**Lol, sorry about that last one, I know it was an awful cliffhanger, it
was all I could finish before that day was over, and I knew I hadn't done
anything for this fic for a while.......apologies! :P hope ya like this
one...and I hope it's not a cliffhanger...I tend to not realize that it is
one until someone reviews it and curses me for it....**
I rubbed my hands together and stepped up onto the giant falling pad. I heard titters of laughter and shot a sidelong glance to the back of the line, where Katelyn was whispering to her friends. She looked straight at me, eyes full of malice, and I turned around again. I smiled to myself at the image of her stricken face, mouth open in surprised horror. I gripped my hands on the rope, feeling butterflies. I looked up at the roof. There were criss-crossing steel beams, onto which the thick rope was attached. There was a tiny bell right next to it, with which one could show off one's rope-climbing abilities. I glanced at Mrs. Lin, waiting for the go-ahead. She held up her stopwatch, and I looked back up readily.
"Go!" came her sharp voice, and I shot up the rope. It felt natural, like walking, or swimming. I had my right leg wrapped through the rope and my left hanging beside it. I used only my arms, and was flying upward. I reached the top within ten seconds, and was going so fast that I flipped over the beam, dangling from the opposite side. Still hanging onto the cold dusty steel, I poked the bell, glaring down mockingly. I swung onto the rope again and climbed down just as fast. When I was a little more than half way down, I let go of the rope and dropped the rest of the way, landing in a crouched manner. I stood up and grinned at Mrs. Lin. Her mouth was agape as she flicked off the stopwatch. She looked back at me incredulously, then at her clipboard.
"Fifteen seconds," she muttered, shaking her head. I felt a thrill at this number, and walked over to the bleachers. I took my usual seat and felt extreme pleasure at the sight of Katelyn's face, pasty white and shocked beyond reason. My eyes flickered to Nick, and the contentment was gone, replaced by nausea and, steadily growing, self-disgust. He was looking at me unbelievingly, like most of the class, but differently than I had hoped. His mouth, unlike Kate's, was closed, but clamped shut, nostrils flared. His eyes were open wide, unblinking. I lowered my eyes to the floor, where my pride was, and set my chin on my knees. Nick was afraid of me.
Mrs. Lin's sharp voice echoed through the gym, dismissing the class. I dragged myself to the locker room, and, thankfully, was the first person there. I opened Gwen's locker and took out my backpack, clothes, and shoes, exchanging them for her running shoes. I changed, folding up the new PE clothes and setting them on the bench, and was shoving my feet into my sneakers when I felt a noticeable shadow fall over me. I glanced up to see Katelyn and her four 'friends'. I let out a huge breath and continued to lace my shoes. Katelyn coughed, and I pointedly ignored her.
"What the hell was that?" she said rudely, tapping her foot. I finished putting on my shoes, and got to my feet. She backed up a step, hesitating. I was almost six inches taller than she was, and as I proved in the gym, more than a match in strength. I looked around at the faces of her entourage. She and two of them looked like a set of triplets, hair highlighted a fake blonde, brown eyes lined in smoky black. They looked like they were ready to go to prom. I glanced at another girl. She was asian, with long black hair, curled obviously with a curling iron, eyes made the same blue as mine with contacts. She looked like she had cataracts. My eyes flickered to the last girl. Her build was on the heavy side, I perceived, though she was by no means obese. She had extremely red hair, and was about two inches taller than me. I thought she looked like a Viking. I looked back at Kate, and cleared my throat.
"What?" I said politely. She spluttered for a few moments, then paused, gaining composure.
"Just wanted to congratulate you on your little performance," she said. From the way she was saying 'congratulate', and 'performance', I thought she was trying to sound more intelligent. Her voice was high and clear, sharp as a knife, and giving me an extremely annoying headache. "It appears to me that you really are a freak. Like, one of those side-show, circus types of people." She smiled then, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I understood exactly how those tattooed guys on Death Row felt. Not in their jail cells, but while contemplating murder. I smiled back.
"And it appears to me, Katelyn," I said, controlling my emotion as best I could, "that you still don't know the meaning of the word insipid." I turned abruptly and grabbed my backpack, shoving the PE clothes in it. I slung it on my back and turned back to them. I couldn't help giving Kate a tiny salute, then made to walk past.
"Kelsey," she barked, and the big redhead stepped in front of me. I looked at Kate incredulously, and took my backpack off, preparing to have to fight. I had never been in a fight before, but I wasn't about to lie down and say 'Go ahead, stomp on me.'
"I can't believe you're gonna make your bodyguard do the dirty work," I said annoyedly. She laughed, a high, unhumorous sound.
"She's better at these sorts of things, I have to admit," she said pretentiously. I looked at her, smiling shrewdly.
"What sorts of things? Getting her ass kicked?" I snapped. At this, there was a response from the Viking. She sort of grunted, a surprisingly deep sound for a girl, even for one of her size. She rolled the sleeves of her blue sweater up, baring muscular forearms. I rolled up the sleeves of my sweat jacket, showing smaller but equally muscular arms, and bent my knees. She stared at me, like a bear, waiting for any nervous movements. But there were none. Before today, I would have run for my life. I probably wouldn't even have been in this position, I amended. But, even without knowing my exact strength for sure, I wasn't afraid. I knew I could take this girl, and I would.
I rubbed my hands together and stepped up onto the giant falling pad. I heard titters of laughter and shot a sidelong glance to the back of the line, where Katelyn was whispering to her friends. She looked straight at me, eyes full of malice, and I turned around again. I smiled to myself at the image of her stricken face, mouth open in surprised horror. I gripped my hands on the rope, feeling butterflies. I looked up at the roof. There were criss-crossing steel beams, onto which the thick rope was attached. There was a tiny bell right next to it, with which one could show off one's rope-climbing abilities. I glanced at Mrs. Lin, waiting for the go-ahead. She held up her stopwatch, and I looked back up readily.
"Go!" came her sharp voice, and I shot up the rope. It felt natural, like walking, or swimming. I had my right leg wrapped through the rope and my left hanging beside it. I used only my arms, and was flying upward. I reached the top within ten seconds, and was going so fast that I flipped over the beam, dangling from the opposite side. Still hanging onto the cold dusty steel, I poked the bell, glaring down mockingly. I swung onto the rope again and climbed down just as fast. When I was a little more than half way down, I let go of the rope and dropped the rest of the way, landing in a crouched manner. I stood up and grinned at Mrs. Lin. Her mouth was agape as she flicked off the stopwatch. She looked back at me incredulously, then at her clipboard.
"Fifteen seconds," she muttered, shaking her head. I felt a thrill at this number, and walked over to the bleachers. I took my usual seat and felt extreme pleasure at the sight of Katelyn's face, pasty white and shocked beyond reason. My eyes flickered to Nick, and the contentment was gone, replaced by nausea and, steadily growing, self-disgust. He was looking at me unbelievingly, like most of the class, but differently than I had hoped. His mouth, unlike Kate's, was closed, but clamped shut, nostrils flared. His eyes were open wide, unblinking. I lowered my eyes to the floor, where my pride was, and set my chin on my knees. Nick was afraid of me.
Mrs. Lin's sharp voice echoed through the gym, dismissing the class. I dragged myself to the locker room, and, thankfully, was the first person there. I opened Gwen's locker and took out my backpack, clothes, and shoes, exchanging them for her running shoes. I changed, folding up the new PE clothes and setting them on the bench, and was shoving my feet into my sneakers when I felt a noticeable shadow fall over me. I glanced up to see Katelyn and her four 'friends'. I let out a huge breath and continued to lace my shoes. Katelyn coughed, and I pointedly ignored her.
"What the hell was that?" she said rudely, tapping her foot. I finished putting on my shoes, and got to my feet. She backed up a step, hesitating. I was almost six inches taller than she was, and as I proved in the gym, more than a match in strength. I looked around at the faces of her entourage. She and two of them looked like a set of triplets, hair highlighted a fake blonde, brown eyes lined in smoky black. They looked like they were ready to go to prom. I glanced at another girl. She was asian, with long black hair, curled obviously with a curling iron, eyes made the same blue as mine with contacts. She looked like she had cataracts. My eyes flickered to the last girl. Her build was on the heavy side, I perceived, though she was by no means obese. She had extremely red hair, and was about two inches taller than me. I thought she looked like a Viking. I looked back at Kate, and cleared my throat.
"What?" I said politely. She spluttered for a few moments, then paused, gaining composure.
"Just wanted to congratulate you on your little performance," she said. From the way she was saying 'congratulate', and 'performance', I thought she was trying to sound more intelligent. Her voice was high and clear, sharp as a knife, and giving me an extremely annoying headache. "It appears to me that you really are a freak. Like, one of those side-show, circus types of people." She smiled then, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I understood exactly how those tattooed guys on Death Row felt. Not in their jail cells, but while contemplating murder. I smiled back.
"And it appears to me, Katelyn," I said, controlling my emotion as best I could, "that you still don't know the meaning of the word insipid." I turned abruptly and grabbed my backpack, shoving the PE clothes in it. I slung it on my back and turned back to them. I couldn't help giving Kate a tiny salute, then made to walk past.
"Kelsey," she barked, and the big redhead stepped in front of me. I looked at Kate incredulously, and took my backpack off, preparing to have to fight. I had never been in a fight before, but I wasn't about to lie down and say 'Go ahead, stomp on me.'
"I can't believe you're gonna make your bodyguard do the dirty work," I said annoyedly. She laughed, a high, unhumorous sound.
"She's better at these sorts of things, I have to admit," she said pretentiously. I looked at her, smiling shrewdly.
"What sorts of things? Getting her ass kicked?" I snapped. At this, there was a response from the Viking. She sort of grunted, a surprisingly deep sound for a girl, even for one of her size. She rolled the sleeves of her blue sweater up, baring muscular forearms. I rolled up the sleeves of my sweat jacket, showing smaller but equally muscular arms, and bent my knees. She stared at me, like a bear, waiting for any nervous movements. But there were none. Before today, I would have run for my life. I probably wouldn't even have been in this position, I amended. But, even without knowing my exact strength for sure, I wasn't afraid. I knew I could take this girl, and I would.