"The Peloponnesian War was actually three wars. Fought between Athens and Spartans," Strickler said as he clicked his pen together, and started heading down between a row of desks. "The first war is known as the Archimedean War. Type that into your search engines. A-R-C-H-I-M-E-D-E-A-N."
You put a hand to your forehead, rubbing it slowly as you typed it into your web page, while glancing over next to Jim and Toby. Only to see him gazing at Claire and you.
Toby being the oh so observant one, looked between the three of us. He waved a hand in front of Jim's face but didn't get a response out of him.
Toby sighs, "Really?" Claire looks up and meets Jim's eyes and then quickly takes a glance at yours before turning back to her computer. "Close your mouth. You're drooling," Toby continued as he made a motion with his hands going up and down under his chin, then slightly glaring at him.
"No. No, I'm not," Toby turns back to his computer, and Jim looks down to Toby's computer. You glance over their shoulder to see the screen. "What are you doing?"
"Research," Toby replies as he continues typing on his computer.
"Hey, look up 'talking amulet.'" Jim says with his hand still on his face.
You already knew this scene and immediately knew what date it was, but you decided to act confused. "Why talk about amulets?" You whispered to them.
"When we took to the canals, I heard a voice say my full name without the jr. at the end." Jim replies in a whisper to you.
"Then I am guessing you found an amulet, that you think is the source of it?" You concluded.
Jim nodded in response, and turned back to Toby to see what he found.
"I already did that. All I got was toys. One of them was a plushie," Toby backed up from the computer as a plushie squeaks.
You look to Jim to see Mr.Strickler right behind Jim, oh you were gonna enjoy this.
"Jim, would you agree?" Strickler said as he pulled his pen back out his suit.
"Sir?" Jim turned around slightly surprised.
Strickler explained, "With Herodotus' opinion on his tactics of war, as I've described," as he clicked his pen looking down on Jim.
"Oh, uh," Jim turns to Toby but all Toby deos is whistles pretending he just wasn't talking to Jim. "Absolutely." He continues as he turns back to Stickler.
Strickler slightly smirks, "Excellent. Which tactics, specifically?" As he raises his eyebrows, looking at Jim's face.
"The, uh...." Jim looks slightly stumped. "Winning ones?" The class then laughs at his answer, Toby just slightly shakes his head. Just then the school bell rang, you yourself hoping Strickler wouldn't ask you to stay with Jim and himself as you packed your stuff up.
"All right, allight. Don't forget, Michaelson, chapters four and five." Sticker called out to everybody. He turns to Jim and I, "Jim, Y/n, may I have a word?" Your eyes widened, you had a feeling you were going to be pulled into this no matter what you did.
"Oh," Jim knocked his bag over and his stuff spilled out on the floor. You and Strickler went to help him pick his things up.
"Jim, you're distracted. You fell asleep between the invasion of Attica and the Peace of Nicias, and your attention wandered for the rest of the class." Stickler said as he handed Jim one of his books with you holding his bag open for him. "Y/n, you also seem to be distracted and not seem like your usual self. Your tense and didn't answer at all unlike your usual self,"
Jim slightly smiled at you and nodded his head as a slight thank you, and answered Strickler. "Sorry. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"I don't remember much due to whatever happened despite me being out of the hospital now," you said as you stood up putting your bag over your shoulder.
"I know it's just you and your mother and you want to help her. Along with you Y/n how your staying with Jim while your parents are away for who knows how long now,"
"She's just really tired, Mr.Stickler." As he looked up to meet Strickler's gaze, "She's been working double shifts at the clinic, just to support the three of us."
Strickler turned around and pulled out a pad of sticky notes and wrote his number on it, "I believe I'm overdue for a conversation with her." He rips the sticky note off of the pad and hands the sticky to Jim. "Have her call me, please."
Jim looks unsure but takes it anyway, "Uh.."
"And feel free to drop by my office you two if you ever need to talk about anything,"
"Yeah, I'll do that," Jim replies as he puts the note in his bag.
"Oh, and, Jim, if you fancy Miss Nunez, I submit that talking to will be much more effective than staring at." As he tapped Jim's head with his book, and gave it to him.
Strickler then turned to you, "Y/n, if you ever need to go over some lessons again that were in the past that you don't remember feel free to drop by," You nodded your head eyes widening in fear as you saw a tall green troll with gray and white hair and horns you blinked and it was gone. You then quickly started following Jim out the door as the school bell rang right after saying thank you.
Loud grunting can be heard as Toby was straining to climb up a rope,"Hang on, almost there!'' Toby looks out small cries of pain. "So close, so close!" He cried out as he threw his head back in frustration.
"Come on Tobes! You've got this!" Jim said to try and cheer Toby up as he stood on the ground behind Toby with a smile on his face with pure determination.
You let out a small chuckle as you were hanging out at the top of the rope right next to them, as Toby was not even a foot up the rope from where the bottom of the rope is to where his feet are. You looked around the rest of the gym to see what everyone else was doing.
Most were just doing their normal gym activities they were assigned to, although Claire can be seen by the bleachers handing Steve a poster which you can only guess is the audition flier for Romeo and Juliet.
You looked back down, and quickly slid down the rope after hitting the bell. Landing on your feet you walked next to Jim and put a hand on your hip.
Toby lets out a small cry of surprise as he loses his grip and starts dangling upside down with the rope tangled on one of his feet.
Coach immediately came over, "What is that on my rope?" pulling out a pen and clicking it at the end of his sentence, while Toby let out groans and slight pain. "Every student here should be able to climb this rope and ring that bell," as he grabs the rope and points to the bell. "I want all of you to be made of Iron. Iron! You have got to be kidding me, why can't any of you do stuff like Y/n!"
You shake your head at them, and turn to see Jim looking towards Claire and her friends. Claire laughed at whatever was playing on her phone.
"You or the rope!" Coach said to Toby with his arms behind his back.
Jim took a deep breath, and started walking towards the group. You decided to follow him, and see where this goes and try to save his butt from humiliation but no guarantees.
"Buenas noches," Jim said to the group of girls but mostly to Claire while waving. You were standing right behind Jim with arms crossed in front of you.
Jim folded his hands in front of his chest, and Darcy gave a what is he doing here look.
Claire gave him a look, "You speak Spanish?" The girl with the glasses coughed.
Jim looked lost for words, "Um...Um..." Darcy stood up, "Uh..."
Darcy crossed her arms, "Come on, Claire."
Jim reached his hand out to try to say something, "Uh..." Claire gave him a sad look and nodded at me to acknowledge you were there. The bell rang and the girls started giggling as they left. Claire started to turn away and go with the girls but stopped and turned back to Jim and you.
"Do you like Shakespeare?"
"What?" Jim was given a confused look.
Claire repeated herself, "Do you like Shakespeare?"
"Shakespeare?" Jim stated as a question more than a statement.
"The school play," Claire handed You and Jim a flier. "We're having trouble getting boys to audition."
Jim looked down at the flier in confusion then saw that it was Romeo and Juliet, eyes widening in realization. "Uh, Oh!" Claire pulled a strand of her hair back behind her ear.
"Hasta huevo," Jim said and gave a look of defeat. You chuckled and patted Jim's back.
"You did good, at least you tried." You said to Jim, giving him a smile. Jim's cheeks turned slightly red, although you didn't see it since your eyes were closed and you were walking over to Toby to help him get out of his sticky situation.
"It's like a flabby pinata, and I'm pretty sure you're filled with candy!"
You, Toby, and Jim were now outside on a table packing up a few things before the three of you left for home.
"You talked to her?" Toby asked in disbelief.
"Yep, Y/n was there with me when I did," Jim replied and shrugged his shoulders. Toby grunted as he reached down to take something off but leaned back too far and fell onto the ground.
"Like, actually spoke to her? Not just, you know, in our head?" Jim slightly smiled at Toby and pulled his bag up onto the top of the table and pulled out the amulet.
"He unleashed his Espanol on her," You said to Toby, as you looked at the amulet that was in Jim's hands.
"Oh, no, You should totally do it," Toby said as he sat back up.
"What? The play? I'm not an actor," Jim said, denying Toby's suggestion.
"Come on, You're always saying how you want your life to be more exciting. Right?"
"He's got a point Jim," You say as you put your bag on your back.
"I don't think Romeo and Juliet is exactly the answer, Tobes." Jim said as he stood up and started to leave the table with you following him, "I don't mean just, you know, exciting. I mean...more." He started leaning on the school's brick wall. "I just need to know that there's something more to life than highschool." Jim stopped as he heard a locker door clatter inside the boys locker room and went to check it out.
"Something more?" Toby asked.
You shook your head and went to grab yours and their bikes. Jim went inside the boys locker room and looked over to where the showers were, water was rushing or running in it. Steam pouring out of the room.
"Hello?" Jim called out as he creeped towards the shower area. "Anybody in there? Hello?" When Jim turned and looked in the room he saw nothing but steam, although if you looked close enough at one point a fast figure could be seen at one point running across in the back of the room.
"Got One!" Toby yelled out, making Jim let out a gasp of surprise. "Whoo-hoo! Finally!" Letting out a celebrating sound. "Success, success." Jim left the shower room area, but a tall figure could now be seen through the thick steam.
"So, good news, dude's. Mr orthodontist says I'm almost done with my braces. Only four more years." Toby smiled.
"That is great, at least you will get them off when you leave highschool," You said to him as you pulled your bike along in between the two boys.
You looked over to the side, to see Jim looking at Steve and his two buddies slam Eli into the locker and shutting the door closed.
"Okay, nothing to see here," Toby explained in a nervous voice.
"We can't just let him do that," Jim turned towards them with a look of determination on his face.
"Oh, yes, we can." Toby looked forward with a slight scared face, "If Psycho Steve's terrorizing him, he's not terrorizing us." Toby looked back towards Jim and I. "Jim? Y/n? Jim! Y/N! Oh, no." Toby growled to himself realizing what we were going to do.
"Tell me again, dweeb-face. Tell me about the creatures and maybe I'll let you out!" Steve said as he pushed his hands against the lockers and said it with a smirk on his face.
"Or you can let him out right now. I mean, you know, it would be nice," Jim said, trying to help. You decided to step in.
"He has a point."
"Nice would be you two, minding your own business," Steve said, pointing his finger at us.
"It isn't nice to point out, you know, manners," You growled slightly.
"Oh, hi, Jim, Y/n." Steve ran his elbow into the locker to get Eli to shut up.
"So, where were we? Um.. Oh, yeah, okay." As Steve had a lightbulb turn on in his brain, "You were telling me about the monsters you saw this morning, with fangs and... What was it, again?" Steve hit the locker one more time.
"Stone for skin! In the canal!" Eli cried out with slight desperation to get out of the locker.
"Stone for skin? Man, Eli, you've got some imagination." Steve chuckles at the end, the two boys still crossing their arms following their leader. Jim and you put your bikes down.
"Look, Steve, seriously, just let him out," Jim said in the politest tone he could muster. Steve growled and walked over to Jim grabbing his collar and pulling Jim towards him with an angry look on his face.
"Or you'll do what?" Steve asked in a threatening tone as he brought his fist up to his face. Jim had a panicked look on his face.
"Okay, do it. Punch me," As a surge of bravery rushed through his veins, and Jim came close to Steve's face. Toby let out a worried gasp as he worked his way through the crowd.
"You...you're asking for a beating?" Steve brought his fist down and chuckled in slight disbelief.
"Yeah. Just go crazy," Jim said right in his face.
You growled slightly eye's flashing dangerously, "You punch him you'll then have to go through me," narrowing your eyes at them. Steve visablily flinched, ignoring you as you took a step forward to solidify your warning.
Jim continued, "In twenty years, you're gonna be fat and bald and you'll be working in a muffler shop, and Eli will have a career in software and he'll be a billionaire.
"I do like computers!" Eli called out from inside the locker, Steve glared at Eli and looked back at Jim glaring at him with Jim glaring right back.
"Let him out." Toby said, and started chanting, "Let him out! Let him out! Let him out!" With every time he said more kids jumped in and started chanting with him.
Steve looked around seemingly getting angrier and angrier with every chant seeming to about to go for the punch, with Jim preparing himself from the impact of the punch.
A door slams open, Steve immediately lets go of Jim, "Palchuk, what's going on here?" Coach yells at them, most likely coming out here since he heard all the commotion.
"Uh, nothing sir," Steve replies, rubbing the back of his head slightly.
"Why aren't you at practice?"
"I was helping Eli, here." Steve opens the locker door to relieve Eli in the locker cramped up with all of his stuff in there.
"Hey, guys!"
"He was stuck," He had a smile on his face, talking about a two-faced person.
"On the double!Now!" Steve gripped the locker and slammed it shut again.
"Friday, at noon. You and me." Steve growled into Jim's ear. "Tick-tock, tick."
You walked over to the locker and opened the locker door, with Eli falling out of it and letting out a slight scream. "Thank you!" You shake your head and grab your bike and head out for the road with Jim and Toby behind you. It was a slight sunset, and you were thinking about how to get some information about what you did here, you could only guess it was very similar to your real life. You weren't paying attention though, as you were now in the middle of the road riding your bike.
"Y/n! Look out!" Cried out Jim, you jumped and looked to the side, eyes widening in surprise. As you almost breaked to try to defend yourself from the incoming car, you felt a tingly sensation in your fingertips that traveled down through your veins and up your arms.
Next thing you know felt almost weightless, and you gripped your handle bars trying to steady yourself as you came to a stop across the road.
'What the hell was that?' You thought to yourself, no one should have been able to survive an incoming car like that.
"Oh my god! Y/n are you okay?" Toby rushes over to you and hops off his bike to check if you were okay by poking you. You were shaking like crazy, breathing heavily. With shaky hands you patted Toby's back signifying you were alright.
"Oh jo! I am so sorry! Are you alright?" Asked a man in a fedora hat as he came out of the car with brown eyes as he looked at you in major concern. You looked over to him as the wind made a slight shift as you made eye contact. Immediately Otto's form falls away, and shows what his true form was with stone for skin. You blinked once and it was gone the minute you did like it never happened in the first place.
"Are you kidding me! You could have killed them!" Toby's faint voice shouts at the man, as a faint music begins to play in your ears.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see vem!" Otto went to go closer but Toby stepped in the way, blocking the man. He could have pushed the poor kid aside but decided against it as it would stir up more trouble than he was already in.
You shakily got back on your bike, as traffic started to stop and people came out of their cars worried about what happened. Jim comes to your side, as Otto then goes to talk with a not so happy police officer to explain what happened.
"Come on let's go.." He whispers to you as the three of you start riding again away from the scene. You looked back, and saw golden eyes gleam from under the fedora. Your eyes widening you then went to focus on what was in front of you so something like this doesn't happen again.
A car honks as the three of you ride home in slight silence.
"Hey boys, and Y/n." Dr.Lake says as she slows to a stop.
"Hey mom," Jim replies, smiling slightly at his mother.
"Looking sharp, Dr.Lake," As he drives past by accident and backs up letting out a small grunt.
"Thank you, Toby. So are you," Toby perks up at that.
"Oh! Does it show?" Toby starts to flex his arms checking out his muscles. You chuckled at Toby's reaction, and turned back to face Jim and Dr.Lake.
"You're going to be out all mighty?" Jim asks worriedly, Dr.Lake sighs in response.
"Dr.Gilberg is out with bursitis, and Dr.Lenz has a wedding out of town this weekend," Dr.Lake replies tiredly.
"Okay, well don't forget to bring your-"
"Dinner. Thank you, and Y/n your parents sent in a check of money for you, to get any crafting supplies or plant supplies. I left it on the table for you," Barbara said to you, and you said thank you.
"Right, and try to find an oven to reheat it in instead of nuking, it takes all the flavor and nutrients away." Jim starts to take out the sticky note with Strickler's number on it but quickly shoves it back into his bag, you chuckled at this.
"Jim, you and Y/n must have a million things you'd rather do than looking after me," Barbara says as she sets the dinner bag back down on the car floor.
"Can't think of one."
"Love you, honey," Barbara then rolls up her window and starts driving down the street towards her work place.
"Bye, mom." Jim calls out.
"Jim, you know you mother your mother a lot," You chuckled at him and patted his back.
Jim laughs at your statement and turns to Toby.
"See you tomorrow, Tobes," Jim says to Toby as you and Jim start peddling the rest of the way which is only like 15 feet away to put the bikes in the garage.
"Hey, and by the way, don't use mayo on the sandwich. It's the wrong note." Toby calls out to the two of you as he too was heading toward his house across the street.
"Hey, Y/n." Jim says to you as you both park your bikes in the garage.
"Hmm?"
"Since you have been through a lot, and with you almost dying by the car, do you want to watch a movie or something or check out the amulet that Tobes and I found in the canal while you were still in the Hospital?" Jim asked as he opened the door and let you in first.
"Sure, I am interested in what you found," You say to Jim, you were about to ask if he saw the same thing you did with Otto if you remember his name right. Although decided against it, as it might release some suspicion. Knowing this decision you were about to make would permanently drag you into the Troll Hunting business, and there would be no getting out of it.
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