip. Your friends wouldn't abandon you over anything like that...right? You just didn't want to worry them by telling them about Caliborn's outburst. Surely they wouldn't hate you for trying to keep that a secret...

Your hesitation on the subject didn't go unnoticed and you didn't notice that your father was there until his hand was on your shoulder. Slowly, you lifted your eyes to him, realizing too late that you were crying. The look on his face was sympathetic and he silently pulled you into a hug as you collapsed into him. Searching for comfort, your fingers curled into his button-up, and you pressed your face into his chest.

The scent of cologne filled your nostrils. It was the same kind that you had smelled on him since you were a child. It would always remind you of him. For some reason, even though many other men likely used the same cologne, you felt as though it belonged to him.

After a moment, you turned your head, pressing your ear over his heart, and letting the rhythmic beat start to soothe your frazzled nerves. Your own pulse was going much faster than that and you were vaguely aware of how much you were shaking, but you couldn't help it. Instead of focusing on that, however, you paid attention to him.

His hand rested lightly on the back of your head, holding you close to him even as your mascara and tears ruined his shirt. The other wrapped around your midsection for a secure hug as he quietly encouraged you to simply let it all out. You felt his cheek slowly coming to rest on top of your head and you moved your arms to wrap around him tightly while a sob wracked your body.

There wasn't a set amount of time that passed by. Seconds didn't matter, but the moment did come to an end. Your father pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head as your tears dried and pulled back. He tucked a finger under your chin, one arm still around your waist as he had you look up at him, "I think I can take a day off if you need me here Jane," he kept his voice low, eyes looking over your face.

A soft sniffle was your first response and you brought one hand up to wipe at your tears, "I'll be okay dad. I just...I needed a hug," you weren't sure why, but you laughed, and that brought a small smile to his lips. Another kiss was administered to your forehead and he brought your back in for another hug. This one was much shorter, but you still got a few beats of his heart in before he moved back, and clapped his hands on your shoulders, "I'm proud of you Jane. You've grown into quite the competent young woman and I am so proud to have you as a daughter."

"I love you dad," your heart swelled at his words and a few more tears slipped down your face as you looked up at your father. He ruffled your hair lightly, something that he'd done since you were young, and insisted on having short hair.

"I love you too Jane. Are you sure you don't want me to stay home today?" he raised an eyebrow, a more serious expression coming across his face. His concern was obvious, but you didn't want to weigh him down with your troubles. He did have a job and such after all and holding him back or dragging him down was not on your to-do list.

So, you shook your head, "I'm sure, but...would it be alright if I didn't go to school today? I'll email all of my teachers and find out what I'm missing, I promise," you swore, looking at him pleadingly. School was not an option. Even if he said no you'd likely skip anyways. You were not ready to face your anxieties. Not yet at least. You needed a little while to think everything through.

Fortunately, he seemed almost relieved that you asked, and nodded, "Of course. I'll call the school and make sure that you're excused for being ill," he glanced at his shirt, then at the time, inhaling, and kissing your forehead once more before he began to head towards his room, "Be safe Jane! Call me if anything happens or if you need something. I'll come home at any time if you need me!"

"Okay dad," the words came out a little choked and he was already gone by the time you said them. You went into the kitchen, forcing yourself to find something to eat, and sitting down at the table with a small bowl of cereal. You fought off nausea with every bite, but you managed to stomach it, and set the bowl in the sink once you were finished. As you rinsed out the bowl, you heard the door open and close, leaving you alone in the home for the rest of the day.

Vaguely, you wondered if anyone would miss your presence, but you weren't sure that you really cared, and shrugged the thought away. You weren't going to think about school today. Today was a day for movies and television and perhaps a little bit of experimentation in the kitchen. With that plan in mind, you made your way into the living room, plucked a nice, fluffy blanket from the closet, and bundled yourself up in it. The remote made its way into your hand and you flicked on the t.v., putting on a movie, and settling down for a day of rest.

The hours passed by much quicker than you realized. The next time that you glanced at the clock, you realized that school would be getting out. Sighing, you sat up, and trudged to your bedroom to email your teachers about your absence while requesting any information they could give about the lessons and the homework incorporated with that.

As you finished up, a quick rapping of knuckles on the door echoed through your rather empty home, and you frowned slightly. You got to your feet, going to the front door, and cracking it open, "Hello-"

You were cut off as someone flung their arms around you, hugging you tightly, and then pulling back so that you could see the concerned expression of Roxy, "Oh my god Jane! We really need to exchange phone numbers, because I was freaking out worse than Dirk when someone touches his sword thingies," she put a hand over her heart, letting out a low breath, and looking at you, "Are you okay? Why didn't you come to school? I mean, I know that sometimes you just ditch to ditch, but-"

"Roxy," it was your turn to interrupt this time, "I'm fine. I just...had a rough morning. My father allowed me to stay home so I could have a little bit of breathing room. I promise, nothing bad happened. Were you really that worried?"

She glanced down at her feet, adjusting the skirt that she was wearing, and nodding, "Well...yeah. You ran off yesterday after we got off of the bus before anyone could say anything and I realized that we were all kind of really quiet and I promise Jane, we don't hate you!"

You laughed, mostly because it was a relief to hear the words, but also because you realized just how crazy you'd sounded in your own head that morning, "It's okay Roxy. I know that. I was overreacting yesterday and this morning. Everything that happened with Caliborn and I felt awful for not telling you guys about what happened...it was stressful, but it's alright now."

"Dammit Janey you're tugging at my heart strings here," she flung her arms around you again and you returned the gesture. It was definitely one of the two hugs that you'd needed that day and it seemed to fill your quota. The two of you stood there for a moment before you finally pulled back.

"Would you perhaps like to come inside so that you don't have to stand out there?" you asked, watching for her reaction.

Roxy grinned, "Girl I would love to do nothing more," she walked inside and dropped her backpack on the floor. Her shoes were toed off into the entry way and she flicked her hair out of her face, pursing her lips as she looked at you, "Next time this happens though you'd better let me know! And maybe Dirk and Jake too, but they're not as important as the bestest bestie in the world so at least tell me."

You couldn't help but chuckle at the slight ridiculousness of the statement, but part of you greatly appreciated Roxy's attempt at being humorously concerned for you, "I will, I promise."

"Good," she stated with a sense of finality, nodding her head, and glancing around the room, "So. What did you do today anyways? Since your lucky butt got to skip out today with parental permission. Based on the t.v and blankets I'd take a big ol' guess and say that you didn't do squat but watch Netflix."

"Your detective skills are astounding Lalonde, but I did more than just that. You failed to notice the faint waft of chocolate scent in the air," you shot her a mischievous smile, leading her to the kitchen, and gesturing to the brownies that you'd left to cool on the stove before you'd gone to send your emails, "Would you care for one?"

She groaned, "Holy shit Jane. Does anyone ever turn down your cooking? You're like the wizard of the culinary arts. You just wave your magic spoon and bam! you've got a bunch of awesome cooking. It's totally not fair. You gotta teach me."

"A magician never reveals her secrets!" you declared dramatically, cutting up a brownie, and depositing it onto a plate, "Normally I'd have some vanilla ice cream and whipped cream to go on top of this, but I didn't have the ingredients for the family recipe of ice cream, and I didn't bother with the cream because of that."

Roxy snatched the plate, and took a bite of the brownie, slumping back against the counter, "Jane. Jane. How do you do this?" she took another snippet of the treat into her mouth and you beamed happily at how much she seemed to be enjoying it.

"A little bit of love and a lot of flour," you joked, humming, and cutting yourself a smaller piece. It wasn't as hard to choke down food after talking things over with your friend and you made a note to adjust a couple of ingredients to make the texture a bit more bearable, "Really, if you'd like to help me bake sometime Roxy, you're more than welcome too."

"I'd better not Janey. I can't make cereal without burning it," she shook her head, licking her fingers of crumbs as she finished off the dessert, and put the plate into the sink. She stuck her hands under the faucet, humming, and glancing at you, "But I'll totally watch your mad skills one of these days. Let me know the next time you're gonna make some sweet goods."

You nodded, finishing off your own brownie, and washing your hands once she was finished, "I'd love to have some company other than my dad's to be around when I'm baking. But, aside from that, would you like to do anything else?"

Roxy's eyes flicked to the clock and she shook her head, "Sorry Janey. I should probably be getting back home. I've got some...homework and shit to get done. Maybe we can hang out this weekend though," she smiled at you and the two of you made your way back to the doorway. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, resting her hand on the doorknob before turning back around, and hugging you again, "I'll see ya tomorrow girly."

Without hesitation, you returned the hug, and Roxy gave a quick wave before opening the door and leaving. You brushed your bangs out of your face, smiling despite yourself, and heading back into the living room. Despite everything that had happened within the past twenty-four hours, you were happy. The knowledge that your friends didn't really hate you and that they were genuinely concerned for your well-being got you motivated and by the time you went to bed that night, you'd done quite a bit more than you'd expected to have in that day.

Your head hit the pillow and you drifted off peacefully almost immediately. For once, you were actually looking forward to your alarm clock going off.