A/N: I'm incredibly sorry for the time it took to update this story. I've been so busy with school over the past few weeks; I barely had time to sleep, let alone write. Now Christmas was coming up and I desperately wanted to write a one-shot, but it just didn't happen. I'm sorry. Enjoy this update.
"Hey, Rizzoli! It's already ten minutes later than we agreed to leave, but take your time!" Ryleigh's voice rings through Jane's bedroom window. She opens it and sees her friend standing on the street, shouting at her. "Yeah, I'm coming!" she shouts back, quickly putting on a fresh shirt.
She runs downstairs, grabbing a coat and twenty dollars from the pocket of her jacket before heading out. It's almost 7:30PM, but Ryleigh and Jane had their second soccer practice right after school, so they decided to go home and shower before going to dinner. Ryleigh told her yesterday that she'd take Jane somewhere, but the brunette has no idea where they'll go.
"Put those dollars back you just took," is the first thing Ryleigh says when Jane steps outside. Jane exhales dramatically, rolling her eyes at her friend. "I didn't-"
"Nope," her friend interrupts, "This is your birthday present. You're not paying for your own dinner. Go."
Jane complies and within a minute, they're on their way to a restaurant. They talk about their summer holidays, Ryleigh about her trip to Europe and Jane about hers, which she spent as a volunteer on a summer camp.
"There was this one guy who would go around and bully everyone, and one day I heard him tease another boy. So I went to help, and this boy, he was like fourteen or something, decided to fight me. He obviously thought he was strong, but I had him pinned to the floor in two seconds," Jane says, laughing. "Everyone was cheering me on. It was such a good feeling, and the boy didn't even say a word to me the days after."
"That's the Jane Rizzoli I know," Ryleigh chuckles. "We're here."
They come to a stop right in front of one of the most expensive Italian restaurants in Boston. Jane turns her head and looks at Ryleigh, disbelieving. "No way," she starts, but Ryleigh stops her. "Yup. Now chop chop, you go in first," she says, holding the door open for Jane.
...
Dinner is awesome. There's no other word to describe the taste of the pasta Ryleigh orders for Jane, and Jane realizes she has really missed her friend during the summer. It feels good to catch up on everything and just talk. Ryleigh is one of the few people she can actually be herself with.
"Oh, by the way," Jane says, "I met that girl you were talking about yesterday. The new one?" Jane says, looking up at Ryleigh while swallowing some of her pasta.
Ryleigh looks at her, immediately interested. "And? Do you think she's hot?"
Jane rolls her eyes. "Really? That's the first thing you're saying?"
"I simply shared my opinion and now I want to know yours!" Ryleigh says in her defense. "So?"
"She was being bullied by those ridiculous 'queens' and I sort of saved her," Jane says sheepishly, avoiding her friend's eyes. "I also took her to her locker, because she didn't know where to go. She's got one really close to me, so it would be rude to leave her on her own."
Ryleigh raises her eyebrows questioningly. "You didn't answer my question, Rizzoli. Avoidance. One of your signs."
Jane kicks her friend's shin under the table, definitely not gently. "Shut it, you idiot. I've literally seen her once, there's nothing to gossip about."
"But she's hot though," Ryleigh repeats, trying to get Jane to confess. The brunette knows her friend's tricks, and doesn't answer.
What Jane does know is that she should be careful when looking into the hazel eyes of that blonde girl, because a girl like Maura is definitely one she could fall for and she knows she shouldn't do that. The girl is way too high class for her and besides, she's probably ten times smarter than her and her friends combined. No offense to her friends, but it's just true. She won't allow herself to fall in love with Maura, mostly because she's not good with feelings.
Also, nobody knows about her sexuality, Ryleigh is the only one who knows that she hooked up with a girl once. It wasn't even a relationship, it was more of a drunken encounter. Still, she knows that her parents definitely won't accept the fact that she's gay, although she's sure her friends on the soccer team will. Playing soccer as a girl is basically labelling yourself as gay, she's been called a dyke more times than she can count. Nobody cares or takes it seriously, because there are enough girls on her team who are straight.
"Something on your mind?" Ryleigh's voice pulls her from her thoughts. "Or someone?"
"I mean it Ryleigh, shut up," Jane says and her friend knows she's being serious now. Ryleigh puts her hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Change the subject."
Jane does, and although they don't talk about Maura for the rest of the evening, Jane does think about her.
...
...
Jane wakes up the next day to the sound of shouting downstairs. She looks over at her alarm clock: 7:50AM. She groans inwardly before listening carefully.
"No, dad! He didn't do anything wrong!" That's Frankie. He sounds terrified, and it doesn't take more than a second before Jane is up on her feet, making her way towards the stairs while pulling a sweatshirt over her head.
"I'm done with taking care of you. How about you work for your own money, instead of stealing it from me?" Her dad shouts, and she can already imagine him standing in the kitchen. Tall and threatening, especially for two teenage boys.
"Stop crying, stupid kid!" It's her dad again, probably to Tommy. He gets upset easily. Please stop, Jane thinks. You'll only make it worse.
She rounds the corner and sees Frankie and Tommy standing on one side of the kitchen; her father is holding Frankie's upper arm, preventing him from getting away. Tommy stands next to his older brother, tears clearly visible in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Jane asks, careful to keep her voice light instead of accusing.
"Your dearly beloved brother stole money from me," her dad says, fury so clearly visible in his eyes. She's terrified, but doesn't show it.
"How much was it?" Jane asks, carefully approaching them because she wants to draw attention away from her brothers.
"Fifty dollars! Are you fucking mad?! The money I worked so hard for, all gone now!" he shouts, and Tommy tenses. Frankie's eyes tear up now, but he manages to blink them away. He's fifteen now, and knows he shouldn't cry. He unexpectedly tears himself loose and turns away from Frank, almost running towards Tommy. Before his dad can grab him again, he pushes his brother towards Jane, who immediately steps aside so they can run past her.
When her dad starts to move towards them, Jane steps back into the doorway, shielding her brothers from him. She's always been the one to protect them, not only because she had to but mostly because she was the oldest, strongest, and supposedly toughest. Hard to break, but also hard to heal.
"Take Tommy outside, I'll be right there," she shouts over her shoulder, and desperately hopes that Frankie does what she says.
She pushes against her dad's chest to stop him, but he's stronger than her and almost slams her against the kitchen wall in an attempt to get past her.
"Dad!" she shouts, ignoring the pain that shoots up her shoulder when he doesn't let go. "I'll pay you back! I'll make sure you'll get your fifty back. Please," she begs.
For a split second it looks like he won't agree, by the look of his eyes and the way he holds his body, ready to fight. But he nods curtly, as long as he gets his money back, it's okay. He doesn't care that Jane wasn't the one to steal it. "If I ever notice you stealing from me again, someone will be hurt."
He lets go of her and she shoots into the hallway, up the stairs, towards her room. She quickly changes into something acceptable and grabs her own backpack, ignoring the rumbling of her stomach. She stuffs some books into it, hoping that they're the right ones. Whatever, she'll get herself into trouble anyway.
Entering her brothers' room, she grabs their backpacks from the floor and desperately hopes that they've already packed them with the right books. She runs down the stairs and opens the front door, knowing that it's still warm enough to go outside without a coat. She takes the front door key from the table in the hallway and steps outside, where she is confronted with the next fight.
"You idiot! What did you do!" Frankie's shrill voice reaches her ears just before she sees them fighting, physically fighting, in the garden.
Another problem she has to solve. When she was younger she used to wish for her mother, so she didn't have to be the one to stop all the fights. Now she knows it doesn't make any sense to wish that, because in the end she'll always be the one who has to solve everything.
"Hey! Stop it!" she shouts, pulling the front door shut behind her. Both boys immediately stop, looking up at her with guilty eyes. Frankie mouths 'sorry', but Tommy turns away from them and starts walking. Frankie and Jane walk for about twenty minutes, their school being a little more than a mile away. Tommy still goes to Junior High, meaning he walks with them for ten minutes and then they part ways.
She hands Frankie his backpack and swings her own one over her shoulder, taking Tommy's with her in her hand. Frankie walks next to her, not saying a word, and Tommy stubbornly continues walking in front of them.
"What did you need those fifty dollars for, Tommy?" Jane says, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Nothing, man. I owed someone, hadn't paid them back yet," he says casually, as if fifty dollars isn't a big deal for a twelve year old. She wishes she had the strength to get mad at him, but he looks so small and vulnerable from the back, that she doesn't have the heart to do that.
"If you ever need money, you just come to me, okay?" she says, knowing that will hopefully save them from another fight with their dad.
Tommy shrugs, and doesn't answer. When he turns left at the crossing where they part ways, he doesn't even say goodbye, simply takes his backpack from Jane's hand and turns back around, only to walk away without saying another word.
Jane and Frankie walk in silence for the rest of their walk, both too lost in their own thoughts to start a conversation. Jane occasionally feels Frankie look up at her, probably to see if she's okay. She wills herself to not cry, not in front of him. She's the oldest, she has to be strong.
When they arrive at school and walk up the steps to the main entrance, Jane is the first to say something.
"Frankie, ask that guy you met to come and play soccer with us this afternoon, okay?" Jane asks, noticing how his eyes light up at the idea.
"James?" he asks.
"I don't remember his name, but yeah, sure. Four o'clock on the field?"
Her little brother nods, and she hopes she has done a good job in making him forget what happened at home.
"See you later," she says, turning left towards the lockers. "Bye Jane!" Frankie shouts over his shoulder, already walking towards his friends.
Jane's stomach rumbles, and she sighs.
...
...
During lunch, Jane and Ryleigh are sitting at their usual table when they see Maura. The blonde stands next to the door that leads to the main hallway and she looks around the hall, uncertain.
"Why don't you ask her to sit with us? She looks a little lost," Ryleigh says, looking at Jane.
"What? Uhh, she's a big girl, I think she can manage," Jane stutters. "And by the way, there's no way she wants to sit with us. Look at her designer clothes and compare them to our outfits for a second."
"Excuse me?" Ryleigh says, pretending to be offended. She knows Jane doesn't mean it like that.
"Fine, my clothes then, if I must be specific," the brunette replies, rolling her eyes. 'And why should she want to sit with us, only because I saved her yesterday?"
Ryleigh doesn't answer. "Maura!" she calls out randomly, making the people sitting at the table next to them turn around. "Ssshh!" Jane hisses, trying to get her friend to shut up. It doesn't work, and when Ryleigh calls again, Maura looks over at their table. Her eyes go wide and she immediately recognizes Jane and Ryleigh, but needs another confirmation before she walks over to them. They can't possibly have asked her to come over, can they?
"Hey, Maura," Ryleigh says. "Do you want to join us?"
Maura looks at her, not completely trusting this situation. She desperately tries to think of something to turn Ryleigh's offer down, but she can't think of anything.
"Umm, yeah," she replies hesitantly, carefully lowering herself on the bench next to Jane and looking over at her. "Hi Jane."
Jane lifts her eyes to meet Maura's, and tries to ignore the way Ryleigh is looking at her. "Hey. How are you?"
"I'm doing okay, although I wish the teachers were a little more helpful. I don't think they particularly dislike me, but I would appreciate a little help," Maura says, immediately hating herself for talking too much and probably being too annoying already.
"What do you need help with?" Ryleigh asks, finally moving her eyes away from Jane to look at Maura.
"Everything. I'll figure out where the classrooms are, but I don't know when the homework and essays are due," Maura replies, looking away from both girls. She knows that they probably don't care when they have to hand in their homework and essays, because she's convinced Jane doesn't even write them. She immediately mentally corrects herself, because she has learned to not judge based on perception, but on knowledge.
"Frost! Over here," Jane suddenly shouts, waving to a black guy who now makes his way over towards them.
"Hey, Jane. Ryleigh," he says, plopping down on the bench next to Ryleigh. "Who's this?" he asks, gesturing towards Maura.
"I'm Maura Isles," the blonde says, holding her hand out for him to shake. "What's your name?"
Frost's eyes go wide. "Isles? You mean from the Isles Foundation?" he says, completely ignoring Maura's outstretched hand.
This hadn't occurred to neither Jane nor Ryleigh, and they look at each other as well.
"Yes," Maura answers nervously, putting her hand back in her lap. "We provide-"
"I know what the Isles Foundation is," Frost interrupts her. "But why does an Isles go to this school? Why don't you go to some private school?"
Maura tries to defend herself, desperate to convince them she's not like the other Isles' they may know.
"I did, but my mother thought it would be good for me to spend my last year at a public school," she says.
"Mm," Frost shrugs, apparently satisfied with the response, because he lets the subject go. Now he's the one to holds his hand out for Maura to shake. "Frost," he says.
Maura raises her eyebrows slightly. "Frost? That's an odd first name."
"I'm .. my name is not- whatever. My first name is Barry, but people call me Frost," he says.
"What would you like me to call you?" Maura asks, not aware of the looks Jane and Ryleigh are giving her.
"I don't care and I don't mind. It's always been this way, so if you want to call me Frost, that's fine. And I don't really like my real name anyway, so."
Maura nods, looking at Jane, who is looking at her. The brunette has big, dark brown eyes, something Maura had noticed yesterday when Jane was taking her to her locker. She cannot quite define the brunette's personality yet, the rough edges around her and attitude she carries with her are something Maura isn't used to. She's used to classy, stylish and well-behaved people, but Jane doesn't really look like that. Although her old, worn jeans and her simple, black T-shirt do look good on her.
"I'll call you Barry. I prefer calling people by their first name," she answers.
Frost nods, not really caring. He looks at Jane and Ryleigh, who haven't said more than five words since he came to sit at their table. "So how's everything going?"
Jane suddenly laughs, a real, genuine laugh that makes Maura's inside flutter for a moment. Wow, she looks beautiful like that.
"Well, the teachers are still annoying, I hate most of my classmates and I think the feeling is mutual, so great," Jane replies. Ryleigh looks at Frost. "She's lying. Except for the part about the teachers, because that's just true. But Jane ..."
Maura has stopped listening to the conversation and looks around the hall. She notices that there are almost no white students, something she hadn't noticed before. Most of them are black, like Barry, or have a slightly different skin tone than a white person would have. Where everyone's hair is brown or black, hers is light blonde, soft and so different. She feels even more like an outsider than she already did, and although she knows it doesn't make sense, she feels like she doesn't belong here.
Jane must have noticed that Maura has fallen silent, because she taps on Maura's shoulder. "You okay?" she asks, looking at Ryleigh to see if she's still talking to Frost.
Maura nods. "Yeah, it's just that I'm not sure this is the right place for me. Everybody already has their own friends, their own group." She doesn't often speak about her feelings, and Maura is afraid she has said the wrong thing. Especially when Ryleigh and Frost fall silent to listen to her.
"Those groups have already formed because we have known each other for years, Maura. And you're not that different," Jane says, trying to cheer the blonde up.
"Yeah," Ryleigh adds, "when you're friends with Jane, everyone around here will be your friend. That's how I got so many friends. All because of Jane."
The brunette looks at Ryleigh, then back at Maura. "Okay, she's really good at exaggerating, but I'll make sure you won't get bullied or anything. I promise."
That earns her a smile from the blonde, and Jane can't help but smile herself. The bell suddenly rings, and all students around them get up to make it to class on time.
Frost, Ryleigh and Jane get up too, lifting their bags up from the floor. Maura stands quickly, still not completely trusting them.
But when Jane smiles again, Maura's panic disappears, and everything is okay.
"See you tomorrow at lunch?"
A/N: So, here's another chapter. About Frank, I don't know if I'm going to keep him in this story, because there are enough abusive, alcoholic Frank stories out there. So I might just make him leave somehow, I'm not sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.