Modern AU (pick wherever you want in the timeline for this one)
Her journal had become one of her best friends over the years. Sure, she had real friends and yes, they were nice, but nothing could take the place of her precious journal. Everywhere she was, the journal was there also. It was always in a number of places. Residing in her purple laptop bag, in her stylish colorful backpack, her small stack of school things or even protruding from her too tiny pocket, the journal was always a necessity. She often wrote in it daily. No one got to look in it and peruse the contents. Everyone in the entire high school knew that she was a phenomenal writer and they understood how much she loved to write. Whenever they saw her writing in the journal, they always assumed that she was writing prejudiced ideas about them and how they were not worthy to be friends with this great individual. Her fellow classmates had no idea that they were wrong. In fact, they were entirely wrong. The journal was simply a place for her to express herself when she could not explain her feelings to those around her. Sure, she had real friends, human friends, but there was only so much about her that they could understand or that she wanted to tell them. She occasionally lived by the saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." It wasn't that she was enemies with them, she just would have picked a different social circle to be a part of. Her friends were the kind of people who always had a significant other, always wore expensive clothing, had the newest piece of technology, and strived to be loved by the entire school. She had a lot to tell them. Oh, if only she could give them a piece of her mind. High school was not all about dating, popularity, fancy clothing, and having the newest piece of technology. She just wanted friends who loved her for her, not for her high status in society. These people praised her for her status and not for who she was. Not that she really wanted praise for anything anyways. Today, she sits down at lunch at her usual lunch table and opens her journal. It has been a long day already. Her Spanish test had stressed her out more than she cared to admit and all she wants to do is tune out the world for a little bit. Clicking her pen with purple colored ink on, she starts to write. Words flow from the pen about anything and everything. Her friends begin to sit down at the table. Lucy, one of the girls that she is closest to, sits down next to her.
"Hey, Kath. What'cha writing?" Lucy asks, but all Katherine can hear is the whispers of gossip that float about the table, reminding her where she is and why she can't just leave. Katherine turns back to Lucy and closes the journal on her index finger, so she can keep writing once Lucy decides to leave her alone.
"Oh nothing. Just some ideas that I had," Katherine responds quickly. She wasn't lying. There were ideas that she had had in her notebook. Katherine scans the room and starts to think. Why did it have to be this way? Lucy, to Katherine's surprise, sees some of the more popular girls and walks over to them. She talks to them like she is best friends with them. As much as Katherine does not feel like she fits in, Lucy was a person that Katherine felt attached to and enjoyed being with. Lucy does not pay Katherine half a mind as she chats with the more popular girls. Sure, Katherine's group is pretty popular, but there are definitely more popular girls than those that are in her group. Katherine opens her journal again and scoots out her chair. She doesn't care if her friends gossip about her anymore, let them. Starting right where she left off, Katherine begins to write the story of her current situation. Suddenly, a thick New York accent pulls her out of her writing and her thoughts.
"Well, dat sounds like high school drama ta me," the voice says and Katherine jumps a little bit. The pen clatters out of her hand and it falls to the cafeteria floor. The voice, which was most definitely a boy's, breaks through the air again. "I'se got it!" The boy says and Katherine turns around. A tall boy with dark hair and hazel eyes stands behind her, holding her pen out to her. Katherine snatches it from his hand and presses the journal to her chest.
"How much did you read?" She snaps and the tall boy puts his hands up in a gesture of surrender. Suddenly, Katherine recognizes him. He is Jack Kelly from her classes and she knows for a fact that he has been hitting on her for awhile now.
"Enough ta know dat youse is one of da best writers dis high school has evah seen," Jack replies and Katherine inwardly groans. She could never forget how hopelessly flirtatious he was. Jack could be such a romantic, hitting on a bunch of different girls, including her. Katherine shoots him a look and Jack protests, "Ey! Ya left ya journal open. An I'se just happened ta be walking by." Katherine whirls around back in her chair. She crosses her arms across her small journal and holds her glare.
"You shouldn't look in people's journals. I don't like to share what I write," Katherine replies fiercely. Jack chuckles a little bit and points at her journal.
"Aww, why not? I'se sure dat whatevah youse writing is beautiful," Jack protests with a small whine in his voice. Katherine rolls her eyes. This boy was such a FLIRT!!! She needs to get rid of him before he annoys her anymore than he already has. Katherine has never been one for boys or flirting really. She whirls around, slams the journal, and says very matter of factly,
"I am not into flirtatious little high school boys, who stalk innocent girls writing about personal matters in their lives!" Jack sighs and responds with a simple,
"Well, I'se tinks you an ya writing are beautiful." Katherine stares at him. Slightly disbelieving the fact that he actually had the audacity to say something so bold after she had railroaded him. This boy never ceased to surprise her. She sits down and flips open the journal again. As she does, she notices a group of girls walking by. Katherine recognizes them to be Flavia DiAngelo, Bianca (Falcon to most of the kids in her grade) Higgins, and Katie Higgins, Falcon's older sister. All three chat lively and Katherine cannot help but feel a twinge of jealously towards what they have. The three girls seem perfectly happy with each other and Katherine felt comfortable with these people a long time ago, but that feeling has long since left her. She watches as they sit down at a table full of teenage boys. One of those teenage boys being Jack Kelly. Katherine watches them as they talk and mess around with the other boys. They seem so happy. Happy? Was that even possible in high school? Katherine sure didn't think so. Fiddling with her pen, she continues to write. Her page quickly fills with thoughts about how she wishes she could have the kind of friendship and happiness that Jack has with his friends. Why can't she have that? Why can't everyone just get along in high school? Why does it have to be so complicated? Katherine scribbles something down in her journal just about being friends with people in general. Everything seems to whirl through her mind at a lightening fast pace. She sees Lucy, out of the corner of her eye, flirting with her long time crush. Katherine whacks her pen against the page of her journal and stands up. It is time for a change. Before she knows it, lunch is over and Katherine slips her journal in between her books for English class. A new group project is assigned and all of Katherine's group gets together. Unfortunately, there is one too many people in the group and Katherine is told to take a hike.
"It's not that we don't want you in our group. It's just that, you can't be with us. Our group is too big," Claire, one of the popular girls, who always has a boyfriend says. Katherine still felt hurt. She scans the room for another group to be in. Anyone who would take in a poor innocent girl who felt like she didn't have any friends, because in reality, maybe she didn't. Lucy had not come with her to help her find another group. Finally, the teacher named Miss Hartman comes up behind her.
"Mr. Kelly, would you mind taking Katherine into your group?" She asks kindly. Jack's face lights up like he has just gotten a free ticket to Santa Fe and Katherine inwardly groans. Anyone but this obnoxious boy and his annoying little friends would be fine. Katherine takes her journal with her from her pile of things. She is going to need it if she is going to survive this group project. Quickly, she pulls out her purple gel pen and as soon as the tip of her pen hits the paper, she starts to write about how unfair her high school friends are being to her. In fact, they don't understand what they are doing. Katherine knows that they don't get it. Especially Lucy. Knowing Lucy, she would have done something by now to make it better, so she must not understand. Or she just doesn't care. Katherine was settling for the first option though. Considering that she was the daughter of Joseph Pulitzer, Katherine was granted a high seat in the popularity food chain. She just isn't sure that she approves of everything that the popular people do. Katherine arrives at the back of the classroom with Jack Kelly and a bunch of his friends. Jack pulls out a chair for her and says,
"Well, it's nice ta have such a beautiful face in our group. Ain't it, boys?' Katherine rolls her eyes and buries her blushing face deeper into her journal. The boy sitting next to her, who Katherine knows as Anthony, points to her flushed red cheeks.
"Ey, Jack! Look she's blushin! Ya finally made a goil as tough as her blush!" Anthony exclaims and Katherine glares at him. Miss Hartman speaks up from the front of the room.
"Mr. Kelly, we all know of your abilities to make girls blush, but let's not express that in class. My classroom is not a place to meet a date. Understand?" Miss Hartman demands. Jack nods quickly and shoots a wide grin at the young woman.
"Yes ma'am," Jack replies and Katherine shuts her journal. The boys are really an odd assortment. One has a crutch, another has an eye patch, several have bruises and cuts that coat their hands and faces. Katherine jots something down in her journal when Jack's head is turned. Jack begins to talk about the project with the group and Katherine decides to put in her two cents.
"So, we have to reenact a certain moment of our book?" She asks as she picks up the thick novel that they are reading.
"Yea," Jack smiles as he holds up Romeo and Juliet. "An I'se tinks you would make da perfect Juliet." Katherine rolls her eyes again.
"Alright, Romeo. I'm not doing the balcony scene with you," She says back with a little bit of a teasing tone. Jack's face droops a little bit and Katherine cracks a small smile.
"I'se not da real Romeo, but I guess I could woirk da charm enough for one scene," Jack replies and Katherine rolls her eyes. Charlie pipes up,
"Maybe we should do da sword fightin scene!"
"An, who would youse play, Crutchy?" asks one of the other boys.
"I'se could be Tybalt wid my crutch, Race." The boy who had teased Katherine about her blushing, rolls his eyes. Jack tries to keep the piece.
"Alright, so's we'se got Crutchy, Race an me as da three guys in da sword fight," Jack says and he turns to Katherine. "Guess dat mean youse my Juliet, seein as youse da only goil in dis group." Katherine groans and Jack protests, "Aww, come on. I ain't dat bad." The bell rings and Katherine goes about the rest of her day. She comes to the end of it and heads straight for the subway station. Katherine maneuvers through the crowd and catches a train headed to a nicer part of the city. Pulling out her phone, she sends a text to her dad, letting him know that she is going to stop at the park first. Once the train reaches her stop, Katherine hurries off and beelines for Central Park. Katherine loves to spend time here just to work on her work and write. Watching the world roll by, Katherine finds an empty bench and starts to write. She writes about her entire day. Lucy had pretty much ignored her for the rest of the day and to everyone, besides Jack, Katherine had felt invisible for the majority of the day. She is head down in her writing, when she feels someone sit down on the park bench next to her.
"Didn't know you was a hangin out at da park type a person," A voice states causing Katherine to jump for the second time that day. She glares over at Jack Kelly as he glance at her writing. Katherine had just finished writing, "I just need a friend" in her journal. "Knew popularity ain't all dat youse make it seem," Jack states as he gestures toward the journal.
"When are you going to stop intruding into my journal? No one looks in my journal. To everyone else, it's common sense. But to you, you don't know when to quit," Katherine snaps again. "I don't need your insight into my life." Jack looks a little hurt.
"I'se gets it if ya just need a friend. A boy an a girl can just be friends, dey don't got ta be romantic. Listen, I'se knows dat I'se a flirt, but it don't gotta be dat way," Jack responds quickly. "We'se can just be friends." Katherine looks skeptically at him from over the top of her journal.
"I don't know if I trust you," She states plainly and Jack looks understanding. Katherine looks him up and down. He is a handsome looking boy and he seems like the type that could a turn a lady's head. Make that a lot of lady's heads. Katherine is pretty sure that Jack gets around when it comes to girls. "You are a lady's man," She snaps and Jack looks a little hurt. A smirk quickly slides onto his face and he says,
"Da charm is what gets da ladies, Miss Pulitzer. Da charm and da charming looks." Katherine rolls her eyes and begins to write in the journal again. "Youse writin bout me?" He asks and Katherine slams the journal closed again. How could he know? She wrote about anything and everything and that included everyone. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?
"Yes, about a boy who wants a girl badly enough that he will not stop trying to get her attention!" Katherine exclaims and Jack sighs. She looks at him again. He really isn't bad looking. Yes, she had just had an argument with herself about how much she wanted to get rid of him and how those very looks lure other ladies into his doing, but he had managed to turn her head too. Maybe more than she would care to admit. Katherine realized that she did indeed find him attractive. But, she needed boundaries and she didn't trust him. How she hated how obnoxiously attractive he was.
"Listen, I can do wid out da romanticness for a liddle while. It don't gotta be like dat right now," Jack repeats. "Just give me a chance at bein ya friend, will ya?" Katherine looks into his eyes and sees a passion in his eyes that states that he wants to get know this girl badly. She feels sorry and states,
"Give me a week to think it over." Jack nods and replies with,
"Thanks! I'se is gonna hold ya to dat, Pulitzer." He waves at her as he walks and Katherine waves back. A few subway stops later, Katherine is home and writing in her journal on her bed. Instead of being sorrowful and remorseful, the entry is filled with hope and longing. The longing of a friend. A true friend. Suddenly, her phone buzzes with a text from Lucy.
Lucy: Kath, I'm sorry I haven't been hanging out with you as much. Carl has been paying a lot of attention to me lately and I just want to be around him right now.
Katherine tosses her phone down the bed next to her. Her phone buzzes again.
Lucy: You aren't mad, are you?
Katherine: It hurts, that's all. And I don't really feel loved in the rest of the group.
Lucy: That stinks, I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up to you, but Carl and I have plans for the next week or so.
Katherine sits on her bed, staring at the screen on her phone. She could have a whole new set of friends in a week, if she chose to hang out with Jack.
Katherine: That's okay. I have plans too. I might not be back at the lunch table for a long time. Maybe ever.
Lucy: No! Don't feel like you have to leave. Just come sit with me and Carl.
Katherine: I think I'm going to try and meet some new people. Nothing against you or anyone else, I just don't feel like I belong with all of the cool kids anymore.
Lucy: I'm sorry. I wish I could make it better. Try talking to some of the other people at our table. They are really nice, Kath.
Katherine: I think they hate me. They never talk to me. It's like I don't exist, Luc.
Lucy: I know. Just try. I don't want you to completely disappear.
Katherine: You can still talk to me even if I mix up the social circles. There are no rules against who you can or cannot talk to.
Lucy: No! I can't. That seems kind of against the rules.
Katherine: I don't believe in social rules. No matter what anyone else says.
Lucy: Katherine! Don't do this!!!
Katherine: I told Jack Kelly I would take a week to consider sitting with him and his friends at lunch.
Lucy: You want to sit with them?
Katherine: Yes, I do. They are actually kind people unlike some of the people in our circle who try to pick on them. Like Oscar and Morris Delancey. They love each other no matter what.
Lucy: Don't tell me you're falling for Kelly.
Katherine: Can't say, but after this week, if you want to talk to me at school, come sit at the Kelly table. I dare you to do it for one week and then tell me how nice how those boys are.
Lucy: Until they do something terrible to you.
Katherine: They won't. They are in my group for English class. I trust them.
Lucy: Why?
Katherine: Jack has talked to me twice today.
Lucy: Don't be fooled by the charm. Heart of steel, Katherine.
Katherine: Heart of steel is not going to do it.
Lucy: But....
Katherine: Lucy, you can always come talk to me no matter what. Just please, don't expect me to follow you everywhere you go.
Lucy does not reply to that and Katherine puts her phone back on her bed. Why did high school friendships always have to be so complicated? Her last week at the popular table seemed to take forever. Katherine keeps a careful eye on Jack the whole week. A new boy in their grade arrives and the Delanceys pick on him. Jack intervenes and helps the new kid around the school. Katherine later finds out that the new kid named David, is in her English group. He has a cute kid brother, who is in late elementary school, and an older sister who is in college. Katherine notices Jack helping the boys with anything and everything. The week drags on and two days before the week is up, Katherine decides to let Jack try to get to know her. Now, she does not have to jealous of Flavia, Falcon, and Katie. She will get to experience that friendship and will get to know the girls too. Katherine plops her stuff down on Jack's table. The first thing he says to her is,
"Ya early." Katherine shrugs and sits down in the seat next to him. "Couldn't stay away?" Jack asks and Katherine shakes her head.
"It was time to try something new," She states. Jack continues getting his food out and looks at Katherine.
"I'se knows I told ya dat dis don't gotta be romantic an it don't. So, friends?" Jack suggests and he spits into his hand and holds it out. Katherine cringes and Jack goes to wipe the spit off of his hand.
"No, don't," Katherine says quickly without thinking. She spits into her own hand and places it in his. "Friends." Jack gently squeezes her hand before letting go. The rest of the school year flies by. When it comes time to present their Romeo and Juliet projects, the group decides to include the balcony scene. Jack and Katherine have grown closer since the project began. Katherine had gradually began to develop romantic feelings for Jack and when they decided to add the balcony scene, she was thrilled. When they presented it, Jack leaned in for a stage kiss, but Katherine pulled him closer so that he actually kissed her. She kissed him back and the two kissed for a little bit longer than necessary. Miss Hartman enjoyed the drama, not having any idea that the chemistry displayed on stage could actually be real. What had started as a friendship bloomed into a beautiful relationship.
AN:/ So, yeah. This was totally unplanned. I kind of came up with it last night and yah. This is way different from any of the other oneshots that I have written. This one kind of came up out of the blue. But, it has a lot of cool messages that I wanted to share with you guys. First off, it's okay to not be popular in high school. Yep, I know, shocking. I'm not popular and I am in high school. Yep, there you go. You heard it from a high schooler. Second, it is okay to be friends with a guy in high school. Like just friends and nothing more. Being in the friend zone is not a crime. The world really likes to make it seem like you need a boyfriend or girlfriend in high school and you really don't. I am in high school and I have not dated anybody and I have survived. Relationships can be stressful and just a little slice of life that my family has told me, friendships could potentially be the start of relationships. That doesn't mean that it will happen. But, it will be better if it can happen naturally on its own time. If God allows a relationship like that to happen with a person who you may have feelings for. Besides, you ever see those movies where high school relationships happen and they are super dramatic? Don't let that happen to you, friends. That really stinks for a lot of people. Third, do realize that if you are a high schooler, or a middle schooler(if you are, I know what that drama is like and I am sorry), or a college student, or whatever, that is one stage of your life. There are other people out there, whether it be in a dating relationship, a family relationship, or anything. Don't let a person or group of people hurt you for the rest of your life. Because, that will be hard dealing with that later on. I'm not saying you have to trust people instantly. Trust can come with time, but don't shut people entirely out based on one comment. Most importantly, don't judge a book by its cover. I know everyone says that, but please, if you are someone who maybe doesn't have a solid seat at a table everyday, consider it. Go talk to someone new. Let's be the generation that doesn't lose communication, but incites it. We communicate a lot on the Internet and texting, but how often do we sit down and have a conversation face to face with somebody? Another thing I just want to say, specifically to my Christian friends, but even if you are not a Christian, this could be meaningful to you too, your identity is in Jesus Christ and what He values you as and what He has done for you. It does not matter what I think about you, or what your significant other thinks about you, or what the next guy on the street says about, or whatever someone on the Internet says about you, you are a child of God ,if you are a Christian. If you are a Christian, that's all that matters. For those of you who maybe aren't Christians, what I'm not saying is, it doesn't matter if someone confronts you on something that you have done wrong. It does matter. If they are a fellow brother or sister in Christ, they will want to help you avoid that sin. So, I'm not saying toss everything that someone ever says about you out the window, but take it with a grain of salt. If it is just a nasty comment, don't dwell on it. But if someone comes up to you and confronts with you a sin, but they are doing it out of love, this is something you need to consider. They are not doing it as a I'm right, you're wrong sort of thing. If they care about you, they will want to help you. Anyways, please tell me your thoughts and if you have any questions, I am more than willing to chat with you guys. And on a less spiritual note, what did you guys think of the oneshot? I think this whole oneshot was kind of a God thing and I am giving Him the glory for this one. Sorry about this ridiculously long author's note. I just felt that I needed to share this with you guys. I also hope that Katherine's individual oneshot is encouraging to you guys. Even those of you who aren't necessarily Christians. Once again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'm not going to get offended and I would love to answer questions about this. If you made it this far, thank you so much for bearing with me and reading this long one shot and author's note. If you are a fan of Back to the Future, I do have a story out about it, I would highly suggest checking it out. Thank you for bearing with me, you guys. You are amazing!!! Please tell me what you thought of anything on this oneshot and as I have said, I am still accepting your OCs, so please submit your forms and I will add them to my list of people who need oneshots. I currently have on OC oneshot request that is next and then I will be ready for another one. I have plans for up to my 15th oneshot. How crazy is that? 15 already, wow. Okay, enough rambling. Lol. Thank you so much again for reading this. I hope to see you guys around, friends!!