Because I've always wanted to write about how jealous Jemma would be if Fitz dated Skye... sorrynotsorry.
"This code right here is what you're looking for." Skye pointed to a set of numbers on the screen. Jemma pressed her elbows on the table and smashed her fingers into her temple. She felt like her head was going to burst. It was so frustrating that she just didn't get it. When she risked a glance at Skye, the girl was smiling. Actually smiling. At Fitz. Jemma's eyes widened as she looked between the two and when Skye looked back at her computer, Fitz gave Jemma a thumbs up. Skye said yes?! To Fitz?!
A sudden pang went through Jemma's chest and she didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the jealousy of her friend finding someone before she did. She didn't mean to be cocky, but she always thought she would get a boyfriend before he got a girlfriend. Jemma just looked at Skye in disbelief.
"What?" She finally asked.
"Oh, nothing." Jemma muttered and got back to work.
"Are we still meeting in the library after school?" Skye asked.
"I am. I don't know if you're actually coming." Jemma snapped. She didn't know what had come over her, but she felt the sudden need to spite her. The look on Skye's face instantly changed Jemma's annoyance to guilt yet again. It looked like someone had physically slapped her. Skye recoiled away and it appeared as if she wanted to either curl up in a ball or run out of the room.
"I deserved that." Skye bit back tears as she continued to work. Jemma didn't know what she did to cause the stranger such emotional turmoil. When the bell rang, Skye dashed out of the room.
Jemma couldn't stop thinking about Skye until fourth period when she finally saw her again. She was beginning to take more notice of everything Skye did. She couldn't even peel her eyes away when the freshman pulled her shirt over her head in the locker room and exposed her bare back. Her body didn't look like it belonged to a freshman, Jemma noticed. She wanted to slap herself for being such an idiot and noticing that she was perfectly formed, symmetrical... no. Jemma swallowed and forced herself to look away, even after Skye removed her jeans. It was concerning that looking away from Skye's half-naked body was such a difficult task.
Jemma was out of breath by the third lap around the track. She was completely, utterly surprised when Skye slowed down after lapping her instead of continuing on. She ran right beside Jemma at the exact same speed.
"Breath in through your nose, out through your mouth." Skye said calmly. Jemma did what Skye said and tried to mimic her breathing pattern, and suddenly, the running got a little easier. Skye nodded and sped up a little bit, but not so much that Jemma couldn't keep up. It helped Jemma continue running to watch Skye next to her. She watched the beads of sweat roll down the sides of her face and her ponytail bob back and forth. She watched Skye's feet hit the rubber in perfectly timed steps and she counted them. One, two, one, two, one, two... Before Jemma knew it, they'd lapped everyone except for Ward.
Jemma noticed how very well filled out Skye was and could see why all the boys were pining over her. She was a good slim, not the starved skinny kind that belonged to several of the popular girls she saw in the halls, and everything about Skye's body was just... appealing. She couldn't figure out why she was thinking these things about the younger girl.
When they finally stopped running, Jemma almost wished they still had a lap or two to go. Skye bent over the water fountain and her tee-shirt hiked up in the back just enough for Jemma to see a little of the skin just above her waist. Jemma stepped up to the fountain beside her. The cool water slid down her throat and felt like sweet heaven. When she pulled away, Skye was watching her with a slightly amused smile.
"Thank you." Jemma said between deep breaths. They walked back to the bleachers together to watch the others finish their required five laps before they moved to another activity.
"Any time." Skye answered. The possibility of running with Skye from now on made her happy, but she realized that she had been slowing Skye down quite a bit, and her smile quickly disappeared.
They were in the weight room that day, and Jemma followed Skye over to the punching bag like a loyal dog. She didn't know why she wanted to be around Skye all of a sudden, but she would as long as Skye would allow it. It was interesting to watch Skye throw her fists at the bag with so much force and a look of determination on her face that meant she couldn't possibly see what she was punching as just a sack of sand.
After a few minutes, Skye steadied it with one hand and tossed the gloves to Jemma.
"I don't know how..." Jemma began. Usually when they went in the weight room, she wasted the whole period on the stationary bikes.
"Stand here." Skye pointed to a spot on the ground and Jemma did as she was told.
"Keep one foot a little ahead of the other and keep your body a little tilted." Skye corrected Jemma's position with two hands on her waist, angling her body correctly. A shiver ran up Jemma's spine, even though the room wasn't cold. It was quiet warm, actually.
"The hardest part is keeping your hands up." Skye grabbed Jemma's wrists and held them up near her face. Jemma nodded.
"When you punch, turn your elbow so that your fist hits the bag straight." Skye demonstrated with a quick little punch. Jemma awkwardly tried out the movements Skye was talking about, and Skye nodded in approval. She moved behind the bag and held it with her body, giving Jemma the okay to hit it.
"Give it more force. You're not gonna hurt the bag." Skye joked. Jemma threw her fist at the bag much harder, pretending Ward's face was plastered to it. Something about him made her want to punch him every time she saw him.
"That wasn't bad." Skye said.
"Really?" Jemma asked. She cringed. Her voice was at least three times higher than what was socially acceptable.
"No. That was terrible." Skye chuckled. Jemma stuck her tongue out and playfully punched Skye's shoulder, but the other girl jumped away.
"Reflex." Skye smiled and brushed it off.
"Will you show me again?" Jemma asked. Skye positioned herself near Jemma and threw a few more punches. Truthfully, Jemma was disappointed. She had hoped her help would include Skye's hands on her... what was she thinking?! Jemma brushed off the weird desire as wishing she had more of a girl-type friend. Fitz wasn't exactly a touchy-feely kind of friend and she didn't often have actual physical contact with anyone.
When they were finished changing back into their normal school clothes, Skye bounded back up to Jemma.
"Can I come with you to lunch? Leo said you'd show me the way." Skye asked.
"Leo? Oh. Fitz. Right. Sure." Jemma stumbled over her words. She just remembered about Skye and Fitz and her heart dropped to her stomach. Skye smiled and caught her bottom lip between her teeth, something that drove Jemma mad. She stared at Skye's lips and was slightly caught off guard when the bell rang.
"Jumpy much?" Skye laughed when Jemma flinched and followed Jemma out the door towards the cafeteria.
Jemma sat next to Fitz and reached to pull out the chair next to her, but Skye sat down on Fitz's other side. Jemma took her hand off the chair and played it off as her using it to ease herself into her own seat. Skye sat a little too close to Fitz for Jemma's comfort and it bothered her when Skye's fingers wrapped around Fitz's arm. She told herself it was because she didn't like other people touching her best friend, but she was beginning to see that as a lie.
This couldn't be happening. Jemma could not have a crush on Fitz's girlfriend. Jemma could not be having a crush on a girl, much less one that was already with her best friend. Then, she defined crush in her head: a brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable or inappropriate. She was infatuated with Skye, and she was definitely both unattainable and inappropriate. Hopefully it would be brief as well.
"Jemma, Skye was just telling me about your project. How's it coming?" Fitz pulled her out of her thoughts and she wondered how long she'd been zoned out.
"We haven't really had a good time to meet yet." Jemma pushed her salad around on her tray with her fork.
"Since we're cool, I can just do it." Skye said. "Coulson will never know."
"No!" Jemma protested much too quickly. "I mean, I want to put my share of work into it." Jemma could feel the heat rising up to her cheeks and she prayed that neither of them could see her blush. Really, Jemma just wanted to spend that hour with her in the library. Without Fitz.
"Why don't you have a lunch?" Jemma asked Skye, trying to change the subject. Skye looked down at the empty table in front of her and shrugged.
"I'm not really a lunch person." Skye said.
"How can you not be a 'lunch person'? Everyone needs the nutritional value from food, especially the three regular intervals throughout the day..." Jemma's words faded away when she realized that not only Skye, but Fitz, was staring at her.
"Hey Skye." The three of them looked up to find Ward and a few of his football teammates standing over their table.
"What is it, Ward?" Skye asked. Her voice sounded tired, like she was done dealing with him.
"Why are you with these losers? You could be having so much more fun with me." He smirked.
"Go screw yourself, Ward." Fitz spoke up. Jemma stared at him in horror. He would have never done something like that if Skye hadn't been sitting next to him and holding his hand under the table, which yes, Jemma had noticed. Ward ignored Fitz and kneeled next to Skye's chair.
"Come on, sweetheart, you know you don't want to be around these geeks." Ward put his hand on Skye's shoulder and she roughly jerked away from him.
"You've taken a few too many tackles if you think I'm going anywhere with you." Skye spat. Ward growled, but stood up.
"Eventually you'll see the light. Fitzsimmons just want you here to fill up a space at their empty table and make them seem a little cooler." Ward said. When he finally walked away, Skye dropped her forehead into her arms on the table and Fitz rubbed a few circles into her back. Jemma couldn't do anything but sit and watch.