Chapter Six: Start of the Longest Afternoon
A/N: My muse must be vacationing in Europe or something because I've been wracking my brain for the past two days... anyway, this chapter alone was pure purging. Purging mostly induced to listening to my Nickelback CD for the past few hours... All the angst and frustration I've felt towards the appearance of Iris and the delaying of J/A getting together will most likely be shown in this chapter. In fact, this has got to be my LONGEST chapter ever. So, yeah, enjoy this one while you can because this is certainly a rare occurrence.
JoA~~JoA~~JoA
The final bell had rung and Joan had made a decision. She was going to put her foot down... at least for today. God said that she should visit Price again, but the Supreme Vagueness Himself never mentioned the when. So she won't visit Mr. Price today... what could happen? He's in the hospital! The safest place anyone could be as far as she was concerned. She'll visit him tomorrow, on their school's waiver day.
Besides, Joan thought proudly to herself, she wasn't going to put her whole life on hold according to God's schedule. Okay, granted that He had made it clear that time was a man-made invention...
"Not today..." Joan spoke softly to herself as she began placing her books inside her locker. "I actually have plans tonight... as sad as they are. But this sub-defective has plans..." She suddenly stopped. Glancing around at the other students, most of whom thankfully weren't paying attention to her in the slightest, Joan silently scolded herself, "And I'm talking to myself. Thanks a lot, God..."
She took a step back from her locker to check her bag for anything else she could unload. With her head down, she was completely unprepared-- not to mention close to having a heart attack --as someone stalked up from behind and slammed her locker shut.
"Hey!"
Joan yelped and literally jumped from shock. Her hand automatically placed itself on her chest, nearest to the heart. Realizing who was responsible for nearly sending her into a coronary, "Grace?!"
Grace glared at her. "Where did you run off to during lunch?" Joan opened her mouth, about to reply with one of her flighty excuses, when Grace held up her hand. Shaking her head, "Never mind. Listen up, okay? I'm only going to say this one more time before I actually decide to take matters into my own hands. You ready?"
Joan stared at Grace, stunned and obviously confused. Not wanting to piss her off anymore than she seems to be, "Uh... sure?"
"Kill it, Giradi. Kill it now, kill it fast, and kill it permanently. Y'know what you did to Rove's art? Where you pulled the chair? Well, I want you to do the exact same thing to Rove's leech. Do it in a way that the Eye will never see the light of day again."
Joan didn't know whether to be afraid of the anger in her voice or the deadly look in her eyes. "Grace, what happened?"
She growled, emphasizing in a way that displays just how much contempt she was feeling, "It happened. It and her twisted assumptions."
Regarding her friend, still confused. "Grace, what happened? What did Iris say or do--"
Getting defensive, "Does it matter, Giradi?"
"Uh, yeah..." Joan bit her lip, realizing what that response could otherwise indicate.
"What? So you're on her side now?" Grace stood up straight, her eyes flashing with disbelief.
She waved her hands defensively, "No! No, no, no!" Joan closed her eyes, sighing, "What I mean is that I don't understand what happened between you and Iris. An-and I-I think that it's important that I know why Iris..." She trailed off and as she glanced at Grace, "Why she needs to be destroyed as you so obviously want me to do... and why me exactly? Why do you want me to be the one to get rid of Squeaky? Why can't you do it?"
Grace rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious, Giradi? Basic military strategy; surprising the enemy? She doesn't like me, I don't like her, we don't trust each other thus she's more than ready to counter-attack anything I throw at her. You? You on the other hand... well, she trusts you more than me. She won't see it coming. Plus, you're pretty harmless... Not to mention that Rove ultimately will pick you over Princess Art any day..."
"Harmless? What is that-- and, wait. Princess Art is his girlfriend, Grace. I wouldn't be so sure..." Joan replied with a more sullen attitude than she would have liked.
Grace smirked with a knowing glance, "Yeah, and Jane is just a nickname."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Y'know," Grace sighed, "As much as I would rather discuss the angst induced hormonal train wreck that is you and Rove's 'relationship', we need. To. Focus! Whatever the plan is, it must be painful and it must be executed as swiftly as possible. We need to get rid of She Who Must Not Squeak Again!"
Refraining from laughter, "Okay, Harry Potter, calm down." Her eyes then glanced past Grace and saw Adam exiting the art room with Iris. "Speaking of..."
Grace turned towards where Joan's attention was and a frustrated growl escaped her lips. Turning once more to Joan before quickly leaving the premise, "Make like Bridgette and think of a way to get rid of Ginger before she snaps and eats Sam. You got that, Giradi?"
Joan stared at Grace, more confused than ever. "Grace?! What... who the hell is Bridgette?!" As she watched her friend stalk away, she heard footsteps approach her. Joan bit back another sigh and mentally prepared herself for what could be another awkward moment shared between herself, Adam, and Iris.
"Hey, Jane." Adam spoke, causing Joan to turn and face him... and apparently only him.
"Hey," She replied, a relieved yet surprised grin on her face. Curiosity getting the best of her, "Where's Squea-- I mean, Iris. Where's Iris?"
Taking a quick glance behind him, then facing Joan again, indicating towards the Main Office, "She had to talk to Principal Chadwick about something..." Joan nodded understandingly before Adam continued, his voice hesitant, "Uh, I saw Grace leave. Is she mad?"
Fighting back a laugh, "Oh... understatement of the year, Rove. What happened at lunch after I left? Everything seemed okay..."
Adam made a face, as if recalling a bad memory. He scratched the back of his head, somewhat nervous. His gaze shifted back and forth between the Main Office and Joan, as if contemplating whether he should tell her.
All it took was Joan placing a concerned hand on his arm, causing him look at her for a decision to be made. "It was okay, Jane. Then you left and... it's-- it's like you were this wall that was, like, the only thing that prevented them from ever fighting." He leaned back against the locker, Joan following suit. She nodded, encouraging him to further explain.
"Iris had gotten this idea to make some kind of big get-well card to present to Price. She wanted to know if that was a good idea and was wondering if, y'know, anyone would be interested. That she'll talk to Chadwick and have the whole school participate. And... Jane, y'know Grace... how she has this way of speaking her mind and, like, it's no big deal."
Joan smiled softly, "Yeah, Grace just speaks her mind. That's what's so great about her."
"Unchallenged." Adam returned the smile, grateful in knowing that 'Jane' would understand. "And Grace wasn't being mean or anything..."
"What did she say?"
"She said that it sounded nice. That it was 'a sad waste of trees and ink,' but an otherwise okay idea. And that she hoped Iris doesn't expect her to sign it. But that's just Grace, y'know? She says things like that..."
Joan slowly nodded, "Iris didn't take what she said too well?"
He shook his head sadly, "No, she didn't..."
"C'mon, Adam, we've heard Grace spout off much worst." Joan chuckled, causing him to laugh softly despite himself.
Adam placed his hands into his jacket pockets, "Yeah... we have, but Iris... she's not used to Grace like we are, Jane. Iris is... well, she's... sensitive. If you knew about her past--"
"I know about her dad, Adam." She replied sadly, giving him an understanding smile.
He nodded, more than relieved that he decided to talk to Joan about the Grace-Iris situation. "Iris had gotten defensive and said that she didn't expect Grace to sign either. Then Grace asked what that was supposed to mean... then Iris threw back with the whole 'Wizard of Oz' reference she made earlier and..." Adam closed his eyes, intentionally banging his head against the locker.
Joan regarded him, worried as she lightly touched his arm, her eyes begging him to stop hurting himself. "Adam, no. Don't-- don't do that..."
The conflicted and tortured look in his eyes had caught Joan's breath. "It didn't end with a shouting match or anything, but the way they were looking at each other... Jane, if Luke and I weren't right there..."
"Hey," Joan reached out, taking his hand into hers. She sighed before her eyes locked onto his, "If it'll make you feel any better, I'll talk to Grace. Make her see that Iris is... sensitive to certain things and that she should be a bit more... considerate of her. For your sake. And you? You go and work on Iris and try to have her understand that this is how Grace is. She's..." She smiled as she recalled what God had told her a few weeks back, "She has this whole new and different way of seeing the world. That's why she's Grace Polk. That's why she's your best friend and that Iris needs to understand that."
Adam stared at her, an awe-inspired smile on his face and in his eyes. "Wow, Jane..." Though there was a hint of relief in his voice, gone was the uncertainty and was replaced with a tinge of sadness, "So, you're really okay now with me and Iris?"
Her eyes blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic. Realizing that she was still holding Adam's hand, she released it and crossed her arms protectively, "Adam... I told you, I am. Why?" She glanced down at the floor, a new thought coming to her mind, though hesitant to ask, "Do you not want me to be okay?"
He crossed his own arms, carefully regarding his words as he began shuffling his feet, "I don't know... maybe, maybe what I should be really asking is... are we okay? Now that I'm with Iris. I know that I've asked that question before and I know we haven't spent as much time together and, well..."
As their eyes locked, Joan smiled reassuringly, at least confidant of this one certainty, "Adam, after what's been happening lately... we're not just okay... we're us. Adam and Jane. Always." Again being comforted by God's words to her, "Our connection can never be broken..."
"Adam and Jane." He spoke softly, smiling at that thought. "Unchallenged."
JoA~~JoA
Iris had just exited Principal Chadwick's office. A quiet, proud smile on her face. Despite her conflicted lunch hour, Iris was in a rather good mood. Especially since she had managed to organize this massive art project for the whole school to participate in. Something that not only would earn her the favor of Mrs. Giradi, but also Mr. Price as well.
Now, she needed to find Adam and maybe make some plans with him tonight. Plans that don't necessarily involve...
"Joan." She spoke with a twinge of jealousy, especially spying her boyfriend right now in deep conversation with her. She watched them for a while, disbelief in her eyes. Iris remembered a few months back how that Giradi girl had wrecked Adam's beautiful artwork. What art student didn't remember that catastrophe? What baffled Iris even more, though she tried not to show it, was how could Adam forgive her and still want her in his life? What made her so special enough for Adam to give her a rather dull nickname like Jane?
JoA~~JoA
Joan resisted the sudden urge to hug him, and instead decided to end the conversation lightly without it going into awkward territory. "Okay, well, I think we've channeled enough Dawson's Creek to last a month..."
Adam grinned, nodding, though not really understanding, "Okay...?"
"Hey." Joan looked over at the voice, watched as Iris approached them from the Main Office. She had cast Joan an acknowledging smile before joining Adam's side.
Once again, Joan watched as Iris slid her hand so easily into Adam's. This had cause a tight knot in her stomach, but she feigned a smile, "Hi, Iris."
"Hi, Joan." She turned to Adam, planting a kiss on his cheek, "Thanks for waiting, A."
Joan had to look down, not knowing what to cringe at most; Iris giving Adam a kiss or Iris calling Adam "A". While her eyes were averted, she hadn't noticed Adam himself give a slight wince at the nickname. Not that he doesn't hate Iris's pet name for him. It was more like a cool cliché that was getting old pretty quickly. Somehow, it didn't exactly have the same appeal like... He glanced at Joan, softly smiling at the thought of his own nickname for her.
"So!" Joan straightened up, "I guess I'll see you guys later? Tonight? That is if you guys want to attend Friedman's little Barney festival..." She trailed off, realizing and questioning which part of the night she was looking most forwards to; spending non school hours with Friedman or enduring watching Iris and Adam all couple-like. That thought alone was beginning to make her reconsider visiting Price.
Before Adam could reply, Iris asked, "Will Grace be there?"
The question caught Joan, as well as Adam, off guard. Before even Joan could reply, Adam glanced down at his girlfriend. "Does it matter, yo?"
Joan bit her lip, holding back a proud cheer. She stood aside, watching the conversation unfold.
Now it was Iris's turn to be surprised, "A, c'mon. She doesn't like me..."
"How do you know? She doesn't know you just yet." Adam took a step back, stunned by his own defensive manner.
"I just know, okay?" Apparently not the only one surprised by his shift in behavior, Iris stepped back as well. Crossing her arms, "And I don't want to spend an entire evening with someone that looks ready to... I don't know, cut my throat? Or were you not there during lunch?"
"Y'know I was there, Iris."
"Right. So you know how rude and unnecessary her comments were. I don't know what she has a problem with more; my idea, me, or the fact that it involves Mr. Price."
"But... Iris, that's just Grace. If she has a problem with anything, she'll speak up about it."
"Uh... maybe I should..." Joan began, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Watching Adam and Iris all lovey-dovey was one thing, but seeing the sudden cool tension between them was just freaking Joan out. She indicated towards the exit behind her, "Yeah, I'll just be..."
Adam looked over at Joan, slight desperation in his eyes, "No, Jane, just wait..."
"I don't believe this..." Iris stared at him, shocked and even a bit hurt. She closed her eyes as she sighed. When she finally opened them, she glanced over at Joan. "Y'know, he's right, you should stay." Then, turning towards Adam, giving him a cold stare, "I'll go. God forbid you should ever let Jane go."
As Iris walked away, refusing to look back, Adam and Joan just silently watched her. Joan bit her lip, waiting for Adam to give her his same helpless look and follow after his girlfriend. Much to her surprise, he remained by her side and didn't seem to be following Iris anytime soon.
"What just happened?" He was the first one to speak.
With a helpless shrug, "I... I think you had your first fight as a couple?"
Adam looked on, "Oh."
"Are-- aren't you going to go after her?" Joan asked despite herself.
He turned towards her, confused. Out of all the responses he could have given her, "Should I?" especially comes to mind, Joan was not expecting him to ask, "Do you want me to?"
Joan didn't know how to reply to that. What should she tell him? She can't tell him "No," because if all pretenses were dropped, it would mean that she wanted him as more than a friend when she still wasn't sure herself! However, she can't tell him "Yes" either, because she honestly could not stand seeing him chase after Iris again.
Adam regarded Joan's silence and began taking it to mean that she wasn't sure of the answer herself. He knew her a lot better than anyone could give him credit for. "Jane?" Indicating towards the school's main doors, and holding out the crook of his arm to her. A gesture that not only threw her off, but certainly got a smile out of her.
"Can I walk you home?"
JoA~~JoA~~JoA
