There Once Was a Rivalry.

Part 8: This Means War

Natalia Parker:

"I have study hall until I find "my place" within a club or something like that." I turn around, letting her lead the way. Was she joking about the earlier comment? Or was she trying to hit on me or something?

"Oh, well, tell Cassis I won't be able to meet, I already have plans for after school." Plans that involve me going to work.

As we reached the changeroom next to the dance studio, I watch girl stretch through the windows of the door. I miss my studio. Here, you have to be invited to the dance tryouts by a member. "Maybe tomorrow morning, I could tutor. I get here early."

Arizona :

I laugh. "Your place. Hah. Good luck finding your place. Not a lot of us are exactly thrilled about the merge." Cassis, I know, was not. For me, however, it's a change of scenery.

To the tutoring, I respond, "I'll go ahead and agree for her. She's always here in the mornings. Plus..." I add, a little quieter as we approach the doors, "..she really does need help with it. She tried hiring a tutor, but she just wasn't comfortable." Stopping in front of the door to the studio, I peek in through the window at my best friend stretching and pacing, probably running over the routines in her pretty blonde head. "She won't ask Hailey, either. Anything else, she would, but she's kind of sensitive about what people think of her math skills."

I return my eyes to the brunette with a smile. "Speaking of the twirp... If you get bored of staring at the doodles on your desk, stop by the Leadership Office and she'll put you to work like a good little minion."

Natalia Parker:

Leaving Arizona, I head to study hall, finishing the next assignment for Anatomy. I begin to make flashcards for studying. When the bell rings, I leave the study room, heading outside to the big oak tree.

No one is outside by the time I get there besides Liam. I grin, throwing myself in his arms, reaching for a kiss. We talk aimlessly about our classes as people begin to file out of the school. Slowly, a crowd forms itself around a bright yellow car. Liam and I get closer for a look.

Biance Derange and her bitch crew look at the Camaro with smirks, their signature keyed into the yellow paint.

Arizona :

After showering, yet again, Cassis and I skip down the hallways, smelling like girls, again. Intending to go shopping together, we burst through the front doors, laughing. She wears sweatpants and a fitted blue shirt, her hair in damp, golden twirls. My hair is dried, my short black dress making it seem a lighter brown.

Seeing the crowd of people around her Camaro, we approach, thinking it's just a bunch of poor kids drooling over something they can't afford. However, that theory is incredibly wrong, as we realize.

Cassis freaks the fuck out.

"Which of you bloody Jemmies did it?" she demands angrily, her British accent taking over. She looks around at all of them, her eyes settling on a Jones girl. Her icy eyes narrow at the curly-haired one with the bad attitude about her, and then a fist is slammed into the Red Skirter's face.

Natalia Parker:

Cassis punches the girl in the face. Damn, Bianca is going to beat her to a pulp.

Throwing a punch of her own, Bianca hits Cassis in the stomach . She pushes her against the Camaro. Taking a hold of her hair, she puts Cassis' face to the car. "Don't mess with me, little bitch-ass cunt." She spits next to Cassis' face, then pulls the sweatpants and the lacey panties down, showing off Cassis' round ass.

My eyes, widen. "Liam, go help." I push him forward as some people pull their cameras and camera phones out.

Liam takes off his leather jacket, pushing Bianca away as she holds a smug grin. He covers her before any pictures can be taken.

The crowd starts to disperse when someone yells that the headmaster is coming forth.

Cassis James:

She catches me off guard when her fist collides with my stomach, rendering me breathless as I double over. Next thing I know, my face is pressed up against my own car, and my bottoms are being yanked down.

And then she's off of me. Pulling my underwear and pants back up hurriedly, my face heats in embarrassment and anger. Turning, I find a tall, dark-haired boy in between the trash girl and me, protecting me. My anger soon overcomes my embarrassment, and I slip around the guy to have another go at her.

Arizona, however, catches me around the waist and torso, holding me back.

"Fucking trash-ass whore!" I snarl at the unnamed girl, flailing, trying to get at her. Nobody touches my baby. Ever.

"Enough!" shouts the Headmaster as he approaches. I finally stop my flailing, glaring angrily at the girl. At least I bloodied her stuck up nose. Headmaster Adams looks down his nose at us all, displeased. His eyes settle upon Parker - Oh, lovely, a witness to my ass - and he demands sternly, "You. What happened."

Natalia Parker:

Everyone's attention turns on me and my face darkens.

No. Why me?

Biting my lip, I watch as the Jones' all stare at me expectantly and the St. Andrews' mumble that it will be all pinned on Cassis. I take a deep breath, looking at the headmaster.

"Bianca keyed the car. Cassis confronted her. Biance punched her in the stomach, then pinned her to the car." I leave out the punch Cassis through and about her being pantless.

Cassis James:

I'm not worried about being punished, exactly; my father is, after all, the highest-paying funder of the school. But, it surprises me when Parker pretty much takes my side, leaving out my part in the fight. I look at her, still bound by Arizona's deceivingly strong arms, brows furrowed in confusion. Why would she choose me over her people? The other St. Andrews students stare at her in shock, probably wondering the same thing.

The Headmaster takes a look at the girl's face, examining the blood running from her nose, then looks up at the tall boy who protected me. "And what do you have to do with any of it?" he asks the boy, probably thinking he hit the girl, Bianca.

I shrug out of my friend's grasp, deciding to return the favour. "He's not a part of this, sir. He only pulled us apart." And basically saved me from having my ass on everyone's phones.

Headmaster Adams looks from the boy's face to Bianca's, pondering. Finally, he decides, "Normally, I would have the student responsible for the vandalism cover the cost of repair, but I do not find that to be quite feasible in this situation. Miss James, you will pay for your own automotive services as punishment for engaging in violent behaviour on school property. Miss... Derange, I think you will find a graffitied window at the back of the school building that needs cleaning. You will be cleaning it for an hour every day after school until it is spotless." With that, he turns and walks right back up the steps to the school.

I look back at my car. My baby. My poor, poor baby.

Natalia Parker:

As the crowd dwindles, the voices of Jones' students still echo in my head. She turned on us? What, is she trying to suck up? I groan, putting my face in my hands. SIghing, I take a few steps towards the car to reach my boyfriend.

"Liam Butler." I grin, "A hero." I give him a kiss, saying goodbye as I head off to the showers to get ready for work.

Cassis James:

Arizona and I  both look at Liam with odd expressions. "Butler?"

"As in, related to Charlie Butler?"

"As in my boyfriend's brother?" I kind of just stare at the boy, trying to see the resemblance. "Right. Well. Thank you, erm... Liam. Butler."

"That's so weird," says Arizona, reaching up to turn the guy's face in wonder.