Citadel, Presidium Commons, Aphrodite Court- a week later
T'Soni's Apartment
"Hey Aethyta, what's up" I greeted cheerily, before taking a seat on the leather chair directly opposite to the Asari matriarch.
She cocked her eyebrow out of surprise "Nate… this is you… right?"
I chuckled slightly "Why wouldn't it be me?"
"It's just that you're uncharacteristically chipper. Last week when we spoke you appeared frustrated and well… on the verge of doing something drastic and now…. you seem happy"
"Maybe I got the stick out of my ass and have embraced the wonders of life" I exaggerated
Aethyta sighed pinching the bridge of her nose "Zaeed is right. You are a little shit". If there was one thing I liked about Aethyta, it was that she didn't have the supposed 'grace' and 'elegance' that other matriarchs try to show. She acts like herself, she's pragmatic and she's not afraid to get in my face if she thinks I'm out of line.
"You're right about one thing. I am much happier lately" I admitted. And I know the reason for that.
"I'm guessing it can only be because of one of two things. One reason would be that you're now popping antidepressants like their tic tacs" she guessed
"Naah. Seems like a waste of time. Drugs mask the problem" I responded honestly
"Ok the only other thing it could be is that you're getting pussy" she mused causing me to fall off of the chair
"What the….. Fucking….. What?"
"That's cute, you react just like Liara when I ask her about her sex life". This women could border on sadistic at times
I started tapping my chin, contemplating what how to respond to her guess. I haven't slept with Jack at least I a sexual manner. She's snuck into my room every night since last Tuesday. "Define pussy"
This time it was her turn to fall on to the floor laughing. She had to use the table as a support so she could pull herself to her feet. "I never thought I would hear that from anyone" she revealed
"I guess I'm special"
"What did you mean by 'define pussy'?"
"I meant. Do you mean like have I gotten laid or do I have a girlfriend?"
"Nowadays I would have thought that's a distinction without a difference" she pointed out. I couldn't really argue with her considering that out of my circle of friends I can only point to less than 5 virgins. Everyone else has had more than one sexual partner
"Come on Aethyta. I can get laid whenever I want, so you know which one it is"
"Ooh, so you've got a girlfriend now."
"You could say that"
"That's fairly evasive of you Nate"
I chose to stay quiet because I knew it would frustrate her even more. I could see her jawline tense for a second before she smiled. She then muttered 'little shit' under her breath
A loud cheer came from the other room along with a frustrated groan. I didn't need to get up and check to see who it was. Liara always said by the goddess whenever she was surprised or angry.
"Alright I'll stop this line of questioning since I'm clearly being stonewalled" she pouted "So, what is she like?"
I had to think for a minute on how to describe her accurately. "She's like playing Russian Roulette with 5 rounds in the revolver"
"Wow"
"She's beyond beautiful. Smart, honest, funny, blunt, acidic, swears a lot, crazy, nuts, independent, angry…." I listed before I was interrupted
"Whoa, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Are you sure that this is your girlfriend or is it a rabid werewolf" she stopped looking slightly surprised at my description "But you seem to be doing so with a smile on your face"
"Maybe it's because I love those qualities about her. She doesn't show her other qualities to others. I've been privileged enough to see her compassion, laughter and be with her. When you see her with these two kids I live with. You'd never think of her as a dangerous bitch"
"So, you've been able to move on from Ashley"
I felt my heart stop for a second at the mention of her name and a chill ran down my body. Thinking about Ash still hurt, but nowhere near as much as it did 3 months back.
"You could say that I have moved on. And you wouldn't be far from the truth, but I doubt I'll ever be totally over it"
"Nate… this is the most you've shared during our sessions, hell most of the time you look like this is the last place you want to be"
"I want to get better and now I have an incentive to get better". I want to live, for real this time. It isn't just something I'm saying to get through each day, but something true.
"This goes without saying but I don't think you should end it with her. If she is responsible for such a drastic improvement then you should beg her to never leave you" I'm not sure if she means the last part literally or not
"I won't screw this up" I vowed
"OK, let's move on from this subject to another. Let's talk about your father" she declared
I don't know exactly what happened but I just felt my brain shut down for a second. I couldn't feel my eyes, I know that I was looking at Aethyta but I couldn't see her or anything. I could hear my own, scarily calm breathing pattern and that familiar chill ran down my spine.
"Nate…. N-hbate arhge yogkhu sgjtill theeere"
I still didn't respond to her request. I couldn't even hear what she was saying, I couldn't register her. All I did was stare into the empty space that was behind her head. I was unthinking, I was just…. There.
"Fuuouor wuuunce…actually…. For the whole hour" I was snapping back to reality very slowly. I came back just in time to hear her last remark. Ever since we started therapy we'd never had a full hour session. After a while I just stopped talking and began staring at that same spot behind her head.
I transferred the credits into her chit and walked out of the room.
When I entered the room I noticed that Liara was playing one her CTX but I couldn't quite make out what game she was playing. I heard her talking into a microphone so it was obvious the she was playing online. Beside her sat Jennifer who also had a controller in her hand and was wearing a sleeveless blue sweatshirt and desert cargo shorts. Liara wore a Serrice black tank top and grey sweats.
"Come on you useless fucker" Jennifer cursed tilting her controller slightly and tensing her hands and Liara did the same.
"No... come on don't you useless... argh" Liara threw her controller on her the couch and groaned out of frustration
"Don't you dare kill me you stupid...BITCH" Jennifer then threw her controller on the couch
I then heard maniacal laughter emanating from the TV screen and it was very familiar. Mainly because I hear it all of the time whenever I play her.
"Mwahahahahah .You two are absolutely dreadful" Samantha taunted "You couldn't even take me on 2 on 1"
"I want a rematch" Liara declared
"You must be a masochist if you enjoy this much humiliation" Sam giggled
"Hey Traynor let's see how funny you are when we're face to face" Jennifer challenged
Sam stayed quiet for a bit. Jennifer still as some progress to make but she's come a long way "No need for violence Jack"
"Relax, I'm kidding. If I wanted you dead then I would show up at your place and do it. But I doubt that dumbass would let me"
"You know I hate it when you call me that. I have a name you know" I said
"Yeah well, dumbass suits you better." she teased before planting a quick kiss on my lips
"Come on let's go. Rylee's making dinner" she got up after high fiving Liara, grabbing her bags and heading for the exit.
Whenever I was with her Jack always got some funny looks from people in the Presidium. I guess with all of the tattoos and scars she did draw attention. I always caught some asari whispering shit to each other before staring at the two of us with disdain. When we came here to the park with Jade I caught some disapproving looks from women since they assumed that she was our daughter and the other kids avoided her. I hate that just about everyone on the Presidium is so far up their own assholes that they look down on everyone they see as below them or unfit to be in their presence.
I was thankful for when we reached the Silversun strip since so much shit happened there that we appeared as normal members of society. I hated the fact that it always smells like stale piss and vomit but it was a nice sight. We even managed to get a look at the filming set for the next Blasto movie. Blasto 8: Blasto cures the Genophage. Every actor, camera man and director on set was a total moron, writing some shit that didn't even make sense. I wouldn't be surprised if they all popped a hallex before shooting. But I guess that's what makes the films so damn hilarious
When we reached Tiberius towers and we entered the lift I had an idea "Hey Jen" I got her attention "Wanna have some fun?" I asked and then she got this real mischievous look on her face. "Lets head for Sam's place. After what happened at Liara's I think she could shit herself"
"Hell yeah". I pressed the button and headed for the 16th floor. When we reached her door and rang the bell and hid behind the wall so that Sam couldn't see me. She answered it, likely without looking at whoever was at the door I'd always told her to be careful about this shit. There are some fucked up people in this building, quite a few of which have tried to fight me.
Jen's biotics began to flare up, particularly around her fist and Sam's eyes popped out in fear. It was taking a lot of restraint to not laugh at her
"J-J-Jack... what are you doing here?" she quivered
"I came to collect what I'm owed"
Traynor gulped"A-and w-w-what would t-t-that be?" she shook with terror
"I told you that if I ever wanted you dead I'd show up to your place and do it myself. And guess where I am right now" Jen teased
"You aren't really going to kill me over a video game are you?" she doubted hopefully
"I'd do it for shits and giggles but not this time. I don't like how you look at Nate, I see how hungry you are for him"
"Nate... OH GOD NO!" she practically yelled. OUCH! There's a shot at my ego "I'd rather bed a Varren than him. Probably more clean than he is". What does she think I am. Walking syphilis or something
"What are you saying I have bad taste in men"
Sam had realised her mistake "NO, NO that's not what I'm saying at all." she rushed shaking both her hands violently in defence. "What I'm saying is that I'm more likely to be interested in you or Rylee or Miranda than Nate"
"OK I can't take this anymore. HAHAAHAHAHAAH" Jen broke out into a fit of laughter and I took that as my cue to step into sight.
When I joined in the laughter Sam playfully punched Jen on the arm and backed me into the wall "You bloody asshole" she cursed "What did I do to deserve this"
"Careful you don't get too close. I mean I'm dirtier than a Varren apparently" I made fun of her. Her cheeks darkened slightly as she realised what she's just said
"I didn't mean physical dirt more like sexual dirt" she defended
"I'm sorry was that meant to hedge what you said earlier because I'm pretty sure you just insulted me again"
"Nate that's not-"
"No, no I get it. I'm a syphilitic man whore that should never touch another woman" I turned away dramatically
Samantha sighed "Fine... Nathan I am sorry that I called you dirty"
I turned to her with a smirk "Apology accepted" I hugged Traynor before saying my goodbyes
"Don't make a habit of hugging other girls" Jen punched my arm as we entered the apartment
"What are you jealous?" I japed
She let out a loud scoff "Not of Traynor. Hell I've got a better shot with her"
"Now there's a thought" I said imagining the two of them getting together
"What you think you can handle two women at the same time" she challenged
"What tells you that I haven't before" I responded.
"Really, you've been in a threesome" she sounded surprised and I nodded "Shouldn't be surprised about that. Seeing as how you get around" she sounded slightly bitter. I always got the feeling that she was jealous of the girls I'd been with, even before we started... whatever we have is called. It stemmed from the fact that I gladly slept with those girls but I refused to fuck her.
"Come on"
"Relax boyscout. Let's... just drop this shit" she folded her arms as though she were cold and retreated into herself. She did this whenever she didn't feel like talking or whenever she was mad at me. In this case it was both so I gave her some space
I decided to head to the gym where I found Miranda on the pull up bar. It had been nearly a month since I'd had an actual conversation with Miranda and she had been even more cold than usual. Her glares toward Jen had become especially icy now since our friends found out. All of them congratulated us apart from Miranda who just walked away.
"Hey Miri" I greeted
"Nathan" she now made it a point to call me by my full name. Something that I've never been comfortable with.
"How's it goin'?" I asked hoping to get a conversation started but she ignored me. Leaving us in an awkward silence whilst she continued doing pull ups.
"Come on Miri talk to me" I pleaded
She simply stood up and walked out of the room with a scoff. But not before turning to me one more time "Really, HER!" she stomped up the stairs
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Apparently EDI has some maintenance issues ever since they repaired her. I'm no tech but that doesn't sound so unusual. Today there weren't any practical lessons, so I didn't have Advanced Biotics right now. The resources room gets really crowded if you don't get there early so I decided to head back to my form room. On the way there I noticed a tall, lithe figure making a corner. It was Miranda, I remember seeing her wear a white jumper with its arms wrapped around her waist, a black tank top, black skin tight shorts and a backpack. I need to talk to her
She was headed for a part of the school I didn't even know existed. We walked across the school and went up several flights of stairs making me even more lost. It was bustling with students but they were mostly Quarian and Salarian. I hadn't spotted a single Krogan which means this is more than likely an academic wing. But I know where the academic wing is nut I don't know a thing about this place. Some of the students were looking at me as though I was an alien (Well technically I am to just about everyone here). It didn't take much to realise that I was the most physically built person here. To be blunt this entire section was filled with geeks and to them I was a jock.
I had to keep my eye on Miri so I wouldn't get lost in this wing of the school. I guess that this has to be the tech wing but she doesn't have classes here. Aah shit I'm lost, I lost track of her for one second and now she's gone and I don't know the way back. There were a shit load of turns. I accidentally bumped into someone but I barely felt it. When I looked down to see who it was I saw that it was actually two people.
"Tali, Sam"
They both looked up at me "Nate what are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time
"I was looking for Miranda. I want to talk to her" I noticed that I was getting weird looks from the other students and Tali as well as Sam picked up on this "What's going on here?"
"It's weird to see someone like you here" Sam pointed out
"Someone like me?" I responded
"You know someone of your..." Tali strained trying to find the right words
"You mean a dumb- roid taking monkey"
"How did you know" Tali joked
"Exactly, took the words right out of my mouth" Sam smiled. I picked the two of them up and their stomachs was laying squarely on top of my shoulders and they began giggling.
"Say sorry or you're staying up there"
"Come on Nate we'll be late" Tali giggled
"I'm still waiting for an apology"
"Never!" Sam declared. I spotted an instructor turning the corner and quickly put the two of them down. Sam stuck her tongue out,, a gesture a gladly returned.
"You still never told us why you're here"
"Oh that's right, have you guys seen Miranda"
"Oh I just saw her enter room 416" Tali pointed "Now if you'll excuse us, we have an engineering class to attend" Tali said before her and Samantha strolled over to one of the rooms with a warning label on it. They had to use DNA encryption to get in. Makes sense, you don't want dumbasses in an area which could blow up the school.
I stepped into room 416 and saw Miranda sitting on a desk, with her back to me, buried in a book. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she completely ignored my presence. She was so fucking beautiful and it was undeniable. She has more in common with Jennifer than she'd like to admit or
"Kaidan, I just learned how to" she turned her head excitedly with a wide grin before realising just who was in the ring with her
"How did you find me?"
"I followed you here, Miri I just want to talk to you"
"So you're stalking me now"
"No Miri I just want to talk to you now"
"Yes well I don't want to talk to you. I've got a lot to do" she dismissed before quickly packing up and heading for the door. She turned around just enough to face me before cringing.
"Really... Her" she scoffed storming off to some other area of the school. I guess I should have expected that. But I won't give up, Miranda is too important to me for me to just let our friendship fade. I have to find her. I ran into the hallway but I found that she was already gone. She really has to tell just how she does that one day.
"Miranda come on" I yelled in the empty hallway.
I received nothing but a void of silence. I realised that I had lost her and I wouldn't find her unless she wanted to be found so I decided to head back. The only problem being that I have no clue as to which way to go. With EDI offline I had no way of navigating new areas of the school. I turned around but every way looked exactly the same, I really should have paid more attention to my surroundings on my way here
I was constantly getting turned inside out and after 10 minutes of walking around in circles without an end in sight I was about ready to give up and wait for class to end. I actually took the time to consider what I was going to say to Miranda so that I could try to smooth this whole situation over. But no matter how many times I thought this whole situation over, it always ended up with her walking away.
"NATE, NATE, NATE" Emily Wong had just turned a corner and was panting, attempting to catch her breath.
"Emily take a deep breath, and tell me what's wrong"
"Just follow me" she ignored her fatigue an returned the direction she came from. I followed suit so I could see what had gotten her so rattled. When we arrived I saw a group of Asari, Batarians, Turians, Salarians and humans all headed for a classroom at the end of the corridor. They stormed in and the yelling commenced. I was curious about the crowd but I knew that every time I got involved with a crowd like that I ended up outside Anderson's office.
That changed when I heard chairs fly around the room and crashing against the wall, sending the angry mob into uproar. I ran as fast as I could but there were too many standing in the way of the classroom so I had to force my way to the front of the crowd.
I saw that Miranda was backed into the corner as the rest of the students ganged up on her. Her lip was cut and there was a bruise on her pale skin. She had a look of indifference on her face as her barrier was pelted by chairs and biotic balls.
"CERBERUS BITCH. YOU'LL PAY FOR CRIMES" an Asari roared hitting Miranda with a warp but the barrier stopped it. The crowd then bombarded Miranda with every kind of cuss and name that they could think of. Assaulting her family, her allegiances and even her looks.
"Nathan Shepard" I heard that same familiar voice to my disdain I saw Tela Vasir. Nasty piece of work, she's racist as all hell. She hates 'pureblood' asari and every other race in Citadel space
"Vasir" I regarded
"To what do I owe the displeasure" she sneered
"Get out of here and leave Miranda alone"
"Typical, humans sticking by each other in spite of the fact that one of them is a criminal" she spewed her usual racism
"Leave Miranda alone. NOW" I ordered
"NO! WE WILL NOT STAY SILENT WHILST CERBERUS TRASH REMAINS IN THIS INSTITUTE" a roar came from the crowd inciting more roars.
Nassana then made her presence known "OUR PEOPLE DIED BY THE THOUSANDS DURING THAT INCURSION! WHILST YOURS LOST NONE!"
"What are you talking about, thousands of humans were killed during the invasion" Miranda argued
"And in case you didn't know, Miranda helped fight Cerberus during the invasion. She helped save your lives" I supported
"CERBERUS SYMPATHISER" Vasir bellowed.
I was suddenly blindsided by a sock to my jaw. It felt leathery, pointy and almost reptilian so I guessed it was a Turian fist which just connected with my jaw. The punch left me slightly disoriented, but the blow to the back of my head left me dizzy. It knocked me into the ground where I was kicked in the ribs by heavy combat boots.
"AAAARRRGH" I screamed out of pain. I'm pretty sure that at least one of them is broken. In order to create some separation between me and the crowd I punched the ground at an angle, knocking them back a bit and me towards the corner that Miranda used as a defensive position.
Miranda dropped her barrier and allowed me inside. She knelt down and looked at me with concern "Are you alright?"
"Reallly, this is what it takes to get you to talk to me" I joked but I doubt that this is the best time to be making jokes
"You ass" she sighed "You're hurt, we need to get you to Dr Chakwas' office" Miranda suggested
"I think we have other issues to worry about" I reminded, taking a quick glance at the menacing mob.
I could here some orders being barked from outside. The crowd quickly began to disperse and the room began to empty. Into the room came Zaeed and Samara stormed into the room with angry looks. When they spotted the two of us they ran and helped us to our feet.
"I heard about some trouble from Wong and ran 'ere as fast as I could" Zaeed explained
"Nathan, Miranda you are both well" Samara sighed out of relief
"Relax Samara, takes more than an angry mob to take me down" I smiled
"From the looks of things, you were about to bite it" Zaeed pointed out
"Look around Scarface, not enough room to fight"
"You could have used your biotics"
"I would have killed them if I did"
"Never stopped you before"
"I've beaten people up, I've never intentionally tried to kill students except for Saren"
All of a sudden I remembered something that Saren said "The black haired bitch's father was behind the death of good Turians. We shouldn't take any chances, just purge the human's, if even one Cerberus operative lives we are all in danger"
Fuck! He told the whole school about Miranda and her father's involvement in the Cerberus invasion. Now they're blaming her for everything that's happened. I should have guessed this would happen at some point but... Oh SHIT. The whole school is coming after anyone who's Cerberus. Jennifer, Jacob, Kelly... shit I need to find them.
I had to call Kelly, she had no lessons until the afternoon. Out of the 3 of them she's the only one who'd be totally screwed if anyone tried anything like they did with Miranda.
"Kelly good you picked up"
"Hey Nate, what's up"
"Kelly where are you"
"I just left the Resources room. I'm headed for the toilet so can this wait"
"No it can't. I know this might sound weird but please tell me that someone is with you" I really hope it's someone like Kasumi or Liara.
"Noooo... Nate, what's going on"
I took a deep breath "Listen to me Kelly, go to the resources room NOW. Find someone, James, Garrus, Rylee, Thane anyone. BUT YOU CANNOT BE ALONE" I urged
"You're scaring me Nate" she complained. I could hear some chanting coming from her side of the line.
"Kelly hide NOW"
"Hey what's going o-" the transmission was cut.
"Shit! We need to get to the other side of the school NOW" I yelled. I grabbed Miranda's hand and began to sprint out of the room.
"Miri which window has the best view of the Resources block" I barked. She merely pointed at one at the other side of the corridor. I led her to that window and took a look outside. I saw that the block wasn't all that far from this place, in terms of distance not height.
I shockwaved the glass and shattered the window to pieces. "Brace yourself, deceleration can be a bit intense" I warned
"Nate... Nate what are you-" before she could finish I had already charged us out of the window and I couldn't stop myself. I positioned myself in front of Miranda so that she wouldn't hit the wall. When we made contact it had left a big ass dent in the wall. Great now I have to pay the school back for this wall, the window and the floor in that room we were trapped in.
"Come on we haven't got much time" I pulled her to her feet and started running to the entrance which was just around the corner. This damaged rib and minor concussion is becoming a pain in the ass. Making running in a straight line almost impossible.
When we were inside, I jumped to the 2nd floor of this block so we could reach the girls toilet. There was a ruckus noise coming from its direction. When we reached the peak of the stairs I saw that another large crowd had gathered outside the girls toilets.
I saw bodies were flying into the crowd from its epicenter. So I took the initiative and jumped towards it over the heads of everyone in the crowd and Miranda followed suit. In the center, Jacob and Kaidan standing in front of Kelly. Kaidan had her behind his barrier whilst Jacob was busy disposing of the hostiles
"Need some help Jacob?" Miri asked
"Shut it and help me get rid of these people"
Luckily for us these halls were wide so I could use my biotics, but I can't bring out anything big like Maelstrom or Nova. But at least I can throw people across the halls without worrying about killing any of them. Thank God that Samara trained my endurance to such a high level, that I could do this for an hour without getting tired.
Once again before things could start getting really ugly another teacher had shown up. This time it was Wrex who forced his way to the front once again causing the students to run away.
"Pyjack shit slingers!" the battlemaster cursed
"Thanks Wrex"
"Don't thank me, thank Anderson. He's the one who warned us about this shit"
"I don't know what's suddenly spurred this but we have to protect them for now"
"Thank you so much" Kelly appreciated before hugging Kaidan. She then proceeded to kiss him, deeply and passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck. When I turned to Miranda I saw that she was glaring at Kelly with a look I can only describe as dripping with jealousy
"HAHAHAHAHA Kaidan I never knew you had it in you" Wrex laughed
When she broke the kiss she then started approaching me, Jacob and Miranda. "I really don't think Jack would take what you're about to do well" I warned.
"I'm sure the same applies for Kas" Jacob also pointed out
"Take another step towards me and you'll wish we had left you for the angry mob" Kelly flashed an awkward smile before backing up.
"Wrex can you take Kelly with you. She's a lot safer with you than she is with us" I reasoned
"Fine. Come on human follow me" Wrex led Kelly out of the building. I kept turning my attention from Kaidan to Miranda. She looked really hot when she's pissed off, well at someone else that is. There was an awkward silence between the four of us.
"So... Kaidan, how do you feel?" I teased
Alenko suddenly snapped out of his trance "Huh, oh yeah I'm alright"
"Are you sure, because you don't look alright" Jacob joined in
"I'm fine"
"OK, but someone that red doesn't seem like a guy at the top of his game" Jacob joked and it was only then that Kaidan realised that he was blushing
"Something wrong Miranda" I rotated to see that she was still glaring daggers at Kaidan.
"Nothing" she was about to storm off
"Wait Miranda, we can't be alone right now. Look what happened to you" I pointed out
"I don't need you to take care of me" she bellowed
"I don't give a shit what you think you NEED!" I countered "What you are going to do is come with me and we'll find Jack. After that we'll stay with each other and watch each other's back. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'M TELLING YOU, YOU NEED"
She looked like she was about to argue but then she looked like she was contemplating her argument. She had to see that she was coming off as childish and petty. "Fine" she growled stomping over towards us. She took a glance at Kaidan before turning away from him and folding her arms
"Always figured she was the jealous type" Jacob whispered
"I can hear you" Miranda alerted
I nudged Jacob and leant into his ear "I swear down that the two of you..." I whispered in a lower voice
"Yeah, we got real close then we got far again. Anything else isn't your business" he dismissed
Okay out of the Cerberus students that I know, I've helped Miranda, Kelly and Jacob that leaves everyone but... Oh shit Jen. I totally forgot that she could be a target. I rang her omni-tool to warn her.
"Jack you-"
"About damn time you called, been waiting for ya for a while now" I could hear the sounds of people screaming in the background and that got me worried
"You need to-" I tried to warn urgently before she rudely interrupted me
"Get to the tree now" she hung up not even bothering to hear what I had to say
"Come on guys we need to find Jack" We ran over to the tree where I normally had lunch in record speed.
Dammit, why the fuck did Cerberus have to fuck shit up. They just had to kill all of those innocent people, and for what fucked up reason I don't ever want to find out. The crowd surrounding Jen was far smaller that that surrounding Miranda or Jacob. But this was mostly due to the fact that most of the bodies lay scattered around the area. Having the open space worked to Jacks advantage to a great degree.
"Took ya long enough" she grunted throwing a large number of hostiles away.
Speaking of Grunt the Krogan began to charge into the crowd causing the majority of the smart people actually decided that if a Krogan was involved that it was their cue to leave. But as usual you get the morons that think they can take on the world. Unfortunately for us that still left a good number of hostiles
Before we could join the fray, both Jack and Grunt were caught in a biotic field and were being lifted away. Surprisingly enough, we were also encased in a lift field and were being carried off towards the main building. Fuck, how could we have been so careless. Was it because Jennifer was involved that I had lost focus, even if it was for a second.
Just as my thoughts were about to go down that avenue I realised that we were being 'escorted' to the Head teachers office. Who the hell was guiding us here. I looked around and saw that the field that surrounded my was being tethered by a tendril like blue energy. This isn't a biotic field. I don't know what it is but I know that this is something I need to learn to get out of.
"Looks like Anderson has some new toys" Jacob observed
"Never seen anything like this before, I'll have to ask him what it is" Miranda stated
"Doubt he'll tell you. Hell I doubt that he even understands how it works" I joked. David Anderson is a smart man but as he likes to say. He's no tech.
When we had reached his office, Anderson's personal VI Mira had ordered that the Rampart Mass Effect shield be taken down allowing all of us to fall to the ground. Fortunately for us Grunt landed first so he couldn't squash anything.
"Hurry up and settle down" Anderson pushed as he sat impatiently at his desk
"Come on old man, you just dropped us on our asses, after trapping us in some freaky field and you're acting as though this is nothing out of the ordinary" I commented
"If you'd sit down, I'd explain it to you"
We each sat on the seats provided, Grunt opted to stand, saying that sitting was for the weak.
"I'm sure that you've realised that the student body has a grudge against Cerberus"
"Yeah no joke" Jacob interjected
"Yes, well we made sure that no one knew the truth of the invasion out of fear of a situation like this panning out. But thanks to Saren's outburst a few days ago and the damn extranet. Damn near everyone on the Citadel knows that Cerberus were responsible"
"Shit!" I cursed
"Exactly, every Cerberus sponsored student and employee are in danger. Had to act fast, Council's really dragging their heels on this" he sighed
"So what, we're going to walk around constantly watching over our shoulders?" Miranda asked
"I think that's the least of our problems" Anderson announced
I turned to him, fearing just what he was about to say "There is a petition, one that is growing by the day. They want all humans off of the Citadel. They want me fired, too risky having a human in charge of their kids"
"What! That's Bullshit!" I got up from my seat
"Settle down Nate, they won't fire me. The Council assured me of that, but they suggested that I handle the situation carefully"
"I knew I should have killed his stupid ass years ago" I growled, why the hell did Saren always have to fuck shit up. I could feel my biotics begin to flare up again. However I felt a calming hand on my shoulder. I fully expected to see Kaidan but it was Jen. To everyone else it looked like she was about to kick my ass but not to me.
"Sit your ass down dumbass" she cussed. I realised that what Jack says is normally a double entendre. She says one thing but means another. Like what she just said was really 'Calm down'
"So what are we going to do about it?" I asked
The Alliance veteran cocked an eyebrow "We?"
"It's just as much as our problem as it is yours" I argued "My friends are in trouble and possibly myself included. I want to help"
He couldn't help chuckle "That's what I expected" he said with a hint of pride in his voice "With all of the anti-Cerberus factions roaming about the Citadel, it isn't all that safe to be on the Citadel. So I am instructing that no Cerberus sponsored students be alone in public for a few months"
"So you want us to be bodyguards"
"Not necessarily. I don't want you to serve as protection for every Cerberus member but for those in your circle of friends. There are simply too many for you to do anything else"
"And what of everyone else"
"I'll tell them the same"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
For our own safety we have to stay in that office for an hour after school had ended. Zaeed had brought Kelly over to us as well so that we could all be monitored. Some of the other Cerberus students had been placed into other rooms that were guarded by security mechs. Since Anderson had a class to teach he had to leave us alone in the room and would return in order to dismiss us. Grunt however was allowed to leave since Wrex came up to check on us and he was teaching Grunt anyway. A few other people came in as well like Thane, Liara, Tali and Garrus to check up on us and get an update.
Thane and Jack were having a staring contest. Liara and Kelly were talking animatedly about some shit I didn't really care about and Jacob and Kaidan were showing off their biotic abilities by lifting random objects in the room to the ceiling and down. I was busy listening to my music with Garrus and Miranda sat at the far end of the room reading a book.
I felt that it was my chance to finally talk to Miranda in an environment where she couldn't walk away and would have to listen to what I had to say. She was still to enamoured by what was in front of her to sense my approach. Or so I thought
"What do you want Nate" she said instinctively before I could even speak
"I told you, I really hate it when you do that" I chuckled
"Yes you have and I've told you to stop sneaking up on me but I guess things don't change" she looked up with a smile.
"At least you're talking to me again" I admitted
She gave me a look of surprise "Were you that upset that we weren't speaking"
"Of course, how would I survive without my best friends" I patted her back
"You seemed fine at Afterlife" she pointed out
I winced a little at how acidic her tone was "Believe me, I wasn't fine. One night stands like that did more damage than good"
You scoffed at my statement. "That wasn't what I was talking about"
Shit, I knew that it was something that we would have to talk about eventually but it wasn't something I wanted to talk about. But if we didn't speak about it then nothing would ever be the same.
"Oh, you were talking about Jack"
"No shit!" she cursed. She rarely ever swore meaning that this conversation was going south quick.
"Ummmm... I honestly don't know where to begin"
"Really! You don't know" she practically yelled. Making the whole room turn their attention to us. For the first time in years I felt like melting and disappearing from the public eye.
"Hows about we speak in private" I whispered
"We're stuck in here for another hour Nathan. We can't be alone" she argued
"Okay... then let's finish this later" I reasoned realising that talking now may not be the best idea
"NO! We're doing this NOW OR NEVER" she asserted with a crazed look in her eye
This time Kaidan had decided to run over to us. I'm surprised that Jen hasn't noticed yet, when I saw her she had her headphones in and was facing away from the two of us. Good, if she gets involved then a peaceful solution will be long past
"Come on Miri you need to relax" Kaidan tried to calm her down
"I don't need..." she finally realised just how she was sounding before going quiet again. She never loses control of herself, emotionally that is.
"Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me" she sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Forget about it" I dismissed hoping to make her feel better
"Sorry about yelling at you" she groaned "This is what happens when you let hormones and emotions take over" she complained
"No need to apologise for being human" I gave Alenko a look that said that I got this and he strolled back to his seat. But he kept an eye on the two of us
"I don't... I'm lying I do know what made me snap like that" she confessed
"I have a feeling I know, but I'd rather that you tell me yourself"
She took a deep breath "You know how I feel about you, I like you. You don't reciprocate my feelings and I need to get over it" she said matter of factly
"Yeah I know that but... can you not be as robotic as what you're saying" I urged
"Robotic?"
"I know I'm probably the last person who should be preaching about dealing with emotions but... that isn't healthy"
"What? So you're some sort of expert because you're in therapy" she spat
I tensed up quite a bit due to that response. I could deal with the yelling and the arguing. But now she's starting to piss me off. And I know that I have a short fuse "No I don't, but I know that staying mad at someone and keeping your feelings about them bottled up inside only hurts yourself" I reasoned
"Fine you want to talk about it here it is. HER" she said bitterly
"She has a name Miri" I argued
"Yes I know what her names is but she doesn't seem to know mine" she countered "Just so you know Bitch, Cheerleader, Skank, Priss, Blowjob queen and dick holster aren't my name." I didn't know about the others besides cheerleader,
"I...I" how the hell are you meant to answer that
"She has made it a point to screw with my life, screwing with my school work, teaching Ori to cuss, getting me in trouble, drugging me. She's always somehow managed to do better than me no matter how hard I try. She hardly reads and her Psychology work is on par with mine, I work my ass off and my biotics are still no where near hers. Oriana loves her more than she does me and now you..."
"I mean really.. Her I'm sure that you have done bet..." stopped herself cold before placing a hand before her mouth.
I could feel my features harden and this nagging feeling in my head which only occurred when I was annoyed. But it grew much stronger and I tensed my jaw to stop all of my facial features giving away how pissed I was.
"Nate, I'm sorry. I didn't mean i-"
"Shut up!" I interrupted in a cold voice which had obviously rattled her a bit "You need to grow up and deal with it. I'm trying to do what I can to help because I can tell that you aren't fine. I know you Miri, a lot better than you think I do. My history is just that HISTORY! Do not bring it up again" I commanded in an even tone. Neither my pitch or tone fluctuated, they remained scarily flat and monotonous.
"Do you honestly think that you're better suited for me than Jack or do you think you're just better than her?" I accused
"Yes" she stated
"What the fuck! Do you hear what it is you're saying?"
"Yes I do..." she didn't sound as though she believed what she was saying "No I don't, I'm just reacting"
"I just wish for once someone would..." she looked as though she were on the verge of tears.
I pulled her in for a hug "I'm sorry that I don't feel the same way."
She started to regain her composure, audibly breathing in and out before shaking her head "No don't be. I took it badly and I overreacted. Honestly, you can't help how you feel, and I can't force you to like me that way"
"So you'll start talking to me again"
"Jeez you're like an insatiable child" she smiled "Yes I'll try and talk to you again"
"Good" I smiled
"Now go away" she brushed me aside
"What?"
"I have actual work to do. Miss Sanders has us doing this big presentation worth 25% of my grade on Cognitive thinking"
"Alright" I surrendered
I got up and went over to talk to Kaidan and Jacob. They both questioned me about what had happened and I had answered them truthfully. They both seemed relieved at what I had told them. Kaidan in particular, which got me thinking that he may have an interest in Miranda that isn't totally platonic. It would explain a lot and it also would be a good thing. Unlike those assholes who think they're good enough for Miri; Kaidan actually is since he's such a good guy.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Anderson finally came back and he released us from our prison. When we walked out we saw that the school was a ghost town. There was no one left in the school and it was dead silent. Wow Anderson doesn't mess about when it comes to our safety. At the gate we all split up into groups to ensure that if anyone tries anything they'll have backup and they would call the rest of us if anything happened. Since Kelly, Jack and Miranda all lived in my building we could all go in group with Tali. So Jacob walked with Thane, Garrus and Liara.
As we walked I noticed that Jack kept on peeling to the back of the group. So I decided to drop back with her so we could talk
"Hey" I greeted but was greeted with a stony silence
"What's the matter?" but again she didn't respond
"You know I'll keep bothering you until you talk to me" I warned. This time she gave me an icy glare
"Are we seriously back to this shit again" I groaned, exasperated at just how frustrating this girl can be
"I don't want to talk about it in front of people OKAY" she growled but only loud enough for me to hear
I didn't bother to apologise for it since I knew that it would just piss her off even more so I just dropped the subject and we continued walking. Along the way we met Rylee and Samantha who were worried about us. The whole school knows about the attacks on Cerberus and the majority agree that it's justice. However there are a small minority that don't think it's right. But just enough people think it's right that the sheep will follow popular consensus.
When we finally reached our building I made sure that Kelly and Sam reached their houses safely before heading back to my place. I immediately left to go to my room so I could get changed. When I entered I noticed the Jen was sitting on my bed. Not doing anything besides waiting for me to enter.
"Come on in" I said sarcastically
"If you don't want me barging in here when I want then maybe you should lock it" she pointed out
"Maybe that's why I never lock it" I countered
She looked away from me "Asshole" she cussed
I approached my wardrobe and picked out some camo shorts and white shirt. I turned around and Jen was looking at me intently "Not that I don't love the attention but can I have some privacy please?"
"No way" she laughed "And besides it's not like it's nothing I've never seen before"
"Yeah but I still don't like people watching me undress"
"Listen dumbass, if I wanted to see naked men I would watch porn, hell they've probably got better bodies than you anyway"
"You wound me Jennifer" I feigned pain. She threw a pillow at me and I ducked laughing.
As I got undresses and stripped to my boxers I couldn't help but glance back at my bed. She had a smirk on her face that told me that she liked what she saw, which could only boost my ego. "Like what you see?" I challenged. She started blushing at the fact that I had caught her oggling at my body.
"Shut up" she pouted
I put on my camo shorts and the white t-shirt. I then settled my self on the bed next to Jennifer. I decided to lay on my back whilst she opted to sit up keep looking away from me like a child. She always did that whenever she was embarrassed.
"Why me?" was all she could say
"What are you talking about?"
"Why did you pick me over someone like Miranda?" she questioned. Shit this is serious. She never refers to Miranda by her name.
I just realised something "Wait... did you hear what Miranda said in Anderson's office?"
She remained silent for a few minutes. That was all the answer I needed to know that she listened in on the argument. "Yeah, I heard everything she said. Self-righteous, arrogant bitch" she cursed
"Sorry you had to hear that"
"Relax, she's said a lot worse to my face." she said evenly "Plus she's an idiot"
"How so?"
"Yeah she's right about the biotics, she works harder than me to keep up with me but that doesn't mean I'm a slouch either" she defended "I work my ass off for my psychology work, just because she doesn't see me doesn't mean I don't read"
"If you heard everything that she said then why didn't you step in?" she remained quiet during me and Miranda's argument.
Again I was met with silence but this time she decided to lean back. Her head landed near my chest, so she had to shuffle up in order for us to be face to face
"I didn't see the point of jumping in" she said. I cocked an eyebrow "I figured that you'd realise that I was too fucked up and take a step up to the cheerleader" she admitted like it was nothing
"And that's why you didn't get involved. Because you were scared I'd leave you for Miranda so there wasn't a point in trying"
"I wasn't scared of shit. We ain't tied down and we're free to do what we want" she argued
"That's bullshit!" I cussed. "Say what you feel, not what you want me to think you feel"
"I don't know what I feel okay... when the two of you spoke I felt this fire in my stomach which pissed me off. Then when you started getting all touchy feely with her I couldn't feel shit!" she exclaimed. Did she still feel jealous when I spoke to other girls or was it because it was Miranda?
"Listen to me" I said holding her stare "I like you.No one else but you. You don't have to worry about anyone swooping in and stealing me away. As long as you need me I'll be here with you."
She turned her back to me and huffed. Was she pissed off because I said I wasn't going to leave her. She has some fucked up ways of showing that she cares.
"No one's swooping in to take me away either" she whispered
"Good... swooping is bad" I grinned
"Wipe that grin off you face" how did she know that, I lying right behind her
Before I could question her I heard soft, quiet snores coming from her. She fell asleep, lights out. She had taken off her boots and placed them neatly against the wall and her bag was leaning against the wall adjacent to her boots. She planned on sleeping in here, but was too shy to ask me. I actually found that pretty cute. I lifted her biotically so that I could move the blankets from under her without waking her up. I then placed her on the bed and laid next to her putting the blanket over the two of us. It was a bit awkward to do considering that this was a normal bed and I'm a big guy. But I made it work and in a few minutes sleep had claimed me as well