High School Epic

"A hicky contest?" Heaven repeats, looking at her sister. Ashley nods. She really wishes she hadn't come to sit with her sister at lunch, but Tarra had to meet with a teacher and Heaven didn't want to sit alone.

"Okay, look Heav," Ashley says, "Every year we do this contest. There's a list of people you have to get one from. Every one is worth a certain amount of points. The person who gets the most points wins."

"Yeah, and is also the biggest whore in school," Heaven says wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Careful," one of the other girls says, "Your sister's won the last three years in a row."

"If you do this people will stop shoving you in lockers. I can guarantee it." Ashley is giving her the "this isn't optional" look.

"Oh my god, fine." Heaven shakes her head. Ashley pushes a list toward Heaven and she takes it and looks down at it. It's Tuesday, and they have until the end of the day on Friday.

William Beckett-10
Ryan Ross-10
Spencer Smith-8
Frank Iero-5
Pete Wentz-15
Gerard Way-1

"Why is Gerard only worth one point?" she frowns down at the list, "And Pete Wentz is worth 15?"

"Because Pete is in college, and Gerard is the pity point. We thought you'd like having him on the list."

Heaven can see red behind her eyes. She turns to look at Ashley, who purses her lips and tells the girl who said it, "Take a walk, right now. Before my sister hits you. Or I do it for her."

The girl doesn't wait to see if Ashley really will hit her. She's up and out of her chair before Ashley finishes the statement. "What about Frank?" Heaven asks when the girl is out of earshot.

"Frank is a freshman, but he's got that bad boy thing going on. Plus, the lip ring," Ashley says with a glimmer in her eye. Heaven shakes her head. She's not sure if she wants anyone fucking with her friends like that.

"I have to go," Heaven says with a sigh when the bell rings. Ashley puts a hand out to stop her, "You have to win."

"I know I know," Heaven says with a nod. It's true, Ashley can't stand up for her for the rest of her life.

{x}

Heaven doesn't do anything about the list the first day, but then thursday rolls around and she remembers about it. She has absolutely no illusions about how unsexy she really is. So when she finds William Beckett she lays it all out there.

"I need you to give me a hicky."

"Kinky," he grins, "I didn't know you were into that."

"I'm not. But I'm doing that stupid contest."

"Ah, your sister thought it would raise your popularity," William says knowingly. "Okay, c'mere." William pulls her close and leans toward her. Heaven freaks out a little.

"Could you just, I don't know, do it?"

"What, no foreplay?" William pouts, but he sets his teeth into her collarbone and sucks anyway. When he pulls back there's a dark bruise left behind. "There you go. come back when you want to make one for real."

"Yeah," Heaven says with wide eyes, and then she scrambles away, pulling her shirt back in place. William's chuckling behind her. She breaks out into a run.

Later that night she finds herself in the car with William headed to a party at Pete's. William has decided to help her win, in the interest of their friendship. He assures her that everyone who's anyone will be there. Getting face time with Pete Wentz, a guy she's met maybe three times, is a lot harder than she thought it would be.

She finally finds him outside in the back yard. It's so quiet outside compared to inside the house that her ears are ringing. Pete's sitting with his feet dangling inside an empty pool, and she sits next to him. They're quiet for a minute and then he talks.

"I forget that I hate people," he says, "Right up until I have to deal with them."

"I'm sorry," Heaven says truthfully, "Then why do you throw so many parties?"

"Because it's better to be alone in a crowded room than it is to be alone by yourself?" Pete asks, almost as if he doesn't know himself.

"I think I would rather just be alone, honestly," Heaven looks over at him. He rubs at his eyes and then really looks at her.

"You're Ashley's little sister, right?" he says with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm Heaven," she nods. She's already resigned herself to being Ashley's little sister for the rest of her life.

"You're pretty cool, kid. What are you doing outside?"

"Actually, I was looking for you. I need you to give me a hicky."

Pete chokes on a laugh, "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Heaven cocks her head to the side and grimaces.

"Wow that's illegal," he says with another huge smile, "Alright, let me see your hand."

She frowns at him, putting her hand out to him. He leaves a small hicky on the inside of her wrist, kisses the pulse and drops her hand. Heaven is a little in love; she thought he was going to be alot creepier about the whole thing.

"So," he says, "How much was that worth?"

"Fifteen," Heaven whispers, giving him big doe eyes.

"Huh," Pete says, "And to think, I was the pity point freshman and sophmore year."

{X}

Heaven drank something a kid gave her and now the room is spinning. She leans against a wall and groans. That is the absolute last time she drinks anything that looks like coke when she didn't pour it herself. She climbs up the beige stairs on her hands and knees because she's having trouble with how steep the stairs appear to be.

"You're quite the light weight, aren't you," someone sighs, tucking an arm around her waist and lifting her to her feet. She makes grabby hands at the floor and whines.

"I don't like this, I don't like it at all," she groans. Her head tucks into his chest as he carries her to a room and lays her down. Her eyes finally focus on Ryan in the dim lighting and she frowns. "I don't--you hate me," she says, confused as to why he's helping her.

"Mostly," he agrees amiably, pushing her shirt up to her belly button. She smacks his hands away.

"What are you--stop stop!" she says when he pushes it back up.

"William's going to give me his signed Smashing Pumpkins cd if I help you win the contest," Ryan pushes at her shirt again, "Hold still so I can give you a hicky and go back to the party."

"Oh, well, in that case," Heaven says snidely, but lets him lean down and bite her right above her belly button. She makes a noise in the back of her throat when he finally lets her go.

"I'm locking this door after me," Ryan says, "I'm going to tell William what room you're in. Don't open the door to anyone but him. There are alot of college guys here, and they won't care how old you are, okay?"

"Okay," Heaven nods, but he's already pulling the door closed behind him. She falls asleep easily in the large warm bed, and when she wakes up in the morning she knows her mom is going to kill her. William is sleeping next to her in the bed and she shoves at him. He makes a whining noise in the back of his throat and rolls over.

"What now?" he asks frowning.

"It's six o'five in the morning and I am dead," she says blithely. "And we have school today."

"Awe shit, you had to remind me?" William groans, sitting up. Heaven holds up a protective hand, "Ho! where are your pants!"

"I think I lost them, maybe?"

"Then where are your underwear?" her eyes are huge.

"You'd think you'd never seen a penis before," William laughs.

"I'm fifteen you perv," Heaven says candidly. William sobers up instantly. "Right right, sorry."

{X}

Heaven wins, but only because William and Pete wouldn't give hickies to anyone else after they gave them to her. It was William's doing, she knows that, and she's grateful that she's made some sort of strange friendship with him. On monday the kids at school are already treating her differently. There are whispers that she slept with Ryan and William, and they're calling her slut now, but it's with an almost reverent tone.

She'll take being called a slut over gum in her hair and being shoved in lockers any day.

"Hey Gee," Heaven slides into the desk next to him and smiles. Gerard gives her a look and looks away.

"Have you heard what they're saying about you?"

"Yes," she whispers back, "It's not true."

"Of course it's not," Gerard says with an eye roll.

"Then why are you so mad?"

"Nevermind," he says and ignores her for the rest of the class. Heaven frowns down at her worksheet and sighs. Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite worth it after all.