Welcome to High School, Chapter Eight: The Very Special Cookies

by SnowFlower Frost

Summary: The Guardians are going to High School. Nothing can go wrong, right? That's if you forget the fact that Pitch and Manny are in charge, the Guardians are secret agents, and they're going to school in none other then Burgess. High School AU, Agent!Guardians, Principal!Manny, Vice-Principal!Pitch. For a Community Battle!

Disclaimer: Snow doesn't own Rise of the Guardians, excuse her to go bawl for a few hours at the injustice of it all.

Thank you, Rivie, for being an amazing beta and an even better best friend. Love ya, gal!

North stroked his chin. "Idea!" He exclaimed. They had been thinking for hours, after Tooth had explained that the cookies her Brownies distributed were necessary in the neighbourhood. That made Jack slightly uneasy, but he brushed it off. He was sure it was just a coincidence. But somehow those cookies needed to get distributed.

They had been thinking for hours, and so far no one had come up with the faintest idea, much to everyone's bewilderment. But now it seemed North had an idea, so they gathered around him with bright eyes. "Well?" They asked.

North leaned forward, slamming his swords into the table. "We deliver the cookies!"

Aster raises an eyebrow. "That's your great idea?"

North nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Great, isn't it?"

Tooth nodded. "But there's seven neighbourhoods, and at least a hundred houses in each."

"Bah!" North exclaimed, waving her concerns off. "Do you know how many houses I search in one night?"

"And flowers I plant in one day?" Aster asked.

"Piece of cake!" North exclaimed. He turned to Jack. "Jack, if you'll help us, we'll get your memories back for you."

Jack glanced at Tooth, then at Aster, then at North, and finally at Sandy and his bright smile. "Alright," he agreed. "Let's go deliver some cookies."

Tooth grinned wider. North let out a booming laugh of delight. Sandy smiled. Aster frowned.

Tooth rubbed the back of her neck. "Thank you for doing this for me," she said, in a voice heavy with gratitude. "Thank you. Now, soldiers, lets get to work! Hop hop!"

They glanced at each other, before grabbing one of the many bags with cookies in it, loading around twenty bags onto a wheelbarrow, and taking off down the narrow streets of Burgess. It was to be noted they also took off around a million residents' hats, even on the breezeless day it was.

They, in theory, did everything perfectly. Gave out all the cookies, laughed, had fun, competed, and got half way through the third neighbourhood before they realized that people were supposed to pay for the cookies. Quickly backtracking, they retraced their steps, collecting money from the people who had bought the cookies. He still didn't understand why this was so important to Tooth, anyways, but it was so they had to do it. He just wasn't going to ask questions. He most certainly wasn't, as that would be rather stupid of him.

It was clear they mattered to her, so he let it go. He'd drag an answer out of her later, he was sure.

Then, once they had collected all the money from the already sold cookies, they went back and began selling new cookies. Needless to say, though they had fun, they were also laughed at. Frequently. By each other.

Who would have ever thought they'd be running around door to door selling cookies, that normally only little girls sell? Not a lot of people, to say the least. He blinked, closing his eyes and trying to suppress his laughter.

Many things had happened today, and he liked most of them, odd as they were. He smiled contentedly, wondering absentmindedly to himself 'is this what it feels like to have friends?' He wasn't quite sure where the Guardians fit in his life. Coworkers? Cousins? Brothers? Friends? Whatever it was, he knew, he liked it.

Jack had been wanting a friend, someone to confide in, for an awfully long time. And now that this friend he had begged and pleaded and prayed for had appeared, he wasn't really quite sure what to do next. It would be nice, he admitted, to go to a fast food restaurant or something, but he had liven on less before. He had fought on less before, so he wasn't particularly hungry, though his stomach growled.

He bit his lip, curious but not daring to say anything. He had never felt this feeling before. The feeling that he had belonged. Or maybe, his mind suggested, he had, he just couldn't remember ever having it. The thought made him wince, rubbing his forehead while he continued to bring the wheelbarrow through town. That, he thought dryly, would be worse than cruel, worse than inhumane. It would be too cruel to exist.

That, though, he knew deep down, wouldn't stop people from doing it. And that was the terrible thing about it. Why were people always drawn to the ones who could do the most damage, hurt them the most? It made no sense yet it made perfect sense. It was confusing and crazy and he had to admit that maybe they were just a tad talker than him, he winced, biting his lip. Why him?

He had never wanted this, this being left out. He had felt like an outsider than. And even though he had a group now, he still felt like an outsider at times. It was absolutely terrible, worse than even the years of serving as Pitch's agent, Pitch's spy. Sometimes he would rather be back in the Agency than to have come here and gotten a taste of freedom. Because he was smart and knew it would be ripped away soon.

And that was not something he was looking forward to. The others – they were laughing as they walked house to house,, and so was he, but his heart wasn't in it anymore. How could it be? It couldn't, that's what. What with all his dark thoughts, it was a wonder he was still standing. He sighed, closing his eyes again and leaving himself to his thoughts.

His dark, scary thoughts. He wondered how long he had until his return to the Agency. He judged he had maybe too more weeks at most. And then he wondered how long it would be until Pitch and his men found out Jack had betrayed them for the Guardians. He certainly wasn't looking forward to that particular experience.

It would be painful and cruel and it would make him sob in despair, but even now he knew it was worth it. And he was certain it always would be.

I'M SORRY.*hides* Didn't mean for it to take this long... As always, this is for a community battle, so any reviews are loved and cherished (and appreciated)!

Kisses,

Snow