Authors note: I want to really thank Llayth for her very helpful reviews. Because of her I did some revisions and hopefully helped the overall flow of the story. I hope you enjoy the changes!

I own nothing! The only thing I own are the characters you don't recognize, all others belong to their respective entities.

Santa Carla Stars

The Pixies

Chapter Two: Battle Scars

September 1986

Jessica Ann Morrison, or Jam as her friends call her, had grown over the past year, if that meant anything. She shot up like a weed, and she likened herself to that because her subtle and catching curves had grown hard, flat, and unappealing. Her mother had suggested that maybe she should try out for basketball to gain some of her confidence back but Jessica just rolled her eyes and groaned. She didn't like sports, she didn't like to get sweaty and she didn't like dirt. She just didn't like manual labor in general and would avoid it like she avoided any song by ZZ Top.

Her relationship that kindled with the Frog brothers remained intact, but her social status had completely disintegrated. Rhoda Jamison, a former friend of hers and the most popular girl in school had stopped talking to her and for good reason. Because of Rhoda's distance no one in school really talked to her anymore but they sure as hell liked to talk about her. At least the notoriously selfish girl didn't suffer alone. Heather, a small and mousy brunette had befriended her at the end of their 8th grade year. Heather had stuck with Jessica through her downward spiral from popularity and she was thankful for the girl's companionship and loyalty. Heather was the glue that held the four together, really. Edgar, Alan, and Jessica's relationship was tumultuous at best but something about Heather kept them from separating. She was such a sweet girl.

After the usual banter with her parents Jessica headed out the door. It was not a typical sun kissed morning in Santa Carla. The rain was beating down, drumming against the pavement and creating a gloomy feel of disappointment. Jessica rolled her eyes as she opened her umbrella and walked down the road to school. She hated humidity and she hated rain, both were pounding down on her with a vengeance and she could feel her hair begin to frizz out. 'So much for my time and energy on this tragedy.' She pulled at a slightly curled and frizzed strand of hair. "Ugh."

As her eyes set down the road she thought about her friend Heather. She wondered about her friend and how her summer had gone. Heather had talked about visiting her aunt in New York and that caused Jessica's jealousy to kick into high gear but she tried to swallow it for her friend's sake. That dose of medicine was extremely bitter for her to gulp down.

When Jessica reached the Powers family home she rapt a few times on the door, ecstatic that Heather's brother Shane had answered. The young girl considered Shane to be a very handsome man. His blonde hair was curled like his sister but his was longer and a bit more tamed than hers. His blue eyes seemed endless, their murky depths were something to lose yourself in. Jessica marveled at his chiseled chest as she openly ogled him, as was customary every time she visited their household. Shane chuckled as he propped himself against the doorframe. "Hey, kid." He laughed as he watched the girl before him recover. "You ready for your first day?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "I'm ready for it as much as I would look forward to a flu shot."

"I bet." He looked the girl up and down. "So, you are beginning the 9th grade?" She nodded. "And you are older than my sister by about a year?"

"Yeah...What's your point?"

His blue eyes sparkled with mischievousness. "Were you held back?"

She sighed. "Yes. I was held back because I didn't get along with the other kids. They told my parents that I needed to further my social development."

Shane chuckled. "I imagine. And here I was worried for my sister's welfare." At that point Jessica couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "Heather is almost ready." He leaned in and Jessica blushed. She was never good at being this close to the slightly older guy. His hair brushed against her cheek as he whispered in a conspiring tone, "First day jitters. You know how you girls are." He leaned back and smirked at the girl's flustered expression.

"Shane. Stop teasing my friend."

Heather or 'Ther as Jessica affectionately called her, hadn't changed very much over the summer. She was still petite but her body had filled out a bit more creating an alluring wonder of womanhood. Her hair was just a touch longer and Jessica also noticed that it was lighter and had gained some natural highlights. Her plump face had thinned out a bit as well, a fond farewell to the childhood pudge of her youth. Her overall style hadn't changed much. She still looked as casual as ever with a simple pair of jeans, a light blue t-shirt, and some worn out tennis shoes.

Shane straightened up and gave his sister a lopsided grin. "It's fun messing with her." He threw Jessica a wink. "Right?"

Jessica shuffled her feet. "Um, right. You ready, 'Ther?"

"Yeah."

Heather pushed her brother out of the way causing him to laugh and stumble a bit. "Whoa there, little Valkyrie! How about you keep that strength in check, huh?" His sister mumbled under her breath and grabbed the taller girl by the wrist and began marching down the sidewalk, the rain momentarily forgotten.

"Did you and your brother go all WWF or something?"

"No. Shane was just dangling over my head the fact that he hung out with Alan and Edgar over the summer. " She paused. "You know my brothers secret affair with comics."

Jessica grimaced. "Yes, and that is, like, the only flaw your brother has."

Heather scoffed. "My brother isn't perfect, Jam. He was lording the fact that he knows that I like…" She drifted off, not wanting to admit her crush out loud.

"Heather, when are you going to tell Alan that you think he's a stud?" Heather's green eyes widened and she spluttered, trying to find the words to deny what her friend was saying. Jessica noticed her floundering and scoffed, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder and pinning her friend with a condescending look. "It's not like they can hear us, you know."

"Yeah."

"Alan's an all right guy," She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Definitely doesn't have some screws loose like Edgar. You should tell him."

Heather ran a hand through her curly mop of brown hair as she continued looking nervous. "I don't think I can put myself out there like that. Alan is a sweet guy but he's kind of hot and cold… Well, lukewarm and just below room temperature." She joked. "There really isn't any evidence that he likes me."

"Whoa, whoa. Hold your horses, Magnum PI! When the hell did you grow a mustache? Are you Tom Selleck? I didn't ask you to investigate or gather evidence, I'm asking you to take a chance!"

"I don't know, Jam."

"Don't know about what?"

The girls stopped in their tracks and twirled around in shock, both not expecting to be interrupted. Heather smiled a shy smile and mumbled a greeting, before them stood the Frog brothers and that meant her crush, Alan. Heather was happy to see them and saw that they had changed a small amount over the summer but her brows knitted in concern when she saw other things as well. The boys both had dark circles under their eyes indicating a lack of sleep and maybe dealing with insomnia stemmed from their obsessions. The two had gotten slightly taller since she had seen them but everyone seemed taller to her because she was shortest one in her entire class. Both looked as though they had been home bound for the entire summer because they seemed paler, almost to the point of looking sickly. One thing that hadn't changed was the army fatigues, both boys were little soldiers at heart. Another was their hair, still as haphazard as ever. Fighting off the urge to rub their heads in affection, the short girl settled for a small blush and an aversion of her eyes.

The only thing that really stood out to Jessica, other than their normal scrubby military look, was the bandana that Heather had used on Alan to dress one of his wounds. It was after that whole 'shopkeeper going bananas' fiasco that she really understood Heather's affections towards the elder brother. 'No fucking way…'

Both Edgar and Alan gave a small resemblance of a smile to Heather. "Hey, Heather." Alan's eyes slid over to the other girl and his pleasant smile (pleasant for a Frog) morphed into a strained smile. "Hey, princess."

Jessica ignored the distasteful tone of the eldest Frog and stomped her foot like a spoiled child, clearly not happy with the interruption. "Boy you guys have the worst fucking timing!"

Edgar gave the tall girl a once over and let a snide tone slip its way out of his mouth. "Nice to see you too, you goddamned giant."

Jessica gasped and rounded on Edgar, a plot forming in her mind as her eyes expressed rage. "And my conditional headache returns!" She crowed as she grabbed Edgar's hand, he growled at the contact and mustered the foulest look he could giver her. "I need you to help me, Edgar. You're, you know, useful I guess." She hauled the younger of the boys off and waved a hand, a cheerful smile masking her dark anger. "See you later, 'Ther! Get bent, Alan!"

Heather and Alan gaped openly as Edgar was dragged off.

"She hasn't changed." Alan grunted as he recovered from his brother's kidnapping. "Jeez, the whole entire scene played off like an Amazonian claiming her mate or something."

Heather nodded in agreement. "She has gotten taller, hasn't she?" Alan balked at the girl's avoidance of his insult toward her friend but recovered and nodded in agreement. After several beats of silence Heather cleared her throat. "We, uh, we should start heading to school, huh?"

Both of the kids started walking to the school, which seemed further away than it really was in the rain. On occasion Alan would kick at the puddles along the way and Heather would giggle a bit even with the water soaking into her shoes. "So, how was your summer?"

Heather shrugged her shoulders. "My aunt took me to some nice museums when my younger brother Shawn and I went to visit her. New York is a nice place but it's pretty crowded. Yours?"

"Edgar and I spent most of the summer helping the folks with the store. We hung out with Shane a bit." Alan let a ghost of a smile pass his lips. "Your older brother is alright. He likes a lot of the same comics we do."

"Oh?" Heather felt her throat clench at the mention of comics and her brother. Her brother was a bit of a sore spot at the moment but that paled in comparison to her lack of enjoyment when it came to comics. She really didn't like them but she never had the heart to tell either brother. She just wanted to be a part of the things that they enjoyed. "That must have been nice. Was the weather… nice?"

"I guess."

"Well, that's good." Silence fell over them as they continued to make their way to school. After a few minutes Heather couldn't take the silence. "Are you excited about starting 10th grade?"

Alan grunted a reply. "Sure."

"I think it's pretty great that all of us are going to be in the same building. What about you?"

Alan sighed, "Are you going to tell me what's on your mind, Heather? This small talk is kind of killing me."

"Oh. Well…" She decided to be like Jessica for once and just jump in. "Alan, I need to talk to you about something."

/O\

"Let me go, you goddamned maniac!" Edgar snatched his hand back and began to rub his pained appendage and muttered, "Jesus, what is it with you and your ungodly ability to clamp with those meat hooks?" After gaining feeling back he looked at the dark haired girl and glared. "And why the hell are you spazing more than usual? I figured that you would have at least mellowed out over the summer."

Jessica just snorted. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Rambo." She took a step forward and glared at the shorter boy and pointed to his forehead. "Why are you wearing that?"

He blinked. "What?"

"That bandana. Why are you wearing it?"

Edgar didn't miss a beat. "What's it to you?"

"Ugh." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm just looking for a straight answer, okay? No need to get all defensive or anything."

'When the hell was I defensive about anything? What is she hiding?' He decided to pass over her comment. "So you haul me off like a psychopath and ask me a question that hardly warranted any kind of privacy, which I'm assuming you were looking for. Are you an idiot?"

"Nope. Just curious."

"I… don't even know how to respond to that." Edgar coughed and relented, knowing how bitchy his "friend" can become when she didn't get what she wanted. "I got it from Alan. He asked me if I wanted it and if I didn't he was just going to throw it out. I liked the looks of it so I kept it."

"That… was not what I was expecting." She crossed her arms and took on a constipated look. "Well, crapola." 'I thought that Edgar might have been carrying a torch for Heather. At least that would have been a little more interesting. Fuck.'

"Did you suffer brain damage over the summer? You are acting stranger than normal and that's kind of saying something." He decided to add in his afterthought. "You know, it seems like the weirder your behavior is the harder you are trying to hide something. But that couldn't be it, right?"

Edgar watched as the girl chugged her way up a hill and away from him. He stared for a moment in complete disbelief as she crested the hill. "Goddamn her and her creepy stealth. And of course she finds the only hill in the damn town that isn't made of sugar sand."

Jessica made it to school before any of them. When she reached the pristine lawn she doubled over and took in several breaths. 'Sweet, sweet oxygen! I love you more than my cassette player or Stevie Nicks!' As she finally felt comfortable to straighten herself a sense of tension caused her to stiffen.

"Well, if it isn't Jam." Jessica's eyes cleared as she took in the sight of the person addressing her. "You seemed to grow over the summer."

Rhoda had changed and Jessica begrudgingly had to admit for the better. She had filled out quite well, too well. Jessica wanted to believe that the reason why she looked so perfect is because she went to Hollywood and had some ridiculous surgeries to modify her body but she knew that her parents would have never paid for or supported that. Rhoda had become the goddess that Jessica wished so hard to be and she could feel her stomach lurch because of it. Her breasts were large, her curves were soft, her skin was tanned to perfection, and it almost seemed like her blonde hair was creating a halo of blinding light that angels would be jealous of. She looked great and Jessica longed for the days when girls were envious of her, not the other way around.

"Hey, Rhoda."

"So I was talking to your dad and he told me that you went to Wisconsin for the summer." The dark haired girl growled and clenched her fist. "Weren't you boasting about Paris?" Rhoda flipped her blonde hair over her shoulders and grimaced. "I had a pretty tense summer. I kept having dreams about shadows and kangaroos… Can't imagine why, can you?" Her baby blue eyes narrowed and Jessica felt a pang of guilt rip at her chest. 'What happened below the boardwalk was just despicable.'

Jessica turned away from the girls intense stare, something she thought she would never do. She wasn't the type of person to stand down. "Nothing is going to change, Jessica." Rhoda explained as she looked at the taller girl in disdain. "Maybe you should warn your friends." Rhoda backed off, a bleak frown marring her pretty face. "See ya around."

Jessica sighed and unclenched the muscles she didn't realize were tightened and let her the hand that had traveled to her chest fall limp to her side. Guilt and regret was something that Jessica promised herself that she wouldn't feel because she knew that it destroyed people.

Jessica walked into her first class, happy that she was alone right now.

/O\

Edgar wasn't happy and it showed. His eyes trained on his desk, glaring a hole into the surface of the freshly waxed wood. His thoughts lingered on the shallow bitch that dragged him off by the wrist. Jessica pissed him off to no end but what irked him even more was that his brother chided him, telling him to be nicer to the snobby twit. Both Edgar and Alan had to admit that she was pretty good at sniffing out the riffraff and her ability to observe and detect the baddies was really an asset.

Sometimes he wondered if having Jessica or Heather around was worth all they pain they brought with them.

"Wow, Edgar. I think that the desk is dead from that glare you are giving it." Edgar's eyes snapped up, recognizing the voice. Heather smiled warmly and sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He took in her disheveled appearance. "You look like you've been crying."

Heather ducked her head trying to hide her face. "I, uh, my allergies." She wiped at her eyes and cheeks. "The pollen count is really high."

"I take it my brother was being an insensitive clod."

Heather sniffed and discreetly wiped her nose on her sleeve. "No!" Her fast response told him otherwise. "I'm really okay, Edgar."

He grunted. "Fine. I'm not good at handling emotional people, anyway."

She stared at him before letting out a good-natured chuckle. "At least you are consistent, Edgar. Don't ever change."

Before he could respond the bell rang and class began.

/O\

The first day of school had passed as fast as the ice age. Alan couldn't help but list the stark contrasts as he waited for his brother. School was cold, monotonous, and boring while their summer was warm, spontaneous, and alluring. Nothing beat chilling at the comic shop, catching thieves, and chatting with Shane about the latest comics. Why did summer ever have to end? His thoughts traversed to a more unsavory topic that he so desperately wished to avoid.

'Why? Why did the mousy little brunette finally decide to grow a pair and confess her crush?!' Both he and his brother had an unspoken rule, no relationships… EVER! Neither one of them wanted to chance getting innocent people hurt and Heather was about as innocent as they came.

Their last case had been a reaffirmation that civves and work don't mix. While both girls were helpful in their own way, they were both an unwanted distraction. 'Well, Jessica was more of a distraction than Heather,' He mused. 'At first.'

Jessica was loud, obnoxious and very stubborn. She was the complete definition of a total bitch and someone that could weasel her way under the skin of the most disciplined and stoic individual. Heather was kind, soft and naïve. She was the sweet bookworm that always had a ready answer to any question. She was something that appealed to Alan too much, even then, even now. He found himself dropping pretenses around her and his constructed walls would always disintegrate whenever the two were alone. He would open up, his rough exterior forgotten as he unknowingly let the girl into his world.

As Alan stewed in his thoughts Edgar approached in about the same mood as he was in. Edgar growled and shoved Alan in a brotherly manner in an attempt to ground his space bound mind. "What the fuck, Edgar?"

Edgar shrugged. "You were far beyond Neptune, Alan."

Alan glared at his brother. "Well, I guess we should be on our way."

"Yeah. Lets go before princess finds us."

The eldest brother groaned. "What are you talking about?"

"That chick is mental! She's trying to be all buddy-buddy with me today. During gym she heard someone mouthing off about me and she began berating the guy until he cried. It was scary. On top of all that she told me that from now on when she has to work the three of us are walking to the Boardwalk together. This broad is so pushy, I don't even know what to think."

Both the Frog brothers began to search the crowded halls for the girl in question. They ducked away and hoofed out of the school, desperate to gain some distance from Jessica and her horrible personality. Once they made it the first block the two boys started to take notice of the weather. They were happy to see that the rain had stopped but the looming clouds in the distance told the tale of impending fall of precipitation.

Most of their walk was in silence and Alan glanced at his brother on occasion, mentally laughing at his brother's cautious looks over his shoulder. After a few blocks the boys slowed down and Alan outright began laughing as he saw his rigid brother relax. "Shut the fuck up, Alan! I'm telling you that that bitch is unreal."

"I never thought that my brother would have this much trouble with a girl." He clapped his younger brother on the shoulder, grinning. "It's priceless."

"Oh yeah," Edgar decided to fire back. "What about Heather? What did you say to miss sunshine, huh?" Alan's hand slipped from his brother's shoulders, his smile falling and his dark eyes cast to the ground. "She was looking pretty messy in class, trying to convince me it was nothing but allergies."

Alan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heather told me that she liked me."

Edgar stared at him, blinking a few times before he let the situation sink in. 'Is that the reason why Jessica hauled me off like a sack of potatoes? Is it because she pestered Heather into confessing her crush to Alan?' Edgar noticed Alan's pained expression. "Sooo… was she upset that you liked her back?"

"Christ, Edgar! Could you be a little more supportive? I had to tell her that I didn't like her and that she was reading into it too much. Fuck! I was so condescending to her, you know? I told her that maybe she should stop reading fairy tales and join the real world, that she should just grow the fuck up." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I saw her heart breaking right in front of me but I just kept going. God, what is wrong with me?"

"Man, civves and Frogs just don't mix." Edgar patted his brother on the shoulder. "You did what you had to do."

"Yeah, but I didn't need to be that cruel." Alan whispered and shrugged his brother's hand off of him. "She just sat there, all doe-eyed and sweet. Then I told her that I didn't date fat, grody Joanie's."

"Wow. That's pretty harsh, Alan, and in Valley speak."

Alan groaned. "I just wanted to make sure she got the message. It's like my mind just blanked and the words spilled out."

Edgar looked at the sky. "Oh, I think she got it. What are you going to do when princess finds out? She's going to murder you. If you really think about it the two of us are only acquaintances to her while mouse brown is pretty much her Robin."

Alan's head shot up, his body shuddering at the thought of the giantess getting her deadly grip on him. "While Jessica is a frightening idea, I'll raise you one. Shane."

Edgar looked at his brother and let out a whistle. "Fuck."

"I'm dead."

"Well, you had a nice life, Don Juan."

"Fuck you, Edgar."

There is the first chapter! I've been working on it for a while, tweaking and deleting, but it's done and I'm happy. I spent the last little while listening to 80's metal and let me tell you, TIME WELL SPENT! Anyway, I love reviews and if you see any kind of mistakes, please tell me! Two sets of eyes are better than one!

I spent some portion of my day looking up 80's slang and I didn't mind it. It's like a walk down memory lane when I see slang terms like, 'Valley girl, Noid, and Wiggin' I just can't help but smile. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first and expect the second in the near future.