Jack and Rose: Present Time 2 Junior Year
Chapter Ten
"I can't believe we have school tomorrow," Tommy said, throwing a rock at Fabrizio. "The weekend went by way too fast."
And it did. It had been two weeks since Jack and Rose's big fight. Things pretty much went back to normal. The five friends were all sitting in Fabrizio's backyard, just talking, like they always did. It was a Sunday, just a couple days before Halloween.
"Oh, well," Rose said, not wanting to think about school. "At least we'll all have a blast on Tuesday night." On Halloween night, Dominique was throwing a Halloween Costume Party at her house. They invited almost everyone they knew.
"Yeah," Tommy replied, glad someone looked at the bright side of things.
"Oh, shit," Jack said suddenly. "Did any of you finish the history assignment?"
"I did," Rose and Dominique said in unison.
"Can we see yours?" Tommy asked with pleading eyes.
"You guys didn't do your homework again?" Dominique asked in disbelief.
"Hey," Jack said. "We have way more important things to think about..."
"Then you shouldn't need to copy off of us," Rose said with a smile as she slapped Jack on his butt.
"If I fail this paper," Tommy started, "I will fail this class. His homework is impossible! Come on, you don't want me to flunk, do you?" Dominique and Rose pretended to think.
"Who do you guys have for history?" Fabrizio asked.
"Ismay," Jack replied.
Fabrizio smiled. "Hey, I have him in the afternoon. I finished that paper. You can see mine."
"Yeah, Fabri!" Jack said as he gave him a high five.
"You guys are such pigs," Dominique said in disgust, even though she was mostly only kidding.
Rose didn't mind when Jack copied off of her, but it was beginning to worry her. What was he going to do for tests? He'd flunk them if he never did his own homework. She always wanted to make Jack happy, but maybe this would make him more happy in the long run. She really didn't want to see him get hurt.
"I heard the juiciest piece of gossip today," Dominique said as her eyes lit up. "You guys will not believe it!" Dominique took a breath, wanting everyone to pay attention and realize what she was about to say was important. "Alexia is going out with Cal."
"No way!" Tommy said.
Dominique nodded her head. "I don't know if they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but I heard that they went to the movies together on Friday." Tommy shrugged, pretending not to care, even though deep down he did.
"Well, you guys," Fabrizio said, getting up with a yawn. "You all better get going home because I have to take a shower."
"You need to take a shower," Tommy said with a laugh as he patted Fabrizio on the back.
"Let's just go up and ask her," Dominique said as she and Rose stood about twenty feet away from Alexia, who was at her locker.
"Ah, come on, Dom! We haven't been friends with her for weeks..."
Dominique cut in. "Come on."
Dominique pulled Rose's arm, and they walked over to Alexia's locker. "Hey, Alex," Dominique said, sounding as if they had still been friends over all of this time. Alexia smiled, which looked a little fake.
"What's up?" Rose asked.
Alexia smiled again. "Not much."
"Can we ask you something?" Dominique said, looking down at her books she was holding. "Are you going out with Cal?"
Alexia's smiled faded, and she looked totally ashamed. She thought for a moment, perhaps deciding whether or not to lie to her old friends. "Yes...I am going out with him."
Dominique's eyes bulged out, and she looked like she could have punched Alexia. Rose looked just as shocked, but she was also a little hurt. Alexia used to be one of her best friends, and now she was going out with someone who had helped kidnap her? Now, that was being a real friend...
"How could you do that?" Dominique asked. "Did you just forget all of the awful things he has done to everyone..."
"Listen," Alexia said, staring both of them in the eyes. "I'm not that little sweetheart you guys remember. I have gotten myself in a bad crowd, and I can admit that," she paused. "I'm just begging you...please don't give me a hard time. I'm sorry for what I'm doing, but it's too late to do anything about it now."
Dominique rolled her eyes, not buying the crap that was coming out of Alexia's mouth. Rose stared at Alexia, not knowing what to tell her. "How's Tommy?" Alexia asked, showing a little bit of concern.
"Why do you care?" Dominique asked, before Rose had a chance to answer. "You left him heartbroken...and for what? Cal Hockley! Girl, you have hit the bottom of the guy chain."
Despite what Alexia was doing, Rose answered, "He's doing good."
Dominique looked at Rose like she was nuts for being nice to her, and Alexia nodded with a small sigh. She did miss him, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She had already lost him and her old friends.
"Well, we gotta go to class," Rose said, now being the one pulling Dominique away. "We'll talk to you later, Alexia."
"Right..." Alexia muttered as she slammed her locker door shut.