What We Do
By: Me
Rating: PG13 (for language)
Pairings: SANA, hinted Jate
Summary: Young Sana! "I don't know why you hang out with her; she's always beating you up."
.xXx.
"This is all your fault!"
The young girl the statement was aimed at ignores it in favor of examining her swollen knuckles. Her blue jeans are covered in dirt, and having vindicated itself from the restraining band, her hair is in wild disarray. It's pretty obvious from her appearance that she's been in a scuffle recently.
The girl who spoke returns to pouting and prodding the scrape on her knee, which is visible only through the rip in her pant leg, she is frowning heavily at the abraded skin. She prods the silent boy next to her with an elbow. He lifts the ice pack from his face and shoots her a scathing look. The glare's impact is diminished largely by the dark ring surrounding his swollen right eye.
"What d'ya want, freckles?" He questions irritably as he rubs his side. The girl looks back at her knee, "D'you think it's gonna scar?"
"Prolly, but it won't be too bad though." He states simply, placing the icepack back on his eye, she wrinkles her nose, "But, Jimmy, all scars are ugly."
The boy shoots her an offended look, "M'names not Jimmy, Katherine, its Sawyer. An scars are a symbol of strength."
Katherine simply huffs while rolling her eyes at the blonde beside her.
The girl seated across from them is getting ready to add her pennies to the conversation when person joins them in the small room.
"Ana Lucia Cortez, what have I told you about this!" The tall Latino woman asks angrily, tapping her shoe against the bad carpet. The young girl lowers her head, offering no excuse. A door to the left of the chairs opens inward, "Mrs. Cortez, would you care to join us?" the principal asks, standing in the doorway. The tall woman shoots another disproving look at her young daughter, before following him inside the office.
"Ooh somebody's in big trouble." Sing-songs Kate laughing.
"Looks like you're goin' to get grounded again, Chica." Sawyer adds sympathetically.
"What do you care?" Ana says petulantly then crosses her arms over her chest slumping farther into her badly upholstered chair. Sawyer affects a dramatically offended look, "I care cuz if you're grounded, I won't have nobody tah fight with."
"But Sawyer, that's what got you in trouble this time, and it got me hurt." Kate states reasonably while pointing at her injury for emphasis.
"I know that, but it's what we do," he says gesturing between him and Ana, "and you just got in the way s'all."
Kate huffs in annoyance, "Yeah in the way of your heavy butt!"
"Well, s'cuse me for not watching where I fall down, I'll be sure not ta collapse on yah evah again!" The southerner retorts in annoyance before turning back to, the now amused, Ana.
"Anyhow, if you get grounded then I'll have to bother Jackie boy, and he's no fun, too high an' mighty ta tussle."
"Ain't nothing I can do 'bout it, cowboy, my mom's gonna ground me for sure." Ana replies sadly.
"Well I guess I'll just have to do what I did last week then." Sawyer says shifting his ice pack to a colder spot and leaning back in his seat.
"An what'd you do last week, Jamie, play house with Claire and Charlie?" Ana asks with a raised eyebrow. James looks incensed at the remark. "Hey, the name's not Jamie, James is bad 'nuff as it is. And no, I didn't play house with nobody. I spent the week reading books, so's I can beat your class record, Lucy."
The rivalry between the two children was well known, it wasn't uncommon to see them both sitting somewhere together reading. Especially, since they were usually reading the same book. Yet somehow Ana had managed to stay firmly in the lead of the class book-a-thon, a fact which Sawyer had been working hard to change.
"That's pretty sad, Sawyer."
"Well, so's playin kissy face with Jackie, Kitty Kat." The blushing brunette ducks her head as Ana grimaces from her seat.
"There's no way your going to beat my record, cuz all I'm gonna be allowed to do this week is read." Ana smiles smugly at the boy, he smirks back. "We'll see 'bout that."
The door to the Principal's office swings in sharply, and the three children go silent.
"Thank you, Mr. Locke, I'll be sure to talk to her about her anger management." Ana's mom says as she shakes the older man's hand. "Come on, Ana," Mrs. Cortez motions towards her daughter before moving to leave the office.
"See yah tomorra, Chica." Sawyer calls out to the retreating girl.
"Yeah, tomorrow." She replies with a backwards wave.
"I don't know why you hang out with her; she's always beating you up." Kate makes this declaration while gathering her things to leave.
"James, let's go" commands a tall man standing by the exit, and Sawyer gets up from his chair. The boy turns one last time to Kate, "I like Ana, she's fun to piss off, and as for the fighting," he shrugs, "'s like I said, it's just what we do."
.xXx.
"Ugh, tell me you're not actually considering eating that." Sawyer looked up from his sandwich catching the disgusted look on the Latina's face. "An what's wrong with a good bologna sandwich?" He asked before sinking his pearly white teeth into the his food.
Ana shook her head, "You mean besides everything?" The southerner seated across from her simply smirked, which was pretty comical considering the fact that his cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's and full of processed meat, cheese, and bread.
Rolling her eyes the girl turned to her own meal, pizza again. She eyed the layer of grease that rested on top of the rubbery cheese and concluded that she really wasn't that hungry.
"Starin at it ain't gon make it better, Lulu." Ana looked up at the annoying guy and tilted her head.
"I know that, after all it didn't work with you," The young man chuckled lightly, "that's cuz it don't get no better than this Muchacha." He gestured at his body, a sh!t-eating grin on his face. Ana rolled her eyes ceiling-ward.
"Is this seat taken?" The pair occupying the cafeteria table looked warily over at the boy who stood with his tray balanced on one hand and the other laying on the back of the last empty chair. Sawyer propped his feet upon the orange chair, giving the newcomer a pointed look. "Is now."
Ana shot him a look, before knocking his feet off the chair. "Help yourself."
"Thanks, Ana." The newcomer took the seat, and Sawyer glared at Ana across the table, but the girl ignored his look and began munching on an apple.
"That test in Geometry was pretty tough, I'm glad I studied." It seemed that the words floated in the air for an eternity, neither Sawyer nor Ana being partial to idle chit chat. Shifting somewhat nervously in his chair the speaker glanced at Ana for help. Ana sighed, "Yeah it was tough."
"So where's freckles, Jackie boy?" The blonde glanced around, as if mere mention would cause her to appear. Shrugging the older boy donned an apathetic look. "Ooh, trouble in paradise, huh?"
"Something like that." Jack's response was despondent. Evidently, it was a sore subject for him.
"Ah come one, Dudley Do-right, gotta give up a little more information than that!" From the expression on his face it was apparent that Sawyer was reveling in his rival's misery.
"Cut it out, cowboy." Ana said through gritted teeth.
"'M just havin' a little fun, Lucy, no need to get your panties inna twist."
A faux cough interrupted their exchange, the two turned simultaneously toward Jack.
"Actually, I need your help." Jack leveled a look at both Ana and Sawyer, both of which looked surprised. It wasn't often that they were included in, well, anything. Their mutual straightforwardness, sharp tongues, and respective right-hooks made them outcasts of a sort. The popular belief behind their friendship was the whole "birds of a feather" thing, which was partially true, but really their friendship went deeper than the general populace knew; they were a close knit duo. Exchanging a look, the two turned back to Jack waiting for him to continue.
"I need you two to go on a service trip with the student council." Jack was in full leader mode, using the tone that had won him the title of Class President.
"You want us to go on a service trip? Why?" Sawyer got straight to the point, and Jack ran his hand across his nearly-bare head.
"I need you two because you're both good with kids; we're going to the Children's Hospital this week. Charlie, Claire, Shannon, Kate, and I; just aren't as good with children as I know you two are. We're going to need the help, if we're going to do a good job."
"I'm in. What about you cowboy?" Ana was sold the minute Jack had mentioned kids, she loved young children, they made her smile. That was probably why she hadn't killed Sawyer yet. Sawyer leaned back in his chair, tilting his head as if he was in deep contemplation. "I suppose I could lend a hand, but what's in it for me?" A huff was heard between them as Ana crossed her arms over her chest and leveled her gaze on the blonde. "My gratitude?" Jack ventured, the laughter that followed the comment was nearly hysterical. Wiping at his eyes dramatically Sawyer said, "Will that be in tens or twenties?"
"Sawyer." It was a warning, a warning that bad things were on the horizon for the blonde. "That's ma name, Sweet Thang," he was purposely taunting her.
Grinding her teeth together the young woman met his amused eyes with her own. "Now what would your momma say if she knew that you weren't going to help out a friend, James?" Eyes narrowed, Sawyer looked back at her-she only used his name to piss him off, and he knew it. "Well, Jack and his band of merry-makers ain't any friends o'mine, she probably wouldn't say anything, Chica."
"Uh, guys?" Jack glanced back and forth between the two, who continued to ignore him.
"Who said anything about them, redneck?" Tension was building around the two reaching heights which was catching the attention of other people.
"Better watch what you say tah me, Rambina."
"Why what you gonna do, annoy me to death?"
"Nah, but I might just have to replace yah. Y'know get a new model. Heard there was a Kitty Kat lookin for a good home." The sentence was no sooner finished then chaos broke out. The table was somehow overturned and the two friends were grappling on the cold linoleum. What was lost on the spectators was that there weren't any punches thrown which, if it had been a serious fight, would have been guaranteed from both participants. In reality it was just a simple wrestling match.
Two large figures shouldered their way through the crowd, both grabbing onto a teenager and yanking them apart.
"Always you two." The dark man said while holding back a fuming Ana Lucia.
"Been this way since grade school." Said the bald man, holding a seething Sawyer by the arms.
"Really? And why is that?"
"Don't quite know, Mr. Eko. It's just what they do."