The Protagonist System

233 Food For Thought

“So, that was an interesting meeting.” Jensen said as soon as she saw me.

I chuckled and gave her the hug and kiss that she had missed earlier. “It was, especially since I expected her to punch me through the wall of lockers and all she did was slap me.”

Jensen looked shocked and then laughed. “And you being the brilliant guy that you are, let her.”

“Hey, no one else tried to step forward.” I said to defend myself.

“Oh, I know.” Jensen said and took out her cell phone to show me the post on PHO. “So does everyone else.”

“Beauty doesn't calm the beast?” I asked at seeing the title and I quickly read through the first page of posts. “They're blaming Vicky?”

Jensen nodded as we entered the next class. “She's an open cape and let a student be assaulted.”

“But, I'm an open cape, too.” I counter-argued.

“It doesn't matter. She's well known to be able to tank hits from the heavy hitters and she didn't even try to defend you or back you up.” Jensen said and flipped through several pages. “The public is ripping her apart for abandoning her teammate over supporting a Ward.”

I sighed and sat down in my normal seat and Jensen sat beside me. “Why aren't they blaming Amy, too?”

“She's a healer and never fights, so she's not expected to do more than heal.” Jensen answered and her hand went to my face. “Then again, she didn't step forward to heal your face, either.”

I couldn't even defend that, because Hebert really had slapped me with her full strength. If I had been anyone else, I would have been seriously hurt or could have died.

“They heard it from the other end of the school.” Jensen said with a little worry.

I sighed again and leaned into her hand slightly. “I'm sorry, it needed to happen.”

Jensen sighed as well and kissed my healed cheek. “If you say so.” She said and took out her book and a notepad from her backpack. “I assume she's going to join the Wards for lunch?”

I nodded. “I told her I knew who they were and I'd see her at lunch.”

Jensen nodded back. “Everyone unofficially knows who they are, since they always hang out together.” She said and the bell rang.

“Does that mean teasing Vicky over dating Dean and one of the Wards at the same time, hinting at a threesome, is just you guys yanking her chain?” I asked in a whisper.

Jensen gave me a smug look before the teacher entered the room and started teaching.

I had to hold in my laugh at the girls pulling such a long prank on their friend. I did feel bad that Vicky was being blamed for not handling Hebert, though. It was my problem to deal with and I would have to wait until class ended to log into PHO to try and counter-post the hate going her way over it.

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The class passed by quickly and we packed up and headed for the next class. I took out my phone and Jensen shook her head at me. I didn't ask her why she didn't want me posting anything and just gave her raised eyebrows.

“Despite what you think, Vicky really should have stepped forward to mediate or at least tell you that she would help if you needed it. She didn't.” Jensen told me.

“She might have wanted to stay near Dean and Amy to protect them.” I defended her.

“Then she should have said that, letting you know that everyone in the hallway wasn't your sole responsibility. You're just assuming she was going to do it, because you know her personality.” Jensen countered. “What if she only defended Amy and Dean and let the others fend for themselves? How would you prioritize the rest?”

I opened my mouth and then sighed, because I really couldn't answer that with anything but 'everyone'. I would need to treat them all as civilians, except for Vicky, specifically because she was an open cape, had known capabilities, and was supposed to be my teammate.

Jensen gave me a one-arm hug and we went into the last class before lunch. Eating in the cafeteria was going to be interesting with a new member attending and Vicky being roasted on PHO. Word about both was spreading across the school at light speed, too.

*

Taylor wasn't sure how to handle how people were treating her. It wasn't quite popularity, because she wasn't getting attention because she was a cape. She was getting attention because she had confronted Greg in front of a whole bunch of witnesses. She had a constantly red face, because everyone kept asking how she knew him and if they could hang out with her.

She mentally berated herself for not being able to stop herself from confronting him, because her only thoughts were to give him a piece of her mind. She hadn't realized she would lose her control as soon as she saw him and anger had filled her. In her mind, she knew she didn't want to hurt him; but, she also wanted him to feel it and knew he could take it.

Now everyone knew about it, about his sincere offer of friendship, and that she accepted. A few of the girls gave her a look she was very familiar with, barely disguised hatred, and one of them said she would never forgive her for slapping the sexiest guy in the school.

Taylor couldn't even defend herself, because she really had slapped him, then another girl stepped out of the crowd in the hallway and said she was glad it hadn't been a fist like she thought it was going to be. Taylor had been surprised by the offered defense that she seized the opportunity to tell them she didn't want to hurt him and just wanted to make him feel the sting of how she herself felt.

Even the girls that glared at her, changed their expressions to understanding ones. It made Taylor feel even more embarrassed for admitting that out loud and she also felt vindicated as all of the girls knew what she had meant and accepted her explanation.

Taylor's swirling emotions carried her through the next class before she knew it and it was suddenly lunchtime. She slowly went back to her locker hugging her backpack, her expensive looking backpack, and she dropped it off. A few of the girls around her gave her appraising looks and Taylor was surprised that there was no disgust or revulsion like that morning when her clothes hung off of her.

“If we hurry, we can sit at the table next to his!” A girl nearby said and slammed her locker.

Taylor didn't jump at the slam, thanks to the doctor's lessons on how to handle being startled. She took several deep breaths and mentally prepared herself for what was about to happen. She walked towards the cafeteria like it was a looming monster, just as she had when she approached the cafeteria at Winslow.

The mass of students getting food, gathered around the tables, and loudly talking, gave her flashbacks to her horrible experiences back at her old high school.

“Hey.” A girl said from beside her and Taylor turned her head to look. “He already bought you food, so you don't have to brave the line today.”

Taylor wasn't sure what she was talking about and just stared at her like a deer caught in a car's headlights.

“Dammit, he was right about that reaction, too.” She said and very carefully patted Taylor's arm. “My name's Jensen and Greg's sitting over there. Come on.”

Taylor didn't resist as the girl led her over to a weirdly set up set of tables.

“Thanks, Jensen. You found her before she bolted.” Greg said and patted the two chairs beside him. “Jensen's going to run interference for today.”

Taylor blinked her eyes at him and he had to help her to the chair beside his and sat her down, then Jensen sat on her other side.

“Maybe for the rest of the week.” Jensen offered and handed Taylor a fork and put the knife onto her own tray and out of Taylor's reach. “I don't trust you with a knife yet.”

Taylor gave her a shocked look and a few of the girls around them laughed.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Greg chuckled, too. “Give her a few minutes and she'll be okay. We have her safely isolated in a good social bubble here.”

“Food. Eat.” Jensen ordered and Taylor nodded and started in on the hot sandwich and fries.

“We'll introduce her around when she relaxes.” A girl across the table said.

“Tomorrow, then?” The girl next to her joked and they both chuckled.

Taylor ignored them and ate the surprisingly tasty hot sandwich. The gravy was good and not lumpy, and the french fries were crispy and cooked well. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had a good meal at the cafeteria and her brain was having a difficult time parsing things.

It wasn't until her food was gone and the lunch period was half over that Taylor realized how she had been babied and led around and made to eat. She started to blush deeply from embarrassment and then felt a hand take hers. She caught her breath at how gentle it was and lifted her eyes from her empty plate to look at Greg's still stupidly handsome face.

Greg gave her a crooked smile and lifted his other hand and pointed across Taylor. “If she didn't already introduce herself, that's Jensen, the girl I asked to find you and bring you here.” He said and pointed across the table. “Now, in no particular order, because they are all awesomely popular and are good friends of mine, are Jessica, Clarice, Chelsea, and Brittany.”

Taylor nodded at each of them as they said hi or waved.

“The girls at the end of the table are Kim and Hannah, classmates of mine, and across from them are their boyfriends, Jake and Sam.” Greg said.

“He knows our names!” Hannah gasped.

“I know all your names.” Greg said and they looked happy. Surprisingly, so did the two guys.

Taylor was reminded that Greg had said the same thing to her when he claimed he knew who the Wards were, and then she was introduced to those same Wards at the next table in the 'L' shape. By name. He really did know them all and Taylor had to pretend she didn't know them and were just being introduced to her for the first time.

Greg even introduced her to Vicky and Amy, even if they weren't really on speaking terms. It was such an odd situation they were in, especially after how he had been recruited to New Wave by them. Taylor couldn't help but give the more darker rumors a lot of weight, because she couldn't dismiss that it had happened that way. They had lured Greg in with their bodies and then dropped him as soon as he joined.

The fact that Vicky hadn't tried to stop Taylor from confronting Greg, let everyone know what she really thought of him, and it was not flattering. Vicky seemed to know that as well, because she kept her face blank and only nodded at Taylor in greeting. Amy looked like she was caught between a rock and a hard place, then she nodded as well.

“Let's go.” Amy said and stood, took Vicky's hand, and they left the table.

“That was awkward.” Dennis said, not joking at all.

“I'll go check on them.” Dean said and followed them out of the cafeteria.

“They read some of PHO before lunch.” Carols said with a sigh.

“I was advised to not comment about that by a good friend.” Greg said and Jensen's face went slightly red. “I have to agree that it was best to stay as far away from that mess as possible.”

“Good or bad, you would only add fuel to the fire.” Brittany said.

The other girls nodded in agreement and it fell silent around them for a minute, then Jessica asked Taylor where she found such a nice sweater. That sparked the next conversation topic and Taylor was both happy at the change of subject and terrified she would say something wrong. She told them the store she bought it from and Brittany praised their different brands and that she shopped there, too.

Greg moved over to sit with the guys from the Wards and Taylor tried to not keep an eye on him. She wasn't successful, because the girls across the table kept giving her knowing looks and saying things like he was a nice guy, liked them for who they were, and didn't try to change them or ignored them. They really were friends and wouldn't trade it for anything.

That was when Taylor started to realize she could have had that same assurance if she had accepted Greg's friendship years ago and a tear came to her eyes. She felt an arm go over her shoulders and she turned to see a sympathetic look on Jensen's face.

“He won't, you know.” Jensen whispered.

“Won't what?” Taylor asked.

“Try to get into your pants.” Jensen answered and Taylor's eyes widened. “I had to jump on his lap and take my sweater off before he even tried to touch me anywhere not pre-approved.”

Taylor blushed at being caught thinking about that. “So... you...”

“...had a wonderful time having fun with a great guy that doesn't demand anything from me, like dates, or forcing me to give up my time to hang out with him, or change what I want to do to accommodate what he wants to do? Yes, it's true.” Jensen said.

“But... I thought...” Taylor stopped herself before she said something stupid.

Jensen got it anyway. “That's the thing, Taylor. If I asked, he totally would do that. He would be the boyfriend I wanted and I know he would be fantastic at it, which means I don't have to ask. Just knowing he would do everything for me is enough.”

“It totally is.” Brittany said and the other girls nodded.

“You, too?” Taylor asked before she could stop herself.

“No, I wish.” Brittany said. “I missed my shot and that's okay.”

“Why?” Taylor asked, because she had to know.

Brittany looked at Jensen and back at Taylor. “Because he really would be the best boyfriend. If we broke up, I would be ruined for anyone else trying to replace him.”

“Like Vicky and Amy.” Jessica said.

“Oh.” Taylor said and then her eyes widened. “Oh! I get it. That's why it's so awkward!”

“They had him and tossed him aside. They know they made a gigantic mistake and they can't take it back.” Brittany said. “Even if they wanted to.”

“Yeah, it's way too late and today just hammered it home for them.” Chelsea said.

“For everyone.” Clarice added. “PHO is roasting them so much because of it and they have to take it, because it's all true.”

Taylor nodded and didn't mind that Jensen still had her arm over her shoulders, even if she knew where that arm had been, as in wrapped around Greg's naked back as he had his way with her. It was almost a relief that she never had, and probably never would, feel that way about him. They had too much of a jumbled history for her to ignore it or forget about it all.

Just as Taylor was starting to feel comfortable with the group of popular girls, the bell rang and brought the lunch period to an end. She was surprised when all the girls said goodbye to her, even the girls on the end from Greg's class. She followed Jensen as she gathered Greg and they went back to their lockers. It was easier than trying to go there on her own.

“I'll show you where you need to go for the afternoon classes.” Jensen said and gave Greg a chaste kiss. “Bye, Greg.”

“See you tomorrow.” Greg responded and smiled at Taylor. “You, too.”

Taylor nodded and grabbed her backpack to follow Jensen to where her next classes were going to be. As she settled down in the classroom and waited for it to start, she admitted to herself that despite how lunch started and how she felt, things had turned out a whole heck of a lot better than it ever had before.

In her mind, Taylor thought that maybe Arcadia High School wasn't going to be as bad as she thought it was going to be. She was definitely in a much better social circle than she was back in Winslow and she was really grateful about that. It would take her quite some time before she realized it wasn't because she was a Ward and was because Greg had offered to be her friend.