Lycanthropy [closed]

It was overstated, but school really did feel like a prison on some days.

Sighing, Jane slung her backpack over her shoulder and slumped up against the wall, covered in sweat and breathing just like she'd run a marathon. Well, she had, kinda. It was a short sprint down the halls to give a Guardian the slip, but even a small distance like that did a number on her. She should've gotten a bronze medal or a participation ribbon or something at least just for the effort. Her heart was thumping in her chest like she was about to have a heart attack. That'd be inconvenient. If someone found her dead or dying on the floor, then she'd have to deal with the typical panic. Plus, a teacher would probably get involved, and then all that effort would've gone to waste.

The hallways were usually choked with human traffic at this time of day, but this part of the school seemed empty for the most part. Jane wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her sleeve and stood straight up, taking in deep breaths. "I'm too out of shape for this crap," she muttered to herself between breaths.

Jane wasn't the only one who had exerted themself. Montare turned the corner, pausing when he saw Jane. Sweat was visible on his forehead, and two shortswords were sheathed on either hip. As he did a lot of the time when he wasn't busy, Montare was practicing in one of the school's training rooms. He had just finished for the day, and was on his way to go to his dorm. However, this encounter with Jane changed things. "Oh, uh, hey Jane. Sorry about what happened at the party." Even though it happened some time ago, he'd yet to apologize for the fight that broke out.

Montare was the last person she expected to see rounding that corner, although she supposed it was better than a Guardian or a prefect. Jane put a hand on the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. Right, the party... The technical code word was 'get-together', but it would've been a bit ridiculous to correct him at this point. That whole thing was old hat, ages ago, practically ancient history, but considering he was the one who'd turned into a social pariah because of it... Well, she hadn't been expecting him to stay away forever. Whether he'd been intentionally avoiding her until now, or they just hadn't gotten the chance to talk since the whole 'incident' happened, it was probably a good thing that they were talking now. It was a better thing that he seemed apologetic.

It wasn't really that she cared about an apology, it was just the principle of the interaction. He was being ostracized like crazy, and she was the frail delicate little flower somewhat responsible for enabling it, and he was the wolf guy with the swords. The idea of getting diced up didn't really frighten her. After all, it was more of just a temporary setback. But a guy turning into a murderer because of her, that was really inconvenient, wasn't it? Thankfully, he was more normal than all the rumors and word of mouth let on. For a moment, just looking at him like this, it was hard to think that everybody thought of this guy as some kind of weirdo creep.

Oh, he had a couple screws loose. Not even the most sympathetic bleeding heart could deny that at this point. This was a school full of misfits, and the fact that he was singled out as the 'weird' one definitely meant something. But still, right now, things were normal. She only had to hope that he stayed clothed.

"Oh, that?" She sighed, turning her gaze toward the ceiling. "Don't take it personally. Anybody who says they haven't been thrown out of a party without their clothes on is just a dirty liar." Logan's gossip from earlier rung in her mind, about him being sober through the whole thing, but she let it slide. It was probably best not to mention that. "You know why I had to do it, right?"

"Yeah." It probably wouldn't have been good if she allowed him to stick around after he nearly mauled the Headmaster's son after fighting with him. His nudity after the situation was taken care of probably didn't help his case, either. Montare tried to find some comfort in Jane's words, and while he figured someone being booted out of a party naked wasn't a super rare occurrence, he didn't think it was particularly common either. After his one-word answer, Montare just kind of stood there awkwardly, silently wishing his social skills were a bit more up to par. At least they weren't as poor as they once were, though. Montare finally broke the silence again when he remember something that had occurred following his removal from the party. "Have any pictures of me been going around?" he asked, thinking back to the picture Maisie had taken of him.

She tilted her head, still giving off that apologetic grin that only seemed to say she was half-sorry for what transpired. "I don't think you do," Jane said, ignoring his second remark for a brief moment. Jesus Christ, yes, the pictures had gone around like wildfire. Someone had gotten the bright idea of circulating them over Esper, and even if you avoided the site, there was still a chance somebody forwarded you the text. It was like a tidal wave of wolf dick. But really, did that matter all that much right now? Montare's dearest friend being plastered all over the school's limited internet and on everyone's phones was beside the point. "It's not the fact who started it, or who was involved, or even that you were fighting..."

Jane jabbed a finger toward him like a teacher giving a lecture, waving it an inch in front of his nose. "If someone had scratched up Blondie's face, and we had to drag him to the infirmary, and the nurse is freaking out and saying 'what on earth happened...?!' What do you think they're gonna say? They're gonna say that they were at 'some girl's party,' and then Blondie's problem becomes my problem." She let her hand fall to her side, brushing aside her bangs with a flick of her head. "I threw you out because you were the biggest concern. Blondie threw the first punch, but if I'd thrown him out too, then you would've just fought in the hallway. And Blondie didn't have a reason to scratch up anyone after you were gone." She smiled. "So you see? It's strictly business."

What he might not have realized, or maybe he secretly did, was that all her rambling was just a digression from the awkward question. Yeah, half the school had seen him in his birthday suit. Half the school probably had it saved as their wallpaper. Did he really want to know, though?

Montare didn't pay much attention to the lecture Jane gave him; he did just say he understood the reasons why he wasn't allowed to stay. He also noticed that his question was not answered before, during, or after the lecture. it probably wasn't a good sign that the question was being dodged, and for a moment Montare started to reconsider trying to get an answer out of Jane. Then again, maybe it was possible that she was just more intent on trying to lecture him? Although it was a pretty unlikely possibility, it was a possibility nonetheless. Plus, Montare wanted to be sure that if pictures of him were going around, they didn't pop up from somewhere else. "You didn't answer my question," he told her flatly.

She seemed to deflate as he cut right back to the point. Damn, he was fucking stubborn. It was mean to keep the truth from somebody, but didn't he ever hear the term 'bliss in ignorance?' Sometimes it was good to be kept in the dark, although she supposed she couldn't fault him. Jane would've asked the same thing in his situation. The Autumn put a hand on her hip, sighing. "Yeah, people have been spreading around a couple pictures. Is that really what you wanted to know? You have an Esper account, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't use it," Montare answered, regretting that this was the case. He was tempted to check Esper later now, but at the same time he wasn't sure he wanted to see just how much that picture had spread. Sighing, Montare spoke again after a moment. "It's probably the picture Maisie took of me while I was in the hall." Although an explanayion might not have been neccesary, he didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah, looks like it..." She couldn't help but almost grimace. Maisie, the accomplice who had funded the whole thing in the first place with her dad's credit card. Jane would've liked to say that she could talk to the blonde next door and get them taken down, but it would've been an empty promise. The simple fact was that Jane was already in debt, and even if she talked to Maisie, there was no way she could erase the picture from existence. And even if she could... the damage was done. Montare Lupo was stuck.

"Well, don't be so glum."

Her grin turned mischievous and she gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. "That kind of thing's just a little set back. It just means you have to own it. Make it your thing, and then people can't use it against you. They should put me on one of those inspirational posters or something, with a picture of the sun rising and a quote and everything. Don't you think?"

"Sure..." Although Montare didn't have the easiest time seeing Jane as being super inspirational. "What exactly are you suggesting?" Montare wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but then again... If this was able to be turned around so that it was beneficial to him, rather than detrimental to him, he was all ears. Everyone knew that his reputation was not good in the slightest, and it could use any help it could get.

"You have to show you don't care." Jane grinned, twirling her finger. "The best shield is a smile, and the best weapon is a joke. Next time someone makes fun of you, laugh it off and pretend it doesn't bother you." She half-spun on her heel, turning her side to Montare with a sly wink. "If you sulk, or get upset, or try to claw the shit out of them, it'll just add more fuel to the fire. You're just giving them more ammo to fire at you. It's a rocky world, survival of the fittest, and you gotta adapt, y'know? If school is a jungle, then popularity is pretty much natural selection. We're all animals at the core. Some more than others." Jane was getting off topic again. She had a bad habit of that. "Basically, instead of fighting against the current, go with the flow. Relax. If they see you smiling, it means you've won. Do you get it?"

Montare listened to Jane's advice, nodding slightly as she spoke. "Yeah, thanks." Thinking about it, this would probably yield better results than anything that he'd normally do. Although, this unfortunately wasn't going to fix all his problems, but it would certainly help.

That was all then, huh?

She gave a small sigh and turned her back toward him, spinning on the sole of her shoe. "So no hard feelings then, huh?" This was a nice chat, but now she really had to run. "Keep what I said in mind. I'll see you around, Teen Wolf." With that, Jane started to walk away down the hall.

"Hey, wanna go to the park in Rosebury sometime?"

Montare blurted the question out, his face reddening slightly as it clicked with him what he had just done. Although, there were certainly worse things he could have asked, said, or done. Still, he'd probably just made things awkward again so soon after that had stopped being the case. Then again, maybe this would go over well...

Montare's sudden question stopped her mid-step. She turned her head, looking back at him with a small smirk. The park, huh...? It wasn't the smoothest thing she'd heard, but he looked so earnest and so embarrassed that she couldn't help but think it was a bit cute. The kid really was more awkward than creepy. At least from what she'd seen. "I didn't know there was a park," she replied with a small smile. Jane never had trouble adjusting on her own, but she could never complain about a tour guide. "You'd show me around some time? Maybe... a day or two from now, after school?"

Her smile widened. "Dust off that Esper account. I'll drop you a message with my number, and you can text me when you're free. Plan? Plan."

And with that, she turned back toward her old route and kept walking, not waiting for a response. A park date, huh...? Or maybe a date-that-wasn't-a-date. She was experienced with both of those types of things, but hey... Why not?