Spotless 3: We're all a Little Looney A BIG BIG thanks to Darkchilde! I was re-reading 'Candy', when I read the line that basically sums up Spotless 4, and felt the urge to write it. But then, oh darn, I realized I had to finish S3 first...so..here it is! DC, 'Candy' helped me finish this thing! ;)

Chapter 1
Hank's alarm went off. He groaned, and looked at it. It was 5 AM. Time for football practice. Hank started to get up, when he realized something. He couldn't go to practice. It was too dirty, he would have to clean it, and he would look crazy in front of the team. He couldn't do that.

So, for the first time in his life, Hank rolled over and turned off his alarm.

***

Hank found a car space way off campus, a long walk away from the school. He was suprised at how far off he had to park; usually he was at school at 6, and didn't have that problem.

By the time he had crossed the parking lot, the bell had rung, and everyone was heading to class. Hank followed suit, and went into his first class.

Hank didn't have a class with Val or Tyler until after lunch, and Hank was almost...ashamed...to see them. so he avoided his locker all morning.

But almost too soon came the time he was dreading. Lunch.

Hank got his food and sat down. He didn't look at Tyler.

"Where were you at practice?" Tyler asked.

"Slept in," Mumbled Hank. He wasn't really paying attention, he was too busy arranging his food so nothing touched anything else.

Hank counted. One chunk of mashed potatoes, two pieces of beef, 7 small pieces of fruit, and one roll.

It wasn't even! Hank gripped the sides of the table, and tried to deal. If he could just take eat a piece of fruit, then everything would be better again. Hank lifted the fruit to his mouth, hand shaking like a dry leaf in the winter wind.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked, looking at Hank like he was crazy.

Hank lost his concentration, and let the fruit call back to his plate.

There was no answer from Hank, he was too busy trying to resist the urge to throw the plate away. He felt like his head had been pushed underwater! He couldn't breathe! Air! Air! Hank inhaled and exhaled shaky breaths, but it was difficult. He tried to concentrate on something else, anything else, but his mind couldn't latch on to any rational thought, besides that throwing his tray away would be the key to everything.

"NO! I WON'T!" Hank yelled. The entire cafeteria fell silent as they looked at him, but he was too busy going through what he thought dying must feel like.

"Won't what?" Tyler asked in an almost mocking tone.

The edges of Hank's vision started to go fuzzy, and it was the last straw. He gave in, and got up to throw his tray away. Hank felt a wave of relief wash over him as the fuzziness went away, and he could breathe normally again.

"Man, what is up with you?" Tyler asked.

Hank blanked. What could he say? "No...nothing," He stammered.

"What do you mean, nothing? Lately, you've been acting real crazy, Hank."

Hank felt the words as if Tyler had punched him, and suddenly, the days Alexakis came back to him, the days when he would leave the school building and kids would hit him with sticks, or throw rocks, all while yelling, 'Crazy Hank! Crazy Hank!"

Years of bottled rage suddenly surfaced in him like a raging bull urging to get out. He couldn't contain it any longer as his fist snaked out and punched Tyler so had and unexpectedly that Tyler staggered back, before catching his balance. Tyler hit back, and that was when all Hell broke loose.

Both of them were punching and hitting like there was no tomorrow. At one point, Val tried to break them up, but Hank was too angry to let someone stop him from hitting this idiot, this meat head, that Hank had trusted, but then turned on him, this guy Hank loathed so. Hank also remembered feeling like he was about to fall over, and yelling, "Hit me on the other side! Hit me on the other side!"

What seemed like hours later, they were pried apart by the on campus police.

When they were given their punishment, 3 days of suspension, they neither looked at each other, nor made and gestures they knew the other was there.

Hank's days of suspension passed quickly; neither his dad nor step mom even noticed he was home, after all, they never noticed him anyway.

Chapter 2
Three days later, Hank parked his car and crossed the parking lot. He noticed Jamie hanging out with his group under the bleachers. Jamie was the only friend Hank had outside of the popular circle, and his group was better than none.

Hank approached them. They all gave him wary eyes as he approached, after all, no football player approached the outcasts just to be nice.

"Hi," He said.

"Hey," Jamie replied.

"Well, well, well," said one of the outcasts Hank recognized as Kenny, the one who had the broken leg. "What's the star football player doing here, with us under the bleachers?"

Caitie looked at Hank as if he were under inspection. "So, after your little episode three days ago you've decided that you're too afraid to face Tyler, so you wanna hang out with us?"

Hank sighed. He hated how Caitie could read him like that. "Possibly."

A pink haired girl spoke up. "A football idiot on the run from another football idiot! Perfect! This is awesome!"

"Easily amused, huh Kiko?" Jamie asked.

"Shut up, Sophomore!" Kiko replied.

"You're a Sophomore too, Kiko," said another one of the outcasts.

"Oh, yeah," Kiko giggled.

Kenny walked up, and inspected Hank. "I don't know. You've been one of them."

"He's been in a mental institution," Spoke up Jamie.

One of the guys spoke up. "You're insane?"

Hank shrugged. "That's what the people in my old town think."

Each of the outcasts broke out into a grin. "You used to be one of us?" Someone asked. "One everyone thought was weird, or crazy? Someone no one wanted to hang around, for fear it's damage their reputation?"

"Yup."

Caitie laughed. Hank hadn't heard her do that before. "Now you've made 9 new best friends. Plus the fact that you totally creamed Tyler has made us like you a little more."

"Welcome to the outcasts. And just remember, we protect our own, until they fail to protect us," said an Asian girl with black hair with blue streaks.

"You know me and Caitie," said Jamie. "That's Kenny, Kiko, Jennie, Zil, Tey, Heidi, and C.C."

Hank looked at C.C. He recognized her. She was the one who was always talking to herself in class and twitching. "You're..." He began.

She finished. "C.C. Crazy Chick, I know what they call me." She said. "It's not what C.C. stands for, it's my initials, Carrie Candi, my parents thought it was cute to name me that or something. I'm not really crazy. But I encourage the rumors. It keeps the people I don't want away, and draws the ones I like to me."

Hank nodded. He knew what that felt like.

***

The beginning of Hank's day went fine. Classes as normal.

It was at lunch that Hank noticed that not all of the outcasts seemed to be one tight group. It was more several little ones, bonded by the fact that they were shunned. Caitie and Jamie were at one end laughing (and probably flirting, too) like there was no tomorrow. Tey, Zil, Heidi, and Jennie all appeared to be one group as well. Kiko was busy coloring all over her napkin with markers in all kinds of crazy colors, and Kenny was watching the rest of the table, almost like he was the lord of the table and it was his task to make sure nothing happened.

However, C.C. was sitting by herself, eating her lunch, and quietly writing in a notebook. The seat across from her was empty, and Hank slid into it. "Hey," He said.

She looked up and smiled. "Hey. What's up?"

He slid his food around his plate. "Nothing. What are you writing?"

She looked down at her journal. "Eh, it's not much. Just some poetry."

"Can I look?"

"Sure."

He slid her journal across the table to see. He was on the third line of her poem when she got up. Hank looked to where she was walking. She was trying to intercept Tyler, who was nearing the table with malice written across his face. C.C. just walked right up to him. "Let me put it simply so you can understand it, Football Player," She spat 'football player' like she was a priest saying the name of the Devil. "Hank is one of us now, and you can't do anything about it, because we protect our own. Got it?"

"Your friend," Tyler began, getting closer to her and drawing himself up to he towered over her, "has caused me to to be grounded for two months."

C.C. shrugged as if she didn't even notice Tyler was over a foot taller than her, and much stronger. "That's your problem." Then she spun around and returned to the table. Tyler glared at Hank, but did not come any closer, even though Hank was glaring back. C.C. gave a whoop, a sort of glissando with a series of yips attached to the end. Kiko joined in, and was backed by Tey, Zil, Jennie, and Heidi. Soon the entire table, even Hank, was yipping and yapping in a high pitched tone. When Tyler finally gave up and left, the table erupted in laughter, laughter of glee and the thrill of winning the battle of wills, but still wild, so the table wouldn't lose it's crazy appearance.
***
Later that day, Jamie was cleaning the ambulance when Val walked out. She sat down on the ground, saying nothing. She just sat there until it started to creep Jamie out. He turned his head to look at her. "Yes?" He asked.

"Jamie, what is the matter with Hank?"

"It's none of your business."

Val put her hands on her hips. "This squad used to be a team, Jamie. Do you know what that means? We were 4 people who could rely on each other. We were whole, complete. We did our job well, because we were friends. And now, with Hank gone, everything is falling apart. We've lost our leader. And now Tyler is different. Where he used to have light there is none. He feels betrayed over his best friend, and he's turning to anger. He's turning away from everyone, especially you, because you harbored Hank. You're turning away from him, as well, and it's making you turn away from me. We once were a team, and now we're 3 angry, confused teenagers. And I want to know why it happened."

Jamie didn't look at her. "If Hank wanted you to know, he'll tell you himself."

"You're an asshole, Jamie."

Chapter 3
It was night. The entire outcast crowd was hanging out at their spot, under one of the huge freeway overpasses that was right near a strip mall. All of the flouesent lighting made the place away in blue light.

They weren't all clumped together. Some were hanging out where the freeway met the street. Kenny was standing on the corner, smoking, and Jamie and Caitie were off somewhere, no doubt flirting (not that they would ever admit to it) Hank suspected. He spotted C.C., just sitting down on the brick, her hands around her knees. He walked to her, and sat down beside her.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Why are you alone?" Hank asked.

C.C. smiled, almost sadly. "I suppose I'm the outcast of the outcasts."

"I thought that was Kiko."

C.C grinned. "She is a little strange, isn't she? But then again, so am I. So are you." She quickly followed up with, "No offense."

Hank looked at C.C., eyes twinkling with amusement. "None taken."

C.C. turned her head so that she was looking right into Hank's eyes. "But really, Kiko's the closest thing I have to a best friend."

Hank took C.C.'s hand in his. "I'm sure I can do something about that."

Authors Notes: Out of all of the Spotless, this is the hardest to write, because I just couldn't figure out how to do the beginning. Thanks to anyone that listened to my useless blabbling about the beginning...you know who you are!
Ah yes, and I'm sure you noticed the 'Demons in my Head' in the title...I've decided to make Spotless one story out of up to 5 (I'm not exactly sure on the number yet, but there will be at least two after Spotless). Spotless will be for sure followed by 'Alone and Drowning', which focuses on Val and 'Slide Into Another Night', which is about Caitie. The two ones that I'm not sure about are 'Release Me From This Living Hell', which is Jamie's story (Which, if it isn't part of Demons, will for sure be released as a stand alone), and 'Swim Beneath', which is about Tyler (which is tentative because I haven't thought up a plot line for it yet! ;)
And BTW, I'd like to make sure ya'll know that when this was started, I still hadn't seen Friends Don't Let Friends, which is why this fic doesn't match up exactly with that.

Here's the preview of Spotless part 4: Forbidden Fruit...

When Hank's sister Saudia pays Hank a visit, everything seems great...until one of the squad falls for her. Who will Hank turn to when harmless flirting turns to heated fighting, and he is blamed for everything?