Holly took a heavy handed swing at Claire, who ducked out of the wild punch. Holly Wells was not pleased.
Not at all.
"If you know what the fuck is good for you, you'll stay away from me freak!" Holly snarled at Claire, taking another quick punch. This one glanced off the corner of Claire's mouth. Claire smiled at Holly.
Holly was dressed in a tattered black knee length skirt, with black fishnet stalkings and military style boots. She was wearing tattered arm length fishnets beneath a black tank top shirt that had red writing on it that said "Already Dead" on it. Her hair was thick and soft, curls pouring down like black water frozen mid fall and spilling over her shoulders and her back.
Claire thumbed away a little blood from the corner of her mouth, her back to the bathroom door, as she tried to calm this girl down. "Listen Holly," She said. "Normally by now, I'd have already beaten your ass into the tile. I just want to talk."
"How the FUCK do you know who I am?"
"I was told specifically to find you for Amnesia."
Holly stopped suddenly, thoughtfully. "Amnesia Stone?"
Claire had a moment of confusion, the expression written all over her face. This girl knew Amnesia?
How?
Suddenly, before Claire could react, Holly pulled something out of her pocket. In a double click, the device produced a long, slender inch stiletto blade.
Great.
A knife.
Where were lunch aides, or security, or teachers when you needed them? Stuck alone in the quad with a psychotic.
Claire put her hands up, over her head, arms bent at the elbows.
The door opened suddenly, and Nancy burst in as if it had been a matter of life and death, surprised only to see that it indeed, in fact, was a matter of life, and death. Holly leapt forward grasping Claire by her arm and pulling her back.
She wrapped her free arm around Claire, holding Claire by her arm, the stiletto knife neatly - professionally - applied to Claire's throat, with just the slightest give of pressure.
"
Holly
." Nancy said softly. "Holly, let Claire go please."
"Nancy?" Holly said in surprise, the black eyeliner beneath her eyes was running from the condensation on her face giving her a sense of dark circles or hollows beneath her eyes.
Her lips were turned in a sneer.
"I have always been nice to you Holly." Nancy said. "We were close to being friends, remember, back in ninth grade? Before you left?"
"Nancy,
what is
this
?"
"Amnesia. She just wants to talk to you--that's it."
"Okay." Holly said, pulling her knife away from Claire's neck, leaving a diminutive, thin red line, as she shut it and placed it away, out of sight. She pushed Claire forward to Nancy who caught her gingerly, and carefully stepped in front of her.
"We just want to be friends." Claire said, peering around Nancy calmly, despite herself. "Friends."
Holly's face was a mix of fear, distress, and violent emotions. She stroked the grip of her stiletto for a moment. "Sure. I'll talk to Amnesia."
O O O
Soheila sat quietly, pleasantly, next to Cordelia, and Amnesia. Lunch had just started, and Claire arrived with Nancy shortly thereafter.
Amnesia looked to Claire, and then Nancy. "Holly?"
"Right behind you." A voice said, a shadow suddenly falling over Amnesia.
"Hello Holly. Care to join us for lunch?"
"Where's the food?"
"We only eat a few days a week, otherwise we discuss ways to better issues."
"You green peace freaks or something?"
Claire eyed Holly sternly but kept her mouth shut.
"No one is forcing you to be here, Holly, but after your little run in with our Claire today, don't you think it'd be at least fair to join us for a meal?"
Holly looked cautiously at all of them, and then seated herself at their table. The table itself was nearly full with exception to room of one more seat. Amnesia seemed to notice too.
"Tonight I'm having a sort of kick back." She said with an almost secretive tone. "It's just invitational to the five of us here at this table right now."
"I'm in." Claire said.
"I am, as well." Nancy said.
"Will there be booze?" Holly asked bluntly.
"Martinis, Margaritas, and of course, Beer."
"Sounds good to me." Holly said. "Just tell me when, and where."
"That part is easy." Amnesia said. "You're coming home with me after school."
Soheila looked a little unsure. "Is it okay that I go? I have not yet gotten a chance to entertain--or be entertained at a party."
"Oh, it isn't much of a party." Nancy said, taking over. "Think of it as a way to end the school week with 'a job well done'. It's more like a sleep over to help us all relax and kind of
come
together."
Amnesia threw a subtle glance at Nancy's little Freudian slip. Cute, but dangerous to anyone who knew their reputation. Interesting little mind games. This girl was smarter than she let on. Amnesia would have to watch her confidante more closely - she could use her for bigger and better things.
"I suppose so." Soheila said. "That is if my mother lets me go." She looked half sure at Amnesia.
"So we're all in?" Amnesia asked, as if it were a bank heist, keeping it low.
"Yes Amnesia."
"Yes Amnesia."
"Yeah."
Soheila nodded.
"Good.
Khube
." Amnesia said, throwing a Mona Lisa's smile at Soheila. The girl blushed, her smooth olive complexion darkening at the cheeks and a little on the forehead.
Amnesia smiled prettily. Who could she find for Soheila?
Not
Holly. Definitely not. Sandra was pretty taken with Claire.
Nancy
?
Maybe Nancy.
O O O
"The house is ours tonight." Amnesia said, smiling a relaxed smile. Cordelia was behind her, massaging her shoulders. Amnesia's entire demeanor was relaxed. For the first time in a long, long time, she felt safe.
She knew it wouldn't last, but she was among friends, people she could trust. She opened up, by grinning.
The others seeing this, relaxed too.
Cordelia whispered something into Amnesia's ear, and Amnesia smiled happily. "Margaritas anyone?
O O O
"So I was sitting about like this," Soheila said, with her legs wide open, her shorts short enough to show just the vaguest shadow of her loins. She was laughing. "and my brother comes waltzing into my bedroom while my fingers are actually inside of me."
Holly stared at Soheila with a blank edifice, eyes shining like fragile glass, as the Persian girl told her story.
Amnesia watched Holly a moment, and then focused her attention back on their newest friend, nodding emphatically, if anything, to progress Soheila's story.
"So, he stares at me like he doesn't know what I am doing at first, and then when he does - he stares more!"
"Oh my God!" Amnesia barked in laughter. "How awkward!"
"Oh no dustam, not just this." She said, her accent filling in thickly. "He walks a little closer while I'm frozen in panic, and I do not know what to do, you know?"
"Yeah." Claire said. "Always sucks to get caught in the act."
"Bale--eh--yes!" Soheila said, and drank down the rest of her beverage. "You can barely taste it." She laughed.
Amnesia saw Nancy stir.
"So suddenly I leap up, I have my shirt on you know - but no clothes are on below my waist and I kick him between the legs."
Everyone laughed suddenly, perhaps at her actions, perhaps the vision of her half nude attacking her brother.
"It was so gross to see him stare at me like he did." She said, closing her legs a little, to
