Author's Notes: Sorry about the update delay! My computer is going haywire. The internet isn't working on my account and it took some convincing for my dad to allow me onto his. Anyhow, here's the chapter and I hope it lives up to your expectations or goes beyond, which ever comes first!
R&R
Enjoy!
♠
Chapter Four: Baby Steps
♠
Jonathan McGregor spun through the main entrance on his heel, his arms outstretched at sides and head bent. Grinning mischievously at the floor, the redhead finished his dramatic entrance by swiping a glossy red apple from a freshman girl's hands, biting into it greedily. He winked and she blushed.
It was always that way; the attention never left him, bad or good. It shrouded Jonny like a spotlight. With his striking features, musky accent and bad-boy demeanor; the suave confidence caused riots among the ladies whose lives he lived in.
However there was one woman immune to his fall-on-your-knees presence. Ms Alonzo, the Vice-Principal.
A stern faced, middle-aged shrew whose expression was permanently secured in an unattractive frown. She retracted into herself and had the look of always bending forward as if she couldn't hear what anyone was saying. Her skin was pulled too tightly across her cheeks and mouth and her hairline began just above devilish arched eyebrows. Although she stood at a harmless five-foot-three, she managed to handle a terrifying authority over those she didn't like.
Some countered her ongoing lectures with humor or butt-kissing diplomacy, yet there still remained the few who coward at the sound of her drill-sergeant voice.
Wind me up,
Put me down
Start me off
And watch me go
Ms Alonzo stood at the end of the corridor, her hands balled on her lumpy hips, eyes fixed on Jonny. Bright red lips were pressed in a line. She did not tolerate tardiness. Though Jonny was a member of student council, Ms Alonzo didn't take to him like his peers. Had she had her way, he wouldn't have made Co-President.
According to the other members he did his job with tact.
She disagreed and spurred old-world expectations that former student council affiliates conveyed during their time…almost twenty years prior to her reign of Westmoor High.
Jonny neared her casually, his face relaxed into and easy smile. Eying him in disdain, Ms Alonzo waited for him to come into earshot, though with her voice there was no need to.
I'll be running circles around you
sooner than you know
"You're late again, Mr. McGregor," She said. Second period began and the students dispersed, a couple of John's classmates sending him encouraging waves and hoots.
"Ah, Ms Alonzo, I'm sorry," He responded coolly, taking another bite of the apple. "Can't we have a little forgiveness this time? I mean, it's not like last year when I came in time for lunch, right?"
"No exceptions and no forgiveness. This has gone on disregarded since you began attending this school. Westmoor does not tolerate juvenile behav---"
A little off center
And I'm out of tune
Just kickin' this can along the avenue
But I'm alright
Jonny's concentration was elsewhere, drawn to the petite and slender figure behind Ms Alonzo. She was eye-catching with thinned grey-blue hair, caught in two braided pigtails. They were unkempt, the shorter strands falling loosely around her baby-doll face. Unsure silver eyes scanned the hallway, glancing to and from a sheet of paper. She didn't carry any books, just a chunky binder filled with loose-leaf and a small pencil case.
Ignoring the woman in front of him, Jonny moved towards the newcomer. She was magnetic in the way she carried herself, softly nibbling on the corner of her lip.
Ms Alonzo was taken aback at John's ignorance, her wide mouth falling open as she counted in her head and tried to control her breathing. The heat rose to the back of her neck and face. She wasn't pleased and he was in trouble.
"Do you need any help?" John offered, standing close to the slim. Her eyes whipped up to meet his; an evident task due to the difference in their height. She smiled and nodded, showing him the paper she had been referring to.
"Yeah, actually," She pointed to the schedule she had been given earlier. "I'm supposed to be here, but someone told me that I was in the wrong class…so,"
"So that's why I'm here," Jonny said flirtatiously.
Unable to help himself, he draped an arm around her shoulders and leaned against her. He had no self-control. It just wasn't an inborn attribute. No one seemed to mind before and the young woman beside him wasn't making an attempt to leave so he enjoyed the company while he could.
"Modest much?" She giggled.
So she had noticed the unbent advances. He was pleased that she had recently started at Westmoor, without time to taste his teasing reputation.
'Cause its easy
Once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
"What can I say? I'm enticed by pretty faces." John admitted cordially.
"I'll bet,"
"Jonathan McGregor, it is rude to ignore a person of authority when they are speaking to you!" Ms Alonzo yelled from her place in the middle of the hall, her feet planted flat on the floor and shoulders hunched forward.
"I think you're being yelled at," The girl chuckled, raising a thin eyebrow.
"You're down the hall and to your right," John informed, rolling his eyes at his Vice-Principal indignantly. Of all the moments she chose, now had to be one of them. He understood that he wouldn't be getting anywhere with the small girl, but it was a lovable pastime; hitting on pretty ladies allured him once he turned thirteen, maybe sooner.
Shut up,
Hush your mouth,
Can't you hear you talk too loud?
"Thanks stranger," fiddling with her hair, the girl untangled the pigtails and combed out the layers with small fingers, allowing it to hang loosely. Everything about her was small; her legs, her arms, her hips and chest. Jonny ate the delicious appearance selfishly. He could tell she was his type. He recognized it. They were the unusual, artistic types that most others wouldn't take to as hurriedly.
It was vastly implied that women with big chests and blond hair were the new lust-after image of 2007. The fad hadn't died since it began in 2004. Even his friends Rei Kon and Ozuma Kagawa had conformed to the media based assumption. Then again, they were weak men.
"Call me Jonny," He bit into the apple again, sucking the juice that dripped onto the skin.
"Miyami,"
Original, he hadn't heard a name like that before. Of course, he knew people named Tala and Brooklyn so 'Miyami' was that farfetched.
"See you around,"
Disappearing into the correct classroom, John found himself alone with the commanding co-head of the school. He dumped the apple into a nearby garbage can and waited for her to call him into the office. Routine doesn't die, no matter how much you will it to.
No can't hear nothin'
'Cause I got my head up in the clouds…
♠
Miyami was grateful for the break when lunchtime finally came. Her stomach was starting to make frustrated noises. Throughout the past four classes she had met interesting people but the easygoing acquaintance of Rei and Amber helped during the morning.
Whilst in her Languages course she had been greeted with an onslaught of questions—all in French in keeping with the curriculum—and had been repeatedly re-seated according to her level of comprehension. After a heated discussion with her teacher, he placed her in the back beside another semi-fluent pupil.
Already familiar with the sun bleached locks and doe-eyed innocence from the library, Miyami recognized Chaya Tate without hesitation. She and Max shared the candy-coated countenance and lofty height. Differences lied within their conflicting personalities. Chaya was very direct and chose her words carefully. Her tones were long and even, articulating every word and making it sound important.
Miyami also learned that she fought for her opinions, right or wrong. Chaya was fuller than her brother with a Rock-Goth image. Definitely not a teacher's pet.
"You ready?" Rei asked, startling Miyami slightly as he hovered over her. She shoved the remainder of her new books onto the top shelf of her locker and slammed the door closed, leaving him to deal with the lock.
"Why do I have the feeling this isn't going to be a Wonder Land experience?" Miyami sniggered, moving in step beside him.
"It's a jungle in there. Everyone sits in their cliques…well, almost everyone. The seniors are actually more approachable."
Scampering footsteps pattered after them as someone neared.
"Oi! You don't listen very well," Amber decided, holding her chest and catching her breath. She wasn't much of a runner, better on skates than on foot. Miyami had been told that she liked hockey and was rather good at it but couldn't muster the strength to bother with school teams.
"Sorry," Miyami said making room for Amber to squeeze between her and Rei.
"It's okay, I'm only teasing,"
"Her favorite hobby," Rei teased, mussing up his friend's hair.
"Oi, watch it!"
The Chinese boy took Amber under his arm and pressed her to his side, laughing. The group entered the cafeteria, lining themselves up along the side wall and grabbing trays. Someone waved to Rei from the other side of the wide, rectangular room. Miyami had to squint to see who it was.
A lanky Italian boy with tidy form and light eyes smiled toward them. Enrique Giancarlo. He was in her Math AP class and sat in the center of four or five girls, sharing satire innuendo behind the teacher's back.
Rei had warned Miyami about him but she had managed to escape the hormones and had instead met his less driven side—which she didn't mind. It was nice to know that America wasn't as sexually animated as the television shows exaggerated it to be. Enrique was a decent and wealthy young man of eighteen in Grade Twelve, the grade above hers.
It wasn't hard to separate the seniors from the sophomores or freshmen grades. They spoke to just about anyone; all social butterflies, fluttering between the diverse groups amongst their classes. But there were still the noticeable severances.
Students sat in lengthy benches along brown plastic-covered tables. An elevated table near the back was reserved for teachers and support-personnel. The room itself was drawn out and grey with pillars protruding from the floor near the center. Against the perimeter was the buffet and salad bars, the hot meals served by the aging and grumpy kitchen staff.
Gathering a few edible-looking items onto her tray, Miyami followed Amber to the open doors leading outside. It was hot where they sat, the sun directly above them. Amber had chosen her favorite picnic table near the cement fountain. They laid their food out on the table, neither of them eager to try the meal first.
Rei had left them to sit with Enrique and a few other jocks in the Westmoor Boys Tackle Football Team (WBTFT).
Aspin and Tyson joined the girls soon after, talking actively about their first week; informing Miyami of everything she had unfortunately missed. The discussion lasted five minutes before being interrupted by a disheveled and ill-tempered Chaya.
"I can't believe this!" She cried.
"What?" Everyone asked in unison, Aspin speaking through a forkful of salad. It was the only safe thing on the menu.
"Alonzo bawled Max out again! Stupid homo-fucking-phobe!"
The group relaxed, easing into the blonde's lucid overreaction. Miyami still sat upright, her muscles tensed and listening acutely. She wasn't accustomed to the other's regular clamor and felt obligated to pay attention.
"Really Chaya, it's nothing, I'm fine," Max stuttered, trying to calm his fuming twin. He sat near the end of the bench, scrunching gangly limbs under the table.
"I don't care!" Chaya declared, outraged. "I still think this is completely unfair!" Again her words were hard and of substance.
"Calm yourself, child," Someone said. The voice was new and Miyami had to crane her neck to see who it was. A boy of reasonable height leaned against the table. He had a nice look though his clothes were a little mismatched. Spiky ashen and red hair blew into his eyes as he watched his classmates eat.
It was clear that he didn't spend a lot of his time in that group and was merely being social. Something drew him to the table and the disappointment in his movements said it wasn't there.
"Shut it Ozuma," Chaya barked, sighing heavily and digging into her food. She spat it out almost immediately and pushed the tray away from her.
"You never learn," Aspin chuckled.
Miyami nibbled the vegetarian sandwich she had chosen, finding that it didn't taste bad, as grotesque as it appeared.
Suddenly there was a great shift in the conversation and everyone's focus fell on someone irresistibly familiar.
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now, it's already begun
You feel it running through your bones
And you jerk it out
Jonny McGregor shone as he neared them, a natural skip in his step. He smiled when he saw Miyami and she grinned back, unsure of what else to do. She liked him physically. His accent made her swoon and she had had a strenuous time keeping herself together when they met earlier in the day.
It wasn't unlike her to infatuate easily, attracted to most boyish young men with a sense of childhood continuity. This also posed problems when she couldn't concentrate on anything or anyone but the flame. She thought she had prepared herself for the blood-rushing amount of American cuties but she plainly misjudged.
The redhead carried a thick stack of flyers, bold print and amusing pictures splattered across the front. He dumped a few of them on the table before saying anything.
"Alright, party this weekend at Enrique's. Be there,"
Ozuma seemed more comfortable when John emerged from the lunch-going crowd, closer to the Co-Pres than the comrades around the picnic bench.
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
Tyson turned to face Jonny, eyebrows raised.
"This weekend," He repeated, mentally scanning his usually empty schedule. Miyami pounced, taking the bait.
"I know you're free because you promised to keep it open…or did you forget that too?"
The offhand mention of his absent-mindedness made Tyson squirm. He shrugged and told John he'd be there if he wasn't busy. Max smiled and accepted the informal invitation with delight and Chaya followed suit, mentioning that she had to keep an eye on her brother.
"You coming too?" John inquired, staring sincerely at Miyami who shifted in her seat.
"If you want me there," She returned, trying to control the blush she felt warming her cheeks and ears. He flashed a toothy smile and ran a hand through his hair. He was aware of every movement he made, each done purposely to appeal to the masses. It was working and the world acted as if he was the center of it. Miyami was in awe.
"It would definitely brighten things up," He said.
Amber and Aspin watched in amusement, both desensitized to his constant advances. They shot each other wide grins and glanced back.
"Then it looks like my Saturday is booked," Miyami giggled and leaned on her elbows.
"Great, see you at eight," John jumped up from his seat on Max's lap where he had flung himself after producing the flyers. He gave Max a sloppy kiss on the cheek and waved to the others, his eyes lingering on Miyami.
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
"Nice," Tyson cooed, batting his eyelashes mockingly. Miyami leaned across the table and swatted him, threatening to mention a few of his indiscreet palling-around mishaps.
Things were getting better every time she looked around.
Oh baby don't you know
You really gotta jerk it out
♠
End Chapter Four
Author's Notes: Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. I'm not as proud of this chapter as I am the others but, hey, I tried. Tell me what you think! And don't be surprised if I revamp this particular installment before continuing. Ciao!
©: The featured song is Jerk it Out by The Caesars from their 2003 album 39 Minutes of Bliss (In An Otherwise Meaningless World).