Hi XD I'm back with more...
It took me awhile to write this...I seriosuly hope this doesn't seem forced or overdone. If ya don't like it tell me, please.
Thanks to my reivewers. Ya really make my day
"Two weeks from today we will have the chance to avenge last year's humiliation. In our final meet of the year, we face off against our ultimate rivals. Yes, the same ones who sent us packing last year. But we have had a year to reflect on that and they will learn not to mess with us. We will not repeat our past mistakes. So I ask you ladies, in the final weeks of the season, do not hold anything back." Elizabeth addressed the whole track team- such was her duty as captain. The coach gave her thumbs up as the girls cheered. Elizabeth loved enthusing her teammates for that was the only time when some of them felt even a sliver of the passion she did.
"Time to stretch, we do not have any time to lose." Elizabeth's words whipped the runners back into order. She had let them have enough time to celebrate, but not too much so no focus was lost. Much to many of the other girls' displeasure, Elizabeth ran practice like boot camp. Since popular vote had elected her as captain –an oddity as Elizabeth was only a Junior- the slackers who only stuck around for bragging rights had all quit. Rumor had it Elizabeth had told them off- chastising them for wasting their time on something they didn't love. This year no other team had come anywhere near defeating them- an almost polar opposite of the previous one where poor leadership and overall apathy had led to an all time low in team unity. Only a select few individuals had had any success. The school loved Elizabeth as the savior of their track team and its greatest athlete.
"Sometimes your pep talks scare me a little." Lindsay said as they stretched.
"If fear is what works, than so be it." Elizabeth reached well past her toes, feeling the burn as she pulled her muscles to their limit.
"Why are you so flexible, Liz? I'm lucky if I can reach my toes and you're-"
Elizabeth pushed her friend's back until she reached as far an Elizabeth had. Lindsay screamed in agony. "What the hell Liz?"
"See you can be just as flexible, but you're not because you shy away from pain."
"Damn right, that killed."
"Then don't complain…" Elizabeth shook her arms and legs out. "Let's go for an hour run over the usual course- then we'll commence the drills."
"Aww Liz, you're ruthless. Are you sure this isn't about a personal vendetta?"
"Lindsay, my feeling have nothing to do with my duties to work ya'll silly." Elizabeth cackled as she took off running. Lindsay and another runner exchanged glances. They ran after Elizabeth, but neither would ever catch her.
During practice Elizabeth pushed herself far past when she ran for leisure. While her teammates were running on the street, she ran up grassy hills and stairs. In her mind, it was a practice wasted if every muscle in her body didn't ache at its end. An hour of sprinting was nothing for Elizabeth- if anything, it went by too fast. At the end of her run, she gathered on the track with the rest of her team where the coach called a much needed water break. Elizabeth had fallen into the habit of not drinking water while training, claiming it built up endurance. While the others rested, Elizabeth helped set up the blocks for the agility drill. Lindsay crept up behind Elizabeth as she aligned the blocks with the yellow line.
"Hey! What was that for?" Elizabeth wiped the water Lindsay had squirted at her from her face. "I'm doing something here."
"Whoa Liz, I just don't wantcha to get dehydrated."
"I know what I'm doing…It is better to suffer now than during a race."
"But if you die now, there will never be a race."
"Seriously stop. You must think I'm really weak." Lindsay took a step back. She had long ago gotten used to Elizabeth's devotion to track. The remainder of the practice ran as smoothly as ever- Elizabeth would have it no other way.
"So Liz, you wanna go to the forest with me, Eric and the gang later? Or do you already have plans with James?" Lindsay was changing back into her street clothes and trying to read the screen on her phone at the same time.
"Are you kidding? I have so much schoolwork I'll be busy 'til tomorrow morning…"
"What? Who cares? We only have like two months left this year. You only have to pretend like your trying in the beginning of the year."
"You'll regret that later." Elizabeth took her stack of books in her arm. "But who am I to stop you as long as you're here on time tomorrow morning."
"Right, shoulda known that is all you care about."
"Lindsay don't put words in my mouth." Elizabeth raised her eyebrow as Lindsay juggled the junk that threatened to crash out of the locker. Lindsay slammed it- the shockwave caused nearby lockers to shake.
"Well then I'll be seeing you Elizabeth. Have fun studying. Like ya always do…."
"Yes fun…" Elizabeth smiled and waved. She hauled her books to the parking lot. Luckily for her arms, she had driven that morning. It would have been hell to walk home while carrying three textbooks with nearly one thousand pages each. Elizabeth still had a long walk to her car- the Juniors got the worst spots.
"Good afternoon Lizzie." Jack took off his hat and borrowed.
"Cuz that's not creepy…" Elizabeth closely inspected the spot on her car where he had been leaning to ensure he hadn't scratched anything. He smirked and waved his hands in the air.
"I was in the area, I saw this car and I don't know anyone rich enough to have one."
"Did you just eat onions?"
"Ummm no why?"
"Oh I was just hoping you didn't always smell like this." Elizabeth pushed past him to open her car- a difficult task when your hands are full of books. Jack caught her Physics book as it toppled out of her grasp.
"Will has this same stone block. Damn waste of paper, it is."
"Damn waste of oxygen you are." She wrestled her book from his grasp and chucked it in the back sheet with the others.
"Hey no need to be cruel Lizzie. So where is your boyfriend?"
"If he were here, you'd be in a heap on the ground."
"Doubt Norry could dance with Jack Sparrow. He'd be afraid to break a nail." Jack's own nails suddenly fascinated him. Elizabeth cringed at the dirt built up under them.
"I could though." Elizabeth climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door on Jack's face before he could muster up a comeback. She turned her radio on and drove away without even bothering to check if she was going to hit Jack. Half way home, she silenced the music. The songs the radio station played got annoying after hearing them repeated day after day. She needed to bring her own CDs.
Elizabeth set her heavy load down on the desk in her room. She picked up a few stray garments and garbage that littered her wooden floor as she made her way to the back of the room to open her window. It was a nice night, but an open window was the closest she would get to it. Elizabeth plugged her Ipod into the speakers and turned the volume as low as it could be with her still able to hear it across the room. She got comfortable in her chair and started on her homework. Her phone rang once, but since whoever it was didn't call back she assumed it wasn't anything urgent and didn't even waste the time seeing who it had been. She only got up after both her legs threatened to fall asleep. As she hobbled out the door, she cursed herself for sitting on them. It was then she realized it was already past midnight. She sighed in disbelief. For Elizabeth, time flew when she was studying.
After walking up and down her stairs a few times, to loosen her joints Elizabeth returned to her room and lie on her bed. She pulled her blanket over herself- the breeze entering through her window caused the temperature to plummet. Elizabeth wasn't tired, but it felt good on her back to lie after sitting still for over five hours. The bright overhead light hurt her eyes. Never the less she refused to be in the dark. Elizabeth swung her legs over the side of her bed and stretched so she could reach her bag. From it, she withdrew Will's manga. Since she only had a few pages left, Elizabeth finished reading quickly. She would have to trade it back to Will for the next volume. Unfortunately, she had nothing to do now though. All her schoolwork was finished- she had even gotten a bit ahead. It was one-thirty so there probably wouldn't be anything worth watching on television. She squeezed her pillow- five and a half hours until she had to be at school. Finally, she decided to blow the rest of night on her computer. There was always something mindless to entertain one's self with on the internet.
The next morning brought Elizabeth only more aches and pains. Weight lifting had always been the hardest part of track for her. Aside from in her legs, Elizabeth wasn't exceptionally strong. She constantly tried to correct this, but no matter how much weight training she did her body remained toothpick like. This fact didn't depress her too much as her extreme lightness was a major source of speed. Elizabeth shifted in her seat, trying and failing to find a position where her arms didn't feel as if they were about to fall off.
"Something climbing up you?" Will asked, looking up from checking his homework against hers.
"No. My muscles hurt…"
"Ahhh. You trued lifting weights that weigh more than you again right?"
Elizabeth frowned. She was unsure if she could truthfully deny that. Will tapped her on the shoulder.
"Are you sure this is right?" He squinted at his paper, his eraser hanging over his paper.
"Yeah I am. I asked about it yesterday."
"Great! Why didn't you tell sooner…I was working on this for like three hours last night. I only came up with any answer because Jack was about to pour soda on my paper."
"You were doing homework with him around?"
At practice. We had a lot of down time that I didn't want to waste."
Elizabeth shrugged. She rarely risked studying during track, as she feared it would shatter her train of thought. "Oh Will I need volume two." Will's face morphed into a confused look. Elizabeth wondered if it was the homework or her words. A second later, his eyes glowed with realization.
"Will?"
"What? Oh yeah…I'll bring it for you tomorrow. I think I get this now…Yeah, finally I am right." Elizabeth turned away to leave him alone in his moment of celebration. The teacher stood in the front of the class waiting for everyone's attention. She stepped on Will's foot to bring his mind back to the classroom.
"I know how you all dread my tests. I am well aware that you spread stories my test are impossible." A few snickers interrupted him. The teacher cleared his throat. "As a reward for your hard work this year, I'd like to spare you from another grueling exam."
"What's the catch?" Someone called out. The teacher smiled.
"Nice observation. In place of a test, I have developed a project that will greatly test your knowledge. I expect great work from you all. I will allow you to work in pairs if you are so inclined. Just keep in mind; I will look extra forward to seeing what two minds can do. I have plotted out everything you need to do on a sheet I will pass out as you leave. For now, I would like you to work on the homework. If there are any questions, I shall be in the back as always."
"And here he made it sound as if he were doing us a favor." Will groaned.
"It doesn't matter to me."
"Well at least we can work together."
"We can?" Elizabeth generally steered clear of group projects. She always ended up doing all the work on them that was the only way she knew it was right. Will grinned as the idea grew on him. A school related endeavor might be the only opportunity he'd get to be around Elizabeth before the end of the year.
"Yeah. What you think I'm smart enough to get through this-"
"Uh huh. If you weren't smart you wouldn't be getting all A's in the classes we don't share."
"Oh it'll just be more tolerable to work together."
"For you maybe…"
Will had a strong urge to beat his head off the desk. He settled for gripping his seat though. Elizabeth wouldn't talk to him at all if he did anything abnormal. The bell rang springing them from first hour. It was going to be a long day for Will…
Elizabeth attempted to sleep through PE, but as an unfortunate coincidence would have it, Jack had transferred into her class after his fourth schedule change of the semester. PE had been her favorite class since it was mindless until Jack turned it into the torment Elizabeth hour. Rumor had it he was even behaving now so another teacher wouldn't kick him out of class. The class was currently on the tennis unit. Elizabeth was content sitting out and watching, but Jack wasn't content until he had hit her square between the eyes. The teacher told him to be more careful- failing to notice that all Jack's accidents involved Elizabeth.
"Come play with me Miss Swann." Jack howled across the court. Elizabeth completely ignored him. Anyone talking to Jack got weird looks so she avoided him in public.
"Going death are we?" Jack swaggered across an occupied court- batting the ball that flew at him away. Elizabeth picked up a racket and pretended to be part of the game her friends were having. Another ball made contact with Elizabeth's arm. One of her friends whipped his racket at Jack.
"Hey I certainly didn't deserve that." Jack rubbed his head, feeling around for the inescapable bump that would form any moment.
"Just stop- the worst thing you can do is fuel him. He lives for that." Elizabeth stopped her friend from arguing the point.
"Just think you always look bored Lizzie. Trying to brighten your day…" Elizabeth yawned- she didn't find his antics the least bit amusing.
Elizabeth found time in her other classes to get some shuteye. Even if they noticed, her teachers never called her on sleeping. She repeatedly scored the highest on tests and always handed assignments in early; they didn't dare question her academic habits. By lunch, Elizabeth was able to keep her eyes open, but decided to drink some caffeinated soda for an extra boost. In general, Elizabeth avoided anything carbonated- it too upset her stomach- but today she really had a taste for soda. Maybe her body craved the sugar. As she was standing in the lunch line, a hand slid around her waist. Elizabeth jumped at the feeling of suddenly being touched.
"Don't freak Lizzie. It's just me." James' face was inches from hers. He kissed her on the cheek before she could respond. Elizabeth sighed and let James hold her. His hands never left her as they walked back to their table.
"Sup Liz?" Lindsay asked. She and her boyfriend were sharing a hamburger, but from Elizabeth's perspective Eric tasted more of Lindsay than the hamburger. Elizabeth shrugged. James pulled her onto his lap. One of his hands crept up her arm and the other rubbed her thigh. She wanted to use the lunch period to look over her Chemistry assignment, but this was impossible with James all over her.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Elizabeth pried herself free. She had allowed James to indulge himself long enough.
"Want me to come Liz?" Lindsay asked. Elizabeth shook her head. Lindsay looked far too comfortable to move.
In the bathroom, Elizabeth splashed cold water on her face. She cringed at the sight of her reflection. Most of her hair was sticking out of her loose ponytail and her make-up her either smeared or wore off. Usually she would make all haste at remedying this, but she was just too fatigued to think let alone groom herself properly. As she left Elizabeth stretched. She was glad no one else was in the room as she was sure she had moaned at least once.
Her friends weren't where she had left them. It didn't take her long to locate them as the lunchroom had fallen into a bit of commotion. Elizabeth crept over to where James and a dozen others were gathered. Razor sharp nails clawed at her arm.
"Some friends you got there Liz." Jack glared at her. Elizabeth pulled away, returning the evil look.
"What the hell is going on Jack?"
"Oppression. We were coming back from buying lunch- minding our own business as much as we ever do….Some big jock type trips Kay. I was like you better not have planted your foot there on purpose. He just laughed and stepped on her tray. I thrust him with me pencil a few times, your lovely boyfriend enters the stage and tells us to keep our mouths shut. I promptly ran as not to reach a similar fate."
"So you caused this?"
"Come on Elizabeth even you can't believe that." He knocked her on the head- listening to see if it was hollow. "All you rich, popular people are jerks, savvy?" Elizabeth watched the face-off between her boyfriend and Will and Kayla. She wished she could hear what they were saying but too many others were screaming.
"Well aren't you going to stop Norry? Or do you not care if Will gets hurt? Never mind you don't want all these people to even know you talk to him…"
"I hate you Jack. Leave me alone. I never want to see you again." Elizabeth sprinted around the corner pushing past a few stunned students. Jack didn't stick around much longer after she left- the deans were coming and if he was even at the scene, it would instantly be his fault. Personally, he didn't care if the blame fell on him, but he didn't want to give Norrington the gratification of winning. Elizabeth watched –out of sight of anyone involved in the conflict- as the deans ordered everyone back to their seat. Norrington smirked- he knew he could get away with almost anything. Will had to carry the terrified Kayla from the scene. He was looking in Elizabeth's direction- she could swear he was starring at her. His disappointed eyes might as well have been daggers. Elizabeth bit her lip until she tasted blood.
During Elizabeth's second week of high school, she had tripped on the newly waxed floor. Food and water had spilled all over her clothes. All else had been forgotten and everyone had erupted in laughter. Elizabeth remembered searching for a rock to crawl under. Kayla had been the one to pull her up and get her out of the jeering eye of the student body. Of course, she had to wear the stained, wet clothes for the rest of the day since no one was home to bring her clean ones…
Will walked past Elizabeth- most likely on his way to the washroom to rid himself of the stickiness from the spilled soda. She attempted to become one with the wall, but Elizabeth lacked the talents of a chameleon.
"You know the world is a boring place when you can't even chant…."
"What? Wait…you were chanting? And then you wonder why you started such chaos."
"Oh no Elizabeth we weren't hurting anyone. We were having fun. Your man made Kayla cry. If this wasn't school…"
"Will?"
"I just hate when someone finds it necessary to pick on others. We should all be able to be who we are without fear of being pushed or teased…"
"You shoulda just walked away."
"Liz I have no intention of ever abandoning my friends." Will winked at Elizabeth as he disappeared into the boy's bathroom.
"Same here." She screamed at the door. It slammed shut and she slumped against the wall to wait for him.
"You need something?" Will tilted his head towards her and pulled her up so she was standing straight.
"No. I just wanted to ask you when we can work on that project…"
"Oh sure. I'm not free after school. I teach lessons and then practice…Tomorrow maybe I could sneak off a tad early…I don't know. I'll call you. You're attached to your phone so that should work. Crap Norry same me. If he asks why we were talking, tell him you totally put me in my place. Don't have to get him mad at you too…" Will walked off. Elizabeth stood there- a baffled expression plastered on her face.
"Lizzie so sorry." James weaved his fingers through Elizabeth's. "I had to silence some annoying losers." Elizabeth nodded and clung to his arm. She forced any lingering guilt from her mind. Those three had chosen to make a scene. It wasn't her fault if they were weird. James hugged her. Elizabeth was glad she was nothing like them.