CHAPTER 14

SOME YOU GAIN, SOME YOU LOSE

Friday.

Tamiko, Hikari and Daichi were sitting together in the cafeteria at Cherryton. Hikari and Daichi were talking while Tamiko was unusually quiet, probably because most of him was in his mind at the moment.

"I've actually done most of the casting for the play." said Daichi. "I just gotta figure out roles for Danny and Sandy."

"You doing Grease?" asked Hikari.

"How'd you know?" asked Daichi.

"For one thing, you've mentioned before that you like the first one." said Hikari. "Then you mention Danny and Sandy. It's not that hard to figure out."

"I think Tam should play Danny." said Hikari.

"Guys, I met this girl..." said Tamiko. "She said she's been dealing with something for three years... I was just wondering if you knew anything about that."

"Does she have a name?" asked Daichi.

"Well, Daichi... Probably not." Hikari teased.

"Her name is Jane." said Tamiko.

"It wouldn't happen to be Jane Wolfe, would it?" asked Daichi.

"What if it is?" asked Tamiko.

"Where were you three years ago?" asked Daichi. "Because I KNOW you went here."

"Well, we did have some... business to take care of, if you recall." said Tamiko.

"Ah, yes." said Daichi. "I forgot. Rich boy, student, guardian."

"Don't say rich boy to me again." said Tamiko.

"I knew that came out wrong..." Daichi said and sighed. "Sorry."

"It's fine." said Tamiko.

"We were having an assembly and a popular girl named Riza was supposed to speak, and she showed a video of her boyfriend and Jane having sex to the whole room."

"Well then, she was set up." said Tamiko.

"Don't matter." said Daichi. "A popular person can say anything they want about an unpopular person and just about the whole school will believe it."

"Do you have experience in that or something?" asked Tamiko.

"No, wait. What is with you?" asked Daichi. "You know I'm only popular because I'm friends with you two."

Tamiko sighed.

"I'm sorry, Daichi." he said. "It's just with everything going on..."

"You know what I think would be good for you?" asked Daichi.

"A role in the play?" asked Tamiko.

"Yes sir." said Daichi. "Show me what you got."

"Right here?" asked Tamiko.

"Well, you're not scared, are you?" asked Daichi.

Tamiko shrugged, then got up on the table and started stomping his foot, making a beat. Hikari and Daichi started clapping to beat once they knew what song it was. The other students began clapping to the beat as well, before Tamiko began singing I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick.

Upon seeing this from her table, Jane left the room. Outside, in the school's tower, she sang a brief song.

Jane:
How am I supposed to feel When I've been asleep at the wheel?
My heart says I need a hand to hold But my head says what if it's cold?
Should I step off the pedal, or should I goooo?
Whyyyy am I scared to love, oh why can't I be enough?
I can never fall if I don't cliiiiimb...
My heart says I need a hand to hold But my head says what if it's cold?
Should I step off the pedal, or should I goooo?
I want to feel the warmth inside But I can't fall if I don't climb Why does love have to be so tough?
I think about the way you smile But somehow, it makes me leave for a whiiiile...
My heart says I need a hand to hold But my head says what if it's cold?
Should I step off the pedal, or should I goooo?
Whyyyy am I scared to love, oh why can't I be enough?
I can never fall if I don't cliiiiimb...
I want to feel the warmth inside But then I want to run and hide I can never fall if I don't cliiiiimb...
Should I step off the pedal, or should I goooo?
My heart says I need a hand to hold But my head says what if it's cold?
Should I step off the pedal, or should I goooo?
Should I step off the pedal, or should I goooo?

Jane sighed as she looked out at the sky.

"What are you gonna do, Jane?" she asked herself aloud.

Sometime later, Tamiko, Hikari and Daichi were walking on Cherryton's campus, when they were passing a group of guys that were talking amongst themselves.

"I wish Jane would pay me a visit." one of them said. "I'd have to bleach that, but still, I can't get anything else."

Hikari noticed the look on Tamiko's face.

"Tam, don't..." he said. Though, despite Hikari's pleas, he went over to them.

"Maybe the reason you can't get a woman to sleep with you is you can't keep your fucking mouth shut." said Tamiko.

"Why don't you mind your own damn business, Wolfy." said one of the guys.

"No, people like you are the reason sexism exists!" shouted Tamiko. "You don't know shit about her!"

"Well, you must be fucking her too to be this bent out of shape over what we're saying." said that same guy.

Tamiko then punched the guy, knocking him onto the ground, then got ontop him and starting beating him up. The two other guys started acting like they were about to kick Tamiko when Hikari pulled out a pistol and aimed it one of them.

"Don't you dare!" shouted Hikari.

They looked in his direction.

"Oh shit!" said one of them. They both got away. Tamiko got off the last guy, whose nose was bloodied by now. He then got up and ran off, holding his nose. Hikari then put the pistol away and looked away, angry.

"Thanks for having my back." said Tamiko.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Hikari shouted. "They were going to kick the shit out of you! And I could get expelled now because of that!"

"Oh, don't even act like you wouldn't do that too!" shouted Tamiko.

"I have enough self control to pick out the right time!" Hikari shouted. "You can't even fucking pay attention in class!"

Tamiko scoffed.

"Fuck you." he said and walked off.

Later, in the library, Jane continued reading The Turn of the Screw while sitting at the table furthest away from people. The librarian walked over, a middle aged female black lab.

"I notice you seem to sit at this table alone a lot." said the librarian.

"Yeah, I..." Jane began. "I'm not much of a people person, and... I like it in here. I don't feel like a freak in here."

"Well whatever's going on, I hope it gets sorted out soon." said the librarian and walked away.

"You and me both..." Jane thought to herself, then continued reading. "I feel sort of like the Governess in a way..."

As she continued reading, she overheard some girls talking.

"I heard Tamiko Graywolf beat up some guy earlier." one of the girls said.

"Isn't he the real funny one though?" asked one of the other girls. "You sure it wasn't Hikari?"

"No it was Tamiko." said the first girl. "It was all over them badmouthing Jane. I saw him stalking her before."

"He cares about me..." Jane thought to herself. "He actually... truly cares..."

At the time school lets out, Jane was waiting outside, out of plain sight when she saw Tamiko coming down the steps.

"Is it true?" asked Jane.

Tamiko stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around.

"Is what true?" he asked.

"Did you beat someone up over me?" asked Jane.

"Yeah." said Tamiko.

They then sat in the grass.

"The way I've treated you hasn't been because I wanted to be a bitch." she said. "I've been afraid of getting close to people for so long."

"I know what happened." said Tamiko. "Why you've been scared and why you're being bullied. I don't believe for one second that what they've said about you is true."

"Well it's not, so... thank you." said Jane. "Look, I... I'm not ready for a boyfriend right now, but... I could really use a friend right now."

Tamiko smiled.

"As you wish." he said.

"Thank you for caring about me." said Jane.

"It feels good to care." said Tamiko.

Jane smiled.

"Whaaaat?" Tamiko joked. "You can do that?"

"Well, I guess now we both know." Jane joked.

"Well, it's... very pretty." said Tamiko.