[Jade's PoV]
Jade wished she took math with Cat. It was such a boring lesson, even on those days when she wanted to kill everyone who moved, she could count on math class to make her want to hear one of Cat's bizarre stories, for varieties sake if nothing else. Her teacher droned on.
She wondered if Cat felt any better after last night. Honestly, she was still surprised; Cat had always seemed to fawn over boys so zealously. It was quite an unsettling thought, that Cat had gotten so good at acting out of fear of her mother rather than to pass her school assessments like her friends. Unsettling, and sad. And it pissed Jade off something awful.
"Jade pay attention."
Jade glanced irritably up at her teacher who was already absorbed back into whatever he was banging on about.
It was funny, really. Jade had met Mrs Valentine many times, and they'd never gotten along. Mrs Valentine disapproved, always looking at Jade like she was barely the best of a bad situation and Jade, naturally, had verbally and passive aggressively flipped her off at every chance she'd come across for it. The universe had tipped her off from the start that in one way or another the woman was a bitch.
She remembered new year's eve with a smirk. She really had thought that Cat had forgotten about that in the hangover haze that ensued, but apparently not. She supposed that if she hadn't been so drunk herself she might have taken being pushed up against a bathroom wall and petted as a minor hint at Cat's sexuality, however at the time she was more focused on staying standing.
"Jadelyn. Attention, please."
Jade rolled her eyes and started to doodle her math teacher being eaten by a shark on her back of her notes. He was obviously stupid, as he took that to mean she was making notes on the maths, and he turned back to the board. Before Jade could resume her thoughts on Cat, the bell rang for lunch.
"Finally." She said, loud enough for her teacher to hear. He found Jade infuriating, she knew, but what seemed to piss him off the most was that despite her lack of attention in lessons, she always passed his tests near the top of the class, if not at the top.
Jade stuffed her notes into her bag untidily and tried her best not to shove anyone over as she left the math room as fast as possible. She wanted to find Cat and get lunch in that order.
The redhead had asked her if she could stay for the weekend on the drive to school that morning, which Jade had agreed to, but now in hindsight she wanted to make sure that it wasn't because Cat felt like she couldn't go home anymore because of her mom. She was hoping she could ask Cat quickly before the rest of the group showed up and she lost the opportunity for another three hours. Even if it was because Cat felt like that about her mom she could still stay at Jades, but the goth wanted to reassure her friend that it wasn't her only option.
"Hey Jade."
"Oh. Hey." Andre was carrying a bottle of ketchup. "Have you seen Cat?"
Andre tossed his bottle of ketchup from hand to hand thoughtfully. "Not since this morning, and Tori just said that she wasn't in Spanish. I thought she'd skipped with you or something since you had math."
Jade frowned. Cat never missed Spanish, she was fluent already but she still liked the lessons and Jade had seen her come into school ill before so she didn't have to miss it.
"We're all out on the usual table, if you find her." Andre said, waving his ketchup bottle.
"Yeah, see ya."
Jade looked about the hall as if it was going to have neon pointers in Cats direction.
She wasn't at her locker, that much was clear. She supposed she could linger outside Cat's Spanish room incase she came back there but Jade thought that unlikely. She sent her a text, leaning against her own locker.
'Cat are you okay?'
She wasn't sure why she was asking that instead of where she was but she was undeniably worried. She waited anxiously, tapping her thumbnail against the dormant phone screen as she waited for a reply. Was she still upset about last night? Maybe her mom had found out and had taken her home. The thought made Jade feel a little ill and she unlocked her phone to check for a message despite it not having buzzed. Nothing.
There's no way her mom could know, stop worrying. She'll be fine. Even if her mom did know, what's she gonna do? Kill her?
At that moment, coming around the corner as slowly as possible, Cat trailed into view. Jade felt relief wash over her.
"Cat where have you been- Have you been crying?"
The redhead looked up at Jade like she'd done something wrong. Here eyes were a little red and her arms were hugged around her middle tightly.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jade tried again.
Cat sniffled and shook her head. "Nothing. I skipped Spanish to walk home quickly, 'cause I forgot that I didn't have any of my Homework for later 'cause I was at yours last night."
Jade frowned. "Okay." She said slowly. "Did something happen at home? I mean, I know you like Spanish, but… you seem kinda too upset for just missing one lesson."
Cat shifted uncomfortably and looked at her feet. "Mom was home. She got mad at me for missing school."
Jade felt a flare of anger. She was starting to get really sick of this woman.
She sighed. "C'mere."
Cat shuffled forwards and let Jade hug her. With an obnoxiously loud bang, a boy of Andre's height skidded to a halt and slammed into the lockers next to them and rebounded off again, to carry on running from a really pissed off looking Trina.
Jade grabbed Cat protectively and pulled her out of the way before she got trampled.
"Animals!" Jade shouted after them. Cat yelped quietly as Jade had grabbed her and Jade apologised.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Then Jade paused. Cat was still holding her waist where Jade's arm had come around her.
"Did I hurt you?"
"No!" Cat jumped to answer the question too fast.
"Are you sure?"
"It's just a bruise."
Jade didn't remember her having a bruise that bad. "What? How did you get a bruise?"
The redhead blinked guiltily up at Jade. "Nowhere."
"From nowhere? Let me see-"
"No!" Cat put her arms back around her middle protectively.
"Cat-" Jade's eyes scanned her face. She sighed. "What's going on, why can't I see?"
Cat went quiet. Jade held out her hand and fixed her with a firm look. Cat slowly took it and trailed along behind the goth as she led her to the janitor's closet.
"Okay," Jade said once the door was locked behind them. "Show me the bruise so I know you're okay and I'll let you out of here. Otherwise we're staying in here all day."
Cat looked torn. Slowly, defeatedly, she lifted the corner of her hoodie and revealed her side.
"Cat, what the fuck?!" Jade all but shouted, rushing forwards to look better at the seven inch bruise that stretched diagonally from Cat's right hip all the way up to her ribs on the left.
"It's not that bad!" Cat said immediately, in a high voice.
"Cat tell me how you got this, right now." Jade couldn't look away from the bruising to look at Cat's panicked expression.
There's no way she managed to do this to herself. Jade thought fervently.
"I… I told you… She got mad when I skipped class."
Jade's jaw dropped. "Your mom did this?"
Cat cuddled her hoodie back around her and she sat down on the floor with her knees close to her chest. "She was dusting, she had one of those wooden candle sticks that stand in the corner in the living room and…"
Jade's head was spinning unpleasantly. She knew which candle sticks Cat meant, they were solid carved wood and about four foot tall, with a three and a half inch spike on the end to stab the candle onto to prevent them being knocked off when they were lit. There were four of them around her television.
"Cat the spike on one of those could have really hurt you." Jade said, sliding down the wall to sit by the redhead. "She seriously swung one of those things at you?"
"I missed class…" Cat said sadly, stating into her knees.
"Cat it wouldn't make a difference if you skipped the whole year, no one has the right to hit you with anything, least of all your mom."
"Don't tell anyone!" Cat said immediately, feeling where Jade was going with the conversation.
"Kitty…" Jade whined, deciding if she should try to reason with her friend or relent. Seeing the pleading look on the small girls face, she sighed. "Okay, okay. I won't tell anyone. For now," She added firmly. "But stay over mine for the weekend whilst I work out what I will do."
Cat nodded. "Sorry…"
"Don't apologise." Jade pulled her friend into another hug. "It's not your fault your mom's a psychopath."
Cat looked despondent. "What do you have last lesson?" She asked.
"Nothing, I have a free since English is cancelled. Why?"
Cat shook her head. "Was just wondering. I'm kinda tired."
"What lesson do you have?"
"Math."
Jade pulled a face. "Ew." She tugged her friend up by the arm. "Come on then, let's get some lunch and go to your math room."
Cat sighed and stood up, following Jade back out of the janitor's closet and down the hallway to her Math room.
"You!"
Jade and Cat both turned as one as a blonde boy strayed from his group of friends and approached them. Cat had paled a little and shuffled closer to Jade.
"What the hell's your problem, bitch?" He said angrily when he got close enough.
Realising he was aiming his words at Cat after the day she had had, Jade snapped. "Don't fucking talk to her like that you piece of shit!" She yelled.
"Fuck you!"
"Fuck you!" Jade didn't know who the hell this kid was but she was through watching Cat get abused by ass holes.
The boy turned back to Cat, ignoring Jade. "Did you think I wouldn't remember after that party, huh? You think you can just mess me about?" He demanded, pugnaciously.
"You made a rape joke at me!" Cat protested in a high voice, hoping a teacher might come around the corner and take him away.
Without any further warning, the boy backhanded her as hard as he could, sending her flying backwards into Jade. The goth reacted so quickly she didn't honestly consider her setting. Her combat boots collided squarely with his balls, and as he doubled over in pain she grabbed the back of his head and brought her knee up to quickly and effectively break his nose. Her cousin had taught her that when she was 13, and she had remembered it well.
Several people rushed in to restrain Jade, obviously and correctly guessing that she wasn't finished with him, including Tori who had materialised at some point holding an armful of red and black folders.
"Jade you made your point!" Tori said loudly, pulling her away from the boy on the floor and pushing her back in Cat's direction whilst a wall of people formed around the boy. They were mostly just students taking pictures, keen to get a first hand look at the guy that just got beat up by a girl, but Tori had spied a french teacher in the mix.
Cat was crying again and Jade seemed to re focus her attentions on the red head almost as soon as she saw her.
"Oh my god, Cat, are you alright?"
The red head nodded meekly and Jade hugged her, being mindful of the bruise across her middle.
"Was that the same guy from the party yesterday night?"
Cat nodded again and sniffled against Jade's chest. Tori re-appeared.
"Jade, Lane want's to see you." She looked sympathetic. "Hey, Cat, you okay?"
"Yeah." Cat was trying to get herself together.
"What's the damage?" Jade asked, resigned to her fate.
"Not as bad as you think, he was talking loudly enough that the whole hallway knows who started it, and who landed the first hit. Plus, you know what Lane's like, he won't like that a guy hit a girl and he especially won't like that it was Cat. He likes Cat, everyone likes Cat."
Jade wasn't convinced. "Alright, I'll go. Can you stay with Cat?" The smaller girls cheek was starting to blush with a pale bruise.
"Sure."
"I'll be as quick as I can."
When Jade got to Lane's office, she was relieved to find that the guidance councillor hadn't hauled the boy in there too.
"Jade," He welcomed cordially. "Take a seat."
Jade did as she was told in the hopes it would make things go more quickly.
"I've heard several accounts now of what just happened with Catarina outside- but not yours. I'm all ears."
Jade sighed. "Cat had a really rough day, I was walking her to Math, this guy comes up from behind us and starts mouthing off at her because she rejected his ego at a party or something, and then he hit her right across the face."
"And so you broke his nose and his… well. You broke his nose." Lane finished, avoiding mentioning the bludgeoning the boys balls had received.
"Yes." Jade confirmed, not feeling at all guilty but ready to pretend just in case she assessed it would get her a lighter sentence.
To her surprise, Lane made a face that said 'fair enough'.
"You said Cat had met Zack before?"
"At this party she went to last night. He made this gross rape joke at her and she left and came to my house. She was really upset. I guess he was so drunk at the time he let it go, but…" Jade trailed off.
"But now he's sobered up." Lane finished.
Jade nodded in agreement.
"Well," Lane said with some finality, "I think I've heard enough. Every account says Zack started this, and that he threw the first punch, so I'm going to let you off and put this down to self defence and the defence of Catarina. I'm not going to take it any further within the school because as far as I'm concerned, punishing girls for defending themselves isn't a message I want to give out. However, I can't say what Zack's parents will do- whatever it is though, we'll deal with it when we come to it."
Jade looked at him uncertainly. "What thats it? No suspension, long lectures, phone calls home?"
Lane clasped his hands under his chin. "No suspension, no lectures and no phone calls home." He affirmed. "I'm happy to excuse both of you girls for your last lesson if you'd rather take Cat home." He added.
"I don't have a last lesson, but yeah, I'll do that."
Lane smiled, and gestured that she was free to go.
The goth left quickly and text Tori to find out where she had taken the red head, seeing that they were no longer in the corridor. She eventually found them both sitting in an empty class room next to the nurses room.
"Hey."
"Hey Jade, how did it go?" Tori asked when the goth put her head around the door.
"Fine, he let me off, said I could take Cat home."
"He let you off completely?" Cat asked, sounding relieved.
"Yeah, guess Tori was right."
Cat breathed a sigh of relief.
Tori smiled. "Well Tori has to go to her lesson before her Geography teacher kills her, but let her know if anything more happens." The Latina said in third person, getting up from her seat and putting her bag back over her shoulder. Cat passed her the folders from the desk.
"Thanks, I'll see you guys on Monday, yeah?"
The two other girls nodded and Tori left for her lesson.
"You should have heard next door." Cat said quietly.
Jade took Tori's empty seat. "Why?"
"That guy got taken into the nurses room and patched up, and then his dad came. He was really angry, at first I thought it was at you but then I realised it was at him. I don't know what he sounded more angry at, that 'his son had laid his hands on a girl', or the fact he'd been pulled out of work. Then he kept shouting 'no son of mine' over and over, it seemed way out of proportion, he never even asked if he was okay or anything."
"I can't say I'm overwhelmed with sympathy." Jade said honestly.
Cat looked sad and Jade could see that she was; she was too gentle for her own good sometimes.
Jade nudged her friend softly. "Lane said we were free to go home early- wanna go get smoothies instead?"
Cat looked up at the Goth hopefully. "Really?"
Jade laughed. "Yeah, sure. Come on, before your Math teacher finds us and stops us."
Cat looked a little happier at the prospect and to Jade's slight relief, they both made it to her Car without any further trouble. Cat got into the passenger seat and Jade was shoving their bags into the back when a voice caught her attention.
"Hey hey, Tori told me what happened, you guys okay?" Andre was carrying two giant cut out cacti.
"Yeah, we're fine. We're going for smoothies, don't tell." Cat answered with her head out of the window.
"Lucky for some. Just seen Zack's dad taking him home."
"He was really mad." Cat said, sounding like she was worrying.
Andre nodded. "Yeah, I know Zack- don't like him- but apparently his step mom is an abuse survivor or something and his dad is like, the touchiest person ever on the subject."
"Guess that explains his reaction to his son hitting a woman then." Jade said, feeling less sorry for the guy than she had before.
"Indeedy." Andre agreed. "Well, I gotta go deliver these babies to Sikowitz," He said, wiggling the cardboard cacti under his arms. "Have nice smoothies." He waved as best he could and Jade got into the car. Cat pulled her head back inside and put the window up.
"Okay, positive rest of day." Jade said firmly.
Cat nodded. "Okay. Can we watch a film when we go back to yours later?"
Jade smiled, "Sure, Netflix is your oyster."
Cat seemed happier and she turned the radio on as Jade pulled out of the school car park. Jade sang along to living on a prayer with her and made her own prayers that nothing else would go wrong that day.