A/N: I think I'm only going to be updating two chapters at a time. I know I updated three at a timeon my last story, but thenI ran out in the end because I had an evennumber of chapters. Does that make sense to anyone?Oh well. Oh, I forgot to mention, on the last chapter, Josie names off a bunch of phosphors.She didn't know those off the top of her head, I implied but Idon't know how clearit was, butthey had done reading the night before and that's how she knew all of those. Because she did her reading.
Anyways, thanks for the reviews on the last chapters: Jenna's Rules (I still have to go review your story...I read the chapter the first day it was updated but haven't gotten a chance to review, sorry...), AngelD88, andBabyGirlBlake (I can't answer that question!)
ENJOY!
Chapter 3:
Corrine walked into the lunch room and narrowed her eyes at Josie across the cafeteria. She tightened her grip on her lunch tray and made her way to a different table, plopping down and glaring at Josie. The redhead seemed to sense the sudden attention, and looked up to meet her roommate's eyes. For a moment they held one another's enraged glares before turning away with light "harrumphs".
Marshall and Lucas entered the rooms and glanced both girls. They exchanged looks, coming to Corrine, who was closest to the entrance.
"I take it you two are still fighting," Marshall said, neither boys taking a seat. Corrine turned her attention up to them and scowled.
"I take it by 'you two' you mean me and Josie," she sneered, "We're not fighting. We're just not talking."
"Uh…when two friends aren't talking, it usually means they're fighting," Lucas pointed out. Corrine shot him a dangerous look.
"I don't really think 'friends' is the word I would use to describe Josie and me at this moment," she haughtily informed him, and both boys arched their brows at that, "She accused me of being jealous!"
"What I got from that argument in science," Marshall replied, "It sounded like you accused her of something far worse."
"I'm only telling the truth," Corrine muttered, "Why else would she suddenly date Lu…" she trailed off as she caught the look on Lucas's face. "I don't mean it like that."
"Oh. And how do you mean it?" he challenged, "You're right, Corrine. How could any girl choose me over perfect, popular Vaughn." He turned abruptly, marching down the line of tables to join Josie. Corrine watched as Josie looked up at Lucas, smiling as they exchanged greetings. He took a seat next to her and Marshall cleared his throat. Corrine turned back to him.
"I was only trying to…" she started and Marshall shook his head.
"Alienate all your friends?" he suggested, his tone denoting the anger he felt towards her, "You could at least try being happy for them, Corrine. They are our friends. You can't honestly think Josie would…"
"Marshall, she's always liked Vaughn," Corrine tried to explain but he shook his head at her again.
"Sometimes feelings change," he interrupted, turning and saying over his shoulder, "Like right now."
Corrine watched as he walked away to join Josie and Lucas, her mouth slightly parted and her eyes clouded. She noticed that Lucas had taken Josie's hands in his own as he seemed to be explaining something to her and using them for demonstration. They stopped, snatching their hands back to their bodies when Marshall approached them, giving him bashful "hello's".
"I am so not jealous," she told no one in particular.
"You sure?"
Corrine startled, before she turned to Vaughn standing behind her. He took a seat at the table and she pursed her lips at him.
"You sure you don't want to eat with Marshall and the 'happy couple'?" she asked bitterly, and he rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his milk carton.
"That's kind of the last place I want to be," Vaughn told her, then shaking his head, he muttered, "I thought that kiss was it."
"What? Didn't Josie or Lucas tell you about their date?"
"No," Vaughn answered peevishly, "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I'm left out of the loop even on things that don't have to do with the black hole. Am I always going to be feeling like I'm not actually a part of the gang or is something ever finally going to give?"
He took a bite of his food and Corrine was silent, not sure what to say. She knew they had left him out of a few things, he had even been the last to find out Lucas wasn't dead but was actually a radio wave floating around the science lab. He pushed his food around on his plate nonchalantly before eyeing her and carefully asking, "Uh…Corrine…you really think Josie's dating him to make me jealous?"
"I…I don't know," Corrine replied, sighing. She eyed the other three science club members. Marshall and Lucas were laughing about something Josie had said. She frowned, standing from the table and throwing her food away. She gave a tart "good-bye" to Vaughn, and disappeared into the hallway.
Josie watched across the cafeteria as Corrine talked to Vaughn and then promptly left. Her eyes fogged over as she blinked several times, narrowing them to slits. Things went out of focus and she squeezed her eyes closed. Opening them, relieved to find that everything was clear once more. She started when Marshall wagged a hand in front of her, giving him an annoyed look. Lucas was poking at his tapioca pudding, making a strange face.
"How do they get away with feeding us this stuff?" he asked rhetorically, then his eyes lighting up, "Hey! Maybe the cafeteria lady is really an alien and she's feeding us food from her home planet to fatten us up and…" he stopped when he caught the looks he was receiving, lowering his eyes, "Never mind."
"So…" Marshall began casually, "How long are you and Corrine going to be like this?"
"Did you not hear what she said to me in science class?" Josie demanded, narrowing her eyes at him, and growling somewhat under her breath, "She gave me a hard time about the same thing before I left on my date with Lucas. How can she think I could do something like that? 'Best friends' don't accuse one another of using and manipulating people!"
"I know," Marshall sighed, "It was harsh. It was very un-Corrine."
"No," Josie muttered, "It was just like Corrine. Remember that time she accused me of stealing her CDs when I was just borrowing them to put together a birthday present for her," she cupped her chin in her palm, "At least this time she had the guts to say it to my face." She glanced at Lucas who was curiously silent, staring at his uneaten tapioca and sipping his milk. She could guess how he was feeling.
Since the outburst in the science lab, Lucas hadn't exactly been able to slip under the radar of peers who normally ignored him. He was teased and maltreated relentlessly by the jocks of the school, guys who were three times his size and considered themselves good buddies of Vaughn's. They felt they were just paying the "nerd" back for making a move of their friend's "girl". Part of Lucas wasn't so sure Vaughn hadn't sic-ed them on him. As if to add insult to injury, the girls in the halls' gossip reached his ears unabated. They voiced his innermost fears, musing why Josie would want to date him when Vaughn was the obvious prime choice, and agreeing completely with Corrine's conclusion that Josie was just using him to make Vaughn jealous. They had more to the story to add, twisting lies and spreading disturbing depictions of Josie and Lucas's relationship. They rarely painted either teen very well.
Lucas looked up when he felt Josie's hand encompass his own. She smiled at him and he returned it before murmuring, "I forgot some books in my room…I better go before class starts…"
"I'll come with you," Josie offered, but he shook his head.
"No. It's fine. I don't want you to see the mess I got in there."
"Have you seen my room?" Josie joked.
"It could take me some time finding them," Lucas lied, "I don't want you to be late to class because of me." He was on his way to the exit before Josie could say anymore, calling, "I'll see you later," over his shoulder. Josie looked to Marshall warily.
"What do you think that was about?" he asked. Josie frowned, shaking her head and shrugging slightly.
"It's not possible that…well…he thinks the same thing Corrine does…is it?" she questioned.
"I don't know," Marshall sighed, forking some food into his mouth, before telling her thoughtfully, "But I do know one thing. Lucas didn't forget any books up in our room."
"I know," Josie replied. Then eyeing Marshall, "Do you think the same thing Corrine does?" He shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing stare, "Marshall," she pressed. He put his fork down, pushing the tray away and meeting her eyes.
"I like to think I know you pretty well, Josie," he told her truthfully, "And the one thing I know about you certainly, is that you're pretty determined when it comes to getting what you want…so much so that you're kind of blinded to the fact you hurt people sometimes along the way," Josie opened her mouth to say something and he held up a hand to silence her, "Before you maim me for that remark. I don't think you would use Lucas to make Vaughn jealous. I don't think you could be that kind of person…at least…not on purpose."
"Thanks," Josie returned, then scrunching her nose, "I think." She leaned her elbow on the table, shuffling her lunch about her tray, "I just…I had a lot of fun on that date with Lucas," she admitted and Marshall peeked at her, "And I wasn't so sure at first, and I'm still not entirely certain, but I'm really liking this dating Lucas thing…"
"Do you…do you like Lucas that way?" Marshall asked carefully, not wanting her to spill all her emotions over him and not entirely sure he wanted to know.
"I think I might," Josie shrugged, "But then…with Corrine, and everyone…" She shook her head and forked some food into her mouth, ending the conversation. Marshall wasn't the type to prompt and continued with his food as well.
They finished their lunches in practical silence, then lifted themselves up and made their ways to class. Their next professors were not certain how to handle the usually close knit group's sudden distance. There was obvious hostility between Josie and Corrine. They chose seats on the other sides of the room from one another. Lucas sat as far from Corrine as possible, but was still sure to keep a few seats from Josie as well. Vaughn separated himself from the entire science club, though sitting closer to Corrine than any of the others, and poor Marshall seemed devastated by the coldness between the usually good friends as he took his usual seat next to Lucas. But none of the professors knew them quite well enough, or even cared enough, to say anything.
-00000-
Principle Durst straightened her blouse, taking a deep breath and smiling at her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed her hair out on the top and turned, nearly jumping three feet in the air when she caught sight of the dark man standing in her doorway.
"Victor," she managed to cry. Victor Pearson's intimidating form filled the room with an almost sinister air. He didn't crack so much as a smile as he fully entered and quietly closed the door behind him.
"Amanda," he replied, taking a few imposing steps into the room. Principle Durst took a step back, "I need to discuss with you the matter of last week's incident."
"Oh…I…well I…thought everything was settled with that," Durst stammered, paling a bit. She wanted more than anything to forget the drama of the week before, but Victor insisted on constantly "discussing" the matter. He would come in and practically interrogate the poor principle, demand to see the science lab, stand and stare at the empty room for hours, only to leave without a word.
The whole experience had been horrid for Principle Durst. She'd gotten used to the odd event here and there, and the startling and oft times, disturbing disappearance of a teacher or student; she had become pretty good at covering those sorts of things. But when she'd entered the science lab that fateful night and found that scene…when Professor Zachary had said those fateful words, she could have sworn her heart had stopped. Her mind had reeled. How could she cover the death of a student? What words of comfort or encouragement could she pass to those parents? The reputation of Blake Holsey would undoubtedly be blemished for all eternity. It could lead to the school being shut down even. So when Professor Zachary came into her office nearly four days after the 'incident', she was far to enthralled by the fact the student was alive and well that she hadn't the mind to ask too many questions. She had known from Victor that the boy was not really dead, but he had been dismal towards any hope that Lucas would be alright or even be returning to the school.
Now, of course, Principle Durst was beginning to resent her elation at Lucas's return and even resent the student a bit. Because Victor was making her miserable for letting such a blaringly unexplainable by reasonable and logical sense event slip by unnoticed and unmonitored. She had half a mind to drag Professor Zachary into her office and demand that he reveal everything he knew about Lucas's return or risk losing his job and anything else she could take away from the diminutive teacher. But she couldn't do such a thing without blowing everything Victor had entrusted her to keep secret from the students and faculty of Blake Holsey.
"No," Victor sneered, "Nothing is settled with that 'incident'. Now, this Lucas Randall is a part of the Science Club?"
"I've already told you. Yes," Durst hissed, stressing her words.
"And he's friends with Josie Trent?"
"Yes. I don't see what any of this has to do with…"
"You will have your answers, Amanda," Victor interjected, "When I have mine. How long has Mister Randall been a part of the Science Club."
"Since he started school here. In fact, he, Marshall Wheeler, and Corrine Baxter were some of the founding members. They formed it the middle of their freshman year," Durst answered a bit haughtily. She winced when Victor glowered down at her.
"And what exactly did Professor Zachary tell you about the reappearance of Lucas Randall?" Victor pressed, leering forward. Principle Durst took a deep breath that did little to relax her nerves. This was the part that was always difficult.
"I…can't say…exactly," she wearily sighed. Victor drew in his breath, let it out slowly through his nostrils. He clenched his hands into tight fists.
"Did he mention anything about the Oubliette?" Victor demanded through clenched teeth. Principle Durst looked up a bit startled. This was a new question.
"No…he said nothing about anything called Oubliette," she answered carefully. Victor relaxed somewhat, turning from her and pacing somewhat.
"Good," he said, more to himself than to Durst, "Then perhaps they have uncovered nothing about the device…but I need to learn more about what affects it has caused…" he trailed off, turning to Principle Durst with a bit of a dazed expression, "I have some things I need to look into." Without another word, he slipped from the room.
END A/N: Go on to the next chapter! Quick, quick! I forgot to mention, the janitor's not really in this story alot. Sorry. But it was the same way in the series. Sometimes he played huge roles, sometimes he just made brief cameos.
Please excuse any grammatical and typing errors. Please REVIEW! And thanks for reading.