Crimson High – The Jane Story
A/N: I was having such fun with Lisbon's POV concerning this story, that I couldn't help but wonder what Jane had been up to. So I decided to write this story. It's pretty much the exact same story as 'Crimson High', but from Jane's perspective. Enjoy…
Chapter one
I wandered the hallways of the school, lacking anything better to do. As the son of a carnival entertainer, I was used to entertaining the masses. With few people around, I felt very bored. My entertainment factor was the reason I was part of the popular crowd. I hated the popular crowd, but somehow, I was seen as the leader of the pack. I strolled past my locker and paused before opening it. I pulled out a book, and shut the door. A figure standing on the other side of the door startled me, and I jumped. I relaxed when I realised that it was just Lorelei. Lorelei Martins was my – for all intents and purposes – girlfriend. She smiled up at me. "Good morning, Patrick."
I smiled back, and gave her a hug. "Morning, babe."
She giggled in my ear and pressed her lips to my cheek. I stepped back and headed in the direction of my first lesson. Lorelei followed me, but got sidetracked talking to one of her friends about some latest gossip. I didn't mind. I didn't actually have any deep feelings for the girl, but when she had approached me a month before, I pitied her and agreed to date her. Anything between us was purely superficial, and more for the title than for any real commitment. My journey took me past Principal Minelli's office, and I spotted an unfamiliar face heading in my direction. The girl had bright green eyes, ebony hair that hung loose about her face, and possibly the most nervous expression I had ever seen. She wore a black leather jacket, an olive green scoop necked shirt, faded blue jeans, and black ankle boots. She walked past me without seeing me, and disappeared into Principal Minelli's office.
I headed for my first lesson, science with Miss Hightower. The lesson went by slowly, and I spent most of the time wondering about the new girl. She seemed nice, but lonely. This loneliness stemmed further than just moving to a new town, as though the weight of the whole world was on her narrow shoulders. I got the impression that she probably lived alone, but she knew how to take care of herself. The bell rang, and I stood up. I wandered from the room and met Lorelei just outside. "How was the first lesson?" she asked, pressing her lips to my cheek.
I smiled. "Boring without you, beautiful." I guess I had to keep up the act.
We strolled arm in arm to where Craig O'Laughlin and JJ LaRoche stood at the water fountain. I turned to Craig. "Anything new?"
He nodded. "There's a new girl. Name's Teresa Lisbon."
I nodded, glad to now have a name for the face I had seen that morning. I turned to JJ. "You up for a game of pool later?"
JJ nodded, and the rest of our large group began to arrive from their lessons. We were all exchanging stories and laughing together, when I spotted someone of interest. Teresa Lisbon was on her way to her next lesson, walking with a gangly boy I knew to be Wayne Rigsby. Craig scowled. Rigsby and Craig weren't exactly friends. Liking a girl could do that to people. I knew for a fact that Rigsby liked a pretty girl named Grace Van Pelt. Craig liked her too, and the two of them fought over her constantly. Rigsby was one up on Craig because Grace liked Rigsby back. Craig wouldn't admit defeat, and continued to pursue her.
Lorelei was clutching my arm as I watched the two people walk past us. Judging by the look on Teresa's face, Rigsby was telling her about us. The look on her face was a mixture of nervous tension and mild disgust. I brought my focus back to what JJ was saying just in time to catch the punch line to a joke. I pretended to laugh along with the rest of them, but I suddenly didn't want to be part of the popular crowd anymore. We had a bad reputation amongst the students, and I hated that the most. I felt that I had no real friends here, and that this whole thing was just an act. Teresa and Wayne vanished around a corner, and I stepped away from Lorelei. "I'm going to be late for Geography," I mumbled, hurriedly walking away from her.
She didn't really notice me leave, and continued talking to JJ. I rounded the corner and walked away from them, my stomach twisting in distaste.
Lunchtime rolled around, and I found myself – against my better judgement – at the popular table. Lorelei sat next to me, and laughed along as I produced a coin from behind Craig's ear. My father had taught me that trick when I was about five, and it never failed to amuse people. Craig rolled his eyes. He had seen the trick before, but couldn't help but wonder how it was done. He turned to talk to the girl next to him, and spotted someone walking past the table. "Hey, Lucy," he called, getting the passing girl's attention.
She automatically glanced up at us, and her face turned pale. Her thick glasses had slid down her nose slightly, giving her eyes an unusual owlish appearance. Her face was quite pretty, but the glasses made her eyes look too large for her face. She stopped walking, and Lorelei laughed. "I like your glasses. They suit you."
The entire table broke into laughter, and I pretended to go along with it, but secretly my heart hurt for Lucy Malone. She had poor eyesight, and she pushed her glasses up her face self-consciously. I watched her hurry off to where her friends sat, and turned to Lorelei. I wanted to scold her like a child, but something else crossed my mind instead. I glanced up to where Teresa was sitting with Rigsby, Grace and Kimball Cho. She had found some honest friends to hang out with, and I was glad for her. She was listening intently to something Grace was saying, and I got the feeling that they were talking about us. Teresa ran her fingers through her hair, and muttered something to Cho, who shook his head. He mumbled something back, and Teresa scowled. The bell rang, and we all stood up to leave.
Lorelei tugged at my arm. "Can I talk to you, Patrick?"
I nodded and followed her into the crowded corridor. "What do you want to talk about?"
Lorelei walked next to me. "You seem very interested with the new girl. Is it because you think she's prettier than me?"
I rolled my eyes. "You're jealous. That's beneath you, Lorelei. And rather childish of you."
She grabbed my arm and yanked me to a stop. "I am not jealous of that girl. She just hasn't been told where the lines are yet. Maybe we should show her."
I turned to face her. "Lorelei," I warned. "We have a bad enough reputation already. Why make it worse by intimidating Teresa? What has she done to you that you need to 'show her the lines'?"
Lorelei looked me in the eye. "Nothing. Yet. I'll talk to JJ and see what he can organise. Maybe Craig can help him."
I fought the urge to scowl at her. "Fine," I said. "But you're making the plans, not me."
She nodded and walked away, and I held my hands to my head in frustration. Lorelei was impossible, exactly like a petty toddler. I really did feel sorry for Teresa. She was a really sweet girl.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
My last lesson was Spanish, and I sat behind Craig. He turned around to face me as I sat down. "Patrick," he said. "We've got a plan for the new girl."
I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
He glanced around and outlined a plan for me. It involved petty insults and rude behaviour, something I would refuse to indulge in. I had higher standards than that. I scowled. "I'm not doing that to her, Craig. She hasn't done anything to deserve that kind of treatment. Especially on her first day at a new school."
Craig shrugged. "So? What are a few slightly untrue remarks between friends? So, maybe she is within earshot when we say them. Does it really matter?"
"I refuse to go along with this, Craig," I said, folding my arms. "I'm not doing that to Teresa Lisbon. She doesn't deserve it."
Craig frowned. "Lorelei is not going to like that. This was her idea."
"Screw Lorelei," I muttered under my breath. I looked Craig in the eye. "How about we change our plan? Maybe take a less, harsh, route."
Craig raised an eyebrow. "Change the plan?"
I nodded. "Instead of saying anything to her, why don't we just use physical intimidation?"
Craig looked confused. "You mean, push her around a bit? That's not exactly a good idea, Patrick. We could get into serious trouble."
"No," I said, perhaps too quickly. "We don't touch her."
I outlined my plan to him, and he agreed that mine was probably a better idea. He hadn't really liked Lorelei's plan in the first place anyway. He had just agreed to it to get her off his case. The lesson ended quickly, and we stood up. We met JJ just outside the classroom door, and Craig outlined the new plan. JJ seemed even more surprised than Craig had at my change in plan. We headed out into the parking lot, and I tracked down the red Peugeot 405. The three of us leant up against the driver's side of the car and waited for her to appear from the school. Three minutes later, the tiny figure appeared at the door. She strode across the parking lot, but frowned when she spotted us. I fought not to react as I watched her pull out her keys and attempt a confident stride. She glanced up at me, and I smiled back at her. She remained expressionless as she walked around the car and opened the passenger's side. As soon as she was in the driver's seat, the three of us walked away. She had received the message loud and clear, and I had saved her from the worst day of her life.
I felt a little better at that thought as I said goodbye to JJ and Craig. I got into my light blue Citroen and drove in the direction of my house. I lived with my mother, and she greeted me as I stepped through the door. "Patrick, darling," she said. "How was your day?"
I smiled and kissed her cheek. "It was fine, mom. Yours?"
She launched into a tale of her day running errands, and listened good-naturedly. I glanced at the wall clock and smiled. "I have work to do, mom," I said, turning for the stairs.
She smiled. "I'll call you for dinner."
Inside my room, I dropped my bag onto my bed. I sank into an old couch in my room, and sighed. The couch was brown leather, wide and comfortable, and I relaxed. My thoughts turned to Teresa. She was different from the other girls at school, and I wondered why. I cursed my father for teaching me his tricks, but the cold-reading came in handy now. I could tell that Teresa had suffered a life-changing tragedy in her past, and had borne huge responsibility at a young age. I wondered what had happened, and suddenly found myself wanting desperately to know. I lay on my couch, thinking about Teresa and her possible problems, until my mother called me for dinner.
A/N2: I hope you've enjoyed this accompaniment to the original story. Please review and tell me how I'm doing. Thanks.
