Disclaimer: Okay really ... Nuff said.
Deds: To all my reviewers, you guys are awesome. And to SWG for letting
me talk fic with you. Bouncing off ideas generally helps me write lol.
Anyways, I hope you all like it.
Here With Me: Chapter Four
Joan was halfway to school when her brother finally caught up with her. She had left the house early this morning in hopes that "Sam", as her friends and family knew him, would walk with her to school. Unfortunately though, she hadn't seen since she ran into him yesterday after noon. Not really wanting to walk alone she let Luke tag along behind her. Well, not that she let him, rather than he just stayed a few feet behind her.
None of her family had questioned her on why she was home so late, nor did Adam or Grace try to call her. Which was just as well since she didn't think she had the strength to explain everything, especially to Adam. Quietly the Girardi siblings walked up the stone steps and through the doors of the High school. Luke had gone the opposite direction Joan was heading in when she was stopped just past the front office.
Gavin Price, their "beloved tyrant of a VP" as Grace once snarked, poked his head out and calls out to her. "Miss Girardi?" A reflexed groan escaped her lips as she slowly turns around and casts him a feigned, yet tight, smile. Indicating to his office, "A word, please..." Joan opened her mouth, about to protest that she needed to get to her locker, when he cuts in with a soft, yet stern "Now."
Joan sighed and walked into his office, then sat down in the chair opposite his desk and waited nervously for him to speak.
"Okay... look, whatever it is, I didn't do it ..."
"So yesterday afternoon you didn't just cut out of school abruptly?"
"Uh... okay, so... you've obviously talked to my mother already..."
Price nodded and then sat down behind his desk, "Obviously."
Joan smiled sheepishly, "And there's nothing I can add to my own defense before you hand out my sentence?" Hoping maybe she could get at least one good word in, though she highly doubted it.
Price raised his brow, slightly amused by her question. "It depends..." He said, crossing his arms "Will I find myself listening to an encore performance of your "I'm building a boat" routine?" He sighed softly, "What is it this time, Joan? A cruise liner?"
Joan gave him her 'haha funny' look, then sighing loudly she leaned back in the chair, slouching down a bit. "Okay... how much trouble am I in?"
"How does finishing out the rest of the week in detention sound to you?"
With a dejected sign Joan nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair." she said quietly. Price looked at her with slight surprise, as he was awaiting the usual backtalk and comments that he was sure would follow. But Joan just sat there, eyes wandering around the room. Price nodded and then excused Joan, telling her to be sure to get to class on time. Joan nodded and left his office.
Upon entering the hallway she was approached by both Adam and Grace, each wore a look of surprise and slight amusement.
"So what'd you do to get sucked into the office of doom?" Grace asked, leaning against the wall.
"Detention." Joan said, then started down the hall, but was stopped when Grace blocked her path. Joan let out an annoyed and tired sigh as she looked up at Grace.
"Did it have anything to do with you bolting from school yesterday?"
"Yeah .. kinda."
Adam watched the exchange between them. Joan looked tired and seemed more withdrawn and not her usual talkative self. Adam couldn't help but ask ..
"Cha, Jane .. What happened yesterday?"
Joan looked up but immediately avoided direct eye contact with him. She knew he could read her, like a book almost. And what's the saying .... the eyes are the windows to the soul? Yeah, that's it.
"I .. don't really want to talk about it right now." She said as she started past Grace, "Oh and study group will have to wait till I get home I guess."
"No biggie, we'll just crash at your place." Grace said with a shrug. Adam just nodded in agreement as he watched Joan nod back and retreat down the hall.
"Do you think she's okay?" Adam asked, looking over at Grace.
"No."
"Do you-"
"I have an idea." She said, already knowing what he was going to ask. Adam just nodded. "We should get to class, yo."
"Should, being the operative word here." Grace said, smirking as the bell sounded. "Now we can go to class."
The rest of the day went slow, at least Joan thought so. She'd done a fairly good job of keeping to herself and remaining quiet for most of her classes. She didn't feel the need to exert any unneeded energy into her assignments and lessons. Actually, she wasn't really paying attention at all. Joan glanced over at Adam a few times but turned away when he glanced back. It was hard for her not to talk to him as much as it was for her to even say hi. Every time she opened her mouth to say something to him she couldn't feel the tears want to form. As much as she tried she couldn't get the image of what happened out of her head. She didn't even know how she was going to handle study group tonight, knowing both of them were going to be there.
The final bell rang and Joan took her time getting to her locker and taking out her AP Chem book and the notes she'd need for study group. She was on her way to the office when her mother stopped her.
"Joan? Do you want me to wait for you?"
"No, that's okay. I think the fresh air will be good."
Helen nodded, "Is Grace and Adam going to be over?"
"Yeah, they'll get there before me. And Iris too."
"Oh... Okay then. I'll see you at home honey."
Helen gave her daughter a short hug before letting her go. Joan smiled as she continued to the office, but stopped for a moment and turned to her mother.
"Mom? Thanks anyways." She said with a small smile before walking into the office. Helen smiled back, took the keys out of her purse and headed outside.
Joan walked into the office and noticed Price's door was shut. Shrugging, she sat down on the bench against the glass window and waited patiently, glancing every now and then at her watch. A minute or two passed before Joan started placing her earphones on, which was the exact same moment that Price opened his door and stuck his head out.
Catching sight of the young student, "Miss Girardi."
Though his voice held a soft tone, it was still harsh and stern enough to startle a yelp out of Joan. She gazed slowly, reluctantly, at him as she tossed him a compliant smile.
With one crook of his finger, he indicated her to enter. Joan sat up begrudgingly, quietly grumbling How the hell did I get into this mess?... which suddenly caused her to glance skywards at an apology. She slowly walked into his office as Mr. Price made his way towards his file cabinets.
He reached into his cabinet and, with his back towards her, began pulling out very thick file folders. Price placed each folder one on top of the other, while Joan watched him with silent dread. She began feeling an awkward quiet upon them, which caused her to shift uneasily in her place. Her eyes landed on the chair and as she slowly made her towards it, his voice halted her efforts.
"Don't bother taking a seat just yet, Miss Girardi."
Joan bit back a groan and feigned a smile that he obviously wasn't going to see anyway, considering that his back was still facing her. As the silence started to grow thick enough to agitate Joan, she spoke up with a question that she's been wondering about since the last bell rang. "Uh, Mr. Price? I know that this might sound like a stupid question, but... I don't know much about how this whole thing works-- considering that I've never really been in detention-- but aren't there usually other kids around and, like, isn't there a designated classroom for this sort of... thing?" Rambling seemed to be a forte with the young Girardi, considering how nervous she was upon asking such a question.
To her surprise, Price allowed a soft chuckle to escape his lips. He turned his body towards her, facing the young student. "In other words, you're wondering why I'm having you serve your sentence in my office and not in the present company of your delinquent peers?"
She nodded with a meek reply, "Uh... yeah..."
Price closed the top cabinet as he placed one more folder on the piled stack. He gave a slight shrug as he walked over towards his desk chair. He indicated for her to take a seat, just as he began taking his. Price folded his hands together and began, "In a way, you'd have to thank your mother."
"Excuse me?" Joan nearly choked, stunned.
"Your mother came to me and asked if I could go easy on your punishment for skipping class yesterday. That you had a lot on your mind, and that she's positive that you won't ever do such a thing again. In all truth, I was originally going to give you a single afternoon's worth of detention. Other students have done considerably far worst than your offense."
Baffled, Joan stared at him. She was unsure whether or not to be upset at her mother or at Price. Deciding that Mr. Price was an easier target, "So... I'm serving four afternoon's in your office just because my mother tried to defend my situation?"
He gave a simple nod as he held a smile that could easily be found, to Joan's disgust, on one of God's many forms. "Basically."
"Why?"
"Because Mrs. Helen Girardi was thinking more along the lines of a mother of a truant student. If she had decided to think along the lines of a teacher, or as an administrator, as it falls in my case... your mother would realize that having you sit in a classroom for two mere hours, doing nothing of the sort, would not aptly teach you a lesson. Nor would it make you ponder over the ramifications of your offenses."
Joan stared at him, mouth slightly gaped over his lecture. She watched as he stood up and place one hand on the stack of folders. "For the next four days, you are to help me reorganize my paperwork. Starting with this pile," He gave it a firm tap, "Right here."
She got up from her seat, eyeing the folders with a weary glare. With an inward groan, "Yes, sir."
He tossed her a Cheshire cat smile, "Good. Now, I have to talk to Mr. Owens in the teacher's lounge, so I'll be back in a few minutes." His voice stern as he instructed, "You are not to answer my phone and if anyone comes in and asks for me, tell them that I'm in a conference. Are we clear?"
"Crystal..." Joan sighed and fought back the urge to rub her temples in front of him.
Price eyed her for a while, as if contemplating his next words. He turned, headed towards the door, but spun around to face her again. "And Joan?"
She looked up at him, expectedly and with somewhat dread, "Yes?"
To her surprise, his gaze matched the tone of his voice, which were
soft and compassionate. He left her alone in his office to digest his parting
words, "The easiest thing to do is just run out and away from our problems...
unfortunately, it's the most painful because they never really leave you.
Think about that while your alphabetizing those forms."
Letting out a very relieved sigh, Joan pushed open the front doors of the school and started down the steps. A small smile spread across her lips when she seen 'Sam' waiting at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the railing. He looked up at her, squinting slightly due to the sun high in the sky and smiled at her.
"You waited for me?" She asked, mildly surprised to see him there.
"I'm a patient person Joan. I've waited for longer periods of time before." He said, pushing himself off the railing and starting off in the direction of her house.
"I bet." She said with a small smirk as she walked up next to him. "I'm having my friends over for a study group tonight. Do you .. want to join us?"
She looked over at him when he didn't answer right away. A small part of her hoped he'd say no, but she actually did want him there. She felt guilty at the thought of only wanting him there because Iris would be there with Adam. Yes, she felt mighty guilty over that thought. But then again, he was her friend. She tried to push the thoughts from her mind, thanking .. well .. him, that he couldn't read them.
She watched him while she walked, hoping for an answer before they got home. She could tell he was contemplating. She wondered what he had to contemplate, it wasn't that hard of a question really. What he was thinking about, un-beknown to her, was whether or not he should accept. He knew what would happen there. He'd seen it. The only thing he didn't see was anything and everything that had to do with Joan. He knew Adam, Iris and Grace would be there, talking to each other and waiting for her to come home. He knew Adam would try to push away everything he felt for her when she did return and he knew Iris would try to ignore there was ever a "them" to begin with. He knew Grace would make some remark to Iris about Joan and Adam, he knew Iris would retort and he knew Adam would tell them to stop. But some of this might not come to pass if he said yes to her.
Everything was a choice. And with choices would come consequences. He knew this, but he accepted her offer anyways. She smiled at him and said thanks. He just smiled back and the rest of the walk was held in silence. As they came upon her house she was relieved to see that neither her parents or Kevin weren't home yet. She jogged up the small steps to her porch and stopped at the door. She turned to him and smiled nervously.
"They uh ... don't know you're coming yet. So just let me tell them." Then she opened the door and walked inside.
All three of the visitors looked over as the door opened and Joan walked inside. Grace gave Joan a small nod of acknowledgment before going to back to her homework. Adam and Iris both said hello, though it sounded forced coming from Iris. She tried to glare at the squeaky girl.
"Hey guys. I hope you don't mind, but I brought a friend of mine with. We met up on the way home. Okay?" Joan asked, her back against the door and her hand still on the doorknob.
Grace looked up, "What is this the dating game?" She said with a slight sneer.
"Sure Joan, es su casa and all." Iris said with an indifferent shrug.
"English is not your forte is it?" Grace said without looking up from her book, "Why am I even surprised"
Adam just nodded, though the curiosity on his face was quite apparent. He wondered who her friend was and if they've been friends for awhile, a new acquaintance or if they knew the person at all.
"Great!" Joan said, glad they had agreed. "Be right back." She said, then opening the door and stepping out onto the porch.
"Oh good, you're still here." She said, upon seeing him leaning against the stone pillar just outside her door.
He just raised his brow and smiled, amused, as Joan started to 'lay it down' on what she was going to tell her friends.
"Okay, I'm going to introduce you to my friends and Iris, of course I know you know them all, but they don't know that. So just ... play along. I mean .. don't lie or anything .. because I know your against that and stuff. Okay?" She asked, hoping he would agree.
He just nodded. "Good!" She exclaimed, then turned and opened the door. Unconsciously she grabbed him by the hand and led him inside her house to meet her friends. This was something she's wanted to do since he started appearing to her. But until now she couldn't. She, of course, wouldn't tell them that this is the guy that tells her to do all the weird and crazy things she does. But at least she could 'share' a little bit of him with two of the most important people in her life.
As the door opened, everyone looked over at the same time. Joan and 'Sam' walked inside, closing the door behind them. Joan led him, still holding his hand, into the center of the room to introduce him to her friends. Adam looked over at them and noticed their hands, entwined between them, then looked up to meet Joan's 'friend' and found himself in a state of quiet shock.
"Guys, this is my good friend Sam." She said, then looking over to him, "Sam, this is Grace, Adam and Iris." He gave them a small wave of acknowledgment.
Adam stared at Sam. He couldn't believe it. Joan's friend was the same young man she had danced with at the party. The same one that Joan had claimed was "different" from him and yet here she is holding his hand. Though, he didn't have the right to be angry or jealous, as he was with Iris now. But he couldn't help but feeling a little bit of envy.
Joan led 'Sam' to the couch where they both sat down. Adam watched them as they sat and noticed a good distance between them and that they weren't holding hands anymore. He glanced at Joan before going back to his chemistry paper.
Grace looked up and nodded at 'Sam', then pointed the end of her pencil at him and looked over at Joan. "Does it talk?"
"Yes he talks Grace." She said in mild annoyance at her friends question.
Grace rolled her eyes and went back to her paper. Iris smiled at both 'Sam' and Joan. "So where'd you two meet?" She asked curiously.
"The party." mumbled Adam, not really as much attention to his paper as he was supposed to.
"What?" Iris asked as she looked over at Adam. He looked up from his paper and looked over at Iris as if she tried to get his attention.
"What?"
"What party A?"
Adam glanced over at Joan and Sam, she looked at him with a similar questioning gaze, but he shook his head and looked back at his paper. "It's nothing. Nevermind."
Joan frowned, knowing what he was refering to. She looked back at Iris and decided to answer, not really wanting to dwell on that particular moment.
"Uhm, I guess we met a few days before I joined AP Chem." She said with a shrug, "Though it seems like forever at times." She smiled, hoping that would cure everyone's curiosity for the time being.
"Cool." replied Iris, "So how long have you two been going out?"
"G.. going out?" Joan faultered, "Oh, we're not going out." She said with a small somewhat nervous laugh.
'Sam' looked over at Joan, an expression of mock hurt on his face, "We're not? Joan, I really wished you would have said something. All this time ..." He trailed off.
Joan looked at him with a horrified expression. She was at a complete loss for words, and apparently so was everyone else. She blinked a few times and then leaned in.
"What are you doing!" She hissed.
'Sam' let out a small laugh, "Relax Joan, I was just teasing" he said aloud, for everyone else to hear. Then he looked at her friends "It's okay, we're not together."
Adam didn't know who looked more relieved to hear that, him or Joan. Even though they were just friends and nothing more, Adam still didn't care much for this Sam person.
Joan playfully smacked 'Sam' on the arm. "That was so not funny."
"Yes it was." He said with a somewhat highly amused smile. Joan just shook her head. "Okay, enough messing around. We have a Chem test to study for."
----------------
The end! Well, not really. Hehe. See, God does have a sense of humor.
Wow, getting two chapters out in a week. That's like ... a record for me.
Anyways, I hope it was enjoyable.
