Do They Bother You? (Editing)

Chapter Eight

Early April

"LJ, I'm going to kill you."

"To be fair, you seemed to be enjoying it at the time. How is this my fault?"

A ruler rapped sharply against the desk. "Be quiet!"

I slumped in my chair, leaning my head back so that it rested against the desk behind me. Closing my eyes, I found it was easier to pretend I was not in detention if I did so. Kam ran her fingers through my hair and leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

"Could be worse."

"How?"

She shrugged. "Well, we could have been doing something less fun when we got caught."

I sat up straight and whirled to face her. "That was not fun! It was morally inappropriate-"

The ruler slammed down on the desk again. "I said be quiet!"

"Of course Mrs. She-Devil." Asher muttered under his breath, hanging his leg over the bar that connected his desk to his chair. Mrs. Giovanni, the assistant librarian, was currently the teacher in charge of detentions, and it was beginning to clear up on why.

Honestly, we did deserve it. I didn't know why I'd let them all talk me into such an idiotic move.

"What I can't understand is why you all decided to pull such a stunt," Mrs. Giovanni sighed, turning away from us. It was Friday night- everyone else was in the gym for the pep rally. Not that we'd been going to that in the first place, anyway. We'd been doing our best to avoid it.

"I thought it was pretty funny." Finn chuckled.

"We caught you spray-painting the mascot blue! After you shaved it! And that isn't the half of it..."

"Blue is the school color." Kam muttered. "We were making Larry the Leopard a better mascot for the school. Speaking of which, has anyone ever told you that Larry is a cat?"

"A royally pissy cat, no less. And he looks nothing like a leopard." Finn sighed, rubbing at the scratch marks on his forearms absently. Needless to say, shaving a tabby cat had not gone over so well.

"Mrs. Giovanni," LJ said, turning on the charm. "I'm sure you're aware that I'm on the soccer team, and we have a game tomorrow..."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you painted the mascot!" She said venomously, and we all exchanged the same look: Back away slowly.

"Of course, of course," James said instantly, trying to save his hide. "Stupid move on my part. Honestly, don't know what I was thinking..."

"Just what were you planning to do with the cat, anyway?" She rambled on, apparently ignoring James now.

None of us spoke up, instead sharing glances with one another that held a completely different message now. The last thing we needed was to get into any more trouble.

"We were...um..."

"Going to let it loose in the gym. During the pep rally." Finn said suddenly. "You know, for school spirit and stuff. To get the students hyped up."

"How is a traumatized cat supposed to excite our students for the up-coming game?"

"...School spirit?" Finn's answer was so weak even Mrs. Giovanni saw through it. She snorted and sat back down behind her desk, once again looking stern and frightening.

"No more talking." She snapped.

The weekend passed in a blur. After detention Friday night, we lounged around in LJ's room and watched a movie. On Saturday, when LJ suggested we go out, we all went and saw something recent in the theater.

"Do you feel better, Lena?" He asked me after dinner, his arm around my shoulders. We were walking back to school after dinner, the others just a little bit ahead of us.

He didn't have to say it; I knew what he was talking about. I smiled, standing on my tip-toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I think this is the best I've felt in a very, very long time."

"Hey, guys!" Asher shouted from up ahead. "You coming? Kam wants to stop at the drug store before we head back."

I nodded, about to follow after them, but LJ held me back. "The drug store on the corner?" Asher nodded. "We'll catch up."

Asher smirked, shrugging. "Suit yourself." He turned and jogged away to catch up with Finn and Kam.

I turned a questioning gaze on James. "Why'd you do that?"

He smiled. "There's something I want to show you."

As we walked, he told me about the park across the street, where we were headed. New Haven Green was the oldest park in the city, built the same year the town of New Haven had been founded and now the center of downtown. He said that part wasn't important, though- what he wanted to show me was the fountain.

Apparently, there was a fountain in the park that turned it's lights on at night. He wanted to show me how beautiful the fountain was.

"This better be worth it," I teased, giggling. "It's getting chilly."

"Ye of little faith," he said, snagging me around the waist and pulling me toward him. "Just trust me, sweetheart."

He pulled me down a short sidewalk, leading me toward the place where the trees opened up into a large clearing. The sidewalk winded along it's right side, where the large fountain sat.

It was huge, easily twenty feet in diameter with a huge stone statue rising out of the middle. The water in the basin was crystal clear, the coins resting at the bottom glimmering through.

Water trickled from the out-stretched hands of the statue sluggishly, like they had turned the water pressure down because there was no one in the park. As I watched, though, the lights in the basin and at the top of the statue flared to life, and the water gushed out with new purpose.

"It's gorgeous," I said, breathless. "I've never seen anything like it."

The lights continuously changed, switching from red to purple to blue to green to every other color of the rainbow. A wondering smile touched the corners of my lips as I gazed at it.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I leaned into his chest. "It's kind of a belated birthday present," He murmured. "I know it's about three months late, but I thought it would be something you would want to see."

I nodded. "It is," I said. "Thank you."