A Different Turn to Make (Alvis and Malice)

[Alvis Alendran]

Harrison folded his arms, and glared at the older man across the desk from him.
"You wanted to see me?" Harrison asked with a sigh.
"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about how you're going to be my new TA." The teacher answered without looking up. Harrison barked out a laugh.
"You fucking with me? Why the hell would I do that?"
"Because you need the credit." The teacher set his pen down and looked Harrison in the eye. Last chance here Harrison. You're on the edge of failing. Again. We both know it. You can be my TA, and get out of here at the end of the year, or you can not, and be our first twenty year old student. Your call. And don't say summer school, we both know you'll never do it." Harrison looked away, seething. He hated when someone like this happened to be right, and peg him so perfectly.

"What would this mean me doing?" Harrison asked.
"Grading mostly. You'll do that, and it'll let me handle the rest of my workload. There's a small office in the basement, near the wrestling room, I'm sure you know it." The teacher explained.
"Yeah."
"Good. It'll be yours while you do this. Do a good job on this and I can swing you extrta credit for handling a little more grading from a few other teachers that are falling behind. And let's be fair, you can use the help." Harrison sighed.
"And I have to be in here when you're teaching class?"
"Yep. Two periods. Any questions?"
"Can I go now?"
"Yep. Just be here tomorrow." Harrison stood up, rising from the chair, the movement fluid, not showing any of the awkward motion of someone his age. As he left, the teacher sighed. If it worked, it might give Harrison a shot to turn his life around a little, get into a decent college.

* * * * *​

The teacher smiled as he saw his class settling in. They were only a few days into the semester. There was one new student in the class, a new transfer in.
"Welcome everyone. For the one who hasn't heard it yet, my name is Mr. Rooke, and I'll be handling your English course for the year. And, we have a TA now! Come on in." He waved a hand. Harrison sighed, and pushed the door open, stepping in, and walking to the small desk at the front of the class.

He was a tall young man, breaking six feet, and broad in the shoulder. His hair was dark, and kept somewhat short, though it looked like it needed to be combed, though it lent him an air of threat. Cold, hard grey eyes picked out the people in the class. He wore faded jeans, and heavy boots, topped with a somewhat ragged looking t-shirt and a beaten leather jacket. He sat down, and looked tot he teacher.
"This is-" Rooke started, but Harrison cut him off.
"They know who I am." He said flatly. "Anyone here not know who I am?" He looked out at the class. No one moved. The tales of Harrison Trenton were widely known, and were one of the first things that a student heard about upon getting into the building. "Good. Sorry, carry on." Harrison leaned back in the desk with a sigh. Gods damn Sophmore English. His own little private hell for the period.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Another year, another semester, another day. Except this year was a little different than her freshman year. One being that she was now a sophomore—tenth grade. Another was that she was thirty pounds lighter than she had been in freshman year, having been eighty pounds lighter then than she had been in eighth grade. Yes. She was no longer that fat cow that a lot of so-called old friends used to call her or jokingly insinuate. Neither was she sickly thin. She had lost a total of a hundred and ten pounds in two years and that was because of a new diet and the fact she was an avid color guard member. A lot of practice, a lot of exercising, a lot of bending in places she never expected to bend, a lot of hard work. All in all, things were finally shaping up for her.

“Esther!”
Shutting her locker door, Esther turned and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Abby-love!” This was the usual morning ritual for best friends, Esther Martin and Abby Sampson. The two girls embraced each other like they hadn’t seen each other in a few months or a year, when in reality, it had only been yesterday they saw each other. Talk about melodramatic teens.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I transferred out of Honors English and guess who I have?” Esther asked.
“Who? Oh my god, please say it’s Mr. Rooke.”
“Myess.” She grinned.
“Yes! Now we have the exact same schedule.”
“Yes.” Esther smiled and the girls celebrated like absolute dorks for half a minute before Mallory walked up on them.

“Did I miss something?”
“We all have the same classes now!” Abby cheered.
“That’s not something to be so excited about!” Mallory jested.
“Yes it is.”
“Why? Because I am now stuck with you two for an additional class?”
Esther and Abby both grinned and cheered in unison, “Yes!”
“Oh, so help me…Why do I love you two?” Mallory groaned, rubbing her forehead.
“Because we’re effing annoying and too cute to boot.” Esther grinned.
“Yes, that’s the precise reason.” Mallory’s tone dripped with sarcasm but she couldn’t help smiling either. She wasn’t a totally sarcastic, miserable bitch.

It was always with her two best friends, Abby and Mallory Joyner, that Esther could feel like herself. And it was why she was so excited that they had classes together because maybe this year she wouldn’t be a total mouse. Freshman year, the three of them only had the same lunch. She doubted Abby kept a cork on her lid during class since she was far too outspoken for that, just as she doubted that Mallory didn’t make some kind of snide remark because she was a sarcastic bitch, which was half the reason she was so loved. Esther on the other hand retreated into herself when she didn’t know anyone, turning into a shy mouse that only talked if called upon or if she volunteered. Plus, Freshman year had been scary as it is; it was high school. Bigger fish.

It wasn’t expected to have the exact same schedule but it was a genius stroke of luck. The only reason she transferred out of Honors English was because she didn’t like the teacher. She was what you’d call a bitch and made it clear she wasn’t there to help anyone. So then what was she doing there? Getting her paycheck? Bitch…So Esther transferred out and got placed into Mr. Rooke’s class. From what she heard, he was popular and actually nice. Sort of. Every teacher had their charms just as they had their vices. She wondered if when these people went to school for teaching, they were secretly plotting out all the ways to make their students miserable for their own enjoyment. Perhaps it was some kind of comeuppance after the years of several essays, reading and other grievances to become qualified to teach. She could understand. Maybe one day she’d understand better when she stood in their place as a teacher herself.

The bell finally rang, signaling students to get to their first period class now. Esther walked with her girls, all of them heading to the same destination; Mr. Rooke’s Sophomore English class. They took their seats, the three of them in a corner of their own so they weren’t separated and scattered about the class.
“What happened with you and Chad?” Abby asked. But just then, the final bell rang, signaling the end of traveling to classes and the commencement of it. Which meant Mr. Rooke took the floor.

“I’ll tell you later.” Esther whispered.

They all turned in to pay attention and Esther smiled gently as he reintroduced himself since she was technically a transfer in. The arrival of a second person had the curiosity of everyone in the class, all of whom went dead silent at who that person was. He was infamous in the school. Almost every girl had a crush on him whether they knew it or not but also feared him. And almost every guy had some beef with him but were otherwise too terrified to really try anything. Harrison Trenton dripped with danger and charm, but the danger was more prevalent than anything else. It didn’t matter how handsome he was. Esther even almost slid in her chair, she was suddenly afraid of the presence. Abby leaned in her seat, curious. And Mallory just stared blatantly at him.

Everyone knew who he was. Everyone across the district at the other high school knew who Harrison Trenton was. Hell, even her mom knew who he was and always said ‘He’s a spitfire little fucker. The day you tell him that, is the day you get a raise in your allowance.’ Perhaps since he was the TA in Mr. Rooke’s class, she might get that chance. If she lived to tell the tale, of course. Though she’d wager that Abby or Mallory would beat her to it. They were more outgoing. Esther was just coming into herself.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Harrison looked out over the faces that looked back out at him. Most of them were looking away when his gaze tracked over them. One or two of the guys tried to stare him down, but looked away in the end. Harrison hadn't been in a fight with someone in the school in a year, not since the last one where he'd landed three people in the hospital. One or two of the girls winked at him, inviting him, and these ones he madea mental note of. His interest in them wasn't any more than a nights entertainment, and he'd never made any pretense of being after more than that with any of the girls he'd been with. most of them understood that. A few didn't, but he'd brushed that aside. His reputation for conquests was almost as much as his reputation for violence. It was an odd way to go through life he was finding. But not a bad one.

"Okay class, I've a simple task for you all." Rooke announced, smiling. Harrison fought to restrain his own. He'd seen Rooke like this. his 'simple tasks' were usually anything but. "I want all of you...to give me a 2 page essay about your education goals." Harrison waited for it, and Rooke didn't disappoint him. "And it's due tomorrow." Harrison did smile at te wave of protests that rose up. Rooke weathered them easily enough. "And I will not accept any of them if handed in late. You can hand all of them in to Mr. Trenton." Harrison felt his face fall. Right. That meant he had to actually read and grade all of those. Rooke's teaching style was going to be a downside to him pretty quickly.

"You can all have the rest of the period to try and get a head start." Rooke said with a wave tot eh class before sitting at his desk again.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Esther wasn’t excited. Neither were Abby nor Mallory, both of them slumping in their seats. The only added advantage was that they would have the rest of the class to themselves to get started on it. But did Rooke really expect the students to actually get to work? Maybe if Harrison Trenton was teaching, possibly because no one wanted to garner his ire. But the moment Rooke sat down, the class broke into a flurry of scattered chatter. Papers shuffled about, some desks even turned so some people could work together. Even Abby and Mallory turned in their seats to face Esther again.

“Get to the details on you and Chad.” Abby prodded.

She sat up slowly and pushed her raven-black hair out of her face, her bangs flopping before coming back to the side of her forehead. She kept her hair long, it having a natural wave to it. It was glossy on a good day and looked frayed and messy on a bad day. Thankfully for her, today was a good day, thanks to switching to Tresamee conditioner and shampoo with keratin in it. Thank goodness for that little protein.

A smile came onto her face, but it was shy, a bit bashful. “He kissed me yesterday.” Her cheeks colored red and both Abby and Mallory’s eyes widened.
“No freaking way.” Mallory whispered.

Esther nodded enthusiastically. “Did he ask you yet?”
“No. But he said to meet him at lunch today.”
“Ooh, he asked you on a lunch date?” Abby smiled.
Esther grinned. “He didn’t call it that, but I suppose?”
“You’re so lucky. He’s a junior and a mighty fine one at that.” Abby approved.

“I just can’t believe it. I mean last year, he hardly looked at me, until the color guards performed at the talent show. Now…”
“Well if he saw you doing that move where you spin up into a leap and land in a split, no wonder he noticed you.” Mallory joked.

“Yeah, because he’s totally checking me out for my limberness. It still hurts to do that move, you know.”
“Imagine how much it will hurt when he—“
“Whoa, easy there Mal. Not everyone’s a slut like you.” Abby teased.
“Har har har. I’m just saying.”

Esther gulped and pulled at the neck of her shirt. “S-Sex?” She looked between her girls. “Is he going to want sex if we get together.”

Mallory just smirked and Abby pursed her lips. “Well—“ Abby began but Mallory cut her off.
“That’s usually what happens between a guy and a girl who are dating. If you two start dating.”
“What if I’m not ready?”
“Then you better get good at other stuff if not sex.” She supplied.
“Other s-stuff?” Suddenly Esther was a lot more nervous than she felt before about being with Chad as his girlfriend. Sex…?

“Oh come off it, both of you. He hasn’t even asked you out yet and even if he does, if he really likes you, he’s not going to pressure you into anything you’re not ready for.” Abby put her hand on Esther’s. “And I’m not just saying things like they do in He’s Just Not That Into You. If he can’t wait for you, then he’s a straight up tool.”

Mallory sighed and she shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t completely take what I say serious. I’m the slutty one, remember?” She grinned and Esther relaxed.

“Right.” She said softly. Having spilled the dirt about her and Chad, all three girls actually got onto task and began to work on their papers. Esther knew what her education goals were but she could hardly focus. She was nervous about lunch, nervous about where things may go with Chad and worried. Was she ready to have a boyfriend? She always wanted one. Abby was always on and off with this one guy on the yearbook committee and Mallory just played the field, wanting to get her kicks in while she still could before she settled on anything permanent. Plus, she was also a cheerleader so she fell right into the stereotype of being a slut, though she was actually the only one. Most of the other cheerleaders were rather prim and proper. The only time they gave an inkling of being slutty was during their dances when they shook it more than cheered.

Esther was…well to be quite honest, she was still that fat girl on the inside who still couldn’t believe her lucky stars to be noticed by Chad Winstein, the fastest runner on the track team, the same track team that took gold every year at the championships. He’d ‘courted’ her all summer and yesterday was the first time he kissed her after color guard practice. She really wanted to be his girlfriend. She just hoped he didn’t pressure her into anything she wasn’t ready for just because. It was high school and these kinds of things were bound to happen. But for a fact, she knew she wasn’t ready for sex.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

The class rolled on, with Harrison crowd watching, picking out which ones were going to cause trouble to him, and which ones were going to just wilt away from him. Most fell into the second category. One group of girls had made a group out of their desks, and he could see them quite clearly. He knew two of them by reputation, Mallory being known well enough around the school, and he knew she might fall into a category of 'trouble'. The other one he knew of, Abby, was not likely to wilt, but wasn't known for being problematic either. The other one he didn't recognize really, but he figured he'd know names if it was relevant sooner or later.

When teh bell went off, he sighed, smiling, glad that he'd finally gotten his reprieve. All he had left to do now was deal with his lunch, and then head down to the gym. Easy day now, easy day.

He was heading down teh hall towards his locker, looking for lunch, when someone walked into him. He got a hand on them, and gave them a hard shove to the lockers, the sound ringing in the hall. Harrison looked at who he was preparing to fuck up when the man threw his hands up in surrender.
"Fuck! Trenton! I'm sorry man, I stumbled!" Chad babbled out, knowing that he was only a hair away from injury. "Look, all I got is a ten on me, please?" He shakily held out the money. Harrison took it from him, and shook his head.
"I swear boy..." Harrison stepped close to him, putting his face barely a foot away. "...you so much as touch me again, and I'll have you choking on your own teeth. Clear?" Chad nodded vigorously. Harrison pulled back, and walked away. Now he had some cash for lunch.

Chad wiped his forehead. Most times a situation like this came up, he'd expect to be ridiculed by any of his friends, but not like that. No one even joked about trying to settle a score with Harrison, everyone knew that he played in a different league than most of them. He was dangerous, legitimately dangerous. The rumours grew with every year. Everyone knew about his fights, but there was a rumour starting to circulate now that he'd actually killed someone during the summer, adn Chad wasn't eager to be the next one on that list. He let out a breath, glad he had some spare cash on him. He was still supposed to meet Esther! And he didn't want to be meeting her this frazzled. He took a few breaths to settle his nerves, and then nodded to himself. Good enough. He set out to the spot he was meeting Esther.

When he got there he leaned on the wall, letting the cold brick soothe the last of his rattled nerves. He smiled when he saw her coming into view. She'd come a long way from when he'd first seen her, and he knew that she likely didn't even know how much more of an impact she was having on the guys on the track team. More than one conversation had been had, but the guys had backed off when he'd essentially staked his claim. He raised a hand to wave.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Esther had most of her essay drafted up. She had the body of it worked out, now it was just the introduction and conclusion she needed to work on but that would be easy. Everyone knew that the introduction and conclusion of an essay were just fodder to raise expectations and the overall outcome of the essay. But she was a stickler for this, since English was a subject she was very good at and special to her, even with all the bullshit essays. Like this one.

The bell signaled the end of the class and she put her things away, gathering them up and leaving with her girls. They walked pretty quickly passed the new TA, Harrison Trenton, though Mallory seemed to linger well enough to slide a piece of paper at him with ten digits on it and her name. Such a slut and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Esther or Abby who just rolled their eyes at her. She was unashamed and just shrugged her shoulders. “It’s his choice if he wants to call, or text. There’s plenty of fish out there just waiting for me to come around.”

One thing Esther couldn’t fault Mallory for was her confidence. Same with Abby. Both of them were so confident and always had been. Then again, they were never over two hundred pounds once. But then again, one didn’t need to be overweight to have a low self-esteem or not. But Esther had and her confidence was slowly building up. Color guard helped a lot there. It was more than just dancing, flag twirling and tossing sabers and rifles. It was an art, one that took a lot of time, dedication, practice and work. It allowed her to express herself the way she could in her writing, but still in a different way. When she was on that floor or on that field dancing, she felt so free. That for just that moment during the five to ten-minute show, she could let go and be someone else, the person she hoped to one day become. Confident, sure of herself, less shy and so not the awkward turtle anymore.

Lunch came by soon enough and Esther once more became a bundle of nerves. Abby and Mallory went off to get their food and knew that Esther had a lunch date with Chad. She gave herself a mental pep talk the entire time she walked to find him where she said she’d meet him. She had even stopped by the bathroom to check herself. She wore a light blue tank top with soft blue lace for the straps and at the hem of, paired with grey skinny jeans. On her feet were sensible black flats and she had on a dark green khaki material kind of jacket but she decided to take it off and drape it over her messenger back. She even applied some cherry chapstick that made her lips soft but also enticing. In case Chad was in the mood to kiss again, something she wouldn’t have minded one bit!

Spotting him against a brick wall, she smiled shyly and brought her hand up to wave back to him. He looked so handsome. She still couldn’t believe it but she was starting to. Especially after that kiss yesterday. Now all she needed was for him to ask her to be his and the rest of her year would be made. And if they survived a year, perhaps they could survive all of high school, together.

Moving to him, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, though close to his mouth. It was just a gentle brush of her lips against his skin and allowed her a whiff of his cologne. He smelled good. She wanted to bury her face into his neck and just inhale deep. “Hey.” She offered a soft smile, dimples appearing on both sides of her cheeks, adding a sort of bubbly innocence to her. “Want to grab a seat before tables begin to fill up with imposing bodies?”

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Chad nodded, smiling as he got a good look at Esther. There was a part of him that uncharitably thought that if he'd known she would turn out like this he'd have paid her a lot more attention a few years back. It would have made things with her a lot easier. Though it wasn't terribly hard, she was bright eyed, and seemed glad that someone was paying her attention at all. Maybe it made him a little sketchy, but frankly, she was pretty and interested in him, and he wasn't dumb enough to ignore those facts.
"Yeah, good thought. C'mon." He said to her, his hand going to hers, getting a hold of it, and leading her towards one of the corner tables. It was normally a crowded place, the corners filling up rapidly, but Chad had cashed in a few favours, getting a few of his teamates to keep this one clear for them.

As they sat down, one of teh the team came by,setting down a bag, and nodding to Chad before heading out.
"Hope you don't mind, but I thought I might spring for lunch." He said with a smile, unpacking the bag, and setting down a variety of small takeout boxes. Zhen's China House, one of the better places to get Chinese in town. "Hope you like it." He told her with a smile, giving her hand a squeeze.

Harrison breezed through teh line in hte cafeteria, people stepping back. He smiled at the server who fixed him with an unimpressed glance.
"Get ya somethin' Trenton?" The man asked. Harrison tossed the ten he'd fleeced from Chad onto the counter.
"Yeah, gimme the best burger you can for that." The server held up one of the premade burgers. "Come on man, work with me here. A few extra paddies, some cheese, bit of bacon? You gotta have something back there." With a sigh the server did find the things asked for, adn rang up a special order. Harrison left the change, and head back intot he main room. He saw that there was a table empty at the corner, adn it woudl eb easier than scaring someone out of it. Before he'd taken more than a few steps though, it became occupied. By Chad and the girl from his class. He quirked an eyebrow, adn settled into a chair, wolfing down the somewhat palatable burger.

When he was done, he snagged the arm of one of the track team, and pulled him to the table.
"Hey there Johnny." Harrison said with a grin. Johnny only sighed, and closed his eyes.
"Harrison, I'm broke, I don't have any cash for you." The other boy said.
"Johnny, I'm beigging to think you doubt the depth of our friendship! I'm not here for money! I just need to yuo talk to me about people you know. You know lots of people, don't you Johnny?" Johnny cracked his eyes open, and looked at Harrison suspiciously.
"Yeeaahh...who are you asking about?" Harrison point to Chad.
"Tell me about them. Or your sister. I could talk to her, she'd like that wouldn't she?" Johnny sat down instantly and started talking.

"Right, that's Chad, you know Chad. Fast guy, big shot on the track team." Johnny supplied.
"Squirrelly little spit-fuck, yeah. Who's the girl?" Harrison persisted.
"Oh, Esther. She's...nobody, really? On the colour party, former fat girl, looked like she was doing decent, but came back this year without that last bit of weight everyone was sure was going to stick around. And take a look at her now." Johnny smiled as he finished, drawing out the last few words to make it clear that there was some appreciation in him for her.
"She with anyone before the spit-fuck?"
"Nah, no one I know anyway. She never had the guts to ask, and she wasn't exactly first pick, hanging out with Abby and Mallory." Harrison nodded.
"Mallory, that the one who's-"
"Been ridden by more men than a prize bull at a rodeo? Yeah, that'd be her." Harrison fixed him with a glare. "Okay, okay, she's not that bad. But she aint shy, and she aint subtle." Harrison nodded.
"Thanks Johnny, you can go." Johnny stood, but hesitated.
"Uh...Harrison? Darien asked me to let you know that there's a part out on Finch on Friday. Said you'd want to know...?"
"Yeah, got it. Piss off now." Johnny all but fled.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Some part of her would always wonder if Chad only noticed her because of her reduced weight. She may not vocalize a lot of what went through her mind ever, but she was perceptive of it. She was quiet, sure, but that allowed her to be observant. Which meant, especially after the talk of sex and her able to land in the splits, she’d always wonder why he only noticed her at the tail end of last year and not before. Though she knew if she dwelled on it, she’d drive herself right into a mental breakdown because it would be too analytical to process and make sense of. So she stopped herself. But it would only further validate her point that when a couple get together, or feel a spark of attraction in each other, it was always physical first and then it became something more. That’s how it was here, that’s how it was when guys did a double take at her—though that part was, according to Mallory and Abby, because Esther didn’t notice. If she did, she figured they were just looking at her two best friends, certainly not her. It was all so new. And if she analyzed every little part of it, she would turn so cynical, she’d never be happy.

That stopped now. Especially as Chad took her hand and led her to a table. A goofy grin appeared on her face and her hazel eyes cast downward at their laced fingers together. It was such a wonderful feeling. Sitting down, she set her messenger back beside her and rested her hands in her lap. An actual meal was delivered to them by one of his track buddies. She smiled, a sort of shy smile which lent a nice rosiness of a blush to her cheeks. “And the track team delivers. How very special. Is this a very important lunch date that it requires—“ She paused to take a look at the name of the Chinese place. Holy cow, that was one of the better places to get Chinese food. A hole in the wall place but they were far more authentic than say Panda Express! “—some of the best Chinese food in town…” Her mouth watered up. Thank goodness she had practice today otherwise she’d fall out of her pattern and by the end of the year, gain all the weight she had lost, back. It was easier to gain weight than lose it.

“Oh I love it, Chad. So much better than the cafeteria food. I read this expose that supposedly the beef patties and chicken patties are really mushed up entrails, beaks and other parts of the animals you don’t want to eat.” She shook her head. “So unappetizing.” Obviously she was comfortable with Chad otherwise she wouldn’t be so animated. They spent an entire summer getting to know each other, simply being friends first, with the intention of something more eventually. Yesterday was the first time he kissed her, with the promise of becoming more, rather than intention. With him, she certainly felt like she could be herself. Yes, he was a guy she liked, had been pursuing her since the summer officially but she was comfortable. She had opened up to him.

Not everyone got to witness an animated Esther. But then again, she often went unnoticed. Shy mousy types usually were for lack of volume. Not right now.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Esther was almost bubbly in her enthusiasm, and Chad had to smile as she chattered away. He set to popping the containers open, getting the food out. There were a few plates included, so he heaped his full before sliding the containers and a plate to Esther, letting her serve herself. he wasn't sure how much she was planning to indulge in for the meal, but that was all up to her. Still, he smiled at her statement about the 'expose' on the meat here. There was something like that almost every month, some new 'discovery' that made the cafeteria look terrible. And yet it never closed, and people kept coming.
"Hey, you didn't think that I was going to let you settle for some crummy lunch lady meal, did you? Nothin' but the best for you." He winked at her as he finished, smiling,and handing her the wrapped utensils so they could start eating.

Harrison stood up, stretching, and looking around the room one last time. He wanted to make sure that there was nothing else that needed his attention. If Darien wanted him to show at this party, it meant he would have to get in touch with Gideon, and get some supplies for it, and that meant he might not make it to last period. But it was cash in his pocket, adn that was, in a lot of ways, more important. And besides, he'd have to listen to Darien whining if he didn't manage it. He set off out of the lunch room.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Esther noticed him piling food onto his plate. She took her plate and after he served himself, she piled on food, though half the amount that he piled on. She still loved food, but it took a lot of willpower not to want to overeat. And right now, all she wanted to do was pile whatever remained after he served himself onto her plate so she could just eat it all. The worst foods for her to eat were her favorite; sushi, Chinese food and a whole lot of Mexican food. But she piled on a little bit at a time. It took all she had not to just devour the food like the fat girl she still was on the inside.

Picking up her plastic utensils, she broke the plastic covering and took a fork out and mixed her chicken with the rice. She speared a bite and took a bite, her eyes fluttering closed at just how delicious it was. “Mm, I’m one lucky lady.” She smiled, looking up at him. “Thank you. You’re too sweet to arrange for non-questionable-meat.” She grinned. “Especially since I didn’t have time to make a lunch for myself today and I’ll need all my energy today for tonight’s practice.” Practices were usually five hours long. Directly after school and they went on until about 8:30. “And I really didn’t want to eat a salad.” She had eaten enough salads for two years. These days, she upped her protein intake for energy and longevity. Which was she had more chicken than rice on her plate, alongside the vegetables.

Spearing a broccoli, she took a small bite and then looked at him. “So…are we going to talk about yesterday?”

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Chad dug into his food with relish. It was good, far better than he'd had in mind to be eating today. The lunch date with Esther was a fine excuse to get his team to chip in to help him get things moving. Else he'd have had to get the food himself, and that wasn't terribly likely to happen. No time for it! When his fork was halfway to his mouth, Esther brought up the day before. he had to wrack his brain a moment to get what she meant, but then it dawned on him that she was talking about the kiss. It dawned on him another second later that she might not have had a lot of guys kiss her before, and thus it may have fallen into the category of a "Big Deal" to her. And that meant he was going to have to sort it out as smoothly as possible.

Frankly it gave him an easy moment.

"Do we need to?" He asked her, his hand reaching out to find hers again, taking her fingers in his hand, giving them a light squeeze. "Was somethign about it...unclear to you?" He asked her with a smile, his head tilting slightly as he spoke, making him look curious.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Her eyes searched his gaze, expressions or just even his mannerisms. Her question stopped him mid-bite and she just wondered what he would say. Would he just brush it off? Or would this be the moment that things change officially between them, in the way she was hoping they would. His hand touched her, their fingers lacing and she stared at them, dropping her gaze from his. She smiled a shy little smile that made a soft red hue kiss her cheeks. “I don’t know.” She said it so softly, once more turning into that shy girl who had never breached this kind of territory before.

She lived in a city and went to a school where looks were a major deal. Guys never paid her attention. If anything, the most they did was to talk to her about either Mallory or Abby, in others word making her the ‘Designated Ugly-Fat-Friend.’ In others, she had been the DUFF since the end of eighth grade, all the way until now. Even before she shed the final thirty pounds to her goal weight, guys still looked to her only to inquire about her friends.

This territory with Chad was totally new. He didn’t ask her about Abby or Mallory. He only looked at her. He was actually in her, Esther Martin. So yes, to her, that kiss yesterday was a big deal since it was her first kiss ever. “People kiss all the time. It can be in the heat of the moment or it could just be a friendly peck.” Though the kiss he gave her was so not a friendly peck, if the books she read was any indicator. It wasn’t a second kiss. It was a good hot moment that made her follow his lips when he pulled back, shamelessly.

“Granted, yesterday’s kiss was so not a friendly peck but neither does it have to mean anything.” She looked up at him after realizing she was sort of talking herself in circles, at the same time probably digging a deeper hole for herself. “Not that it didn’t mean anything. It meant a lot to me. I guess what I’m trying to find out is if it meant anything to you.” She bit the inside of her cheek, more like lightly chewing it out of anxiety. She apparently needed it spelled out to her. Just for confirmation, mostly because she didn’t want to assume anything one bit! That would be...absolutely embarrassing and mortifying.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

There was a quiet bell of alarm going off in Chad's head, warning him that he was very quickly approaching a point of no return, or that the good ship Chad/Esther might be about salm into an iceberg very soon if he didn't do something about it quickly. So he did the only thing that came to mind.
"Esther?" He said plainly to her, hand coming away from hers and lifting her chin slightly. "Stop asking." he said with a smile, and leaned in to kiss her again. he left the contact there a moment, letting the kiss stretch for a few heartbeats longer than the last time before he pulled away gently from her, leaning up to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead before he moved back to his seat.

"Still confused?" He asked her with a wink.

Harrison looked around, seeing if there was anything else he needed to do before he head out. Well, other than schooling, but that'd keep. When nothing demanded his attention, he moved off to the street, and found one of the people that lived in his area waiting with a car. It paid to have people around. He got his ride, heading for hte docks. Time to pick up his party favours.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

He said her name, more like said it with a questioning lilt at the end of it and her heart beat faster. Her chin lifted as his finger demanded of her and she looked at him. Her cheeks turned red as she realized what he was about to do and her heart fluttered at the touch of his lips. She leaned in closer, tilting her head just slightly to conform to his lips and her eyes closed. She kissed him back softly, savoring the feeling. It was official. She was Chad’s and he was all hers. Esther Martin, age sixteen officially had a boyfriend! She could reel from the excitement of it all. No longer was she a fat pariah, she was officially off the market.

Their lips parted, a parting kiss to her forehead and she sat back, smiling at him. “Not one bit.” She had a big smile on her face which made the dimples in her cheeks all the more pronounced. “Not one bit at all.” She speared a heartier bite of chicken with broccoli and ate. There was no wiping the smile off of her face right now.

---

Heidi sat in a well built car. The interior was all sleek black leather and she always relished the scent of real leather, not that vinyl crap they liked to pass off as leather. The man behind the shades that sat up front was her driver, Zig, and he was good at being discreet, as well as wearing ear plugs in his ear when appropriate, like now. The car, a rich Jaguar, was parked by the docks, behind several buildings to give some anonymity.

Beside her was a brown paper bag, generously filled for her client. She wasn’t the head-honcho but experience told her dealer that when a gorgeous woman with a certain air of authority made his deliveries, he got better results. Enter Heidi. Thick platinum blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, not a single lock of hair out of place. She wore richly tailored clothing and for this weather, it was quite comfortable. Summer was coming to an end and autumn was quickly approaching but the weather had a nice bit of both in it. Not too hot but not too cold. Perfect California weather. Allowing her to wear a peach colored sundress with a princess neckline, sleeveless and the hem coming just a little bit above her knees, nude colored Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes adorning her freshly pedicured feet. Every inch of her oozed riches, wealth and smart business, albeit illegal. To finish off the ensemble, white-bug-eyed framed sunglasses obscuring her feline green eyes from view. It lent her a bit more anonymity, the frames being so big that her identity could remain a mystery, as well as her appearance without the glasses.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Near the table that Mallory and Abby had settled at, a young man came by, smiling at them.
"Hey Mal. Abs." He greeted them both before sitting down, smiling at Abby. Jaime was one of the better people to be working ont the yearbook committee, and he wasn't really sure what he and Abby had, other that it was fun while it lasted, and he still liekd being around her regardless of their situation. He cocked his head seeing Chad kissing Esther, adn just how much of a glow around her she had from it. "Aw...aren't they adorable? I think I might need to vomit." He quipped.

Harrison got out of the car, seeing who his drop off was. He rolled his eyes. This was going to be fun. He approached the waiting car.
"Heidi." He said by simple way of greeting. "Got something for me?" He asked her, folding his arms faintly. There were three or four pople that came by to drop off in the area, and he liked Heidi the least. Quite a looker she was. And a bigger bitch he'd yet to meet. This was always the hardest part of the deal really.

Chad winked at Esther as she seemed to have settled in pretty solidly after that last little display. And why not? It didn't leave much tot he imagination or open to interpretation. He was about to speak when one of the team approached with a grin.
"Chad! Buddy! Party on Finch man! You coming?" He asked. Chad rolled his eyes.
"Dude, seriously? This could have waited." Chad point out.
"Yeah. But then you might not tell her about it." He pointe both fingers at Esther with a grin. "And you Esther Martin...are most certainly welcome to join us! See you both on Friday!" He beat a retreat from Chad's withering glare. Chad sighed, adn then looked to Esther.
"So. Should I pick you up for hte party then?"

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

“Ooh, Jaime-alert.” Mallory quipped.

Abby glanced to the side of her and saw him walking forward, a smile forming onto her face. Most girls would likely dread when their somewhat-complicated-of-a-situation-ex-boyfriend came near them after said breakup. But not Abby. This was probably their fourth or fifth time breaking up and it was always some stupid reason. She wagered that by the end of the week, they’d be back together. Just to make him stew. But otherwise, she wasn’t mad at him anymore. It was a delight to see him again. The summer did him really well. Though it was only two weeks ago she had seen him last. So she already knew. “Ah, there is my beloved Jaime.” She spoke it in surprisingly fluent French and took his hand, kissing the back of it. “Sit, sit.” She scooted over to give him a spot and returned his smile.

Mallory rolled her eyes. “How long are you two broken up for? And when will the sucking face resume?” She was forking a piece of questionable meat on her plate rather dully.

Abby only grinned and she decided not to answer. Instead, she responded to Jaime after both girls witnessed the kissing between Chad and their Esther Martin. Abby squealed. “They’re kissing.” She put her arm around Jaime. “Don’t be such a sour puss, love.” She grinned. “You didn’t seem to want to vomit when we kissed and we were pretty adorable.”

“He might not have, but I wanted to.” Mallory drawled out miserably. This was Mallory Joyner. Slut by night, miserable wench by day unless she got her fix. She wasn’t a sex-addict but it did add a certain pep to her step when she could add yet another notch to her slut belt.
“Go bone something Mallory.”
“I wish…”

The black tinted window of the Jaguar rolled down and she only slightly tilted her head up to acknowledge Harrison Trenton. She didn’t even seem to really react to his presence. Heidi didn’t really scare easily and because she was usually as doped up on these drugs that she pedaled as everyone else was, she didn’t feel much. Until she was set between the trembling thighs of a gorgeous girl who seemed to always preface their encounter with, ‘I’m really not into girls…but…you…’ before melting to Heidi’s odd sexual prowess.

“I am not quite sure.” She pursed her lips. “You tell me. I’d like the specifics Harry.” She then turned her head toward him slowly, looking him directly albeit through the black lenses of her sunglasses. “I am not a mind reader after all.”

Whether it was a smirk, wink, a special smile or just a simple push of his finger underneath her chin to make her look at him, Esther was deeply affected. She couldn’t help herself and after he basically just confirmed what she had been hoping for, it was impossible not to be affected. Just as it was impossible not to be smiling like a love-struck fool, even while she was eating. Glancing at him, he looked like he might say something when one of his buddies, another one, plopped down at their table.

His sudden presence startled her and she swallowed her broccoli piece whole. It didn’t go down quite easily and she drank some water to push it down. There, much better. Rudesby, she thought to herself.

There was a party. A high school party? Even she was invited! That was…new. Perhaps there would be certain perks by being Chad’s girlfriend. She most certainly was no longer invisible. She was actually noticed. This could be a problem. Potentially. Maybe. Depending on the party perhaps? Or the crowd of people that Chad entertained? Ridding the thoughts that threatened to put her into a panic attack, she offered his friend a polite smile and then put her attention to Chad.

“A p-party?” She actually gulped. Maybe this was going too fast. First a boyfriend and now a party?! “C-Can Abby and Mallory go?” As much as she believed she’d be perfectly safe with Chad, she’d feel a lot better if her girls were there. Besides, it’d give Mallory the chance to pounce on someone new perhaps and Abby the chance to play with Jaime, one of her favorite pastimes. “I’ve never been to a party before.” Her eyes went wide and she once more retreated into her safe, comfortable awkward turtle persona. “Unless countless sleepovers with the devil’s mistresses count?”

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Jaime just smiled at the comments, not denying them. Abby was fond of playing with French, and Jaime knew that his ability to respond had always bothered Mallory, hating being left out of the conversation,adn sure that there was something important being said. But gettinga few good shots in on Mallory nearly always made for an amusing day. Still, he could feel a pang of sympathy for her. While Mallory was enjoying herself, he knew for a fact that there were a few decent guys that had been interested in her but been scared off by her reputation. She was making her own bed, and rather than lying in it she seemed intent on fucking everyone in it. Her choice. But Jaime did admit there was a concern for her in the long term.
"I had a few ulterior motives for not being bothered when we were doing it." Jamie responded to Abby with a wink, and running a hand briefly along her shoulder affectionately. His tone was different, his own French tinged with a slightly different accent to it. Abby had learned very well, but her French was very clearly taught with a pronunciation and form more indicative of France, while his was...not. Firmly in the quarters of the Quebecois, Jaime actually had to put effort into his English to avoid a fair amount of accent creeping into it.

"You might get your shot later this week Mallory. I've been hearing tell of a party over on Finch on Friday, so I imagine you'll find any number of willing volunteers there." Jaime supplied.

Harrison heaved a sigh, and reached a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Look Heidi, we both know how the chain works. You buy from the Pin, the Pin buys from Gideon, Gideon buys from Viper, and Viper is the scariest bitch in the drug trade. And since I mainly report to Gideon, sometimes he cuts you a deal and sells you a party pack for me direct so you can get a better profit. So either you've got my party pack, or we're wasting everyone's time here. So are we wasting time? If we are I can think of a lot more fun ways we could be doing it." Harrison raised his eyebrows, knowing full well from experience that all he was doing was antagonizing her with the last statement. In most circumstances not wise perhaps, but when Harrison did have a passive connection to her dealers dealer, she couldn't rip him off too badly or things would trickle down back to her. But it could still cause more grief than he needed. But Gods, he just couldn't shut up sometimes.

Chad nodded readily.
"Oh yeah, it's not an invite exclusive thing, but some people do get priority to get in. Like you and me." He smiled at her as he spoke. No one is going to turn Abby or Mallory away, so you'll have me and them to lean on while we're there. Just remember, if it's your first party, you'll want to make an impression. Tell Abby and Mallory you're going, they'll help you get ready." He suggested, his smile splitting to a grin. He had hte moment of almost suggesting that she lean more on Mallory, knowing that she'd likely encourage Esther to slut it up a fair amount, and Chad had to admit he wanted to see how Esther carried that look. But it was a bit early to try that kind of suggestion.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Abby didn’t mean to speak French with Jaime where Mallory was concerned. She knew that the language was only understood between her and Jaime and it was just a silly pastime. Besides, Jaime sounded sexier when he spoke French which was she had started; she learned he could speak it as fluently as her so from time to time…especially in bed…

But she was quick to not keep the French going because Mallory seemed miserable as it is. Then again, it was her high school choice to be a major slut, not Abby’s or even Esther’s. So she didn’t get much sympathy from Abby because no one told her she had to spread her legs for every guy that winked at her just to get attention from guys. That was her decision and her mind set. She was like Rizzo from Grease, wanting to get her kicks while she was young enough to get them. Abby and Esther could talk to her about it but what would be the point? Mallory would get defensive about it and still do it. It’d unfortunately take some hardcore snubbing to make her snap out of it and when that would happen, because it would, Abby and Esther would be right there for her.

“Just say the word, mon peche..” She teased. “Just say the word.” For the most part, she spoke that in English, giving him the hint that whenever he was ready to get back together, she was all the more ready to take him back.

Mallory and Abby both were atuned for Jaime’s mention of a party and both girls were excited. “Finally, a party! I was beginning to think we’d go all of high school without going to a party.” Mallory mused.
Abby giggled. “Oh shush, you’ve been to plenty of parties.”
“True…but I’d much rather be able to go to a party with my girls.”
“Why? So you can ditch us later?” Abby teased.
Mallory grinned. “You betcha.” She winked.

For the first time since she had been there, a rather cocky grin broke out onto Heidi’s face. “Ooh, someone’s got their knickers in a twist.” She waggled her eyebrows, noticeable even with the big glasses on her face. “I only wanted you to specify Harry. You act like this is the first time I give you shit.” She picked up the bag and handed it to him. “Now, give me my money and run along with your dong tucked between your legs.” She pushed her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, giving him just a glimpse of her face without her glasses momentarily. “Unless it’s already tucked, because quite frankly Harry, I don’t see the thrill or the intrigue.” She pushed her glasses back up her nose and smirked. “You’re not a eunuch are you?”

“A first impression…” She said it, rather than inquired about it. She knew what that meant. Her clothes that covered practically every inch of her body except for the modest view of cleavage in her v-necks would not do. Which meant she’d really need to recon with her girls because they would know how to dress her, worthy of a first impression. “Got it.” She said softly. “I’ll definitely ask Mallory and Abby. They’ll likely throw out more than half of my wardrobe but it will be worth it just to look like I fit in, if not feel like it.” Many sacrifices went into high school and a lot of them were looks and appearance over personality. Esther wanted to have a good time until she went to college. If that meant she had to compromise or sacrifice who she was...well hopefully it wouldn’t be too painful. She felt a little discouraged, afraid that she’d have to sacrifice a lot suddenly. Looking at Chad, she bit her lower lip. “I don’t need to change myself completely just to keep your interest or anyone else’s right?” Though she was more concerned about keeping his interest than others’.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Jaime wasn't stupid, could read betweent he lines, but if he was being honest, he enjoyed some of the pursuit with Abby, the byplay between them that just seemed to have a little more spice to it when they weren't dating yet. Being honest he'd actually specifically set her off towards a break up with him, knowing that they'd end up back together eventually. And he'd done it twice. It was fun, and he had the strong suspicion that she enjoyed the build up to them getting back together as much as he did.
"Perhaps later ma chérie." Jamie responded smoothly with a wink. He'd see how thigns shook out at the party. It would be as good a time as any to see how thigns stood.

Harrison only smiled as she handed him the bag. Giving him shit indeed. But she had miscalculated.
"I'd tell you to get out of the car and I'd show ya exactly how it is, but I aint got time to play." he turned away from her, walking towards the car. "Put the bag on Gideon's account. I'm sure he'll love the story about how you handed it over without cash first." He smiled to himself as he walked away. Oh, he was going to catch hell for this, he knew it, but at the same time, he really didn't care. He could already see teh chain of events lining up as he got into the car that was waiting for him. Heidi telling him that Harrison was an ignorant little fuck, Harrison paying Gideon for things, but Gideon nont being nearly as willing to throw Heidi a bone to boost her profits. A small victory, a petty one, but he'd take it today. "See you next time bitch!" Harrison called as the car peeled out. His driver didn't want to be between these two if things got nasty.

Chad actually cocked his head at her words. That was a sudden shift, and he reached out his hand, resting it on her shoulder. until she would look at him.
"Hey." He said softly. "You already got my interest Esther. That's not going to change." He gave her a soft smile as he spoke. "I just want to...help you feel like you don't have to hide, you know? I know youre used to thinking that everyone believes you're invisible, but you sure aren't. I want you to know what it's like for people to see you, for more people to know you." He cracked a grin. "Of course it's going tobe a lot of work when I have to fight all the guys that are going to be hitting on you."

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Abby could only grin. This party offered a perfect opportunity for her and Jaime to really play. She was excited for it because it was the build up to getting back together she enjoyed. The chase, on both of their parts and the realization all over again of how good they were together. Sure, they were only in high school but that didn’t mean it wasn’t real between them. And high school was the perfect outlet to sow all the oats before things had to become…really serious.

Mallory looked between the two and then cleared her throat. “If you two are done being gushy…” Which earned a mock glare from Abby. “Perhaps we should talk about how to transform Esther from a shy, awkward turtle into a beautiful, albeit a little slutty, swan.” She grinned. Oof, she loved makeovers and Esther was like the prime rib of all make overs. Juicy on the inside but bleeding with pure blood on the outside, ready to be corrupted.

Dread. Heidi only felt dread a very small handful of times but she never thought that Harrison would be at the giving end of it all. It was a devastating blow to her ego but there was hardly any reaction or chink in the impenetrable armor she wore. The only thing noticeable was how silent she was, deadly silent and the sight of her jaw clenching but even that was very faint. He was already gone and she was sitting there like a complete asshat with no cash. Gideon was going to ream her a new one, both metaphorically and literally but she’d survive. He wouldn’t fire her or hand her off to the dogs to be made to disappear. He’d be a fool if he did that because this was her first and only mishap.
“Just go.” She gritted her teeth, ordering her drive to just drive. It was time to face the wrath of Gideon who hated having to clean up his subordinates mistakes but he would do so anyways because at the end of the day, it was a matter of money. And Gideon liked having his money. No one ever got freebies unless he was giving it to them.

His words were reassuring, especially that smile he gave her. Whether she started to dress the way Mallory did, for example, or not, Chad would still want her and want to be with her. But he was right. It would feel nice to just feel a lot more comfortable in her skin. Sure, she had thought that losing her weight would make her feel more comfortable but now there was attention she wasn’t used to and it just made her even more awkward than usual. It was not at all how she expected it to be. Being in color guard didn’t mean she’d instantly be noticed but apparently as her weight decreased and her skill level increased in the guard, she went from invisible to highly visible. “Losing weight doesn’t guarantee a confidence boost. I realize that now. People are looking at me, noticing me. People I don’t know and actually terrify me because they’re not either you, Abby or Mallory. It just makes me feel even more awkward than normal because I actually don’t know how to cope with that.” It was a lot easier when she was invisible, she believed that now.

“But I would like to be comfortable in my new skin. I thought it would come naturally but it doesn’t.” The only time it did was when she was performing. She laughed softly at his comment and covered her face with her hand. “Oh, that’s such an unsettling thought. Too much testosterone and not enough estrogen to balance it out.” She giggled, lowering her hand. “Don’t worry. I only have eyes for you.” She smiled to him reassuringly, though she still doubted what he said. No matter how much weight she dropped or how differently she dressed, she didn’t think he’d have to fight off a throng of adoring men. He was just exaggerating that part, he had to be.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Jaime finally stopped teasing thigns along, adn looked at Mallory and then back across the room to Esther.
"Well, if you're looking for a male perspective at some point along in your endeavour, you know I'm happy to offer an opinion. After all, I'm sure you'll want to have Esther surprise Chad with the new look instead of have him provide input. Much more fun for everyone involved that way." He said without a hint of sarcasm. Jaime might be something of a jackass at times, but he was an honest one.

Harrison was still grinning as they drove away, but he was dialing his phone.
"Hello, Gideon? Yes, I've got the bag. No, no...problem. Well...I told Heidi to put it on your account. Well, she gave me the bag without getting the money. No, I have the cash. Yes sir, I can bring it to you tonight. Yes sir, I understand." Harrison hung up the phone, and leaned back in his seat. He knew that he was lucky that Gideon liked him, or at least found him useful. That could have gone a lot worse. But he also knew that Heidi was going to catch even more hell now, which might be a detriment to Harrison's ability to deal on his own steam. He'd have to hunt out Dode more often. The guy was his own best customer for drugs, but he could keep him supplied.

"Hey, nothing worth doing is easy Esther. And you're showing that you've got what it takes to do awesome things. So...just remember you got me, and your friends. We'll help you however we can." Chad promised, the words smooth, coming easily to him. Gods, on some level it was easy. Esther had none of the years of experience and layers of mental armour against someone being charming, being interested. A lot of things that he'd get eye-rolls from worked well, simply because she wanted it to be the truth, wanted to get it right the first time, that Chad was the right guy for her. Who knew, maybe he was! But Chad somehow doubted it. Still, she was fun, adn he could show her how to have fun. "Trust me. This party is going to be a great experience for you."

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

There was a dig she could give to him, that he probably just wanted to be involved in some way, either to spend time with her or just be around very beautiful women, which the three of them were, but Abby refrained. He seemed sincere in lending an opinion and it could also help to make sure Mallory didn’t dig her claws into Esther and turn her all from drab into totally slutty. “That would be wonderful Jaime. We’d be delighted to have an impersonal male perspective there to help coach Esther along. No doubt, she’d a few seconds away from shitting bricks about going to a party.” Because if they were going, Chad was definitely going. She didn’t see how that wouldn’t connect.

Mallory snorted. “I think her chances of shitting bricks are subdued if Chad is there to calm her down.” Oh what flowery words boys could say to make any girl, even Esther fall prey to their whims and hidden agendas. But Mallory kept that information to herself. After all, with no offense toward Esther, if their former fat friend didn’t think Chad would try to pull any moves on her quickly, she was seriously mistaken. They were in high school surrounded by hormone infested testosterone filled boys that wanted nothing more than to bury their prick into a tight and welcoming hole. If they couldn’t get that, they weren’t going to stick around and Chad wasn’t any different.

---

Her driver took her back toward the Irish pub by the docks. It wasn’t far, more like a hop, skip and a jump but in her car, at least she was protected with tons of steel and automotive parts for a time being before Gideon really sunk his claws into her. She knew it was to be expected but if her years as one of Gideon’s bitches taught her anything, it was acquiring a thick skin. And a thick skin she had perfected that not even Harrison Trenton could break, but perhaps put a small little barely noticed chink in.

Stepping out of the car, she shut the door and her driver went off to park, but he’d stay there in standby. She walked into pub and only then did she finally remove her sunglasses, revealing haunting green eyes that looked like they could see the secrets of a soul, so feline it was almost unreal. Her features were chiseled and perfect, like she was a masterly sculpted porcelain doll, fragile but able to withstand the test of time. High definition of cheek bones gave her this look like she had stepped off the pages of Vogue but she was hardly a model; though she did have that not eating thing down to a T.

The pub itself was like any other kind. Dimly lit, a couple of expensive looking pool tables in the corner where rea high stakes were gambled in a game of losing or winning and a full stock of any kind of liquor and beer/ale/lager that a proud Irishman would find himself to drink. Suffice to say, this place didn’t stock Bud Light, Corona, Budweiser or any of the other cheap beers that didn’t even deserve the name. Only premium quality crafts of the truest kind. It was hardly a front. It wouldn’t surprise her if this had been Gideon’s ultimate dream—having his own Irish pub.

“Heidi.” Just after she got to the bar, she heard her name and slowly turned. Her eyes like expensive emeralds set upon the strapping bartender and he just looked at her with a cross of sympathy and interest—there was an ongoing pool of when her armor would break. Would today be the day? She’d never give the greasy pigs the satisfaction.
“Strohm.”
“How ‘bout a rye? You look like you need one.”
“You might be right.” She turned back to the bar and set her purse on top of it. “For once.”

He splashed some rye into a small glass and slid it her way. She didn’t nurse it. No, she downed it. It was a vile drink but perhaps the harshness of the offending drink would give her some courage. Not that she really needed it but any extra could help. Especially since everyone was waiting for the day for her to break. She was a lot stronger than she looked. She might look gentle and delicate but she was the epitome of looks being deceiving.

“Is he in?”
“Aye. And he’s waitin’ fer ya.” Strohm spoke as he washed some glasses.
“Wipe that smirk off your face. It’s not happening today.” She hissed.
“A man can only wish, lassie.” He smiled a broad grin, some of his teeth yellowed and crooked. It only made her grimace before grabbing her purse and heading to the back toward Gideon’s office.

---

He was really so perfect. Esther could only smile. Well she only smiled but she did also lean in and press a soft brush of a kiss to his lips. “Thanks Chad.” She brought her hand up to trace her fingers along his cheek. “I think I struck gold with you.” She said softly. She did truly believe that. Here she thought that with her luck with guys, she’d find some terrible guy who would only tell her the things she wanted to hear and dump her when she didn’t put out. But Chad was different. Obviously, because if he was only in this for sex, then she must be a hell of a conquest because no guy would spend an entire summer courting her and getting to know her if she was only worth a romp in the sack, virgin or not. That’s how she knew he was perfect.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Chad smiled a little wider, knowing exactly what he ahd to say. The opportunity was there. He couldn't not take it.
"Well...one of struck gold. But I'm pretty sure it was me." He told her with a wink. No matter how corny it sounded, it was a fun moment that he just couldn't resist. Chad got back to his food, digging in with some relish, wanting to make sure he got through his food before lunch was over. He let his mind wander a little, wondering exactly what he might get up to at a party. Finch was a good place for it, isolated, it used to be a small apartment complex. The owner had tried to set it up as a dorm, with the basement set up as a more open room to mingle in, and the upper floors still being apartments. When no residents had been willing to commit to a long term stay, he'd taken to having it used as a party locale. The city had been fine with it, as it concentrated all the mayhem in one place instead of spreading it out. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement with the police that they wouldn't get involved so long as things stayed reasonably contained.

The office door was slightly ajar. There was faint music coming from within, a soft voice ringing in pure tones in a language that few understood anymore. When Heidi entered there was only one other person in the room. Gideon Caffal was not instantly intimidating, standing at five and half feet tall, and carrying twenty or more pounds more than a properly trim man would. He was not young anymore, in his late fifties, his hair mostly gone to white now, and a reasonably short beard covered much of his lower face. His office had it's own private pool table, he liked to conduct business over a game, and didn't need spectators. He looked up from a break shot at Heidi, his eyes calm, almost disinterested.

"Lass." He said quietly, just below conversational. Not loud, but there was a quiet air of certain authority. "Good o' ye to come so soon." He made another shot, adn reached to a side table to take pull from a tall glass of dark beer. He turned back to her, his head cocking slightly to one side. "Sent ye to do a job, I did. Simple one. Deliver ta young Harrison, so he can make me money. Goes places ye can't, account of the lads age. Makes the lad useful ta me. Instead, I find that ye are here, nae bag tae be seen. And I dinnae suppose ye have the cash for the bag..." He made a shot, a hard one that sent a ball hammering into a corner pcket. "...do ye lass?" He asked, walking around the table, lining up another shot, and putting him closer to her.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Esther giggled. “That’s corny, very corny, but I am quite privy to corniness, lucky for you.” She smiled at him and then refocused her attention to her food She was suddenly famished and she ate with a little more gusto. Not like a pig but she took bigger bites and chewed thoughtfully, mouth closed and enjoying every bite of the food. Once she finished and she did actually feel full, enough so that she didn’t take a second helping, she got up and threw her plate away. Sitting back down, Esther wiped her mouth with a napkin and glanced at the time on her phone. Five more minutes and lunch would come to an end. She wanted to spend more time with him. But there was a party this Friday that would offer a lot of opportunity for just that.

The lunch bell rang, signaling the end of and time for students to get to class. Esther stood up after packing away the leftovers and put them in the bag. She moved beside Chad and kissed his cheek. “Do you want to meet me after school for a little bit? Or do you have practice?” She had about thirty minutes after school before color guard practice started.

Heidi knocked onto the ajar door before pushing it open and stepping inside. There she found Gideon, a rather stout stump of a man but with an air of authority that one didn’t dare cross. Heidi had a strong exterior but there was one person she certainly feared over anyone else and that was Gideon. He was like a spider, silent but potentially deadly and it was only after he struck would one realize the misfortune they fell upon by crossing paths with him, or even crossing him.

Swallowing carefully, she stepped in and clasped her hands together in front of her, her purse slung onto her shoulder. She looked him over and nodded her head as he acknowledged her. She was silent, nothing giving way to the sort of trembling feeling she felt on the inside. But she was confident in her worth to him that he wouldn’t just kick her out or fire her. She was an asset. She knew it and he knew it too. Hopefully far more of an asset than Harrison Trenton. She didn’t deal directly to those customers but she could swindle a lot more than any regular Joe.

“No. I do not.” She stayed where she stood even as he moved in closer to where she was. She didn’t flinch or wear her fear on her arm. “He decided to walk away without paying.” It wasn’t a lie. It was exactly what Harrison had done. “He assumed that it was just fine to charge it to your account. But it is not free.” Though it was her job to bring in the money, but Harrison walked away before she got the chance. He was gone too fast. “It was my mistake. I will accept that and I will not deny that. I will also accept whatever consequence you see fit.” She said it impassively, almost emotionless.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Chad paused, weighing his options. Practice, yes, but...
"I can find a few minutes at least, sure. Will you meet me out behind the building? By the fire doors?" He asked her. Esther wasn't a freshman, everyone who had been in the school more than a week knew that the fire doors were where people went when they wanted to stay out of sight. Drinking, smoking, and other, more carnal acts had been done there since the school had been built. It was a long tradition. Of course, some people simply liked it because it was quiet and out of the way.

Gideon didn't speak for a half minute, moving around the table, impassively playing out his pool game. When he fired off a shot that dropped the eight ball smoothly he turned back to Heidi.
"Now lass. Ye make offers ye nae understand. Gideon Caffal is nae a man ye make offers like tha' tae. Not if ye value yerself even a little. Were ye mine tae punish, ye'd be stripped and kicked into a room o' me by's, and they'd fuck every hole o' yers until ye could nae longer recall yer own name. And then..." He shifted his grip on the pool cue in his hands, and there was the moment where it seemed like he wasn't an older man holding a tool for a game, he was an underworld boss holding a narrow but solid club. The heavy end tapped her shoulder lightly, a gentle but firm reminder of that fact. "...after I beat ye within an inch of breathin', I'd throw ye in a hole and leave ye there until ye knew the full weight of the error ye had made." He locked eyes with her, his eyes a light blue, and looking colder than chipped ice. He held her gaze for a full minute, letting the tension build before looking away.

Without warning or preamble he swept the cue across her face, striking her chin with the heavy end, snapping her neck around, before hammering it into her stomach. A final blow to her back had her on her knees. He used the cue to lift her eyes to his again, no mercy or pity in that gaze.
"But count ye lucky stars lass that ye are not mine tae punish. Ye still belong tae the Pin, and while he be needin' ye more than the other way around these days, know that he will know the weight of my annoyance. And ye keep this in mind the next time ye think about movin' up from his emply to me own. There be money to be made lass. But there be risks ye may not be ready to take. Think well on tha' lass, before ye next come to see me fer work." He walked away from her, setting his cue back on the rack, and then moving to his desk. "Now pick ye'self up, and get the fuck out o' me bar." He looked at some papers, and began writing, as though she was already forgotten.