Crimson High

A/N: Thank you all for your lovely reviews. They really made my day. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter four

I woke early that Friday morning. I had enough time to get ready, and I even arrived early to school. I sat in my car, mulling over my surprise visit from the night before. Patrick had barely acknowledged my existence on a daily basis, even when I was a new student at the school. What had he been doing in my apartment? I was suspicious of his story, to say the least. I glanced at my watch and got out of the car.

I met Grace just inside the door, and we walked together to English class. I didn't tell her about the visit, because I was actually embarrassed about it. As we settled into our seats, Rigsby turned around to face us. He looked like he had something big to tell us. "Have you heard the latest gossip?"

I glanced at Grace, who shrugged. "We haven't heard anything. Why? Is it good?"

He glanced around and lowered his voice. "Lorelei tried to get back together with Patrick this morning," he whispered. "Apparently, he told her to get lost, saying that, and I quote, 'his heart belongs to someone else'. She got real mad, and stormed off. I heard her yelling back to him that she was going to find whoever it was and kick her ass. I pity the poor girl, because she doesn't suspect a thing. Lorelei can be real mean about these things."

Cho turned around rolled his eyes. "I couldn't care less about the gossip, but it definitely changes things."

"How so?" I asked, curious.

Cho glanced around. "Lorelei is going to be hunting down the girl that Patrick likes. If she finds out who it is, things will get very messy, very quickly."

I nodded, fighting thoughts that dared to step out of line. 'No,' I thought. 'No, it's not him. It can't be. He wouldn't…'

Cho glanced at me. "You okay?"

I nodded, my thoughts under control. Mr Bertram entered the room, and started our lesson. Soon, we were all seated in the cafeteria for lunch. I watched as Lorelei and two of her friends sauntered into the room, before looking insistently around. It seemed like they were looking for someone. The gossip had spread like wildfire across the school, so nearly everybody knew who she was looking for. The ones who didn't were filled in quietly as Lorelei stalked across to the popular table. She had a word with Patrick, who was lounging in his chair. He smiled and shook his head. Lorelei glared at him before turning and walking away. I glanced across at Grace, who grimaced. "Lorelei has taken this too far."

I nodded. "She can't find who she's looking for, surely."

I glanced up in the direction of the popular table again, and spotted Patrick. He was still sitting in the same place, watching Lorelei with mild disinterest, like he knew she wouldn't find what she was looking for. She had her back turned to him, talking to someone at one of the far tables, and he glanced in our direction. Our eyes locked for no more than half a second, but that was enough for me to read the panic. He glanced away again hurriedly, and my pulse ran wild. I fought the thoughts that swirled though my mind, struggling against the onslaught. Lorelei turned and glanced around the room. I tried not to act suspicious – after all, this wasn't my fault – as I took a sip of my soda. I turned to Grace. "Do you think she will find the person she's looking for?"

Grace shook her head. "I don't know how she could possibly tell who she was looking for."

Cho glanced up, and froze. "Be ready with an excuse," he murmured. "Here comes trouble."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

I didn't have to look up to know that Lorelei was on her way over. I thought quickly, and turned to Grace. "Personally, I don't think that's going to happen. I mean, how would you explain the damage to the roof?"

Grace smiled. "Sorry, I put a llama on the backseat?"

Rigsby laughed. "You could always say you borrowed it from the zoo."

"What zoo would lend anyone a llama?" asked Cho, joining in with our little game. His face remained expressionless.

Lorelei was within earshot, and she raised an eyebrow. Cho glanced up at her. "Can we help you?"

She looked at Grace. "You're that Van Pelt girl, right?" she asked, ignoring Cho's question.

Grace nodded, not breaking eye contact. "I have a boyfriend."

Rigsby turned pale. Lorelei thought for a moment. "Yes," she said. "You're dating him." she pointed at Rigsby, somewhat condescendingly.

Grace nodded again. Lorelei turned to me. "Who's this?"

I looked up into her face. "Teresa Lisbon."

Her lips tightened slightly at my name, and her brown eyes flashed slightly, but she said nothing. We all watched as she stalked to the door and vanished out into the hallway. I glanced at Cho, and he shook his head. "I don't know what her problem is. I choose to ignore her."

I nodded, not liking the look I had seen in her eyes. I knew that I was a target, and the thought scared me a little.

The bell rang, and we all stood up. I went past my locker for my history book, but something didn't feel quite right. I rounded the corner and froze. Lorelei stood leaning against my locker, her face grim. I mentally prepared myself for an argument, and started forward. I was ten paces from where she stood, when she pushed herself away from the locker and blocked my path. "What's this about, Lorelei?" I asked, standing my ground.

She scowled, crossing her arms. "You know what it's about."

Her intimidating pose didn't scare me. I had dealt with a drunken father for years, and physical confrontations meant little to me anymore. "Actually," I replied. "I don't. Care to enlighten me?"

She didn't reply, and I instinctively braced myself as she dropped her arms. Then she launched herself at me.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

I caught the full force of her weight against my chest. I staggered back two steps as she gripped my jacket collar tightly. I pushed her away from me, and she tried to grab my hair. I was vaguely aware of screaming in the background as I swung my fist forwards. It connected with her cheekbone, and she released me. She clutched her face, and scowled at me. I tried to sidestep her attack, but I was just too slow. Her clenched fist caught me on the side of the head, and I staggered. For someone so tiny, she was strong.

I was, however, accustomed to these kinds of blows. I shook it off and braced for the next onslaught. She came in with her manicured fingernails, drawing blood in two stripes across my cheekbone with her French tips. I had her by her dark hair, and she was screaming blue murder. I was suddenly aware of two strong arms wrapping themselves around me, pulling me away from her. I looked past her to see JJ LaRoche pulling her away form me. She struggled, and clawed at his arms. I stood still, and the arms released me. I didn't turn to see who it was, but a hand was gently guiding me in the direction of the nurse's office. "Come, Teresa," a voice said. "You're bleeding."

I nodded mutely and allowed myself to be led away from my locker. The nurse's office was just up the hall, and soon we had reached the door. I glanced up and into a pair of intense blue eyes. Patrick smiled back down at me and opened the door. I stepped through and caught sight of myself in a mirror on the far wall. My hair was a mess, and I had a long trail of blood running down my pale skin. I smoothed down my hair, and attempted to wipe away the blood with my fingers.

Patrick chuckled. "That's not going to work, Teresa. You need to clean it properly. Come here."

He gently pulled me by the hand, leading me to a chair in the corner. I sat down, and he rummaged around in one of the cabinets. The nurse appeared from the back room. "Mr Jane," she said, scolding him. "What are you doing digging around in my cabinets?"

Patrick looked up at her and smiled. "I'm cleaning the scratches on Teresa's face. She got in a little scuffle with her locker door."

The nurse smiled at me. "I'll leave you to it then."

She vanished back into the room, shutting the door behind her. Patrick returned to where I was sitting, carrying several items. I watched as he opened the antiseptic and applied a little to a piece of gauze. He dabbed it against the first scratch, and I gritted my teeth against the sting. "Why me?" I asked as he gently wiped the blood away.

"Lorelei has, issues," he replied, smiling at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I never would have guessed."

He chuckled again. "She gets possessive. I guess you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

My eyes narrowed. "Uh-uh. I was targeted. Why?"

Patrick smiled at me. "Do you want me to cover this?"

I noted the sudden subject change, but sighed went along with his little game. "No, it will heal better uncovered."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you a medical expert now?"

I grimaced, not wanting to broach the subject. I could recall countless times that I had administered first aid to myself. "Let's just say, I have a little practice with this kind of thing."

Patrick raised an eyebrow. "With getting into fights?"

I looked down, but didn't reply. My fights with my father were a personal matter. He seemed to understand, and he smiled sympathetically at me. He stood up and helped me to my feet. "I'm late for class," I mumbled, looking around for my missing bag. "Where's my bag?"

Patrick glanced towards the door. My bag sat on the floor just inside the door, where he had evidently dropped it. I went over to pick it up, but Patrick's hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned around to face him, and he rested his hand on my hip for just a moment before hr dropped it to his side. "Teresa," he said, looking me in the eyes. "If you ever need anything, just call me."

I nodded and walked to the door. I picked up my bag, and turned around again. "Thank you, Patrick."

He smiled, and I smiled back. Then I left the room, in a hurry to reach my history lesson before it ended.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

I arrive home after dark, and gingerly felt the lump on the side of my head. It didn't hurt too badly, and so I undressed in preparation for a long bath. I automatically checked the pockets of my jeans, and found an odd piece of paper in my front pocket. I opened it, and realised that it was a scrap of paper containing Patrick's phone number. How it got into my pocket was beyond me, but I didn't argue. I had my bath and got dressed for bed. I went to lie down on my bed, trying to get a relatively early night for a change. I was working a double shift the next day, and I needed a full night's sleep. I tossed and turned for about two hours before I gave up. Lorelei's attack earlier that day had me wondering. Did she suspect that I was the girl Patrick had rejected her for? My name had rung a bell in her mind; why? It just didn't make sense. Sleep eventually took over, restless at best.

A/N2: I hope you enjoyed this. A special thank you to Lorna, for the prompt for this chapter. Please review and tell me how I'm doing. I really do appreciate your feedback. Thanks.