Viral

Summary: All the other students give Jodi a wide berth, which is awesome! Until it isn't.

Jodi reveled in the wide berth most of the others gave her after the pool incident. It was still early in the school year, and it was obvious that people were making it a point to steer clear. Normally Jodi didn't give a damn about school politics, but she counted her lucky stars for this one. It beat the hell out of being harassed, and she had more than her fair share of that at her last school. The week long suspention was well worth it for that alone.

However, the reaction of her fellow students was a bit over exaggerated given the actual damage Jodi had inflicted on the freshman's face. She had checked her punch, leaving only a bruise and a swollen cheek. Absolutely no blood had been spilled, but you would never know it from the way she was treated.

She tested the waters those first few days back and discovered that anyone who did talk to her kept the conversation polite, but noticably short, and that a well aimed glare would send most of her peers packing in a hurry. The first girl she tested that on scurried away so fast that she nearly tripped over her own backpack.

Jodi briefly entertained the thought that she just discovered an unknown superpower.

After so long being the low man on the totem pole, she settled in to enjoy being left alone for the first time in her life.

However, the shine of her new found superpower wore off three weeks later when her first big group project came up and no one seemed to know how to talk to her. Or look at her. or sit within five feet of her without fidgiting. The teachers had been mostly indifferent to her, so whatever it was, it only affected the students.

After three days of unbearable awkwardness she cut off her group leader mid-sentance, frustrated and unbearably curious.

"Okay, what is it? All of you are acting like I'm gonna eat you at any moment. Is this about that jerk in gym? 'Cause, I didn't hit him that hard. So what is it?"

All three of them shared nervous glances, and shifted uncomfortably. Clearly, no one wanted to be the first to speak.

"Come on! What?"

The only boy in the group, Matt, finally broke the silence. "Is it true that you used to go to a fancy private school in California?"

Jodi frowned, but gave a slow, drawn out "yes", because what the hell did that have to do with anything?

"So . . . " Matt rummaged around his pocked for his cell phone, pulling up the Youtube app. "Is this you?"

She stared blankly at the screen for a moment, and it wasn't until one girl bludgeoned the other with a textbook that she realized she was watching a recording of herself beating the crap out of Charity.

Holy shit. She had no idea that the fight was being recorded.

Jodi snatched the phone to see the summary, reading: Private school cat fight! One leaves in a squad car, the other in an ambulence. Guess who! Then she scrolled down and saw the view count.

Her eyes bugged.

She pointed at the screen. "Has the whole school seen this?"

Matt gave a telling smile.

Well, that explained that. The boys were going to have a field day once she told them about this. Barricade was going to find the whole thing hysterical.