I didn't feel motivated enough to write a chapter this weekend, so right now, I'm in Spanish class working on a musical project and typing this at the same time (My teacher won't care much, since we're supposed to be looking for a song to do the project on, but anyway, you're welcome).
Disclaimer: Someone do this for me.
Ariel had been hanging out with Jack at lunch. She always came by their lunch table and sat down to chat with Jack. Zander mostly pretended that she wasn't there, and only responded to her greetings with a grumpy, "Hi." This was expected, but Spencer also wasn't up to conversation either, despite him seemingly supporting Jack's decision to befriend the girl. When Jack pointed that out to him, he said that he didn't want his brother to grow angry at him. Jack didn't think Zander was that controlling, so he had doubts on this excuse, but let it go nevertheless.
On Thursday, in fourth period, Jack finally managed to finish that stupid math project that he and Cody had been assigned to do, fifteen minutes before class ended. He was glad for that, because it was the last day for them to actually work on it in class, and if they hadn't finished, they had to take it home to work on, as it was due on Friday at the beginning of the period.
Jack turned to Cody. "I finished our project." He put strong emphasis on the "our." Yet, he was ignored completely by the other boy, who was staring out the windows again. Jack hated being ignored—he always did. And right now was no exception. He sighed frustratedly and glared at the back of Cody's head. "You know, I spent nearly 2 weeks doing this torturous assignment when we were really supposed to be working together on it, and all you've been doing is sitting in that seat looking at everything around you. The least you could've done was help a teensy bit."
There. He said it. He couldn't help but be secretly proud of himself for not losing his composure and screaming F-bombs, which would've been bad since they were all in a class with a teacher supervising. Hopefully, he still managed to carry the point across calmly.
To his surprise and satisfaction, Cody turned his head toward him. To his dismay, this was the reply he got, "You came from a different town, right? Where?"
Jack frowned. Out of all the answers he expected to get, this was definitely not one of them. Nobody ever asked him that question before either, but fortunately enough, he had an answer prepared. "The capital city, Philadelphia. Why?"
"Why'd you move?"
Now this wasn't something Jack was expecting. He paused for a second, then said, "My parents thought it was too crowded, so they wanted to move to a smaller town like Burgess. I only agreed because I really didn't care all that much."
Cody nodded slightly. "I lived there too. You know, before I transferred."
"Oh. Why'd you transfer?"
Cody suddenly stiffened, and let his black bangs, which were already drooping through one eye, fall over the rest of his face. "It's none of your concern," he bit out icily. "It's all mine, and you probably wouldn't care at all even if I told you. I know what all people are like. They always pretend like they care, but they really don't. So what makes you think I would actually tell you my reasons?"
He turned his gaze back to the window, resuming his indifferent activities, but Jack didn't part his attention from him until only a few minutes later. Cody was a mysterious character...
And he's clearly hiding something, was what flashed through Jack's mind right before the bell rang, signaling lunch.
Zander and Spencer were already at the table when Jack arrived. He set his backpack down on the bench and looked around, searching for Ariel.
"Uh, hello to you too," Zander deadpanned.
"If you're looking for Ariel, she probably went to buy lunch. She should be here soon, so why don't you wait?" Spencer suggested.
Jack visibly relaxed. "Oh, okay."
Zander's frown became more clear on his face. "You shouldn't be worrying about her like an overprotective parent. She can take care of herself."
Jack shot him a look. "Are you saying that because you hate her?"
"What? No. I mean, I hate her, but really, you shouldn't be all protective of her."
Jack shrugged. "Sorry. It's just instinct. By the way, you should talk to her."
Zander, who was taking a sip of his chocolate milk, spit it all right back out when he heard that, much to his brother's disgust. "What?!"
"Ugh, Zander, don't spit your milk all out on the table," Spencer gagged.
Ignoring him, Zander looked at Jack with a horrified look on his face. "I'm not talking to her! Not after what I've been through with her! I'd rather be holed up underground than take any more chances with her!"
"Come on!" Jack pleaded. "You don't have to carry on an actual conversation with her! All I'm asking is for you to say hi and ask how she's been! Don't tell me that's too much for you, because I know it's not."
"But—"
"Zander, just do it," Spencer interrupted. "What's there to lose?"
Zander knew better than to argue with his brother. Whenever they disagreed on something, Spencer almost always won, and he could tell that he had no way out of this. "Fine, but you owe me big time."
Jack grinned from ear to ear. "Great."
Ariel came rushing over, her lunch tray in her hands. "Johnny! There's a local carnival in town next Tuesday, and I got two tickets for you and me! Do you want to come?"
Jack blinked, confused. "Carnival? There's a carnival?"
"You don't know about it? It's a carnival that's only going to be in town for a couple of days. There's a ring toss, a whack-a-mole, and on top of that, there's a circus," Spencer filled him in.
"And a food court," Zander added.
"Oh, cool. Alright, I'll come," Jack smiled at Ariel, accepting the invitation. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to buy lunch. I'm starving." He left, giving Zander a "Talk to her or I'll make you" look, which nobody except for Zander noticed.
"I'm craving cookies," Spencer announced suddenly, and got up. "Be right back." He went after Jack to the lunch line. If he noticed the daggers that were being shot at him by his brother, he didn't show it at all.
Zander sighed. Oh, the taste he had in people to hang out with. Ditchers. He glanced up at Ariel, who was sitting across from him, examining her fingernails. Knowing he had no other choice, he began awkwardly, "So... How've you been?"
"Perfectly fine," she replied loftily. "Your little friend really is something."
Zander gripped the edge of the table at her attitude of superiority, but managed to say politely, "He's pretty unique. Sometimes I don't even get his logic at all." He couldn't help but add, "And he's not little."
"He's the naïve type, isn't he?"
"Naïve, sure. Stupid, no. He can be smart if he feels like it."
Ariel had not taken her eyes off her fingers, but at this, she gave Zander a side glance. "I never said he was stupid."
"You were implying it."
The tension between them was almost tangible, and it was still gradually increasing. Each time Ariel spoke, Zander held onto the table edge tighter than before, his knuckles were white, and his courteous tone had become strained. He knew that behind Ariel's sweet persona was a devil waiting for the outside gates to open so it could escape. All that talk about her changing was crap, and he could tell straight away. Internally, he prepared himself for the malice to start showing.
"You're really only talking to me because he told you to, am I right?"
Zander snapped out of his thoughts. "What?" It was true, of course, but he thought it best to keep it up for as long as he could.
Ariel rolled her eyes. "Oh, drop the act. I'm not stupid either. I know you don't want to have anything to do with me. It's ridiculous how you would want to put yourself through this suffering just to make your little friend happy."
It was annoying Zander greatly at how Ariel kept on referring to Jack as "little friend." He spoke through gritted teeth, "He likes you, and I don't want to make him think I'm controlling his love life. Not like you'll ever be a part of it."
"Are you sure about that?" Ariel cocked her head to one side at his last comment, drumming her fingers on the table. "He seems to be pretty into me. You don't have to tell me he likes me for me to know that he likes me."
"What are you planning?" Zander asked bluntly.
"Tell me, does little Johnny care more about his friends or his crush?"
Zander paused at that question. He had no doubt that Jack would rather stay with him and Spencer than go with some silly crush if it meant pushing everyone else away. If there was one thing Zander had learned about Jack, it was that he valued his friendships. But what was Ariel hinting at?
Ariel didn't wait for an answer, because she continued, "It would be sad if he chose his crush, wouldn't it? What would he think of his friends then?"
Zander got a queasy feeling in his stomach. He had caught on, and he stood up. He put his hands on the table and hissed, while glaring, "You wouldn't dare."
Ariel feigned hurt and surprise. "Would I?"
"I knew you hadn't changed. Jack's so in love with you, he can't think straight, and my brother's too nice and forgiving to remember the evil you've committed. They're lucky I'm not like either of them, because you're busted," Zander snarled.
"Oh, so you're going to tell on me?" Ariel made a fake gasp. "Should I really be feeling threatened by that? I know you've tried telling your friend about me, but did he believe you? No. No, he didn't. What makes you think he'll believe you this time?"
She was right. Her point was made clear. Jack wouldn't believe Zander and would think he was imagining this very real conversation. Not being able to think up a counterargument, he sat down and muttered, "Slut," just loud enough for her to hear him.
Ariel smirked, knowing she had won. She looked behind her, "Oh, look, Johnny and company are coming back."
"His. Name. Is. Jack," Zander growled at her, making sure Jack and Spencer couldn't hear him.
She said quietly in a sing-song voice, "He said I could call him Johnny."
"Hey, so we're back," Jack said, sliding onto the bench beside Ariel, who was putting up that goody-good façade again. "Did we miss anything?"
"Nothing," Ariel smiled at him. "Just some small talk."
Jack raised an eyebrow at Zander. "Oh, so you did talk to her. I was half-expecting you not to." He stopped talking once he saw how Zander seemed to be glaring at thin air. "Uh..."
Spencer, who resumed his seat beside his brother, looked at him weirdly. "Are you okay? You look like a bear about to attack."
"I'm absolutely fine," Zander bit out darkly.
"Do you want a cookie? I bought one extra in case you did want one." Spencer handed his twin a chocolate chip cookie.
Zander roughly grabbed it and forced a "Thank you" out of his mouth. He crammed half of it into his mouth, got up, and left.
"Is your brother okay?" Jack asked, a little concerned over Zander's behavior.
"I don't know," Spencer shrugged, then stood up. "I'll go talk to him." He looked around, but Zander had already left the cafeteria. "After I find him, that is."
He eventually found Zander sitting, knees against his chest, on the grass field behind the gymnasium, irritatedly pulling at the green blades and their roots.
Spencer sat down next to him in the same position. "What's eating you? Or do I have to wait some more so you could blow off enough steam to explain?"
"What makes you think something's eating me?" Zander grumbled, not looking up from what he was doing.
"First off, you tortured that poor cookie. Second, you're torturing nature right now."
"It's... It's nothing, alright?" Zander sighed. "I'll forget about it soon."
"As your twin brother, I am aware of when it's nothing and when it's something. And it's something right now," Spencer said flatly. "Now spill. I'll listen." He knew he got him once he stopped tugging at the ground.
"Jack doesn't know what he's getting himself into," Zander muttered. "While you guys were gone, Ariel started acting like the skank she really is, and...and said some stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"About how Jack would choose her over us. She didn't say it out loud, but that's obviously what she aims to make sure of. I mean, she most likely hates me for dumping her two years ago, so this might be her way of exacting revenge. I don't get women at all. She's the one who wasn't serious about the relationship."
"Why don't you tell Jack that?"
"I was going to, but she pointed out to me how Jack didn't believe me before, so what makes it any different now? He'll think I'm making stuff up." He eyed his brother. "And there's no guarantee he'll believe you either."
Spencer frowned, knowing he was right. "You're right, Jack's not just going to let her go like that. He'll need to see for himself."
"So what, we somehow get him to spy on Ariel or something?"
Spencer looked at him warily. "He'll figure it out himself. He doesn't need people to push him."
Zander's frown grew. "Come on! It's what happens all the time on TV!"
"But this isn't TV," Spencer replied patiently. "Jack's not dumb. He'll eventually catch on to her true character."
"How can you be so sure of that?"
Spencer sighed. "I'm not. When his brother kept silent, he added, "You found out about her. Who says he won't?"
Zander nodded tentatively. "Right. I got it. We'll leave them alone."
Screw it, I'm cutting it off there. I think it's long enough.
I like writing from Zander and Spencer's perspective. I don't think I've done it before, and I'm sure this isn't the last time I'll do it.
I'd like to thank a reviewer, Maddie Seth, for drawing fan art for my OCs, Zander, Spencer, Cici, Anton, and Cody. She's MaddieSeth on deviantArt, and you can find her drawings there. You could also go to my profile, and the links to the artwork will be at the bottom. Seriously, guys. Her works are worth checking out.
Also, I'm tempted to change the chapter titles. Do you guys think I should change them?
Reply time!
TDBrigit: Then you will be very pleased. ;)
Mystery Girl Who Writes: Sheesh, I scared you that much? I must have more potential than I thought. :D
Hatsu Yukiya: Don't worry, it wasn't the bad kind of pressure. In fact, I don't even know why I called it pressure, 'cause I don't think that was the right word for it. It's a good thing I'm updating today, since you did too, and if I didn't, I wouldn't be filling in for my part of the deal. ;D
agent000: I'm not surprised by that news at all. But, luckily, after I spoke up about it, I got more votes, and I'm much more satisfied.
likhitata: Yeah, I kind of figured that at least one person would be able to catch on. So you like my headcanons too, hm? Here's another one: Jack is engaged to someone. He doesn't want to be engaged to her, since the proposal was accidental, but he's engaged. On the other hand, his fiancée's pretty happy about the engagement. I'll probably be introducing her in a future extra, so keep your eye out for that. Anyone who's reading this is probably internally freaking out right now.
girlygurl720: I was originally going to name Ariel Megan, but I changed my mind. I forgot why though. And I picture her to have long black hair and...green eyes? I haven't decided on her eye color yet. And omg, your Cupid story is awesome. I have my own version of Cupid that I'm planning on introducing... -whistles- To whoever is reading this: Try to figure out what I'm hinting at here.
LightMyBulb: Wow, my headcanons sure are well-liked. XD And FINALLY, someone figured out who is the real suicidal one! I've been waiting for someone to catch on. And you could do whatever fan art you want. Just make sure to let me know when you're finished with a drawing! (Me and Hatsu Yukiya, we love each other :D)
RandomKrazyPerson: Well, you're the only one who listened to me about Naruto. XD There are three other reviewers on that story: Freedom of Creation, Blue Supernova, and TayMor. But they don't count, since they're not my reviewers. :P
Dude: Mean? You weren't mean, you were just asking a perfectly okay question.
Yami's Devil: Whoa, kill Samson, but don't kill Anton. I like Anton. D:
Randomness: I'm not planning on having Samson figure out about Jack Frost at all. XD As for Anton... (All the people who are still reading this are probably wondering what the hell I'm planning with Anton XD)
Sassy Shota: She wasn't a cheater. I was going to make her one like way back, but I decided to go for something more original than that.
Maddie Seth: Look at my reply for likhitata. :D Yeah, insinuated is the right word. You'll have to wait and see about Cici. ;)
Thank you to Kaylee and the above people for reviewing! Review again!