[Chapter 4; Part Two: Not Quite the Most Fortunate]

     Ms. Hattie's face is shocked, appalled, and another word for surprised that I can't think of. She calls Samantha L. Condon down before peering over her desk to us.

     "What were you guys doing?"

     "Trying frosting," Jaeger shrugs, wiping some of it off his face and licking it off his finger.

     Ms. Hattie shakes her head, but a smile is on her face. I can't but to smile, too, which then causes Jaeger to grin like a mad man. Of course, me being me, I giggle, causing Ms. Hattie to shoot me a look to be quiet.

     I acquiesce, covering my mouth with my hand. "Sorry," I whisper.

     A tall, big boned girl walks into the office, a camera strapped around her neck.

     "Yeah, Ms. Hattie?" Her voice sounds like there's a bubble in her throat.

     Ms. Hattie points to us, "I have a new picture for your yearbook."

     Sam turns to us, then immediately grins, "Very nice!" She then turns to the secretary, "Can I take them just outside into the hall?"

     The secretary nods, and Sam ushers us out into the hall. She has us stand in front of a window with a tree bearing orange leaves in view.

     "Maybe you guys good actually look like you had fun?"

     Jaeger grabs me by my waist and glues himself to my side, then holds two thumbs up, grinning at the camera. I follow his example, and Sam clicks two pictures of us.

     "Thanks, guys."

     "No problem," Jaeger and I say at the same time.

     Awkwardly, we walk back into the office to receive our punishment.

     "So..." Jaeger taps his hand on the armrest on his chair. He's sitting next to me, and I look over at him.

     He has frosting in his hair, not too much, but I don't even know how he managed to get any of it in there. There's frosting in his eyebrows, and all over his barbell. Ironically, the pink frosting makes his facial features more prominent, and the way the sunlight's hitting his face doesn't help much, either.

     "What are you staring at?" Jaeger grins at me.

     "Nothing," I blush and look down at my pink fingers. "You just have frosting in your hair."

     He scoffs, "Well you do too."

     I give him an incredulous look, "How did you even manage to get it in your hair?"

     A simple shrug, "The same way you got it in yours," sealed with a wink.

     I shake my head, rolling my eyes.

     Ms. Hattie leans over her desk, "What are you guys waiting for in here?"

     I furrow my eyebrows, "The principal.."

     "Oh," she points to our right, and I look to see an orange door reading PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE. "You can just go in there. One of you should have said something when you walked in."

     "Figured you'd probably know just by looking at us," Jaeger mutters before grabbing my elbow and leading me into the principal's office.

     He opens the door, but steps in first. The principal, Mr. Webber, doesn't look surprised to see him. Oh, but when I step in, his eyes widen, and he seems to go over a sheet on his desk.

     "Are you new?" His voice is stern, but lenient, in my case.

     I give a small nod, my stomach nervous and caught in my throat.

     "Just this week," Jaeger adds.

     Mr. Webber furrows his eyebrows and scratches his forehead, "Today? Or Tuesday."

     "Um," my voice is small from experience with people like him. "Well, Monday, Sir."

     Jaeger looks at me like I'm crazy, but I don't meet his stare. My eyes are locked on Mr. Webber's.

     "Rue Amber," he barely murmurs. "You've been here before. You were never sent up to the office. Always had good grades."

     I give a nod.

     "But, then you just didn't show up, so I figured you'd gotten adopted."

     Jaeger slowly turns to me, eyes full of surprise, but a hint of concern. I look away in shame.

     "No," my voice cracks.

     "Who is your guardian?" He shuffles some papers until he comes to the one he was looking for and reads off the paper, "It says here that your guardian is Tate Williams..." The clearing of a throat, "Well, he didn't adopt you--otherwise you'd have his last name--so I'm asking this: Are you living with your boyfriend, Ms. Amber?"

     "No," I confidently reply. Jaeger's eyes bore holes all over me. "He took me and my... Little sister in. He's more of an uncle or older brother."

     "Mm," he sets his papers down. "I see. So, he didn't adopt you? He could be charged with kidnapping if anyone found out."

     What is this? Blackmail? Or is he just trying to intimidate me?

     "No, Sir. I'm choosing to live with him. I.. I left the orphanage on my own."

     "Oh, so you'd be charged with kidnapping before he would be?"

     I lower my eyes from him and nod gravely. Tears sting my eyes from fear and desperation. He wouldn't take Olivia away, would he?

     "I could tell someone," he leans over his desk, his crude voice almost a whisper. "You could be arrested."

     By now tears are streaming down my face, and I can't look at either of them, "I was only.." I sniffle. "I was only taking care of Olivia. She--She wasn't getting enough to eat there, and all the other kids wouldn't stop hurting her. If she hit back they threatened to hit her, and when she finally hit back once... I took the beating for her.

     But then they started looking for other ways to use the excuse of a beating, but every time I took her beating for her. Every time," I grit my teeth. "One day... When I was here one day, they hit her. I had to leave, Sir, I had to get her away from there. Please don't tell anyone," I beg.

     His face his blank, but he's still leaned over the desk. He finally closes his eyes and leans back, "I wasn't going to tell anyone. I'm sorry."

     I nod, still crying from frustration. Damn it all! Just when I think everything will be okay, it all goes to hell!

     Jaeger raises his arm to comfort me, but I flinch away due to memory. He drops it instantly, clinching his teeth.

     Jaeger turns to the principal, face serious and grim, "Go to hell."

     The principal only nods, though, to my surprise. "I suppose I deserve that."

     I quiet down, grabbing a Kleenex to wipe my eyes. Jaeger grabs my hand, though, looking me dead in the eyes. The concern in his eyes only cause me to look down. I grab the Kleenex with my other hand and wipe my eyes.

     "You both don't have detention."

     Jaeger snaps his head up, and I look up too.

     "What I just did was wrong. Obviously I'm not the hateful type. I was just trying the intimidating thing out, to see if I could pull it off."

     "Obviously you can," Jaeger spits.

     Mr. Webber nods, "And I feel.. Terrible. So terrible, I can't... I can't tell you how sorry I am, Ms. Amber. It looks like you two were only having fun, and I see no reason to punish you for it, but next time try not to make a mess, oka--"

     The bell cuts him off, and next thing I know Jaeger is hauling me out the door. He pulls me throw the commons and out the school doors, and I feel no reason to stop him. He knows everything now, anyway.

     I just feel like crawling into a hole and dieing. Even a hit from Emmett didn't hurt as bad as the memories do.

     Jaeger pulls me all the way around the school until we enter a thin forest with beautiful yellow, orange, red, and green leaves. Jaeger finally sits me on a bench and drops next to me.

     "Why did you take me out here?" My voice is dead and cracks.

     "Rue--"

     "No," I stand up. "You're only... You're only acting like you care so you can... So you can rape me, or something!"

     He stands up, super close to me, "Who told you that?" His voice... His voice scares me..

     "Stephanie..." I look away, obviously backing down from a fight I wasn't intending on winning anyway.

     "Stephanie Mayer?" He looks at me, and out of the corner of my eye I see his face soften. "Rue.."

     Suddenly his finger is under my chin, turning my face to him. The proximity of our faces makes my heart skip a beat.

     "Do you believe her?" his voice is suddenly low and soft.

     My voice fails me, for once, and all I can do is stare up into those beautiful green eyes with my mouth open like an idiot.

     "Rue? Do you you believe what she told you?"

     "No," my voice is barely audible, a tiny whisper.

     "Good," he lets go of my face. "I would never do something like that to you."

     A blush centers on my cheeks, "You've only known me for three days."

     "It feels like I've known you longer.." he shakes his head and turns away.

     What? How could he possibly know me? For more than three days?

     "What?" I touch his arm.

     "C'mon," he grabs my hand and gently tugs me to the parking lot.

     Standing next to a sleek, Chevy Camaro, my mouth drops. I lightly run my hand on the orange hood, gaping in awe at its beauty. Two black racing stripes strike down the hood and end. I frowned at the fact it is only a two-door.

     "Well?" Jaeger grins at me.

     "Well what?"

     "What do you think?"

     "It's... Beautiful. I had a... A friend at the orphanage who wanted a car just like this.."

     Jaeger's grin falls to a frown, but I figure that's just because of the situation. He smiles an obvious fake smile at me.

     I walk around to the passenger side. Pulling the handle, I expect the door to swing out, but no. It hisses before sliding out and up.

     Jaeger's voice is flat as he climbs into the car, "Get in."

     "Where are we going?" I ask after lowering myself into the black leather seat.

     The car smells like Black Ice, and I get light headed from sniffing about eighty-seven times. All the hot guys have Black Ice, it's just like a pact with God or something. Funny things is, when all the not-so-cute boys try to copy the very-cute boys, their cars don't smell as great.

     Jaeger looks at me, "Is it okay if we go to my house to clean up?"

     My eyes must get wide, because he adds, "Not like that, I mean, like, literally cleaning up. Like, all this frosting?"

     I nod and click my seat-belt. When Jaeger starts the car, it purrs, but he pulls out of the parking space without putting his seat-belt on.

     "Jaeger."

     "Hm?" He pulls up to the stop sign in front of the school, not bothering to look at me.

      "Jaeger."

     "What?" He starts to go, but I grab his arm, and he stops. He looks from my hand to my face, "What, Rue?"

     "Put your seat-belt on," I scold. "Please," I add nicely.

     Jaeger blinks once, keeps his foot on the brake, and clips his seat-belt with his free arm.

     "Thank you," I say quietly before letting go of his arm. I've seen people die because they didn't wear their seat-belts. Children shouldn't play next to a highway. They'll either get hurt, or see some pretty brutal accidents throughout their childhood.

     The purr of the engine and plainness of the road and area cause me to slowly drift off to sleep, my head resting on the window.

     "Rue," hands gently shake me. "Rue. Rue wake up."

     "Jaeger?" I blink, eyes blurry.

     "Yeah, Rue. Let's go inside and get cleaned up."

     Getting out of the car numbly, I gasp when I see the beautiful house standing in front of me.

     The outside is tan brick with black iron shutters and white window trim. The lawn, looking professionally manicured, is plain except for the oak tree near the right side of the house. Turning around, I see that the gravel driveway curves into trees until it reaches the highway, I suppose. A large window on the third floor is big enough to see an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.




     Jaeger grabs my elbow, steering me up a cobblestone pathway and to his front door. 


     "My parents aren't home yet," he states, unlocking the giant wooden door. "So it'll be just us."


     I nod, but Stephanie's voice still echoes in my brain. You're just his game. 


     "How long did it take to get here?" I ask, following him into his house.


     Windows are everywhere, allowing noon light to flood into the house. Another breathtaking chandelier hangs in the living room, twinkling. The couches are white leather, the walls a chocolate brown. A fireplace in the corner sits idle, almost begging to be lit. The carpet is plain white, much to my dismay.


     "About twenty minutes," Jaeger shrugs and pulls me through his living room into the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"


     "Sure," I murmur, thinking. I have to pick Olivia up from her babysitter in about three hours. The big mirror clock on the wall above the counter-top says 12:39. School let out at 12:10, but, considering we spent those view minutes talking in the woods, we made good time.


     "What do you want?" Jaeger asks, opening a huge stainless steel refrigerator and freezer combo. Sounds of him rummaging around float over to my seat at the breakfast counter across the kitchen.


     I shrug, then, realizing he can't see it, I speak, "Uh. Anything besides milk or pop is okay."


     Jaeger saunters over holding a pitcher of lemonade, smirking, "The no-pop thing I can understand, but dancers need  milk, right?"


     "I don't dance anymore," I say quietly, staring at the granite slab in front of me. My hands are in my lap, fingers fiddling.


     Two glass cups are set on the rock counter, clinking as they tap each other. I watch as Jaeger pours the lemonade into the glasses.


     "Strange," Jaeger stares at me, smirk gone. "From what I saw yesterday, I'd say you never stopped."


     With that I look away as if I'd gotten slapped in the face. "You weren't supposed to be there."


     "But I was," he leans over the counter after setting my glass in front of me. 


     I study the glass in front of me, mouth watering at the sight of the lemonade. Lemonade is my favorite.


     "You shouldn't have been."


     Jaeger leans back, eyebrows furrowing, "Why not?"


     Grabbing the cup, I murmur, "You just shouldn't have been."


     After taking a drink of his lemonade, he changes the subject, "Are you going to be doing any sports?"


     "No," I say before taking a drink of my own.


     "Why not?"


     I shrug, "I don't like... Engaging with other players in competition."


     "You dance with other people sometimes."


     I roll my eyes, "That's different."


     Jaeger cocks an eyebrow, "How so?"


     "When you're dancing with another person, you're not.. Competing. You both have to work together while you're dancing or else you'll mess up. You both have to be in sync."


     Which was how you and I danced, stupid, I think to myself. Then I start to wonder how he danced so well.


     "Speaking of which," I stand up, holding my glass in one hand. "How did you dance so well?"


     Jaeger shakes his head, staring intensely at his glass, "I don't know. With you it was just.. Easy."


     It's my turn to cock an eyebrow.


     He furrows his eyebrows, "Like, I had an idea of how to do it, you know? From like TV shows and everything. But with you... It was like riding a bike."


     "Some people can't ride bikes," I shrug.


     "Some people can't dance."


     "But you can," I murmur.


     "Not as well as you, princess."


     When I look up at him, he smirks, "We should get all this frosting washed off."


     I sigh, looking at a strand of dusty pink hair, "I'd have to take a shower." Looking at Jaeger, I see all the frosting in his hair, too. "And so would you."


     He just waves what I said away and grabs my hand, pulling me throw the sliding glass doors, "C'mon."


     When my eyes land on the humongous pool, I panic, "Um, Jaeger.."


     I start to pull back on his hand, trying to get back inside, but he grabs both of my hands, grinning.


     "Jaeger!" Panic is even in my voice. "Jaeger, no!"


     He pulls me to the edge of the pool, "Aw, c'mon, Rue. It's not like you're a cat."


     I instantly sit my butt on the pavement, "Actually--"


     But Jaeger picks me up, and he gets ready to throw me in.


     "No! Jaeger, I can't--"


     I hit the water right when I say 'swim,' but the impact of the water knocks the air out of me, causing me to suck in water. The panic sets in immediately, and I struggle to resurface, but I can't seem to make it up. 


     By now water's in my lungs, making them burn like they're on fire. I open my mouth, maybe to yell for help, but tiny bubbles float out of it. Suddenly the thought of staying down here sounds good, that I might be just fine to stay down here on the bottom of the pool.


     Looking up, I see a blurred image of a person standing next to the pool, but suddenly they're gone. Where'd they go? Why don't they join me down here? It isn't so bad...


     Finally, the burning in my lungs is gone, and the edge of my vision is blurry and black. Suddenly my vision is all black, and sleeping is the next thing on my mind.




Jaeger's POV


     "No! Jaeger, I can't--"


     But I throw her into the pool, laughing. What's so wrong with this? We can just wash the frosting off in the pool, Mom won't care.


     I stand there, looking down into the water. Hurry up, Rue, I don't want to jump on you when I get in.


     But she sits at the bottom of the pool, a smile on her face. What is she doing? 


     She's really good at holding her breath.


     My eyes widen when I notice her arms floating up, and the rest of her sitting. No more bubbles are coming to the surface. She isn't even moving! Her---Are her eyes closed?!


     Ripping my shirt off, I dive into the pool. The water would feel good if it weren't for the terror coursing through my veins. Why didn't she just say she doesn't know how to swim?


     Grabbing her arm, I pull her to me and kick up from the bottom. Breaking surface, I pull her head up, making sure it stays above the water as I rigorously haul her to the side of the pool. 


     Her arms are cold as I pull her out, and panic and desperation attack my insides.


     "Rue!" I yell into her face. Oh God, why didn't she just tell me? "Rue!"


     Pulling her sweatshirt off as quickly and carefully as possible, the thought that I just killed her floods my brain. 


     Did I just---NO! She can't be dead! I have to... CPR! 


     Thirty-two chest compressions, and two breaths is what we learned in P.E. and health.


     After pressing on her chest thirty-two times, I hesitate in front of her mouth. 


     Why am I hesitating! Her life is in danger! 


     At that thought I quickly plug her nose and cover her mouth with mine, pushing air into her lungs. Nothing happens, she doesn't even stir, so I start the chest compressions again.


     C'mon, Rue, don't do this. Wake up, you're okay, C'MON!


     Two more breaths... Nothing happens. My heart drops as I look at her. 


     Her hair is plastered around her face, but her face... Oh her baby-doll face looks almost peaceful, like she really is sleeping. Her eyes are closed, keeping me from seeing those beautiful blue eyes. 


     With a need to see her eyes, and a determination to do so, I start the chest compressions with urgency. Two breaths, thirty-two chest compressions, two breaths. Thirty-two, two. Thirty-two--She suddenly coughs up water, and the relief I feel is nothing like anyone else can imagine.




Rue's POV


     "Rue?"


     I continue coughing, trying to turn over onto my side, but my arms are weak. Finally pushing myself over, I puke up lemonade and water into the pool's gutter, not caring what Jaeger thinks. I continue coughing, by throat burning from stomach acid.


     "Rue?" Jaeger's voice is desperate, his arms rolling me back over. "Rue, are you okay?"


     I nod, but barely at all. My eyes blink repeatedly, and I start shivering.


     Suddenly Jaeger's pulling me up and into him, his shoulders shuddering. My face is pressed into his neck, but I don't care due to the fact that he's positively warm. I can stay here for just about ever.


     But, sadly, Jaeger's body is shaking so much that I'm starting to worry. My ears are ringing horribly, and I can't really hear any small sounds at the moment.


     "Jaeger," I sound like I'm in another room. "Jaeger, look at me."


     Jaeger stiffens and sighs, pulling back. His face is covered with water, his hair dripping with it, too. The only evidence that he's crying is how red his eyes are.


     "Jaeger.." my voice cracks with concern. My whole body is shaking and shivering, and my teeth start chattering.


     He picks me up, standing, and carries me into the house. The ringing in my ears slowly fades until it finally stops, allowing me to hear the incessant clicking noise coming from the walls.


     "What's that noise?" I ask.


     Jaeger looks down at me, his face hard, "Your teeth. Your body temperature is low."


     I press my face back into his chest, trying to clinch my teeth. 


     Jaeger stops walking, and I hear a door sliding open. His body shakes a little as he steps, and the door slides closed. One of his arms lets go of me, and after a few seconds water hits me. 


     I tense up until the heat cuts through my clothes. "A-are w-w-we in the sh-sh--"


     "Shower," Jaeger finishes and sits down with me in his lap. "It's a big shower, you don't have to look around."


     I nod, keeping my face in his chest.


     His hands start rubbing my arms, warming them up almost as much as the water. The smell of hair dye makes me wrinkle my nose, causing me to pull away from Jaeger.


     Black water is rolling down his face, coming from his hair. Looking around, I see that there are three shower heads sending water down to us, the water so hot that mist is in the air.


     "I have to dye my hair once a week," Jaeger blushes. "Otherwise it'll wash out right away. I dye it myself."


     Shakily reaching up to one of the shelves, I grab a blue bottle of men's body wash/shampoo. My tongue sticks out the side of my mouth as I squeeze some onto my hand. I discard the bottle on the floor next to me.


     "No," Jaeger grabs my wrists, my hands covered in the shampoo.


     "P-Please... I--Please.." I blush, looking at his hands to his face.


     Looking back at me, he gently lets go of my wrists and nods. He leans his head down so I can wash the dye out, his face close to mine. I pretend to be more interested in his hair than his face.


     The supposed-to-be-white suds are black, grey, and blue. My fingers gently scrub through his hair, determined to get every hair stripped of dye. When I finish I nod, and he leans his face so close to mine I lean back, thinking he's trying to kiss me. But he's only ducking his head under the water, using his own hands to wash the dye out.


     "It's cheap dye," he explains after ridding his head of soap suds. He leans back against the wall again, watching me with thoughtful eyes.


     I lean into him, tired. "Good," I whisper.


     "Hey," Jaeger whispers back, poking my side lightly. "It's my turn to wash your hair."


     I grimace, but nod, "Just try not to get a bunch of soap in my clothes."


     Jaeger chuckles, "You're gonna have to wash them anyway, Rue."


     "Shut up, Jaeger," I shoot weakly, closing my eyes.


     "How can I wash your hair if you're going to fall asleep?"


     "Figure it out yourself," I joke, then sigh. "I'll stay awake, but I don't wanna move."


     He laughs again, "That's fine."


     He reaches above his head, grabbing a bottle. I can hear it squeeze onto his palm, and he splats it into my hair.


     "Come here," Jaeger gently grabs my sides and sets me against the wall. "This'll be easier," he explains.


     I nod and close my eyes, wishing to just sleep. Suds run down my face, so I close my mouth before soap can get into it. The shampoo smells delicious; like mandarin oranges and peaches.


     "I have to pick up my little sister at three thirty," I state halfheartedly.


     "From where?" Jaeger asks, his fingers working the soap into my hair.


     "Teddy Bear Daycare."


     "I'll pick her up while you sleep."


     "They won't let you unless I'm there."


     Jaeger sighs, "You can sleep until we have to go. Put your head under the water."


     "My neck hurts," I complain, voice just a croak. 


     He pulls me to him and under the water. My eyes stay closed as he scrubs the suds out with one hand, the other holding me up at my back. I drift off for a few seconds laying there.


     "Hey," Jaeger says quietly, gently shaking me. "Can you stand?"


     "Maybe," I mumble.


     He chuckles, "I'll take that as a no. I think the maid is on her launch break, so she won't be able to help you..."


     "With what?" My eyes are still closed.


     "Rue..." Jaeger stands up, pulling me up with him. "You have to take your clothes off."


     "What?" My eyes shoot open.


     Jaeger's cheeks redden, "You have to get into something dry, otherwise your temp will drop again. I have clothes you can wear, but you have to take your shirt and pants off."


     I can't even think of blushing, "What about my bra and underwear?"


     Jaeger looks away, embarrassed, "I have a stand up body-drier."


     "I can't stand on my own," I blush this time.


     Jaeger looks at me, mouth hard, "Look, I swear I'm not trying to get you out of your clothes, okay? You need to get into something warm, though. I'll wear a blindfold if you really don't want me to see you, alright?"


     "I believe you," I say honestly. When I look down at his jeans, they're soaked--obviously--and sticking to his legs. "You should go change, first."


     Jaeger opens the door and pulls me to a closet. He reaches in and pulls out a big fluffy towel, then wraps me in it.


     "Just sit here until I come back, okay?" Jaeger sits me down on a round footrest-thingy. "Try not to fall off," he offers a smile.


     "Shouldn't I... I don't know, get out of my wet clothes?" Another blush for both of us.


     "Keep your bra and underwear on," he says before walking out of the bathroom with hit own towel, closing the door behind him.


     I strip out of my shirt and jeans, tossing them into one of the pedestal sinks a few feet away.


     Jaeger comes in with sweat pants and a cutoff shirt on, tossing his own wet clothes into the other sink.


     His face is blank as he helps me up and leads me to this tall metal thing in the corner.


     "Just step in there," he instructs. "It should turn on as soon as you step in. Don't worry, my eyes are closed."


     I look at him, towel still wrapped around me. "Will you make sure I won't fall?"


     "I've got you, I promise."


     I drop my towel, and he closes his eyes after stiffly holding onto my waist. He's right. As soon as I step in the fans turn on, air blow drying my skin and clothes. After about five minutes of that, Jaeger helps me out and to his room, not looking at me.


     I gain more respect for him.


     I'm so out of it, I can't even tell you what his room looks like. My eyes are blurry and my whole body is tired.


     "Jaeger, I'm tired," I complain.


     "I know," he says softly, sitting me on his bed. "Put your arms up."


     I weakly do as he says, and a shirt--a large shirt--is put on me. It smells just like him. I crawl under the covers and lay my head on his pillow.


     "You're gonna have to stand--"


     Jaeger stops when he sees me, I suppose.


     "Nevermind," his voice sounds satisfied.


     I fall asleep in a stranger's bed.

[Chapter 4; Part One: Not Quite the Most Fortunate]

     I sit up, gasping and crying. Olivia shifts above me as I hiccup, so I go out to the hallway and sit against the wall, crying into my knees. Why am I crying? I don't know, I don't even remember the nightmare. All I know is that it was horrible.

     My side aches as I hiccup and shudder, but I don't care. You know that feeling you get when you fall in a dream? The one that makes you feel like you have a hole in your chest and not your stomach? Mmyeah, I have that times a thousand.

     At some point Tate comes out of his room, looking concerned with tired eyes. He holds his arms out, standing in front of me, but I shake my head.

     "Rue..." He sits down and hesitates with his right arm, so I lean into him, crying silently. His arm slowly wraps around me, providing comfort and safety. "Shh... It's okay, Rue."

     I nod, but still cry into his shirt. "Why did you help us?" I whisper.

     "You needed it. You still do. Just for one more year until you're eighteen..."

     I look up at him, sniffling, "I have to ask you a favor, Tate.."

     Tate looks down, eyes as thoughtful as ever, "Anything."

     "Will you... Will you adopt Olivia?"

     He's surprised, "What?"

     I look down, "I.. I want to get a steady job before I take her in.. I don't want anything to happen and get her taken away from me.."

     After a few seconds, he nods, "Okay. I won't adopt her, but I'll take care of her."

     I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I hug him. "Thank you so much."

     "But..." I look up at him as he speaks. "You're gonna owe me." A smile is on his face, so I know it won't be anything bad.

     "Anything."

     "A--"

     "Don't tell me tonight," I cut him off quickly. "I want to be able to sleep and not worry about how I'll pay you back."

     He chuckles and carries me to the couch, laying me down and sitting on the floor with his back against it.

     "Oh, trust me, Rue. It doesn't involve money."

     When I wake up, the sun's filling the living room, announcing that it's around ten in the morning.

     "TATE!" I scream and bolt off the couch into his room. 

     "What?" He glances up at me from his computer screen.

     "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" My hands are firmly on my hips.

     Tate only smirks, "It was about three in the morning when you woke up, and you didn't get to sleep until around four. There's an early out today, so I'm sure it'll be okay if you skip today."

     "It's only my third day of school!"

     "Do you want to go to school for two hours?"

     "Actually." I jut out my chin. "I do."

     "Hurry up, then." He glances at his watch. "It's 9:30, and it'll take about ten minutes to get there. You have ten minutes to get ready, or you aren't going. I have to go to work today."

     Tate is a physician's assistant at the regional hospital the next town over, and it takes about a half hour to get there. He likes to be about a half hour early when he gets there so he can flirt with the female nurses.. 

     I run to my room and throw open the closet door. I'm not satisfied until my eyes land on my Hollywood Undead shirt, and a plain grey hoodie. Tossing on my torso articles, I settle on my Dollhouse jeans and my Converse. My makeup is simple and I throw my hair up into a ponytail. 

     "Tate! Let's go!" I grab his keys off the table and a yogurt from the fridge.

     After about a minute waiting by the door, he finally follows me out to the Jeep, going on about how unnecessary this is.

     "Shut your mouth," I finally say nonchalantly, getting into the passenger side. "Why did you take Olivia to pre-school and not me to the high school?"

     "You needed the sleep," he says simple and pulls out of the parking lot.

     "Where did you sleep?" A lone string sticks out of the seam on my jeans, so I pull it out.

     "Against the couch," he informs me as he takes a right.

     My head automatically snaps towards him, "What?"

     "Against the--"

     "No," I hold up a hand slightly. "I heard what you said. Why?"

     "You kept saying something about not wanting to be alone, so I stayed there." 

     "You didn't have to," I say quietly.

     "Actually," Tate clears his throat as he pulls up to the school. "When I tried to go back to bed you grabbed my hand and begged for me to stay," a smirk is played on his lips.

     A blush occupies my cheeks, so I open the door. "Thanks for the ride," I say quietly and shut the door behind me.

     He honks once and drives away, leaving me to this enormous school.

     What was I thinking? Just yesterday I didn't want to be here, and now I'm dieing to get back? What's the sudden change?

     Was it... Was it what happened after school yesterday?

     I shake the thought away quickly and make my way up to the front door. 

     "Why are you blushing?" A voice comes from behind me.

     When I turn around, I see Stephanie stalking towards me in black heeled boots. Why was she jsut arriving?

     "I'm not," I lie and open the door.

     Oh, but she's tailing me like a hawk. "Yes, you are. I have eyes, stupid."

     I shrug, trying to ditch her as we walk through the crowded commons.

     "Why are you blushing?" She raises her voice. "'Cause if it's because of Jaeger, he doesn't like you."

     "Oh?" I swing around, causing her to nearly run into me. "Did he tell you himself?"

     Stephanie shrugs, "He doesn't like anybody. He's a player, and you're just his new game."

     "Ha," I turn around and head towards the office. "Great story."

     "You don't really think he likes you, do you?"

     I stop, thinking. People brush past me, some going to get drinks, or go to the bathroom, I suppose. Of course he doesn't like me. Why would he? But... then again... Why did he dance with me? I didn't mean to dance with him.. Not like that.

     He wasn't even supposed to be there! I should have known he was following me! I didn't even hear him come in! But... But why would he dance with me likethat? I don't even know what had come over me... It was like I was taking my anger out by dancing.

     "Of course not," I mutter and slip into the office.

     Ms. Hattie looks up from her computer, "Yes?"

     I pick at the sleeve of my sweatshirt, "Um, yeah, could I have a late pass please?"

     "Sign in first," she sighs. What, is she disappointed?

     I look around the counter before finding a small battered clipboard with a sign-in sheet attached. The first sheet is filled out, I notice when I grab it, so I flip it up to only find the second one filled out too. The third one has one slot left, so I quickly scribble my name into it, the time on the clock, and my reason for being late.

     After I set the clipboard down, Ms. Hattie asks me what class I'm going to.

     "Um," I rack my brain, staring at the clock. The time is 9:57. Third period didn't start until around 10:30. "Anatomy."

     Ms. Hattie scribbles on a pass slip and hands it to me.

     As I walk out the door, Stephanie is waiting outside, shooting me daggers before going in to get a pass herself.

     WELL, I think. I'm obviously her favorite person.

     Slowly trudging to my locker, the thought of seeing Jaeger creeps into my mind. Butterflies suddenly settle themselves into my stomach, but suddenly they're all shot down by a Stephanie-bug inside of me.

     Why should I be excited? All we did was dance. He didn't like me, Stephanie made that perfectly clear.

     After walking upstairs and all the way to the other side of the school, I reach Mr. Deeds' room. Yeah, I know, my first thought was, "The rich dude is a teacher?" But no, this guy is clinically insane and old.

     The door creeks wretchedly as I open it, causing the whole class to swing their heads over to me from their lab tables. A blush settles on my face as I hand Mr. Deeds my slip. He shoots daggers at me too, and fear arrives until he smiles and shoos me over to my lab partners' table.

     Ironically, Warren and Jaeger are my partners, considering they both ran up to me and asked to be my partners while everyone else stared. Amy Pritchard look disappointed... Along with every other girl in the class.

     I set my bag on the floor next to my assigned desk and quietly make my way over to Jaeger and Warren.

     "Hey," Warren nudges Jaeger, and Jaeger snaps his head up to me.

     "I knew you'd show up," he grins, holding out a pair of goggles to me.

     "Thanks," I say quietly before slipping the goggles on. Right now everybody is in the process of dissecting snacks, but ours looks more like roadkill.

     "What did you guys do to it?" I gape at the chopped up creature in front of me. Using the blunt side of the knife, I poke the body. "You completely massacred it," I accuse.

     Warren and Jaeger slap palms, which makes a reallyloud clap, and everyone's staring at me again. Why me?! What did I do?!

     "You guys, stop it," I shoot and look over the paper Warren'd slid over to me.

     "You guys didn't even answer any of these."

     Warren shrugs while Jaeger slides on the table next to me, nudging my side, "Where were you this morning?"

     Should I tell him about last night/this morning? Nah, that can wait for another time.

     "Slept in," I mutter while filling out the questions.

      Jaeger smirks, "Not a great way to start school, kiddo."

     "Shut up," I frown, but a small smile tugs the corners of my lips.

     He chuckles, "What are you... What are you doing after school today?"

     I look up to find him studying the paper, but when I look up, he does too. His piercing green eyes search mine, but I avert my gaze back to the paper, a blush settling on my cheeks.

     "Not what I did yesterday, if you're wondering," I quietly inform.

     A short pause, "Why not?" His voice is quiet and curious, not like the annoying, prying voice from yesterday.

     "I--"

     "What are you guys talking about?" Warren asks, suddenly across from me, totally butting into my personal space.

     I back up, "Nothing."

     Warren looks up at Jaeger for information, but Jaeger only shrugs. I sneak a grateful look at him when Warren looks away.

     He smiles in return and whispers in my ear as he walks around me, "It's okay, it's our little secret."

     I smile, nodding and whisper back as he pushes Warren further down the table, "Thanks."

     He winks, leaning over the table on his elbows. Oh yes, I'm fully aware of how close we are, but I'm not sure if I care yet..

     "So, later--"

     The bell cuts him off, so I slide the snake away from me, unsure what to do with it.

     Jaeger's right behind me as I pick up my bag and make my way to the door, "Later--"

     "Rue!" Warren screams, so I turn around and duck right before a mauled snake hits me in the face.

     I stand back up, looking from the snake to Warren several times, "What the hell?!"

     Warren slaps me on the back, "You have better reflexes than I expected."

     "You're an ass," I mutter.

     Somebody grabs my hand, pulling me out the door. When I pull my bangs away from my face I find Jaeger attached to me, dragging me through the hallway.

     "Jaeger," I pull my hand from his, stopping in the middle of the hallway. People shove past me, almost sending me to the floor.

     But Jaeger catches me, smirking, "Come on." And he continues to drag me through the hallway to the Family Consumer Science room.

     I dig my heels into the tile, pulling on his hand.

     But he keeps tugging me, "You are so slow!"

     Of course, me being me, I let go and laugh... Which only causes me to fall onto my butt. Right in front of Jaeger, the cute, dark, and sensitive boy. I instantly blush and stop laughing.

     But he rolls his eyes, exaggerating, and pulls me up, smiling. "You know, for a dancer, I figured you'd have better body balance."

     I stick my tongue out and enter the classroom just as the bell rings. 

     Jaeger follows me, chuckling, and I can't help but to do the same.

     "Alright, guys," Mrs. Tague says, standing up. She's a little on the larger side, but she has a great attitude and doesn't constantly scold us. "Today we're going to be making fall sugar cookies."

     Everybody cheers, but I sit, listening.

     Mrs. Tague points over the the large counter where we all get our supplies, "Ingredients for the cookie dough and frosting are over there. You can also choose leaf-shaped cookie cutters, or use any of the others."

     Jaeger turns around--he sits in front of me--and wiggles his eyebrows, a grin on his face, "Kitchen partners?"

     "Aren't we already?" I joke and follow everybody else's example as they hop out of their chairs.

     He playfully punches my arm, but not too hard, "Of course!"

     Warren takes a while picking out cookie cutters, and he reminds me of a little kid with the frustrated look on his face.

     Jaeger's making the frosting while I'm stuck mixing the ingredients for the dough, not to mention kneading it. After I flatten it all out, Warren finally comes over with leaf, star, triangle, and square cookie cutters and carefully, and I mean carefully, places the cookie cutters on the dough. Then, sticking his tongue out, he forcefully slams the cutters into the dough.


     After exchanging glances with Jaeger, we both burst out laughing, causing the other kitchens to murmur and gossip about us. For once, though, I could give a damn. I was enjoying myself.


     "Rue," Jaeger stands to my right side while I pull the cookie cutters off the counter and pop the dough out onto a cookie sheet.


     "Yeah?" I concentrate on fitting them on the sheet while making sure I have room for about six more.
   
     "Look up."


     "One sec," I postpone, kneading the dough again and flatting it for Warren.


     "Rue!"
  
     "What?" I swing in his direction only to get a spoonful of frosting on my face.


     I stand there, my face all crunched up, eyes squeezed shut while the guys laugh. He did not. 


     I scoop some of it off with my finger and try it, "Tastes good, Jaeger." Then I scoop almost the rest of it off with my hand, "Wanna try some?"


     But, of course Jaeger was too busy talking to Warren, so I took the chance and smeared frosting all over his face.


     Jaeger gasps, while Warren starts laughing louder than he did before, pointing at Jaeger's face.


     All of the other groups look too, and join Warren in laughter.


     Jaeger, blinking, looks up at me, "Oh, you are so going to get it."


     With a horrified look on my face, I almost scramble to get away from Jaeger. But, much to my dismay, he grabs me and presses his cheek to mine, smearing the frosting all over the right side of my face and into my hair.


     Mrs. Tague walks over while Jaeger is busy covering my face with frosting and stands in front of us, "You guys, what are you doing?"


     Jaeger stops, and I stop laughing, and we both look up at her. Suddenly, I'm very aware of his arms around me. He stands behind me, his arms wrapped carefully around my stomach.


     "Uhh..." Is all I can say, obviously blushing like a mad woman.


     "I was just trying to get her to try the frosting," Jaeger says confidently.


     The teacher shakes her head and rubs her temples, "Just..." She sighs audibly. "Just go to the office. You both have a detention."


     "For what?" Jaeger asks.


     "For... For making a mess! I don't know," Mrs. Tague walks around the corner and drops into her chair.


     Slowly, I notice, Jaeger lets go of me. Warren hands us both wet paper towels, and we quickly try to clean our faces before we trudge out the door.


     "Thanks," I say sarcastically, lightly pushing Jaeger into a locker.


     "If I'd known you wanted frosting on your face that badly, I would've done it sooner," he smirks, pink frosting still covering most of his face.


     "Shut up," I push him again, but this time he grabs my arm to keep his balance. I quickly pull my arm from his grasp. "I meant thanks for the detention. Third day here and I get a freaking detention."


     Jaeger grabs his chest, looking shocked, "Don't use that language with me, missy."


     I roll my eyes and open the office door, "Of all colors, why did you pick pink?"