DISCLAIMER: See Prologue.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the wait on this chapter, guys. I was really busy at school this week, and having a ton of English tests kinda drains my want for writing. Also, a few people commented that they wanted Jacqueline to stop stuttering. And I listened, so she stopped in the last chapter. :) Also, I would really suggest reading Chapter Seven before reading this one, if you didn't yet. Otherwise you won't really get it. Okay, now I'm finally done, so here's Chapter Eight! Enjoy!
Chapter Eight
After spending the rest of the afternoon in the library — Jacqueline had never had the time to read before, so she might as well savor the opportunity while it lasted — she finally went to dinner. Finn had never reappeared after he'd spoken to her about Kristal, though she assumed he had just been in his bedroom or been training. Those seemed like the two likeliest places, knowing him.
Of course, like it always was, Jacqueline found it hard to get out of the thoughts in her own head. Had he really called her pretty?
But, then again, why did it matter?
He probably said it to every girl he came across.
Or maybe he wasn't calling her pretty, and it had just slipped out because he'd been talking about Kristal.
Or…
She had to stop doing this. It shouldn't matter to her, because, well, so what? He'd called her pretty. Big deal. She rolled her eyes, just because of her own irrational, foolish behavior, and stood up to go to dinner. It wasn't that hard to find the dining room — luckily she'd been paying attention this morning at breakfast — and was turning down a familiar corner when a hand jerked her back.
"Don't go that way," Vanessa whispered, releasing her grasp on Jacqueline's arm.
"Ow!" Jacqueline whispered back, rubbing her wrist. "That hurt! And what are you talking about?"
"That's Kristal. Now, shh, be quiet. I have to watch this."
Jacqueline decided she should watch, too, just to find out what this girl was really like. Kristal did actually look a little bit like her, though everything about her just seemed… better.
Kristal did have pale blond hair like her, but it was closer to blond than the white shade Jacqueline had. And Kristal had a curvier figure than her; although Jacqueline was of medium height, more often she described herself as "willowy." Kind of tall and skinny (but that was mostly because of a lack of food after leaving the orphanage), but having more of a narrow frame. Kristal, however, could be a model, just by her height alone.
Chris and Isaac were standing near the doorway to the dining room, both of them carrying tiny seraph blades. They obviously had been practicing with them only moments ago, since their hair was slightly disheveled and their clothes were rumpled. Kristal was standing ahead of them, a hand placed loosely on her perfectly-proportioned hips.
"Will you please just let me through?" Kristal demanded, a complaining note to her voice.
"Not after what you did to Finn," Isaac said boldly. Chris seemed to be a little more nervous, and he stood off to the side of Isaac.
"God, get a grip, seriously," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "It's not a big deal, okay?"
"It sorta is…" Chris whispered, looking up to her with wide, brown eyes. "I mean, you were really mean to him."
"And Raphael Santiago?" Isaac took up right where his brother had left off, making it clear how close of brothers they were. "I mean, anyone can do better than that guy."
"This is none of your business," Kristal snapped. "Now let me through."
Jacqueline immediately stepped forward and into the view of everyone in the hallway. Like she had with Lucy, she had a habit of protecting younger kids. It had been awhile since that side of her had come out, but it was, obviously, still there.
"Hey, guys!" she said brightly, in a voice that most definitely didn't sound like hers, as she walked up to the three of them.
"Uh… hi, Jacqueline," Chris said warily, clearly aware of the fact that this was not the Jacqueline D'Angelo they'd seen the night before.
"It's great to see you guys again," she replied, giving a smile. "Anyways, should we go inside for dinner?" Jacqueline then turned to face Kristal, as if she hadn't seen her before, although in reality she had. "Oh, I'm sorry — I'm Jacqueline, what's your name?"
"I'm Kristal." Her voice had quickly taken on a sweet, innocent tone, and she flashed a smile that probably was as real as Jacqueline's had been earlier. Subtly, Kristal looked Jacqueline up and down, though Jacqueline suspected it was only because she'd seen Kristal's earlier side that she'd noticed it at all. She felt slightly self-conscious — was her hair a mess, did she look stupid not wearing makeup, and the like.
But she knew someone like the girl standing ahead of her shouldn't matter at all. Like Chris had said, it was a big deal for her to have broken up with Finn in the way she had done. Yes, Kristal might have made a mistake or something, but Jacqueline knew automatically that every time she looked at Kristal, she would only be remembering the way she had treated Finn.
"Well, it's awesome to meet you," Jacqueline said. She was happy that, at least for now, Kristal seemed to have been distracted from the scene with the twins, for that had been her plan all along. She probably didn't have to protect the boys — at least not Isaac, anyway, though Chris was another story — but it didn't matter now: they had already gone inside the dining room.
Suddenly, Vanessa and Finn came walking up. Vanessa was in the process of telling him something, and clearly Finn didn't agree with it, because he looked agitated.
"Look, I really don't want to—" she could hear Finn saying.
"I don't care, deal with it," Vanessa responded. "You're getting ov—" She stopped short, realizing how loudly she'd been talking and how near they were to Kristal.
"Finn!" Kristal stepped away from Jacqueline, apparently having forgotten about her already, and gave Finn a hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck as if she'd been doing it for all her life. (On second thought, though, she probably had.)
Jacqueline felt a quick pain in her stomach, as if it hurt to watch Kristal hug Finn. She blamed it for the fact that she hadn't eaten a meal since breakfast, but it sort of reminded her of the effect Finn had given her when he'd called her pretty…
Finn, however, just stood there, straight as a board and obviously confused by what was going on. Personally, Jacqueline was too, but it wasn't really in her place to say it.
"Hi, Kristal," he said seriously, his voice tight and constrained. He didn't sound angry. It was quite the opposite, actually — he sounded sad. Wistful, even, as if he were longing for her but couldn't get her back.
"Should we go inside?" Kristal asked flirtatiously, pulling on Finn's arm towards the door.
Finn, however, didn't follow her movements. "Um, no."
"No?" Kristal arched her eyebrows, her voice becoming a little less innocent and little ruder.
"No," Finn repeated, sounding more strongly this time. "I… have to talk to Jacqueline."
Kristal's eyes flickered back towards Jacqueline's in annoyance, but she brushed it away. "I'll see you in there, 'kay?" And without another word, she walked gracefully and purposefully into the dining room.
Jacqueline, Vanessa, and Finn just looked at each other for a moment, standing in the silence. His green eyes were pained, as if seeing Kristal here was the worst that could've happened to him. In a way, it probably was, and Jacqueline couldn't help but wonder just why Vanessa was pushing him to go get over Kristal. It was really hard for him, that much she could tell, and it was better — at least in Jacqueline's mind — to let him heal for as long as it took.
"Now you understand why I hate her so much," Vanessa said bluntly, looking at Jacqueline. "God, she's just such a… Never mind. But you get it now, don't you?"
Jacqueline nodded. "I don't like her either," she murmured. "Especially the way she was talking to the twins."
"Or the way she hugged Finn," Vanessa continued, rolling her eyes. "What the hell was up with that, anyway?"
"Can we please," Finn interrupted, "not talk about me like I'm not here? I'm the one she freaking cheated on." Though he'd sounded tough and "Finn-like" at the beginning, his voice had gotten that sad quality again that Jacqueline always noticed.
"Sorry," Jacqueline and Vanessa said in unison.
"Guys," Clary, opening the dining room door, whispered. She peered her head around the doorframe to see the three teenagers standing off to the side. "Will you please get in here so I don't have to deal with Kristal by myself?"
They looked at each other, nodded begrudgingly, and went inside.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So now you've met Kristal… Thoughts on her? Thoughts on the hug with Finn? Basically, anything you liked/disliked, just tell me in a review! I'd to hear it!
