Chapter 10: Hot 'n' Cold (Katy Perry)

As promised, I did see Jack over the break. We'd meet up somewhere by the bus stop and then just walk aimlessly from there. He always had to run off around the same time though, usually offering a vague excuse for why he had to leave. I didn't mind, so I didn't push the matter. It didn't seem particularly important.

It was the first day back to school and I could hardly wait to leave this hellhole.

As soon as I finished breakfast, grabbed my jacket and rushed out the door. I couldn't be in that house any longer, with my mom arguing with my dad over the phone. I just needed to get out.

When I got to the bus stop, Jack was already there, pacing along the side of the road a few yards away. His head was down and his hair- which had grown a bit- was falling over his eyes.

"Hey," I said when I reached him.

"Hi," he muttered, not looking at me. I could just barely see that his lip was split and bleeding a little.

"What happened to your-"

"Don't," he snapped. "Just… leave me alone."

I glared at him. "You don't get to tell me what to do."

He looked up at me, tilting his head to the side. "Well I just did, princess. What're you gonna do? Hit me?" He laughed at that last bit, his eyes cold. "Someone already beat ya to it."

"Why're you being such a dick?" I spat at him. "I thought we were friends."

"Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, Rosie. But I don't need friends." And with that he sat down on a bench and refused to speak to me.

During first period I sat as far away from Jack as humanly possible. Eddie looked at me questioningly from across the room, but I just shook my head. I ended up near Jonathan, who was arguing with a short blonde boy.

"…But how can you hate Alice In Wonderland?" I overheard the blonde boy ask, sounding appalled.

"It's a ridiculous, childish story, Jervis. I mean, Alice is just a dimwitted child that will do anything a label tells her to, the Red Queen is just a controlling lunatic, and the whole premise is idiotic." Jonathan took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't see why you're so adamant about this."

"Because it's not true! And anyway, what about you and that Headless Huntsman story. You can't say that isn't ridiculous and stupid."

"Horseman. Headless Horseman. And that's a completely different matter," Jonathan snapped, drumming his fingers on the desk.

"Hypocrite," Jervis muttered, glaring at his feet.

I suppressed a laugh. I knew I shouldn't have been listening, but their little debate was entertaining.

The bell rang and I took out my notebook and pen. I wasn't really listening to what the teacher was saying. It was only history after all. I started doodling absently, scribbling lines and contours until they sort of came together. I had apparently been drawing a top hat, similar to the one from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. I guess now I had little bits of that story just floating around in my head. I sighed, scribbling it out. When was this class going to end?

"Alice!" I heard from down the hall. I had just enough time to turn around before none other than little Jervis collided with me. He knocked us both off our feet, causing me to drop all the stuff I was carrying.

"O-oh I'm s-sorry. I thought you were someone else," he mumbled sheepishly. He began gathering the items he had dropped, including none other than a copy of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. I started fumbling for my notebooks as well, handing anything that I assumed was his.

"Thanks…" he said, hurrying to stand up. I stood up as well, realizing just how short he actually was. He couldn't have been more than five feet tall, compared to my 5'6".

"Uh, I'm Rose," I said, shifting my weight to my left foot.

"Jervis," he said, his eyes darting around. "Sorry I ran into you, it was stupid of me." The first bell rang and he jumped. "Crap, I have to go. It was nice meeting you!" He darted off, almost tripping over himself a few times.

"Can I sit here?"

I looked up. Jack was standing before me, holding his backpack in one hand and a pencil in the other.

"Why should I let you?" I snapped, glaring at him. "We're not friends."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh get over it princess. Do you really wanna sit here alone?"

"I like being alone," I sneered at him. "Now leave."

"'You don't get to tell me what to do'," he mocked, setting down his bag. He twirled the pencil between his fingers. "How about a magic trick, huh Rosie?"

"Are you gonna make yourself disappear?"

"Not a chance. But check this out." He held the pencil between his hands, the eraser against one palm an the lead against the other. He pushed his hands together until they were flat against each other, opening his hands to reveal that the pencil had in fact disappeared.

"How did you do that?" I asked in wonder.

"Ah-ah-ah," he said, smirking. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

I'm not sure if I'm happy with the way this turned out… oh well. The next chapter will be more exciting. I've got some major plot points up my sleeve. Kinda. Also thanks to anyone who reviewed or favorited my story. I know I haven't been very active lately. Okay, byeee!