Through Thick and Thin

Jimmy and I walked the rest of the way in silence, sharing the bagel and sipping our respective drinks.

Upon entering campus Jimmy paused to throw his empty cup in the garbage bin before turning to me.

“You dropping this shit in your locker?” He asked, shrugging his shoulder that held my equipment bag.

“Nah, not yet. Let’s go find the others first.” I grabbed his wrist and tugged him through the crowds of students, there were some of the other girls on the team, decked out in full uniform glaring at me, or nodding with a small smile on their face as I walked by. Most of the girls, although they may not like me, understood I was a good player and respected me on that front at least, and then there were girls like Kelsey and Erica, who didn’t give a damn either way.

Jimmy and I weaved our way through throngs of people before coming up to the spot in the court yard where everyone was waiting. Zack stood out like a sore thumb amongst their sea of dark clothes in his white baseball Uniform. I was very glad the girls got the black uniforms and the boys had the white, well for home games anyway.

“Oh hey look, it’s the other athletic dork!” Jade teased once she saw Jimmy and I.

“Oh shut up Jade.” I laughed, stopping in front of where she was sitting along the small ledge that lined the quad.

“What? I’m not the one dressed up like the two of you.” She gestured to Zack and I, him in his white baseball uniform, black and orange “7” showing boldly on his jersey, and me in my black uniform, with the number 13 proudly stamped on my uniform.

“You’re just jealous babe, you know I look hot.” I winked at the other girl, smiling softly. It didn’t quite reach my eyes.

The other red head stood, brushing her hair out of her face; today she was sporting bright aqua blue hair extension clips to match her aqua colored belt and sneakers. “Well… Those pants do make your ass look good.”

We both laughed, as I twisted placing my hands on my hips to show my butt off, hissing when I pressed too hard on the bruise still forming on my side.

“Quinn!” Jimmy rolled his eyes. “You idiot, you know that bitch is still tender as fuck!”

I nodded my head, “slipped my mind.”

“Obviously.” He rolled his brilliant blue eyes, before lounging backwards, his elbows on the grass.

“Where’s Layla and Matt?” He asked at the same time, Jade and Zack asked me what exactly was
“tender as fuck?”

“Probably on their way, fuck if I know.” Jade said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Layla wasn’t even at fuckin’ school yesterday dip shit.”

“I know that Jade.” Jimmy scoffed. “She left Quinn and I all alone in English.”

“That’s because I was smart enough to ditch!”, came the sing song voice of one Layla Rose Palmer, a rather curvaceous girl who stood only slightly shorter than me at 5’6”, her hair hung straight down, the pink dyed tips brushing against her chest as she walked.

“Schools better than staying home.” I sighed; wincing once again as I went to lean against the garbage can and successfully smacked my hip into the hard plastic.

“Yeah I know Quinn.” Layla sighed, turning her blue eyes on me. “Why the hell are you wincing?”

“She got clobbered with a ball yesterday!” Jimmy announced, hoping up from the ground with cat like grace. “She’s got a pretty gnarly bruise.”

I just used my hands to gesture towards Jimmy, indicating he was correct.

“Lemme see!” Jade grinned, standing beside Layla.

Heaving a sigh, I pulled up the side of my shirt to show off the bruise, Zack whistled quietly. “Shit, that looks like it hurts.”

I just stared at him blankly. “Yuh think?”

“Ew, that’s gross.” I rolled my eyes, turning around to see Matt, accompanied by two nearly identical brunette girls as they approached; The DiBenedetto twins, the two were similar in every aspect except their clothing and hair styles, while one girl had her hair pulled back into a sloppy, yet intentional looking up do, the other had hers down, clipped away from her face. The girl on the right, the one with her hair up was wearing a fitted black t-shirt and jeans, while her counterpart was wearing a skirt and an off one shoulder light gray shirt.

“Battle scars Michelle, they tend to not look too pretty.” I stated firmly, looking to the girl on the left, watching as she rolled her eyes.

“What’d you do to get that?” Val asked, cutting off her sister before she could say anything.

“It looks pretty wicked.” Matt added, slinging his arm across Val’s shoulders, the two were an item, had been for a few weeks now.

“Pollack decided she’d take matters into her own hands and threw a fucking fast ball straight at my hip. I decked her in the face, we’re both benched for today.” I sighed as I fixed my shirt and buttoned up my jersey properly.

“Oh so you mean we don’t have to wait around and watch the game then?” Michelle asked, happily.

“You always have a choice to watch or not Michi.” I sighed, using the nickname I hadn’t really bothered with since middle school. “You don’t have to watch the softball game, but if you wanna stick around the baseball game is right after.” I gestured to Zack who was standing beside me.
Michelle sighed. “I know Quinn, I’m sorry. You know sports aren’t my thing.”

Smiling softly I nodded. “I know Michi, thanks for sticking around most of the time anyway.”

Michelle smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “No big deal.”

Val laughed, bumping her shoulder into her sisters. “She likes checking out the guys at the games anyway.”

“Valary!” Michelle scoffed, looking horrified at her sister who just grinned.

“It’s true.”

“Whatever, I’m heading to my locker, you coming?”

Val nodded and leaned up kissing Matt’s cheek. “Yeah, see you guys at lunch!” The two waved and headed off into the school.

“Why do we put up with them again?” Jade whined falling back onto her butt in the same spot she had previously been occupying.

“Because they’ve been our friends since middle school, and they’re not really that bad” Layla clarified.

“And Matt’s totally boning Val.” Jimmy said wiggling his eyebrows, plucking the cigarette Layla had just lit from her fingers to take a drag.

I just nodded my head slightly, sitting down a little bit away from the others so the smoke wouldn’t get in my face. Pulling my equipment bag I dug through it, hearing but not really paying attention to what my friends were saying.

“What’s up with Quinn?” Zack asked softly, I saw him cross his arms over his chest out of the corner of my eye.

“Yeah, she’s all… distant.” Layla clarified, I could see her swinging her arms in my general direction.

I heard Jimmy heave a sigh, likely exhaling the smoke in his lungs at the same time. “She had a rough night, her mom came home smashed again, and she had the nightmares.”

Jimmy didn’t need to explain any further, they all knew what the nightmares were, and they all also knew of my mother’s part-time job and… extracurricular's, they’d all more than once been there to help me pick up the pieces.

“Awe, Look it here, the freaks are trying to fit in.”

The annoying nasally voice of Monica Davis cooed, effectively snapping me out of my stupor as I looked up. She was standing beside her football player boyfriend Aaron, both of them flanked on either side by their cronies. “I heard Pollack got you good yesterday O’Conner, pity she didn’t do any long lasting damage.” She sighed over dramatically.

“Fuck off Davis!” Matt growled, not even flinching as Aaron stepped forward.

“What are you gonna do about it Sanders?” The linebacker questioned.

“Whatever it takes for you all to piss off.” Matt growled, getting into the other boys face. Everyone was standing now, including me. Zack’s hands were twitching to get his bat from his own equipment bag a few feet away from him.

“Pollack didn’t do shit.” I growled out. “Maybe you should check out her face, I hear black eyes are the new big thing, I can help you follow the trend if you’d like.” I hissed, glaring down the blonde.

“Please, like some little, abandoned bitch like you could hurt me.” She scoffed.

That had me seeing red, Jimmy held my arms as I tried to lunge at the girl, who actually looked afraid as I glared down at her. “You don’t know anything!”

“I know that your daddy left you.” Brooke giggled from Monica’s side.

“And that your mom works the extra late shift down town, if you know what I mean.” Bridget continued, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Or how your little brother, is gonna turn out to be white trash, just like you.” She clasped her hands in front of her chest. ‘Quinny!’ She mimicked, mocking Jace.

“Shut up!” I growled, thrashing trying to get out of Jimmy’s grip, Jade’s fists were clenched tightly; she too was being restrained, Matt holding her back by her shoulders so she wouldn’t lunge. Layla was being held back by Matt Wendt. “Let me go Jimmy!”

“You’re all pathetic.” Zack scoffed, he’d made it to his gear bag, plucking his bat from its contents, his knuckles white as he gripped it tightly. “You may think you know us.” He took a step closer; the girls backed up, whereas Aaron and his gang stood strong. “But you don’t know shit.”

“Really now Baker?” Aaron asked, crossing his arms cockily over his chest, “How about all you rejects have been kicked out school when you were younger?” He tried, with a raised eyebrow.

“Or how, Little Jade over there has some retarded mutation that causes her to have those freaky eyes.” A nameless jock spoke up, I watched as Jade tried to fight Matt off, her hands itching to throttle that boy’s throat.

“Or how, Sullivan here.” Aaron moved around Zack to stand in front of me, locking eyes with Jimmy.

“Doesn’t even have a place to live, fucking street rat.”

Jimmy’s grip became almost painful on my arms, I knew it was more so to keep himself from punching Aaron than hold me back anymore.

I squirmed and managed to bring my knee up, successfully jamming it into Aaron's gut causing him to double over in pain, his face now level with mine.

“Why don’t you learn your place before even thinking of dissing me and my friends Dickwad. You don’t know us, you couldn’t even begin to comprehend or handle what we go through. You’ve got mommy and daddy’s money to fall back on which is good because all of you combined have less brain matter than a goldfish. So why don’t you Fuck. off. Go run off to the hole you crawled out of and don’t let the
tail between your legs trip you. Just know so help me god!” I tried to jerk away from Jimmy again.

“You bring up my parents again. You even DARE bring up my little brother. I will fucking do far worse than a black eye.” My eyes locked with Monica’s, she had the decency to look scared.

The two groups stared one another down, Zack’s knuckles were pale, almost ghost white as he gripped his bat tightly in his hands, he knew better than to swing first, especially with a weapon. Aaron stood up, squaring his shoulders.

“These freaks aren’t worth it.” He declared, spitting on the ground at my feet. “Let’s go.”

I watched as they turned around and began walking away. Jimmy’s grip loosened on my arms, finally letting me pull away. I rubbed at them, before taking in my friends. Jimmy’s face was set in stone, the anger radiating off him in waves. Zack’s eyes were locked on Aaron's head; I knew how much he wished that Aaron's head was a baseball so that he could slam it clear across the school. Layla was fuming, her eyes dark and angry. Matt released Jade, she promptly turned around and punched him in the chest.

“Don’t fucking hold me back! I can handle myself!” She growled, stomping over to her messenger bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Matt rubbed his chest, wincing watching as the fuming red head stormed towards the front doors of the school, the kids cleared a path, all fearing her wrath if they were to even try and get her way. Wendt released Layla, who rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension.

“I need a fucking cigarette.” She declared, Jimmy’s mouth quirked up slightly. “Me too, share?”

Layla nodded and she and Jimmy moved back to the protection the shade of the tree provided to light up a cigarette; however I suspected it wasn’t just an ordinary cigarette. I heaved a sigh, the Matt's were talking quietly to one another and Zack still stood like a statue, glaring at the jocks across the quad.

“Zacky?” I questioned nearing him, placing my hand on his arm. His cold glare turned to me before he visibly relaxed, flexing his fingers as he let his arms fall to his sides.

“I’m ok Quinn, what about you?”

I shrugged indifferently, eyes glancing over to those who had just stood before us. “They don’t know shit.” I clarified. “They never will, they can judge us all they want, they’re the ones seeking attention and acceptance, and we have each other.” I gestured to those of our friends still huddled around the tree. “They’ve got their lame ass reps. We’re better than them. Right?”

He nodded his head slightly, moving to shove his bat back into his bag. “Right… now if only our anger didn’t get the best of us all the time.”

I laughed lightly, “Like that’ll ever fuckin’ happen.”