High School.
Chapter One:
Jennifer Jareau smiled genuinely at a plump Penelope Garcia, one of her best friends, who had just told her that she had finally, after three years of canoodling around, had finally fallen in love with her true sweetheart.
"You're dating Spencer? Finally!" The blond cheerleader exclaimed, hugging her friend. The student body took as much drama as they could get, but sometimes, rare times, they would congratulate one another stonily at their achievements. Relationships, for example.
During the midst of the celebration, JJ happened to glance down the hall, to see her guilted crush, who was grinning happily down at a chocolate-haired cheerleader, who was returning the smile back up at him.
The look at the happy couple sent a billion small daggers to her heart.
"You're seriously still hung up on Aaron Hotchner? Really, Jayje? " Penelope noticed, sighing irritatedly at her friend, who was gazing at the careless football player, watching him bend down to give loving kiss to his long-time girlfriend, Haley Gellar, Quantico High's It-girl: cheerleading captain, majorette, student council president, ecetera, ecetera.
Their love; a fairytale-esqe cliche.
JJ sighed sadly, wishing it were her other than her teammate and 'best friend' recieving that kiss. Turning back to her friend, she expressed apology through her gaze, suddenly too lovesick to communicate with words. Penelope rolled her eyes, tolerating it. JJ was just a hopeless romantic, a dreamer.
In JJ's mind, a thick debate of her actions of pulling certain strings. Attempting to convince the English teacher, Mrs. Strauss, to suggest Aaron tutoring for his faulty grades, was a little insane, right?
Once he sees his grades, he'll be crawling into your arms, her heart told her. JJ shook it off, still thinking of the horrible idea she'd pulled.
Glancing down at her small, wiry frame, she looked down the hall to Haley. She was just as good as Haley; pretty, sporty, flirty. She may be smart, and friends with a different crowd, but she was just as liked.
"Jayje-" Penelope said, but was cut off by the sound of their names being called. They both looked down at the end of the hall to see Derek Morgan, clad in all his football glory, accompanied by Emily Prentiss, wearing all black as usual, and holding her books tightly to her chest.
Pleasantries were exchanged, and soon they all fell into an even conversation.
Despite the dramatic array of social positions in the friend group, it was nice to see that everyone was still friendly, after being acquainted several years. JJ had one thing Haley didn't: friends she inherited not out of social ranking, but people she could trust with her life.
Suddenly, the hallway was filled with a loud array profanities.
Mrs. Strauss had long approached Aaron Hotchner and handed over a piece of paper, which could only be assumed as a list of his failed assignments. He was smart, JJ knew through glancing at his report cards as she passed his desk, but he was too lazy to do them.
Obviously pissed, he shrugs her nails-breaking-skin hold off as she states something measured, but quite effective at him, before spinning on her heel and trudging off to her classroom.
"What deep shit are you in now?" Derek asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest as Aaron stormed over, exasperated. "You know, man, you always seem to get the short straw-"
"Failing grades isn't something I asked for, Morgan!" Hotch glared, before examining the group of women surrounding his friend. But then he turned away, ignoring their existence. The three girls exchanged a puzzled look, before JJ spoke up. Surprisingly, her voice was strong and level, with thick sarcasm and annoyance.
"Why don't you ask your girlfriend to tutor you?"
She snapped, but the last word died on her tongue as Aaron's gaze turned to her, dark and scrutinizing.
Derek went to intervene, sensing a confrontation, when Aaron shushed him with a silent, but attention-grabbing raise of his hand.
"Haley is not top-notch when it comes to English," Aaron admitted, his voice deafening and ignorant.
"Well," JJ cut off, anger replacing her admiration for her crush. Her friends were staring at her, shocked, "I'm kind of surprised, because last time I checked, Haley was perfect; and that was why you two were together. Am I incorrect?" Her glare could freeze motion as she addressed him, sudden annoyance in her blue eyes.
Her point would've fully been established if Derek hadn't cut her off.
"Dude, I think you should let JJ tutor you," he intervened calmly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Immediately, he shrugged it off, revealing distaste. JJ was suddenly offended at the looks she was given.
Spending extra time with Aaron would probably just make everything worse.
"She saved me from getting kicked off the baseball team last fall." Derek pointed out, ignoring her visible anxiety.
"I almost got kicked off the basketball team for failing Bio," Emily admitted, "If it weren't for Jayje, we wouldn't have won championships last winter." A pause cued up the memory of the last shot flung by Emily; if not for her, Quantico's girls team would've been at major fault. Derek sent her a grateful smile that obviously touched her.
"JJ has saved sports team's future with her smarts," Penelope closed, candy-cane striped hair falling into her eyes, but not hiding her determined smile.
The trio's impromptu speech had obviously won Aaron over. Embarrassment washed JJ's face from all the compliments given.
The subject of her infatuation nodded, amused as his eyes continued to scrutinize JJ, who refused to meet his eyes, "Fine. After school. Four o'clock. Library. Don't be late."
In reluctance, JJ nodded just as the bell rang overhead, and he loped off, his infamous stoic expression lazing on his face.
"I bet you won't just be studying." Derek stated slyly, walking away. Emily and Penelope just smiled, chuckling lightly as they walked away... leaving a glaring JJ behind.
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Aaron waited at one of the back tables in the dark, musty school library, blank notebook paper splayed in front of him.
The smell of dust and pages, perfumed with age, rotted in his nose. The room was scented of forgotten corpses, Aaron flinched.
He barely had any study dates with Haley; and if they did, it mostly ended in making out, studying elements usually pushed aside and forgotten.
People flitted through the lines of shelves; others sat alone and hogged most tables in the front of the library. Some sat and just talked, a dull hum to Aaron's ears.
Fortunately, though, a few deserted tables were toward the back, unseen. He occupied one by the windows, overlooking rain-doused Quantico.
Examining every inch of the serene landscape outside, he nibbled on his pen, occasionally glancing down at his notebook and the novels splayed open to foreign pages his eyes had never met before, and returned his gaze to the landscape, drinking in the occasional commotion that rolled on outside languidly.
A while later, JJ found him poised over his cruddy notebook, few words scribbled, and a list of books marked by historical authors, turning pages and skimming their works. Of what she understood, most were poetry books or historical authors. And most were filled of romance.
"I never took you as the romantic type," She declares, her voice surprised as she appeared in his peripheral vision, flipping over one of the books to scan the summary. He jumped, turning and giving her a glare as she giggled, taking a seat next to him, her bag abandoned at her feet.
"You confuse me, Aaron Hotchner." She declares, causing a rare smile to crack on his features, making him seem suddenly even more appealing.
"What?" She asks defiantly as a chuckle escapes his usually-grim mouth.
"I get that a lot," he admits, a small trace of truth in his voice, but then the moment is ruined by none other than Will LaMontagne.
He was a year younger than them, and had what seemed to be an obsession with JJ since he met her at his first football game at Quantico, maintaining his position as water-boy only until he was fired for spending more time on the sidelines, chatting her up in an always one-sided conversation rather than being helpful to the team.
"Hey, babe," The junior grinned down at JJ as he curved around a bookshelf where he had obviously been watching, to casually wrap an arm around her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes widened when she recognized the voice, horror painting her once-flirting features.
"Will, please leave me alone." JJ turned to him, blinking her eyelashes, revealing her suddenly-ice eyes. It had become a mantra, as she said it mostly every other day. But mostly, it failed her.
"Aww, come on, babe," Will whined, sitting on the edge of her chair, almost technically in her lap as he tried to console her. She leaned away as far as she could, disgusted.
"Please go away." She whispered fiercely, suddenly embarrassed, cheeks flushing a dark fuschia.
"Dude," Aaron finally speaks up, "Back off! Seriously" Aaron stood, towering over the southern boy, eyes frozen chocolate.
"It's none of your business, man," The younger lad stated.
Hotch took a wide step forward, his voice even, "She's here with me, so it is my business."
The sudden proximity startled Will, and he stumbled backwards, falling with a loud thud, before scrambling toward the doors, horrified. Hotch chuckled in spite himself, as he turned to meet JJ's gaping expression, slight admiration in her melting eyes.
"Now," he said, plopping back down in his seat, "What shall I do?" his voice is flirty, formal.
"Brainstorm up a page reviewing an author; look at the rubric and answer all the questions into five decent paragraphs. I'll proofread it in the morning, and if we have to, change a few things. Then, I'll help you with the rest of your assignments, deal?" Her voice is filled with determination and a bit of annoyance.
Reading her hostile tone, he just nodded silently. It seemed that women's attitudes got worse if fuel was added to the irritated flame.
He was puzzled; he saved her from one of the most perverted, disgusting boys at school, and she repays him with a frosted ice to her tone, not at all thankful. She must've really seen him as a horrible character to treat him this way.
I have to prove her wrong, he thought with sudden determination.
JJ nodded back as she stood and picked up her bag, hoisting it high on her shoulder.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have cheerleading practice to attend." And with that, she swung on her heel, bounding off to the exit. Aaron watched her as her skirt swished deliciously around her toned legs.
About halfway out of the doors, JJ called over her shoulder, "Put your eyes on your paper, Aaron." Before pulling open the doors and disappearing, a delighted blush painted on her cheeks.
Aaron grinned to himself before indeed turning back to his paper, a new energy coursing through his veins, determined to make JJ proud.
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A/N: Yet an other revision. But I am proud to go through my old stories and rewrite, to explore my growing maturity for writing. New lengths show me that my words are coming more clear, and I hope you enjoy my writing as much as I do. Thanks, please read and review! :)
