A/N. As I'm writing this (it's Wednesday right now), I'm in quite of a shock.
Don't know if all of you know, but the Philippines has been flooded really bad. My dad says it's above sea level. So...that's really high. And I'm really really concerned for all of my Filipino FF Friends (FFFF) here -if you're safe or fairing well, reviewing saying uh...Bahay Cubo? :3 I think I spelled Cubo wrong...
Anyways, I'd also like some prayers to be given out to the Philippines, and to especially to my cousin, Kio. It sort of terrified me when I found out that he's all alone. The rest of his family (my aunt, uncle, his brother King, his sisters Katit, Kyndler, and Kia) went out to the grocery store, their house got flooded and Kio was still inside, so now he's stuck and can't get out. I'm not sure how long he's been in there, but he posts a lot of FaceBook updates so we know he's still...you know, alive. But my dad unhelpfully pointed out that his phone's battery might not last another month (that's how long this flood's been going) and now I'm really worried.
So prayers would be amazing -seriously. You're not only making my day, but everyone else's in the Philippines. :)
Also PenguinLoverGurl has asked for our prayers too -her dad was attacked overseas, so pray hard please. :)
On to a less tear-upper subject, (yeah, I'm sort of blinking back tears but that shouldn't surprise you -I'm a freaking cry baby) Whooa whooa whoopoa! 24 reviews last chapter! We got a bunch, didn't we? I thought I had forgotten to say the 222th reviewer, but they had indeed reviewed for last chapter. :3 Congrats Laylaenchantix101! Four free spoiler questions (FFSP) for you, my friend! ^^
This chapter is dedicated to a friend of mine that SG-ers who have been with this fandom for a LONG time should know. She was one of the first people I befriended when I started FF. She's changed my view of Moth, and has helped me see Moth/Mustardseed and Moth/Toby as a pairing. She's also quite the poet and has some freaking dedication to NaNoWriMo that I admire. Also, she likes muffins a lot. Happy birthday, Estrangelo Edessa! You better bring me some virtual marshmallows when you get back from your camping trip.
Winners of the QotW: TheShiningShadow and killer bunnies! Congrats! ^^
New QotW: What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Poll: I have one on my profile where you guys vote what PJO/AG crossover story I should write. So far, the Leo-comes-to-FPL-and-Puck's-jealous is winning with 8 votes. Behind with three votes is Puck-is-a-son-of-Hermes-and-is-sent-to-CHB. In last place with two votes is Uncle-Jake-has-a-baby-with-a-godess-and-Sabrina-and-Daphne-have-to-bring him/her-to-FPL. So, yeah. Vote on my profile! ^^ But if you're anon, I'll count your votes here, too. ^^
Enjoy! I hope you guys like Drunk Daphne. ;D
Chapter 13: Reveal
My first instinct was to leave the room, but Jackson quickly figured out my motive and stepped in front of me, easily pushing me back towards the desk I'd been standing by. I stumbled over my feet, unaccustomed to the fuzzy feeling in my head and the shakiness of my feet. Before I knew it he had me pinned, his arms on either side of me, and his knee between my legs so I couldn't move.
"You said it was pink lemonade," I accused.
He smirked. "Yeah. Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade. Although, I'm a bit worried for you, Daphne. No one gets buzzed after two bottles."
I shook my head, trying to push him away from me. My hands grappled at his chest uselessly, too weak to have any affect on him. "Move."
"I'm pretty comfortable right here."
"Move."
"I just want to talk," he said coaxingly.
A wave of dizziness washed over me and I put my hands on Jackson's shoulder to steady myself. "About what?"
He smiled. "Your relationship with our teacher."
"It's none of your business!"
"Maybe not, but I know about it so I can use it to my advantage."
I set my jaw. "I thought you wanted to be a cop?"
He snorted. "You actually believed that cock and bull story? Well actually, I'm a pretty convincing actor."
"Then why…?"
Jackson gave me an impatient look. "There doesn't need to be a reason for everything, Daphne. I mean, there isn't a reason for me to keep my identity a secret from you, but it's funny how you're so clueless."
I blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"You call yourself a detective, but you're really dense, aren't you?"
How did he… "What…You're an Everafter?" If he had told me this on good terms, no doubt I'd be estatic, but I was far from it. I was confused, shocked, frustrated.
"Of course I'm an Everafter! How do you think I was able to live this long? I admit, I'm a little grateful to Wilhelm Grimm for getting me out of France along with my sister, but I wonder if he knew that his future generation was going to be this pathetic."
"Stop it," I mumbled angrily. "You…"
"Me," he said slowly as if talking to a toddler. "I wonder if you're smart enough to figure out who Anna and I are."
His jabs at me and my family were making me angry. "You don't know anything about me."
"Nor do you know anything about me."
"Why are you doing all of this?" I glared at him, trying to steady myself. "What have I done to you? Why are you messing with my life?"
He leered at me, ignoring everything I was saying. "I tried helping you, but you won't listen. You're dating our gym teacher, your best friend has a crush on my slut of a sister, who has a crush on him, your boyfriend and your boyfriend's best friend, who has a crush on you."
It took a few seconds for my impaired mind to catch up with what he just said. "Mr. Firay doesn't have a crush on me…"
"Yes he does," Jackson snorted. "That's why he got so offensive when I threatened to tell the school about you and Mr. Ross."
"Leave him out of it," I snapped, feeling hotter and hotter by the second. "He's got nothing to do with my relationship with Sage. Now move."
Jackson shook his head. "I'm not done."
"I am," I stated forcefully, pushing on his shoulder again, but this time more forcefully. "Move."
"Don't be like that."
"I mean it, Jackson."
Narrowing his eyes, he gave me a mocking expression. "I mean it too, Daphne."
He leaned closer to me, making me bend over backwards on the desk, the edge digging into my lower back painfully. My breath cut short at his proximity. A low chuckle left his lips.
"You look scared," he commented.
I turned my head away from him. "I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"What do you want?" I demanded.
He smiled viciously, moving a hand to my cheek and turning it so I faced him. "Look at me when you talk to me."
For a second I stared at him, my vision showing me two Jackson's instead of one. I blinked rapidly, feeling panic build up in me. I couldn't be that buzzed, I'd barely drank anything! But I couldn't even build the effort to push his hand away from my face. In a way it was soothing— the cool, clammy feeling of his palm against my hot, sweaty cheek.
"I told you not to tell anyone I knew about you and Mr. Ross before," he started in a quiet voice. "And what did you do? You told Mr. Firay, and it's pretty obvious you told Mr. Ross too."
"I didn't—"
Jackson pressed his free hand to my mouth, cutting off my reply. "I'll let it slide this time because I also told Mr. Firay not to tell you he knows and he told you too."
My eyes widened. How did Jackson know this? I tried to speak, but my voice was muffled and incoherent under his hand.
"Now here's the plan. It just so happens home ec is my worst subject and I hate running the lap in gym class…" He removed his hand, looking smug.
I knew where he was going with this before he even said it. "I won't," I declared flat out. "I'm not making them give you good grades. Are you really going to try something like that? You've been watching way too much T.V."
"I see you still have your snippy attitude. Maybe you could use more to drink."
"No!"
He smirked. "Okay. Then tell me I don't have to worry about failing home ec or gym class."
I glowered at him. "Okay, you won't. As long as you study, do your homework, and go to gym class."
"Not good enough," he responded in a singsong voice. He abruptly stepped away from me, feigning a yawn. "I just need a straight, affirmative answer, Daphne. Then you can leave."
Without a second's hesitation, I bolted for the door. However, my mind worked faster than my feet, so I ended up stumbling over them. Jackson wrapped an arm around me before I could protest, hauling me backwards. I groaned angrily, shutting my eyes as the world spun frantically. Suddenly my feet left the ground and my eyes shot open again in surprise as I landed on the floor roughly. Jackson kneeled down next to me, holding me down by the shoulders, his eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to drop you on the floor."
"I'm not doing it," I murmured, staring up at him, ignoring the throbbing in the head. "I'm not blackmailing them."
He shook his head. "It wouldn't be blackmailing them. You don't have dirt on them. It's just asking for a favor."
"But you're blackmailing me!"
"You wouldn't want to see both of them get fired, would you?"
My head felt light and I turned it to the side, unable to bare the glare of the light on the ceiling. There was no way I could ask Mr. Firay to give him good grades— he'd probably hunt Jackson down and strangle him once he found out Jackson was blackmailing me. But…
"How am I supposed to make them do that if they can't know you know about us?" I inquired.
"Well obviously they know that I know about you and Mr. Ross," Jackson said in an annoyed voice. "I went right up to them. What they don't know is that I just want good grades. I said I'd tell the principal if they told you they knew I knew about you guys. It works out fine."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "They'll definitely guess what's up."
He clicked his tongue. "All you need to do is say you'll try. I'm sure it will work out."
Could he be any stupider? "No, it won't. They'll probably just fail you for thinking you could get away with it."
"Shall I try a different way of persuade you?" he asked, bringing his head closer to mine. "I've got a few ideas… You might need more to drink though."
I struggled to sit up, but it was becoming more and more harder to push him away. "Leave me alone, Jackson!" I slurred, feeling out of breath now. It really was hot.
"Leave me alone!" he mimicked in a girly voice. "Come on. It's a party. Let's have some fun."
"No!"
"At least take off your jacket. You'll feel better," he cajoled.
My feelings of frustration and helplessness were making my eyes start to water. Or maybe it was the alcohol, I didn't know. I'd never consumed alcohol before. Jackson tried to pull my jacket off, but I kept my shoulder rigid. After a moment he finally managed to unzip the front.
"Come on," he wheedled, trying to tug it off my arms. "You look hot."
"Stop it, please," I begged him. "Look, I just want to…" I trailed off, momentarily forgetting what I wanted to say. "I just want to go home."
"So you'll fix my grades?" he pried.
"No!"
He shook his head. "Then you can stay for awhile longer."
"Get away from me!" I finally shouted, anger washing over me.
He finally managed to pull the jacket off me. Not that I was going to admit it, but having my jacket off actually did make me feel better. He stared at me for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows together. I gazed back at him, studying his face. He actually wasn't all that bad looking. In a way he reminded me off Mr. Firay. They both shared an unusual eye color.
"Falling for my good looks?" Jackson joked.
The phrase sent a jolt through me. Don't go falling for my good looks already. Mr. Firay had said almost the exact same thing to me when I first met him. My now boyfriend. And here I was, checking out the guy who was trying to blackmail me. The situation was so familiar. And I knew what was going to happen next.
Before I could protest, Jackson's lips were pressed to mine. Immediately I began to squirm, trying to turn my head away. He quickly moved his hands to my face, holding it in place. I clenched my teeth together, refusing to kiss him back. After a few more moments he pulled away.
"Aw, you break my heart," he joshed, putting a hand over his chest. "You could at least kiss back."
"I have a boyfriend," I shot back.
"I'll kiss you again if you don't agree to help me."
I glared at him, more frustrated than before. "You're such a pervert! I'm not helping you! How stupid are you? Once Matt and Sage realized what you're doing they'll figure out a way to get you expelled!"
"Not if I get them fired first. Pucker up."
As he brought his head closer to me again, I did the only thing I could think of— blow a raspberry in his face. Unfortunately that just made him grin before he kissed me again. Tears of exasperation sprung to my eyes. This was basically cheating on Mr. Firay.
Suddenly I heard the door burst open. Jackson pulled away from me abruptly, a scowl crossing his face. "Can't you see I'm…" he trailed off, staring at the door. It took me a moment to turn my head to look, but when I did, relief flooded through me. Sage was standing there, staring down at us with a blank expression.
"Your night and shining armor, huh?" Jackson commented in a bored tone.
"Sage, help me," I cried, striving to push myself off the ground. My head spun and I dropped back down, unable to find my balance.
Sage appeared over me momentarily, looking worried. "Daphne, what's wrong? What do you think you're doing?" His tone changed from worried to pissed off as he turned to Jackson.
Jackson held up his hands innocently. "Your girlfriend was coming on to me. She had too much to drink, I guess."
"Daphne wouldn't drink," Sage stated, narrowing his eyes.
"Doesn't she look buzzed to you?" Jackson questioned.
Sage's eyes shifted to me, his look softening. "Daphne, did you drink alcohol?"
Was he going to believe Jackson? That wasn't fair! He didn't even hear my side of the story! New moistness sprung to my eyes.
"What's wrong?" Sage demanded.
"Jackson spiked my drink. He said it was pink lemonade. I drank two…" I trailed off, realizing how slurred my voice sounded.
Sage's head turned so fast to Jackson I was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "You what?"
Jackson smiled innocently. "I just wanted her to loosen up."
"You brat," Sage growled, taking a step closer to him. "What were you planning on doing?"
"With your girlfriend? Not much. A little bit of this, a little bit of that."
Without warning Jackson stumbled away from me, stepping on my hand as he did so. A low groan of pain escaped my lips as I turned my head to glare at him. To my surprise, he was holding his face, blood dripping down his chin. I blinked, totally confused. Then Sage made another swing.
"Sage!" I cried in panic, trying to reach his leg. "Don't hit him!"
He froze, glancing down at me. A scowl of irritation crossed his face. "Damn it," he cursed, bending down to help me off the floor. "We're leaving."
"Daphne!" Jackson started, gaining my attention. He pointed to his nose. "I think I just gained the upper advantage even more. I can't wait to get my progress report."
"Screw you," I shot back, noticing how garbled it sounded. He just smirked.
Sage led me out of the room, keeping one arm around my waist to support me. I staggered, leaning into him heavily. Walking was proving to be a difficult task. When we made it to the stairs, I thought I was going to die.
"You shouldn't have punched him," I told Sage.
He glanced at me. "I can't understand a word you're saying. How much did you drink?"
I held up two fingers.
"Five?" Sage exclaimed in shock. "Daphne, I knew you were stupid, but that's taking it to a whole different level. You don't accept drinks at parties if you don't want to drink. Especially from people like Jackson. But to accept five?"
I shook my head. "No, two."
Sage now looked confused. "You only drank two things and you're this out of it… It's a good thing you didn't drink more. You might be dead."
It was nice he could joke in a situation like this. "I want to go home," I whispered wearily.
He nodded. "I'm going to call Matt now."
My eyes shot open. "No!"
"Yes, Daphne."
"No! No, no, no! I promised him I wouldn't drink."
"It wasn't your fault."
I attempted to pull away from Sage. "Let go. I'm not leaving."
"Yes you are," he responded forcefully, dragging me to the front door. "And you're sitting outside because you're sweating bullets."
"I forgot my jacket," I gasped in realization. "It has my phone!"
Sage pressed his lips together tightly. "Daphne, I can barely understand you…"
"Jacket!" I shouted at him, waving my arms frantically.
"Oh," he replied, nodding his head. "I'll get it for you."
Nodding, I dropped my arms back to my sides. However, they seemed to have a mind of their own. As Sage pulled out his phone to call Mr. Firay, my arms grew so light they started to rise. Panic filled me as they kept going higher and higher. Soon I had to stand to keep them from pulling me up.
"Sage!" I cried, now standing on my tiptoes. "Sage! My arms are floating away!"
He glanced at me, narrowing his eyes. "No they're not, Daphne. No, Matt. She's fine. Apparently her arms are floating away— Hey! Don't yell at me, it's not my fault."
"Sage! Help me!" I climbed a few stairs on the perch, trying to keep up with my truant arms. "Please!"
He chuckled, coming up to me and pulling my arms back down to their sides. "I've got her under control, Matt. I also took care of Jackson… Er, I'll let Daphne explain. Yeah, yeah. Fine. See you soon."
Now that my arms were fine at my side again, I was beginning to feel refreshed. I didn't have to deal with Jackson anymore, and with Sage here I felt ten times better. I hummed quietly to myself, grabbing Sage's hand into my own and swinging it. He gave me a curious look.
"Thanks for saving me," I told him, grinning widely at him.
"It's no problem," he responded slowly, obviously amused by my state. "Maybe you should sit down…"
I shook my head. "I want to dance. Can we go back in?"
Sage made a face. "No. You're staying out here."
"Then we'll dance out here," I responded, placing my hands on his hips. "Come on."
"You do know your arms are supposed to be around my neck right?" he questioned.
"We'll trade places."
He chuckled, putting his arms around my shoulders. "I think I might take you out drinking one day. If you're like this after two weak drinks, I'd love to see you completely wasted."
I ignored his statement, swaying to my own imaginary music, leaning my head against his chest. He felt so comfortable. "Why don't you drive me home?" I asked him.
He pulled me away from him for a moment, sending me a cheesy grin. "I'm not supposed to drive under the influence."
"You're drunk?"
"Not completely," he told me. "But enough that I'd get in trouble if I tried to drive."
"You're underage," I mumbled.
He rolled his eyes. "Barely. Anyway, you should be the one to talk."
"Shut up and dance," I demanded, wrapping my arms around him tighter.
He laughed, the sound reverberating through his chest. "Okay, Daphne. Matt will be here any second though."
"Mmm..."
Contrary to Sage's words, Mr. Firay didn't arrive for another fifteen minutes. By that time I was trying to convince Sage to play leapfrog with me. As soon as Sage's eyes landed on Mr. Firay, his shoulders sagged in relief.
"Thank god you're here," he sighed, immediately pushing me over. "She's such a handful."
Mr. Firay gave me a disappointed look. "I told you not to drink, Daphne."
I stared back at him, unable to stop the uncomfortable compressing feeling in my chest. The memories of early came rushing back to me and I fought the urge to cry. "You don't understand."
"What is she saying?" he asked, turning to Sage.
"She's not the one who drank," Sage clarified for me. "Jackson spiked her drink."
"He what?"
Sage smiled. "That was my reaction too!"
Mr. Firay pushed me aside, heading up the porch. "Where is he?"
"Wait!" I demanded, yanking on the back of his coat. "No!"
He looked back at me angrily. "What do you mean no? He obviously had something planned."
"I just want to go home," I told him, trying to keep my words coherent. "Please, Matt."
He stared at me for a moment, his eyes smoldering with anger, but then he sighed. "Fine."
"Don't worry. I punched him already," Sage offered.
Mr. Firay pursed his lips. "That wasn't a wise move, Sage. He's a student. You're a legal adult. That's assault."
Sage scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but he was… Actually, I'll let Daphne tell you that…"
"Tell me what?"
I dropped my gaze. How could I tell him I kissed Jackson?
A/N. Holy frooog! Jackson kissed Daphne! Sage punched Jackson! Daphne played leap frog with Sage! Mr. Firay is pissed. Comments?
I had a Maximum Ride rant that I was going to put here, but then I realized that most of you would be upset, so I won't. If you'd like to hear it, I'll send you a copy (except for anons since I have no idea how I'd do that). :3 I haven't read the book, but I'd rate it a 2 out of 5. Well, 3 out of 5 because I'm generous.
Review Replies:
Cupcake: Hahha, well, here's your chapter! ^^ Thanks for the review!
Emowriter: Hahah, I'm glad you thought it was funny! Sabrina and Puck won't be here for a while, but they'll be mentioned along with Nathaniel.
PenguinLoverGurl: Of course.
Autumn: Daphne doesn't usually go to parties, so I guess it's just beginner's mistake. ^^ I'm okay with gym…except for physical exams. BLARGH. They are perfecto! ^^ Thanks!
Athena: Here's your update! ^^
TheShiningShadow: Hahah, I hope you find Drunk Daphne funny! You're right about that. Hhaha, I'm glad you think it's funny! Freshmen, huh? I'll be in HS next year. ^^ Oh, that's a good reason! Hhaha, thanks for the review!
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Guest: All right. TJ Maxx is coolios. Bwahaha. I know right? :D Jackson and Red? I thought it was Red and Tom, but like a long distance relationship thing? Oh yeah. I think Willow is going out with…Colin? Colin, though. :3 You're totally right! ^^ Thanks for the review and good job!
Noodles21: Man, I wish we had met. D:
Killer bunnies: Totally agree with you. Bwaha, yep! I know what kind of sis you're talking about. I can imagine it, too! You're right…Very stupid indeed. :D thanks!
CupCake: Hahah, I'm almost 14, but I'm going into 8th grade. Good luck in HS! Haha,thanks for the review!
Trikster Queen: I know right?
Crazylame1: got that right. :D You are correcto!
Yorkie999777000: I've hurried. I actually was planning to update tomorrow, but I realized that was too cruel. :D
As White As Snow: Hahah, thanks for the review!
Guest: Here's the next one! ^^
WatsonLover: Aw, thank you very much! Well, you found out in this chapter. Well, it depends, of course. ^^ Like in JL's story, Daphne's dad was in a car crash and died, but Henry's alive here. And I leave details like…well, I'm not entirely sure, haha. But this was an interesting question to answer –I'm glad you were curious. ^^
Puckabrina-FAXfan: Hahha, thanks for the review!
Yellow.r0se: I know right?! Well, you found out. :D Yes, you do get to ask me still. It was, wasn't it? :3 Aw, thanks! Oops –I shall have a fix at that. Thanks! Haha, I'm glad you liked it. He has much planned…I think. Hahha. Thanks again!
GrimmGirlLove: Bwahah, all right! Thanks! Science is going to blargh this year. Last year I had an awesome teacher, but now I have a weird one. Thanks for the review!
Gill: Ooh. Percy Jackson? ;D
Laylaenchantix101: Bwhaha, :D Thanks so much!
Gill: You made the week, yay! ^^ I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Sorry for any errors in my replies. Replying to 24 was…a LOT of work. Sigh…I'm going to sleep after this. :3
Anyvey, see you guys on BCC Sunday next week!...And I hope you guys enjoy your summer -I go back tomorrow, so my time's up. :)
Wish me luck! Oh, and one of my friends is petitioning to our school. Eighth graders go to Bush Gardens at the end of the year, but we want to go to Universal in Orlando and AHHH! She says it's almost all the way approved! I'M SOO HAPPYEE. Ah, sorry for that random rainbow. I'm just so giddy.
~Lara