High School Epic

Her first thought is that she's being attacked by a rabid squirrel. What other possible scenario ends in something falling out of a tree and biting her on the shoulder. She flails and rolls around on the ground screaming while Nell laughs. "Get it off get it off!"

"It's not an it!" the thing biting her shoulder says. Heaven looks up and stops screaming. There's a girl sitting on her back and her shoulder is covered in drool. "Sorry," she says, "I thought you were the kids chasing me from school."

"Don't I know you?" Nell asks frowning down a her and tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Nice chin tap," the girl says, still sitting on Heaven's back. Nell grins and nods happily, "Thanks, I've been practicing in the mirror."

"You're a freak. Get off me," she says and rolls over, making the girl fall to the ground.

"I'm in your class," the girl says rubbing her elbow, "You know, I sit right behind you. Sarah? Parker? Sarah Parker?"

"Huh, really?" Nell says and starts tapping her chin thoughtfully again, "Yeah, I don't know...Hey, we're going to go watch Heathers, wanna come."

"If only my teen angst bullshit had a body count," Heaven says with a whine when Sarah agrees.

"How dare you," Nell says sticking her finger in Heaven's back, "I'm the best kind of bullshit!" She doesn't say anything because it's kind of the truth.

"Aaand this is the basement," Nell continues her hour long tour of Heaven's house. She'd shown her everything, including the now empty fish tank, the grease spot on the wall from the night they had a pizza fight in the kitchen, and the walls in Heaven's room, which was covered in famous quotes and took the entirety of the 2 weeks she was grounded for the pizza incident to complete. Nell snuck up the tree and into Heaven's room to help because her mom was having a mental break down or something. Sometimes Heaven wonders if its pathetic that one of her best friends is a kid three years younger than her.

"Oh wow," Sarah gasps when she sees the the Star Wars action figures hanging from the ceiling by fishing line, "Is that..?"

"An exact replica of the fight that destroys the Death Star?" Nell supplies, "Why yes, yes it is."

"Cool," Sarah says with wide eyes and atleast a small amount of awe in her voice. She reaches up to touch the lego Death Star, "How long did this take?"

"A whole summmer," Heaven shrugs, "With Nell and Tarra's help. Come on, let's put the movie in."

*****

When Ashley decides to convince someone to do something it usually involves Heaven in an awkward social situation. But Ashley is nothing if not tenacious so she's found it easier to just give in before the pleading starts. This is probably how Heaven ended up in a car with Ryan Ross. Well, to be honest, there were events that led up to this particular incident, starting with Pete Wentz's party and ending with Ashley disappearing with some boy from chem lab. So Heaven agrees to a ride from a boy she verbally spars with on a regular basis. Makes sense right?

They're swerving along down a back road when the blue and red lights flash in the rearview mirror. "Shit," Ryan hisses, "I am too drunk for this shit."

"You're drunk?" Heaven snaps, she slaps him in the arm, "You couldn't have told me that before I got in the car with you?"

"The swerving wasn't a dead give away?" Ryan snaps back.

"Oh my god, you're an idiot and we're going to jail," Heaven punches him in his skinny thigh for good measure.

"Shut up, I've got an idea," Ryan says and lifts his hips up enough under his seat belt and unbuton ihs pants. He slides them down his hips and over his thighs.

"Really?" Heaven demands, "I don't think this is the time for that."

"Shut up. When he comes up to the window wipe your mouth and look embarassed."

She crosses her arms over her chest and starts muttering about how much of an idiot Ryan Ross really is. They hear gravel crunching and both look over their shoulders. "Abort abort!" she hisses, "That's my dad's best friend, oh holy shit."

Ryan scrambles to pull his pants up and they both stare, deer in the headlights, when he knocks on the window.

"License and registration," Paul says bending down to look in the window, "Heaven? What are you doing doing out at midnight?"

"We're coming back from bowling," Heaven says with a shrug. Paul's eyebrows go up and she is so aware that she's a horrible, horrible liar.

"Really," Paul says, "Who won?"

"He did," Heaven says, "You know I'm shit at bowling."

"You do have a tendency to bowl in the 40's," Paul confirms, leaning against the side of the car, "Okay look, I'm going to give you both a warning, but don't let me catch you guys again, alright?"

"Okay," Heaven squeaks. Paul hands Ryan's idea over and starts to walk away. He stops, leans down and says, "Oh, and son? Your fly is open."

"Oh my god, don't tell my dad," Heaven cries. Paul shakes his head and walks away. "Move, Heaven says, "I'm driving."

"You're fourteen, you don't know how to drive," Ryan snipes. Heaven doesn't correct him.

"Move it or lose it buster," she says with feeling,

"Buster?" Ryan echoes hollowly, "Do you even know how to drive?"

"Sorta," she says, "Enough to get me home."

"Oh well then, by all means," Ryan says sarcastically, waving his hands at the wheel.

"Move," she says again.

"You already said that," Ryan snipes and Heaven remembers why she hates him so much.

******

"You let Ryan Ross drive you home drunk?" Gerard asks increduously as they leave spanish together.

"I didn't know he was drunk at the time," Heaven protest, "And besides, I was tired of boys hitting on me while they stared at my sister."

"Yeah," Gerard says hollowly,"That would suck."

"What?" she frowns at him, "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," Gerard says, "Look, I'll see you later."

"Gerard!" Heaven yells after him but he keeps walking. What the hell was that all about?