A/N: As funny as this sounds, I've already got chapters 4 and 5 typed, so as soon as this goes up, they do as well. I couldn't think up a chapter title for this one, so I made it basic.
From the Eyes of A Skag
Chapter 3: Back to School
By Preppygirl
School started a few days later. I spent those days flirting with everyone who wasn't Ace. And I mean everyone. Even Jack. Pervert. But by the time school started, I had started going out with this senior, Dan Mettler. Plenty cute, but not a bad boy. And he wasn't a good kisser, either. The only reason I agreed to date him was Ace hated him- thought he was an arrogant little bastard. And he was, too.
I knew what they said at school about me. Quite frankly, I just didn't care. They said I was a slut, a skag, and a whole lot worse. But it was okay. And I'm not just saying that either. I had Ace. And when I didn't? I could have had any boy. Any boy I wanted. Don't think that I'm bragging, or exaggerating, because I'm not. I could. They might move away when I passed them in the halls, but their eyes followed me. If I looked one in the eyes- straight on eye contact- I could see it- the longing, the passion. Then, behind those-- the fear.
I always said I was more than aptly named. If you paraphrase a bit, Claire LeBeau means Clearly The Beautiful One. I'm not making this up. Claire LeBeau- Clearly the Beautiful. And I was.
First day of school sucked. They always do. There're the new teachers, the new kids, the one who didn't know not to challenge me. They didn't always have proper respect. I hated that. I just wanted to take a ruler and break it over their head. I did that once, actually. Third grade.
But anyway... School was... odd. Ever since Ace dropped out his junior year, it had been dead boring. This would have been my junior. But see, since Ace dropped out, I've been bored out of my skull. I've got no one to see in passing periods, or during lunch. No one to argue with, no one to ditch with. Well, sure, Billy and Fuzzy were both still in, as well as my girls. I made the girls stay in school. "You never know," I used to tell them, "when you might be in between guys, and still have to live." But I have to say, I wonder sometimes, if high school ever helped someone like Mandy. But even having them there with me wasn't the same as having Ace.
But even without him, the day was still odd. I had four classes with Jovanna Cameron and one other goody-two-shoes she was hanging out with those days. I never bothered to learn their names. They just weren't important to me. By the end of the day, I was about ready to scream. Dan had been unusually thick headed that day and I felt like the next person to approach me was going to get their head pulled off.
I had a free period last, so I headed to the track.
I've always loved running. I've got really long legs, and can run pretty fast. It's just so peaceful- heart beating, arms pumping, sneakers hitting the ground- ba-bom-ba-bom-ba-bom. Nothing but you and the wind on your face and hair. Take deep breaths- in for two short one, out with a longer one.
However, I hadn't run all summer. I usually didn't. Not because it was too hot or anything, since we live in Maine. It's just that then, I only ran at the Castle Rock High's track. It's nothing fabulous- in fact, Mary Anne, the track coach, had been arguing with the school board for years. I wasn't on the track team, or the cross country team, which were usually the same people anyway. Mary Anne tried to convince me ever since she first saw me run. But come on, me, Claire LeBeau, do a team sport? I refused. But as a student of CRHS, I had the right to use the track.
It was just dirt. It wasn't even packed very hard, or very smoothly. It was a bit bumpy, and other schools refused to have meets there, after 3 people sprained their ankles on it. Wimps. CRHS has a nice track now, named after me, which is ironic, as I wouldn't have run on it anyway.
But I loved that old track. It was nice, running in grooves left by countless other people before me. I loved it best right after it rained. It was muddy then, and when you ran, you kicked mud up on your calves. Then, when you run, it wasn't ba-bom-ba-bom-ba-bom, but whuh-whump-whuh-whump-whuh-whump-whuh-whump. Or you could wait a bit, so that the ground had started to dry, and you would leave footprints that lasted until the next time it rained. But until it rained the next time, you had your stride already perfectly marked into the track. Mary Anne used to hate it when I did that. She tried to scold me once. It ended with her saying "If you join the team, Claire, you can do that whenever you want." I sort of looked at her, and replied "I do it anytime I want anyway, don't I?" then I turned and left the locker rooms, leaving her gaping like a fish, triumphant at having avoided Mary Anne's offer once more.
That afternoon I'm talking about, though, things didn't go exactly as planned. I had started running. Only did about a lap when Jovanna Cameron showed up. How could I have forgotten? She liken to run as much as I did, and probably had gym now.
When we were younger, 'JC' and I had been running buddies, running early every morning, having races down Main. Sometimes I won, sometimes she did. And I would bet every penny I had that she would want to race. And knowing her as I did, the girl who used to be JC, my best friend, had, to all guesses, ran that summer, staying in shape, in running shape, while I, banned from my running haunt, had sat around with the Cobras. She was going to beat me, and I couldn't take it. I slowed down, and started heading for my bag, hoping to slip by without notice.
I slowed down more. Wait just one minute, I told myself firmly. I couldn't just let this chance go by. It was cowardly, passing up on a race just because I was going to loose. I was- am- not a coward. Back then, I couldn't afford to be a coward. I had to be strong. I grabbed my water bottle and drank quickly. Then I steeled my nerves and approached Jovanna Cameron. Bell and she were stretching, talking happily.
"So you're back." This was the first conversation we'd had since she had returned to Castle Rock, and my first real, up close look at the new Jovanna Cameron. "Wonder if you can still run as fast as you use to." I pondered, pulling my hair into a ponytail.
"Maybe," she replied, standing up. I was carefully inspecting her. She was still in shape.
"Bet I could beat you," I challenged. Jovanna Cameron never could refuse a dare like that. But I was lying through my teeth. I couldn't beat her.
"You're on."
"One lap around the track. First to cross the finish line wins," I declared, a small smirk crossing my features.
As we stood behind the line, I happened to look up at the bleachers. Ace and Eyeball were up there. Damn. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the race.
She had stretched, but hadn't run, so one point to me. I wouldn't have to find my stride, as I had made my 'marks' in the track the previous spring, so another point to me. She was in shape though, and I wasn't, so two points to her. 2-2. The race would be close.
"GO!" Bell yelled. I broke into my sprint. Short races were my favorite kind. I quickly gained a lead, but as we headed around the last corner, she came even with my, and by the time we crossed the finish line, she was just barely ahead of me. Just enough to win.
I hurried to my bag, hearing faintly behind me, "Walk it off." I took a drink of water. My head was pounding and my throat dry. It felt like I was going to fait. This didn't normally happen. I drained the rest of the water and chucked the water into my bag. Hurrying into the locker room, I went to the back and climbed the stars the hide behind the last row of lockers. At the top was a door, with an open padlock loosely hung on it. At first glance, the door was locked, but we had opened the lock before and were able to get through.
It led to the old gym. About 10 years before, the school had built a new gym. Instead of tearing down the old one, they left it locked. But they forgot about the stairs, and students curiosity about anything locked up. There was a set of stairs in both locker rooms. The other way in, which is still locked, led to the rest of the school. I had found this place my freshman year, thanks to a informed hint from my brother Adam.
I climbed to the top of the wooden bleachers and sat there a long time, thinking about this new JC- no, not JC, Jovanna Cameron- and how I didn't know this new Jovanna Cameron. No, I didn't know her. Not at all.
Then I picked up my bag and headed to Blue Point Diner.
A/N: DONE! REVIEW!
