A Rose With Thorns

Chapter Two: School Begins

Written by: Scandalous Behavior

~ ~ ~ ~

In two separate houses, separated by some hundred feet two seventeen year old teenagers woke up with the foreboding thought of having to go to school. One was a petite brunette more known for her temper and fist solving ways than being level headed and the other was a light blond-brown haired guy whose schemes were well known in their town. Neither had seen each other in little over three months and had no idea how much the other one had changed.



Ashley Spinelli groaned at the repeating annoying sound of her alarm going off, her fist slamming down on the small turn off switch. Rolling out of bed, she half-asleep walked to the bathroom, turning on the shower and climbing in. Fifteen minutes later the water was turned off and she proceeded to dry her hair. Combing it back and then combing the pieces that framed her face down she was looking at the hairstyle she was still getting used to. After having it for a month you'd think I'd be used to the coloring and shortness, Spinelli told herself, or used to letting it down instead of styling it into a ponytail although it was still long enough to do that she wasn't going to today. The shock of her parents' faces when they saw that her hair was no longer so long and not all one color wore off as both agreed it looked good on her. Hard to believe she had only been back two days and most of that time was spent sleeping, jet lag was a bitch. Having called Gretchen the day before, they were going to go to school in Spinelli's new wheels. A present that her parents had gifted with her yesterday morning, a beautiful black 4-wheel drive Jeep convertible. Obviously Toni had told her parents how much she loved driving Rafe's own Jeep and gotten one for her. It was unexpected that they would be so generous but when she went to thank them both of them stopped her. No need to thank them, she had earned the Jeep. How, she had questioned, when she'd been gone all summer. They only smiled and left her alone with her vehicle. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, wasn't that how the saying went. Besides with it getting colder she was going to need wheels and she doubted her parents were going to let her borrow their truck when they've flat refused since she turned sixteen and got her license.

Moving back into her room, her terry cloth robe tied around her body, she threw open her closet and saw that her mother had done what she said she was going to. Put and arranged all her new clothes in the closet when she had been on the phone talking to Gretchen, then Mikey, followed by Vince and Gus. T.J. still hadn't been back from L.A. so she had to wait to talk to him since all four had agreed that what he needed to tell her should come from him directly. Decisions, decisions, she thought looking at the full closet. Not one single thing she had owned clothing wise was still in her room. Flo Spinelli had cleaned out her closet while she had been away and given everything minus what she had taken with her to Salvation Army. Seems that part of her going away had been plotted when it came to her new clothes and hair. Taking out a pair of light colored blue jeans, a deep purple near to black three quarters length sleeved shirt with a dark gray zipper down the front light cotton vest with a hood to go over it she got dressed, taking out her new black leather boots that added two inches to her five foot three stature she pulled them on grabbed her necklace off the dresser slipping it over her head she grabbed her black leather jacket that came to mid-hip and designed to be feminine. Passing the hallway mirror on her way downstairs she had to admit she looked nothing like the Spinelli that had left. Toni did have a point about dressing nice and this was about as nice as she could get. Though she had brought three dresses back with her she doubted she'd ever wear them, she drew a line at wearing a dress out in public.

Bob spotted his transformed daughter before his wife and appraised her outfit. She looked like a fashion plate off one of those magazines that his wife read but still managed to come off as pure Spinelli.

"Hey Princess, ready for the first day of school?"

"About as ready as I can be," Spinelli arched an eyebrow, "don't think you'd and mom reconsider my need for more sleep?"

"'Fraid not."

Snapping her fingers as if that was what she was counting on, he grinned.

"We never did ask you how much damage you did to your sister's credit card," Bob wondered slyly, "your mother told me you had enough clothes to cloth three people."

"Blame Toni, she's the clothing expert that thinks I needed all that."

"Not that you're complaining now, right, Pookie?" Flo entered the kitchen and went to pour coffee.

"Yeah, it wasn't so bad."

"See how vain she's become we just might have created a monster." Flo teased lightly, knowing that nothing would ever make Spinelli vain in any way.

"Hey guys?"

Both her parents looked to their youngest child.

"I don't agree with how it happened, how Toni was born," Spinelli saw the two of them look a little guilty, "but I wouldn't trade having her for anything."

"Glad you and your sister got along so great, Pookie, really."

"Okay, enough of this," Spinelli picked up her backpack that was always next to the kitchen door, "see you later."

Running out to her car, she turned it on and drove to Gretchen's without a look out the rear view mirror to the boy also getting into his Ford Ranger driving the opposite direction.

~

Driving into the parking lot faster than was needed, Spinelli turned into a parking space in the middle, not too close or too far from Washington High School and saw Gretchen's face express relief.

"Gee, am I really that bad at driving, Gretch?" Spinelli teased, jumping out.

"Let's just say I will be glad when snow falls."

Grabbing her backpack from behind her seat, Spinelli saw the denim clad Gretchen, a ankle long skirt with buttons down the center of it with a white button down blouse and denim jacket lined with wool for warmth as it was already forty degrees outside. Gretchen had her hair pulled back on each side of her head with simple gold clips. Simple yet elegant was how Spinelli always thought of Gretch's dressing patterns. Still with thick- framed glasses and a serious but smiling face she hadn't changed that much since fourth grade. The registered shock that showed up on Gretch's face when she pulled up in front of her house was enough to make Spinelli laugh, seeing as how she never really gave much thought to what she dressed like before.

Walking towards the two-story brick building of their resident high school, Spinelli took it all in that nothing about it had changed. Kids still riding buses, being dropped off by parents, or in their own cars with passengers. Guys goofing off on the grass lawn with the sidewalk a potential hazard to anyone who actually tried to have a direct line to the double-door entrance. First year here the first thing a kid did was find as many alternative routes of entering the school as possible unless you wanted to be trampled by jocks, preppies, rebels, or had a need to become part of the scenery.

"Miss this?" Spinelli asked, waving her hand to the growing landscape of kids.

"Yes," Gretchen admitted truthfully although she had spent her summer mainly here in the Chemistry department, it had been a little too quiet for her tastes, "but I think my quiet time is going to be again rudely interrupted every five minutes."

"Count on it," came Vince LaSalle's voice into the conversation as the black athlete observed what the two girls were looking at.

Gus was making his way over to them, his arms filled with books that he had to keep shifting his weight to keep his balance. Seeing the green and brown camouflage pants, green shirt and plain brown jacket he wore as due to his military upbringing with the crew-cut blond hair still the same, Spinelli caught one of the many books in her hand before it landed in a puddle below.

"Gee, thanks..Spinelli?"

"Don't act so shocked to see me, Griswold, or your face might freeze that way."

Vince had to admit that he had done a double take himself at seeing her looking so un-Spinelli like yet still Spinelli. The clothes were designer, he knew of them from his girlfriend Ashley Boulet, and her hair made her actually look her age or older than the rest of them. Everything complimented her that he was sure that Ashley B. couldn't have dressed Spinelli better.

"What did you do.. I mean you look great." Gus complimented.

"Thanks," Spinelli took it in stride, seeing Gretch's look of annoyance as the five foot eight red head had a crush on the inch taller Gus bringing out the man in the short boy that they had met years ago.

"What a picture this would be if we were all free," Mikey's poetic view point interceded and Spinelli felt a grin spread her features at his khaki pants, green shirt with the peace sign in the middle in white and his hair combed self.

"Speaking of the institution," Vince commented, "shouldn't our fearless leader be here?"

Spinelli saw T.J.'s truck pull into the parking lot, music pounding out of the stereo system that she recognized as the music group Stained, someone she knew he didn't listen to, and when he got out nothing shocked the others more than the fact that Ashley A. was hanging on his arm like a leech. It didn't surprise Spinelli in any form, she had expected it. What surprised her was that he was dressed way too good in her mind's eye. A medium blue shirt that clung to his well-made upper body, with black jeans and letterman jacket on his body but although that was a surprise his trademark red cap was missing, something that had never for more than a couple hours ever happened. His hair was lighter than she remembered, most likely due to the California sunshine and his blue eyes were cold and indifferent.

"I'd say that's him." Spinelli pointed out as they came closer and she saw the passing glance over her clothes that could only be considered as wonder quickly displaced back to the frigid aura he seemed to be packing.

"Good morning, everyone," Ashley A. in traditional pink and light gray, "how interesting of you to dress as one with taste, Spinelli."

Her friends literally tensed as if expecting the instant contact of Spinelli's fist with Ashley A.'s smug face to be disappointed when Spinelli only smirked at the other girl.

"Isn't it though? I just went to bed one night and woke up feeling the need to give you a run for your money, Armbruster. Hope you don't mind."

A half gasp, half cough at the comeback came out of Ashley A.'s mouth, which only broadened Spinelli's grin. A sideway glance at T.J. Spinelli saw that he wasn't expressing any emotion and it was starting to irritate her.

"Maybe you should close your girlfriend's mouth, Teej, before you find it hard to kiss her with her mouth as wide as it is now if it freezes."

Turning on her heel, Spinelli walked away with confidence only to get three feet away and hear his voice.

"Nice to see you, too, Spin."

Not wanting to think about replying to him, she continued walking towards the entrance of the school not in the mood to find another way to enter knowing if anyone dared to mess with her would find them in a fight they were not going to win. As she saw Irwin Lawson come to the side of the sidewalk, she froze him in place with a glare.

Watching her enter the school, everyone turned to T.J. and Ashley A. as they were now on the sidewalk with the other five of the group. Randal Weems wrote down what happened as fast as he could, a calculating smile on his face.

~

Her boots sounded on the scuffed and scarred flooring of the school hallway, that when she got to her locker she had to calm herself down because her grip on it threatened to have the thing break in two. Counting backwards from ten, another trick from Toni that had never worked because she never before wanted it to, she calmed down and opened her locker, same as every year before and dumped the contents of her backpack in it, hanging her backpack on the hook located inside the locker along with her leather jacket. Pulling out her binder and some pens, she grabbed her schedule out of her back pocket and headed to her first class after loudly banging the metal locker door shut.

"Well, well, if it isn't Spinugly," Lawson's voice rang out next to one of the set of lockers she just passed, "have a fight with Dweebweiler?"

"Every year those insults get more and more funny, Lawson, really," Spinelli sarcastically replied, "you should think about retiring them before you get yourself into a whole lot of trouble that you won't be able to handle."

"Gonna hurt me, Spinelli?"

"Thinking about it. Though it would be a shame to send you all the way back to Junior Year again, cause wouldn't it be your third time then?"

Some people passing by snickered at her comment, as he reddened in the face.

"Lawson, don't you have some place to be?" Vince's voice of calm anger reason interfered.

"Not that I'm scared of you, Spinelli," Lawson stated, "but I don't want to be late. LaSalle."

Vince watched Lawson head down the filled corridor and watched Spinelli clench her fist and then release it.

"Want to tell me what you were doing this morning with T.J.?"

Spinelli touched her forehead, as she felt a headache coming on.

"I don't want to talk about it," moving away from the wall she leaned against, his hand came out to catch her by the elbow.

"Why weren't you floored like the rest of us at seeing Ashley A. with T.J.?"

"Why weren't you? It was bound to happen. He is the Captain of the Football Team and she is the Head Cheerleader, it's a match made in heaven."

Worry entered his eyes at her dismissal of it all.

"Spinelli..."

"Just leave it alone, Vince. I don't want to talk about it and if you are so concerned ask T.J. or Ashley A. for that matter. I'd sure your girlfriend's best friend would love to tell you why I wasn't floored. I gotta go."

Jerking her arm out of his grip, she headed down the walk way and up to the second floor where her homeroom was this year.



Gretchen and Mikey watched the whole intervention of Vince with Spinelli and the pained expression that momentarily crossed her face. Gus was putting his books in his locker that they stood by so he didn't notice.

"What was that all about?" Mikey asked.

"I think we should have a private talk with Spinelli after school."

"I'm more worried about T.J." Gus announced to them, "he didn't like what she said this morning and he isn't acting like himself."

"How did you see that," Gretchen wondered, "his face was expressionless."

"Be a military kid and around officers and you get to read peoples faces."

"Has he talked to you, Vince, about the divorce?"

Vince shook his head after heading back over to them.

"He hasn't called me. We're missing something."

"Yeah, T.J. and Spinelli."

~

T.J. Detweiler couldn't explain what exactly he was feeling when he saw Spinelli looking like she did now. It was so un-like anything he could of expected to see her in, not to mention how much great it looked. Ashley A.'s eyes hadn't left Spinelli's clothes the entire time they were talking and he had wondered if she was thinking about who the designers were. He had always liked Spinelli's hair long but even he had to admit the hairstyle and added color fit the punkette perfectly.

What he didn't want to think about was how much he had missed her. Even when they had their fights, like all friends had, they still managed to talk to one another about everything. Not being able to talk to her about the confusion his mind was putting him in a tailspin. Adding insult to injury by not speaking up first, he had to bring Ashley A. into the picture. Knowing how much Spin detested especially that Ashley he wondered if he did it for some odd payback. Her not telling him that she was leaving was worse to him than waking up the next morning after his parents announced their divorce to find his father putting the last of his stuff into the truck and driving off without a goodbye.

The entire time in California he must have picked up the phone a dozen times to dial her number only to remember she wasn't there and he didn't have the number where she was. He hadn't asked the others for it, when Spin called and gave it to Gretchen. Hadn't wanted to admit he needed to talk to her. His mind had finally decided that he didn't need to talk to anyone about the divorce, the judgment for custody, or his feelings of it. They wouldn't understand, none of them could really know what it was like. With that decision T.J. knew he needed to change outside as well, the hat the cursed thing that was like his own arm it was so attached had to be the first to go. It resembled how complete he was when he felt anything but. The trusty cap had been with him for as long as he could remember, letting go of it had been the hardest part. Finally he handed it over to his Uncle to put in the trash and never once looked back.

Chaos reigned in part of his mind. The part where stability was once the strong hold and now was nothing. Not his parents and not Spinelli. How weird to think how much she affected his life and then without so much as a bye or leave she left. When he was at his lowest point in his life and there had only been Ashley A. Kissing her was one of the things he regretted. Getting caught up in all the turmoil his emotions were in he let himself only feel. Deep inside he could have sworn he saw Spinelli there but when he opened his eyes he knew it was all in his head, thankfully. That was one thing he never wanted her to see him do. Now he wasn't sure if he even cared.

Something had to be done about that. Caring. It hurt. It didn't help in any way shape or form to keep his family together. His sister Becky was in her last year of college for law, his mom had been given the house and his father moved to Oregon to work. Nothing was right about it and caring didn't bring them all back together.

Sitting across the room from Spinelli, watching cautiously as she wrote down on paper whatever assignment they had just been given, he watched. Having this class with her all year long might be torment enough to get her out of his head. Slipping by her desk before class started he knew this one was the only one they had together while he had three with Ashley A. Somewhere inside of him a young T.J. was screaming at him for doing this, separated himself from the people he cared for.

~

The main outside period for the school was fifth. It let the football team practice, cheerleaders preformed rehearsed cheers, have combined classes go head to head on whatever sport was in season. Everyone's energy was tested to the limit before heading to the showers to cool off. That was when they were introduced to a new competitor for the football star position.

Strawberry-blond hair that curled at the edges with hazel-gold eyes, standing at six foot two inches and with a body that was making the female population sigh in appreciation. Standing on the sidelines of the football field, he was used to the female attention he was getting. One female wasn't paying him the least amount of attention and that was what sparked his interest. Alone high in the bleachers with a large pad of paper in her lap, she was scribbling away on it, watching intrigued at her behavior when so many people were involved in other activities yet she sat up on the bleaches out of reach with her notepad. A voice intruded on his thought pattern, as another girl called up to the one on the bleachers.

This girl wasn't worth a second glance, he decided, too thin for his tastes although she was the perfect height. Her clothes spoke of prudish mannerisms that wouldn't do him any good. The red head headed up to the brunette, calling her name again that he was sure he was mishearing the name being called although the girl did look up and he lost himself in the flawless features of the brunette.

"Spinelli! What are you doing up here, you are know your going to be late to Chemistry, right?" Gretchen called up to Spinelli who was snapping her book shut and standing.

"Chill, Gretch, I'm coming," stepping on the bleacher seats as she came down, "you'd think that Chemistry was important or something." Spinelli mumbled under her breath and as she jumped to the ground the last step she saw a guy observing her with avid intent.

"Oh, I wouldn't say Chemistry isn't without its perks." His voice loaded with innuendo that Spinelli wasn't sure what to attack first, his staring at her or his comment.

Unfortunately she got to do neither since he stepped from his position of standing against the railing of the bleachers to where the Coach was calling him, with a very angered T.J. at seeing the guy picking up on Spinelli. Why he felt anger escaped him but old habits died hard when it came to the petite punkette.

"Campbell, I'd like you to meet our Quarterback, T.J. Detweiler."

Ethan took in Detweiler, whom he had heard about from his previous school and found nothing lacking in the guy before him.

"Campbell," the Coach's voice level raised so the rest of the team could hear, "transferred from West Prep and since he was unable to try out for the team and he comes highly recommended to the team."

"Wasn't he the Quarterback?" came a raised question from Thompson.

"Since sophomore year," Ethan replied smugly.

"What do we need with another Quarterback?" Garcia yelled.

"We only need one but it would be a good idea to have an extra one for back up since we have a spot open due to Young's transfer out of state."

As Coach went into detail with the rest of the team, Ethan stood next to the semi-uniformed T.J.

"And we all know whose going to be the back up, don't we, Detweiler?" Ethan confidently said and walked closer to the group.

The thought of could this day get any worse, crossed T.J.'s mind.



Mikey caught up to Spinelli outside her Chemistry class, seeing the exhaustion evident on her face. Out of the entire group he was closest to Spinelli and then Gus. Although he knew that she could take care of herself physically it was mentally that worried him the most. Now with the school day ending she was clearly worn out whether it was still from jet lag or the entire day itself he said it was an equal match.

"Worn out, Spinelli?" Mikey asked.

"Clearly I need some of that junk those Ashley girls wear if you can tell just by looking at me."

"Only because I know you. Gretch wants to know if you are up for a group talk."

Spinelli wasn't up for anything right at the moment. Her mind was overloaded with information and excess emotional baggage.

"Can it wait until tomorrow when I get some sleep?"

"I'll try to keep the wolves at bay." Mikey assured.

"One more thing and I swear I'm going to pull my hair out."

"Miss Spinelli! Mr. Blumberg!" the adult voice echoed through the crowded halls to find its owner was Mr. Ryan, their mutual drama teacher.

A groan of impatience made Spinelli wanted to stomp her feet at not getting her way to just go home and collapse on her bed, made Mikey grin.

"Yes, Mr. Ryan?" Spinelli's impatience barely concealed.

"I know you both probably want to go straight home," he started, he used his hands for emphasis when he talked stating the obvious, "but I have a request that I want you both to consider, especially you Spinelli."

Pausing, both Mikey and Spinelli with continue expressions on their faces, he added, "We are trying to start a band, not particularly school related but one that the student body can relate to with music sung by students and done by students. We don't know of any band already started by students and what we want to do is get one that can be used for the school dances. Singing songs personally written and others that are popular on the radio stations."

"In other words you want to have a band that you can control and use because the school is too cheap to want to pay a D.J. right?" Spinelli commented, saying exactly what she was thinking.

"Basically, yeah."

"Sorry not interested."

Mikey didn't move as Spinelli pulled on her jacket with a Come-On look.

"You aren't seriously thinking of doing it, are you? Mikey, your voice is too good to be made to be some puppet for the school."

Mr. Ryan was aware of how most students saw school so Spinelli's opinions weren't new to him but he had heard Mikey sing and over heard Spinelli when she was helping Mikey practice last year for a chorus concert. They both were good, Mikey especially so.

"We'll think on it." Mikey finally said, as Spinelli stared at him like he had grown two heads.

"Please do, it would be a shame to lose both your talents."

Walking towards the main office, Mr. Ryan disappeared inside.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't expect you to understand, Spinelli but it's been a dream of mine to sing professionally. I want to do this."

"Be a pulled strings wooden doll for the School Administration?"

"No, to sing publicly and have people appreciate it."

"People do appreciate your voice, Mikey. You are one of the most accomplished singers I've ever heard even without professional training."

"Just let's talk about it tomorrow," Mikey told her as she huffed and walked out into the cold air of the school parking lot.

"Want a lift?" Spinelli offered, "Gretchen is staying to work on her newest project that she hasn't told me about and is having her parents pick her up later."

"Sure."

Getting in her Jeep, she turned on the engine and found herself backing her car almost into the too fast driving Mercedes with who else but Ashley Q. behind the wheel with Ashley A. in the passenger seat.

"Watch where you're going, Spinelli!" Ashley A. yelled out the window.

"Wouldn't want to wreck Daddy's newest investment in his little girl's future, would I?" Spinelli angrily shouted back.

Ashley Q. only shook her head; knowing she was the one driving too fast and shooting an apology glance at Spinelli, who was startled by it.

"Sorry, Spinelli."

"Why are you apologizing to her." the car took off before Spinelli could hear anymore of Ashley A.'s complaints.

Mikey saw the expression of confusion on Spinelli's face from Ashley Quindlen's apology. He knew that the auburn haired Ashley was really very nice behind her mask of being an Ashley. All of them were except maybe Ashley A.

"This day gets weirder and weirder."

Driving home after dropping Mikey off at his house, promising to talk to him first thing tomorrow morning she pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. Getting out she saw T.J. across the way and when their eyes for an instant before he turned on his sneaker clad feet and headed into the house.

"We never did get to talk today, did we?" She said out loud to no one.

~ ~ ~ ~

Deeper into the depths of High School Recess Style soon...

~Scandal~

November 16, 2001