Chapter 10

It was Monday morning, a while before lunch (which most were longing for), and people were walking around, practically oozing the always so pleasant start of the week tiredness. The bell had just rung out, so the hallway was now filled to the utter brim with students going to and fro classrooms and lockers, and Padmé, like many others, was standing at her own locker searching through the subject folders that stood on the shelf inside the compartment.

She had just finished calculus and was about to go to her French class, (which made her happy, because she and Anakin were in the same French class, so that meant she would soon meet up with him again), but the folder she currently needed just had to be non existent, which was absolutely fabulous. Just when she needed it, she thought. Great.

Poking around inside the locker some more with much vehemence , she eventually found it after a few minutes of searching.

"Yes!" She whispered quietly and triumphantly to herself as she straightened up after pulling the correct folder out. She started closing the locker door when she suddenly was tapped on the shoulder, and just like the time at the Theed Law function a couple days ago, Padmé jumped in unamused surprise. And as if that wasn't enough, (the reaction being the same), the face of the "shoulder tapper" was also the same; Rush Clovis.

"Oh, Rush! You scared me. We got to stop meeting like this," she said with a gentle, sheepish smile on her face.

"Hmm," he hummed and smiled back at her, excitement much more apparent in his face and body, a feeling she didn't exactly share. There was something about him that she just couldn't put her finger on, but one thing that she did know was that somehow, for some reason, Rush unnerved her. He was so kind and all that towards her, which was obviously nothing bad, but there was just something about him and his behavior towards her that felt off.

"Ha, yeah sorry. I really shouldn't be sneaking up on you like this, should I," he said with a laugh.

"You got that right," she replied very politely, letting out a small nervous chuckle.

So apparently they went to the same school, just like their dads worked together. It did not surprise her, since she in the end (back at the gala function) had guessed that he probably was around her age.

"So, ehh which year are you in?" Padmé asked, suddenly curious.

"I'm a Senior," he replied. "Last year, and I'm very glad about that!"

"Okay, got it. I myself am a Junior, by the way" she answered with a stiff nod.

"I see." He said.

For a moment the two of them stood there in silence, a bit of a awkward silence settling over them.

Padmé's eyes flicked between Rush, the large and ticking clock on the wall, and in the direction down the hallway that she was bound for. Should she just go for it? Politely cut the conversation short and just go? She didn't want to be mean or disrespectful, but she was just so uncomfortable.

"I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed talking to you the other day," Rush suddenly said.

What was she going to say? He was being nothing but kind to her, but Padmé just felt like she had nothing in her arsenal.

"I-… That's nice of you to say," she then answered. "I usually see myself as a bit of a bore, but-"

"Nonsense!" He interrupted her.

"You if anyone is not a bore. I find you very interesting Padmé!"

She stuttered for a moment, once again taken a bit by surprise. This was just a bit too much, wasn't it? Padmé felt like her slow morning brain really couldn't do this right now.

"Ehh, why thank you. Once again, that's very kind of you to say, but I'm not very sure I agree with you about that," she said with a small laugh.

"I—" Rush started saying just as Padmé interrupted him.

"Well, it's was nice seeing you again, but I really need to go to my class now."

She closed the locker door behind her, and started walking away from Rush, when suddenly she felt him grabb her arm, not hard, but not gentle either, and tugged her back slightly towards him which caused her to silently yelp in surprise.

"Wait!" He said. "Don't go yet!"

Now Padmé frowned. Actually frowned. She wasn't one to openly complain, show discomfort, or displeasure. She hated being the cause of other people's hurt feelings, but this… All of her senses said run. The man's aura did not give her good vibes.

Sometimes, one landed in situations that one thought never happened in real life. Situations you thought only happened in movies; perhaps to others at times, but never to yourself. This was one of those moments, and Padmé, taken by surprise and astonishment as she was, felt like she was moving in slow motion; like she was swimming through maple syrup, sticky, thick, and dragging her down into the airless depths. Up until the moment where he had grabbed her arm, time had moved too fast, causing her to struggle to catch up; and now instead, time was moving too slow. A million thoughts were running through her head, trying to understand and process everything that was going on. Her ears were ringing, pulse racing, and her limbs felt heavy and numb as adrenaline coursed through her veins. For a split second, she even felt a sense of fear prick the edge of her senses; the slightly dark, slightly crazed expression on his face being hard to read. She really had no idea what his intentions were, what he thought about doing, or saying. Looking around quickly, she tried to see if anyone had put any notice to the "altercation", but to her dismay, no one seemed to have. She was going to have to get out of this one on her own. Sight.

"I'm sorry Rush, but I really need to go," she said, almost pleadingly, eyebrows drawn tight and raised upwards. "I'm… I will be late for my class. You need to let me go."

"I—" he started saying, before he suddenly was interrupted by a familiar voice coming from behind them which drew both their attentions; Clovis turning around to look behind him, and frowning in annoyance as he did so; and Padmé looking over his shoulder, smiling in relief.

"Hey! She said. Leave. Her. Alone… So. Leave."

•••

His next subject was French, and since he and Padmé were in that same class, they would usually (every Monday) meet up before class, before then going there together. And he was especially glad that they had made that little arrangement, because that day, just as Anakin came out of the bathroom, which was situated opposite of where Padmé had her locker, he witnessed something that made his blood boil.

This asshole was talking to her, practically pinning her up against the lockers, and he was clearly bothering Padmé (which he could tell by the extremely cautious and worried expression on her face).

As he slowly walked over to them, he heard her say, "I'm sorry Rush, but I really need to go," her voice faintly carrying over the rest of the loud and buzzing chatter that filled the hallway.

"Hey!" He shouted as he reached them, which immediately turned both their attentions on him, (something he usually would have hated, but not here, and not right now).

"She said. Leave. Her. Alone… So. Leave."

"Look pal, we're busy here. So beat— " the man began saying, voice very annoyed.

"No." Anakin interrupted him, grabbing his shoulder, taking a light hold of the sweater he was wearing, and pulled him back a bit after doing so, which caused him to release his own hold of Padmé's arm. As soon as he let go, she took a crooked step backwards away from them, and started rubbing the place on the arm where Rush had gripped her.

"She said, leave her alone. So do as she says, and go."

"And who do you think you even are?" the other man bit back defensively, accusingly, a snarl coming over his face.

"Her very dear friend, who happens to know when she's extremely uncomfortable."

Anakin did not miss the expression that fluttered across her face when he said the words dear friend.

The two of them stood in front of each other, face to face with Anakin standing a few centimeters taller than Rush, causing Anakin to have to look down slightly at the other man. The look Anakin gave him could only be described as ice cold, and if one looked closely at Clovis, one could see the look of nervous apprehension that momentarily flashed across his eyes. The rest of his poker face was good though.

"Fine," Rush then replied, and raised his hands up in a gesture of defeat, and backed away, before he turned around and left.

For a moment they stood in silence as they watched the retreating back move further and further away from them; Padmé looking on in relief, and Anakin looking on in righteous victory as the feelings of rage slowly started to ebb away.

Then Anakin turned back towards Padmé, studied her face to see if she really was okay, and asked, "You okay?"

She kept looking down the hallway for a few more moments before she finally turned towards him.

"I'm fine. Really, I am. He just… caught me by surprise."

Anakin nodded slowly, and contemplated her words before he asked, "You know him? Cuz if you don't, I might just as well run back after him right now."

She tilted her head both left and right a few times in a measuring movement. "Both yes and no," she said.

He raised an eyebrow curiously and asked, "Elaborate…?"

"You know that gala function my dad's job held the other day? The one I told you about?"

He nodded in affirmation.

"That guy," she said pointing in the direction he had gone. "His name is Rush Clovis. And his dad his one of the corporate bosses at where my dad works. As it happens, he (Rush) was also at the gala, so we met the other day."

"Umm hmm." Anakin replied with more nods, and some more silence as he once again contemplated his words.

"For his sake, I really hope he wasn't bothering you like that back then as well."

"Meh," she uttered, shrugging her shoulders while doing so. "Not exactly. But it wasn't exactly pleasant either."

"Hmph… I wish I had punched him," Anakin then stated unapologetically as he crossed his arms.

"Ohh, please! That's not necessary," she said with a huff, halfheartedly elbowing him. "Stop being such a gentleman!"

"Try me, my lady," he bit back with a wink, and there any at all conversations about Rush Clovis were dropped, practically evaporating into a disappearing mist.

They had only known each other for two weeks, (and this was without counting the 2 months prior to them figuring out that they were neighbors, the two months where they had always managed to awkwardly run into each other, neither of them knowing what to do or say about it), but they were already so comfortable with each other; always spending time, and doing plenty of things together. At times it almost seemed like they had known each other for years, and not just weeks. How they were already so comfortable around each other astounded her, but she didn't complain at all.

"You're hilarious," she replied with a unserious roll of her eyes.

"Delightedly so," he said with a small chuckle.

Then he asked, "The clock is ticking. Shall we go to Le leçon de Française?"

"Allons-y," she replied, before they started walking down the hallway together.

Occupied in shared conversation as they were, they did not notice Clovis, who stood with his back turned towards them, drinking by a water cistern, head turning over shoulder toward them as they neared. So when they passed him, they were oblivious to the dark dagger glare that he threw towards them.

•••

The curtains were rolled down all the way, so no light came into the bedroom, bathing it in darkness, the only light visible being the light coming from the not fully closed bathroom door, and the stereo playing music in the corner of the room; mostly grunge, indie bands, and some glam rock.

"Man. I can't feel a thing,"

"Me neither."

"Hi, hi… I feel like I'm floating on a cloud."

The Fett twins, Rex and Cody had just the other day returned to The States after a extended vacation to New Zealand, their native birthplace. The Fett family; Dad Jango, Mom Lucinda, Cody and Rex, and their baby brother Boba (all known for being so similar that they all almost looked like copy pasted twins of each other) had moved to California when the twins had been 6 years old, and not long after, they had quickly befriended Anakin who had been in the same class as them in elementary school. (And as it also happened, they only lived a few blocks away from each other, so the boys had practically grown up together; brothers from different mothers…)

The twins had also been one of the very few who, after Anakin's dad's death, had managed to get through the thick wall of grief the boy had surrounded himself with, and therefore they were also, besides his confidants, also one of his biggest consolers and sympathizers (even if he tried to act tough, and seem like he didn't want anyone's help).

As soon as they had arrived back in California, it hadn't taken long for them to immediately track up Anakin, and now, a few hours after school, they were sitting inside Rex and Cody's shared bedroom, and they were all sharing a weed joint, passing it around, back and forwards.

"So who was that girl you sat with at lunch Anakin?" Rex asked tranquilly after taking another drag at the joint.

"Have we been gone so long that you've actually gone and gotten a girl?"

"Ughh. Shuuut uuup. I'm waaay too high to be having this conversation right now you motherfucker," Anakin said tiredly, throwing his head back on the bed (which he sat against, leaning on).

"She's pretty," Cody added in, which caused Anakin to groan again.

"Yeah, yeah, she is. I can't deny that. Whatever," he said, trying to wave it off, as if his heart didn't soar at the mere thought of her.

"You seem happy around her dude," Rex continued. "Your whole body language gives that away."

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "I… I guess…"

He grew silent for a moment, and contemplated his friends words.

They weren't wrong. He was happy around her. With Padmé he didn't feel like he needed to be on guard at all times. She really just made his heart feel so light, a thing, or a sensation rather, that he hadn't felt or experienced in years. He had been so lost in grief and pain that he, for a very long time, almost had forgotten what happiness felt like.

"Okay, fine. Yes. She does make me feel happy. Very happy."

He refrained from looking at the twins for a moment, and just stared up at the roof. He didn't want to meet their eyes. He hated how vulnerable doing that made him feel.

"Hmm," he hummed. "Did you know she actually lives in the house beside mine? The one that was recently for sale?" He asked the boys as he finally turned to them, slowly. "Her name is Padmé, by the way."

"Wait, really?" Cody asked, brow raised upwards in surprise.

"Oh, so that's why it seems you've actually taken some initiative here? At least that's what it seems like," he continued.

Anakin tilted his his head. "I guess. Something like that," he said, voice a bit more drawn now, strongly indicating that he wanted to close the subject again.

His friends, knowing him well as they did, easily picked up on the newly appeared tension in his voice, and decided to heed the subtle and unconscious warning they got. His mood could be very unpredictable at times; one moment excited, then annoyed, eventually perhaps sad… and so on… But those were just the "regular" mood swings.

Things depended mostly on whether he was in a manic or a depressive state; the depressive ones often being quite prolonged and hard on him, and the manic ones often being short and intense.

But right now, from what Rex and Cody could tell, (and based on what he had been telling them lately) Anakin seemed to be in an overall good mood (with only the said mood swings coming and going as they mostly pleased, which was like usual). They wondered if the said good mood had been caused by this new girl in Anakin's life…

"That sounds great Anakin," Rex lastly added in before the subject would definitely be changed, and rising his hands up in a gesture of surrender at the small glare Anakin threw his way.

"Yeah, yeah…" Anakin then said, and a few moments later: "Just give me the joint, will ya?"

French translation:

Le leçon de Française: (The) French lesson

Allons-y: Let's go

(And no, I do not speak fluent French, FYI…)

A/N: Haha take that Clovis!

And Enter Lucinda Fett, the probably only OC in this whole story, lol. And for continuations sake I'm just going to state that Rex and Cody have been in New Zealand; therefore they haven't appeared until now!

Okay so Anakin doesn't talk feelings (like at all?) That's right, but he does with his close friends (A.K.A) Rex, Quinlan, Kit and Cody… And partially (kind of/soon) also Padmé.

Be glad for that peeps! Because this emo boy sure doesn't ventilate his feelings with is family…!