Unforgettable ~ A Jared Leto/MARS Fanfiction

6-Lanie

I make the trip from Cedars-Sinai back to Laurel Canyon in near-record time, especially considering I haven't driven in L.A. any further than the market near the compound. As I wind the GMC through the quiet, tree-lined and impeccably manicured neighborhood, a thousand thoughts fill my mind.

Shelby. In a fight? In an honest-to-God schoolyard brawl? I can hardly believe it. Even though my daughter is a tough little tomboy, she's not the violent type. She's never been a discipline problem at school whatsoever, much less hit another student. She did see enough of that between her dad and me though, so—

My thoughts are jerked back to the road as I take a curve way too fast and swerve violently to miss a black Audi SUV parked in front of a condominium complex, and back again to avoid a head-on collision with a delivery truck coming the other way. The truck driver lays on his horn, and I respond with a stiff middle finger out my window.

"Slow down, Lanie! Christ!" Jared yelps from the passenger seat.

I glance over at him. He's hanging onto the oh-shit handle above his seat and he looks a trifle pale. My attention goes to the speedometer and I realize I took that curve at double the speed limit. I ease off the gas, muttering, "Sorry. I'm a little upset."

"Yeah, well, 'a little upset' almost took out a fifty-thousand dollar car."

"Parked in a no-parking zone," I snap back. "And that truck was too far in the middle of the street."

Jared throws me a look but wisely he says nothing further until we pull into the Canyon View Elementary parking lot.

"Jimmy's here?" I nod my head at the familiar blue Pathfinder parking in the Visitor's lot. "Why'd they call him?"

Jared shakes his head. "I don't know. You don't think...no. Do you think Shelby and Tyrell were in a fight?"

I pull into the open visitors parking space next to Jimmy's. "Shelby and Ty? No. No way. But Jimmy's on Shelby's emergency contact list, so maybe when we couldn't get here immediately they called him." I throw the GMC in park and jump out as Jimmy exits his vehicle.

"What's going on?" I ask Jimmy, as Jared gets out of the car.

The big man shakes his head. "Wish I knew. I got a call saying Ty was involved in a fight. What are you two doing here?"

"They called and said Shelby was in a fight, too," Jared says.

Jimmy's eyes widen. "With each other? Those two? Oh, hell, no. They're best friends!"

"That's what I said." I start for the entrance. "Let's go find out what's going on."

After buzzing us through security, Jared, Jimmy and I go into the office. There, we are greeted by the blonde secretary, who informs us that the kids are in a conference room talking to a police officer and the school's principal as well as the guidance counselor.

"A cop? For a schoolyard brawl?" I mutter as we are shown to the room.

Shelby's sitting in a corner of the room, her arms folded, a furious expression on her face. Next to her is a woman I've never met before, speaking urgently to her. Shelby doesn't look at her, but she sees us come into the room and she looks away, chewing her bottom lip. Her hair is a mess, her t-shirt sleeve is torn, and as she turns away from me I notice a red mark on her cheek.

At the table, Tyrell is sitting with the police officer. He looks scared and angry all at once. When we come into the room and he sees his father, he shrinks in his chair.

"Ms. McCarty," Mr. Teer, the school principal greets us as he stands up. His youngish-looking face is solemn. "Mr. Leto. Mr. Quentin. Thank you for coming. As you've heard, we had a problem today with Shelby and Tyrell."