Through Thick and Thin

“Ms. O’Conner, Mr. Sullivan. I’d like for the two of you to be in my class room when the bell rings for lunch.” Mrs. Jones stated just as the bell for first period rang; she was standing by the door collecting the classwork we had been assigned.

“Yes Ms. “ We both mumbled, handing over out papers and exiting into the busy hall, making our way towards our lockers. Luckily the two were next to each other.

“Damn it, I didn’t want lunch detention!” Jimmy whined, hitting his head against his locker as he spun the combination, tossing his math book carelessly inside the black hole that it was.

“Sorry dude, hey at least this way, you don’t have to stick around with her all by yourself after school?” I said with a shrug, opening my own locker and grabbing the folders I needed.

“Stick around with who? You got a girl you wanna ditch Jim?” A voice drawled from the other side of my locker door.

“Mrs. Jones.” Jimmy stated, making a face as he slammed his locker shut.

“The dumb ass landed himself in lunch detention with me. Sorry Sanders.” I laughed, closing my locker and spinning the dial so I knew it’d stay shut as I looked at the boy leaning against the locker beside mine. He stood almost at six foot and had slightly spiky dark brown almost black hair, deep hazel eyes, and crater-like dimples.

“How the fuck did you two manage detention before lunch?!”

“Monica.” I growled, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “Her skank ass got me into trouble, and this one.” I jerked my thumb in the general direction of Jimmy as he jogged to catch up with the other boy and I as we began making our way to our next class. “Decided he’d curse… loud enough that Mrs. Jones could hear him. So he got slammed with it too.”

“Not like I meant too.” Jimmy stated, with a shit eating grin on his face. “Shit just happens to me, you know that Matt.”

The other boy nodded his head with a laugh. “I guess, but you sure in hell ask for it most of the time Jim.”

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, still with that shit eating grin on his face. “Whatever, these people don’t bother me, they’re nothin’” He tried hard to hide his laughter as a freshman scurried past us, with wide eyes. Jimmy was rather... different looking, his dirty blonde hair was spiked up a bit crazily, and his pants were baggy, only being held up on his small hips by a tight belt, his Pantera shirt clung to his thin torso, while the bathrobe, yes, bathrobe, he wore billowed out around him as we walked. He was insane, and everyone knew it. Out of our group Jimmy was the one picked on the least, people were afraid of him, or just too weirded out to even bother trying to provoke him, but he was an amazing friend regardless of his insanity, he was a good kid all around, just a bit on the crazy side, a little cracked.

“We were supposed to have detention after school.” I said with a sigh, moving to the side as someone decided they were too good to walk around us. “But I have practice today, Mrs. Jones let me slide with Lunch detail, Jimmy would have ended up after school alone, but she must have felt merciful today.”

“Just what I want to do, spend lunch with that old bat.”

I just raised my eyebrows at the taller man. “Oh and you too of course Quinn.”

“Gee thanks asshole, next time. You can stay with her alone after school. “

“Will you two quit your fighting?” Matt asked with a laugh as we approached our class rooms; Jimmy and I were in English next, while Matt had History across the hall.

“Never!” Jimmy declared, throwing his fist into the air, scaring some of the kids near him. “Q and I enjoy the banter, you don’t like it? Then yooooou’re outta here!” He jerked his thumb backwards trying hard to sound like an umpire.

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll see you guys later.” He shook his head and turned heading into his classroom.

“Why do I bother with school again?” Jimmy whined, as I lead the way into our classroom.

“Because, every future rock star needs some form of edjuamication to rely on, in case you know the whole… rock star thing doesn’t work out.” I said in a matter of fact tone, keeping a straight face as I sat down at my desk in the back of the class room. Jimmy took his seat to my left.

“What is this edjuamication you speak of?” He asked, pulling his pencil from its resting spot, tucked behind his ear. “It doesn’t sound very helpful in the long run, or any fun.” His ability to keep an actual almost quizzical look on his face amazed me.

“It isn’t fun, well unless you enjoy learning.” I stressed, opening my folder to a clean sheet of paper, watching as the classroom began to fill up with kids.

“Who the hell enjoys that?” Jimmy asked as a disgusted look over took his face, which caused me to burst out into a fit of laughter.

“Not many.” I giggled, trying to regain my composure, Erica Pollack was looking over her shoulder giving me a strange look, she was on the softball team with me and was one of the girls who didn’t particularly enjoy the fact a freak was on the team.

“I like English though Jim, you know that.”

“Right, you write.” He said with a roll of his eyes, drumming on the table top with his fingers waiting for class to start.

“Yep!” I smiled softly, scrawling my name across the top right hand corner of my paper.

“So, what time is practice supposed to be over?” Jimmy asked, putting his pencil down, turning in his chair to watch me as I doodled around where I had written my name.

“I don’t know, probably not till like five why?” I asked, setting my pen down.

“Matt’s got basketball practice, and Zack’s busy with baseball, I was just wondering. You know I’m not allowed in the damn Gym during practice anymore. I can chill out in the bleachers while you and Zack practice though, right?”

I nodded my head with a slight frown on my face; Jimmy had been kicked off of the basketball team a few weeks ago. “Yeah you can, unless you get all annoying and shit then the coaches might kick you out.”

He nodded his head. “Nah, no annoyance from me today. I’ll just work out some beats I’ve had in my head, we’ll walk home together. Your mom’s place is on the way to the Laundromat anyway. Unless you’re going back to your dad’s and the she-devil?”

I made a face and shook my head rapidly from side to side. “No way, I spent the past three days there; I told Jace last night that I wasn’t coming home tonight, so I’m good. I’ll be at moms for a few days. You know if you want you can crash on the couch.” I sighed, picking my pen up once more. “Not like she’d care or notice anyway…”

“Thanks Quinn.” Jimmy smiled gratefully. “I could use a hot shower and a comfy couch tonight.”
“Not a problem, what are friends for?” The corner of my mouth twitched up in a smile before the teacher walked in letting the door close behind him before dropping his text book on top of the table with a loud thud. Great, he was in a bad mood.
I shot Jimmy a warning look; he sighed heavily but nodded his head. Neither of us needed, let alone wanted another detention today, which meant we’d both be on our best behavior. Now if only the rest of the class would comply and didn’t try and sabotage us today.