"Hey Boss, where's Tony and Ziva?" McGee asked curiously. It was noon and neither one of them had even called.
Gibbs smiled slightly, taking another sip of his coffee.
"On a case."
The two special agents watched from afar, scanning the kids sitting at the two available picnic tables while also studying the groups that had flocked together around them.
They were looking for a certain teenager and unfortunately this was important enough to pull the specific kid out of school.
Gibbs had only given them a name so it had been up to them to figure out who she was and where she was.
The teachers weren't actually allowing them to mingle with the kids, merely find the designated child and call her to the office after lunch.
So now they simply observed.
Rose's POV
Rose sat on the edge of the table, watching as her friend, Ben, trash talked to her other friend, Cory.
It had startled her at first. Ben was usually easy going and quiet but now he was showing off his rather colorful vocabulary.
And from personal experience she knew Cory didn't take kindly to insults.
He was a little thick headed and not very smart, but he had enough strength to do some damage…if he knew how to fight of course.
Rose wasn't really paying attention to her best friend, Linda, drone on and on about the latest anime. Instead she was watching.
It's what she did best.
She would study the angles of something or someone and immediately find out a weakness.
She was now looking at Ben's older brother, who seemed ready to step in if it got out of hand. And Austin was violent.
Silently she groaned when Cory pushed Ben backwards and with Ben's lanky form he fell.
Automatically Austin had Cory locked in a headlock, arms pinned back and hands wrapped around the blond boy's neck.
She stood and strode over to the two.
"Hey!"
Austin looked up, while Cory's inability to didn't stop her from being able to see his face darken with blue from lack of air.
"Let him go!"
"You gonna make me?"
For answer she stepped forward and pinched the spot where his shoulder met his neck. He dropped Cory and collapsed to his knees.
It was one of her favorite pressure points, stunning the person for as long as you held on.
When Cory had recovered and stood she released the seventeen-year-old and moved back, hoping that he wouldn't pursue it.
He did.
"Hey, girlie! If you think you're so tough come and fight!"
Rose wasn't a fan of violence. Don't get me wrong, she could beat with the best of them, she just didn't like showing it off.
"No thanks, I've done what I wanted to do."
"Well too bad!"
Austin jumped forward and launched a punch at her left cheek.
It landed and she spun, landing on her stomach on the ground, her long dark hair lying around her.
Michael's POV
Michael had been standing back, watching the whole thing, and was quite astonished when Rose pinched the seventeen-year-old, helping her friend at the same time.
He liked to mess with the girl, trading playful punches but didn't know her very well.
Michael had ADD (attention deficit disorder) so Rose always helped him when she could with schoolwork.
She did wonders.
She always managed to explain it simple enough that he understood and, just to better his grade, always paired with him on assignments.
Of course, she did most the work but she also narrated so he wouldn't fail the tests.
He had begun thinking of her as a friend. One of the few he had, considering not many actually understood what he was saying.
She didn't talk about herself much and was quite a looker, with waist-length beautiful dark hair and red streaks, pale skin, and hypnotizing golden/amber eyes. They were really amber, but gold flecks decorated them, never failing to capture your attention.
Now, Michael wasn't skinny, but he wasn't chubby either.
He had muscle and was accustomed to work, making his left hook a killer. He wasn't the fastest fighter, but could throw damaging punches.
So, seeing Rose lying in the dirt like that, her long hair hiding her face anger overtook him.
He lunged, sending his fist slamming into Austin's nose.
Ben's POV
"Oh no." He murmured.
He had just been playing around with Cory, but had pushed him over the edge with a joke about his sister.
He had never meant for Austin to get involved. His older brother was merciless and knew how to hold a grudge.
He hadn't thought Rose would step in either.
Rose was tough, knew how to talk trash, and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or a friend, but he honestly hadn't expected her to do that.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw some fierce nineteen-year-olds approaching and he stiffened.
They were some of the Blades, a gang that roamed the streets.
And they were headed straight for Rose.
Cameron's POV
Cameron was also one of Rose's friends. He had purple hair, not natural of course, and was the goofball type.
But now he was all serious.
Before Rose had been knocked to the ground he had seen her give an almost imperceptible nod to some of the Blades.
He wasn't sure what it meant but was certain it would have some importance later on.
So now, he ran forward with Linda and she knelt at Rose's side, helping her up while Cam stood nearby, keeping watch on the two locked in combat while glancing wearily at the unfamiliar grown-ups at the edge of the parking lot.
He knew Rose had ticked off some gang members, but wasn't sure which ones…or how badly she had.
As soon as Rose had shook off the dizziness she quickly evaluated the situation.
Michael and Austin were in a fight to the death and so far three teachers had shown up, but all had failed to break the two up.
They were out for blood, both defending someone important to them.
Rose narrowed her eyes and pushed through the gathering crowd, to the battle.
She grabbed Michael by his collar and yanked him away from the older teen violently, while at the same time catching Austin's launched fist as he tried to take advantage of the situation.
"Back off." She growled, making Austin stop in his tracks while Cameron's jaw slackened.
He had never heard her use that tone before, despite having known her for two years.
Then Austin reached into his pocket and withdrew a switchblade.
He flicked it open and pointed it at her.
She automatically planted herself in front of Michael.
"Hey, there's no need for life and death threats. It was all an accident."
It was obvious Austin wasn't going to pay any attention to anything she said and the teachers, seeing the weapon, all distanced themselves from him while trying to keep the kids from getting closer; not that any of them tried.
Rose stayed strong and Michael studied her face, trying to figure out why there was a sudden change in personality. If Austin did attack with the weapon he was going to pull her out of the way of course, but he wanted to know why he hadn't seen this side of her before.
Her expression was set in determination, not a hint of fear anywhere.
Then she stepped forward and sent a snap kick to Austin's hand, sending the knife flying away harmlessly.
In anger and frustration the older boy dove for Rose, tackling her to the ground. She slammed into the metal trash can headfirst, knocking it over as they went.
He landed on her hard and she raised her legs, placing them on the side of Austin's neck and applied force, making him face plant into the mud while she kept a hold of his arm, ready to snap his wrist if he struggled. It was a popular wrestling move and many of the spectators were familiar with it, but never had any of them put it to actual use.
Michael's dirty blond hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and he swooped the weapon as he headed for Rose.
None of the teachers were quite sure what to do about Austin, who had yet to calm down.
Then, with its wonderful timing, the school bell rang.
The teachers ushered everyone to class, keeping Michael, Ben, and Cory. And of course Rose and Austin.
With lingering glances Cameron and Linda retrieved their backpacks and headed inside, with Linda using sign language to tell Rose to text her.
She nodded.
That's the first chapter what do you think? Already started on the second chapter. Don't worry, later on Rose's past will be further explained along with the connections she has with everyone else and why she is so important. Enjoy! R&R please!