A/N: xBrokenDreamerx helped me write this chapter! STREET CREDS TO HER:)
PREVIOUS CHAPTER:
"Bev…I'm gonna kill you!" Carmen screamed, chasing after the blonde girl in the doorway.
Bev made a run for it, leaving a very drunken Hailey in the doorway. Carmen stopped running at the end of the driveway and headed back to the Mercer house. She draped Hailey's arm over her shoulder and looked to Bobby.
"I guess we'll have to catch up tomorrow or somethin'." She said, solemnly, before turning her attention to Jack and Justin. "I'll catch you guys at school."
"Wait up, I'll help." Justin said, helping Carmen get Hailey in the back seat of Carmen's car. "Plus, I need a ride home…" he added sheepishly.
-Monday, School, Outside-in the field-
Carmen had skipped the morning and was sitting outside in the field in the back of the school. No one went there so it was her private place to think. Justin and Craig knew where it was. Carmen was lying on the ground looking up at the sky with her hands behind her head; falling into the silence. Sadly, it didn't last long.
"Carmen. Fuck! You better be back here!" Justin yelled while pushing branches out of the way.
"I'm over here." Carmen groaned, sitting up on her elbows. "Can't a girl get some alone time?"
"Not when there's a fight going on in the cafeteria." Craig said, falling after Justin into the clearing where Carmen was laying.
"So. What's new about that?" Carmen asked, nonchalantly.
"It is when it's Jack and Josh." Justin pointed out.
As soon as he said Jack's name, Carmen was racing for the school. Craig and Justin were close behind her. Once they had neared the school Carmen called over her shoulder.
"Why the fuck didn't you stop him! Josh's your brother, Justin!"
"We…tried!" Justin panted. He wasn't much for running.
"Josh called you a good for nothing whore who was only good for sleeping around… Or something like that…" Craig said.
"And Jack just snapped." Justin added, once they all started walking into the cafeteria.
In the middle of a giant circle of teenagers, was Jack sitting on Josh, landing punch after punch to Josh's face and body. Jack was just about to punch him again when Carmen broke through the cheering circle and grabbed Jack arm; pulling him up to his feet.
"What the hell?" Jack exclaimed, looking at her.
"I should be asking you the same thing. Now let's go." She said, pulling Jack out of the circle.
"What fairy…? You need a whore to save you from getting your ass kicked?" Josh yelled, standing up and wiping blood from his nose on his sleeve and yet Jack had barely a scratch on him.
Jack was about to jump on him again when Carmen held him back. "He's not worth it, Jackie…" She said.
"Whore." Josh said.
Carmen turned around. The crowd parted like the red sea, expecting her to go after him. Instead she said, "Call me what you want. Just know I'm gonna get you for it when I won't get expelled." She flipped him off and wrapped her arm around Jack's waist; Jack returning the gesture at her shoulders. They walked off, Justin and Craig laughing as they followed.
The principal walked into the cafeteria. "Josh. Office." She said.
He walked into the office, an evil smirk playing on his lips.
Mrs. Davison instructed him to sit and tell her what happened.
"I was eating my lunch and he came over and hit me! I don't know why!" Josh lied.
Mrs. Davison kept her smirk on because she knew he was lying and she knew exactly what people to go to for the truth. "Stay here." She ordered.
-Classroom-
"Justin, Carmen, the principal would like to see you." The teacher announced.
The class 'oooh'ed.
Carmen and Justin exchanged knowing and annoyed glances. "Here we go…" Justin muttered, picking up his books. Carmen threw her backpack over shoulder and they walked down the hallway, side-by-side.
They reached the end of the wing and Jack appeared next to Carmen. He looked nervous.
"What's wrong, Jack?" She asked.
"Miss Evelyn's gonna kill me…" Jack said, quietly.
"No she's not. She's not gonna lay a harmful hand on you…soothing, yes, harmful, no… And call her Ma." Carmen reassured, pulling him closer by his waist.
"Whatever you say…" He sighed.
When they reached the office, all 4 kids were told to sit down in Mrs. Davison's office.
"Can you handle all of them at once?" The secretary asked her. "They're rough kids…especially that…Johanson girl…"
"Carmen keeps them all in check." Mrs. Davison replied.
"Most of the time…" The vice principal said to himself from his office; he was listening to the kids bickering in her office and decided to cut in.
He got up from his desk and walked into the next room. "Johanson! Sit down!"
Carmen was in Josh's face about starting shit with everyone and Justin was trying to get her to sit down.
Jack was sitting in Carmen's chair, trying to stay calm in the midst of all their yelling. Eventually, Justin got her to calm down and she took a seat on the arm of the chair Jack was occupying.
Mrs. Davison re-entered the room and took a seat at her desk. "Now, someone needs to tell me what ACTUALLY happened in the cafeteria."
"I can only tell you what happened after the fight. I don't know how it started." Carmen replied.
"Who was there when it started? Or who was PAYING ATTENTION when it started?"
"Jack and Josh were talking and Josh called Carmen a whore and said she was only good for sleeping around. Jack hit him and started the fight but we couldn't get him to stop so me and Craig went to get Carmen." Justin said.
"Where were you, Carmen?"
"I was in the back of the school." Carmen stated.
"You skipped class this morning?"
"I needed to cool off. Me and Hailey got in a huge fight last night and--"
"That's all I needed to know. Now, Jack, what made you hit Josh?"
"He was talkin' bad about Carmen." Jack replied, quietly.
"Jack, I'm gonna need you to speak up. I can't hear you."
Carmen looked down at him. "Jackie, repeat what you said so she can hear you."
"He was talkin' bad about Carmen." He said, this time louder. "And I snapped."
"Justin, you can go. If I need to talk to you again, I'll call your class. Thank you." Mrs. Davison said.
Justin left the room and went back to class.
"Okay, could you 2 boys step in the hall for a second? I need to talk to Carmen."
Carmen was a little confused, but she didn't argue. Josh left with no hesitation. Jack gave her a confused and worried look, but didn't say anything as he left.
"Alright, Carmen, what's the deal between you and Jack?"
"I just met him. And if you really mean am I sleeping with him, no, I'm not." Carmen sighed, frustrated. "I know a pretty good deal of where he's coming from and I wouldn't do that."
"Not for someone in his situation, you mean?"
"Yes. Why is this so important?"
"Because I know where he's coming from, too. And that might not be the best thing for someone as fragile as him."
"I know you know my reputation around here, and it does include sleeping around occasionally, but I'm smarter that my reputation let's on."
"Oh, I know you're smart! But I don't want you to force that poor boy farther into a nutshell than he already is."
"I'm taking it slow and he's opening up to me, so I really don't see why you're so worried."
"Because Bobby Mercer called this morning looking for Jack to make sure he didn't skip school and he also mentioned your name. I realize your close to the Mercers, but--"
"What did he say about me?"
"…That Jack has a huge crush on you and he hasn't stopped talking about you since you left the Mercer house a few nights ago. I think Bobby might have even said something about finding a sketch of you in Jack's room…"
"So, you don't want me to sleep with him and then have him be another guy I know and hang out with now. Like Justin." Carmen sighed, realizing why all of this was so important.
Mrs. Davison smiled. "Just take care of him is all."
"That much I can handle."
"On your way out, can you send the boys back in please?"
Carmen nodded and grabbed her backpack off the floor. She did as Mrs. Davison asked and went back to her class with Justin.
Classroom
"What'd she wanna talk to you about?" Justin whispered.
"Nothing. I'll tell you after school." Carmen whispered back.
"It must be big…" Justin laughed, quietly.
Next Class
Jack walked in a few minutes before the bell rang and Carmen jumped off her desk and ran over to him. "Detention?"
"Somehow I managed to get out of that… I don't know… I got a warning, but whatever…" Jack said.
"Yes!" Carmen exclaimed, giving him a hug. "That means you can come over my place after school with Justin!"
"I thought you had a fight with Hailey. Wouldn't that, like, just cause more problems?" Justin laughed in her ear as he sat down.
"We can't go to your place. Josh's there!" She stuck out her tongue at him, showing off her tongue ring.
"God, I wish you had that thing when we were making out at Chris' party a few weeks ago…" Justin sighed, turning back to the front of the room while shaking his head.
"What's he talkin' about?" Jack asked.
"He's talking about something that happened when we were both very drunk and I was completely stressed and needed a release. Don't worry about it."
"Do you need a release now?" Jack asked.
"It'd be nice, but class is gonna start…"
"We can skip…?"
"I'll meet you after school, J!" Carmen grabbed Jack's hand and dragged him into the hallway. "Is anyone home at your house?"
"Bobby, I think."
"We gotta go to your place then. Bobby's way easier to get past than my older brother."
"You sure?"
"No. But it's worth a shot. Come on." The 2 of them snuck around the school stopping occasionally at corners to check for teachers and eventually got to Carmen's car in the parking lot.
Carmen drove to Jack's house and Jack kept looking at her like he was gonna ask her a question. She had a feeling she knew what he was thinking.
"What's the question?" Carmen asked, bluntly.
"Well, when Josh said all that stuff about you, you never denied it… Like, it was true… Was it?"
"…My reputation around the school isn't…well…it's kind of hard to explain. I do sleep with guys I first meet, but I try not to…sometimes it just happens… But…I don't know… It's like it's in my blood or something so I can't help it."
Jack didn't know what to say, but he didn't wanna make a big deal out of it.
"I was trying not to do that with you."
The rest of the car ride was silent.
A/N: WOOT! This one was 7 pages! This story's getting easier to write, thanks to all my readers/reviewers/idea people! Again, thanks to Amanda for helping me start this chapter:D
REVIEWS PLEASE! The purple button loves when you click it, it tickles and he giggles!
C/A/M (LC)