Author's Note: This fic is by no means finished. Hell this chapter isn't
even finished yet so if you like it the way it is you had better save it
because I guarantee changes will be made in the future. Please read and
respond. This fic is rated PG-13 for now but it will go up to R in the next
couple of chapters.
P.S. I absolutely love writing cliffhangers even though I really don't like reading them (for the obvious reason).
Disclaimer: I do not own Joan Girardi or Adam Rove. Iris I wouldn't take if you gave her to me (sorry I agree with Adam and Joan, her voice bugs me.) Also I use a line in this fic that is a blatant rip off of the movie Ten Things I Hate About You.
Chapter 1: The Worst Day
Joan made her way down the long corridor to her locker, moving slowly on the crutches and carefully side stepping people as they pushed each other to get past her. She was within sight of the small metal door when all of a sudden...Wham! Her crutches went flying and Joan landed with an audible thud right on her butt in the middle of the crowded hallway. Expecting to see the hand of the careless walker extended to help her stand, Joan looked up. Instead of a hand she saw a tear streaked face looming ominously above her. She froze when she realized to whom those tears belonged; when she realized who had pushed her.
"Are you happy now?! You stole my boyfriend! You took the one good thing I had going in my life! YOU BITCH!" Iris's face contorted miserably as she screamed at the still immobile Joan. "I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU DIE, JOAN GIRARDI!" and with that Iris tore down the hallway in the opposite direction from which she had come, pushing through the crowd of spectators that had gathered around to watch the confrontation
Joan stared, slack-jawed, at her retreating figure, not sure what to do or say or even think. What had Iris meant when she had said that Joan had stolen her boyfriend? What had happened between Iris and Adam that would make her explode like that? Joan had barely been lukewarm to Adam since he and Iris had been dating. She didn't want to acknowledge that she had lost her chance to be with Adam. Rather than trying to break them up or anything cruel like that, she had simply tried to pretend that they didn't exist. And her plan had, for the most part, been a success. Her interaction with Adam had remained on a fairly platonic level...until last night.
Last night had been wonderful. His hands had been so gentle and caring that she couldn't have pulled away from his touch even if she had wanted to. And she sure as hell hadn't wanted to. Subtle waves of electricity had worked their way up to her heart from her battered ankle when he had so innocently and delicately played with her ace bandage. She'd felt like a real-life Cinderella when he tenderly replaced her old, worn in slipper back on her foot. But that was last night...what had happened here, just a moment ago, was confusing enough. 'I've got to talk to Adam,' Joan thought.
Still recovering from shock, Joan failed to notice that someone had come up behind her and was standing, staring down the hallway that Iris had just run down.
Adam's expression mirrored Joan's. He hadn't expected her to take their break up well but this was ridiculous. And she blamed Jane. Jane had so little to do with his decision it wasn't even funny. She hadn't even attempted to break them up, which had slightly bruised his ego. She had just left the two of them to figure things out for themselves. Of course Jane was added incentive for breaking up sooner rather than later but he had known for at least a week now that the time to end it was approaching. Last night had just been the final push he had needed to get himself into gear and stop dragging the whole ordeal out.
Now he had to get it together. He had instigated this and he had to make sure that Iris didn't take her revenge any further. But first things first, he had to do the decent thing and help Joan up.
Slowly, Adam held out his hand to Joan who remained oblivious to his presence. Noticing her lack of response, Adam, now unexplainably nervous, squatted down to Joan's level and tentatively brushed the back of his hand across her cheek.
Joan's head whipped around and she found herself gazing into the deep pool's that made up Adam's eyes. Her pulsed raced as her breath left her lungs.
"Are you ok, Jane? Do you want a hand?" Adam nearly whispered, again offering his hand to Joan.
"Uhh.... Yeah...." was all that Joan could say but before she had time to kick herself for sounding like a loser, she was back on her feet, and crutches, and Adam was handing her backpack to her.
"Do you think I should try to find her?" came Adam's barely audible question. His brow was now knit with worry at what Iris might do, to herself and to anyone who happened to cross her path. He may have broken up with her but that didn't mean that he didn't still care about her as a friend and he certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to her because of him.
"I don't think now is a very good time to do that," Joan replied. "Besides, you and I have a serious conversation waiting to be had as well." As she said this, her eyes turned to steel as she tried to form her next question in her mind. But for all her efforts to gently get the message across, it still didn't come out right.
"What did she mean that I stole her boyfriend? What did you do to her to make her flip out like that and come in here today accusing me of stealing you from her? What the hell is going on here?"
Adam stood there, completely speechless. Was she actually trying to blame him for Iris' blow up? Well, if she thought she could do that, she had another think coming.
"Yeah, Joan, what did poor stupid Adam do this time to piss someone off? Why don't you tell me because I'm not sure what I might have done. I tend to space out and forget everything that happens, ever. I broke up with Iris with the sole purpose being that I wanted to see her freak out at school and push the girl I lo...I mean my best friend, who is already injured, onto her ass. This was the master plan and as you can see it worked out just fine. The world makes sense again. Damn it all Joan! I didn't want this to happen and you're acting like I planned this." Adam spun around and began walking, nearly running, down the hall and out of the school. Just as he walked through the double doors to freedom, the bell rang.
"Shit!" Joan swore as she sped down the hallway as fast as she could, hoping that her crutches slowing her down would be a good enough excuse to get her out of detention.
"Miss Girardi. I'm surprised at you. I would have figured that you would have been happily dozing off in class by now." Principal Price's voice rang through the halls.
She had made it to within five feet of the door to her AP Chemistry class before she realized she was doomed.
"And don't even think I'll buy the excuse that you were slowed down by your crutches. Two days of detention for you. I'll see you tonight. Now get to class Miss Girardi." With justice having been served, Price turned around, with a smug smile on his face, and left Joan standing there alone.
'Damn. This day just can't get any worse.' With that thought still ringing in her mind, Joan pushed the door to her chemistry class open. She glanced around the room at the rows of silent students bent over sheets of paper, writing furiously. Her ears were immediately greeted by the shrill voice of Ms. Lischak.
"Thank you, Joan, for gracing us with your presence today. As you can see, you have a pop quiz to complete this period. Please sit down and join your classmates, that is if it's not too inconvenient for you."
Her face burning with embarrassment, Joan mentally added Ms. Lischak to her hit list and worked her way to her desk. She quickly sat down and began to work her way through the quiz. But no matter how many times she read and reread the questions, they just didn't make any sense to her. Finally admitting defeat, Joan scribbled down some answers that made no sense and handed in the quiz just as the bell to end first period rang. Grateful to be through with her most grueling class of the day, Joan quickly grabbed her backpack and left the room.
"Where do you think you're going, Joan?" The familiar voice sent a chill down Joan's spine. Only one person...well entity, could sound so demanding but still seem so innocent.
With yet another sigh of resignation, Joan stopped and waited for the teenage boy dressed all in black to catch up with her before she continued down the hallway. The boy was sporting a dog collar and an apparently new nose piercing and his face was covered in white and black makeup so thick that it would make a clown sick.
"Why ask? You know my schedule; first Chem. and then history." Joan responded. "And what is today's Mission from the Almighty?"
Ignoring her usual attitude, Goth God quietly replied "You're going to skip the rest of your classes today."
"WHAT! I can't do that! My Mom will kill me! There is NO way I'm skipping class." Joan proclaimed indignantly.
"Well Joan, as with everything else I tell you to do, you have a choice but remember what happened the last time you didn't listen to me." God observed Joan's astonished expression. He'd never openly guilted her before, but this time it was different. This time she had to do what He told her to do the first time. If she didn't, she'd never forgive herself. "You're to skip your classes for the rest of the day and you're to go up to the roof of the school."
"This is so unfair. If my parents find out that I skipped class, they'll ground me for a month. Possibly even a year. I mean, I already have detention. Isn't that good enough?"
"Don't worry, Joan. You know that I always take care of you, especially when you think that things can't get any worse." With that reassurance, Goth God turned around and walked down the corridor. Joan watched God go. A crowd of students passed in front of her line of vision and when they moved, God was gone.
'Great. Just great. Go up to the roof and what, twiddle my thumbs?' Moving as fast as she could, still being on crutches, Joan went up the stairwell that lead to the roof, praying that she'd make it there before the bell rang and she was stuck with another day of detention. When she reached the door to the top of the building, it was already open. A freezing winter draft swept through the open door, leaving the stairway frigidly cold.
Suspicious, Joan cautiously pushed the door the rest of the way open. She nearly screamed with terror at the situation that assailed her eyes. Iris, tears still streaming down her cheeks, was standing on the very edge of the five-story building, looking up at the sky. She just stood there, letting the icy wind whip across her upturned face. It seemed almost like she was searching for answers in the gloomy gray snow clouds.
Suddenly, Iris nodded her head, as if she had finally heard the answer she wanted, and spread her arms out from her sides. In the harsh cold, she looked like a graceful eagle waiting to spring off its perch high above the world.
P.S. I absolutely love writing cliffhangers even though I really don't like reading them (for the obvious reason).
Disclaimer: I do not own Joan Girardi or Adam Rove. Iris I wouldn't take if you gave her to me (sorry I agree with Adam and Joan, her voice bugs me.) Also I use a line in this fic that is a blatant rip off of the movie Ten Things I Hate About You.
Chapter 1: The Worst Day
Joan made her way down the long corridor to her locker, moving slowly on the crutches and carefully side stepping people as they pushed each other to get past her. She was within sight of the small metal door when all of a sudden...Wham! Her crutches went flying and Joan landed with an audible thud right on her butt in the middle of the crowded hallway. Expecting to see the hand of the careless walker extended to help her stand, Joan looked up. Instead of a hand she saw a tear streaked face looming ominously above her. She froze when she realized to whom those tears belonged; when she realized who had pushed her.
"Are you happy now?! You stole my boyfriend! You took the one good thing I had going in my life! YOU BITCH!" Iris's face contorted miserably as she screamed at the still immobile Joan. "I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU DIE, JOAN GIRARDI!" and with that Iris tore down the hallway in the opposite direction from which she had come, pushing through the crowd of spectators that had gathered around to watch the confrontation
Joan stared, slack-jawed, at her retreating figure, not sure what to do or say or even think. What had Iris meant when she had said that Joan had stolen her boyfriend? What had happened between Iris and Adam that would make her explode like that? Joan had barely been lukewarm to Adam since he and Iris had been dating. She didn't want to acknowledge that she had lost her chance to be with Adam. Rather than trying to break them up or anything cruel like that, she had simply tried to pretend that they didn't exist. And her plan had, for the most part, been a success. Her interaction with Adam had remained on a fairly platonic level...until last night.
Last night had been wonderful. His hands had been so gentle and caring that she couldn't have pulled away from his touch even if she had wanted to. And she sure as hell hadn't wanted to. Subtle waves of electricity had worked their way up to her heart from her battered ankle when he had so innocently and delicately played with her ace bandage. She'd felt like a real-life Cinderella when he tenderly replaced her old, worn in slipper back on her foot. But that was last night...what had happened here, just a moment ago, was confusing enough. 'I've got to talk to Adam,' Joan thought.
Still recovering from shock, Joan failed to notice that someone had come up behind her and was standing, staring down the hallway that Iris had just run down.
Adam's expression mirrored Joan's. He hadn't expected her to take their break up well but this was ridiculous. And she blamed Jane. Jane had so little to do with his decision it wasn't even funny. She hadn't even attempted to break them up, which had slightly bruised his ego. She had just left the two of them to figure things out for themselves. Of course Jane was added incentive for breaking up sooner rather than later but he had known for at least a week now that the time to end it was approaching. Last night had just been the final push he had needed to get himself into gear and stop dragging the whole ordeal out.
Now he had to get it together. He had instigated this and he had to make sure that Iris didn't take her revenge any further. But first things first, he had to do the decent thing and help Joan up.
Slowly, Adam held out his hand to Joan who remained oblivious to his presence. Noticing her lack of response, Adam, now unexplainably nervous, squatted down to Joan's level and tentatively brushed the back of his hand across her cheek.
Joan's head whipped around and she found herself gazing into the deep pool's that made up Adam's eyes. Her pulsed raced as her breath left her lungs.
"Are you ok, Jane? Do you want a hand?" Adam nearly whispered, again offering his hand to Joan.
"Uhh.... Yeah...." was all that Joan could say but before she had time to kick herself for sounding like a loser, she was back on her feet, and crutches, and Adam was handing her backpack to her.
"Do you think I should try to find her?" came Adam's barely audible question. His brow was now knit with worry at what Iris might do, to herself and to anyone who happened to cross her path. He may have broken up with her but that didn't mean that he didn't still care about her as a friend and he certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to her because of him.
"I don't think now is a very good time to do that," Joan replied. "Besides, you and I have a serious conversation waiting to be had as well." As she said this, her eyes turned to steel as she tried to form her next question in her mind. But for all her efforts to gently get the message across, it still didn't come out right.
"What did she mean that I stole her boyfriend? What did you do to her to make her flip out like that and come in here today accusing me of stealing you from her? What the hell is going on here?"
Adam stood there, completely speechless. Was she actually trying to blame him for Iris' blow up? Well, if she thought she could do that, she had another think coming.
"Yeah, Joan, what did poor stupid Adam do this time to piss someone off? Why don't you tell me because I'm not sure what I might have done. I tend to space out and forget everything that happens, ever. I broke up with Iris with the sole purpose being that I wanted to see her freak out at school and push the girl I lo...I mean my best friend, who is already injured, onto her ass. This was the master plan and as you can see it worked out just fine. The world makes sense again. Damn it all Joan! I didn't want this to happen and you're acting like I planned this." Adam spun around and began walking, nearly running, down the hall and out of the school. Just as he walked through the double doors to freedom, the bell rang.
"Shit!" Joan swore as she sped down the hallway as fast as she could, hoping that her crutches slowing her down would be a good enough excuse to get her out of detention.
"Miss Girardi. I'm surprised at you. I would have figured that you would have been happily dozing off in class by now." Principal Price's voice rang through the halls.
She had made it to within five feet of the door to her AP Chemistry class before she realized she was doomed.
"And don't even think I'll buy the excuse that you were slowed down by your crutches. Two days of detention for you. I'll see you tonight. Now get to class Miss Girardi." With justice having been served, Price turned around, with a smug smile on his face, and left Joan standing there alone.
'Damn. This day just can't get any worse.' With that thought still ringing in her mind, Joan pushed the door to her chemistry class open. She glanced around the room at the rows of silent students bent over sheets of paper, writing furiously. Her ears were immediately greeted by the shrill voice of Ms. Lischak.
"Thank you, Joan, for gracing us with your presence today. As you can see, you have a pop quiz to complete this period. Please sit down and join your classmates, that is if it's not too inconvenient for you."
Her face burning with embarrassment, Joan mentally added Ms. Lischak to her hit list and worked her way to her desk. She quickly sat down and began to work her way through the quiz. But no matter how many times she read and reread the questions, they just didn't make any sense to her. Finally admitting defeat, Joan scribbled down some answers that made no sense and handed in the quiz just as the bell to end first period rang. Grateful to be through with her most grueling class of the day, Joan quickly grabbed her backpack and left the room.
"Where do you think you're going, Joan?" The familiar voice sent a chill down Joan's spine. Only one person...well entity, could sound so demanding but still seem so innocent.
With yet another sigh of resignation, Joan stopped and waited for the teenage boy dressed all in black to catch up with her before she continued down the hallway. The boy was sporting a dog collar and an apparently new nose piercing and his face was covered in white and black makeup so thick that it would make a clown sick.
"Why ask? You know my schedule; first Chem. and then history." Joan responded. "And what is today's Mission from the Almighty?"
Ignoring her usual attitude, Goth God quietly replied "You're going to skip the rest of your classes today."
"WHAT! I can't do that! My Mom will kill me! There is NO way I'm skipping class." Joan proclaimed indignantly.
"Well Joan, as with everything else I tell you to do, you have a choice but remember what happened the last time you didn't listen to me." God observed Joan's astonished expression. He'd never openly guilted her before, but this time it was different. This time she had to do what He told her to do the first time. If she didn't, she'd never forgive herself. "You're to skip your classes for the rest of the day and you're to go up to the roof of the school."
"This is so unfair. If my parents find out that I skipped class, they'll ground me for a month. Possibly even a year. I mean, I already have detention. Isn't that good enough?"
"Don't worry, Joan. You know that I always take care of you, especially when you think that things can't get any worse." With that reassurance, Goth God turned around and walked down the corridor. Joan watched God go. A crowd of students passed in front of her line of vision and when they moved, God was gone.
'Great. Just great. Go up to the roof and what, twiddle my thumbs?' Moving as fast as she could, still being on crutches, Joan went up the stairwell that lead to the roof, praying that she'd make it there before the bell rang and she was stuck with another day of detention. When she reached the door to the top of the building, it was already open. A freezing winter draft swept through the open door, leaving the stairway frigidly cold.
Suspicious, Joan cautiously pushed the door the rest of the way open. She nearly screamed with terror at the situation that assailed her eyes. Iris, tears still streaming down her cheeks, was standing on the very edge of the five-story building, looking up at the sky. She just stood there, letting the icy wind whip across her upturned face. It seemed almost like she was searching for answers in the gloomy gray snow clouds.
Suddenly, Iris nodded her head, as if she had finally heard the answer she wanted, and spread her arms out from her sides. In the harsh cold, she looked like a graceful eagle waiting to spring off its perch high above the world.