High School.
Chapter Three:
A few days later, JJ was at her locker when Aaron ran down the hallway, hollering her name. He almost knocked her over with his infrequent excitement. It surprised most of the students as he found her in the crowd, sprinting forward to meet her and almost knocking her over in the process. He was shaking as he handed her his English paper, handwritten in thick block print and proudly framing an A-minus in the top right hand corner with thick red pen. Smiling at him, she nodded in congratulations, her bitch attitude falling away.
"So, I owe you." He stated, his voice determined, already making up his mind that he needed to spend more time with her. To prove himself decent. Yeah, that was it.
"No, you don't, Aaron. My satisfaction is seeing your GPA increase." She replied, returning his essay to him. He chuckled.
"I am treating you to lunch, m'lady," he declared, ignoring her irritation, as he hooked her arm through his. The moment though, was ruined when Emily sprinted down the hallway, tears running down her face, streaking mascara. People looked at her and chuckled, returning to their cliques with rejuvenation as they gossiped carelessly. Derek was jogging up behind her, breathless.
"What's wrong with Emily?" JJ asked, concerned, unhooking her arm from Aaron's.
Derek looked at her like she was crazy, "You haven't seen it?!" He waved his arms around, motioning around the hallway.
Papers scattered the space, obviously photocopied. Some smeared ink from their places facedown on the tiles, and some leaking down the papers.
Aaron chose one sticking to the wall closest to them, and JJ peered over his shoulder to look. Journal entries, some showing scattered and weak drawings. They weren't great, but it was obviously supposed to be private. It took JJ only a moment to recognize Emily's neat, calculated penmanship.
JJ's lips parted into a gaping expression as she read her friend's most private thoughts; each page filled their lives with the sadness and insecurity that filled Emily's daily mind. She seemed to be really sad. There were some mentions of some sort of abuse, from who it was unknown. It didn't mention physical pain.. just regulating pain that filled her with fear and sadness. Feeling like she was worthless and useless, and that she should just... die.
But the worst was the mentions of her feelings for Derek Morgan. How her heart raced when he smiled at her, how he was so casual and happy, and treated her like any other raunchy asshole of a jock. Just how she liked him... more like loved him.
Derek looked like a wreck, his once crisp shirt was wrinkled, and sadness shirked his face, "When I find out who did this, I will wring their throat." he mutters, more to himself than anyone else. And with that, he loped off in a weak jog, looking anywhere to find his friend.
JJ sighed, meeting Aaron's eyes, as the lunch bell rang overhead. Saying nothing, she headed off to lunch.
.
.
After purchasing a pack of crackers and a water, JJ headed over to the cheerleader's table, plopping down next to Haley. The group was laughing, the joke behind it unknown to JJ.
"Did she even stay?" laughs one girl, her long blond ponytail flipping over her shoulder as she covered her mouth, leaning into the table for support.
"I think she convinced the nurse to let her leave; I hope she never comes back!" Haley laughed out loud, rolling her eyes as the table flew into another fit.
"Hope who never comes back?" JJ asked interestedly, glancing over to where Penelope, Derek and Spencer were eating, talking quietly. Surprisingly, Aaron was with them and they were all quiet. Penelope had her manicured fingers poised on Morgan's arm. Reid ignored this, flipping a page in one of his thick volumes on the table.
"That Emily Prentiss chick." Haley stated ignorantly, not even caring that she and JJ were friends, "how dumb is she to write in a journal?! I mean, you can't trust high school!"
The group laughed, and JJ stayed quiet, appetite abandoned as she sat there the rest of lunch, staring blankly at the wall.
.
.
The minute the period was over, she wrangled Aaron into skipping the last few periods to drive her to Emily's. Her parents weren't home, out at one of those national conferences her mother always attended, leaving the house empty for a change.
Derek demanded to come along, spite his better judgement; Aaron convinced her to let him come anyway.
When they arrived at the large maroon-bricked estate, they chugged through the iron gates and parked near the front door. JJ hopped out, giving Derek a menacing look as he was about to fling the back door open, as she quickly sprinted up onto the wide concrete porch, producing a house key out from under a heavy potted plant, before quickly entering.
Ice-cold air spat at her the minute she entered the house; it was always chilly in the Prentiss home. Quickly, JJ tossed the key aside on the table and clambered up the stairs and expertly navigated herself down the hall she knew so well, into her best friend's bedroom.
The dark haired girl was flopped on her bed, facedown, journal clenched in an iron grip, as she released muffled sobs into her pink, orange and yellow plaid duvet.
"I can't believe they'd do that, Jayje," she said not turning to meet her friend's surprised expression, "I can't."
JJ sat down on the edge of the bed next to her friend's figure, patting her hair gently as she surfaced from the floral-scented bedspread, eyes puffy and red. "I knew Haley had it, but I didn't know she could be so low."
"I know, sweetie." JJ sighed, as she suddenly heard faint pounding footsteps climbing the stairs. Grimacing, she said, "Don't hate me." before bracing herself for the knock Derek let touch the white wood door. Emily's confusion immediately dissipated as she slowly went blank, "Is that...?"
Silently, JJ nodded, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Slowly, she stood, disentangling herself from her friend to open the door and let the drama begin.
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A/N: Not only a cliffhanger, but a complete change in context. Hope you enjoy and are excited for the next chapter! :) I still own nothing; if I did, JJ and Hotch, and Derek and Emily would be canons.