Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Everwood and all it's contents x] I own Crystal, her parents, and her grandparents, and all that jazz. Get it? Got it? Gooooooood. D Ehe.
A/N: TY's still to Cryssy! Hehehe. And notepad continues to amaze me still because it didn't scrunch up the last chapter o_o Tsh. Oh well. And let's not forget to mention, for the last chapter, I wasn't ENTIRELY sure that Wendell's name is, in fact, Wendell. I meant the guy Ephram sometimes hangs out with. If it's a different name, well, then his name is Wendell now xD Ehehe. And the other characters may vary slightly, because either they don't mention their temperament or names on the show, or I didn't pay attention. So, I'm sorry if I'm not completely accurate with them x_X;; Anyway. On with the chapter!
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"Well, I bet this is the best first day of school, Miss Williams." Crystal sat in the office, head hung low as the principal began his lecture. "What made you think you could harm another student? And while you're at it, answer me why a girl would even think about using violence. Aren't you girls supposed to be all frill and priss?" The girl noticed how he was becoming a bit gender-roled, and was going to speak up, but he kept on talking.
"Detention, this afternoon. And I may have to make a phone call to your parents." Now that stung her, and she did speak up. "My parents are in critical care. I don't think you'll be able to reach them." Principle Walsch softened a little at that, but continued anyway. "Well, you still have detention. 4 o'clock, in room 314."
With a heavy sigh, Crystal left the principle's office, heading for her locker to collect the books she would need for her next class, school map and class schedule in hand. She was busy looking through it, she wasn't watching where she was walking, not really caring if she bumped into anyone or not. It wasn't their business anyway. Ephram somehow managed to get in her line of fire while she was hunting, that it was her turn to nearly knock someone over. She continued walking, making it a hit and run she supposed, even after Ephram called after her.
"Hey, watch it, next time, Crystal." Upon hearing her name, Crys's head snapped up and around, looking at Ephram as he gathered his books and papers. "Sorry." She eventually found her locker and opened it, after yanking the door pretty much off it's hinges. The boy thought of walking after her to try to talk to her, but she put out too much of a 'Leave-me-alone' vibe for him to really want anything to do with her. So, he left her to her own devices.She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he walked away, and found a new group of friends to talk to. Well, from the looks of it, he only really wanted to talk with a brown haired boy in a letterman's jacket, who was accompanied by another boy with blonde hair and also a letterman's jacket, and two or three other girls.
Sighing, she grabbed out her books and slammed her locker door closed. She headed off for her next class, sitting through that after again being slightly embarrassed from being introduced as the 'new student, and please find an empty seat.' Unfortunately, she had class with that same boy Wendell and his friend Ephram. Wendell, again, tried to make conversation, but her attention was elsewhere. Crystal was looking forward to getting out of the school and detention to go to the hospital and see her parents. Her fingers, every now and then, scribbled notes down, so she didn't seem too suspicious to teachers. She'd learned that in California. Act like you're paying attention, and you can usually coast through life. Just act like you care.
Ephram found himself breaking the two apart again, as Crystal began to look like she were going to have Wendell for her afternoon snack. "Crystal, right? So um, how'd you wind up in Everwood." Crystal wasn't really much for conversation, but her grandmothers words kept ringing in her ears. 'Try to be friendly to these people, they may be the only contact you have for a very long time, Crys.' An internal sigh was heaved, and she turned to Ephram, answering his question. "My grandparents live around here and needed my family's help."
"Ooh. So, did you hear about the plane crash last week?" Ephram was trying his best to try to bring Crystal out, it wasn't really good to go around punching people and scowling. But unfortunately, that only upset her more, and sent her running and crying into the girls bathroom. She'd found that right off the bat anyway, so the map wasn't needed. Ephram was left blinking a bit, totally shocked and surprised. He looked at Wendell, who had a look of 'What'd you do?! Go after her!' Ephram sighed and jogged after the girl, peering inside the girl's bathroom, holding up a hand and covering his eyes with the other.
"Boy coming in, just a warning, boy coming in. Umm.. Crystal? Are you in here?" He slowly peeled the hand on his face off, finding no girls prepping or primping. Though he did find a soft crying noise coming from one of the stalls. He looked under the doors, hunting for some feet, but found none, however the noise was louder behind one door, so he gently pushed on it to see if it was unlocked. It wasn't.
"Umm, Crystal?" He asked the door, and of course it didn't reply, however the girl behind it did. It was a miserable, sorrowful voice. "What do you want?" She sniffled and held back sobs, she wiped the tears off her face and leaned forward to unhitch the lock. She didn't tell Ephram that, if he couldn't hear the little click, that was his fault. She leaned back on the toilet seat, and held her arms around her knees.
"Can I come in? I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you..I was just trying to make conversation." Softly, he pushed on the door and took a step inside. "Are you..okay?" Well, the answer to that, Crystal thought, was obvious. She just gave him a look, and he nodded. "Okay, stupid question. Is there anything I can do? ..You wanna talk about it?" He pulled some toilet paper off the roll, and handed it to the crying girl in front of him. She took it, and dabbed at her eyes, quietly trying to blow her nose into it, as well.
"Like you would care." She sneered at his last question and turned away, hugging her knees tightly and burrying her face in the space they made between her neck. "Actually, I would care. You seem to be having a really fun-filled first day." He leaned against the wall a little bit, waiting for her to look up and answer. She did look up, but there was no reply. She hopped off the toilet seat, and motioned for him to get out of the stall so she could leave.
"Fine, if you want me to leave you alone, I will. If you turn around one day and decide to talk, maybe I'll want you to leave me alone too." Ephram called after her, but Crystal wasn't listening. She pushed the bathroom door open and stormed out, walking to room 314 to serve her detention. The boy shook his head and quickly evacuated the girls room, carefully making sure no one was walking by first though. After the long hour of 4 o'clock to 5 of her punishment, Crystal walked out of school to her bus, climbing in and riding home.
"How was your first day, Crys?" Grams called to Crystal as she trudged through the front door, tossing her backpack next to it and flopping on the couch. "You're an hour late. Something happen?" Her grandmother was only trying to help, though that day, Crystal seemed to not want any kind of help whatsoever. "No, Grams. Everything went fine. Just fine. ... Did you hear any news about Mom and Dad yet?" The girl looked anxiously around the corner into the kitchen, where Grams was folding dishtowels and hanging them on their racks.
"Not yet, hon." The elderly woman paused, and walked out into the family room to sit next to her granddaughter, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon, though. And I'm double-sure they'll get better. You'll see. I know your parents, sweetie. They're strong. You'll see." 'We'll see.' Crystal thought to herself, sighing deeply and leaning against her grandmother. It was at that moment the phone rang. Grams got up to answer it.
"Hello? Yes, this is Rosemary Williams. What?"
A/N: TY's still to Cryssy! Hehehe. And notepad continues to amaze me still because it didn't scrunch up the last chapter o_o Tsh. Oh well. And let's not forget to mention, for the last chapter, I wasn't ENTIRELY sure that Wendell's name is, in fact, Wendell. I meant the guy Ephram sometimes hangs out with. If it's a different name, well, then his name is Wendell now xD Ehehe. And the other characters may vary slightly, because either they don't mention their temperament or names on the show, or I didn't pay attention. So, I'm sorry if I'm not completely accurate with them x_X;; Anyway. On with the chapter!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well, I bet this is the best first day of school, Miss Williams." Crystal sat in the office, head hung low as the principal began his lecture. "What made you think you could harm another student? And while you're at it, answer me why a girl would even think about using violence. Aren't you girls supposed to be all frill and priss?" The girl noticed how he was becoming a bit gender-roled, and was going to speak up, but he kept on talking.
"Detention, this afternoon. And I may have to make a phone call to your parents." Now that stung her, and she did speak up. "My parents are in critical care. I don't think you'll be able to reach them." Principle Walsch softened a little at that, but continued anyway. "Well, you still have detention. 4 o'clock, in room 314."
With a heavy sigh, Crystal left the principle's office, heading for her locker to collect the books she would need for her next class, school map and class schedule in hand. She was busy looking through it, she wasn't watching where she was walking, not really caring if she bumped into anyone or not. It wasn't their business anyway. Ephram somehow managed to get in her line of fire while she was hunting, that it was her turn to nearly knock someone over. She continued walking, making it a hit and run she supposed, even after Ephram called after her.
"Hey, watch it, next time, Crystal." Upon hearing her name, Crys's head snapped up and around, looking at Ephram as he gathered his books and papers. "Sorry." She eventually found her locker and opened it, after yanking the door pretty much off it's hinges. The boy thought of walking after her to try to talk to her, but she put out too much of a 'Leave-me-alone' vibe for him to really want anything to do with her. So, he left her to her own devices.She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he walked away, and found a new group of friends to talk to. Well, from the looks of it, he only really wanted to talk with a brown haired boy in a letterman's jacket, who was accompanied by another boy with blonde hair and also a letterman's jacket, and two or three other girls.
Sighing, she grabbed out her books and slammed her locker door closed. She headed off for her next class, sitting through that after again being slightly embarrassed from being introduced as the 'new student, and please find an empty seat.' Unfortunately, she had class with that same boy Wendell and his friend Ephram. Wendell, again, tried to make conversation, but her attention was elsewhere. Crystal was looking forward to getting out of the school and detention to go to the hospital and see her parents. Her fingers, every now and then, scribbled notes down, so she didn't seem too suspicious to teachers. She'd learned that in California. Act like you're paying attention, and you can usually coast through life. Just act like you care.
Ephram found himself breaking the two apart again, as Crystal began to look like she were going to have Wendell for her afternoon snack. "Crystal, right? So um, how'd you wind up in Everwood." Crystal wasn't really much for conversation, but her grandmothers words kept ringing in her ears. 'Try to be friendly to these people, they may be the only contact you have for a very long time, Crys.' An internal sigh was heaved, and she turned to Ephram, answering his question. "My grandparents live around here and needed my family's help."
"Ooh. So, did you hear about the plane crash last week?" Ephram was trying his best to try to bring Crystal out, it wasn't really good to go around punching people and scowling. But unfortunately, that only upset her more, and sent her running and crying into the girls bathroom. She'd found that right off the bat anyway, so the map wasn't needed. Ephram was left blinking a bit, totally shocked and surprised. He looked at Wendell, who had a look of 'What'd you do?! Go after her!' Ephram sighed and jogged after the girl, peering inside the girl's bathroom, holding up a hand and covering his eyes with the other.
"Boy coming in, just a warning, boy coming in. Umm.. Crystal? Are you in here?" He slowly peeled the hand on his face off, finding no girls prepping or primping. Though he did find a soft crying noise coming from one of the stalls. He looked under the doors, hunting for some feet, but found none, however the noise was louder behind one door, so he gently pushed on it to see if it was unlocked. It wasn't.
"Umm, Crystal?" He asked the door, and of course it didn't reply, however the girl behind it did. It was a miserable, sorrowful voice. "What do you want?" She sniffled and held back sobs, she wiped the tears off her face and leaned forward to unhitch the lock. She didn't tell Ephram that, if he couldn't hear the little click, that was his fault. She leaned back on the toilet seat, and held her arms around her knees.
"Can I come in? I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you..I was just trying to make conversation." Softly, he pushed on the door and took a step inside. "Are you..okay?" Well, the answer to that, Crystal thought, was obvious. She just gave him a look, and he nodded. "Okay, stupid question. Is there anything I can do? ..You wanna talk about it?" He pulled some toilet paper off the roll, and handed it to the crying girl in front of him. She took it, and dabbed at her eyes, quietly trying to blow her nose into it, as well.
"Like you would care." She sneered at his last question and turned away, hugging her knees tightly and burrying her face in the space they made between her neck. "Actually, I would care. You seem to be having a really fun-filled first day." He leaned against the wall a little bit, waiting for her to look up and answer. She did look up, but there was no reply. She hopped off the toilet seat, and motioned for him to get out of the stall so she could leave.
"Fine, if you want me to leave you alone, I will. If you turn around one day and decide to talk, maybe I'll want you to leave me alone too." Ephram called after her, but Crystal wasn't listening. She pushed the bathroom door open and stormed out, walking to room 314 to serve her detention. The boy shook his head and quickly evacuated the girls room, carefully making sure no one was walking by first though. After the long hour of 4 o'clock to 5 of her punishment, Crystal walked out of school to her bus, climbing in and riding home.
"How was your first day, Crys?" Grams called to Crystal as she trudged through the front door, tossing her backpack next to it and flopping on the couch. "You're an hour late. Something happen?" Her grandmother was only trying to help, though that day, Crystal seemed to not want any kind of help whatsoever. "No, Grams. Everything went fine. Just fine. ... Did you hear any news about Mom and Dad yet?" The girl looked anxiously around the corner into the kitchen, where Grams was folding dishtowels and hanging them on their racks.
"Not yet, hon." The elderly woman paused, and walked out into the family room to sit next to her granddaughter, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon, though. And I'm double-sure they'll get better. You'll see. I know your parents, sweetie. They're strong. You'll see." 'We'll see.' Crystal thought to herself, sighing deeply and leaning against her grandmother. It was at that moment the phone rang. Grams got up to answer it.
"Hello? Yes, this is Rosemary Williams. What?"