AN:

Sorry in advance for this being really late. Needed special assistance from a special author friend of mine. Thanks, Gayle! But there is a reason that I published this on the weekend, and I'll go into greater detail at the end. Until then, what used to be my friends!

-=+=-

It's strange to think how much can change in a singular day.

Just a mere twenty-four hours ago I was sitting exactly where I'm sitting now, in the lunch room, with the crowds of students screaming over one another just to be heard, speaking to Jaxon about how I never wanted to face Mercy again. Now I was anxiously awaiting her arrival to the lunch room. Emma and Emilie were once again nowhere to be seen, and by now I was relatively sure that they had left our table in search of another and I was relatively sure that Eve was not at school today.

So that left me alone, in the lunch room, with Jaxon. I nibbled absent-mindedly on my peanut butter sandwich but the bread was stale, and I made the mental note to remind my mom to buy bread the next time she went to the store. So instead I set the sandwich down and sighed, closing my blinded eyes and resting my head on Jaxon's shoulder. Mercy should have been here by now. She was in science this morning, so unless she had gone home early, she should have been here by now.

"This is the second day you haven't eaten your lunch," Jaxon commented, trying not to sound worried, but failing. I could tell he was worried about me, but there was something else too. It seemed as if Jaxon kept checking behind him, almost as if he was looking for someone that wasn't there. A ghost, per say. But then again so was I.

"I know," I said in response to Jaxon's worry. "But I'm not the only one."

Jaxon gave a slight laugh, but I could tell he was smiling, grinning from ear to ear, just as I had done with Mercy. "I'm just worried about you and Mercy." I knew it was a lie as he spoke it, but I didn't dare question it. He wasn't just worried about me and Mercy, but something else was going on, something I didn't know about. I let out a small sigh, forcing myself not to get angry. I couldn't solve Jaxon's problems for him. I knew that. All I could do was offer my advice, and a shoulder to lean on. 

"Okay," I said, my voice soft. "But you know you can tell me if anything else is wrong, right?" I asked, peeling my head from his shoulder so that I could face him. 

"Nothings wrong, I promise you Raindrop..." Jaxon's voice trailed off, as I heard the footsteps come near the table, the footsteps that would change everything. 

I knew the footsteps belonged to Mercy as soon as the bubbly blond grabbed my hand and began to sign in her regular rapid fire way. 

Hey Ash, sorry I was late, she apologized. I smiled and nodded at her apology, so focused on trying to catch what she was saying a hardly noticed when Jaxon tensed next to me. Rhys took me the long way to the cafeteria because he was certain it was a short cut. Never trust a new kid to lead you around the school.

I laughed at this and then turned to where this Rhys must be standing. I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off by another sound. Jaxon's laughter. Yet unlike mine at Mercy's silly comment, Jaxon's laugh was so cold and unnatural it set my nerves ablaze. That was probably my final warning before Jaxon finally spoke. "It's been a while, hasn't it Rhys?" he asked, in a way that I had never heard. Jaxon, the guy who was always happy and joking about everything seemed to have frozen over, burying all that warmth under a thick layer of ice that now buried everything I knew about him.

"Jaxon?" My voice seemed to echo across the large cafeteria, filled with the chattering voices of my fellow students, getting lost underneath their chorus of pointless chatter. 

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I moved here after things went to hell at St. Peters," another voice said in response. A voice who could only have belonged to the guy Mercy was now crushing on. Rhys. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Jaxon made a noise halfway between a scoff and a laugh. "I moved here after you and your friends made my life hell back in that place," he snapped in response. 

"Hm," Rhys said. "Of course, you did. Couldn't handle it, huh?"

"Nah," Jaxon said, and I could practically feel the grin that spread across his face. "I just don't really like asshats like you," he said, his usual tone returning. Only this was no joke, not to him that is.

"Well I never liked wimps like you," Rhys growled in response, clearly frustrated by Jaxon's joking tone.

"Ouch. My emotions," Jaxon said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, as I shot a glance at Mercy, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "You really want to show off what a jerk you are in front of you girlfriend? She might dump you," Jaxon warned, his tone taunting. 

"That's it!" Rhys growled, slamming his hands down on the table. "You wanna' fight? 'Cause I'm ready to go right now!"

There was the sound of fingers slamming against one another as Mercy began to sign with one hand in mine and the other I could only assume facing Rhys. Rhys Meyers! Cut it out RIGHT NOW! she snapped at him with furious fingers.

I let out a slight snicker before responding. Nice choice in guys, Mercy, I signed and I could practically taste the glare she was giving me.

Now's not the time, Ash, Mercy snapped in response. We need to stop this before it turns into a fist fight, she signed.

I nodded before lightly punching Jaxon's arm as if to spite Mercy's words, smirking. "Don't be an ass," I told him.

Mercy sighed, before what I could only guess she dragged Rhys away to talk to him in private. I was still amazed that she found a guy who could understand her rapid-fire signing. "I've never seen Mercy this pissed off," Jaxon told me. 

"I have," I mumbled to myself, shuddering at the memories of how mad Mercy had been with me just a mere twenty-four hours ago. "But you're not off the hook either!" I snapped, much louder so that Jaxon could hear me. "What the hell's up with you and that guy?" I asked. Jaxon said nothing for a long while and I narrowed my eyes, gritting my teeth, trying to keep my cool. I wasn't about to get into a fight with Jaxon just after I had gotten out of a fight with Mercy, yet I couldn't deny how much I hated secrets. "Jaxon I'm being serious here. I've never seen you pick a fight like that before. Tell me what's wrong."

"Can't," he said simply. "Breaks the rules of our little deal, Raindrop."

"Our deal?" I echoed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he asked, before getting up, and walking off, leaving me alone. I sat there for awhile in perfect silence, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that Jaxon had given me a very important hint about just what he looked like and what he had been through. When Mercy and Rhys finally returned I was still sitting there, trying to decide if the silence or the stale sandwich tasted worse.

"Where did that damn- I mean Jaxon go?" Rhys asked me, and I gave a simple shrug of my shoulders before standing up.

"Don't know. Don't care," I hissed, glaring at where I thought this Rhys must have been standing. "Now you've got about five seconds to explain yourself before you get your ass kicked by a pissed off blind bitch," I snapped.

Mercy grabbed my hand in record time, signing a message only meant for my ears. Or well, palms. Ash, take a deep breath, she signed. Every thing will be explained, we'll find out whats wrong with the boys. Okay?

I rolled my eyes, before simply signing back a simply, okay. Then I turned to Rhys. "You have the floor," I said.

Rhys cleared his throat, and I heard his feet squeaking against the floor. He was shifting under my deadly gaze, clearly nervous. So I made him nervous? Good. "So, back at St. Peters," Rhys started, "Jaxon said something to my best friend Alex, who just came out as gay, that was..." Rhys struggled for the word under my ever darkening gaze, "insensitive," he finally decided upon. "So, I said some things to him and now he doesn't like me, and that's okay because the feeling is mutual," he explained.

"Really?" I asked, my gaze holding firm. "I never pegged Jaxon as the insensitive type-"

"I swear it's the truth," Rhys said cutting me off.

"-but your excuse is acceptable," I said. "I'll delay your ass-kicking until I talk with Jaxon, although I doubt he's gonna tell me anything, if..." I trailed off, a childish smirk appearing upon my face.

If what? Mercy signed, sounding worried.

"Yeah, if what?" Rhys said. Mercy must've signed it to him as well. He definitely was worried, that only caused my smirk to grow larger.

"If I can call you Reece's Pieces."

Mercy bust out laughing.

"It's not funny Mercy!" I snapped, shooting a glare at my still giggling friend. "This is a very serious question," I stated, before turning back to Rhys. "So?"

"Sure...I guess..." Rhys trailed off.

I smiled, not smirked, but smiled. "Nice to meet you Reese's Pieces, my name's Ashley," I said, keeping my tone light. "But you can call me Ash."

-=+=-

AN:

Anyways finals are probably what have delayed the publification of this chapter, most of all, that and serious writer's block. Anyways thanks for reading as usual, and since I'm not a school you can't kill me, friends! HAH!