Dance with the Devil [James]

[junnette elizabeth walkman.]

Junnette turned a page in her book as she sat in the Commons Area with her feet propped up on the only open chair around. It was lunch time and the school was as usual loud. But that didn't matter because the new girl couldn't hear them. They where all tuned out by her iPod. Shawn Desman blasted through her eyes as she scanned the page of her new book that she had just gotten from her best friend Seridica. Seri was at the Power's Academy but promised to stop by the appartment that they shared after school. June didn't care that she recieved dirty looks from people as they tried to get her attention and asked her to move her feet. Her only answer was to blow a bubble with her fruity flavored gum and turn another page. She had only been here for three hours and she was already sick of this place. She didn't have Seri for company so what was she expected to do? No one had simply just said hello to her yet.

She was in the far right corner of the Commons Area, most of the kids where crammed in towards the middle and wanted to drag their chairs over to sit with their friends. No one had invited June to sit with them and quite frankly she hadn't cared one way or another if they would invite her or not. She would sit where she pleased. They didn't own this school and they sure as hell where not going to dictate what June could and could not do. She was sick and tired of people trying to tell her what was right for her, what was proper and what she could and couldn't do. It only irked her rebellious nature. June slowly blew another bubble with her gum as she reached over and picked at her food. She absolutly detested school food and for the simple fact that she refused to eat it because she prefered her own home cooked meals. Seridica was the same way, except Seri usually gave into her hunger and ate the school food anyway. June was not such a person, when she made up her mind that she didn't like something then it was finalized that she didn't like that thing.

Just like it was finalized that she hated this place, it wasn't just that she didn't like it. She absolutely hated and detested this place. She wished for her home back in Montana. People looked at her funny when she spoke because of her southern girl accent. They thought she was some kind of hick. Sure June had grown up in a town that had less that two hundred people but that had never mattered to her. At least she had been known there. But then things had changed. June gave a soft sigh as the song on her iPod changed to Love Like Woe by The Ready Set. It reminded her so much of Oliver, she knew that Seri brought her here for her own good. But that didn't make it any harder to forget that she had been in love with Oliver. No, that is a lie. June was in love with the thought of being in love, that was what it was. Oliver had been the sexy blonde boy who had given her anything that she wanted. And she only wished that she could figure out why in the hell he would keep such a secret from her. It made absolutely no sence to her that he wouldn't tell her that he had a power. It only meant one thing to her, he had lied and he hadn't trusted her.

[James Walker]

It was only lunchtime, and the day was already going terribly. James couldn't understand it. He'd only been in this town for a few shorts weeks, and already everything was falling apart around him. He fought constantly with his foster father, not to mention his new "brother", and his real little brother didn't seem to understand what was wrong. He would come in at night, crawl onto the bed next to James, and ask him why he was so angry... but James could never answer. None of them understood, even if they were supposed to be a family now. Even his real brother hadn't gone through what James had.

Of course, his "family" life wasn't the only thing wrong. How could it be, when there was the rest of his life left to go down the drain? Some of his teachers already hated him. He could see it when they looked at him, or hear it in their tones when they called on him in class. They hated his sarcasm, the wit that always seemed to find a perfectly sour remark for every situation, and they hated the unwillingness to work that he exhibited. In classes that he enjoyed (though of course they couldn't see his inner attitudes), he did his work well and often, but in others, his homework was left ignored. They couldn't understand why he was so selective about his efforts.

The other students didn't seem to like him much, either. It wasn't that he was cold, though that was part of it. For one thing, he always seemed to be in some sort of fight. His "parents" had already been called twice, in only four weeks. He wasn't always the one to start the issue, but more often than not, he threw the first actual punch. He hadn't been suspended yet, luckily; his past had been enough to gain him a small amount of leniency from the administration. Still, the fighting, coupled with his automatic dislike of those disrespectful idiots, had left him friendless after four long weeks.

With a pile of books in one hand and a paper bag of lunch in the other, he headed for the far corner of the Commons. The last thing James wanted to do was sit alone in the middle of the yard. That would invite more comments, and that would only lead to more fighting. There was only one girl over there, and she seemed to be reading. Simple enough to ignore.

He set his books down on the table, then dropped the sack next to them. The only empty chair was technically occupied, but only by the girl's feet. "Hey. Move." He waited for a moment for a response before he realized that she had headphones in. With a book in front of her and music to silence the rest of the world, he doubted she would give an answer. Oh, well. Without waiting for an answer, he shoved her feet down and settled himself in the chair.

[junnette elizabeth walkman.]

Junnette was in her own world as her head bobbed to the music. All too soon the song ended and 'Here I Am' by Marion Raven came on and she smiled darkly to herself. This was the song that described her life. The one song that she could actually relate too and not think that it was foolish trying to compare herself to the song. June turned another page in her book and blew another bubble, it seemed like the people closest to her where getting annoyed with the constant popping of her gum, but they didn't say anything to her because they had seen what had happened the last time that someone had tried to tell her what to do. It seemed that June wasn't going to make friend very easily here at this school and that didn't bother her in the least, she had Seri. Seri was all she needed. Even if she only saw Seri when she stopped by the appartment to say hello to June and then she was gone. It appeared that Seri was doing a whole lot better than June had and that was okay with her. At least that was what she told herself. She told herself that it was a wonderful thing that Seri finally felt like she belonged.

Now it would seem that the tables had been turned and it was June who was the outcast instead of the center of attention. June crossed her legs at the ankles and then closed her eyes for a moment just letting the song wash over her. She didn't want to think about having another three and a half hours of hell left in this place. Quite frankly she was thinking about ditching the rest of her classes and going back to the appartment for some much needed sleep. June hadn't been sleeping well since the incident with Oliver and she knew better than to bring it up with Seridica. Seri just didn't understand how it felt to know that your boyfriend of three years had lied to you and then attacked you. She even still had the mark that he had left on her. On her right arm there was a deep red hand print that was permanantly burned into her delicate and tanned skin. The blisters had gone away but it still caused her pain more often than not.

June opened her eyes the instant her feet where shoved from the seat. She was so surprised she knocked her burn against the table and she hissed with a sharp intake of breath as she looked at the person who had been the cause of her pain. He was cute and all, but looks didn't matter much to June when that person had just taken the liberty of touching her. June did not take well to being touched and she knew that something was about to go down here and now. June acted on instinct as she hooked a foot under the chair that the guy was now sitting in and she shifted her weight so she knocked the boy and the chair backwards. Laughter instantly filled the room as they looked at the boy who was now on the floor. June's expression was blank as she stood up and then looked down at the boy as she took out one of her headphones. "Sorry sweetheart, but we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Or rather I should say you got off on the wrong foot." Her eyes then narrowed as she looked down at the black haired boy. "I don't take well to being touched, do well to remember that." She said coldly as she took her seat once more.

[James Walker]

James settled himself and reached for his lunch bag. The girl had gone down easily enough; maybe his reputation had preceded him around the school. He wasn't sure what to think about that. On the one hand, it would help him out around the school, at least for staying out of fights, since people wouldn't want to tangle with somebody who had a "reputation". On the other hand, the teachers probably wouldn't be so happy about it, and his foster parents certainly wouldn't approve of his status at school. It would definitely get back to them through his foster brother, and maybe his little brother would hear about it through the grapevine. Not something he wanted.

Suddenly he felt himself going backwards. Before he could grab the table to stop himself from falling, he hit the ground and spilled out of the seat. His hands smacked the ground hard as he caught himself, bending his elbows to take some of the stress from his wrists. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was how to fall safely, especially after being hit. James had been in enough fights to know that trying to catch himself entirely on his hands would result in a snapped wrist, though thankfully he hadn't learned that one from personal experience. Still, the back of his head hurt, and both of his hands stung where they'd been skinned.

He climbed slowly to his feet, wiping the dirt from his hands by brushing them against his pants. It stung, but he kept any show of pain to a small grimace. Once he'd straightened up, he realized exactly how short this girl was: even if she was in a chair, the height difference was clear by how much smaller the chair had seemed compared to his body. "Yeah? And I don't take well to little bitches like you. You think sitting there with a book in your hands makes you better than me? Smarter? You think it's a great idea to tip people out of their chairs?"

[junnette elizabeth walkman.]

Junnette was seething as she took her seat and was about to open her book once more. This day was just not her day, she had already thrown someone onto their back. But this guy had had it coming. She hated, absolutely hated being touched without her permission. It was so rude in her opinion. And she had been raised right, she had a southern belle attitude, and was a straight up country girl. June's eyes narrowed darkly as she looked at the boy as he slowly got to his feet. She knew the storm was coming, andhe may have an attitude like a tornado, but that was nothing compared to the hurricane that was Junnette Walkman. June easily crossed her legs and set her book on the table and then easily rested her hands in her lap. She wasn't one to play around when it came to a fight. June was ready for the storm and as surely as she had thought here it was.

"Yeah? And I don't take well to little bitches like you. You think sitting there with a book in your hands makes you better than me? Smarter? You think it's a great idea to tip people out of their chairs?"

She let him finish before she cocked her head to the side. She smirked sarcasticly and then she got to her feet with feline like grace. Her eyes where dark and dangerous. She meant business. "No you foolish city slicker, I never said anythin' 'bout bein' better than you. I told you I didn' like bein' touched." She said harshly, her southern accent coming out as her eyes met his and she almost slapped him across the face. Though she was able to hold her temper back just enough that she only clenched her fists at her sides. Today was not June's day. She wasn't even going to get to see Seri today because she would be busy. Today she was on her own. June placed a hand on her slender hip and cranned her neck up to look the boy in the eyes. Her gaze didn't flinch and she met his gaze head on. This was turning into a battle of wills, and June had a very strong will indeed.

[James Walker]

James raised an eyebrow and looked down at the girl. She was feisty, he would give her that, but he wasn't fond of people like her. From what she called him, he assumed she wasn't exactly from the big city, but that certainly didn't help his opinion of her. She was behaving exactly like he would have expected a Southern stereotype to behave: pig-headed, stubborn, and completely uneducated. If she'd been wearing cowboy boots and had pulled out a rifle, he wouldn't have been surprised at all, at this point. He noticed her fists clench, and almost subconsciously mirrored the move. If it was a fight she was gearing up for, he was more than willing to give it, especially after the lip she was giving him.

"Did I ever say that I cared if you liked being touched? I really don't think your opinion counts for much, especially if you're some country hick. Hell, I bet that book you were holding is just a cover. There's a reason you had an iPod in." He kept his eyes locked on hers. He wasn't about to look away and lose this battle, not for his life. James was sorely tempted to strike out, to get it over with and land the first blow in the inevitable fight, but he knew that people would frown even more over his fighting habits if he started punching girls. People were strange about that: you could hit a boy below the belt and be fair, but laying a hand on a member of the fairer sex was forbidden. "What, too scared to fight me, little girl?" He placed heavy emphasis on the second-to-last word.

[junnette elizabeth walkman.]

June's eyes narrowed even more as she watched this guy. She wasn't in the most forgiving mood, but she would have at least tried to forgive his stupidity if she could, but as it would seem she couldn't get past the fact that he just kept going. And when he called her a country hick, that was the final straw. Junnette was about to wind back and take a swing at James when someone grabbed ahold of her fist and she turned a hateful glare back at the teacher that had stopped her. He just gave her a look that said if she didn't calm down she was going to be in big trouble. That was the last thing that she needed at the moment. Seri would be very disappointed in her if she got kicked out of school on her first day. She didn't want to disappoint Seri and she knew she sure as hell wasn't going back home to her parents, not after everything that she had went through to get away from her old life.

Junnette took a deep breath and then lowered her fist. She then turned a cold look to James, it seemed to say that this wasn't over and that she was going to make his life a living hell. She knew how to make someone's life wonderful, or she could ruin it completely. June grabbed her book and her bag and then shoved past James to leave the commons area. The rest of the school day seemed to pass by in a bit of a blur. She didn't pay much attention to the classes, she was a very smart girl and she didn't really need to pay much attention considering that she had already been over most of this stuff. She was just looking foreward to getting home. She would make a stop at the elementary school as she had always done at home just out of habbit. A habbit that was hard for her to break. Though she wasn't sure if this was really such a bad habbit more as a good one. June loved children more than anything, she loved to see them laugh and smile. It was one of the things that she lived for.

June left the school when classes let out and made her way to the elementary school. As she was about to cross the street she noticed a boy chasing after a ball. She looked around and realized that a car was coming and the person wasn't paying much attention seeing as he was talking on a cell phone. June knew she had to act fast or else the child would be hit. She dropped her bag and instantly dashed out and tackled the child into the grass just as the car was rushing by. June's adreniline was pumping and she was breathing rather hard as she held the young boy. "Watch where your going, you moron!" June called after the car which was turning a corner. She then gave a soft smile down at the boy who was clinging to her. "You okay?" She asked. The boy nodded but his face was still burried in her chest and he was clinging to her jacket. June ran her fingers through the young boys hair in a soothing motion and smiled again. "It'll be alright sweety.." She muttered as she continued to hold the child.