To him, rhythm is the pattern of music. To her, rhythm is movement on a page.
JATP season 1
[reggie x female oc]
[alex x male oc]
Disclaimer: I do not own Julie and the Phantoms and the associated characters. I own all original characters and orig...
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"Yeah. See ya."
AS Jess waves goodbye to her father and steps out of the car, she stares up at the large building as worry twists her gut. High school is always advertised as some of the most formative years in a person's life, but Jess doesn't want to grow up. She doesn't want people to make fun of her butterfly clips or her not quite faded jeans (which they already had at orientation). The whole building just has a bad energy.
Walking into the crowded building, Jess does her best to keep her head down, carefully balancing between looking up to find her way and looking at the papers in her hands to make sure she knows where she's going. When she finally makes it to her locker, she sighs in relief only to fail at unlocking it three times before finally managing to hear that blissful click.
She practices opening and closing her locker a few times before stuffing extra books and a snack in and closing it behind her. Shaking her head free of negative thoughts, she checks the scribbled writing her wrist and follows the locker numbers until arriving at an open one housing her best friend.
"Jess!" Zoe exclaims happily, her hair bouncing in her pigtails. "Ready for high school?"
"No," Jess groans as she leans back against the wall of lockers, her books heavy in her hands. "Can't we go back to when people didn't know what mean was? Like, I just want to be a baby."
"That sounds weird," Zoe drawls as she closes her locker. "But you're weird, so that makes sense." At the unchanging look of dread on Jess' face, Zoe shakes her head. "Come on, it'll be fine. At least you have an art class now, right?"
"I guess." Jess purses her lips. "I hear Mrs. Stuart is supposed to be really strict though. Maybe I should just stick to science like my parents want. Maybe it'll just be easier."
Zoe quickly shakes Jess while narrowing her eyes. "Don't think that way. You are my majestic artist friend who can do anything she wants."
"Except be brave."
"Except that, but I believe in you and that's all you need."
Jess chuckles as she watches students pass by, oblivious to their conversation. A blond boy stands across the hall surrounded by others, all of them laughing like they have no worries. "I want that," she sighs.
"What? Boys?" Zoe asks with a frown.
"No." Jess' eyes widen. "No! I mean, look at how happy they are. So much life ahead of them."
"And us." Jess sends her a look. "Eh, who are we kidding? All the light we have now will be gone by lunch."
"And I thought I was the downer."
Zoe shrugs with a grin. "What class do you have first?"
Sucking on her lip, Jess looks down at the schedule in her hands as they pull away from her locker. At first, the paper is upside down and then it's oriented in the wrong direction. Being so focused on her attempts at fixing her schedule, she doesn't notice the boy that crashes into her.
Jess lets out a loud squeal as she drops her books and papers, stumbling back onto the ground. The boy does the same, his limbs sprawled all over as Jess rubs her back, her face scrunched in pain. After a moment, when the event fully registers in her mind, her eyes go wide as she rushes to clean her mess. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She gushes, avoiding eye contact as the boy manages to sit up. "I wasn't watching where I was going and I—"
"No, no, no, it was my fault too. I never know where I'm going," the boy replies as he tries to help gather her papers.
"Oh, no, it was totally all my fault..." As she looks up to finally see the boy, her mouth goes dry while he hands her the last remaining book. She's never seen a face that cute before, especially not so close to her own. The slight curve of his nose and the tinted redness of his cheeks make her blink; he'd be perfect to draw some time.
"Sorry," he says as he helps her to her feet. "Totally my bad."
Words escape her as she laughs nervously, tucking her books into her chest and hiding her face. "It's fine," she squeaks out. "I-I mean, really, it was my fault."
As the bell rings above them, Jess winces at the loud sound, watching the boy react the same way. She bites her lip as the boy shakes his head with a smile. "Guess it's school time. Ugh."
"Yo, Reggie, we've got class," a brunet boy says from behind him.
Jess blinks as the boy, Reggie, laughs. "I'll see you around, I guess."
"Yeah," she breathes as his friends lead him away, leaving her standing awkwardly in the slowly emptying hallway. "See ya."
When Zoe links her arm with Jess', the artist jumps in surprise and shrinks away at the wide grin on her friend's face. "Oh my gosh!" Zoe gushes. "That was so cute!"
"What was cute? What happened? I think I blacked out?"
Zoe shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Come on, like you didn't just meet your prince charming."
"Actually, Prince Charming sucks because he can't even recognize the love of his life without her fitting a shoe, so is he really that great a guy? And don't even say another prince because really, they all sort of suck. One kisses a girl who can't consent. Another pretty much cheats with a sea witch. Then there's the whole Stockholm syndrome—"
"I get it!" Zoe exclaims. "But, you gotta admit you like him. I saw that look."
"I have no look. I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Come on, princess. We've got class."
✿ ✿ Author's ✿ Note ✿ ✿
Bonus chapter! These will come out periodically when I feel like it, but enjoy some scenes from Jess' past involving Zoe and sometimes the boys.
