We Meet Again (JanTom AU)

Chapter 17

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"Janna! Janna, wait up!"

A small pair of feet ran down the sidewalk chasing after another. A group of howling laughter could be heard in the distance.

The little girl ran all the way back to her house. She opened the door and raced up the stairs, water dripping after her every step and her black bangs sticking to her forehead. Good thing her parents weren't home, they would have an overexaggerated fit at the mess she was making.

She told herself she wouldn't cry. Crying would let them win and she wasn't about to let that happen so she ran instead. But then again, she didn't know if she was actually crying or just had water in her eyes from the puddle.

"Janna, you know I can't run fast," she heard a familiar voice approaching her and stopped at the top of the stairs waiting. She turned around to see him climbing up the stairs looking dispirited than his usual upbeat attitude. She wasn't in the mood to tease him about his short height either.

"Sorry Tommy."

"It's okay. Let's go clean you up." He grasped her hand and led her to the bathroom, sitting her down on the toilet. He found a new face towel and used it to wipe her off.

"You should've let me jump in Jan, I could've beat them." he said, wiping the dirt off her cheek.

"No you couldn't, they're like twice your size," she joked. Ok, maybe she did have some energy in her.

"Hey! I'm growing!" His face was flushed while he clenched his fists. She snickered in his face, she could always depend on him to make her feel better. He calmed down, glad that he got her to smile. He finished up his last touches before snatching a bigger towel and wrapping it around her.

He stood back, admiring his "work" with a proud smile. "There, my best friend looks pretty again."

"Hey! Don't call me pretty, that's weird!" She said blushing in embarrassment.

"But you are pretty so I'm going to keep saying it." he teased.

He ran out of the bathroom chanting, "Janna is pretty! Janna is pretty!" She chased after him.

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Tonight was the night of the Halloween party.

That was all anyone would talk about up and down the halls, inside of classrooms, during the morning assembly. Poor teachers thought they were talking about the school-run party and let them chatter their excitement away. Janna on the other hand was tired of hearing about it at every nook and corner. A bunch of dirty, horny teens drinking spiked punch and rubbing bodies together for fun.

Sadly, she would be involved with the idiots going so she couldn't really say anything.

This is Jackie's fault, that conniving little bi-

"Janna!"

"Huh?"

She abruptly looked up from her lunch, startled from her thoughts.

"I asked if you were excited for the party," Star said from across their usual table outside.

"I'm anything BUT excited." She slid her lunch to the side, losing her appetite. "Please, you guys need to go with me."

"Sorry Janna," Marco took a refreshing sip from his water bottle. "I already offered to take Mariposa trick-or-tricking and she wants Star there too. Plus, aren't you going with Tom?"

"Yeah but he's going with Jackie since-" She stopped talking., turning blank.

Should I even tell them?

No matter how much she loved them, it wasn't her secret to tell and she wasn't one to expose someone else's secret.

"Jackie? Lynn-Thomas?" Star tilted her head. "When did she get into the picture?"

"Uh, well...they started talking for a while." That wasn't a lie, not completely. A door closed behind them, already knowing who it was.

"Hey guys!"

"Hiiii Tom."

"Sup dude."

"Hey..."

"Where've you been? Lunch is half-way over," Marco asked.

He sat down next to Janna with a plate of pizza in hand. "Sorry, Jackie asked me to walk her to the office."

"You and Jackie have been getting closer lately huh."

"Star..." Marco warned as Star eyed him narrowly.

She backed down, shrugging. "What? I just figured Tom and Janna would get together, not Jackie."

Both victims froze, staring at Star with widened eyes.

"Star!" Janna blushed, baffled at her straightforward sentence.     

"I'm just saying, you two have been getting along pretty well."

"Ok?"

Star crossed her arms, raising one brow. "It took me 3 months before you could even consider me an acquaintance."

She had to admit, that was true, but only because she barely knew the girl. Who knew, she could've been some weird girl who was nice and loving on the outside but a crazy psychopath inside. You never know. This was a completely different situation.

Tom noticed Janna hesitant in answering and decided to take the bait, not thinking anything of it.

"Star cut it out. We should be extremely lucky that she even calls us her friends. In fact, we should be honored, isn't that right your royal crankiness," he joked, adding a bow for effect.

"Pfft, you sound stupid." Her blush died down. She was grateful for the backup however as the couple also joined in on the joke forgetting Star's random statement.

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Something short since I was planning on publishing this with another chapter together later but I decided that you guys deserve it. Next chapter will be out soon :)