Chapter 1 - Lunchbox

There was a new girl in school. The cafeteria was buzzing with the news of a strange new girl starting a third of the way through the year…in eleventh grade. Brian glared out across the cafeteria, surveying all. The popular girls and the Jocks had quieted somewhat and were peeking occasionally at the corner window to Brian's right. He raised a curious eyebrow as his cousin, Chad, sitting next to him, elbowed him in the ribs.

Annoyed, Brian turned to him. "What?" he asked harshly. Chad said nothing. He just pointed down the length of the cafeteria to the corner window that had the 'populars' all animated. With a resentful sigh, Brian leant forward. In the corner window seat was a girl…that Brian had never seen before, and he felt his mouth go dry. Dark red hair hung in loose curls to down around her shoulders, framing her pretty face, heeled black boots, slender legs clad in dark blue jeans, studded black belt hanging off one hip, and, under her black leather jacket, a tight-fitting Black Sabbath shirt.

When Chad finally spoke, he sounded as if he was in awe of her. "So, whataya think?"

Brian stared at her longer than was technically necessary to make his assumptions. "Damn…" he eventually said, eyes slightly glazed over. "Is that the new girl?"

"Yep." Chad nodded. "She's something, isn't she?!"

Brian nodded as he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, two of the popular girls, cheerleaders, rose from the laps of their individual Jock's and headed towards the new girl.

This time it was Brian who nudged Chad in the ribs and nodded towards the two. As Chad smirked Brian muttered, "This should be…interesting."

...

Jessie Talon stared blankly out the window beside her, wanting desperately to be anywhere but where she was. She'd already had two red-neck looking boys from a younger year ask her who'd died. Idiots. A loud bang echoed around the cafeteria over the chattering voices of students only pretending to eat, and Jessie, reluctantly, looked towards the commotion.

Some poor kid had been tripped near the large centre table…which looked to be populated by only Jocks and Cheerleaders, so there was no doubt why the kid had been tripped. He scurried away from the table with the remainder of his lunch and made towards his friends. To get to them, he had to pass her. He looked up at her as he drew nearer. He was a classic geek with thick, Buddy Holly-style glasses and clothes his old-school religious mum had obviously picked out for him. He looked terrified of her. She couldn't really blame him, bad days like today tended to make her look perpetually angry…and therefore scary. He looked down again as he walked past, eyes glued to his trainers.

Jessie felt sorry for the poor kid; he had to be only in seventh grade, so she spoke to him, "Hey kid," she raised her eyebrows at him when he stopped and turned slowly, terrified, to face her. "You okay?"

The kid half looked over his shoulder, then at his shoes, then, finally, at her. With a small, nervous smile, he nodded. "Yeah, fine…happens all the time."

"Hmm…" Jessie frowned at the ground for a moment. It was the same. No matter where she went, the majority ruled…and they were cruel. Well, whilst she was here, she might as well make a friend…if only for her mothers' sake. She looked up with a half-smile of her own. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be any good at calculus and trig at all, would you?"

The kid smiled proudly and nodded. "Yeah. I do advanced trig and calculus…my teacher has me doing twelfth grade stuff at the moment."

"Would you mind helping me out with my eleventh grade problems?" Jessie asked with a friendly smile. "I'm absolutely rubbish at both and I need someone to tutor me…I mean, you're probably a busy guy but-"

"No, I could…help out a bit." He looked at her nervously again.

"I'm just asking you to help me understand it, not do it for me." Jessie stated, her face blank again. "I can do it…I just need some help."

The kids smile returned. "Okay…um, when?"

"Ask your mum if you can come over to mine some time to help me out." Jessie shrugged. "When we've sorted that you can come home with me the days my mother gets me from school. Sound okay?"

"Sure." The kid was ecstatic.

"So, what's your name, kid?" Jessie asked looking him up and down carefully. He was shorter than her, which was hard to do, but it wasn't by much.

"Jayden…" he finally replied. "Jaden Holbrook."

"Well, Jayden Holbrook, I'm Jessie…Jessie Talon." She eyed him as he looked back towards his friends. "Well, go on then, enjoy your lunch, and we'll talk more. Okay?"

The kid, now known as Jayden, scampered off like she'd just yelled at him. She shook her head, amused, and eyed the centre table again. They were peeking at her and whispering now. Idiots. She turned away from them, intending to look out the window again, when her gaze fell on a boy, a few metres along from her, leaning casually against the wall of glass that made up the west wall of the cafeteria, staring at her in the curious manner all new things invoked in people. She inclined her head towards him slightly, acknowledging him, and then proceeded to look out the window again.

At the edge of her peripheral vision, she noticed him nudge the boy seated next to him and point in her direction. She sighed and leant her head against the wall behind her, one arm resting on her bent knee, and snuck a peek at the other boy. He had long-ish black hair and a tall, thin frame…grey jeans and a David Bowie t-shirt. He was probably the closest thing to a male equivalent of herself she would find here in Canton, Ohio.

A soft, polite cough somewhere close by, brought Jessie out of her reverie. She turned and looked up to her right. Two cheerleaders, going by their uniform like apparel, were looking down at her, smiling politely but not saying a word.

"Can I help you?" Jessie raised a quizzical eyebrow in their direction and waited patiently while they giggled. Not another practical joke, please!

"We were just wondering if you'd like to come sit with us." The sweet-faced brunette replied kindly. She really did look sincere…

"Yeah, instead of being by yourself…you know?" her fellow blonde cheerleader added.

"I don't think that would be wise." Jessie replied honestly.

Both girls frowned. "Why? Don't you like us?"

"No, I like you just fine…I just don't reckon you'll like me when you get to know me. I'm not great company to be around anyway. I think it's for the best I stick to myself or freaks like me." Jessie gave them both a sinister smile, and they left…quite quickly.

Jessie smiled at their fast retreat. But that smile soon turned into a look of confusion and curiosity as the long-haired boy she'd been eyeing before stood and made his way over to where she was seated.

"…Hey…" he finally said, voice low and slightly gravelly.

"Hi." Jessie replied jovially.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked as he pointed to the empty space near her. She nodded and he sat quickly…he looked nervous and awkward as he spoke again. "I'm Brian."

"You got a last name, Brian?" Jessie smirked.

He gave her a small smile in return. "Warner. Brian Warner."

She nodded, smiling. "I'm Jessie."

"Got a last name, Jessie?" Brian asked her, a boyish smile playing around his lips.

Jessie chuckled. "Mimicry is the most sincere form of flattery…next to self-mutilation." He laughed with her. "Talon…Jessie Talon."

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hi…" She smirked. "We've already done this bit…"

He nodded, both of them falling silent for a time. "So…"

"So?" Jessie encouraged.

"What did those two Populars want?" he asked as he picked at his black nail polish.

"I think they offered me a spot at the cool table." Jessie replied, her tone sarcastically implying the awesomeness of the offer.

"Did you accept?" Brian's voice was coloured with disapproval.

"Nope. I'm not 'Popular' material. And besides, they'd have made me into another little Jock-fucking clone of themselves." Jessie looked past Brian towards the centre table, voice hinting at the disgust she felt for those sitting there. "I'm not going to change who I am to please anyone. I like me, imperfections and all."

"Me too." Jessie looked at Brian with raised eyebrows as he hurriedly added, "I mean, I feel the same as you do…about liking being you…but liking me…oh, shit."

Jessie laughed freely for the first time in…she couldn't actually remember. "It's okay, I get what you're trying to say." She looked around Brian again, this time at the boy he'd been with. "Who's your friend?"

Brian looked over his shoulder and waved the other boy over. "This," he replied as the other boy joined them. "Is my cousin, Chad. Chad, this is Jessie."

"Hi, Chad." Jessie smiled politely, but movement behind the two boys caught her attention. She shoved Chad down out of the way and caught the apple she'd seen lobbed at their little congregation in the corner. It would have hit Chad in the back of the head. She stood and took two steps forward. The cafeteria was silent. Looking at the centre table, she spoke loudly. "I would love for the cocksucker who threw this to raise his hand." She tossed the apple in the air and caught it again without looking at it. "Come on. You were game enough to throw this at someone with their back turned. Be game enough to own up to it the girl who caught it." She tossed the apple in the air again, catching it at the same time as her gaze fell on a raised hand.

Low mutters filled the cafeteria as the Jock she'd seen raised his hand higher. "I threw it."

Jessie nodded. "So you're the guy."

"Yep," he gave her a cocky smile. "I'm the guy."

Jessie nodded again. "You've got good aim. You definitely would've hit my friend here in the head if I wasn't here. Let me guess…baseball and football teams, right?" he nodded, gaining cheers from the rest of the centre table. "Mhmm… well, I put it to the esteemed panel, and by esteemed panel I mean the rest of the student body, that I think, seeing as you took a shot at us, I think one of us should have a shot at you and see if any of your friends can or will catch the apple before it hits your head." She turned to look out over the rest of the cafeteria. "Am I right?" For a moment, there was naught but silence…but then a cheer rose up from the oppressed masses that were sick of being bullied and losing their lunch money to jerks like the guy she was challenging. Jessie smiled. "Majority rules in my favour, it seems."

The Jock who'd raised his hand glared back at her. "But-"

"Yes, isn't life tragic?" Jessie gave him a sadistic smirk, and the guy ran. He actually ran. He bolted straight for the cafeteria doors. Jessie smiled again, aimed, and lobbed the apple at the back of the guys' head. It all happened in seconds. The apple left her hand, the cafeteria doors opened revealing the headmaster, the apple connected with the back of the guys' head with an audible crack, and fell to the floor clutching his head.

Jessie looked back at Brian and Chad as a cheer erupted from unpopular majority of the student body present, echoing around the cafeteria as the 'end of lunch' bell rang. She was pleasantly surprised to find Brian looking up at her with…was that admiration or lust?

With a hearty laugh, Brian stood and put an arm around her shoulders as he went to class with her. "I think I just made a new friend."

Jessie smiled up at Brian. "Me too." She looked forward again, their faces both going blank and the result had everyone scrambling out of their way. "Me too…"

...

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Much love,

Jazza ;)