Her graceful long legs strode down the hall, almost passing everyone. She had a destination in mind and without being there in forever, January's heart ached to be around normal people. Bust those normal people were her friends, and the best part was that there was nothing normal about them.
January was home days, maybe a week before she had truly informed them. It was on purpose originally, but she simply decided that they needed to get tricked. As well as pissing off her relatives enough that they put her on the next plane out there. Her heart throbbed when the table everyone was seated at contained a new member. A pact had been formed around the group, no one in, and no matter how hard, no one out. This seemed to have been broken by the way every was laughing with the new girl.
Taking a deep breath, she paused only steps away from the laughing crowd. A familiar pair of eyes looked up from the table to her, unintentionally of course, but he tried to launch up almost instantly. The smile had extended from a stupid grin to almost up to the sapphire eyes. Her eyes flashed to the new girl and he looked as well. Simply shrugging, he jogged over to her. This wasn't the arrival she had expected, though the chest crushing hug was something she knew was inevitable. "If you value both our lives, you'll let go" She puffed, and was instantly released.
He already had a smirk, proving she wasn't getting out of this one alive. "If your jealous, be glad all of us hate her"
"That doesn't seem possible" January crossed her arms eyeing the girl who was still conversing with the others. Soon enough though she realized none of them were listening, and all had locked eyes with her. She watched as the herd all tackled her at once. Pain surged through her left arm and gut, because in the fight, someones arm had nailed her. No pain was to great for them though, January knew the only one who could pull off enough strength to hurt her though and groaned. "Scar!" she shouted. Everyone seemed to back off.
"What?" A girl with chestnut hair stepped forward. "Come on, tell me they didn't soften you up? Am I going to have to start dragging you to the damn gym again? I think so"
January shuttered, she remembered very well how early they both woke up every single morning in summer, just to get her back in shape. If it wasn't for Scar, January probably wouldn't be able to threaten half the football team. "Here we go again" A girl with raven black hair sighed, pulling back farther.
"Hey, Ice" January smiled, pulling Justice into her own little hug. Justice was the shortest, always holding back. Her power came from words, not strength, though if she became a zombie you wouldn't want to run into her.
After hugging everyone, Jan realized she was missing a vital person. She swung around several times but couldn't find him, and when she turned back to the group, they seemed to be distant, looking anywhere but at her. "Where is he?" She wasted no time in demanding.
Sam was the first to groan a little, opening his mouth, "Um, well, he seems to be gallivanting around with his new girlfriend at the moment" Sam scuffed, adding to himself, "Like none of us exist anymore" January walked over and properly hugged him, making his stupid grin return.
"There we go" she chuckled to herself. "Well, who wants to see me beat the hell out of him for not talking to me the whole time I was gone?" Everyone instantly seemed to perk up at the thought of seeing the notorious Timothy on his ass. Sure he claimed he was a bad ass, but there was always one person who could knock him down a peg, and what was worse was that it was girl.
Maybe it was him refusing to fight a girl, or maybe it was him refusing to fight January, that no one really knows. No girl would try to threaten Timothy, no person in fact. January could work her magic on anyone though and after a long time of working out with Scar, four years of Mixed Martial Arts, and a competitive attitude, there was nothing more there than fear that could stop her. Fear that seemed to come when he saw the girl which he had been with.
Jan shook her head, stopping behind a building. "He can't be..." She murmured almost as if she was heart broken. "This was why you guys were pissed," she elaborated to herself.
"We told him not too, that it wasn't right and that he'd get hurt" Justice simply sighed.
Across the yard was the jock, who in all honesty was really a big nerd trying to fit in, sitting with the last person anyone in the school would expect. Not only was she the most popular girl in school, she had 'been there and done that', or those were her last words to him the second time they dated. Countless times everyone knew he had been broken by her and countless times they've had to see him get back with her, generally him crawling back.
"Dumb blond!" January spat angrily, clenching her fists together. "What good will she do him! Does he not learn, ever" her breathing had accelerated, she wanted to go over there, to slap him in front of the monstrosity of a bitch. Sam grabbed her shoulders but she slammed him away.
"Jan, you know it makes him happy" Scarlett defended.
"I suppose you're right," January laughed sarcastically. "Not coming out of his damn room for a week is a marvelous sensation, I must learn how he does it! Hah! He wants to get hurt fine, but I'm not going to be the one to drag him out of his room for now the ninth time," she stormed away, though Sam had continued to follow her.
"So you've been counting?" He laughed.
"Well, that tends to happen when you care to much about someone's well being, my apologies" She snorted in frustration, pulling to a stop and crossing her arms.
"That's not a bad thing," Sam rested a hand on her shoulder. "There is no possible way to care too much, at least for you,"
"Then I have a serious problem," She remarked, beginning to stride so fast that Sam had to jog to catch up.
"There is nothing wrong with you, but something seriously wrong with him. Doesn't he know by now who cares about him and who doesn't? I mean, he hangs out with that girl, for long stretches of time no doubt, leaving us all for about a week and then returning, I'm sorry you tolerate him personally..." Sam pulled her to a stop and hugged her.
"What do you mean, 'I'm sorry you tolerate him'?" January demanded.
"You're the linchpin, you keep us together, your the one who says we are going to be life long friends. You put out fires in every ones life. Think about it, if you didn't like him, he wouldn't hang out with us anymore, right?"
Jan sighed and looked back at the worried group of girls she had left, all staring intently at her. "I love you all, including him. Your my family, and thus far, you've shown me the same love... Be it in your own ways. I only pray some day he'll get over himself"
"He will" Sam laughed, "Now come on, I think we have to get to class"
"I have the week off, Sam. My mom told me I didn't have to go to school but I could come stalk you guys at lunch" She ruffled her hand through his black hair. "Text me later, maybe we can even hang out but... Don't bring Tim," He nodded in understanding, patting her shoulder before running off to his next class.
January didn't know why she didn't leave to go back home. The small town pleased her, and sitting in her favorite spot on campus seemed like where she needed to be. She contemplated the chance of seeing Timothy after school, but calculating that far into a situation on how to kill him wouldn't' help her situation. Today there was only one period left in the day for them. The minutes began dwindling and nothing really made sense to her, not how fast the bell rang or how the first person she saw was Timothy running from the building and looking everywhere for someone.
When he spotted January, he ran over instantly, she wanted no part of him, turning away instantly. "Jan, you're back!" he cheered.
"Oh, yeah, I'm back alright" she grumbled. Clearly no one had told him about her seeing him with his new girlfriend.
"You want to go down town or something?" He still seemed utterly thrilled that she had returned, causing her to laugh.
"Don't you have plans with Trinity?" She asked, a snarky ring spreading through her words. His eyes darkened and he opened his mouth to defend, but as the anger bubbled to the surface she just started laughing. Scarlett was the next person over, seeing the situation and trying to drag January away before things escalated. "Oh yeah, I know" She fought the pulling. "Go suck up to her all over again, I know" Then finally she gave in and let Scar lead her away.
"You're acting like he cheated on you!" Scar hissed lowly.
January took a deep breath, stowing away her anger for the time being, heaven knows she take it out at the gym later that day or tomorrow. She did have the week off. Maybe even the punching bag hanging in her room that saw so little fight. "I'm acting like a person who cares enough and doesn't want to see the pain all over again, don't you remember anything from the last time?"
"I blocked it out" Scar stated reluctantly. "None of us like it, in fact you were the first of us to talk to him about it, he avoids us. He went and found you though Jan, so obviously he cares about you!"
Soon enough she realized they weren't alone, but the person standing behind Scarlett wasn't one that she knew the name or face of yet. January recognized some details that told her who it was though. The girl who seemed to gravitate towards this group. Jan snarled unpleasentries under her breath and pulled out of Scar's death hold on her wrist.
"Hey, I don't think we met yet," the new girl cheered bubbly. "I'm new here, is everythin--"
"I don't think now is a----" Scar started but Jan grabbed the girls out stretched hand and shook it.
"I'm January, I see you've met all my friends already" The girl stared into January's eyes and saw the rage being crammed into a bow that was way to small to hold all the anger.
"I'm Solara" was all she said, almost in fear.