CHAPTER TWO – PEP TALK
“Jeanne?” Fedora frowned as she tried to wake her friend up. She had been part of the ‘senior ambush act’ and was lying unconscious by the time Jeanne had closed her eyes—it was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to her, to Jeanne—to them. “Jeanne, please wake up.”
Fedora Bloodrinker was thirteen and the youngest in class. She was the granddaughter of Nicholas and Constance Bloodrinker, two blue-blood society figures who operated the Bloodrinker Electrical Industries. Now in high school, she was given the permission to live within the school grounds much to her pleasure.
Fedora had regained consciousness almost an hour earlier and had found herself in the health centre, when she had stood up, she saw Jeanne on the bed beside her, unconscious.
She had worried that may be Jeanne was more badly injured than they were and if she might be in a coma or something.
Fedora looked up to Jeanne because she was responsible and the oldest in class, also with everybody looking up to Jeanne, she followed the trend. Jeanne was a close friend and she wouldn’t forgive anyone who would hurt her friends.
“Jeanne!” Fedora groaned, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.
“Five more minutes, Mom…” She heard Jeanne murmur and grinned wildly, Jeanne was okay!
With a grin, Fedora rocked Jeanne over to wake her up. Within seconds, Jeanne woke up with a frown aimed at Fedora.
“I was still sleeping.” Jeanne groaned and buried her herself under the thin blanket only to pull herself out in shock, “This isn’t my room and certainly not my bed nor my blanket!”
“Duh, we’re in the health centre!” Fedora told her, swing an arm around to emphasize. Then she frowned, “Don’t you remember anything that happened yesterday? Oh, my gosh, you’re not suffering amnesia or something, are you? Wait, I’m going to call Nurse Jenny!”
“Wait!” Jeanne exclaimed as she reached for Fedora’s arm before the younger girl could escape. “No, it’s all coming back to me now.”
“Oh, good!” Fedora sighed in relief, “Tremendously good! I wouldn’t know what to do if you’re, you know, forgetting parts of your memory like our friendship or—le gasp, you’re feelings for Aaron! Those are things you can’t just dictate to come back, no uh-uh.”
“Shut up!” Jeanne scolded with a blush while Fedora grinned at her. “I don’t have feelings for Aaron, gosh. Keep your voice down!”
“Sorry!” But it didn’t sound sincere and the wide grin on her face didn’t help convince Jeanne.
“How long have we been here?” Jeanne asked.
“Oh, I woke up about an hour ago.” Fedora grinned as she answered, “The others are gone or may be at the other room, I don’t know. But I did talk with Nurse Jenny when I woke up, she told me to stay here in case you woke up. Oh, and we’ve been here for about a day. We spent the night here in the centre. Can you believe that?”
Jeanne groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead, “This is my entire fault… If only I didn’t jump like an eager beaver… I should’ve thought it trough before agreeing.”
“It’s not your fault, Jeanne.” Fedora said with a frown, “Amanda tricked us, not just you. Remember you told us about it and we were equally ecstatic! We were also just about as nervous as you were! It’s was a trap, Jeanne!”
“But we wouldn’t have been trapped if I didn’t jump!” Jeanne frowned.
“She made it sound good enough for you to jump in.” Fedora rolled her eyes, “Listen, Jeanne, Amanda and the seniors had set us up. It wasn’t your fault but if you insist, fine—it’s your fault. But it’s not completely your fault!”
“Sure, you say that but what about the others?” Jeanne shook her head, “I bet they’re super angry at me. They must hate me now and I won’t be the class president anymore… I won’t even get votes for the student body election—no!”
“Shut up! Shut up!” Fedora wailed her arms around her sides, “I’m the one who over reacts, not you!”
Fedora suddenly grabbed Jeanne by the wrist and pulled, “Oh, come on! We’re going to the hall—and don’t complain! This is for your own good!”
“My own good?” Jeanne repeated as Fedora yanked her off the bed, “I’m injured—I should be in bed!”
“You should’ve been awake an hour ago, you sloth!” Fedora said, pulling Jeanne out of the medical centre and marching to their dormitory.
– Ÿ – Ÿ –
Fedora pulled Jeanne in the dormitory which was called the Corvus Hall, determined to show Jeanne that she was over reacting.
“See?” Jeanne frowned at Fedora, “No one’s here! They’re probably trying to avoid me.”
“Pish-posh.” Fedora shook her head at her friend then stomped her foot hard on the carpeted floor, making a low muffled sound. Then she sucked in her breath and let out a loud shriek, “Lobby meeting! Now!”
Jeanne winced and felt herself go deaf, Fedora was shrieking too loudly but it did work. Her shrieking had brought everyone from the upper floors and other rooms down to the lobby.
“Shut up!” Gideon exclaimed as he came out of one of the first floor rooms. “Fedora, it’s not even past lunch and you’re squealing like a pig.”
In response to his rude comment, Fedora stuck her tongue out at her older classmate whom she knew since grade school.
Gideon Wildbeast at fifteen was the person everyone sought for advice and help; he was a counsellor to his fellow classmates in matters of the heart and their love lives. His mother and father had left him in Ravenheart with his younger sister since he was in grade school because they worked over seas, not that he ever complained about it in fact, he liked the whole arrangement.
“Where are the others?” Fedora demanded as she took a good look over the small crowd that gathered.
“They’re not here yet, duh.” Gideon rolled his eyes while the others shot her glares.
Fedora stuck her tongue at them, “This is an important meeting, okay? I didn’t call you guys out to help me find some sort of candy or anything… like last time. It’s about Jeanne and the witch Amanda Heatice.”
“It was Iceheat, Fedora.” Garrin corrected the younger girl gently with a grin but had the other boys snickering.
Garrin Duskshadow was fifteen and was all the girl’s big brother figure and all the dude’s brother, he looked out for the girls and was mostly pushed around by the boys but he didn’t mind… at times. His parents moved overseas due his father’s work and since had insisted on finishing his schooling in Ravenheart, he was living in the Corvus Hall with his buddies.
“I-I knew that!” Fedora flushed in embarrassment but no one believed her and they were already laughing at her.
“Shut up!” Fedora shrieked, making everyone cover their ears to block her high-pitched voice.
“Shut up!” They all chorused, surprising Fedora that she jumped a step back.
Fedora frowned then placed her hands on her waist, “Anyway! This isn’t really about Iceheat or Heatice, who cares what the witch’s name is! It’s about Jeanne!”
Their classmates and the new freshmen who had joined in looked over to the long-haired red-head standing beside Fedora.
“What happened?” Aaron spoke up first; his eyes darting to Fedora then back at Jeanne worriedly making Jeanne avert her gaze to something else to avoid his.
Fedora saw Jeanne’s reaction and quietly snickered beside her friend only to get jabbed on the stomach by Jeanne’s elbow—and what a strong elbow it was.
“Shut up!” Jeanne hissed quietly at her but it had thick enough venom that got Fedora shutting up.
Aaron Ravensoul was the principal’s youngest son at fifteen and he was just about as athletic as the other boys his age but even being the principal’s son, he didn’t have much care for his grades to be perfect A’s, that was something his brother had seen to. Being the principal’s son had him living in Ravenheart for most of the time for the whole year, it kind of sucked since his mother was always there but he survived.
“Hey, what happened?” Aaron demanded with a frown.
“Oh, oh, sorry, I was thinking of something.” Fedora grinned at Aaron then cleared her throat, “Back to topic! Everyone who was in the performance during the before school ceremony remembers that Jeanne told us that Amanda told her that it would be cool of us, the freshmen, to perform with them, the seniors, right? Right?”
“Yes,” Aaron said with exasperation, “Everyone remembers, just get on with it!”
“Weeell…” Fedora continued slowly, half-ignoring Aaron. “Jeanne thinks it’s her fault that we got whooped, but I told her it’s not but she’s like, no, it’s my fault but I was like, no, it’s not then she’s like, everyone hates her but I go, no, we’re not but she’s like—”
“Okay, shut up, shut up, we get it!” Garrin said raising his palms on the air to silence the young girl. “Jeanne feels bad. We get it.”
“Geez, it’s not your fault!” Regis frowned at Jeanne then chuckled, “That’s stupid thinking.”
Regis Shadowvenom, fourteen and class vice-president. He had been accelerated one year ahead since he pretty much understood everything in the first grade before the teacher even finished explaining everything which wasn’t much of a surprise with his mother, Jeanette Shadowvenom being a teacher in Ravenheart.
“Told you so.” Fedora teased quickly before Jeanne could open her mouth.
Jeanne shot a glare at Fedora then turned to face the others, “Really? ‘Coz if you really look at it, I was the one who said yes and all.”
“Hey, come on, Jeanne.” Garrin said, patting Jeanne on the shoulder, “It’s not your fault. Any one of us would’ve said yes, right, guys?”
There was an echo of grunts and nods coming from their classmates which somewhat eased Jeanne’s conscience. Those might be what her classmates had thought but not their new classmates.
She was about to point it out when Aaron stood up and punched his palm with a wicked grin on his mouth that no doubt indicated he had an idea and it wasn’t entirely good.
“Then let’s get back at ‘em.” Aaron snickered.
“Sign me up!” Fedora shot her hand up with a grin.
“Count me in!” Gideon and Regis grinned as they got up from their seats.
“Yeah, yeah!” Garrin nodded, “We’re all in this together.”
Jeanne winced, “Geez, Garrin, don’t go HSM on us. Please, we’re Ravens.” Then to her friends she sighed, “All right, fine. It’s not really in my nature but I’m agreeing on this. Let’s do this.”
“Hey, we’re freshmen.” Aaron grinned at her, “We’re on for a fresh start.” Then to the new students, he grinned as he said, “So, you guys up for it?”
They seemed shocked that Aaron had asked if they had wanted to join since they were just new and that they basically didn’t know each other that well to actually be part of something so closely knit.
“The more the merrier!” Gideon grinned.
The new freshmen glanced at each other unsurely then nodded.
“Okay…” They echoed modestly but it was drowned by the cheers from the boys.