10/25/1999… Morning somewhere in the halls near the gym of the school.
Jaune sat alone once again. The group of friends that were once almost inseparable was almost hopelessly scattered now. He chuckled to himself thinking about it all. Weiss and Blake were stronger than ever as a couple. Blake had even told him about how just the day before yesterday she slapped Yang in front of Ruby for her continued shit talking.
Jaune admitted to himself that he was pretty amused by that last one. As he sat there, he ate the rest of his breakfast and lamented the situation. "I hate feeling like this, like I somehow punished my friends for breaking up with Ruby, everyone is so scattered now and I can't help but feel powerless to do anything about it."
Jaune leaned back and watched everyone around the halls walk by him. "I should consider talking to Ms. Fall about raising my medication levels again…" he thought with some self-disappointment. "What the hell can I do to get control of this situation when I can't even control my own brain…"
Jaune didn't even notice Ren pull up a seat next to him.
Jaune just waved at him hello sitting upright.
"Nora's has a cold and called out today," Ren said with a sigh.
[Oh is that why you sought me out?] Jaune signed back
"Nah, it's not like that… I'm a bit worried about you is all?" Ren said as he looked at his friend. "You get any sleep last night?"
Jaune chuckled before he signed [Actually yeah, my mom didn't work today and anytime I got up to check on Beth, she or Alan sent me back to bed.]
Ren smiled and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder "That's good, you look like you needed it."
Jaune silently sighed [Yeah... ]
"What's bugging you? I mean the last time two times I saw you smile was during a game and when you were changing your sister's diaper" Ren asked his long-time friend.
[I, well I just wonder how it all went so wrong so quickly, ya know?] Jaune signed back to Ren
"You mean how we all went from being a tight-knit band of friends to barely hanging out at best or being downright hostile to each other at worst?" Ren asked sarcastically.
Jaune sighed out [I caused this, didn't I? Because I'm, how does Yang like to put it? 'Fucked in the head?']
Ren chuckled and said "Personally I blame Yang and Weis. Weiss is at least mellowing out, but Yang is still convincing her sister that she didn't do a damn thing wrong." Ren paused for a second to think "Honestly it's pissing me right off."
Jaune smiled a little bit. [It's funny, I think I'm finally past what happened to Pyrrha then something else comes and ruins everything, I can't catch a break can I?]
Ren shook his head "If you want my honest opinion? I think Yang and Ruby is the problem here. Mostly Yang."
Jaune sighed out [You're saying that because you are one of my oldest friends Ren.]
"The fact that we've only been friends for about 3 years or so makes that kinda sad, to be honest," Ren said. "But the point stands, I'm not convinced that Ruby fully realizes that she did wrong, I mean Blake smacked her sister around, but Yang just things she's being a bitch."
Ren Balled his hands up into fists "Hell I don't think Yang actually realizes that we're all friends because of you. I'm starting to think that you banishing yourself from our group over them is causing us to drift apart like this."
Jaune thought about what Ren had to say before they asked [You know I've always trusted your advice, what do you think I should do?]
"I really don't know to be honest, if you were still the punch happy friend I had in Junior high I'd say your best bet would be to face the problem head-on," Ren said.
[But I can't claim to be that person anymore.] Jaune signed.
"I know mentally you're struggling, I know it's not because of Pyrrha anymore, but you don't have the look of unwavering confidence that you once had." Ren said, "You need to find that again."
Jaune pondered his words as the first bell went off, Jaune stood up first and helped Ren to his feet as well before they went their separate ways.
As Jaune walked the halls he thought to himself, "It's easy for him to talk about confidence, but I'd been hurt and betrayed by two women I'd been in love with now" As Jaune kept walking he heard a rather annoying voice as Cardin was talking to Russell.
"Well yeah, I mean she was fine as hell, and I kinda feel bad about fucking up her relationship with her boyfriend. But I could tell she wanted me." Russel chuckled out.
"Dude, you know her ex was crazy, you would have done her a favor." Russell declared.
"Man I was trying to get in her pants, don't misunderstand me but there was no way I was going to date that little disabled freak long term." Cardin chuckled out. "I mean I'd be worried I'd knocked her up and have a little disabled freak of a kid."
"Heh, yeah at least Arc has an excuse, but she was born that way, that shits genetic!" Russell said now openly laughing. "You don't want a freak baby out there anywhere."
Jaune's blood boiled in his veins, but his burning rage was calculated. Oh, he'd break Cardin for this, but he wouldn't do it on campus.
Jaune was already thinking of a few good locations as he put his long back hooded coat and scarf in his locker…
Hours Later Cardin was slammed against a wood fence a couple miles away from the school. He couldn't make out his attacker as the person had taken pains to disguise themselves.
Cardin straightened up, even though the person had already punched him several times before gut kicking him into the fence, he figured that he had taken worse hits in football practice. Cardin lunged at his attacker swinging wild at him. His fist was swatted aside and his attacker kicked out his knee causing him to stumble before he was grabbed by the head and had his brutally slammed into the wood cracking the wood slightly, His attacker then dragged his face across the surface of the old wood fence as he was thrown to the ground.
As he dragged himself back up to his feet feeling the burning in his face and being thankful he wasn't bleeding he saw his attacker gesture at him to come closer.
"Why the fuck are you doing this! Who are you!" Cardin shouted at his attacker in clear pain.
Cardin saw his attacker silently scoff at him and beckoned at him again.
Cardin shouted up and rushed at him throwing a pair of punches at him, Cardin might have been strong, and he might have been a bully in the past, but he never found the need to learn to fight. His attacker stepped back from his first punch, swatted the second punch aside before gut-punching him causing him to double over. While he was doubled over he had a thought go through his head "This has to be Jaune, he's so damn silent! He's the only guy at school this quiet!"
His train of thought was violent interrupted he felt a pair of hands grabbed the back of his head and violently drive his head towards the knee that was coming up towards his face. Cardin's head jerked back as blood dribbled from his busted nose, While Cardin reeled from the hit. He was violently knocked over as his attacker kicked him in the side of his head yet again.
Cardin laid there watching droplets of his own blood hit the ground before he felt a sharp pain in his side as his attacker kicked him hard in the ribs. Cardin let out a pained cry just before a walled up ball of paper fell in front of him.
Cardin reached out for it to only have his hand stomped on causing him to shout out in pain. Only when his attacked stepped back. Did he call the ball of paper and dragged himself to his feet. He un-crumped the paper and tried to read it through a swollen eye and read it, in an angry hand it just said 'You earned this for what you did! If you tell anyone who did it, I'll put you in the fucking dirt!'
Cardin feeling a wave of terror in his chest, and barely able to stand turned and faced his attacker who pulled his hood back to revealed Jaune's enraged face… Cardin just weekly muttered "I'm Sorry… I'll be quiet about this…."
A light, no, a burning fire lit in Jaune's eyes as he got a satisfied smirk on his face. He then charged Cardin and jumped forward at him with both feet dropkicking Cardin back into the fence which cracked and splinted behind him as he went through it!
The last thing Cardin saw before the pain overwhelmed him and he passed out was a sarcastic two-fingered salute by Jaune as he walked away from him.
Barely an hour later Jaune walked towards home feeling ecstatic, he took the time to stop by a public restroom to wash his hands clean of the small spackles of blood on his knuckles and reflect on what had just happened. For what had to be the first time in what felt like ages he felt in control. "My God… how much did I let others govern me before now?" He found himself thinking. It was true that Ruby had largely been the one to direct their relationship, but did he even let them direct his life for him?
As Jaune walked the feeling of being the one in control hit him like a drug, an intoxicating feeling that He swam in. "God it was easy to beat the shit out of him, I'm almost tempted to to to the game on Friday to see how well he can toss a ball with bruised ribs."
Jaune's thoughts then turned to Ren's words from earlier. "If the whole group falls apart because I'm not part of it then fuck it, I'm not their fucking keepers."
Still, he needed a way to ride that emotional high he was feeling, his own antidepressants had long since worn off, as got within eyesight he noticed that his folks were not home yet… He then glanced over at Neo's place, Roman was in jail once again after all. "Okay, no way…. I'm not considering that…" he started to walk by before he thought "Then again… Hell, even Blake admitted she smoked weed a couple times… I mean I'm in control right?"
Jaune chuckled as he looked around and his own unbalanced thoughts played around with the idea finally said "Shit lets do this…" As he slightly pivoted and walked over to Neo's door knocking on it.
Neo was home of course and answered in a pair of hip-hugging sweatpants and a loose tank top that revealed quite a bit of cleavage. "Oh hey Jaune, what's up, you locked out of your place or something?" Neo said with a slight southern drawl to her voice.
Jaune glanced around and wrote out 'I'll be honest, this ain't a social call today Neo.'
Neo looked at Jaune confused for a second "Come on in, let's talk inside."
As Jaune stepped into Neo's house, something he never thought he'd ever had a reason to do, he looked around. He was surprised to say the very lease at how normal it all looked. A few clothes items were laying about the house. Jaune noticed one of Neo's bras casually discarded into the corner of her living room. But otherwise, this was nothing like what he thought how a drug dealer's house looked.
Neo turned with the same look of confusion on her face and asked "So, I think I misunderstood you on the porch sweetie, what are you here for?" in her slightly thick southern accent.
Jaune wrote out in his notebook 'Honestly I feel like mixing it up today, I have money, you have things that can mix me up, do the math Neo.'
Neo looked at Jaune with a worried look and said, "Absolutely not.."
Jaune's head tilted and wrote out 'I'm sorry are you saying you're not going to help me out?'
"No Jaune I'm not, Roman's the dealer. But He wouldn't sell to you either." Neo said with a look of confusion and disappointment on her face.
'Oh, you're saying that Roman would grow a conscience? Is that it?' Jaune protested
"No, he doesn't sell what you're asking for to teenagers, he might sell weed to teens, but he won't see anything hard to them. He also wouldn't see to the kid of his next-door neighbor!" Neo shouted. "Also, I know your on Anti-depressants and most of that shit wouldn't play nice with those."
Jaune looked down dejected for a moment, his thoughts raced as he questions what the hell he was really doing. Neo stepped in and closed the gap lifting his head and smiled at him. "Look, I know you had a bad time in the last couple of months since you broke up with that Ruby girl, I know a few other ways to help you out. But you have to promise me to never attempt to buy drugs again."
Jaune fought back a blush as Neo's chest briefly touched his chest. "I mean, your trying t get your mind off things right?" Neo said as she guided Jaune's hand to her backside, much to Jaune's surprise.
Jaune just nodded at Neo feeling shocked at the fact his hand was being guided to grab Neo by her rear. "I did want to feel in control right?" Jaune thought to himself as he took the hint and turned the pair around and pressed Neo into the wall.
"Your, not the only needing to take their mind off things, let's make this a today only thing okay?" Neo said as she pulled Jaune in for a kiss.
About an hour and change later. Jaune found himself in Neo's bathroom sitting in a chair, leaning his bed back into a sink while Neo was straddling him. And drawing on his right shoulder. To say Jaune was feeling pretty relaxed would be the understatement of the decade.
"Keep your head back over the sink for a few more minutes while I work on this, I can't believe you're letting me draw a Henna tattoo on your shoulder," Neo said as she leaned over on him. "I mean I kinda like doing this but most of my friends don't let me."
Neither Jaune and neo were wearing shirts.
Jaune wrote out on his notepad which was resting awkwardly on her bathroom counter 'I can't believe much of anything that's happened since I came here.'
"Well, I admit that my day has played out far differently than I had planned for it sugar," Neo said drawing out her words in a way that Jaune was finding attractive today. She leaned in and kissed his neck "that wasn't a complaint by the way. You were pretty awesome back there."
"Anyways, I don't get to give too many Henna tatts out, it won't per permanent but it'll last a few weeks or so," Neo said as she shifted her weight on Jaune and both of them blushed slightly as she rubbed against him. " I'm giving you a nice nordic looking set of chains around your right shoulder with a few Celtic runes for strength.
Jaune was only in the position to give her a thumbs up.
A few more minutes later once she was satisfied with her work, on both his shoulder and his head, she had Jaune sit up and look in the mirror. Jaune almost didn't recognize himself, his normally light-colored hair was to him a medium to dark shade of gray, and his shoulder had an intricate pattern of chains and Celtic runs running down his arm.
He wrote out in his notepad 'What color is my hair?'
"Purple," Neo said, "It's what I had laying around. I have to say I miss being able to doll up one of my friends like this."
Jaune looked confidently at Neo who still by that point was topless.
"You needed to the day didn't you, you haven't felt like yourself lately? Maybe you felt like you were not in charge of things right?" Neo asked him.
Jaune nodded in the affirmative.
Neo closed the gap once again saying "Well I did say today was a one-time thing, and it's still today." As she took his hand and wrapped it around her neck she said with a seductive smirk. "Well… Take control."...
It was almost seven o'clock by the time Jaune made his way home.
Mina rounded the corner when she heard Jaune knock on the wall saying "It's about time you got home where in the he-" She cut herself off when she saw Jaune
Jaune smiled and signed out [Sorry this took way longer than I thought it would.] before pointing at his hair.
Alan rounded the corner carrying his little sister and his head snapped back pretty quick "Oh hey, you were at the salon I see."
Jaune shrugged his shoulders and signed [Well yeah, I was mixing things up today.]
Mina shook her head and said, "[You know you're supposed to ask before you do something like this right?"
[If I did that you would have said no.] Jaune signed back.
"The saying 'It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission' does not apply to one Jaune Arc," Mina said sternly.
[I'll remember that for next time mom.] Jaune said as he made his way past her to get some dinner.
"Oh uh Jaune, have you seen Cardin today. Someone kicked the crap out of him off-campus and he found semi-conscious in an alley."
[Oh shit really?] Jaune signed feigning shock [Who the hell did he piss off?]
"He didn't say. He said he didn't recognize his attacker. We are all thinking that it was someone from a rival school." Alan said.
[Damn, that's not great, but no I haven't seen him at all today.] Jaune said looking worried.
"Let me know if you find out anything okay?" Alan said.
Jaune just nodded as he left the room and Mina and Alan exchanged worried looks. Mina signed to her husband [Yeah he's acting off alright, I don't think this just some kind of rebellion thing.]
Alan signed back with one hand, still holding the baby in his other [I'll keep an eye on him for the next few days. This is frankly disturbing from him.]
Both Alan and Mina nodded in agreement as they split off to different parts of the house.
So I have to admit this chapter, and the entire character arc I have planned for Jaune was one I finalized on knowing it was going to be controversial. Jaune had been passive up to this point, but the rage and anger were there, just being bottled up, the fact that's he's done some rather questionable things in this chapter and ended up being rewarded for it may not be seen as a positive. I only ask as I always do you give me the chance to show where this is going before you jump on me for it.
I'm always happy as I've made clear to read your feedback on the chapters as they go up, I do appreciate the nigh universally pleased reactions everyone gave to Blake bitchslapped Yang the way she did, it really did put a smile on my face.
typhonyx I do enjoy your hot takes on chapters, You really do make me look at things from a perspective of someone not having the character's thoughts and motivations in my head. Your views on the Toxicity of Jaune and Ruby's relationship did hit a cord as I did have Ruby in my notes as have a "quiet" mental issue involving craving physical affection, and I did have her react more than once in early chapters to something simple as a hug like and drug addict getting a fix.
Gustrubio The baby is not going anywhere, my wife would murder me in my sleep if I did.
Alank2 Weiss has her chapter coming up where she gets shown how she's one part of the wedge keeping the group scattered.
Calamk Is Ruby Misunderstanding the situation? You're asking the real questions here.
At any rate, this was the first time in a while I posted twice in a calendar week, if you're in America then happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, otherwise happy Thursday to everyone else. As Always, thanks again for reading, and I hope you all have a great rest of your day!
