High School Epic

It's not nearly as embarassing as the whole hickey thing, but it's still pretty bad. She knows that she should stop being such a pushover, and letting her sister talk her into things like this, but she can't. You can't stop being the person you are, no matter how hard you want to change. She consoles herself with the idea that no one will even want her anyway.

"I hear you signed up for the turkey sale," Tarra says, coming to sit next to her in the cafeteria. Heaven snorts at her friend, and suppresses a shudder.

"And by that you mean Ashley signed me up, and then wouldn't let me take my name off the list. Yeah, that happened today." Heaven stabs viciously at what is supposed to be chicken enchilada and frowns. "Maybe no one will want to buy me," she says hopefully.

Tarra's cheeks tinge pink and her salad is suddenly so much more interesting than their conversation.

"Awe no, what?" Heaven asks with a horror filled voice. Tarra's lips purse.

"I heard a couple of football players saying that they were definitely going to bid on you because you're Ashley's sister." Heaven groans. And I heard some of the soccer team say that they were biding on you because of the hickey contest. And then I heard--"

"Honestly, I don't even want to know," Heaven head desks into the cafeteria table and groans. If this is how her entire high school career is going to go, she kind of just wants to die now.

In study hall Brendon passes her a note from Frank and Heaven looks down at it stupidly for a minute. She finally unfolds it and reads were totally pooling our money to buy you. She sighs in relief, draws a large heart and crumples it. When the teacher looks away she tosses it to Frank and turns back to her spanish homework.

"What's the matter?" Brendon bites at his bottom lip. Heaven rubs her eyes and looks down, "Dude, how the hell do you say skiing in spanish. I don't know why I'm skiing in Mexico, but you know..."

"Oh, that's easy," Brendon says, and leans over to help her. She's extremely grateful for her friends in moments like these.

In gym she fakes an asthma attack and buckles down onto the bleachers. Obviously the teacher either doesn't give a shit about participation, or she's truely an idiot who doesn't know the difference between wheezing and an actual attack.

Gerard drops down next to her and blushes. "I'm a jerk," he says, sounding slightly ashamed of himself.

"You're not," she says, "you've just been acting like one. What's your problem?"

He blushes hotter and shrugs. "I just kind of thought you were different, you know. Like, you didn't care what people thought, or whatever."

Heaven sighs. "I don't. Mostly. It's just, hard to say no to my sister, you know?"

"I've met your sister, so yeah," he says after a moment. "I just, don't lose yourself, okay?"

"I don't plan on it," Heaven rolls her shoulders. "Please tell me you're planning to help Frank buy me on friday."

"Yeah," he runs a hand awkwardly through the hair at the back of his neck and shrugs. "We're going to get my mom to pitch in."

"Awesome," she says and means it. Gerard's mom is kind of the best. They sit together in silence for a few more seconds, and then Gerard pulls out an old school cd walkman and they share the headphones and blast Mars Volta on high. And just like that everything is back to normal, and all is well in the world.

After school Heaven and Tarra wait for Nell at the park down the street. She walks up with Parker, and that is a whole lot of "oh no" from Heaven's mother. The last time the two girls were over there was a small (large--okay, required an extinguisher) fire in the kitchen. How the two girls thought retrieving toaster strudel from a toaster with a plastic fork was a good idea she'll never know. (Tarra is blaming the incident on Mikeyway, despite the fact that the boy was absent at the time.)

"Do not set fire to my house," she says petulantly. Her babysitting money is going to replace the charred counter, and the destroyed toaster.

"It was an accident," Parker says, sticking a lip out. Heaven firmly ignores her, because she's a) the best pouter ever, and b) immune to pretty eyes. She does know William Beckett after all.

"We're just lucky that that fire extinguisher wasn't a cheap decoration like I originally thought." She crosses her arms and waves the two girls through the front door and toward the basement. Tarra is snickering behind her, so Heaven closes the door last minute and laughes at the thud of her best friend walking into it. Seriously, these are the people she hangs with.

"So, you should call Brendon Urie," Nell says, "And make him come watch Star Wars with us."

"Nell," Heaven says fondly, "Brendon Urie is not going to fall in love with you just by watching Star Wars. I know you think Han Solo has like, magic unicorn powers or something, but no. Also, your mom said to make sure you finish your homework tonight, since you have two missing algebra assignments. Two. Are you trying to get me fired?"

Nell's eyes widen at the thought. "You don't think that's a possibility do you?"

"This is your mom we're talking about. She'll fire me and like, call the Silven Learning Center. You need to get your act together." Nell pouts and looks at the floor, properly chastised.

"Okay okay, sorry. I just got super busy working on my science fair project."

"Have you proven that stupidity is contagious yet?" Heaven grins over at her younger friend.

"Nope," Parker quips, "none of the cheerleaders will be her test subjects."

"You might just have to change topics," Heaven laughs at her. Nell's face gets all righteous, and she sputters, "Never! I'm going to prove that stupidity is contagious. I think I need someone to go undercover."

"Don't even look at me," Heaven rubs her forehead. She's got entirely too much on her plate to deal with already.

When friday night rolls around, and the students are all gathered in the cafeteria Heaven sighs and fidgets in her seat. Ashley catcalls, and forces her to stand on a table when they call her name. She really hopes no one is too serious about buying her. Gerard, Frank, Tarra, and Mikey were sitting two tables away with a wad full of ones, waiting to bid on her.

"Let's start the bid at $2," the smiling cheerleader says a little viciously. The other students started at five, and Ashley is already quirking an eyebrow at the girl. This is going to turn ugly fast. Then the bids start climbing, and she's absolutely terrified when Gee drops out of the bidding after $25.
Its the final, monotonic voice that shouts $50 that ends it.

Heavem stares wide eyed at the tall skinny boy who cocks a hip and beckons her over. There is absolutely no way she is being Ryan Ross's...slave for a day. No way.

"Why are you tormenting me?" she groans, falling onto the bench next to him.

"Because William made me promise to buy you?" Ryan asks lightly, picking at his fingernails. "Here's a copy of my class schedule. I expect you to carry my books tomorrow."

"You're evil," Heaven mutters.

"Also, my car needs waxed," Ryan ignores her, "and I have a pile of dirty laundry, and a vest that needs to be dropped off at the cleaners. You're twenty-four hours starts now.

She grinds her teeth and very very nearly doesn't restrain herself from punching him in the face. "How many more favors do you owe William?" she asks sweetly. She's going to have to have a talk with Beckett about inappropriate hovering.

"Oh, we're even now," Ryan says offhandedly, waving a hand around.

"Super," Heaven says blithely, and stands to follow Ross out the door. She gets three steps and then he says, "Oh hey, don't forget to grab my bag."

She's going to kill him.