8 – Hidden agenda

The door closed heavily behind Jubilee like it did every time. Years of practice had helped her develop the technique needed to stop it from slamming, thus avoiding to further scorn the elderly principal.

'What did the Mathis want?'

She jumped at the sudden question, crashing backwards with a loud bang into the door she had just closed.

'Jesus Christ, Chel! Don't do that!' she hissed, grabbing her friend's arm and dragging her down the hall.

The door opened, and principal Mathis stuck her head out into the hall.

'What's all this?' she demanded, all her kindness suddenly gone.

'That was me, ma'am,' said Chelsea, turning around and curtsying. 'Sorry!'

The woman mumbled something about the Six Pack being out of control and disappeared back into her office. The brunette shrugged, linked her arm with Jubilee's and walked on.

'So?'

'Something about one of those academic competitions she keeps sending me to,' she lied. 'No big deal. What did the boys do?'

Chelsea giggled.

'They all but destroyed the chem lab. It wasn't even on purpose.' Jubilee raised an eyebrow. 'This time,' added the brunette with a smirk. 'Craig looked like he was going to be sick. I hoped they managed to deal with the damage somehow. Scruffy said he'd help. '

Jubilee shook her head.

'We owe Scruffy big time.'

'Melly's got it covered for now. She told her mom she forgot her lunch, and asked her to bring her some leftover mac 'n cheese. Good thing Scruffy loves it.'

They passed a glass case filled with medals, trophies, photos, and banners.
Big Rock, Home of the Six Pack
The biggest banner featured the six of them, dressed in their gala costumes, posing for the camera. In the very middle, Jubilee stood tall, practically beaming in her favourite forest green velvet dress. In a moment, the space her image occupied in the banner became blank, and she had to stop and stare at the empty stretch of plastic.

'Jay, are you even listening?'

She looked at her friend, then back at the banner. Her image was standing there again.

'It's just our old banner, what's so interesting about it?' asked the brunette, stepping closer to inspect the photo. 'If anybody vandalized it again, there will be hell to pay.'

'No, it's fine,' she mumbled. 'I thought something was off, that's all.'

Chelsea shrugged and walked on. Jubilee followed her half-heartedly, turning her head to catch a glimpse of the banner until they turned a corner and the glass case disappeared from sight.

'So, I've been thinking, how about we do something more mature for our Christmas exhibitions?' Chelsea went on. 'Maybe a group number again?'

The hall was spinning, and Jubilee stumbled slightly.

'I don't think people will want something more mature, Chel,' she spoke, trying to push her practiced balance into action. 'It's going to be Christmas, after all. Light and pretty, with lots of tinsel.'

'Ok, but this time, if we find a darker version of some carol, it's mine. You had too much fun with that rock cover of Carol of the Bells last year.'

'I might do it again...' mumbled Jubilee, stumbling to the wall and leaning on it for support.

'Wha- Jubes, are you ok?'

Chelsea's voice sounded like it was far away.

'No, but I'll be fine in a bit...'

She wasn't sure she had spoken the words, or just thought them, as the world went black.

~*~

'How long has she been out?'

'Twenty minutes now, we called you as soon as she was brought to us. Miss Morgan was with her when she blacked out. She's inside with the rest of the Six Pack.'

Her sensitive ears picked up the muffled voices from the other side of the door, along with the rhythmical breathing of five people. Her friends. She didn't want to open her eyes, she didn't want to deal with them, or with anybody else for the moment. Despair bubbled in the pit of her stomach, and she swallowed to keep it down.

The door opened.

'Guys, can I see her for a bit?'

Chad. Of course it was Chad. Her parents were probably too busy with who knows what to see their own daughter.

Five sets of feet headed outside, and the door closed. Another set of feet, her brother's, approached the bed she was lying on.

'I can tell you're awake now,' he said, worry obvious in his voice. 'What happened?'

She opened her eyes, blinked a couple of times, then pushed herself into a sitting position. Her mouth opened and closed without letting any sounds escape, and a tremor began to run in her body. Tears filled her eyes.

'I don't want to quit skating!' she gasped, then broke into sobs.

Had she payed attention to her brother's expression, she would have noticed that confusion never crossed his features. He sat next to his sister and put both arms around her.

'Hey, easy, kid...'

'I d-d-don't w-wanna quit!' She choked out. 'I d-dont wanna! It's m-m-my life!'

Her distress showed him that everything he wanted to say on the subject would be of no help to the crying girl. And he wasn't going to lie to her, telling her that she didn't have to quit. He'd have to wait for the proper moment to have a serious talk with her. But first things first, she had to calm down.

The school nurse poked her head inside, and he signaled her that everything was under control. She nodded and left him to deal with the girl in hysterics.

'I understand you're very upset,' he said, rubbing circles in her back, 'but I'd rather have this conversation at home. How about I excuse you from school today?'

She pushed him away.

'You knew?'

'Yes, I knew. So, home?'

She stood in one sudden motion and briefly lost her balance, stumbling to the side. Chad reached out to catch her, but she took a step backwards and out of his reach.

'I can't believe you! You knew, and you didn't tell me! I could have used a bit of a warning, and you didn't tell me!'

'Jubilee, this isn't the best place for this conversation,' he said seriously. 'It's either you come with me, or I leave alone. Your choice.'

She glared at him, her chest heaving with anger.

'What will it be?' he demanded, standing up.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

'I'll get my bag and jacket,' she spat, and pushed by him and out the door – and ran into Craig's rock-solid chest.

'Good heavens, Jay!' he exclaimed, catching her. 'What's wrong with you?'

'It's nothing, my blood pressure must have dropped,' she mumbled into his chest.

'Then why are you crying?' asked Melissa.

Jubilee glared over her shoulder at her brother who was talking to the school nurse in the doorway.

'Chad's being an idiot, no big deal.'

She felt more arms around her, a group hug from her five friends, and let herself relax a bit.

'You should go home for the day,' said Martin. 'How about we drop by in the evening?'

'Sounds good,' she said. 'I'll make caesar salad.'

'You're not making anything,' said Chelsea. 'You're resting today. We're bringing the salad.'

'Fine, I'll buy some ice cream. But that'll be our secret, no telling Maurey!'

The six teenagers gave a collective chuckle.

'Okay then, you should get going,' suggested Jacob. 'Chad seems pretty unhappy.'

'Yeah...' she mumbled, not looking at him. 'We wouldn't want him to spontaneously combust, would we now?' The five laughed. 'I'll see you tonight. Don't have too much fun without me!'

The boys gave a guilty grin and snapped a salute.

'Yes, ma'am!'

She smiled.

'At ease, boys.'

'Jubes, come on...' sighed Chad. She glared at him, then turned back to her friends.

'Hitler calls. Alas, I must go. Bye, guys.'

Chad opened the door for her, and she walked out into the main hallway, not sparing him a word or a look. She retrieved her things from her locker, shrugged on her jacket – more out of formality then out of necessity – and slung her bag over her shoulder, ignoring her brother's offer to carry it for her.

He led the way to the parking lot and unlocked the car, watching his sister follow out of the corner of his eye – something he'd done most of her life, a simple action which helped foresee potential trouble, at least most of the time.

As he strapped on his seatbelt, she climbed into the car, dropped her bag on the backseat, buckled herself in the passenger's seat and slumped a bit.

He reached into his pocket for the envelope he had been wanting to give her for days.

'This is for you.'

She looked at him, at the envelope, then back at him.

'That's from Rutherford, isn't it?'

'Yes. Your principal gave it to me. She was hoping I'd be able to convince you.'

She didn't take the letter, covering her eyes with her arm instead.

'I really should remember to take my sunglasses with me...' she mumbled.

Chad put the envelope back in his pocket, revved the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

'Or try to sleep more through the night,' he added. 'You're as rested as uncle Jim is after his night shifts.'

'Don't forget, sometimes my nights in dreamland are more intense than his will ever be in the ER. At least he doesn't get dragons. With big claws. And big teeth.' She slumped further into her seat. 'I won't get rid of the dragons, or of the cars, or of the guns, or of the people chasing me, if I go to Rutherford. From this point of view, it will be the same. Only I'll wake up in a strange place, and there will be nobody there when I'll scream. I'll probably scare a bunch of blue-bloods to death too. And then they'll kick me out, because they'll think I'm crazy.'

'You won't be the most messed-up person there.'

'Gee, thanks,' she grumbled. 'That's comforting to know.'

He ignored her.

'The rich kids have a lot more issues than you.'

'At least they're human.'

'Don't pull that card again, Jubilee.'

'Then don't insist on me going.'

'It's the best for you.'

'Oh, yes, I can see how it's the best for me! Sacrificing my happiness, my friends, my skating, my entire life, to get a better education, to have a better chance at getting into an Ivy League university, just to have it all crushed later by something as simple as my abnormality. Definitely the best for me, Chad, don't you think?'

'You have no idea what you're saying,' he grumbled.

'I don't? You want me to leave everything behind, and I mean everything, to move halfway across the country, to the snobbiest of boarding schools, where I have nothing and no-one, just to study. I'll be alone there, Chad, and I won't even be able to go home on weekends because it's too far away!'

'You'll make new friends.'

'You know how long it took me to make friends! And my group of friends has stayed the same since I was seven!'

'That doesn't mean you can't at least try to make new ones. And it's just for two years-'

'Two, years, then I'll go to college, where I'll be alone again!'

His foot slammed on the break, and if it weren't for the seatbelt, she would have probably flown through the windshield.

'And what would happen if you stayed?' he demanded hotly. 'You'd skate for a few more years. Because of poor school performances,-'

'My performances aren't poor!' she snapped. He ignored her interruption.

'-you'd get into some lame university nearby, which would allow you to continue skating, you'd finish uni with mediocre results, perhaps join some skating show company, skate as Snow White or Pocahontas for a couple of years, then quit skating because your joints can't take any more jumping. You'll be left with few prospects, a CV that sucks, and a ruined body, which, by the way, means pain for the rest of your life. Is this what you want?'

She unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car.

Chad sighed, leaned his head against the steering wheel, composed himself, then got out of the car and walked behind his sister.

'Get back in the car, Jubilee.'

'Leave me alone.'

'You're acting like a child.'

'And you're acting like a moron.'

'Jubes...'

'Chad, you're the last person I want to see right now. Leave me alone.'

'So, what, you're going to walk home?'

'Yes.'

'What if you pass out again?'

'If it happens, it happens thanks to you.'

'Don't do this, kid. Just get in the car.'

'Why, so you'll keep on nagging me about going to Rutherford?'

Chad gave an exasperated sigh.

'I promise not to nag you for the entire trip. Now will you please get in the car?'

She turned to shoot him a teary glare, then began to walk back to the car. He let her get a head start, then followed her.

The week ahead was going to be a tough one.

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