Defender
Chapter 8—Break-up
Author's notes: This is the chapter that actually got this story rolling. /nods/
Comments:
Amarathine--/smiles/ Well, good news. I've got plans, now.
Daewen98--/big hug/ Thank you! It's comments like those that keep me writing.
Araz--/chuckles/ Okay.
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Monday.
It was the day that Karen hated most. It was the day farthest from the weekend and she always had to get up earlier than she wanted. This Monday, however, was worse than most.
"Come on, Karen!" Amanda sang, as she threw open the curtains. "It's such a beautiful day out!"
"Leave me alone," came the predictable protest.
"Only after you get up."
"You're not human!"
Amanda laughed cheerfully. "Come on. Just sit up so that I'll leave the room and then you can go back to sleep."
Karen's eyes snapped open. "How'd you know I did that?"
"Easy! I've come back into the room several times while you were sleeping."
"Oh geez!" Karen rolled over and pulled the covers over her head.
"Huh uh!" Amanda yanked the covers back. "That's against the rules."
"Oh go chase your shadow. Why do I have to get up if you know I'll just go back to sleep? Why can't I just sleep?"
"Humph!" Amanda sat back with her arms crossed and a stern expression that tried desperately to mask the mirth within.
Karen pulled the covers back over her head, holding them securely in case Amanda attempted to steal them again.
"Well, then…since you put it that way…."
Karen listened to her friend walk to the door, open it, walk out, and neglect to shut the door again. She tensed. Then, just as she feared, she caught the unmistakable sound of Dreizehn walking across the floor. He came to her side, grasped the covers in his mouth, and pulled them back as far as he could.
"Darn you for having such a grip," she grumbled.
.oO0Oo.
"Oh, drat!" Karen muttered, stopping in her tracks on her way to her locker.
"What?" Ellie asked.
"He's there."
Ellie looked were Karen seemed to be staring, but found nothing amiss. "Who? Aaron?"
"Yes, Aaron."
"You want me to go with you?" Amanda offered.
"No. I can handle him."
As she walked on, she heard Ellie ask, "Did something happen between them?"
"Hi, Aaron," she said calmly as she walked up to her locker.
He leaned back, transforming his I'm-cool-when-I'm-waiting pose into his I'm-too-sexy-for-this-school pose. Karen rolled her eyes and started working the combination to her lock.
"Due to certain circumstances," he began, running his hand through his hair, "I think we should break up."
Karen glanced up at him. "Yeah, right."
"No, I'm serious!" he said sternly. "I can't have you nosing in my room anymore. The fact that you know about it is almost too much. Just be glad I didn't tell the guys!"
"The guys?" Karen asked, swinging the door open.
"Yah, you know." He put his hands in his pocket and kicked one foot behind him. "Max, Philip, Enriqué? Gah! Why am I telling you this? It's not like you're my girlfriend anymore!"
"Aaron…if you don't want me in your room, I don't have to go in. We can just talk in the living room, or better yet, you can come to my house."
"No!" he said, emphatically. "The relationship is over!"
Karen shook her head as she watched him strut down the hall. He hadn't gone far before a particular red-head, surrounded by her male entourage, placed her hand on his chest and stopped him. "You can come play with me," Claire cooed.
"I wouldn't lower myself to that standard if you were the only female on the planet," he replied gruffly.
Claire pulled her hand away as fast as if she had touched a hot iron. "Well then, Mr. Full-of-Yourself, I take back my charitable offer." Then, with a prissy toss of her head, she glared at Karen through cold green eyes.
Karen stared back at her.
"Did you really think you could two-time with two hot guys?" Claire questioned.
Karen's eyebrows rose involuntarily. "And you're one to talk, with your" she counted quickly, "eight boys, none of which are very bad-looking."
"You, sweetheart, have nothing on me. I have a gift. You have nothing! Keep your one military brat and leave Aaron to me. He's mine."
"Whatever!"
.oO0Oo.
"Class dismissed," Mrs. Hurst announced right before lunch.
Karen looked up from her desk where her pencil lay idly across the wrong page for the day. Pushing the pencil aside, she slowly flipped the front cover over, watching the pages slide into place, and then dropped the book it into her backpack. With a sigh, she stood up and hoisted the luggage onto one shoulder.
"Karen," Mrs. Hurst called, "can I see you for a moment?"
Ryan leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Some-body's in trou-ble."
Karen threw him a look, which produced a snicker from Ryan, and then made her way to the front of the class.
"Are you feeling okay?" Mrs. Hurst asked.
"Yah…I guess. Why?"
"Well, you didn't seem to be paying attention all class period."
Karen shrugged. "I'm sorry."
Mrs. Hurst tilted her head to one side and studied her pupil. "Even now you seem to be in another reality. Are you sure you're okay?"
Karen watched the last of the students file out of the room, letting the door slam shut. "I'm alright," she answered.
"Well, if you insist, but I won't tolerate inattentiveness in my class. I said nothing today because I know that's not like you, but if this continues I'll have to put a stop to it."
"Yes ma'am."
"Alright then. You can go."
.oO0Oo.
Karen set her full glass of coke on her tray and looked toward the windows near the front of the cafeteria. Amanda and Ellie were already there, as she had expected. With a weary sigh, she picked her path between and around the tables and chairs in the crowded room.
"Hey!" Ellie greeted. "Have a seat and stay awhile."
Karen slid into the chair across from Amanda and set out her dishes. Stacking her empty tray on top of her friends' in front of Dreizehn, she quietly began to eat.
"So…what happened between you and Aaron?" Ellie asked. "Amanda wouldn't tell me."
Karen smirked. "Nothing much. He's just a jerk."
"Oh? What'd he do?"
Karen sighed, set down her fork, and looked out across the cafeteria, with her head resting in her palm. Her two friends paused in the middle of eating, observing her—waiting.
"Maybe you should ask Amanda," she finally mumbled. "You two evidently talk about me all the time anyhow."
"What?" Ellie stared at Karen in disbelief. When she turned to Amanda, the girl was staring down at her plate, slowly pushing a pea around in a circle with her spoon.
"Well, you do, don't you?" Karen looked up at Ellie, accusing her with not only her words, but also her eyes, which were nearly brimming with tears. She waited for the girl to offer a defence, but when she didn't, Karen merely nodded her head and returned to eating.
"I told her," Amanda offered as an explanation.
"Told her what?" Ellie asked.
"What we've been talking about."
"You told her that! Amanda!" Ellie jumped up from her seat in agitation.
"I'm sorry. I thought she needed to hear."
"Heck no, she didn't need to hear! Why do you think I was talking to you?"
"Because you couldn't talk to her!" Amanda returned with as much vehemence as she was receiving.
"There's a reason I couldn't talk to her." Then suddenly, her words were gone. The anger still brewed within her as she wrung her hands and glared at Amanda, but then, it cooled, and in a moment, she plunked down in her seat with a sigh and a tiny smile.
"I'm sorry!" Amanda said quietly.
Ellie picked up her fork with determination. "What's done is done," she muttered. Then, she brandished her fork at Amanda and eyed her over the tines. "But next time…!"
.oO0Oo.
Mr Baldwin set down the marker on the white board. Turning around, he frowned to see the students already gathering their things, stuffing bags, and even standing up to go.
"Finish reading the chapter and complete the last five exercises," he shouted above the raucous. "And don't forget that we'll have a test on Friday."
The students stopped in their tracks and the noise almost petered out completely. "What?" one of the boys in the back asked.
"Yah, well, it's nice to get your attention every now and then," he replied bitterly. "Now get out of here before I make it sooner than that."
The noise started up again. With a grunt, Karen heaved her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to the door. There she found Dreizehn staring stonily at Aaron.
"Heh!" she smirked. "You two are getting along well, I can see."
"Fabulously," Aaron remarked sarcastically. "Hey, I just wanted to say—hey!" He stepped back as Dreizehn started to growled at him. "Tell him to chill!"
"Dreizehn!" Karen hissed, grasping his arm.
The Doberman ignored her.
"Dreizehn!"
"What's his problem?" Aaron asked.
"He probably smells the cocaine on you."
With a start, Aaron slapped his hand over her mouth, pushing her up against the wall. Just as quickly, Dreizehn tackled him. Aaron felt himself falling and tried to catch himself, but the Doberman's forward motion was more than he could counter. He landed roughly on the floor, his hand sliding out from under him, and his head colliding with the tiles, sending points of light before his eyes. With an effort, he propped himself up on his elbow and rubbed the back of his head.
"Are you okay?" Karen asked, suddenly by his side.
He looked up at the German soldier, who now towered over him, still glaring.
"What's going on?" the principal demanded.
"Um…" Karen started. "I…"
"Did he do this?" the principal asked, pointing at Dreizehn.
"Well, I think he misunderstood the situation," Karen defended. "Aaron and I were talking—"
"Then he did?"
"Well…"
"Answer me. Yes or no. Is he responsible?"
Karen looked from the principal to Dreizehn, then Aaron, and finally the floor. "Yes sir."
"I want to see all three of you in my office, now."
.oO0Oo.
"Why?" Principal Durnhart asked.
"Well, as I was saying, earlier," Karen answered, "Aaron and I were talking and I think Dora-chan just misunderstood the situation. You see, Aaron broke up with me earlier today and I think Dora-chan just didn't want me to get hurt."
Principal Durnhart crossed his arms. "I thought he only spoke German."
"Yes sir."
"Then how does he know that you two broke up or that you were even together?"
"Uh…." Karen fidgeted in her chair.
"Aaron, what exactly happened?"
The boy adjusted the bag of ice that he was holding to his head. "I was waiting for Karen to get out of class and Dora-chan was glaring at me. Then, when she came out, I started to talk to her, and he started growling at me or something. Kinda freaked me out. I mean, people can growl, but I've never heard anyone growl that good!"
"And?" the principal pressed.
"Well, Karen said something that was supposed to be a secret and I put my hand over her mouth and then Dora-chan jumped me like he was a linebacker or something."
Karen glared at Aaron.
"Is that true, Karen?" the principal asked.
"More or less," she mumbled.
"And what of his statement would you change?"
"Well…" The word "cocaine" was on the tip of her tongue. All she had to say was one sentence and the secret would be out. One sentence and Aaron would be an object of scandal once again. She hesitated.
"I don't have all day, Karen."
"Dora-chan didn't exactly jump him," she mumbled. "It was more like a tackle."
"Is that all?" he asked, the impatience and irritation heavy in his tone.
"Yes sir."
Principal Durnhart stood up from his chair with a weary sigh. "Alright then. Aaron, you can go, but I recommend that you be more careful about breaking up with ladies who have foreign bodyguards."
The boy nodded and exited the room.
"As for you, Karen, I won't put this on your record. In a way, you are responsible for him since he is in your employ, but in another way, no man is responsible for the actions of another. However, I can't allow him to stay here at the school. Obviously the language differences was part of the problem this time and what is to say that it won't be an issue in the future? Can't you see the importance of this? You can't control him. He's not a dog that you can just say 'Sit' to and expect him to calm down. So…." He turned to the window behind him.
"I can learn German," Karen offered.
"Mm, you could. But what security will we have until you do?" He turned back to her. "No, learning German will help in the future, but until then, I'm afraid I'm going to have to expel him. Whether he considers it that or not, he did start a fight which left Aaron Moore with a nasty egg on the back of his head."
Karen sat up straight. "Does he really have to go? My cousin has escaped from the hospital and is now at large. I need Dreizehn here. I'll do anything, sir, to pay for this."
"I'm sorry," the principal replied firmly. "He has to go. However, because I do not like to deprive you of your bodyguard, I will expel him from the buildings only. He can wait for you outside."
"What about when it's raining," Karen asked quietly.
"Since we can't explain the school's view that porches and awnings are a part of the buildings, I suppose he will have access to those as well."
Karen nodded silently.
"Is there anything else?"
"Can he stay the rest of the day with me?"
"I'm afraid not, Miss Karen."
She nodded again.
"If that is all, you are free to go."
She stood and walked out of the room with Dreizehn. When the door had closed behind her, she whispered, "Now look what you've done. Aaron wasn't going to hurt me. Next time I say your name like that, you'd better pipe down."
She turned and was about to head down the stairs when Dreizehn's arm suddenly shot out in front of her. "Edward!" she shrieked.
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Last notes: If you want to see the image that started the whole thing, you'll find it here: www. deviantart. com/ view/ 23765648/ (please remove the spaces). Sorry,it's still uncompleted (little more than a sketch) and the lighting is terrible b/c I don't own a scanner and had to take a photo of it. Yar…my life is complicated. Lol