Take Me Away
By Rosie Real
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans
Dedication: To NinjaBunnyOverlord. Why? Everyone find ninjabunnyoverlord on . She drew the most amazing picture for this story! Hurra!
:)
Chapter Nine: Just Can't Help Myself
The definition of time is versatile.
Certain days it slowly drags on like a tilted spoon full of syrup.
Jenny's eyes were infatuated with the minute hand of the clock in Calculus. They never left its immovable form, except, out of absolute necessity, to blink.
She had played this game for the last five periods. She only had to wait these last ten minutes, the home stretch, and she'd be free. She'd race back to her locker, breathless from exertion, only to find Wally waiting for her already dressed for basketball practice. She closed strawberry pink eyes and saw his tall, lean form, his aquamarine eyes, his messy red hair, his goofy smile…
Her eyes snapped open to find the clock.
It hadn't moved.
She groaned quietly, and willed the minute hand to get its ass in gear.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
There are days where time races by in the blink of an eye, when all of a sudden sun is gone and the day has left you in the dust.
Zach loved days like this. Shining yellow sun, but with a crisp, bitter chill in the air. Where you took a deep breath and felt icy air coat your lungs.
He loved other days too, anything to do with the cold. He was a winter kind of guy. It was so much easier to fall into routine when his environment was ideal.
From start to finish, Zach was just following routine. Visit the office for one reason or another, have a nice chat with the tired, unfocused principal, tease Kori, taunt Michael, make faces at Rachel, and grill Jenny for keeping her relationship with Wally from him.
On that note, he turned to glare at Jenny pointedly, but instead caught himself witnessing something very rare: Jenny having a sappy moment.
Her eyes were shut, her face decorated with a dreamy expression. Her lips, usually hardened into a scowl or smirk softened into an indulgent smile. Her fingers absentmindedly twirled into her bright pink hair.
…It was vaguely disturbing. He made a disgusted face, hoping she would see when she opened her eyes.
…Any second now.
At last, Jenny opened her eyes, and intently checked the clock. Her face transformed from dreamy to stormy and she scowled fiercely. "What the hell is wrong with that clock?" She demanded angrily, "It has to be broken!"
The calculus teacher paused mid-lecture, and turned the irate teenager. Mr. Lowell was tall, slim, plainly dressed, and gray haired. He was an impassive man who seemed to have very simple pleasures in life, one of which included Calculus. Unlike most teachers though, he had a thick hide, and did not get mortally offended when students lost interest in their subject.
"Language, Jenny," He chided gently, and glanced at the clock as it moved, "And it appears not to be broken. Perhaps you should transfer all that intense focus to the board?" He gave her a slightly sleepy smile and moved on to finish his problem.
Zach smirked at Jenny, who flushed with embarrassment. Whether he knew it or not, Mr. Lowell had used the best weapon to chastise Jenny: quiet reasoning.
Jenny, who was used to a loudly critical mother and sarcastic father, could not help but obey this man, and silently took notes for the remainder of the class.
Zach finished his ponderings on Jenny, remembering he was still angry with her, therefore had no notion to pity her. Besides, she had Wally now, who probably had the model family who would adopt Jenny into their life, and they would live freakin' happily ever after.
The image of Jenny and Wally skipping around Disney World popped into his head, and he had no idea why. Before Zach could think about it, the bell rang loudly, and school was over.
Unbelievable. He thought amazed, gathering his notes and calculator, That had to be the fastest day on record.
Zach smiled and turned to comment to Jenny, and instead saw her dashing out of the classroom in a hurried frenzy, her Pokémon sticker-ed calculator left sitting on her desk.
He heard a chuckle behind him, and saw Mr. Lowell shaking his head slightly in amusement. "Hand me that, will you Mr. Rex?"
Zach complied easily, happy he didn't have to deliver the calculator back to her, since it would have ruined his current grudge. There was a moment where they just smiled at each other in amusement, reflecting on Jenny and her strange antics. It lasted less than a second, and Zach turned to grab his backpack. "Have a great weekend, Mr. Lowell,"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Time has no meaning for some.
For Kori Andrews, the day was a relay race, where some sections moved with different speed and grace.
Her mornings never seemed to involve time. When she danced in those early hours, she became the clock. Minutes moved with her body, and always knew when it was time to stop, time to hand the baton to the next runner, and start school.
School moved gracelessly and unpredictably. Today lasted a lifetime as the unexpected occurred repeatedly.
Kori tried to remember a time she was ever sent to the Principal's office. She was unsuccessful. She could barely recall ever getting a time-out, let alone a detention.
And so she was shaking visibly when she walked into the intimidating Principal's office. Mr. McClellan blinked in surprise, clearly wondering what she was doing here.
"Miss Andrews, I didn't, ah…" He struggled for the right words, without sounding tactless.
"I know," she helped, feeling her face warm with embarrassment. She felt utterly stupid, standing there in her red pajama bottoms and fidgeting hands.
"Er, well, have a seat then," He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Mr. McClellan was a large man who looked far better suited for a woodsy-life. His broad shoulders, neck, and face seemed uncomfortable in a dress shirt, jacket, and bow-tie. Kori pictured him in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt and felt a little better.
He should have been a lumberjack, she reflected to herself, and bit back a smile.
Mr. McClellan fumbled for a paper and said, "So Mr. Rex tells me you and him disrupted Mr. Watson's AP Biology class…"
-.-.-.-.-
She left the Principal's office feeling calm. Mr. McClellan had lectured her, asked her a few questions, and even sympathized with her.
"He calls you Miss Anders? Hmm, yes, Zach mentioned that. I understand your annoyance but you do realize that you could have responded better?"
She did. She was so very sorry. She felt utterly ashamed. So she said.
Mr. McClellan smiled at her approvingly. "I won't lie, I was a little shocked to see you here. Have you ever been sent here before?"
Kori laughed shakily and answered no.
The principal smiled even more approvingly. "Sometimes we're just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all have our bad days. I don't think you had the intent to misbehave. It's a shame I have to give you a detention,"
She blanched a little, but nodded. He cleared his throat and relaxed back into his seat. "Well, I think that's all I need to say, thank goodness. Um, so what are your plans for college? I've heard from many how well you dance," He looked infinitely better relaxed and Kori finally saw how well he suited being a principal.
And so, walking out of the office, Kori felt immensely calm. She left the waiting room, striding into the hall, and glanced around to see if Zach had waited for her.
He was sitting against one of the lockers, and sprang up with the grace of a mountain lion, his eyes containing a measure of the same predatory look.
"What happened?" He asked, reading her body language and expression.
"Well…" She trailed off unsure how to answer, "He tortured me ruthlessly, trying to get me to say how you started it all… but I never folded. After a while, he gave up and set me free,"
Zach grinned, visibly relaxed as soon as he heard her make a joke, "I knew I could count on you. It all worked out perfectly,"
Kori raised her eyes brows and crossed her arms, "Did it? What did you tell him?"
"Oh, that you started the whole thing. Led me down the path of evil, you bad influence," Zach promptly dodged Kori's slap and dashed off with a heart-stopping grin as the bell rang, disappearing into a flood of students.
-.-.-.-.-.-
For Rachel, whose day started off impossibly slow, the rest of the day flew by like a brisk winter wind, in a strange blurred assortment of images, questions, and reflexive responses.
While Rachel Craven obediently took notes, answered problems, and took a quiz, she spent the day quite preoccupied with one thought in mind. Or one person. Though she saw him only once in the morning, and once at lunch, he stayed by her throughout the day. She entertained herself by imagining him seated next to her in every class; murmuring casual remarks to her, slipping amused expressions and pretending to doze off.
And so she spent the day, immersed in her day dreams and small, secretive smile.
Rachel's apparent joy didn't escape anyone's attention.
"So," Jenny smoothly intervened in art class, drumming her fingers on the table expectantly. "Who is he?"
Rachel started, looking up from her sketchbook in the same manner of waking up from a nap. "He? He who?" Her dark blue eyes darted from Jenny's narrowed pink gaze to her sketchbook and then to the clock. She sat rigid from the sudden interrogation.
Twirling the end of her pink pony-tail around her finger, Jenny smirked knowingly. "He who? Honestly. I wasn't born yesterday you know. You're smiling," But she turned her smirk into a confident smile. "I'll find out eventually. I guess it serves me right, not letting you know about Wally first thing,"
Rachel slipped easily back into her dreamy state, shrugging carelessly. "I was just really surprised. I don't mind you not telling me,"
"Then you're the only one," muttered the teenager quietly, thinking of English class, when Zach had unleashed a pure, unadulterated rant about the importance of friendship and the unimportance of romantic interests (Broes before hoes, as he delicately put it). Technically, it hadn't answered the question about the significance of Clarissa Dalloway's relationship with Peter Walsh in Mrs. Dalloway, the original question he was supposed to answer. Jenny chuckled a little, remembering. She turned to explain to Rachel, but found her friend sketching contently, and humming.
First smiling, now humming.
Jenny bit back a scowl, and shook her head. Rachel probably needed space, and Jenny would give it to her.
…An hour sounded very appropriate.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Jenny, Wally, Mr. Mod, Richard…
Rachel counted off the list of people in her head who had asked her… well, an assorted amount of questions but all related to the same thing. Who was she dating? She rolled her eyes at the memory, but continued to list as she slipped her books into her locker.
Roy, Jenny again, Terra, Logan, Victor, Jenny again, Kori (she doesn't count, she already knows), Mrs. Phelps the librarian, even Kitty Myers for god's sake! Math text book and binder, and that's it for homework…
She walked down the hallway, suddenly painfully aware that she was the target of a number people's stares. Awkwardly, she glanced down at the floor and restrained the unexpected, sudden urge to glare all of them down.
Rachel realized, as she walked out of the school doors, that she had never been a receiver of the attention. When she was with Kori, Kori attracted everyone's stares effortlessly. Jinx, even without the pink hair and eyes, had so much personality that people just noticed her without meaning to. Rachel had developed a talent for remaining unnoticed, unseen, and it only took one person, one insignificant blonde male to destroy her one power.
Well… not insignificant, she thought to herself. But just one guy. I've had boyfriends before, but they never affected me like this.
She entertained herself by reflecting on all her previous flings. There was Dick Grayson who took her to the Homecoming Dance during their freshman year. He had been cute, very polite, and tried desperately to conceal his infatuation with Kori from her. A clueless, but rather endearing gentleman. He had kissed her during one song, an experiment she supposed. It had done nothing for her, other than given her and Kori something to analyze endlessly about later that night.
There was Adam Farrely, sophomore year, who shyly asked her out one day during a pottery class at her favorite art studio downtown. She had ecstatically agreed, and their relationship had been sweet but short, ending when he suddenly moved to New Jersey a month later. She had been despondent, but more upset over losing a friend than a boyfriend.
Who was next…? Oh, right, Logan G. Beast. Rachel snickered a little. End of sophomore year, he had accidentally backed into her car with his forest green Jeep Liberty. He had apologized endlessly and, in the midst of his apologies, had blurted out, "Would you like to go out with my sometime?"
She had been so shocked, already reassuring him that everything was fine, that she had blurted out "Okay," just as abruptly. She regretted it instantly, knowing she was only a rebound from his on-and-off girlfriend Terra. And she was right, their relationship lasted barely a month, ending when Terra had asked for Logan back.
Rachel remembered feeling a little offended, a little relieved, and a little amused. She had gently urged Logan to go back to Terra, and they said goodbye on a sheepish kiss, but on good terms.
And junior year, there was Fang. Rachel blinked, feeling cold. No one knew about that, not even Kori. It hadn't been a relationship, just the closest thing to a one-night stand she had ever come to.
Roy Harper was throwing his annual Spring Break party, a celebration that flocked the entire senior and junior class, as well as a large group of sophomores and a few daring freshmen.
Rachel had gone with Kori, but rarely saw her that night. Kori, who rarely drank, was recruited to Bethany Honey and Wally West's team for an extreme version of beer pong, and Rachel had drifted away to Jenny who was heavily hitting on Alex Waters. When her efforts became futile due to an utter lack of response, Jenny had initiated a round of Absolut Vodka shots. Eight glasses, and two and a half beers later, Rachel was stumbling around, delighted for no reason, and hugging everyone she vaguely knew. She walked from room to room, grinning widely, and blurting out her philosophy of life during moments of wisdom.
Somewhere during the night she had gotten lost in Roy's enormous house and drifted into a room where Kitty and Fang Meyers were arguing. Kitty seemed to be in a worse state than Rachel, and could barely stand. Rachel forgot that she and Kitty had never really been on good terms, as did Kitty, and both had squealed when they saw each other.
"I haven't seen you in forever," Kitty cried, tripping towards her new friend.
Rachel nodded, "I know, I know, it's because this house is a beast and I can't find my way,"
"Like Alice," Kitty nodded sympathetically.
Rachel nodded back. Fang, who seemed completely sober and in an awful temper, snarled "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Rachel answered, "Alice in Wonderland,"
"Like duh?" Kitty slurred, glaring at her brother. "Rachel why don't we hang out more?" she whined.
"I dunno," Rachel pondered, "I think it's because I always thought you were a slut but- but you know what?" she demanded, her voice increasing in volume, "You- you are not a slut, Kitty, you are a beautiful person and I will defend your honor until the day I die,"
Kitty's eyes welled up with tears, "Oh no, Rachel, you're dying??"
Rachel blinked. "Holy hell- I'm dying?"
Kitty began to cry. "You just can't die, what am I going to do?"
Rachel patted the desolate blonde, "No, it's okay, Kitty, I will always be with you,"
Kitty sniffed and nodded. "Like Jack,"
Fang raised an irritated eyebrow.
"Titanic," Rachel supplied.
Kitty grinned and spun around in a circle. "Rachel, you and me, we just get each other, you know?"
"I know exactly what you mean. We're like…" Rachel gestured towards the space in between her and Kitty, "Soul mates,"
Kitty nodded. "If I were gay and you were gay we'd be gay together,"
Rachel smiled and twirled in a circle, imitating Kitty. "Oh, wouldn't that be nice?"
Kitty cackled and did a little dance. "We could be gay like AIDS!"
"Too bad we're not,"
Kitty's good mood ceased. "Yeah… I'm way into the penetration thing,"
"Mmmhmm."
Kitty frowned suddenly and cried, "Why don't we hang out more??"
Rachel shrugged, "The world will never know,"
Kitty opened her mouth to say something, closed it, and then whispered, "Oh… I'm going to go throw up now," On that note, she calmly walked out of the room.
Rachel waved goodbye, and turned to Fang, who was texting someone on his phone. "You know what? Your sister is an angel, but you're kind of like a demon,"
Ash blonde haired Fang had impassively stared down at her, and snapped his phone shut. And then he pounced.
Rachel remember with great detail her and Kitty's drunken conversation, but couldn't remember for the life of her what had happened between her and Fang.
She remembered kissing, groping, biting, and somewhere in between he had paused to continue his text, but other than that, she could only guess.
Now that she thought about it, he hadn't spoken to her once during the entire thing. He hadn't said anything to her, nothing in the beginning, as far as she knew nothing after and nothing during class when they went back to school.
Charming, she thought as she reached the senior parking lot. She did not feel the typical bout of aggravation that occurred whenever she thought about Fang. Just mild irritation at her stupidity, and a dose of guilt for never telling Kori.
She shook herself mentally, and quickly counted. So, Dick, Adam, Logan, and Fang (sort of). That's it.
That was the end of her shortlist of relationships (or hook ups). None of them particularly awful, just mildly embarrassing to think about.
The best thing about them though, was that none of them reminded her of Michael.
She felt a surge of gratitude once she realized this, and smiled.
No, Michael was nothing like anything she had ever experienced before.
-.-.-.-.-
(Fifteen minutes previously)
Michael joined the flood of students who poured into the hallways, set lose by the three dings of the bell. He was on his way to see Rachel, and evade Zach's teasing presence.
It would just be his luck too, to find Rachel and have Zach ruin everything by infuriating her.
Michael turned the corner briskly, trying to avoid seeing his friend, who would be looking for him.
He breezed down the stairs, heading opposite of the senior hall, hoping to deter his friend. Once down the stairs, he passed by the computer lab where a particularly loud shouting match had erupted between Bethany Honey and Victor Stone.
It seemed they had finally given up on the clever snide comments they had exchanged all day and now were simply content to scream nonsensical insults back and forth.
"You are SUCH a stubborn, fool- you stupid, selfish BASTARD! YOU-,"
"I'M SELFISH?? You crazy-ass bitch! You absolute nutjob, I can't believe I ever-,"
"LYING, DISGUSTING, DEGRADING-,"
"PUSHY, DESPERATE-,"
"DESPERATE? DESPER-?"
"YEAH- I SAID IT-,"
"IF I'M DESPERATE THAT MAKES YOU-,"
"LIKE YOUR MAMA!"
"YOU DID NOT JUST GO THERE!!"
"MAKES ME WHAT??"
On any other day, Michael would have stayed and observed, like a great number of students had chosen, but he kept going. He was just barely still in hearing range for the big finale that had a few brave souls applauding.
As he turned back to smirk at the clappers, he noticed, with great shock, that one of them was Zach.
How does he do that?? He griped, picking up speed. He was talking to a teacher, on the opposite end of the hallway! There's no way he saw me take the stairs!
He turned a sharp corner, slipping through the teachers lounge and coming out the opposite side, to the art department. This area he knew well, slipping by his favorite hiding spot. It was an abandoned (at least, he assumed it was abandoned) storage closet filled with cleaning supplies, filing cabinets, dust, and an old, slightly off-tune piano. It was his favorite place, and he knew Zach wouldn't find him if he hid there.
But, he realized, neither would Rachel. He briefly contemplated bringing her there.
Too complicated, some other time. He reasoned quickly.
So he continued walking, heading up a short set of stairs and continuing down a small area filled with junior lockers. It was also directly by the gym, and he walked through the basketball court before heading into a slightly inclined hallway that held the newspaper and technicians office and opened up into the combined freshman and sophomore domain of lockers and classes. He hadn't been in here in ages. Glancing at a clock on the wall, he noticed he had five minutes until the designated time to meet Rachel.
And he really hated being late.
So he trudged quickly up the hall, stopping when he saw Zach walk smoothly passed the opening, stopping to look searchingly left, the opposite of Michael's position.
Michael didn't waste any time, and lunged to the nearest janitor's closet and threw himself in, closing the door shut just as Zachary turned his head in his direction.
Michael breathed a quick sigh of relief, running a hand through his head with a triumphant smirk.
A cough directly behind him made him jump, and he turned quickly to see a thoroughly irritated Dick Grayson and Kitty Myers glaring at him, paused in an obviously passionate make out scene.
Michael's eyes averted from the ground, saw Kitty's discarded shirt, looked back up to examine her lacy red bra, up at the ceiling, noticed Dick's belt hanging on the rafters, and promptly closed his eyes to safety.
"Er… yeah," He muttered, hissing not so quickly under his breath, "Awkward,"
Dick cleared his throat pointedly.
Michael took a step backward, "Right! Um… leaving now. …Yeah…"
Kitty's snort of contempt moved him a little faster, and he opened the door and stepped out, unsure of what to do next.
With narrowed eyes, Dick helpfully supplied through clenched teeth, "Shut the fucking door,"
Michael nodded, "Yeah! Okay. Um…" A boyish grin burst into his face and he chuckled, "Jesus God! Didn't know you had it in you, Dick!" He closed the door shut in time to hear Dick's fierce scowl.
He smirked broadly as he made his way through the sophomore and freshman area, took three flights of stairs, ready to turn the corner when he ran straight into Kori Andrews.
"Ah, sorry Kori," He apologized quickly, helping her up. The startled redhead shook her head and "expressed her apologies". Michael avoided raising an eyebrow at her formality, smirking inwardly; She's kind of is a princess, isn't she?
"And I do hope that I did not intrude on your reunion with Rachel, or perhaps make you late-,"
Michael's eyes flew open in remembrance. "Oh shit, I got to go!"
"Michael Fires!" Came a jovial, sing-song male voice behind him.
Goddammit. Zach.
With a flash of inspiration, Michael snatched Kori's arm, whirled around to face his annoying best friend, "Zach, look, something shiny!" And, as gently as he could, shoved Kori towards Zach.
Kori yelped, landing full force into Zach's open arms.
"Kori Andrews!" Zach cheered, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around, "My partner in crime!"
"Hi Zach," Kori gasped weekly, very confused by the strange turn of events. "I was just on my way to my detention…"
"Marvelous!" He set her down, "We'll walk together,"
Kori raised an eyebrow. "Marvelous?" she repeated, "Who says 'marvelous'?"
"Who wears leotards?"
"Dancers?"
"Fairies?"
Kori smiled, rolling her eyes. "Men, maybe. But may I say, it takes a real man to be confident enough to wear a leotard,"
"Yes. A real man. A really gay man," Zach halted suddenly, a dawning look growing on his face. "Wait a minute… I was stalking Michael! No, he got away!!" He turned back towards the now vacant hallway in despair. He started walking back in his former direction, still holding Kori's arm and dragging her with him.
Kori dug her heels into the ground, "Zach, we have a detention- and why were you stalking Michael?"
"Stupid question. I don't answer stupid questions," Zach retorted quietly, still dragging the resisting ballerina.
She thought it over briefly, and agreed a little. Zach and Michael seemed to have the oddest friendship, absent of any rhyme or reason. "Well, what about detention?" Kori sighed, giving in and letting her be carted off. Must be one of his moods… I swear, he is partially insane.
"Oh, let's not," Zach shook his head quickly, as though she had suggested they try out a certain restaurant. "Some other time, perhaps?"
She tugged half heartedly on her arm, and tried to pull away, "Okay, fine, you can go, but I'm going to go serve my detention-,"
He stopped then, and faced her with those big, golden brown eyes of his, and she forgot the rest of her sentence. "Kori," he smiled as he lazily said her name, "Now is that anyway to treat your partner in crime?"
She looked down at the ground, uncomfortable. "I hardly think going to the principal's office with you qualifies me as your partner-,"
"Have you ever been there before?" He asked, with arched eyebrows.
"No," she admitted, "But-,"
"Have you ever even talked back to a teacher before today?"
Kori couldn't think of a moment. "I guess not-,"
He grinned then, flashing even, white teeth at her, "Then we're partners. Understand?" The tone of his voice was slightly scolding, and she flushed a little.
She knew she should say no. Walk away, serve her detention, and forget that this little incident ever happened. She knew what Rebecca would do. Coolly removed his hands from her, and walk away, nose in the air. Rachel would probably roll her eyes and make a scathing remark about his maturity.
Yet Kori couldn't do any of those things. She giggled a litle, and let herself be dragged off, as they plotted where Michael and Rachel could have escape to.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Michael didn't stop to see if his plan had worked, and rushed all the way around to the senior parking area, and turned the corner to see Rachel leaning casually against her car. It amazed him how she managed to look seductive in the simplest action. Her amethyst eyes flicked to him, and his heart sped at the smile that immediately grew on her face.
"You're late," she informed him, shaking her head slightly.
He didn't answer, simply kept his smooth stride until he reached her, and decided to indulge himself in the fantasy he had been thinking about for the longest time. He pulled out the hair clip trapping her hair against her head, tossed it carelessly to the ground, and drove his fingers through her hair. He marveled at the silky texture wrapped around his fingers, and used it to pull her head back gently, tilting it until her face was completely exposed.
As he leaned in, he felt her body relax, noticed her eyes lose focus and close, watched her surrender completely and absolutely, and it drove him to complete the fantasy and press his lips against hers.
He hadn't really meant to kiss her. Really, he had only wanted to tease her a little, try and experiment with her. How much she wanted him, how bold she would be, and so on.
But his mind, it seemed, had suddenly detached itself from him, leaving his body to do exactly as it wished. And he didn't really feel like denying himself this perfect opportunity.
So he kissed her, once, the first time sweet and gentle and full of the most unexpected potential he had ever felt in a single moment.
He kissed her twice, this time with a little bit more pressure, a little bit more haste, and was gratified to taste her lip-gloss and feel her hands slip around his neck in response.
The third time was unforgettable. He felt himself lose control totally, driving himself closer to her, pushing her a little into the car, biting her lip gently, the idea of a janitors closet appealing to him more than ever… her throwing his belt carelessly, letting it land in the ceiling raptors, he feverishly unbuttoning her blouse exposing her bra, and what color would it be, he wondered?
A shriek promptly interrupted his newborn fantasy, and he reluctantly pulled away from Rachel, who leaped away immediately, looking adorably disheveled and disoriented.
Jenny Curse stood tensely, dramatically pointed her finger from Michael to Rachel, her mouth opening and closing.
Behind her, Wally West stared in shock, one hand held over his mouth in comic astonishment.
Rachel blinked rapidly before she understood the situation. With as much dignity as she could, she began smoothing her hair over with her hands, looking pointedly at the ground. Michael simply quirked an eyebrow, staring dully at Jenny. The awkward moment expanded.
Finally he sighed. "Okay, I'll bite. What?" he drawled, crossing his arms.
Wally stared intently at Rachel, willing her to look up. She continued to look down, though her cheeks reddened so the tall ginger knew she felt his gaze.
Jenny scowled. "What do you mean what? When did this happen? Rachel, how long have you and Michael been going out? I wasn't aware you two even knew each other!"
Michael and Rachel exchanged a glance, and a very small smile. He sighed quietly, opening his mouth to begin to explain when Rachel, yet again, surprised him.
"Oh!" She exclaimed in a high, startlingly sexy voice, "We don't, actually. Michael, is it then?" She held out her hand in greeting.
Michael grinned, watching Jenny's narrowed eyes from the corner of his own. "It is indeed. So, you're Rachel," He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, pressed it firmly to his lips.
Wally placed an arm around Jenny's shoulders, helpfully supplying, "They're lab partners in Chem, remember love?" Recognition dawned on her face, and she nodded slowly at her boyfriend.
"Ahh…" They shared a thoughtful expression, both contemplating the fair boy and dark girl before them in amazement.
After an uncomfortable moment, Jenny broke the silence and smiled. "You know I like it?" she told Wally. He in turn nodded in agreement, and they walked off together discussing the new couple's pros and cons without saying goodbye.
Michael rolled his eyes in mild distaste. "Well," he sighed heavily, "They're going to be annoying," He kept her hand in his though, and somewhere, deep inside of him, he was thrilled to finally be examining her hand. Because, while Zach could grab just anyone's hand and it could mean nothing, Michael was suddenly startled by how intimate the gesture could be.
For instance, lacing her fingers with his sparked the easiest smile on his face. All previous annoyances were gone.
Rachel seemed to have slipped back into her meditative mindset, and she watched Michael examine her hands. "At risk of sounding terribly clichéd…" she began hesitantly, "Where were we? And how exactly did it start?"
Michael smiled. "Well, I walked over and… well, dominated you, basically," He studied her lips which were the tiniest bit swollen. "And I wanted to say goodbye before I left for piano and you for art class…"
She nodded, deeply. "That's right. Hmm… I should be going soon then," She reached over and casually flicked a strand of hair out of his eyes. Her eyes shone with delight, and he wondered if she shared a similar hair fetish.
He cocked his head in thought. "I probably should have already left,"
They remained clasping hands, until Rachel unexpectedly stood on her very tip toes and grazed her lips gently across Michael's. His eyes widened a little, mentally noting this new initiation of affection. "But just so you know," she whispered, blushing brightly, "You were late, and you aren't getting out of it just yet!" She pecked him briefly and stood away, leaving him in complete bewilderment.
He watched her go, feeling sort of like a lovesick puppy dog, and worked to contort his face to hide his intense attachment.
Don't do anything stupid. Like blow her a kiss. Or run after her car. Or do that awkward wave thing.
He smiled as she drove off, and without meaning to, lifted his hand from his pocket and fluttered his fingers at her retreating car.
Damnit, hand- what did I just say??
He scowled, raking his hands through his white blonde hair. "Get a fucking grip," he growled in irritation. But he couldn't keep the smile off his face for too long. He stood there in a few peaceful seconds of silence, collecting himself. "Okay," he breathed easily. Time to go.
And then his face hit the snow as he was tackled from behind by Zachary, Kori not too far behind cheering, "Go! Go! Go!"
-.-.-.-.-.-
"He didn't have to punch me," Zach complained, wincing as Kori applied ice the left side of his jaw.
They were sitting in a 7-Eleven, where Zach worked after school. He sat at the counter while she busied herself mending his wounds. He watched her scurry around gracefully, and reached down from the counter to grab a pack of peanut M&M's.
Kori opened up a tube of Neosporin from a first-aid kit in the back, and ripped open a band-aid. As gently as she could, she placed it gently on a cut on Zach's arm, from when Michael had shoved him into the pavement. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she chided, "Well, maybe you shouldn't have shoved snow down his pants…"
Zach snickered at the memory.
"It wasn't a part of the original plan, you know," She continued, hiding her smile.
He looked up, apologetically, "So sorry, burst of inspiration. I should have consulted you,"
She shrugged nonchalantly, brushing at his bruised cheek gently, "It would have been nice to know, that's all," Without thinking she took a handful of Peanut M&M's and dumped them into her mouth.
"She eats!" Zach cheered, as Kori's eyes widened briefly.
She attempted a sneer at him, "I eat plenty!"
"That is such a lie. No-no, don't stop now! We are surrounded by candy!"
"That's stealing,"
"I know, first Principals office, then skipping detention, and now eating. You are on a warpath, Andrews,"
She laughed, and rolled down his sleeve, covering up the assortment of band-aids. "You're just a bad influence,"
"Let's order a pizza, I'm curious to see how much food I can force into you," Zach teased, but reached for his cell phone.
Her mouth watered at the idea, and she smiled dreamily.
"And I'm going to take that orgasmic grin as a yes,"
Kori slapped his arm, "Don't be disgusting,"
"I wasn't being disgusting; I was being creative with my adjectives," Zach corrected regally. "Now what toppings?"
"Anything," she shrugged, pirouetting absentmindedly, "I like pinapple and ham, personally…"
Zach raised an eyebrow. "Er… now that's disgusting,"
"Is not. Have you ever had it?"
"I have no desire to,"
"Chicken,"
"Chicken on pizza sounds fine,"
"Try it! You'll like it," She stretched casually as she answered.
Zach opened his mouth to argue, but paused to watch her stretch, watching her tight shirt reveal almost every single one of her ribs, observing tiny wrists, shoulders, neck, her painfully fragile bone structure.
"Well, we'll see," He amended, "So pinapple and ham…" he couldn't help but make a face, "We're going to have to get two. Pepperoni, banana peppers, and mushrooms,"
Kori smiled, "I like banana peppers. Just get one, I'm not really that hungry anyway-,"
"We're getting two and you are going to eat until I tell you to stop," He growled, dialing the phone aggressively.
Kori raised her eyebrows. "Whoa, that was a little hostile. I don't think I blame Michael for punching you,"
Zachary chuckled at the memory, listening to the phone ring. "I still think he overreacted," he said as an afterthought, rubbing his jaw painfully. "Oh- uh, could I get two pizzas, one with pineapple and ham, and another with mushrooms, banana peppers, and pepperoni?"
He watched Kori dance around the store, twirling neatly and effortlessly lifting her leg into the air in a 90 degree angle. He could tell she could lift it much higher. She spun in boredom, swaying a little when she stopped still.
He sucked in a breath, waiting for her to just blow away like a leaf caught in the wind.
"Um, an order of breadsticks too," He added, tearing his eyes way from Kori and leaned down to grab another back of M&M's.
-.-.-.--.-.-.-
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