Hit 'Em Where it Hurts ♕ Dancers

03 | cookies

"Mum, I'm not taking your cookies to school," Jaycee told her mother as she was handed a large container of still-warm chocolate chip cookies. "That's weird."

"Just think how nice everyone will think you are," Kelli told her, refusing to take back the plastic box and handing another one to Ryland, who'd been shoved into the back seat (amongst many complaints).

Jaycee scoffed. "Oh yes, I'll condition people into thinking they like me by giving them cookies every time I see them. You know, like they do with dogs," She unbuckled her seatbelt, about to get out of the car. Kelli had been kind enough to drive them to school seeing as it was their first day, and afterwards she was going scouting for possible places to set up a dance studio.

Ryland was already jumping out of the back. "Knowing you Jayce, you probably need them. Only way to get people to like you."

"Shut up."

Five minutes later, even though she'd argued against it, Jaycee found herself climbing the school's front steps with the biscuits tucked under her arm. Who knew, maybe they would help her make friends, and if the school turned out to be awful, well hey, at least she'd have something to eat while she cried in a bathroom cubicle - though she had no intentions of doing that.

It was the first day of the new school year, so luckily she wasn't alone in her newness. While Jaycee was completely opposed to starting her junior year at a new school in a whole new state, after attending the same school her whole life - it had been a conjoined one that had all elementary, middle and high on one campus - at least she wasn't arriving halfway through the year.

She gripped onto the cookie box with both hands, pushing her way through the crowd. She really had no idea where she was going, apart from that her Homeroom was room 47, so she hoped she was heading in that direction. A few people gave her odd looks, hopefully because of the cookies and not because she'd accidentally worn her underwear on the outside of her shorts or something.

"Woah, dude!" A guy asked, stepping in front of her. Jaycee raised her eyebrows at him. He looked like one of those typical senior kids who'd repeated a few times because they kept blowing off class to smoke weed, with a red mop of hair that was slowly growing into a beard and moustache matching set on his acne ridden face. "Are those chocolate chip?"

He seemed pretty harmless, so Jaycee gave him and his friends a cookie each, and asked them for directions. They happily obliged and complimented her mum's cooking skills extensively.

Now knowing where she was going, Jaycee quickly managed to find her way to her homeroom. It was on the school's third floor, which was much less busy, but the door was locked. Drumming her fingers against the container, she leaned up against the wall and waited for the bell to ring.

"Are those cookies?" An duo of girls approached her, one pointing at the box. "And can I have one?" She wore a typical denim shorts and tank top outfit, her beach blonde hair flowing down to her elbows. The other girl was a complete juxtaposition - dark brown hair tied up into a high ponytail, and a dark floral dress. Neither of them was very tall, but Jaycee wasn't exactly a giant by any meaning of the word, either.

People in Mesa appeared to be extremely forward. Jaycee opened the box and held it out to her, and the girl happily took one. She pushed it in front of the other girl, who distastefully sniffed her nose.

"Je ne veux pas de vos biscuits dégoûtants," The girl exclaimed. Jaycee didn't speak French - at least, that's what she thought it was - but what she'd said definitely didn't sound all that polite.

"Uh, okay," Jaycee nodded, pulling the box back. The girl looked like she was about to thwack it right out of her hands.

"Sorry about her-" The other girl paused to take another bite, "-she doesn't have the best manners. Are you new?" She waited for Jaycee to nod. "Though so, I'm Quinn, by the way-"

"Jaycee."

"-And this is my exchange student, Taylor."

"Taylor Nunez," Taylor told her, not satisfied with Quinn's introduction. She rattled off some more French, which seemed to baffle Quinn just as much as it did Jaycee. "Et je detese votre pays plein d' ânes gras."

"I think she said something about talking to her," Quinn frowned. "But I don't really know. She's refusing to speak any English."

"Parce que je vous detese," Taylor included with a smile, which might have been helpful if either Jaycee or Quinn understood her.

"See?" Quinn raised an eyebrow, swallowing the last of her cookie and licking the crumbs from her fingers. "All she's done in the past week that's she's been here is frown at everything and speak angry-sounding French-"

Taylor said nothing, but looked rather proud of herself.

"-So it's easier to just ignore her."

Jaycee nodded slowly. "Um, sounds good."

Done with her rant about the French girl, Quinn was eyeing the cookie box again. "Can I have another one?"

Maybe the cookies had been a good idea. Jaycee cracked it open and handed her one, which Quinn took gratefully. "So what brings you to Mesa?" She asked amongst chews.

"My dad's work. He's a - never mind, I don't even know what he is. But the work was better here apparently."

Quinn frowned, trying to puzzle out Jaycee's slight accent. "You're a what, New-Yorkan?"

"Close. Maine." Jaycee told her, though the states really weren't all that close.

"On s'en fout, ils sonnet toutes dégoûtants." said Taylor. Both Jaycee and Quinn ignored her.

"I have been to NY a few times though," Jaycee told her, "One of my grandmas lives there. She has this cool apartment thing looking out over Manhattan-"

"Are those cookies?" A guy's familiar voice but her off mid sentence. Jaycee narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, still slightly annoyed by their meeting the day before. "Oh, it's you." Something Allen or Allen Something told her, recognising her at the same time.

Jaycee made a face. "Luck's really not on my side right now, is it?"

"Vous devriez taire et vous vous depêcher de parler parce que vous êtes vraiment ennuyeux." Taylor commented.

* * *

Massive thanks to Liv/zeeglur for doing the French translations, so if they're wrong blame her

Also taylorselites remember one day when you took cookies to school and then angrily ranted at us for like an hour afterwards because some told you it was weird?