Pandora's Box

Misunderstandings

Pandora enters her chemistry class, which is mostly full, and notices Jemma is sitting there with an empty seat next to her. Seeing another student heading towards it, Pandora rushes in and blocks him.

"Sorry..."

"You're sorry?" the obviously annoyed student says, "You saw I was going to sit there didn't you? You just wanted to screw with me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Spite?"

"For what? I don't even know you." explained a confused Pandora.

"That didn't stop you from not inviting me to your party."

"Actually I think that's exactly what would stop me."

It takes them a minute to respond, "Just, find somewhere else to sit."

Pandora scoffs and tries to sit down as she speaks "No..."

The student grabs Pandora forcefully. Jemma jumps in at this point, yelling "Hey!" before shoving the student away from her friend, "Get your hands off her."

When Jemma touches them, the student has light transferred from Jemma to them. The student goes tumbling over tables in a way that someone of Jemma's size shouldn't be able to with someone much bigger than her. Other students help the fallen student up and the light transfers between them. This causes the newly arrived chemistry teacher to step in.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"The bitch attacked me." says the student as they get up gingerly.

"Ms Epimetheus?" asks the chemistry teacher to Jemma.

"Only because he tried to attack Pandora." responds Jemma, causing a wave of magic from her mouth to him.

"Attacked? I barely touched her." the student tries to rush Jemma which makes her respond by trying to rush back.

The chemistry teacher interjects, "Whoa, okay... what's gotten into you two?" before turning to Pandora, "This school has a zero tolerance policy for violence. Ms Jupiter? Are you all right?"

Pandora looks to Jemma before focusing on the teacher, "I'm fine. I'll... be fine."

"Do you want to file a complaint? Did they attack you?"

Again Pandora looks between Jemma and the teacher, "Attack... might have been the wrong word..." Jemma seems offended by her friend's statement, "But he did grab my arm. She was just trying to protect me."

"Still, her response was unacceptable." scolds the chemistry teacher, "School policy is to separate you too. Jemma, you and Mr Pyrrha, you'll both take the class off and have to make up the work with an extra credit assignment. You'll be marked as absent and report to the office to find out your detention."

"He tries to attack my friend and I get punished? How's that fair?" says an upset Jemma.

"I never attacked her. She even said so." says the student which causes Jemma to look at Pandora briefly, which she notices.

"It's fair because you both made a bad decision and you both have to pay for it. Now go!" orders the teacher.

Jemma grabs her bag and books, putting the books in it as she heads towards the opposite door of the student she had the altercation with. When she gets to the door she has a small book in her hand. She looks at the chemistry teacher, then at Pandora, before throwing the book at the teacher. Thankfully the teacher barely manages to dodge it.

That has Pandora shocked, "JEMMA!" but Jemma is gone before she can say more.

"I don't know what's gotten into her. She's never acted like this before." says the chemistry teacher.

"I think I do." answers Pandora as she heads for the door Jemma left from.

"Ms Jupiter, you haven't been excused." says the chemistry teacher but Pandora keeps going, leaving the room in search of Jemma. "Ms Jupiter!"

Pandora doesn't have to look far though as she catches up to Jemma down the hall, heading in the opposite direction of the principal's office.

"I'm pretty sure my dad's office is that way." Pandora says as she catches up.

"Why would I go to your dad's office?" asks Jemma.

"Uh, because the teacher told you to?" says Pandora, responding to a question with a question.

"So what? I don't have to listen to them."

"Don't you? I mean, it's kinda their job to tell you what to do isn't it?"

"No, it's their job to tell me what to think, not what to do. And I'm done being told what to think or do."

With a bit of a sarcastic attitude, Pandora asks "But isn't that, you know, your thing? Being told what to do? I mean, in what little time I've known you it's all I've ever seen you do."

"Maybe it was before, but your party changed all that. I'm different now. And if that's really what you think of me...?" Jemma smiles mischievously, "Then you don't really know me that well... how about we change that?"

It takes Pandora a second to answer "Uh, okay... how?"

"My parents gave me their credit card for the week. Let's use it. How about we go shopping?" concludes Jemma, heading in the direction of the exit.

"What? Now?"

Jemma starts walking backwards so she can face Pandora "Sure, why not?"

"You're supposed to go to the principal's office. Shouldn't we do that?"

"You heard Mr Jones, we're being marked as absent for this class. So let's be absent."

"Don't we have other classes?" asks an uncertain Pandora.

"Don't worry, we'll be back with more than enough time. It'll be fine." says Jemma with a whimsical tone.

As Jemma heads towards the door, Pandora looks around the hall to see if anyone else was around but they are clearly alone. After hesitating for a few more moments, she goes to catch up with Jemma.

"Wait up!"