Hey guys! Thank you for the review! In this chapter, Adrian finally gets into action and gets pretty defensive over a certain someone. Hmmm I wonder who? Anyway, there's also a little Jillian and Eddie fluff So read ahead and don't forget to review. They always make my day!

P.S: Is anyone else excited for the Indigo Spell Trailer today?!

Chapter 5

Jillian

A Fight

"Hey Jillian," a high pitched voice calls out from behind me.

I stop walking and turn around to face a pair of cold pale blue eyes that I sadly have come to known.

"Hello Ana," I say as my hands tighten on my textbook.

Ana Dane is the queen of the entire group of jocks and cheerleaders in the entire academy. Her record is as clean as Sydney's and has perfect grades. She's what everyone thinks is a natural student for Harvard but truth be told, she's none other than a lying, blackmailing crook. One that can make you drop down on your knees and practically do anything. After all, her mother is the headmaster of the academy.

"I haven't seen you in a while since your sister decided to blow up the punch bowl at the Halloween Ball, and let me tell you," she says smiling snidely as she walks around me in circles. "I missed you."

I try to stand tall on my knees and look at her boldly and only managed to let out a rushed "So,"

Ana chuckles as she reaches out to touch my arm. "I thought that I should bring you out of the shadows and into the light. You have talent Jillian, talent that should be known to the world. You can walk like a model," she says trying to push something that I have been trying very hard to forget. "And you look like one. You might as well be one right?"

She knows. Oh God Eddie, Angeline Sydney where are you guys when I need you? My hands ball up into fists and I remember what Eddie had told me a long time ago when I was at court. Stand tall, be brave, and think straight. Easier said then done, that's for sure.

"What do you want Ana?"

"I want you to join the Christmas Ball committee," she says.

"Why do you want me to join the Christmas Ball committee?" I ask. I am well aware of Ana's Christmas Ball committee. Every girl who wants to run for Winter Queen has to have a committee that concentrates on creating a part of the Ball like decorating the room, or help making the food. The best Committee's leader becomes the queen.

"Because the Christmas Ball is the biggest event in the academy and trust me, Prom is like homecoming compared to this. Becoming a Winter Queen is like becoming queen of the world. You practically stand on top of the entire academy. And you Jillian are honestly becoming the talk of the school. I need someone as big as you to be on my decorating committee."

"What if I don't want to be on your committee?" I ask her.

The last thing I want to picture myself doing is playing as her friend and then help her become queen, a role that she does not deserve.

"I'm going to show this little picture of yours to the entire academy by today night and trust me, it will spread across the entire state, perhaps even the country in a matter of seconds via internet," Ana says holding up a picture of me in one of my last modeling season, an unprinted magazine that Sydney had told my modeling agent to put off. The only copy of that magazine is in my room.

I gasp as horror fills me from head to toe. "Give me that back!" I say.

"You want it?" Ana teases. "Well promise me that you'll join my committee."

"No!" I say. "Ana give it back!"

"Hey Ana, we're going shopping are you coming?" a low, nasal voice calls from behind Ana.

"Oh hey Stephanie, just the girl I'm looking for," Ana says breaking out in a run towards her snotty friend. "Look at this!"

I run after her, dropping my books. Ana teases me and holds the paper up high where I can't reach it. I can't let her take it. She'll ruin everything that my friends and I have worked hard to build.

"Please Ana stop. I'll do it, but give me the paper back first. I'll do what ever you want," I say as tears start to blur my sight.

Ana laughs coldly. "You think I'm giving you this back? Fat chance kiddo, this is mine till I win."

Something in my snaps and I feel a cold breeze brush past me as I watch my future flash before my eyes. Sydney taken away from California, Adrian hating me forever, Eddie and Angeline being looked down upon by other guardians for what I had done. Knowing that I'm going to regret this, I swing out my arm and punch Ana Dane hard on her face.

"Jill?"

I nearly jump out of my chair and run into Adrian's arms when I hear his voice. I want to tell him everything that had happened and not to hate me but nothing comes out as I open my mouth. Instead, I break into tears. He gently pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. I ignore the strong smell of cigarettes and sniffle as his hand brushes against my cast.

"What happened?" he says. "Who did this to you?"

"Ana Dane and Stephanie," I say.

Adrian pulls away and looks into my eyes. "Why would they do that to you Jill?"

"I might have punched Ana Dane on her nose," I mumble looking away from those once worried eyes.

"Did you break it?" he asks.

"No," I say looking up at Adrian.

Adrian doesn't move away from and doesn't let his arms drop from around me. He sighs and rubs my unhurt arm and looks down at me warmly as we both sit down on the couch.

"Why did you punch Ana Jill? This isn't like you?"

"She broke into my room Adrian, she took my modeling picture and she's blackmailing me. She wants me to help her win Winter Queen and if I don't help her, she's going to show everyone my picture. I was, I was scared Adrian, I didn't know what to do," I sob.

Adrian puts an arm around me. "It's alright Jail-" he starts and suddenly stops breathing.

I look up from his shoulder and watch as Eddie runs into the room with Sydney and Angeline in his shadows. Sydney meets Adrian's eyes and stops running. Her eyes register him with pain, loss and shock. She lets her eyes drift off to the cast on my arm and her eyes widen with horror.

"Jillian!" Eddie says as he runs up to me. "Who did this to you?"

He takes my hand and kneels down on his knees. "Jill talk to me," he says. "Tell me everything and I'll make sure the person who did this to you will pay."

I hand Eddie my referral and watched as his eyes registered the headmaster's straight out angry words all mushed together in one paper. Eddie's eyes grow wide. He lets his eyes leave the paper and looks at me.

"Did you break it?" he asks.

"Oh my gosh!" I yell. "I didn't break her stupid nose!"

Just as we said this, Headmaster Dane walks in and crosses her arms with Ana right behind her. Ana glares across the room at my cast and smirks as she holds a pack of ice to her nose. If only I had broken it. Her blue eyes pierce into mine and I nearly shrink down into my seat, blushing red as a tomato. Eddie grows rigid still and turns around to face the headmaster. The headmaster ignores Eddie and I and looks straight at Sydney with narrowed eyes.

"I thought you teach your family a bit more manners Sydney," the headmaster says. "I never thought that you would teach your sibling to punch a girl, not just any girl, but the headmaster's daughter's!"

"I never thought that someone so respected to be named headmaster would teach your daughter how to break into someone's room and that to dress like she's going to a night club," Adrian says.

The headmaster flushes angrily and Sydney pales until she nearly disappears into the white linen curtains behind her.

"You watch your language young man, my daughter would never do such a thing and she is not dressed as if she's going to a night club!"

"Oh yeah, that's why she's wearing that sh-"

"Adrian!" Sydney snaps.

"You step out of it Sage," he says.

"Both of you stop it!" Eddie says, his hazel eyes blazing angrily as he turns to the headmaster. "I think that it is very unprofessional and unfair for you to be supporting your daughter all the way through without hearing what Jill has to say."

Everyone stops breathing as we watch Eddie in shock. Eddie is never like this. He's usually the calm one who can cool down an angry mob with a word or two. I look up at him and watch as he nods at me. I feel my hands shake in my lap as I turn to look at the headmaster.

"Ana broke into my room and stole something of mine and threatened me that she'll show post it on the internet if I don't join her Winter Committee."

"Outrageous!" the headmaster snaps. "My daughter would never do that! My daughter would never do anything bad like that!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Angeline bursts out. "She's the queen of bad!"

"How dare you!"

"Hello there," a new voice says calmly.

Sydney gasps as she looks up at the lady standing before us. "Miss Terwilliger," she says.

"Jaclyn what are you doing here?" The headmaster snaps.

"I came to see what all this racket is about," she says.

"Well it's quite simple," the headmaster growls. "Jillian punched my daughter on the nose and claims that my daughter is blackmailing her into joining her Winter Committee."

"My, quite an outrageous excuse," Miss Terwilliger says with a hint of sarcasm that only Eddie, Angeline, Sydney, Adrian and I heard. "What happened to your arm dear?"

"Ana and Stephanie broke my arm," I say trying to keep my voice straight but flush as I hear it break.

Eddie reaches out for my hand and pulls me behind his back. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I lean into his back. He doesn't let his hand go as he glares at the headmaster.

"And what does your daughter and her friend get for that?"

"Nothing of course, it was mere self -defense."

"Jill was protecting herself to," Angeline says standing next to Eddie.

"If she needed to protect herself from a verbal attack, she should have handled it differently."

"Now you're admitting that Ana did do this!" Adrian says.

"I did nothing!" Ana says.

"Ok children and um… miss, calm down. What did you give Jill as punishment?" Miss Terwilliger asks.

"A referall,"

Sydney just realizing this steps out of the shadows. "You cannot do that miss, think about her future."

"You keep your mouth shut Sydney and stay out of it," the headmaster says.

"You watch it old lady," Adrian threatens.

The headmaster flushes and Miss Terwilliger clears her throat. "I agree with Sydney. Since this case is so unclear unlike the others we get, I think we should bring down the bar of punishment. Do you have anything else on you mind miss?"

"In fact I do Jaclyn. If Jillian doesn't want the referral she should join Ana's Committee and actually participate in an activity."

The room grows silent. Eddie looks down at me and then at Sydney who already has her eyes on me. I swallow and nod at Eddie.

"Fine," I say.

The headmaster nods and silently walks out of the room with Ana in her shadows. My knees give in and I fall down onto the couch and cover my face with my hands.

"She isn't going to let this go," I whisper. "Ana is going to hurt me one way or another."

"No," Eddie says. "She won't. I'm going to join this committee of hers with you Jill. I won't let you be alone with her. No one's going to hurt you on my watch."