Hello and welcome back, I won't say too much before this chapter, as it's long enough without my rambling attached to it. However, I will just say that this is where Sophie's issues really start to become apparent. I hope you bare with her as she is only going to get worse from here for while - J
Chapter 3: Follow the Leader
A day had passed since Sophie's encounter with Trinski and she had to admit it had worked out exactly as she had hoped. She definitely seemed to have gained some respect with Anoushka and, oddly, the twins (Tania and Tara) as well, probably because it was their product she'd helped to sell but she was, by no means, complaining.
Now that her popularity was back where it should be, she could start on everything else she wanted to do, like get revenge for Annabelle.
First things first, hockey. If anyone knew what was going on around a school, it was their sport team. Plus, being on the team would give her access to a lot of situations that wouldn't arise otherwise; Jones was on the team, giving her more access to her, ever elusive, victim.
Beside all that, she was damn good at hockey. It was good stress relief, and it required practice and training. All in all, a great hobby for someone with too much anger and not enough to do.
During practice, she made her way down to the pitch with her hockey stick over one shoulder. The St. Trinian's hockey team were well known around all other schools, even if only by reputation, and honestly she was more than curious to see them in action.
She flashed a grin to Jones as she approached the teacher and the girl rolled her eyes back. There was definitely an improvement of whatever was going on there; during her day of nursing the worst hangover she'd ever had, the girl had been kind enough to let her skip lessons for the day. Since then they hadn't actually spoken, but as far as she could tell, she was no longer getting the stink eye. If nothing else, the girl seemed to consider her a mild annoyance, rather than a threat... She couldn't decide if that was good or insulting.
"I heard there was a spot open." She tore her eyes away from the team to address the teacher, who nodded and asked if she was any good. Sophie let her lip curl into a smirk and picked up one of the spare balls, dropping it at her feet and whacking it straight into the goal across the field. It wasn't really a show of her talent against other people, but at least having great aim should be enough to get her a trail run. She caught sight of Annabelle, who was smiling knowingly but the others actually looked mildly impressed, even Jones... Not that she was paying any particular attention to her...
As she was listening to the teacher ramble on about how she'd been waiting for people with a 'shot like that all term', she took a moment to actually look at what the other girls were wearing, specifically, the head girl.
Obviously because…Her mind scrambled to find a valid reason that she would be specifically looking at the tall girl, but it came up empty handed as her eyes fell (almost literally) on the girl's legs.
That skirt should be illegal...
She spent some time watching them play, Jones was very good, maybe as good as she was. With an internal growl, she managed to drag her gaze away from the girl and silently cursed herself for getting so distracted, she would have to do something about this, she just couldn't have herself drooling every time she saw that damn woman, not while she was literally planning her downfall. All else aside, it was not a road she wanted to tread.
Content for now with a vague plan, she smirked as she drew her attention back to the teacher, who had moved on to the strategy for tomorrow's game. She nodded politely for a while before the coach called the practice to an end and Sophie could make her escape, turning to head back up to the school. Apparently, they were to play against Cheltenham tomorrow.
Oh, this would be fun.
Once she was back in the school she wandered aimlessly, if she was going to be on a hockey pitch tomorrow she would need to be concentrating properly, letting her mind wander could result in a broken jaw, or worse. Particularly against Cheltenham.
She was so lost in thought that she walked, literally head first, into another person, getting tangled in excessively long legs and tripping the unfortunate bystander so badly that she had to catch them and set them back on their feet before they collided, hard, with the floor.
"Whoa, I'm so sorry." She stepped back quickly, ruffling the back of her hair awkwardly. The girl righted herself for a moment before turning to her, clearly ready to rip her a new one, when she stopped. Her anger faded instantly, and was replaced by an oddly seductive smile that Sophie was not expecting.
"No problem… You're Sophie right?" She tilted her head, her hair falling over one shoulder, and Sophie took a moment to assess the situation. She'd seen the girl around, of course, and knew her reputation. She didn't know it extended to girls, but who was she to argue? If she was interested...
"That's me, you're Chelsea?" She smiled sheepishly and the blonde smirked as she nodded.
"Well, your reputation precedes you. Sorry I almost bowled you over there." She gave a wink and a smile, turning on her heel. She didn't do subtle, if the girl wanted to do this, she'd need clear signals. A hand gripped her arm and Sophie had to force back a smirk while she turned back to face her, feigning innocence.
"My reputation?" The blonde tipped her head, which was a fair of her to ask, a reputation could either be good or bad... Sophie nodded with a reassuring smile.
"As the most gorgeous girl in the school, of course." She pulled a face as though she was stating the obvious but had to resist a frown as the words tasted like a lie.
Giving herself an internal shake she pushed herself back into the moment. Chelsea seemed to actually glow at the compliment so Sophie doubled down.
"I don't know how you do it." She paused and shook her head, before returning her eyes to lock with the taller girl.
"I'd love to get some tips from you… If you have the time?" She raised a brow questioningly and Chelsea barely paused before she grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her off down the corridor and, judging from the general decoration inside, into the Posh Totty room.
Honestly, she got a sense that Chelsea was a lot smarter than everyone seemed to given her credit for, she clearly picked up on Sophie's blatant intent, and was decisive enough to know what she wanted to do about it, as she didn't even look at the makeup in the room. Instead she flicked the lock shut and wasted no time in yanking Sophie into a kiss, not that she was complaining, it certainly saved time. Chelsea was actually a really very good kisser.
A while later Sophie emerged from the room, running a hand through her hair to fix it as she strode off, now much happier, to a bathroom. Walking straight to the mirror she checked her neck and shoulders for any marks, she knew for a fact she'd left a fair few on Chelsea but that was just a bad habit on her part, she couldn't help it.
At any rate, Chelsea had been far from complaining, she would know, she paid very close attention. Satisfied that she was clear she glanced at the time and found that the bell would go off soon, to signal the end of the day.
Perfect.
Readjusting her undone tie around her neck with a smirk, she made sure it was even before heading back out and down to the dining room.
She got there just as the bell rang and quickly grabbed a couple of apples from the fruit bowl (before they got used as ammo) before cheerily turning on her heel and walking back out as the room started filling with students. Perfect.
She headed straight up to the roof, her new favourite haunt around this school. There were no cameras or recording devices up there, making it essentially the only place a person could go to sit without being watched.
It felt like the only place she could relax.
Once up there she walked to the wall and sat down, her legs hanging off of the edge as she watched the darkening sky. It was nice, and honestly, it was beginning to be a problem; she could feel herself getting into a routine and that was definitely a bad thing. She never stuck around anywhere past the time she needed to be there, she would have to leave at the start of the Christmas holidays, at the latest.
Once again she was so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear anyone approach until she sat down next to her. Catching the movement in the corner of her eye, her head whipped around but quickly relaxed, it was just Jones.
Wait, what? How could it just be the Head Girl? For the love of god Sophie. Keep your head in the game.
Growling internally, she realised she was just sort of staring at the other girl, so she nodded.
"Hey... How come you're not at dinner?" She kept her tone casual, the woman had been a vault thus far on personal subjects, she really did need to step up her game if she was going to manage this.
Truthfully, the Head Girl was looking more and more tired with each passing day. Apparently, being head girl of a place like this was more effort than your average school. Go figure.
Jones simply shrugged, staring out over the field.
"Just felt like being somewhere quiet." Sophie could hear to pointed edge to the reply. She was telling her to fuck off. But somehow, it lost some of its sharpness.
Jones was exhausted.
Sophie frowned as she turned to look over the grounds. Jones was her target; she should not be feeling bad for her. Still, a weakened target was no fun. Yes, that was why she was feeling bad, Jones was ruining her fun. So her compulsion to help her was not because she was worried about her, but because she was bored and wanted a better fight.
Yes. Good.
With a small sigh, she picked up her apples and held one out.
"We have a match to win tomorrow; you may want to eat something." She didn't look at her, keeping her expression neutral and her eyes on the horizon as she waited, arm extended. Eventually, she felt her take it and let her arm drop, sticking her hand back into her pocket to avoid fidgeting.
"Thanks." She heard the slight suspicion behind the other girl's voice but dismissed it, instead she shrugged.
Jones didn't trust her, that was pretty damn obvious, but if she could leverage a little information out of her, just a tiny amount, she could work with that to get more. Chewing thoughtfully, she continued to think until an idea occurred to her and she threw her finished core out over the fields, swinging her legs over the wall and moving across the roof.
Carefully, she pulled a couple of bricks out of one of the chimneys, a smile pulling onto her face as she found a hollow area inside. If she was right, and she usually was... Yes. In the small space was a bottle of bourbon (the chimney was one of the emo hiding places she'd discovered earlier in the week). With a smirk to herself she started walking back.
"No offence, love, but you look a little tired." She set the bottle down while she settled back into her usual seat before picking it up and opening it with a fond smile. The light burn of a half decent bourbon was something she'd grown up on; a familiar comfort.
After a second sip, she held the bottle out with a slight smile, Jones' eyes had narrowed once more, but she retained her pleasant smile, this would work, it had to.
"Sorry, no glasses." She gave the bottle a little shake as prompting, the girl needed a drink, there was no doubting that, whether she would take it with her around was a whole other question.
She couldn't help but smile as Jones finally took the bottle, quickly taking a long drink and passing it back to Sophie, who took it and matched her; she wasn't about to be left behind, even as her little dance of triumph went on in the back of her head.
They continued passing it back and forth in silence until they got about halfway through the bottle, when Jones finally spoke.
"Tomorrow's game should go well; we've not had many good players for a while now." Sophie smiled at the implied compliment and took another drink before answering.
"From what I saw, you're not so bad yourself. But then, you are Team Captain…" She trailed off with a grin and Jones simply shrugged and took the bottle, apparently out of things to say about that. Soph waited patiently; Jones was testing her, feeling her out.
Eventually she spoke again.
"Chelsea turned up to class with a couple very new hickeys, she's not been off campus for a few days and she's refusing to say who gave them to her." She sounded matter-of-fact but there was a serious edge to her voice. Sophie ran her tongue absentmindedly across her teeth at the mention of the marks, what was Jones getting at?
"You think there's any need to worry?" She took the bottle back and took another drink.
"I'm not sure. Either she's been sneaking off, or it's someone on campus." She turned and regarded her seriously for a moment.
"Another thing to add to my to-do list." She huffed a sigh and Sophie nodded, holding out the bottle as an expression of sympathy.
"You wouldn't be bringing any secrets with you, would you Daniels?" Kelly arched a brow, a small, bitter, smirk in place as she took a swig. Sophie laughed and offered an obviously fake gasp, pressing her hand to her chest in mock offence.
"Me? The very thought of it!" She grinned and Jones managed to join her, passing the bottle back, though the mirth was a little edged.
"I thought as much." She looked back out over the fields. Sophie, even slightly inebriated, could recognise an opening when she saw one. This was her chance.
She huffed out a sigh, running a hand through her hair and setting the bottle to one side.
"In all seriousness…." She trailed off, turning to face the girl long enough for them to make eye contact and Jones to see her actual sober (well, figuratively) expression. However, before speaking again, she averted her eyes to the horizon.
"We all have our baggage, our secrets, hidden motives, you know…" She paused a moment to sigh.
"But I've bounced around more than my fair share of schools. I'm… tired." The pour of emphasis onto the word she knew would resonate with the other girl was far from accidental.
"I might not always be the most upfront person on the planet, but I'm just here to look after my cousin. Her and Camilla are the only family I've got that aren't complete pricks." She paused to look to Jones there, since the truth of those words would help her to believe the rest of the bullshit she was currently spouting.
"For once I'm attending a school without plans for making trouble… It's weird…" She returned her gaze to the field under the guise of embarrassment and being lost in thought, and a heavy silence fell about them.
She picked the bottle back up and took a long drink.
And the oscar goes to…
Another swig each passed before Jones broke the silence.
"I have to go; I have to call lights out. Cheers for the drink." She placed a hand briefly on Sophie's shoulder as she got down off of the wall.
"Anytime." Sophie flashed a grin and winked, earning a, surprisingly good-natured, eye roll in return before Jones strode away, leaving Sophie to reflect on the fact the Head Girl just left her up on the roof when it was time to call lights out; rather than telling her to go to bed. Odd.
Draining the last of the bottle, Sophie smiled to herself and threw it off of the roof, hearing the faint but satisfying smash as it hit a tree. Left alone or not, if lights out was being called she'd probably better go to bed.
She was woken up by people moving the next morning. Reluctantly sitting up, she glanced at the clock beside Annabelle's bed.
7am. Fucking perfect.
The game didn't start until 10, but there was a lot to do. She pushed the covers back and rooted around in her bag for her towel, deciding on an early shower before breakfast.
Heading into the showers, she automatically threw a cloth over the camera in the corner; she was in no mood for any pranks this early in the morning. Once satisfied she wouldn't be broadcast over the internet, she got undressed and walked around into the actual showers, finding one that worked (still no easy task) and stopping at it. Having a shower was pretty much pointless this morning since she was going to be playing hockey later, but it helped to wake her up, at least a bit, and she always preferred to shower alone.
A while later she pulled on the clean uniform she'd brought with her. She'd change for the match later, two and a half hours was an annoyingly long time to be walking around in your PE kit.
Once dressed she walked back up to the dorms, dropping her towel and night clothes on her bed before heading down to the dining room. It was full, as always, and Sophie quickly grabbed herself some food. Damn it was packed...
She spotted Jones and one of the geeks sat at a table on their own and bit her lip, wondering if she could or even should join them. On the one hand, she needed to keep an eye on the Head Girl, but on the other, hanging out with anyone twice within twenty four hours was dangerously close to a social life. Social lives required friends, and she didn't want those.
As she was struggling to decide the girl looked up and gave a small jerk of her head, telling her to come and sit down. Sophie decided it was probably the easiest course and walked over, dropping into the chair across from them.
The geek didn't look up from her laptop until Jones spoke.
"Daniels this is Polly. Polly, Daniels." Sophie nodded and gave a brief smile to the other girl and received the same before the girl turned back to her laptop. She considered the ginger haired girl for a moment, she assumed, given her affiliation with Jones and the rest of the group's general attitude, Polly was the head Geek. A fine position to be in.
Something in the back of her mind announced that Polly seemed to be the only person Jones spent time with regularly, in a social way at least. It was very strange, to say the least, since Sophie had assumed she'd be 'best mates' with everyone. Head girls usually were.
She certainly had respect, even fear from many of them, and something like admiration from a few. However, barring the red headed girl here, she had yet to see anyone along the lines of a close friend. She would have to look further into this if she intended to get anywhere near the older girl.
She shook the thought from her head as Jones spoke again.
"Looking forward to the match?" She arched a brow and Sophie nodded with a brief grin, taking a bite out of her toast. Truthfully, she was mostly looking forward to knocking out a few teeth from the Cheltenham side, one in particular. She just hoped the St. Trinian's team were as good as they looked.
Curiously, she eyed the Head Girl, she definitely looked much better this morning; she must have finally gotten some decent sleep after their drink on the roof. She stored that as a mental note for the future, keep the drinking minimal, since it was bad to get into, but a good buzz in a pinch would do wonders.
"What about you?" She spoke casually, relaxing back in her chair and continuing to eat her breakfast.
"Kicking Cheltenham's ass is always something to look forward to." One side of her mouth quirked upwards and Sophie mirrored her, noting Polly's glance out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't been looking at the screen, but at Jones. Was there something different in the way she was acting that only her 'best friend' would notice?
Sophie felt a slight wave of confusion but ignored it, refusing to think too much on it now as Polly turned back to her laptop. It was irritating, but she really needed to keep her head in the game, quite literally. She would have to focus on deciphering the bloody Head Girl later; a task that was rapidly becoming more trouble than it was worth.
They finished breakfast in silence and Sophie stood up, draining her glass as she picked up her plate.
"Right, I'll see you on the pitch then." She smiled briefly at Jones and nodded at Polly, she didn't stick around to see their replies but as she dropped off her used plate and glass on her way out she glanced back over to see Polly saying something was a smug expression and Jones scowling at her.
Definitely something different in the way the Head Girl was acting then... But what?
She didn't hurry as she made her way onto the pitch, hockey stick resting casually on her shoulder as she approached the loose group of girls that made up the team. Annabelle looked so nervous Sophie actually took pity and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, giving her a small, reassuring smile. It seemed to work as the girl settled a bit, not much, but it was something. With one last pat, Sophie moved on, flashing a brief, amused look to Jones as the Head Girl was taking a drink from her flask. Apparently in a good mood, Jones smirked back and did the cap back up, tilting the flask questioningly toward her. Surprised, Sophie nodded, holding out a hand. Jones expertly tossed it to her and Sophie caught it with a grin, resting her hockey stick against her hip as she took a drink.
Rum… Not bad.
She assumed this was probably some kind of quid pro quo for the night before.
"Oh my god… That's Verity Thwaites, she's a total psycho!" Annabelle's panicked tones had her whipping out of her thoughts to find that, indeed, the blonde brawn machine was jogging across the field toward the pitch, team in tow. Unable to help herself, Sophie grinned, a genuine, Cheshire cat grin. This was going to be so good.
"Who let the dogs out?!" The first years sang and Sophie chuckled, tossing the flask back to Jones and leaning on her hockey stick to watch the proceedings, already envisioning the pain she could inflict upon the bitch. Her expression sobered, however, as the girl approached her dear cousin.
"Girls… Look who it is, Annabelle the cannibal." The blonde gave a, disturbingly poor, impersonation of Hannibal Lecter, causing Annabelle to visibly flinch. Sophie growled.
"Thwaites." She stepped around Taylor (head chav) and Andrea (head goth), swinging her stick up onto her shoulder to stride up and stand beside Annabelle. Thwaites' eyes widened briefly before she managed to reign it in, straightening to her full height.
"Daniels? This place's standards really have dropped. If that were possible." She arched a brow and Sophie chuckled.
"Good to see you again, Verity. I missed you." She grinned humorlessly as she stepped forward a few more steps, squaring off to her.
She retained her smirk even as she dipped her head ever so slightly, leaning around so she was closer to her ear.
"Leave Annabelle be, or I won't miss you again." She let her tone drop but poured in a painfully high level of threat as she took a step back, giving the girl a menacing smile before turning on her heel and wandering back through the ranks of the St. Trinians team. Going on the sniggering, Thwaites's reaction had been brilliant, but she was just looking forward to the match. Bring it on bitch.
Satisfied with her work, Sophie grinned at Annabelle, who looked grateful, and couldn't resist the opportunity to wink at Jones before moving back to where she had been stood, earning herself another eye roll. She listed it in the victory column.
"What was that all about?" It didn't surprise Sophie that Taylor was the first to speak, she chuckled quietly at Annabelle's reply.
"I used to eat people." Her rueful smile brought a slight edge to her voice, showing the barely contained anger at her past. In a strange way, it gave Sophie a small streak of pride, Annabelle did have some spine in her, it was just buried under a thick prim and proper exterior.
"What?" Jones' confusion reached the faces of the rest of the players and Sophie smirked.
"I used to have braces… and bits of food got stuck in them..." She looked embarrassed as she admitted it and even Jones looked a little grossed out by the idea.
"Nice..." The Head Girl hid her reaction pretty well, but a slight edge of it came through and Sophie chuckled again.
Finally, the match was about to start, Bursar ran through the rules and Sophie kept a straight face as the teams glared at each other.
This was going to be a match to remember.
The whistle had barely blown and Bursar was already unconscious, everyone ignored him so Sophie was pretty sure it was a frequent occurrence.
The first couple of points went down no problem, it was then that things started getting a little blurry around the edges; both began sides cheating so much it was actually funny. Sophie hit through a lot of goals herself and so did Jones, player positions seeming not to matter in the slightest as they all fought to push through the crowd of warring girls.
It was all about what Sophie had expected until Jones scored another goal. A member of the Cheltenham 'ladies' lost her shit and dived for her; the unexpected attack sending the Head girl down. Now, Sophie wasn't entirely sure she could be held responsible, but as more pushing and shoving took place over in the bulk of the players, sparking a fight, her eyes zeroed in on the girl currently standing over their Team captain. It was really an act of duty, or maybe just a reflex, that she would later interpret as a snap opportunity to ingratiate herself, but before Sophie even noticed her arm moving, her hockey stick had spun through the air between her and the Cheltenham gir,l catching directly in the face and sending her sprawling.
St. Trinian's crowd roared their approval as she was carried off, out cold, booing and hissing as a substitute took her place. The fight had abated by this point, so Queen Chav jogged over to help Jones up (Sophie had deliberately hung back). However, her cover was blown as Taylor helpfully picked up Sophie's stick. A flash of confusion darted across the Head Girl's face for a second before the stick was thrown back to her, Taylor moving on to head back to the match, leaving Sophie and Jones facing one and other.
If anything, the realisation doubled the confusion in the other girl's eyes but Sophie couldn't think up a valid reason as to why she'd done that, so she shrugged instead, flashing a disarming grin and dashing off after Taylor.
She would need to have a serious talk with herself about her motives later. She was here to hang the girl out to dry, not earn her approval.
The game continued and, despite the team's efforts, Cheltenham pulled level with them, though honestly Sophie was not entirely sure how someone had been keeping score.
Talk about dramatic.
It was the final shot and Annabelle was behind the ball, if they scored this it would be a win for St. Trinians. As everyone was getting into position Sophie heard Taylor talking with Andrea in a surprisingly quiet voice.
"Oi, what you think 'bout Jones as Captain?"
"What do you mean?"
"She ain't exactly our best player anymore, is she?"
"Well…"
"Think 'bout it. Daniels and Fritton 'ave scored more that she 'as this game, 'an Daniels took out that bitch wot knocked 'er down and all."
"Hmm… Leave it to the last goal, if Daniels wins us the game, she's captain, deal?" Andrea sounded reluctant, but Taylor nodded firmly.
"Yeah, deal." Sophie frowned slightly as they moved on, she couldn't end up as team captain, one, usurping someone else's position was not a good way to stop them from being suspicious of you, and two, fuck that responsibility. She needed to put a stop to this, now.
She looked around quickly as the match started up again and Annabelle was getting the ball back for her shot, she had to act fast. It would be tough, and a seriously hard shot to pull off, but if she made this, it would be a giant step in the right direction. If she didn't, she'd already made a tiny step, so the day wouldn't be a total loss.
Carefully, she slipped nearer to Thwaites as Annabelle was tackled and Jones got behind the ball. If she lined it up properly, she could make it, but with everyone charging at her, she rushed it.
Shit.
The ball was flying straight for the goal keeper, at easy to see and catch, head height.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck- Wait.
Sophie quickly formed a new plan and hooked her stick around Thwaites' ankle, pulling hard and sending her toppling to the side.
Please work…
Triumph soared through her as the girl caught the ball with her face, sending it bouncing off into the goal at a much harder to catch angle.
End of the match.
Thwaites went down and the cheers went up, the roar filling the field. The team crowded around Jones, lifting her onto their shoulders and charging off to the school. No-one even suspected that Sophie had anything to do with the win. Excellent.
Sophie let out a sigh of relief; but as her gaze dropped to Annabelle, still on the floor, she frowned slightly. She was about to walk offer a hand, but someone caught her arm. She turned and Camilla gave her a small, sad smile, tipping her head toward the school.
The woman had a point, Sophie was shit at comforting people, better to leave it to the pros and head off inside. Taking her aunt's advice, she nodded back and followed the rest of the team back toward the building, leaving her aunt to help Annabelle.
Back at the school she jumped through a quick shower and hurried off to get changed for the party. She'd caught glimpses of the hall being set up and had to admit she was a little curious to investigate a St. Trinian's party. After a quick fish around in her bag, she pulled out her favourite leather jacket and a clean pair of black skinny jeans. God it was good to be dressed like herself again.
It was easy to find the party, the noise could be heard from the other end of school, but as she stepped into the main hall, she couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. The room was packed, flashing lights and a group she knew to be The Banned of St. Trinian's on a stage that was probably assembled earlier that morning. Anoushka was on the 'bar', and without Sophie even needing to ask, slid a bottle of whiskey across toward her. She flashed the Russian girl a grin and she smirked back, raising a bottle of Triski in toast. Sophie clinked her bottle against the older girls and they shared a drink before she moved on. She didn't go far, she stopped to lean against a pillar, surveying the crowd.
St. Trinian's certainly knew how to throw a party, Sophie found herself relaxing against her chosen pillar, enjoying the music and the general atmosphere. However, around half a bottle later the room went quiet and all dancing stopped. Sophie frowned in confusion for a minute but soon a very quiet song started up, the lights in the room dying down.
"Make us worthy,
Make us Proud,
Teach us not to be too loud.
We'll try and fit in with the crowd,
But we are St. Trinian's." Taking a long drink from her bottle, Sophie chuckled quietly, if the final line of the intro was anything to go on, this was the school anthem.
She listened as it played through, enjoying the difference it bore to any other school anthem she'd ever heard; then again, St. Trinian's wasn't exactly like any other school she'd been to...
It got weirder, as the chorus started up the music fell away, the crowd clapping and stamping in time as an extra voice joined in with the band. Sophie turned in search of it's source and found Jones leading the 'chant', her drink held high in the air as she moved through the crowd. Sophie guessed it was some kind of tradition or something, but her logical mind had apparently nipped off for a cigarette at this point.
She really was absolutely, goddamn stunning.
Watching her fight on the hockey pitch, or seeing the way she sauntered through the school, completely aware of everything around her but almost dismissing it, as though it didn't matter. When those sharp eyes deigned to fix upon you, they were brutal, pinning you to the earth and ensuring you stayed there for as long as she dictated.
Sophie hated it.
She hated how much power the Head Girl had. She hated it in most head girls, and teachers, and police, and really anyone else in a position of authority, but this one had more than the others, and she fucking knew it. Sophie resisted the urge to growl into her bottle. Jones could sweep her away with barely a gesture and it was maddening; knowing she could do it at any time, for any reason. She controlled the school, more than the teachers, more than Aunt Camilla. Sophie could work all she wanted, but unless she shook that woman's grip, it would all be in vain. Ruefully, she had to admire the purely impossible level of brilliance and the subtlety of Jones' control.
The song picked up the pace again and everyone started dancing once more. Sophie stayed where she was, watching Jones dance. She was irritatingly flawless. It was really very annoying.
After some time she realised the girl had caught her looking and could do nothing but grin, raising her bottle slightly in an odd sort of toast. Jones, apparently in a good mood, smirked back. However, following a quick glance around herself, she seemed to decide something and weaved her way out of the crowd. She didn't pause as she strode past, simply jerked her head to bid her to follow. Maybe it was the half a bottle of whiskey, but Sophie couldn't help the amused smirk that found its way onto her face as she followed her out into the main stairway, let alone the weird fluttery thing her stomach seemed intent upon doing.
"Why did you do it?" Jones had turned and was looking at her with a dangerously serious expression.
"Do what?" Sophie arched a brow, a little off guard.
"You know exactly what I mean; you tripped Thwaites." She folded her arms across her chest and Sophie paused, her mind taking a second to kick in.
"Andrea and Taylor were planning; you could have let me fuck up and taken the lot. So, why?" Apparently impatient, Jones' eyes narrowed to a glare and Sophie let out a long breath, leaning back against the wall and sticking her hands in her pockets. This girl really did have trust issues, it would take some serious bullshit to break through. Taking a second deep breath, she began.
"I didn't want it." She shrugged, opting to start with the truth; all the best lies started that way. Jones was still eyeing her sceptically, so she ran her free hand through her hair, taking a long drink, feigning exasperation. It was only half false.
"Leadership isn't my thing… Okay? I'm not a… team kind of person. I have… Issues, with that shit." She huffed and began to pace.
"Do we really have to go through this?" She arched a brow at the older girl, whose glare was answer enough.
"Fine." She took another long drink and advanced on her.
"I hate talking through this shit, but since you seem intent on glaring at me every time I do anything I suppose I'd better." She shot her an accusing look, still advancing, her tone lowering to avoid coming across as threatening. That was rarely her intent.
"You're a good head girl. Best I've seen-" To put it mildly.
"-and I've been to a lot of schools. And I don't know… my ass coming into the picture shouldn't be the reason you fall. Hell, I won't even be here for a year the way I'm going. I'm not a threat; I'm here to help my cousin find her feet. Then I'll be out of your hair. No mess. So while I'm here, if you need a hand with anything, maybe we could work something out." She held up her hands, bottle in one, flashing a quick grin.
"I don't need a social boost, but Annabelle needs all the help she can get, if you wanted to be that help… I wouldn't be upset about it." She stopped barely a foot away from her, Jones' glare having dropped to a blank slate as she watched her ramble.
Damn, she was pretty.
Okay, definitely leaning toward quite drunk… now was not the time for her inhibitions to wander off.
"So you did it to help me." The shadow of a smile appeared on her face and Sophie did a double take. Of all of that rambling, that was the bit she'd focused on? She fought back the strange urge to blush.
"You're offering to help me, so that I call off the hazing on Annabelle." She arched a brow, a slight smirk in place. Sophie took half a step back, unsure of her footing here. She'd never been in a situation like this, and thinking on your feet when you're half a bottle of whiskey down was not easy.
"Of course." Clearing her throat she stepped back up, closing the space a little, so she was looking up at the girl.
Why was she so tall?
Still, she was determined to regain a little control here, almost reflexively, she flickered her gaze downwards to deep red lips, a wolfish smirk pulling at her own.
"There's a lot of things I can help you with." She lowered her tone and Jones' eyes narrowed as she read the suggestion. She did look a little unseated by the proposal, but held her composure.
"I'm sure." Jones straightened up, unfolding her arms, her eyes unreadable even as she tilted her head ever so slightly. Their faces were so close now, Sophie had felt the other girl's breath on her face as she spoke.
"So what's it going to be, Jones?" She arched a brow and the other girls gaze bore into her own.
"I might find a use for you." It was low and dangerous; one corner of perfect lips tipped upwards into a smirk and it was enough for Sophie.
She closed the gap, not in any meaningful way. Barely a brush of contact, not enough to be called a kiss, but enough to send a jolt of lighting through her, starting where they touched and searing her nerve endings all the way down to her stomach, where it bounced back up, parting her lips in a barely-there gasp.
What the fuck was that?!
Instant sirens for retreat sounded in her mind but she reined it in, pulling back barely an inch and letting out a breath she prayed wouldn't shake.
"You know where to find me." It was barely above a whisper before she stepped back, carefully measuring her steps to avoid stumbling.
Jones, for her part, seemed unaffected; however, there was a tension to her stance, almost as if she was holding herself firmly in a relaxed position, so maybe that was something? She had no idea, she couldn't think, her lips were still buzzing. She took another drink, letting a familiar burn overtake the alien sensation.
"Enjoy your victory Jones." She flashed a grin and made for the stairs, keeping her eyes ahead. She would not look back.
What the fuck was going on?
See what I mean? She has some serious authority issues. The reason for that was kind of forgotten in the original. In fact, I kind of forgot about most of her motivations in my haste to get to the romance, but I was 17, that'll happen. They're all in here now, hopefully providing more of an interesting character and more reason for her terrible behaviour.
I have also heavily edited her interactions with Chelsea, I used her exclusively as a plot device in the original and it came out kind of gross and morally questionable. This version gives Chelsea more autonomy, and makes their relationship a little less uncomfortable. I hope you all enjoy these changes, and to those who never read the original, I hope you enjoy this story. Thanks, as always, for reading - J
