AN: Hey again, hope you're all doing well. I feel better about this chapter. Like I'm getting back into the mind frame I was in when I wrote the first one. All PM's sent to me should be answered by now. If you haven't gotten a reply from me just hit me up again.
I think some people are mistaken about my 'M-rated' intentions, ha. I'm not planning any explicit sex scenes. I'm actually changing the rating to 'T' when I put this chapter up until further notice. Unless a lot of people requested it, I wasn't going to write anything explicit between our couple.
The M-rating was for swearing, mentions of sexual content and violence. I feel like a lot of teenagers read about that stuff anyways, so I'm switching it back to 'T'.
Also; Jack and Tooth seem to be distant but Tooth is being her usual workaholic self, though on a more self-destructive level. It's not going to be a festival of new characters the entire story. The rainbow snowcone is on the way! Happy early-Valentine's Day
"I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself"
-Rita Mae Brown
"I'm afraid that we all make mistakes. One of the things that defines our character is how we handle mistakes. If we lie about having made a mistake, then it can't be corrected and it festers. On the other hand, if we give up just because we made a mistake, even a big mistake, none of us would get far in life."
- Terry Goodkind
It was the third hour into the tutoring session and Tooth was certain that her brain was going to short-circuit.
"Thor, why are you taking all these hard classes?" she blurted in exasperation. Seeing the embarrassed look on the larger boy's face made her bite her tongue. He was already self conscious about his intelligence. Why drill it in him further?
She wasn't thinking too clearly. The numbers and graphs were still flashing in her vision. All she wanted to do was hang out with Sandy and see Jack. When had she last seen him? Two weeks ago?
It had been a long day for her- scratch that, a long month- but she didn't want to take that out on her pupil. Thor was already so nervous about his grades. Quickly, she looked for the right words to say but the muscled boy was already answering her.
"I know they're pretty hard, but I need to pass these classes if I want a job in paleotempestology!"
Tooth stared.
Thor sighed loudly. "Oh for the love of- storm chasing, Tooth. I want to be a storm chaser."
Tooth looked away in embarrassment. He had told her so many times, she just simply could not remember! "I thought you were going to play football professionally...?"
"I am!"
"You're going to be a storm chasing football player?"
"Yes!"
Tooth bit back a pained sigh, running her fingers through her hair. She admired Thor's obvious passion, watching him dive back into his book and studying cloud formation, but she couldn't help but feel doubtful. These classes were really hard, even for her! And he was putting so much faith in her tutoring. If she failed him…
Tooth didn't want to fail. Bad grades, late attendance, any of those things…She could hardly stand failing herself. To be the cause of someone else's downfall was borderline nightmarish for her. No matter how long this month had been, no matter how tired she was, she would take responsibility! Thor needed her. She had accepted tutoring him, after all.
Thor looked up at her curiously. "Are you okay? You seem a little tired."
Tooth shook her head, squaring her shoulders. "I'm fine. Let's get back to work!"
And so Tooth helped him for another hour, studiously going over various textbooks, graphs, and calculations. Thor glanced at the clock before looking at Tooth. "I'm going to grab another book. I'll be right back."
Just as he left, another group of students sat beside her table.
Tooth noticed out of the corner of her vision that one of the group members was staring intently at her. She around shifted in her seat for a moment.
"Uh…hello," she offered quietly, eyes flicking over to the staring kid.
The others just glanced over at her, unaware of how their friend was visually daggering her. They returned to their conversation, but Tooth could still feel eyes on her. She hunched over and let her hair hang in her face to hide herself from view.
A nearby voice broke the quiet.
"Hey. Where are you from?"
Tooth looked over at the staring boy and smiled gently. So that's what he was wondering!
"Oh! I'm from Burgess."
The kid frowned. "No. Like, where are you really from?"
Tooth grew confused. "I don't know what you mean-"
The kid then brought up his fingers to pull at his eyes, making them squinty. "Like, where in China are you from? Or is it Japan?"
A nearby friend slapped him on the arm. "Nah dude, she's way too dark to be from China!"
Tooth's eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline.
'What…?'
"I…I'm not Chinese or Japanese. I'm mixed. My mother is Indian and my fa-"
"India? For real? Why don't you have the red dot on your forehead then? You don't even look Indian. If you were, your parents wouldn't let you dye your hair like that. Indians are super strict on their kids."
Tooth slid further into her seat, unsure what to say.
This wasn't the first time she faced ignorance on Asians, but it certainly had never been so…so blatant! And there were people around. They were staring at her, wondering what she would do or say. She grew nervous under the pressure and tried to repeat herself.
"I-I…My mother is Indian. My father is Thai. I'm from Burgess."
The boy looked frustrated with her- as if she was withholding the answer he wanted to hear. "So are you like…Asian? Or Indian?"
Tooth bit her lip, hating the feel of all the eyes on her. "India is in Asia."
"She's Asian man, just leave it at that," another kid in the grouped laughed.
One girl peered over. "Then why is she so dark? I thought Asians were all like, white."
"You mean yellow?" another boy chimed.
The group snorted and laughed raucously. Some nearby kids looked uncomfortable,whereas others chuckled along with the joke. Some were just blatantly staring at Tooth, wondering what to make of her or what she would do.
Tooth's brows furrowed and she looked down at the table, away from the eyes. She couldn't deal with this anymore!
Someone moved behind her.
"Shut it. You're rude. She told you her ethnicity. Now leave her alone! She doesn't have to explain anything to you."
Tooth looked up to see her savior. A tall girl stood above her, glaring at the offending group.
The boy shrugged nonchalantly. "It was just a joke."
The girl frowned. "Well it's not funny. Cut it out."
The boy waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. Stick up for your 'homies', right?" He laughed, looking pointedly over at a black kid across the room, who shifted around in his seat in discomfort. "Where are you from? China?"
The girl smirked. "As a matter of fact, I am. Henan, China."
The boy smirked back. "Oh? Figures. See guys, she's Asian. Not like darkie over there." His friends let out embarrassed chuckles as he pointed at Tooth. Some seemed to find it genuinely funny while others were feeling the growing tension in the room. "Check it out, she looks mad! What, are you going to go all kung-fu on me, Jackie Chan?"
The Chinese girl moved and before Tooth could realize, the older girl's fist was buried deep into the boy's collar, lifting him out of his chair forcibly.
"What the-?!" he spluttered. His friends looked on in awe as their group member was dragged away.
"Who do you think you are? Get your hands off of me!" the boy demanded, struggling in her grip but unable to free himself.
"Hua, Mulan. You won't be forgetting it."
"You wanna' go? Huh?! You trying to pick a fight?"
"Sure." She released him and he jumped away from her. "Let's take it outside."
Tooth watched as they both marched out of the library. She was a little confused but more grateful than anything else.
Thor returned whilst everyone else was watching the scene play out by the library doors.
He looked around.
"Did I miss something? What happened?"
Tooth bit her lip as the words tumbled out of her. "Um, some boy was making fun of people and this girl just appeared and now I think they're fighting outside."
Thor's eyes swiveled over to her. "Did he bother you?"
Tooth shrugged. "A little. He was bothering everyone, being so loud."
"Loud about what? What'd he say?"
"Well...he asked where I was from."
"Oh. What's wrong with that?"
Tooth chuckled at Thor's curiosity. "It wasn't the question that bothered me, Thor. It was the way he asked it." Which was true. Tooth didn't mind those kinds of questions at all but she could have done without the little comments that made her feel bad and put her on the spot. Oh well. It was over now. The guy was gone. She wasn't surprised someone ended up saying something to him. At the rate he was going, he was going to piss off every race in the library!
Thor looked at her before turning towards the library entrance. A crowd was gathering. His eyes lit up "I want to see the fight!"
Tooth shook her head and blocked his way. "No! You need to review those chapters we talked about, no fighting!"
Thor pouted and settled back in his seat. He looked around for something to distract the vigilant tutor.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be at your dance thing in-"
*Beep**Beep**Beep*
Tooth looked at the watch on her wrist, smirking. "Yep! Right on time, Thor." She gathered her books up and swiftly packed them away before pushing away from the table to stand.
Thor smirked. "Loud watch you got there. So, uh, you're leaving then?
Tooth shrugged. "I need it to be loud. I use the watch to stay on track. And no looking at that fight! Keep up with your lessons!" She waved before jogging out the other exit, eager to avoid the crowd gathering by the other door.
Thor nodded. "Sure! Whatever you say…"
As soon as Tooth was out of sight, Thor flipped his book closed and joined the gathering crowd by the library's entrance. Peering through the glass with everyone else, he hooted and hollered, whistling the fight on.
Woah. Some guy was getting his ass kicked.
Tooth raced down the sidewalk dodging this way and that. Her cardio had improved tremendously since school started.
She didn't have time for walking casually anymore. She had so many classes to attend, so many things to study for, that it was necessary to race from place to place. Sooner or later she'd have to buy a bicycle to keep up.
Her bag thumped against her as she sped along through the crowds. Her legs ached faintly, used to the routine by now.
When was the last time she ate? Slept? Just sat down and took a breather? She didn't know. Every day, it was go to class, study, tutor, dance practice, more studying, race to class again. Rinse, repeat.
She felt okay right now, but she wasn't too sure how long she'd be able to hold out.
Her phone rang again. Panting, she answered it, still dodging around crowds of people.
"Tooth?"
"Huff- hey Jack! What's- huff- up? We're going to -huff- meet up today, I promise."
"You always say that. Then something comes up."
"No, today -huff- I'm serious! Promise! After -huff- dance practice!"
"Are you running right now?"
"huff- No...?"
"Sure. You know I'm only bugging you because I miss you, right? I haven't seen you in weeks. Let loose a little."
"M'sorry!"
She could hear Jack pause, fighting with something before he spoke softly, "It's cool. Just…don't skip this time, okay? And video chat with Bunnymund when you get a chance, he keeps whining about how he can't reach you."
"I will! And no skipping. I'll be there. Got to go!"
"See you then."
Tooth hung up, racing into the auditorium.
She would see Jack after dance practice! Finally. She almost did a little happy dance right there in the doorway.
Stepping inside, Tooth saw all the lithe dancers getting dressed up in their workout clothes. She unceremoniously dumped her bag by the door with the rest before rushing to slip on her workout clothes on too.
Blue and Puck sidled up beside her, watching intently as she changed.
Tooth wasn't bothered by their gazes. They had seen each other change too many times for it to be embarrassing. Besides, they were friends anyways. She saw them more than she saw Jack or Sandy. She wasn't sure if she was too happy about that, though.
"You're always panting and sweaty when you get here," Blue observed, running a finger down Tooth's bare side.
Tooth squeaked, jerking away with her arms tangled in her shirt. "I don't want to be late to practice!"
Puck's finger poked her other side, forcing her to squeal again. "You've never been late to practice, Toothiana. Not once. I'm sure Tinkerbell wouldn't mind if it happened once."
Shrugging her shirt on over her head, she laughed. "Well, I'm not going to test that theory!"
They all gathered with the others to stretch on the mats.
Side by side, the three of them sat and stretched their muscles out. Tinkerbell was strolling among the teammates and observing the stretching.
Tooth's stomach let out a ravenous sound.
Tinkerbell paused by their group, her mouth twisting into a distasteful shape.
The blonde leaned over and jabbed at Tooth's stomach. "Toothiana, I like my team to be thin and spritely but I want you all to be healthy too. Have you eaten today?"
Tooth shook her head meekly.
She didn't want Tinkerbell to be angry with her! It wasn't like she was purposely trying to starve herself, she just never had time to stop and eat between classes.
Tinkerbell shook her head before pulling Tooth off the mats and over to the benches.
"Toothiana, I see your work effort and I approve, but I don't want people to think I'm running my dancers ragged or enforcing anorexia. You need to slow down and take care of yourself. At least try to look cheerful once in a while. Here. I brought these grapes to snack on but I've eaten already. You have them."
Tooth's eyes widened. "Oh Tink, I couldn't-"
"Eat them. That's an order. And since you just ate, stretching isn't a good idea unless you want cramps from hell. Sit this practice out."
Tooth lowered her hands and accepted the fruit. Watching Tinkerbell walk away, she began eating the grapes faster and faster, her stomach clenching in anticipation to be filled again. Tooth nearly moaned, they tasted so good!
When Tinkerbell returned, she eyed the empty bowl before nodding in approval.
"Can I leave early?" Tooth asked hopefully. "I'm meeting my boyfriend after this."
Tink frowned. "No way!"
"...Huh?"
"The team is going to a fraternity party this evening and you're coming along. It's mandatory."
Tooth's eyes bugged. Jack! She was supposed to meet with him.
"B-but Tinkerbell, I've already got plans-"
Tinkerbell held her hand up and shook her head. "Spare me. Like I said, this one's mandatory. Like our other meet-ups were mandatory for team bonding, but this one was a deal between me and the head of the fraternity. If everything goes well, they might hire us for a few parties. We could use the funding for some new gear."
Tooth frowned. "Surely it doesn't matter if you're missing one girl, Tink!"
Tinkerbell stuck her nose up in the air. "Who's in charge here, Toothiana?"
Tooth looked to the ground.
"Thought so." Tinkerbell walked away.
Tooth bit her trembling lip, anger and frustration racing through her. Looking at her phone in her shaking fingers, she couldn't bring herself to call Jack and tell him the news.
He would be so disappointed…
He had waited long after her dance practice ended. He knew because he had memorized her schedule. Was it creepy? Yeah. But he had to, he was always trying to figure out that one slot of time she was free, those few moments where Tooth wasn't running around doing something. She was always busy these days.
He felt like a whiny child, but it just wasn't fair.
He had only come to this school for her and now he never even saw her. What was the point? He still didn't know what he wanted to do a month into school. Other kids seemed so certain on what they wanted to be.
He felt lost. She was his anchor, always had been. Along with North and the gang of course, but they were gone. The only ones he'd been hanging out with were Rudolph, Sandy, and some skater kids. Hell, Sandy hadn't even seen Tooth since the first week classes started. The poor guy was worried sick about her!
Was everything else that much more important to her than he was? He knew he shouldn't take it personal, but...
Maybe if he waited long enough...
And so he did. Jack waited at the fountain Tooth said she would meet him at.
He waited until the shadows stretched across the pavement and the sun started to lower.
He waited until Rudolph came outside to sit beside him, fidgeting and looking over in his direction as if he were a bomb waiting to blow. Rudolph tried to fill the silence with talk about his day.
Jack felt like Rudolph's anxiousness was well warranted because he kinda' felt like he was two seconds from exploding. Or sinking. He didn't know. But more than any anger or frustration he felt at being stood up, Jack felt hurt.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The pain creeping in was terrible. Worse than feeling nothing at all.
Nothing would be better.
Rudolph spoke on about classes, unaware of the boy slowing growing colder and colder beside him.
She never knew frat houses smelled so bad.
It had only been fifteen minutes and Tooth was already desperate to leave. The music sounded more like drums and bass and robot noises than anything she'd ever head before. The frat house smells assaulted her nasal passages with one hundred years of unhygienic boys and alcohol. There were too many people here, too many sounds and scents.
Tooth felt miserable.
She was seriously considering just telling Tinkerbell to go kick rocks and threaten to quit the dance team if she couldn't go, just to meet up with Jack and tell him how sorry she was and how she'd make it up to him. However, as she moved forward, Blue and Puck blocked her before she could go anywhere.
"Toothiana, you look so sad!" Blue stated. "Aren't you having any fun?"
Puck nodded. "Yeah, why don't you have a drink or two? Dance a little?"
Tooth shook her head. She wasn't all that different from how she had been in high school. She didn't like drugs or alcohol. She didn't like feeling like she wasn't in control of her own actions. Besides, those things were just…not for her!
"I don't drink."
Blue nodded in respect. "That's fine. But you picked a bad place to be sober."
Tooth chuckled as she glanced at all the party goers dancing sloppily beside them. "Yeah, I guess so."
Puck frowned. "I'm sorry Tink ruined your plans, Toothiana. We can't leave the party yet, though. Why don't you drink a little, just to take the edge off?"
Tooth frowned. She had said no, hadn't she? Wasn't that enough?
"I don't drink, Puck. No thanks."
He raised his hands up in surrender at her tone. "Hey! I'm not trying to pressure you, I just wanted to help. One drink is better than standing in this corner looking pissed all day."
Tooth looked over at the punch bowl. Voices from over the years trickled into her thoughts.
'At least try to look cheerful once in a while.'
'Aren't you having any fun?'
'Let loose a little.'
'You're so energetic, you would have fun with other people...not boring bookworms like me...'
'At least I'm not like Grandma over here!'
Tooth frowned before gathering up her nerve and marching over to the frat's punch bowl. She could have fun like them. She could party just as hard as anyone else.
Her friends watched in awe as she downed one drink, then another, then another on top of that.
After gulping noisily, she slammed the cups into a trash can. "There! Better? Am I 'letting loose' now? Wow, guzzling that...that sure was- eugh! It tastes so terrible! I don't even feel any different."
Blue looked on horrified while Puck laughed like a madman.
"Woah, Tooth! Didn't that burn going down your throat? That punch is more hard liquor than punch! You should've just had one, not three in a straight row. And on an empty stomach no less!"
Tooth smacked her lips, feeling her throat tingle from the liquor disguised by fruity flavors. "Oh…really?"
"Yeah!" Puck laughed harder as Blue smacked at his shoulder in annoyance.
Tooth had the decency to look embarrassed. She regretted the drinks instantly. Why had she let herself do that...? Drinking itself wasn't bad but Tooth felt bad about allowing her own personal values to be pushed aside so easily. She knew she didn't want to drink anything and yet she did it anyway. And what for? To have a horrible aftertaste in her mouth and fit in with everyone else? She began fanning her face off.
...Was it getting warmer in here?
"Well, it didn't burn that much," she lied, "and besides. I don't feel a thing."
"Not yet, you don't." Puck grinned.
Blue looked at the sweat gathering on Tooth's forehead in concern. "Tooth, why don't you head upstairs and check out the balcony? Get some air? You look a little warm, there."
Tooth nodded but she quickly stopped, realizing her vision was slowly starting to swim before her.
Uh oh.
Quickly, she made her way through the crowd to the stairwell of the frat house. She climbed the steps and stopped upon realizing that they seemed to be swishing under her.
'Bad idea. Terrible idea,' she thought vaguely, trying her best not to freak out right there on the steps.
She clambered up the rest of the steps and forced herself out onto the balcony, desperate for some fresh air. Though the breeze did not clear her head it did sweep away all the smells from the frat house and the sweat on her brow. She hummed contentedly.
The sun was still lowering but the skies were beautiful.
Sighing, Tooth leaned against the railing of the balcony and stared out at the campus.
"Hi there,"
Jumping, Tooth turned her head a little too fast. Blinking, her vision refocused on a boy that had been sitting on the railing of the balcony the entire time.
'How did I miss that?'
"That's dangerous," she blurted, watching the boy's legs dangle over the railing in the air. There was nothing between him and the three story fall down.
He shrugged. His leather jacket reflected lights off of the motion, a green flannel visible underneath.
Tooth noticed his eyes before anything else. They were green like emeralds and twinkled at her.
"Do…do I know you?" Tooth wondered, unaware of how her words were slowly meshing together.
The boy grinned slyly. "What? And I thought I had a bad memory. You don't remember me, Toothiana?"
Tooth squinted.
The boy sighed and ruffled his red hair before hoisting himself to his feet, right there on the railing. Tooth gasped and stepped back in awe as he balanced effortlessly on the railing. Taking a bow, he shot her a dashing smile.
"Peter Pan, at your service, Toothiana."
Tooth gasped. "Peter! You went to Burgess High with me!"
Peter grinned, nodding. "Bingo!"
"Where's Wendy?" Tooth pondered. "I thought you were going to study in England with her…?" That had been the big news back in Burgess. She had even seen Wendy and Alice talking during lunchtime about their plans to study in England together. Bunnymund had joined their talks numerous times, but she couldn't recall Peter ever joining them.
Peter's smile faded and even with Tooth's muddled mind she could tell that she had breached a bad topic.
"She left. She changed." Peter stated simply, "And I stayed."
"Oh," Tooth answered, unsure of what to say. "Well…do you attend Mythos, now?"
Peter shook his head. "I don't go to school."
"Huh? Well what are you doing here, at Mythos?"
Peter's smile returned. "I'm looking for guys. Recruits, you could call it. And I've got something special all the Mythos kids want."
Tooth's eyes widened as she stepped forward. "What is it?"
"A secret!"
Tooth frowned. "Can't be that much of a secret if all the Mythos kids want it. C'mon, tell me!"
Tooth watched as Peter grinned slyly at her. The red head crept off of the ledge and swaggered over uncomfortably close to her, bringing something into her vision with a flick of his wrist. His hands were encased in thick, dark leather gloves.
Tooth blinked once, twice. "What's that?"
"I call it Dust."
Tooth frowned. "Dust? Like…dust from under a couch?"
Peter laughed. "Nope, more like dust from a fairy's wings or dust from a dream. Dust from a shooting star. It'll make you feel like you're flying, I promise. Here. I'll let you try some for free. Since we're old friends."
Tooth shook her head wildly and stepped away. "Try some...? Oh! That's- I…I don't do drugs, Peter." Even she was surprised by how soft and vulnerable her voice sounded. She had already made one mistake on the drinks earlier. She wasn't making another one!
Peter laughed at her like she told him a joke. "You've obviously been drinking like a sailor, Tooth. Alcohol's a drug. Besides, it's not a big deal. It's just a little Dust. Nothing like coke or speed or any of that other stuff. Dust is light, clean, and it gets the job done."
Tooth shook her head. Even with her vision spinning like crazy now, even with her words getting jumbled, she knew this was a bad idea.
"No."
Peter shrugged. "That's cool. I can respect that." Walking away, Tooth felt curiosity itch up her spine, the liquor making things hazy again.
"Why are you selling that stuff, Peter? Why aren't you going to school?"
Peter turned at that, his smile back.
"It makes you happy, Tooth. Real happy. Happier than you've ever been."
Tooth's brows furrowed. "Do you use it?"
Peter shook his head. "Nope. Don't need to. I'm already happy. I live wherever I want, go wherever I want, do whatever I want. No one tells me what to do. I'm free. You college kids? Hell no. You guys are being shaped into mindless drones for the workforce and you don't even realize it. You're letting them suck the youth out of you. You guys need the Dust more than I do. None of you are even happy. That's why you all go to parties like this and drink until you forget. Are you happy, Tooth?"
She tried to contemplate his words, his question to her.
Was she happy? Studying all the time?
"I never wanted to come to this party," she mumbled, "I wanted to see Jack."
Peter stretched out his hand once more. "You don't even need a party for this stuff, Tooth. You don't need alcohol or music or school, or even 'Jack'. This'll make you fly higher than any of that stuff. You wanna' fly?"
Tooth stumbled, staring at the powder in Peter's palm. It looked shiny and strange. Not at all ominous or evil like how all those anti-drug commercials made drugs appear to be.
"I just want to be happy," she mumbled. Everything was so hazy now.
"Give it a try, then. It won't kill you. What's the worst that could happen?"
A lot. Tooth knew that.
She knew better. She knew better. But if it could make her forget about her practices, her classes, her homework, that damn watch forever buzzing on her wrist, then…maybe...just once couldn't hurt?
No.
"Thanks Peter, but I'm gonna' go back downstairs now."
Peter giggled at her. "Scared? Here, just give it a feel."
Tooth rolled her eyes at his insistence before poking a few fingers into the powdered mound. "Happy?"
"Always. You'll be pretty soon, too."
Tooth frowned, pulling her hand away. "What?"
The redhead shrugged, lifting up his gloved hands. "You don't need to smoke or snort it to feel the high. Just touch is enough. Why do you think I'm wearing these?"
Tooth's eyes widened. "What?!" She shook her hand, trying to wipe the powder off.
"No use," Peter teased, "your skin's already absorbed it.
Tooth glared at him, infuriated. "Peter, Wendy wasn't the one who changed. You did. Jerk!"
Peter's eyes twinkled as his old classmate stomped away. He didn't need to convince her.
The Dust would do that for him.
Tooth looked for a sink to wash her hand in. Touching that stuff without knowing what it was had been the worst idea. As if that crap was really potent enough to make her high through a touch! Yeah right...
She realized approximately twenty-three minutes into the party that Peter hadn't been kidding.
When the unexplainable feeling of euphoria hit her, Tooth grew too energetic to be scared. Trembling, she shuffled towards the dance floor.
She danced until her heels hurt and then danced some more. The floor slipped around beneath her feet, moving with the beat. Her thoughts were slipping out with the floor, all of it was flowing away. A bit of fear sparked within her and her last bit of reason warned her.
The Dust silenced it.
Tooth spun around the room with the crowds, losing sight of Blue and Puck and all the other dancers after a while. Her hand throbbed.
Bright blue eyes and white hair caught her attention from the corner of the room. The same ones that had been focusing on her since she came down from the frat balcony. Even with liquor and whatever Peter had given her in her system, Tooth could feel the eyes on her. More than once had she glanced over at the pale figure. She would always forget the face and wonder before looking back at the stranger. They were often approached by others but the stranger did not leave their corner of the room.
What were the features again? Hair so blonde that it may as well have been white, dark blue eyes. Skin as white as snow. Jack had lighter eyes but Tooth wasn't sure if maybe her vision was messed up or if she was indeed looking at her boyfriend.
"…Jack…?" she whispered, stumbling over to the figure.
"No," the stranger answered in a soft voice answered.
"Oh," Tooth mumbled, "thought you were Jack. You look like him."
"Who is he?" the soft voice asked again. The Dust was making the stranger's voice sound more heavenly than Tooth had ever imagined a voice could sound. It sounded like a voice that could pry all her secrets from her with a simple question.
"My boyfriend. Best friend. I love him so much. He misses me, y'know? I never have time, clock always ticking."
Tooth could not grab a full grasp on the person standing before her, but all she knew was that the stranger was beautiful.
Recognition sparked deep within Tooth's drug-addled mind.
"Oh! You. I kicked you in the hall before."
The girl stepped back a bit. "It's fine."
"Lemme' see your arm," Tooth insisted, cornering the girl.
"No, it's fine," the girl waved away the notion but Tooth was having none of it. She reached out and grabbed the white arm before inspecting it. Even with blurred vision she could see a faint purple bruise still marring the white skin.
"Sorry," Tooth tried, nuzzling the arm with a smile on her face, "m'so sorry. Forgive me?"
The girl seemed to have stopped breathing. A hand pushed at Tooth's head, forcing her away gently.
"It's alright," the girl insisted quietly. "I'm fine. But are you? You seem…like you're on something."
Tooth shrugged awkwardly. "Peter showed me his secret. Makes you happy. I touched it and now my hand hurts."
The DJ changed the song and a new beat thrummed in the air. Without so much as a goodbye, Tooth headed towards the dance floor once more, the Dust thrumming to the beat in her veins.
The stranger watched her go.
Jack turned to Rudolph, tired of waiting. "She hasn't picked up her phone."
Rudolph seemed to freeze under his roommate's gaze, scrambling for the right words. "Maybe she's doing something? I have a car. We can go hang out somewhere else if you want-"
Jack's phone buzzed. Quicker than lightning, he was on the line speaking. "Tooth? Tooth where are you?"
"…Jshhk…."
Jack's brows furrowed and he looked at his phone in confusion before returning it to his ear. "Tooth?"
"Jack," the voice came clearer this time, "Jack I'm…I'm really tired."
"Where are you?" Rudolph cowered at the sound of Jack's voice, but Tooth seemed strangely unaffected.
"Dunno'. Party. Dance team wanted me to go."
"Are you…? Tooth, what did you do?"
"A little, just a little. Mm, no I lied. A lot. Just a lot. Punch tastes bad."
Jack's throat closed up as worry filled him. Tooth didn't drink...did she...? "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
"Mhmm. I was happy awhile ago, but now I don't feel too great."
"Tooth, listen carefully. I need you to tell me where you are so I can come get you. Is it an apartment? An event? A frat house?"
"Mhmm."
"Which one?"
"Frat. Smells bad."
"Where is it?"
Tooth rambled off the address and Jack echoed it to Rudolph, who was grabbing his keys and shrugging on a jacket.
"Tooth, stay where you are. Don't move. My roommate and I are going to come get you."
He could hear vacant talking and laughing on the other side before Tooth's voice returned once more. "Jack, I can't find my friends. I'm going to follow these other kids. They have a car. They'll take me home."
Jack could hear the other group hooting and hollering, laughing like crazy. No doubt they were all blasted drunk too. Jack felt his heart drop.
"Tooth, no. Don't get in anyone's car, I'm coming for you."
Tooth giggled before hiccuping. "But they're really nice. It's okay Jack."
"Tooth, don't-"
A click resounded and Jack turned on Rudolph. He wasn't too sure how his face looked, but Rudolph's expression filled with worry.
"Get your car started. We have to leave. Right. Now."
Tooth had tried to follow the other drunk kids into their car, but the stranger stopped her.
Tooth frowned at the pale hand on her. She wanted to go where the others were going! They were fun and nice to her and laughing. Just like old times. North, Bunny, Sandy, Jack-
"Hey, no. Stay with me."
With great hesitation the stranger forced herself to pull Tooth away from the car and closer to the sidewalk.
Tooth stumbled away from the car, ignoring the bleated protests from the drunken group. Looking up, Tooth glared at the stranger-that-looked-like-Jack.
"I want to go home," she pouted.
"Alright, but you won't get home in one piece with those guys. Stay here, I'll go find a sober frat guy to drive us."
As the stranger left, Tooth tried to follow blindly.
She didn't want to be left alone again! She missed Jack and her friends and Burgess and being truly happy, not fake-Dust-happy, and she just wanted someone to hold her hand.
Her mouth growing even drier, Tooth's head started to spin and she climbed up the frat house steps.
Her vision went dark and for a moment, Tooth felt weightless. Falling...no...flying...?
'I'm really flying!' Tooth thought. 'Oh my gosh, Peter was right! I'm-'
CRUNCH
Red flared out instantly across the darkness, and Tooth's head rocked as her mouth collided with the frat steps. A great crack resounded through the night air.
Screams and sound erupted around her, but in Tooth's head everything was numb and dimmed. Her lips felt raw and her head felt fuzzy. The pain was increasing exponentially as the numbness slipped away into horrifying realization.
Bringing her hands to her mouth, Tooth stood shakily and glanced down at the steps. There were small spots of red on the stone and bits of something else…what was…?
Oh.
A tooth.
Her fingers went cold as she continuously stared at the solitary tooth laying on the frat steps.
'It's not real.'
And yet there it lay, winking in the streetlight at her, shiny and red.
Her knees gave out on her and Tooth nearly threw up right there on the frat steps. Shaking, she glanced around at the steps.
Party goers were surrounding her and she could tell from all the whispers and shouts and boat shoes and heels closing in on her, but all Tooth could focus on were the other white fragments laying across the steps of the frat house.
Her…oh god.
A strange sound reached her ears. Almost like a keening, hitched wail. It took her a second to process that it was her making the sound.
A car beeped.
Something tingled in her chest and unsure why, she looked up.
There, hopping out of the car and heading straight towards the frat house was Jack.
He looked like a furious god from a painting, descending down to smite her. Tooth wasn't sure whether she should yell joyful praises or throw herself at his feet in apology.
He raced up the steps, his eyes sharp and hard. "What the hell were you thinking Tooth? Getting in a car with a driver whose been drinking? You could've gotten killed! You remember what happened to me behind the wheel all those years ago? Drunk drivers destroy lives. You know can't just put yourself in danger like that-!"
Tooth sobbed brokenly, grabbing at Jack's pant leg. His voice froze at the sound of her, the look on her face.
"Are you okay?" He leaned down and his face went whiter than Tooth had ever seen it go. He brushed her lips, pulling back red fingers. "Tooth, open your mouth. Let me see."
Tooth shook her head furiously, her vision blurring and feeling even sicker than before. She glanced at the step she hit face first, looking at the red staining and chipped white pieces. Her shoulders started to shake as she tasted gravel and teeth fragments in her mouth.
"Tooth, c'mon."
She squeezed her eyes shut tight, tears escaping through. She didn't run her tongue across her teeth, she just couldn't…
"Please, Tooth. For me."
Opening her eyes, she looked into Jack's icy pools. Though anyone else looking upon the scene might not be able to see past the coldness in them, she could see the love in them, the concern.
Slowly, she parted her aching lips and bared her teeth.
Jack's reaction made her stomach roll. He quickly tried to hide his worried expression, which made her feel even worse. She fixed her lips together to speak with his fingers still lingering on her jaw.
"Jack, say it's not bad. Say it's okay, please tell me my teeth are…"
But she already knew.
Just from the sound of her own voice, the clicking of her teeth when she spoke and the empty spaces that weren't there before
Jack tried shushing her, rubbing her shoulder.
It really wasn't that bad but he knew how important teeth were to her. She was going to flip a lid if she saw what he was seeing. "It's just three off to the side, it's not…it's not tha-"
Jack stopped as Toothiana crumpled to the sidewalk, hiding her face in shame. She was gripping her hair so hard that her knuckles were turning white. Jack pried them out of the black strands and into his grip so she wouldn't hurt herself.
Looking around at the drunk bystanders, Jack scowled. What did they think this was, a circus? He scooped Tooth up and she quickly held onto him, hiding her face into his neck.
Together, they moved in the direction of Rudolph's car. Rudolph lingered behind to shoo people away and inspect the steps where Tooth had fallen.
A blonde came racing down the steps after them, getting in Jack's way. "What happened? Is she okay?"
"Get out of the way," Jack hissed, shouldering past her. She grabbed at him.
"She's my dancer! I'm in charge, so tell me what happened."
Jack turned on her, the daggers in his eyes pinning Tinkerbell where she stood. "I'll tell you what happened. You didn't do your job. 'Your dancer' was about to get in a car with an inebriated driver and was wandering around outside a frat house- alone and intoxicated- for god knows how long! I don't even know how I made it here in time before she left with them."
Tinkerbell paused in front of him. "That's-! I-"
"Move," Jack ordered again.
"Now hold up! I'm in charge here, so-"
"Get the fuck out of my way, or so help me-"
The icy tone made Tinkerbell moved quicker than she ever had before, allowing the white haired boy to brush past her and load Tooth into the car.
Rudolph raced back to the car. He glanced at Tinkerbell curiously before leaping into the driver's side. The engine revved and soon they were cruising onto the road.
Tinkerbell couldn't stop the remnant chills that raced up her spine as the car sped away into the warm night. What the hell? What had happened? She hoped that her dancer was alright and that the Dance team wouldn't get a bad reputation for this whole mess. It seemed strange to her. Why was someone as organized and studious as Tooth dating someone so rugged and mean? He seemed all bite, to Tink.
Peter sidled up beside her. "Woah...that guy sure had a nasty attitude, didn't he?"
Tinkerbell smiled and turned, glad to have the tall redhead nearby. Ever since he started hanging around Mythos her heart had been beating a little faster. "Sure did. I hope he's not forcing my dancer into dating him, he seems 'off'. Did you see what happened?"
Peter kept his face blank and shrugged. "Nope."
Tinkerbell lowered her shoulders. "Oh well. I'll get it all sorted out next practice. But I wonder-"
"Hey," Peter interrupted, "wanna' go back inside?" He lifted his arm up for her to hold. Gleefully, Tinkerbell held onto it. Together, they walked back to the frat house. She sidestepped around a girl on the steps.
"Watch it," Tinkerbell called. Her eyes bugged when she saw the stranger's reddened hands. "Ew! Throw those away! Why would you touch those bare-handed? Get a tissue at least."
Tinkerbell's cries were ignored. The girl watched the car turn the corner out of sight, her pale fist clenching around the teeth from the steps.