Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, except for Mr. Flick, Jake, and Marianne. They all belong to Disney, and any other company that owns 'In a Heartbeat.' The chosen lyrics of the song are by Peter Blegvad (I don't know who he is either in case you're wondering) and it's called "A Little Something." Read the previous chapter if you haven't read it yet. Note: The lines that are italicized in blue are things that happened before or earlier. The lines that are italicized in red are the lyrics to the song.
The Odd Man Out
A chance encounter
Hank was the first one to arrive at the station. As he entered the building, he was all smiles. He was also whistling, and if he didn't know any better he might have skipped as well. Alex was slightly amused by Hank's surprising show of emotion. Hank was usually the serious type. Whenever he gets to the station, it's always WORK! WORK! WORK! Intrigued, Alex approached him and knocked on the door that separated them.
"Am I interrupting something?" Alex asked.
Hank straightened up at the sight of Alex.
"No, sir, not at all," Hank responded. "Can I help you with anything?"
"No, I'm fine," Alex said. "You just seem to be in high spirits today."
"I'm in high spirits most of the time," Hank told him.
"While in the job you're not," Alex retorted with a laugh. "I guess I'll just leave you alone."
Alex left him and Hank was embarrassed that he was discovered. But he was in high spirits today. His day started out bad until he met her. Too bad he didn't know her name, but he will make it his mission to find out. A moment later, the rest of the gang came in the room. Tyler and Val were chattering. Jamie as usual was right behind them in his leather jacket, and the only thing that was different was the smile on his face. 'He obviously changed since he and Caitie went out,' Hank thought.
"Finally," said Hank as the three walked through the door.
"Hey Hank," Jamie greeted.
"You're early as usual," Val said.
"Where were you earlier?" Tyler asked.
"School," Hank told him.
"No, I mean during lunch," Tyler corrected him. "We didn't even see you go. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Well, you guys were all busy with each other," Hank told him. "You obviously didn't notice. Heck, you didn't even hear me when I said something."
"Hank, is there something going on we don't know about?" asked Val in a concerned tone.
"Are you mad at us or something?" Jamie asked him. "Because if you are, then spill it."
"No, I'm just a little upset, that's all," Hank told them. "Not really at you guys per se, but mostly about myself."
"Come on, Hank," urged Tyler. "Tell us."
"It's just that you and Val were always close, even before you went out," Hank began to explain. "And now Jamie is with Caitie, and I just feel left out, you know."
"We didn't mean to exclude you," Tyler told him.
"I know, and I'm happy for you guys, I really am," Hank said. "I just wish I have what you guys have."
"Hank, you could easily get together with somebody if you wanted to," Val told him. "You're the star quarterback. You're good-looking, smart, funny, nice, anything a girl could ask for."
"You're just saying that because you're my friend," Hank told her.
"She's absolutely right, Hank," Jamie added.
Everyone looked at Jamie weirdly.
"Of course, I wouldn't know because I'm a guy, if that's why you three are staring at me for," Jamie said. "As a matter of fact, you would know exactly how many girls want you. The dance is coming up next Friday, and it's the girls' turn to ask us out."
"I guess you're right," Hank told them.
"Where did you go anyway?" Tyler asked him again.
"I just went around the school," Hank informed him. "I actually headed for my locker, and then I saw someone, and then the next thing I knew the bell rang and I headed to class."
"Wait a minute," Jamie stopped him. "Who is this 'someone' you saw?"
Suddenly, the alarm went off. Hank for once was thankful for the sound of the alarm. He wasn't ready to tell them about her yet, especially since he doesn't even know her as well.
The next day, Hank searched with his eyes for her. It was still early, so he gave up looking for her. He decided that she might not be there yet. Tyler however, noticed Hank's searching eyes.
"Who are you looking for?" Tyler asked him suspiciously.
"No one," Hank told him.
"Are you sure?" Tyler asked him. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"No," Hank told him again, hoping Tyler would end his inquisition.
"OK, if you say so," Tyler said as he put some stuff in his locker.
Val and Caitie arrived to their lockers, along with Jamie who was carrying Caitie's stuff and looking at her. Hank and Tyler looked at him in amusement.
"He's whipped," Hank commented.
"Tell me about it," Tyler said. "Even I'm not that bad when Val's around.
Val saw Tyler and Hank look into their direction. She waved at them and smiled pointedly at Tyler. Tyler, who saw her wave, waved back with a certain smile he only shows when Val is around. Val then came over to them.
"Hey you guys," she greeted them and gave Tyler a small kiss.
"How are you?" Tyler asked as he pushed a lock of her behind her ears.
"Fine," she answered. "And you?"
"Good," Tyler answered forgetting that Hank was right behind him. "Here, give me those."
Tyler took Val's books out of her hands.
"Tyler, you already have a lot of stuff on your hands," she told him, amused at his actions.
"Don't worry, I can carry them all," Tyler told her.
"If you say so," Val told him.
"I'll walk you to class," Tyler told her.
Val and Tyler left, but before Tyler was out of his sight, Hank called out something.
"You were saying?" he asked tauntingly.
"Shut up," Tyler answered with a smile before he left.
"Just like Jamie," he said to himself before leaving so himself. "Whipped."
It was lunchtime again. When Hank and Tyler finally arrived, they spotted Jamie, Caitie, and Val already at their table.
"Where have you guys been?" Jamie asked.
"We've been waiting for fifteen minutes," added Val.
"Our math teacher held the class up," Tyler told him as he sat beside Val.
"He was lecturing about how he dismisses us, and not the bell," Hank added.
"Are you talking about Mr. Flick?" Jamie asked them.
"Yea, Strict Flick," Hank said.
"He once subbed for my class last year," Jamie informed them. "He said the exact same thing, and everyone in our class would've been late except that it was the last class of the day."
"Lucky you," Caitie told him. "Good thing we don't have him for math, right Val?"
"Yea," answered Val.
As the five went on talking, someone from a distance spotted them and went straight directly to their table.
"Do you mind if I sit here, Hank?" the person asked.
The five turned around and saw someone they hadn't seen before, except for Hank.
"No, no, not at all," Hank said as he directed the girl to sit beside Caitie. "Sit."
The other four looked at each other in puzzlement.
"Um, Hank, do you mind introducing us to your friend?" said Caitie.
"What?" he asked as he turned to his friend, clearly not hearing the question.
"Your friend," Jamie told him. "Do you mind introducing us to her?"
"Oh, her," Hank said as she pointed at her.
The girl smiled at him and looked at his friends.
"Yea, her," Tyler repeated.
"This is, uh, um," Hank began when he realized he doesn't know her name. "I don't know who she is."
The four looked at him in confusion.
"I mean, can you tell us who you are?" Hank directed to her.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she told him. "I never did tell you my name. My name's Marianne. Marianne McLemore."
"You're the new girl from our English class," Val remembered.
"Yea, that was you," Caitie chimed in.
"How did you know Hank?" asked Tyler. "And how come he didn't know your name?"
"We met the other day," Marianne told them. "My name never came up."
"So this was the 'someone' you were talking about," Jamie remarked.
"Were you talking about me?" Marianne asked Hank.
"He wasn't," Jamie answered for him. "It just came up."
Suddenly, the bell rang and lunch was over. Val and Tyler walked off together to sociology class. Caitie and Jamie had study hall together, so they left as well.
"So, I guess I'll see you later then," Hank started to say.
"I'll see you later," Marianne said before she left. "Bye Hank!"
"Bye Marianne!" he said as she watched her leave the cafeteria.
Later that night, the squad was at the station waiting for a call.
"You like her, don't you?" asked Jamie.
"Who are you talking about?" Hank asked.
"The new girl," Jamie answered.
"She has a name you know," Hank told him.
"Ah, so you do know who I was talking about," Jamie commented. "Do you like her?"
"No, I mean, we just met," Hank told him.
"I know you do," Jamie told him. "You couldn't even talk around her."
"Yes I could," Hank told him.
"I bet she's going to ask you to the dance," Jamie told him.
"I bet you she won't," Hank told him.
"OK, if she asks you, you do my paper work," Jamie told him.
"Alright," Hank said. "If she doesn't, you'll do my the inventory when it's my turn."
"You're crazy," Jamie told him. "Why would you bet against something that's supposed to be good for you?"
"Because he's pathetic," Tyler added quietly with a small laugh for Val was asleep on his side.
"Thanks," Hank said. "Really though, if she asks me, chances are she might because she's new to this school and she only met me."
"Are you kidding me?" Jamie said. "Lots of guys are asking her out already. I saw her at her locker after school was over and guys were all over her. I mean, she has a boyfriend if you didn't know."
"Really?" Hank asked disappointedly.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Jamie asked.
"No," Hank said. "Are you sure about this?"
"Well, I talked to Sean, who was one of the guys who were at her locker today," Jamie continued…
"Did you get rejected?" Jamie asked Sean with a laugh.
"Not really," Sean replied. "She's already taken."
"Are you sure?" Jamie asked him.
"Yes I'm sure," Sean told him. "First off, she told me herself. And second, her locker was full of pictures of them together."
"So that's what he told me," Jamie finished.
"Well, I guess you lost you're bet there," Hank said before realizing something. "Wait a minute, Waite. Why did you bet against yourself if you knew about this? I think you should be the one to call yourself crazy."
"Because I know I would win," Jamie told him.
"She has a boyfriend for crying out loud," Hank told him.
"I just know," Jamie replied. "And what are you complaining about if you're so sure that you'd win already?"
"Who said I was?" Hank told him. "Well guys, I guess there aren't any more calls today. We better go. Tyler, do you mind locking up?"
"Go ahead," Tyler told them. "I'll lock up."
Hank and Jamie packed the rest of their stuff and left. Tyler woke Val up.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," Tyler said as he woke Val up.
"Is it morning already?" Val mumbled.
"No, it's still nighttime and our shift just ended," Tyler told her. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
Tyler helped her up and gathered his stuff, as well as Val's.
"You didn't have to do that you know?" Val told him as Tyler handed her her belongings.
"I know," Tyler said with a smile.
"You're so sweet," Val said.
"And you're tired so we better get going," Tyler said as he put her arm around her and led her outside.
Tyler turned off the lights and locked the place up.
Hank arrived home and sat on his bed. He turned on the TV but didn't even bother to watch it. His thoughts still dwelled on what Jamie just told him.
"Why did she have to be taken?" Hank said out loud.
Hank by now was lying on his bed and was beginning to fall asleep. The TV was still turned on, and a music video came on…
It can start with just a chance encounter
He doesn't know a single thing about her
A casual thread and look out, it led to love
It takes too long to see what it takes two to love for it's soon to be
And you could easily forget to get upset and set it free
Marianne came home to her house. It was surely bigger than her last one, but it was not home. Although she was saddened that they moved, she tried to make the best of it. She was actually enjoying her time so far. And school was not as bad as she thought.
"Hello, is anyone home?" she called out as she came in.
"I'm here," somebody called out.
"Oh my God, Jake!" she cried as she went to him and gave him a hug. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in college?"
"I took some time off," he said. "Besides, I wanted to see how you and Mom and Dad are doing."
"We're doing good," she told him.
"Did you miss me?" he asked.
"If course I did," she told him. "I always keep and carry pictures of you wherever I am."
"How's school today?" Jake asked. "Did anyone ask you out yet?"
"Yea," she told him.
"Oh really?" he said. "How many? Ten?"
"Close," she told him. "Twelve actually. They're all jerks. It's so annoying."
"Did you figure out how to get rid of them yet?" Jake asked her in laughter. "If that was me being asked by a bunch of girls, I would be the happiest guy on Earth."
"Actually, I told them I had a boyfriend already," she told him. "After that, they left me alone."
"You do?" he asked surprised.
"No," she told him.
"Then why are these guys buying it?" Jake asked her. "What lame excuse did you give them this time?"
"You know those pictures of you and me that I always keep in my lockers?" she started to explain. "Well, I told them I was going out with you."
That's it so far. I hope you liked it. Don't forget to review J I'll be back! ~ Scarlet182