Disclaimer: I still own nothing pertaining to Higher Ground. The only thing that I made up is Janey.
"So, let me get this straight," Ezra Friedkin said, an amused smile on his face. The Cliffhangers sat together during dinner every day, and this was no exception. "There's a new girl here, and she and Scott were going at it?"
"Yeah," answered Shelby, Auggie, Juliette, and David in unison.
With a wink at Daisy Lipenowski, Ezra continued. "Could you define 'going at it'?"
Shelby started to push back her chair and stand, but laughing, Daisy put a gentle hand on her best friend's arm. Shelby slowly sat down.
"You better watch it, Freakin'," she warned, deliberately mispronouncing Ezra's last name.
He sighed. "It's Freedkin…"
David grinned. "I dunno, man, Shelb might be on to something there."
Daisy lightly whacked the back of David's head. "Courtesy is a grace much missed," she said.
"Poetic, Dais'." Auggie jumped into the conversation. "Come on, guys, back to the subject."
"Yeah," Juliette added. "We've got a problem here. Scott and Janey are having problems. So, we're all having problems."
Shelby made a 'sickly-sweet-blah' face.
"Where is the infamous Janey anyway?" Ezra asked. "Daisy and I haven't even met her."
"Over there." Juliette sighed, pointing to a table across the mess hall where Janey sat alone. "I tried to sit with her, but she told me to take a hike. I invited her over here, and she told me to take a hike again, this time with profanity."
Shelby snickered at the look of pained rejection on Juliette's face.
"And where's our boy, then?" Daisy asked.
"Scott?" David asked. "Our boy? Shelby, you're getting competition."
Shelby painstakingly ignored him. "Scott's on K.P. For the next few days. And if he screws up at all, however minimally, he's on shuns for a month. He got off harder than Janey. It wasn't fair."
"Did you say that to Peter?" Daisy wanted to know.
"He said Scott was older, had been here longer, and knew the rules like the back of his hand." Shelby shook her head. "Still wasn't fair."
"Janey is new, Shelby." Juliette defended the new girl. "Who knows, maybe something you said accidentally triggered a bad memory or reaction or something."
"I can't believe you're actually defending her," Shelby sneered. "She was rude to me, rude to Scott, and started a fight. So she has to run a mile and gets sent to her room. Oooh. How terrible."
Juliette opened her mouth to retort, but Auggie put a hand on her knee, squeezing it lightly. He could tell that Shelby was upset, and he didn't want to have Juliette rock the boat.
Sophie came over to the table and stopped, standing behind David, who leaned his chair backwards to look up at her.
"Hey gang," she said. "Thought we might have a group session after dinner. Okay with all of you? Heard through the grape vine that some of you are having a few issues."
David smiled a winning grin. "Not my fault this time!"
"Congratulations," Ezra said.
"How about a group session in the form of a kickboxing match?" Shelby suggested, wanting to vent her anger in a violent way.
Sophie gave her a reproachful look. "Shelby, no."
Scott came over finally having finished his duties until dishes time, dropping into the chair Shelby had saved for him. He started shoveling food into his mouth, not looking up.
"Scott, group after dinner," Sophie said.
Scott glanced at her. "I'm really not in the mood." He paused, shoving a whole roll into his mouth. "At all," he added with his mouth full.
"Too bad," Sophie said. "I wasn't giving you an option."
She left the table, and the Cliffhangers turned to Scott.
"Maybe group's a good idea," Juliette said.
"Juliette…" Shelby said tiredly.
"It might help us all get over this," Juliette continued.
"Or not," Scott said. He downed his glass of milk and raised his eyebrows at her.
"Maybe Jules' right," Auggie said, defending his girlfriend. "I mean, she is younger than us, muchacho. I bet we could get over this."
"She can't be all that bad," Ezra agreed.
Scott pushed back his chair and stood up abruptly.
"What?" Ezra asked, shrinking back slightly. Scott was a formidable figure when he looked angry.
Scott paused. His face tensed crossly. "Look, you didn't hear what she said to Shelby. She's a—"
"Ahem," Daisy said, cutting him off in mid-sentence. Scott turned toward her furiously, but he caught sight of Peter behind him. Nice save from Daisy. He instantly put on his innocent look.
"Problem, Scott?" Peter asked mildly, but with suspicion.
"Nope," Scott answered, acutely aware that a 'problem' concerning him would result in shuns.
After dinner, the Cliffhangers met in the fireside room, moving their chairs into a circle. Juliette set a chair for Janey, who had yet to appear. On her other side sat Auggie, then Ezra, then Scott, then Shelby, then Daisy, then David, and finally back to the empty chair for Janey.
Janey finally arrived, and Juliette gestured at the empty chair. Janey sat without a sign of gratitude.
"You could say thank you," Auggie said, his nerves beginning to be frayed by the newcomer. "Jules has been real nice to you. You could show some appreciation."
"Auggie, it's okay," Juliette said comfortingly, flashing a smile at Janey, who gave her a blank face in reply.
Sophie hustled in just then, cutting short Auggie's next remark. "Sorry I'm late, gang." She looked around at the sea of seven despondent faces and one elated face, David's. "David, you got something to kick off this session?"
"Nope," David said cheerfully. "Everything's good." The biggest problem in the group did not concern him.
Sophie looked around more carefully, picking up on the more minute details before her. The kids seemed to be sitting in a manner that put their least favorite Cliffhangers as far away as possible, or across the group. Shelby sat across from Juliette, Ezra across from David, and Janey across from Scott. Interesting. She wondered if that had been completely accidental.
"Anybody got something they want to spit out right now?" Sophie asked. No response. "Janey?"
"No." The word was bitten off. No, she had nothing to say.
"Scott? Shelby?"
Two heads shook. Another negative. David's hand shot up.
"Yes, David?" Sophie said.
"I got some gum. I could spit that out for ya."
Sophie groaned. "Garbage, David."
He went and returned quickly, not wanting to miss the good stuff.
"Well," Sophie began after a pause. "I heard there were some problems earlier today. Janey arrived this afternoon, and almost immediately, everyone is taking sides, fighting, arguing."
"Everyone?" Ezra asked. "May I amend that Daisy and I haven't even had the pleasure of meeting Janey?"
"Really?" Sophie asked. "Introductions then."
"I'm Ezra, and that is Daisy," Ezra said, indicating himself, then pointing to Daisy.
Janey nodded, then looked at her lap. Sophie was finding it hard to believe that this seemingly shy girl actually tried to take down Scott Barringer and ran her mouth to Shelby Merrick.
"I'll bet you're all kind of tired," Sophie said, softening. "First days are always crazy for newcomers, Janey. And that stress can be projected into the other members of your group. Why don't you all just go to bed early?"
Relieved to be getting off so easily, they started to rise.
"In one second," Sophie said, stopping them. "Tell me one good thing that happened today. Then pass it on. Starting with David."
"Peter got pissed at someone other than me."
"David…"
"Seriously," David insisted. "Highlight of my day. Daisy."
"Ezra and I finished our project for social studies. Ezra."
"Same as Dais'," he said, beaming because she had had fun spending time with him. "Shelby."
"Scott and I beat Auggie and David at two-on-two."
"Barely," Auggie threw in, but they were both laughing.
"Scott," Shelby finished.
"I dunno," Scott said. He wasn't laughing. Auggie and Shelby stopped, but David's grin grew wider.
"Scott, something good had to have happened today," Sophie said.
"I dunno," he repeated.
"We talked," Shelby said softly.
"Shelby and I talked. It was good." His words sounded forced, but what could Sophie do? "Auggie."
"Roger edited my English paragraph," he began, referring to the black counselor to whom he felt particularly close. "And he only found three mistakes."
"That's great, Aug," Sophie said, smiling warmly. Auggie had dyslexia, as did Roger, and the learning disorder frustrated him no end.
"Jules," Auggie said.
"Um, we got a…" she trailed off. Saying that a good thing had been that they had gotten a new kid would start an argument. "Peter picked me to show Janey around." Okay, so that was the second worst thing she could have said, but it was too late now, and besides, she had meant it. She winced and finished feebly. "Janey."
Janey didn't lift her eyes. Didn't open her mouth.
"Janey, it's your turn," Sophie prodded. "Say something good that happened today."
"Nothing good happened today!" Janey exploded suddenly. "Nothing good! My mother yelled at me! The police handcuffed me! He—" this was said with a finger flung at Scott. "—hit me! I get sent to this crappy school, and everyone here is a jerk!"
She stood up as suddenly as she had begun yelling and tried to leave. In an instant, Sophie was over there, grabbing Janey, trying to hold her. Janey struggled violently, finally kicking Sophie, freeing herself, and taking off. She slammed the door to the main room, and a few non-Cliffhangers, playing a board game in the corner, looked up, curious.
Sophie was momentarily stunned, but reacted as soon as she heard the door slam. "Ezra, get Peter. She might run. The rest of you, cabins. Now."
They all got up, Scott slower than the rest. Ezra took off toward Peter's office, and the rest went toward their dorms. Sophie left through the door, racing.
"Janey!" she yelled. It was getting dark, and the outside of the campus was empty of students. Sophie looked around, wondering from which direction to start. Peter joined her, Ezra on his heels.
"What happened?" Peter asked.
"I don't know," Sophie said, wincing for the first time as she realized Janey had kicked her hard.
"What?" Peter picked up on her slight movement.
"Janey kicked her," Ezra explained. Both adults turned to him at once.
"Go to your dorm, Ez," Peter said hastily. "Make sure Scott stays."
"Why wouldn't he?" Ezra asked.
"Ezra, go now," Sophie ordered. He left at a run, sensing the worry in their voices.
"I'll take the woods," Peter said. "You hit the campus, water, and roads."
Sophie nodded. They split up and jogged off, calling her name.