Everybody Wants Somebody [Patrick Stump High School AU]

Chapter Seven;

"Colander. The word you are looking for, is colander. And I don't think you're using it right."

"Yes I am, it's that thing that Jews put candles in and use for their Christmas."

"Kevin, Jews don't celebrate Christmas."

"That's why I said their Christmas."

"It's called Hanukkah you dummy."

Kay made her way over to the table, her lips pursing from what she had heard so far. "Um. What?"

"Tell this idiot that the candle things Jews use aren't called colanders." Carson asserted, poking Kevin in the chest from across the table.

"...Candelabras? Or...is that a uh...? I dunno" Kay falted, sliding into her seat. "An old teacher of mine was Jewish and she taught us this."

Jamie brought his head up from his book and sighed. "Guys, it's called a Menorah."

"Dude, how'd you know that?" Kevin spat all over the table.

"My mom's Jewish, you know this. I was just waiting to see how long it would take you guys to figure it out. I'm not even kidding I'm going to call it a colander this year when my mom brings it out. Extra latka for me." He grinned from ear to ear, and nodded his head.

Kay and Patrick had had long conversations about their friends. They spoke long and adoring of Jamie. He wasn't too smart, but he knew the things most people didn't. And he was always bright and smiling. Kay couldn't lie, but if her and Patrick weren't such good friends, she'd choose Jamie over anyone. He was just always quite...yellow.

--

Jamie leaned over his seat and poked Carson in the top of the head. "Hey Carson what are you doing for Halloween? We should all hang out."

"Like trick or treating? Dude, we're too old for that." Sure. But what about free candy? Kay thought.

"We don't have to. Me and Kevin were thinking like the five of us hang out in his basement and eat candy and watch movies and stuff. It'd be super fun. Come on." He began to poke her shoulders and laugh. "Do it. Hang Out. Party. Movies. Cool."

Kay leaned over and whispered. "Hey you two should go out already, just saying." Carson turned to almost completely face her.

Her eyes narrowed as her normally pink cheeks flared. "Only if you and Patrick do first."

"Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, no thanks." Kay laughed. Luckily Jamie had spaced out and was playing with a piece of Carson's hair.

"Hey guys, we should still dress up though, that'd be fun." Jamie interjected into Kay and Carson's silent communication.

"Oh, I am for sure dressing up...as a dumb 80s pumpkin. Because I need every excuse to wear the shirt." The damn pumpkin shirt. "But I don't know about a whole party thing. Sounds fun, but, ehhh. I dunno. Mark me as attending, and we'll see how the week goes."

That week went pretty bad.

It started with the first of many of Uncle Jay's attacks. He first called from work and began muttering nothing but jibberish. An hour later he arrived home a mess. He was disheveled, his tie untied, shirt sleeves rolled up, his hair sticking up and over more than it's usual mess. He sat in the floor and cried for a couple hours, all the while Kay sat and consoled him. Their family had a history of issues, but she had never witnessed it in someone else.

By Wednesday he was back to work, but Kay was just getting started. The fact that her lip had been stitched up flew around school, which wasn't surprising. There were only about 700 kids that went to her school. But the rumors came right behind. She did it to herself. I heard that her Uncle's abusive. I heard she ripped it on her little boyfriend's braces. She just did it for attention. Now, on the regular these types of comments never got to Kay. Snide comments and remarks were pretty normal, but it was the fact people were bringing them to her. In one lunch period, nine people came up asking her what had happened and spewing their stories to her. On top of that, her stitches were starting to come loose.