I Own This.

Chapter 1

"Miss Flanagan, do you honestly think you're going to pass this class by using your horn as a pillow?"

I shot up, my slightly drooled on French Horn slipping from my grasp and landing on the floor with the sharp clang of metal that I just knew would cost me. Dents and scratches added up to quite pricey repairs. Trust me.

"It's quite nice of you to join us Miss Flanagan, so if you are done napping and wildly abusing school property, I would like the Horns to start at pickup note for measure 87." Mr. Johns had his baton up, and the tip of it was quivering with almost as much impatience as the tips of his obnoxious mustache. Mr. Johns looked like he could be your Grandpa, but without the aura of kindness and wisdom. Not the kinda guy I personally would want to be my Grandpa.

Me, being the ditz that I normally am stared at him for a moment while trying to put my fuzzy thoughts together when he cut me off.

"Miss Flanagan, to actually play you will, of course, need your Instrument"

"Oh, right-" I said, not fully there yet "getting it now sir."

I looked down at where I had dropped the damn thing, only to find it not there. Which is odd because I was 100% sure I had seen it there a moment before.

"Here." I heard a voice say gruffly, and my horn was shoved into my hands by my neighbor/rescue crew Blake Davenport.

"Umm, thanks" I muttered quickly, before scanning the page to find measure 87, just in time to catch up to Mr. Johns whirling baton.

Twenty minutes later I was walking down the main hallway with my fellow bandie and best friend Kimberly Francis, yawning periodically while listening to her constant chatter on the way to lunch.

"And when I looked at him Jinie, I swear, he looked so pissed I thought he was going to take his baton, and shove it up your-"

"Kim" I said mid yawn "That's illegal."

"Won't stop him next time though."

"It's honestly not my fault though" I grumbled after I had reached my locker, which was coincidentally right next to hers "Mid term exams are next week, and every teacher had loaded me down with reviews on top of homework." I took out a couple books and rummaged around for my bagged lunch. "Plus I think I've got a random case of insomnia, because I can't sleep. Well, kinda."

"Kinda?" Kim asked, not really focused on me, but on her reflection in her ridiculously hot pink magnetic locker mirror. She rummaged through her purse, her hand resurfacing soon with some lip gloss. So while she was applying her "Very Berry" or whatever, I explained.

"Well last week, remember I told you I had problems sleeping? Or I've fallen asleep and woken up seconds later. Last night for example, I was completely dead-on-my-feet, and as soon as I hit my bed, all I could do is stare at my ceiling. Then I started hating my life."

Kim smacked her lips one last time, while examining her face for a non-existent pimple. The entire time I've known Kim (from pre-school), she has never had a blemish, or even a hint of a mole or freckle anywhere. Her hair is straight, sleek and the color of fresh ground up coffee, which seemed to set off a light glow in her skin. Her other features weren't lacking in any way either- chocolate colored eyes, big and surrounded by long dark lashes, and a heart shaped face that would make models and gay men jealous. Most would be irked by such perfection, but to me it made her who she was- my best friend and longtime partner in crime. Slender and petite she could fit into any brand-name scrap of cloth, and make it look like something out of a high end fashion magazine. However she chose to wear grey sweat pants and a tight fit tee almost everyday this semester. She's been claiming that it takes too much time to be choosy with cloths, and when further asked "It's comfy. What's wrong with being comfortable?"

I peered into my mirror too, observing myself as closely as I had her. It's not like I'm lacking in looks or anything, but I'm just more commonplace to her glamorous, uh, -ness. I'm a Ginger. Yeah get over it, I've already heard all the jokes, and I'm pretty sure I have a soul too. More or less of one anyway. My hair is naturally very wavy, so living without my straightener is not an option for me. Besides the "I burn when I walk outside" fair kind of complexion, which is lightly dusted with freckles, I like to think on my good days I sort of have a cute, kind of a pixyish look about me. With my green eyes, and slightly mischievous grin showing all the time. I also tend to smile a lot, for no reason, I just do - a quirk of character I suppose.

My mother tells me I'm shapely, which means that I have obnoxiously big boobs and wide hips. "Some girls would kill for your body" she says, but if those girls only knew about how hard it is to find cute bras that don't cost a fortune, or cloths that actually fit right, or how much these boobs start hurting your back after awhile. Sure guys like boobs. Or so I've heard, but the only proof I've gotten of that are from sleazes who only want to feel me up, or sleep with me. All the good guys seem to have been taken by the girls from the Itty Bitty Titty Committee.

The sharp noise of Kims' locker shutting shook me out of my thoughts, and when she started to speak I closed my own locker and gave my full attention to her.

"So you've gone all Creature of the Night for the past week?"

"Basically, so if I walk in tomorrow with bat wings, sharp canines, and I look even more pasty then usual, you'll know why." A second later I thoughtfully put out "Maybe you should go get a couple crosses or stakes, or something."

"Mhmm, did I hear something about steaks?"

A pair of lean arms twined around Kims' and my shoulders, and swiftly pulled us close to the new speaker.

"Hey Jaime" Kim and I chorused, and then we both proceeded to kiss his cheeks.

A moment later.

"Eww, Kim don't do that when you have lip gloss on, it feels disgusting, and it's a horrible flavor" he said, quickly unwinding his arms from around us, so that his hands could scrub the "Very Berry" from his cheek.

"It's a great flavor!" Kim hotly stated "Plus, shouldn't you appreciate makeup?"

" I'm gay sweetie, not a cross dresser. I stylishly put myself out of the closet, but I don't need female products to make myself pretty. You won't catch me with mascara and a dress on." He smiled when he successfully gotten all the bright red goop off. "So what about steaks?"

Jaime Wilson is the third pea in our little pod. It all started when we had him sitting with us in our Art 2D class freshman year. He was a tall, quiet boy, with shaggy dark hair and eyes hidden behind his glasses. After a few weeks of only coaxing some small talk out of him, we bonded over my comical drawing of a Narwhal, and our mutual love of internet kitten pictures. He became a brighter person around us, and our friendship grew fast, and soon all of us were inseparable. Kim and I were there beside him when he finally got the courage to 'come out' to his family. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, because his family has since then accepted who he is with open arms and hearts. Plus his mom loves it, last week they got matching "I'm Juicy" Tees. Of which he had on now.

"Not steaks, STAKES", Kim stressed.

"Yeah, I get it, STEAKS, so whose treat is it? "

"Never mind." She huffed "Lets get to lunch, before all the freshman take the salads"

"Nobody besides you even eats those things" I joked lightly as we walked into the open cafeteria.

We then routinely separated- Kim and Jaime to the shortest lunch line, and I to go claim our seats. Gaither Vivian Senior High had a very large cafeteria, due to the 2,500 plus students, and sometimes you had to fight to get some elbow room. However, this year we seemed to get the lesser of the crowded lunches, plus senior rights helped gain some room too. Nothing like kicking a underclassman out of your preferred spot.

Settling down to a roomy area, I set my bagged lunch on the table and brought out my packed BLT. But mostly B, because however much people tell me it's not, I consider bacon its own food group, I love bacon.

Happily munching on my treat, I looked around at the lunchroom, and people- watched. Or creeped. It's kinda whatever.

Gaither Had its cliques - The kids who run around with animal hats and tight pants, the football team and their groupies along with other athletes. The cheerleaders, chorus kids, ISS addicts, potheads, the cultural groups, the misfits who banded together, the student council, and the band table.

I've heard horror stories of what has happened to band kids at other schools, poor helpless nerds who have gotten stuffed into trash cans, and beaten up mercilessly. None of that has happened here, and I've never been made fun of because I play an Instrument. Taking another bite, I study the band table, scanning it until I found him. Blake.

Blake Davenport.

An enigma to me. I've sat second chair to him for 3 years, and yet we have barely talked except to share measure numbers and note names and rhythms. At first I thought he was shy, but seeing him over there joking around with Ryan Brown the Tuba player, I got irritated. Who does he think he is? Does he think he is better then me? Why does he NEVER speak to me unless absolutely necessary?

My view was then obscured by hot pink words on black, that screamed "I'm Juicy".

"So I was just debriefed on your embarrassing episode with the horrible stache-meister, but what I still don't get how you fell asleep on your horn ." Jaime had settled down in front of me, successfully blocking my view of Blake.

I swallowed my mouthful. "It's easy, you just tilt the bell of the horn up until you can rest your head on it" I motioned with my arms and head to show him the general position. "and then you fall asleep, just like a baby."

"You're crazy. I don't even have the stache-meister and I'm even scared of falling asleep when I think about him."

I sighed, the BLT turning to rubber in my mouth. "It's not my fault. Did Kim tell you the rest?"

"Yup, and here's my advice babe - Take a double dose of NyQuil. If that doesn't knock out a lightweight like you, I don't know what will."

"Tried it two days ago." Jaimes' eyes widened "It honestly made me more disgustingly pasty looking than I am now, and what the heck does my NyQuil handling abilities have to do with my alcohol handling abilities?" He shrugged lightly to avoid calling me a lily-livered pansy. Way to jab at my weaknesses Jaime.

"I'll come over and knock you out tonight with a club. There. Problem solved" Kim quipped from the seat next to me. "And then I'll have your share of dinner."

"Well I hope you like chicken pot pie, with extra chicken."

Kim wrinkled her nose in disgust, and declaired "Everyone needs to be a vegetarian, like, fish are friends, not food."

"Hell no" Jaime and me spoke at once, looked at each other, and high-fived across the table. I went on "I eat my food, I don't play patty cake or monopoly with cows, pigs, chicken, or fish."

Kim snorted "Animal killers."

"Vegetable killer."

"Lawn mower." Jaime added.

"Whatever" she said abruptly "Moving on" she then brandished her fork at me, flinging drops of salad dressing everywhere "I saw that Blake the ever-silent horn god was, like, your knight in shining armor last period. He saw that there was an evil wizard attacking you, brandished his sword, and then called down lightning upon his foe!" with every word she swung the fork around and jabbed it like it was the sword she had described "And then the mighty evil wizard was slain, and he returned to you the horn of everlasting life-"

"If that's what you call shoving my horn at me and almost breaking several of my much needed fingers" miffed I continued "I had it perfectly under control, he didn't need to do anything. He barely acknowledges that I exist most of the time, so he probably wanted to just wanted Mr. Johns to stop grumbling and get on with the class. And" I added, "You need to stop reading all those Scfi/Fantasy stuff, It's getting to your head." To emphasize my point, I flicked her forehead gently.

"Ouch" she winced, and touched the tender spot with her hand lightly.

"Whining is unattractive, so shush" Not hungry anymore, I turned around and trashed what was left of my lunch. The rest of the lunch break was well spent; chatting and complaining about upcoming midterms, teachers, winter break, and the lack of hot guys in this school, a matter which we all agreed on.

Soon the bell rang to signal to the masses that feeding time was over, so as usual I headed off to English with Jaime, and Kim left us to finish some leftover work in Study Hall. We got extremely lucky with our classes this year. All of us have economics first thing in the morning, but then we divide up until Kim and me have band 5th period, and when 6th period rolls around, we all meet up for lunch, which is followed soon after by Jaime and I splitting off to 7th period English and 8th period Calc.

As we approached the classroom door, Mrs. Helen, an eccentric woman who was short, blonde, and heavily pregnant, handed us a vocab worksheet, and told us to "Hop to it!"

"I'd like to see her hop to it" Jaime mumbled as we walked away while staring glumly at the handout, and when we were at a safe distance from the doorway, I replied "I don't think you would, because if she did, I'm pretty sure she would start delivering in the middle of the classroom."

"Ew." Jaime wrinkled his nose in disgust, pushed up his glasses, and then said observantly "I'm bet that she hasn't seen her own feet, in like, forever."

"How is she supposed too?" I pointed out, while settling into my seat behind him. "She's huge. Having twins means you lose sight of your lower half for a bit."

"Uhh Jinie, what's an Allusion?" Jaime turned around and suddenly asked me, peering down at the his vocab worksheet quizzically. I considered my worksheet before giving him his answer.

"It's a magic trick. Duh."

"Oh right, how could I forget?" and he wrote it down with a flourish. He looked back up at me.

"So…. What's an "Alliteration"?"

I waved goodbye to Jaime as he sped away in his blue Minivan, and then rushed up the front steps to my house, shivering from the slight cold. I took out my house key from my bag, unlocked my front door, sighing in relief as a wall of warm air and the smell of freshly baked cookies enveloped me.

"I'm home!", I announced loudly, and a few seconds later my mom walked out of the kitchen, hugged me, and planted a large kiss on my cheek.

"Hi honey" she said "Dinner should be ready in an hour, but I made you some cookies to snack on."

"Chocolate chip?" I asked, surprised at this rare treat.

"Of course," My mother replied "I felt like spoiling you today, and if your father says anything when he gets home, I'll set him straight!"

My parents are high school sweethearts, and just as in love as they were twenty years ago. She is a stay-at-home mom, while he brings home the bacon (Ha-ha bacon). I take after my mother more then my father, having inherited her bright red curls, and large green eyes, and general body type. At the age of 38, my mother has a mature beauty, but still somehow reminds me of a giddy little girl at times. I hope be exactly like my mom when I get older.

My dad's pretty handsome too, with messy blond hair and blue eyes. I got his fathers perky nose and easy grin. He owns "Say Cheese", and is the dentist for almost everyone I know, and since he is, in fact, a dentist he strictly follows the dental code with extreme enthusiasm and vigor, therefore highly disliking me eating any sort of treats/sweets ect. Yeah, I know, my Halloweens were as shitty as you're imagining right now.

"Thanks mom" I said squeezing her tightly and then releasing her.

"No problem sweetie" She started walking back to the kitchen, and said over her shoulder "I'll get you when dinners ready."

As she disappeared from sight, I turned around to head on up to my own personal bat cave. Or bedroom. I trudged up the stairs, past my parents bedroom, the bathroom (hell yeah Jacuzzi tub!), and then entered my room, shutting the door softly behind me before dropping my bag at the foot of my bed.

I beheld my Kingdom, and its one subject - Mittens the Cat. My room is more for comfort then looks. The walls were a soft mossy green, covered with some of Jaimes' abstract art, photographs, and band posters. It all collaborated well with my wooden panel floor and thick chocolate brown curtains. When you moved the heavy curtains aside and peeked out the window, you could see the entirety of my backyard, which contained a small trampoline and a roomy pool, which is the norm for most homes in Tampa, Florida. Hot was the normal season around here, and the cold only occurs in short, but sharp bursts in December through February.

Beside the window is my massive bookshelf, I'm a nerd for books, but I don't go crazy over them like Kim. The back wall is where my bed is located, queen sized and as soft as marshmallows, it has a spread to match the earthy tones of the rest of the room. Mittens was lying in the middle of my bed, dead to the world with her tail wrapped tightly around her body and paws tucked in snugly. Her tiny body was rising and falling softly with her breathing, and she was just so cute I just wanted to gather her up in my arms and cuddle her. So I sat on my bed and picked her up, knowing she wouldn't startle easily.

She dazedly looked up at me with her sleepy yellow eyes, and blinked several times before greeting me with a quiet "Mew". The only thing white on her is her paws, hence the name 'Mittens'. I coddled her for a moment before putting her down and getting off the bed.

I had some homework to 'Hop to'.

Dinner 50 minutes later, was a quiet, happy affair, where we all traded individual stories about our day, Mom telling me and dad about this funny thing that happened at the volunteer center. Dad told me how lucky I was to have such great teeth, because the kid he had been working on today yada yada yada. Normally it would have been louder, but my older brother Jessie was away at FSU, and we were all looking forward to his visit in a couple of weeks when he finally got his winter break. I missed him terribly, and Jaime missed him too, but for other reasons I don't even want to think about. It's weird for me to think about my best friend having a crush on my older brother. Extremely. Weird. Gahh moving on. I soon scooped up my last bit of pot pie with my fork, told my parents goodnight, and headed back up to my room to finish my homework.

After what seemed like hours of being stuck on the last stupid bit of Calc homework, I shoved my paper into my book, and then closed it, and gave up all hope of getting full marks on it.

Rubbing the blurriness out of my eyes I realized just how horribly tiredI was. Days of barely getting any sleep was starting to realllllly affect me. I could barely keep my eyes open .

"My shower can wait until tomorrow." I mumbled to myself. So I drug myself out of my desk chair and headed for my bed, not caring that I still had my school cloths on, or that I hadn't even brushed my teeth, and as a dentist's daughter, for me it is unheard of. When I finally reached my destination, I flopped onto the soft sheets, barely noticing when I lost all consciousness.

The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't breathe.

Or open my eyes.

I panicked. Obviously.

I felt pressure on my arms and chest. I couldn't move, couldn't scream. The ghost of tears pinpricked at the corners of my eyes that wouldn't open. I struggled against these invisible bonds, but nothing happened. All I wanted to do was claw at my own face, my throat, this horrible oppressor. This onslaught of terrible torture lasted for hours, a year, decades, my lifetime. All in the cloak of black, back, soul consuming, never ceasing BLACK.

And then I knew.

I was going to die.

So I gave up.

Sorry for the cliffy guys, but it had to be done. =)

Please review, and I should have the second chapter posted up soon enough.