First Day (01)

I let her help me redress, then do her the favor of sliding down to sit on the floor beside her, my back against a shelf. I open my arm to her, inviting her to sit close and rest her head on my shoulder if she likes.

"Yes," I answer after a moment of letting her worry. "You were good." But I don't sing her praises like I could. I don't tell her very good, or just what I needed, even though it was both. I keep my praise mellow but present.

"You'll have lots to do this year, to keep up with everything for me. Are you sure you're up for it?"

I lazily drag my fingertips over her shoulder. "Good. I would hate to have to...replace you with someone better." I fingers pause as if I'm considering that and I inhale a slow breath before letting it out and letting my hand fall away from her. "Well, speaking of, we should probably get some homework done with what's left of study hall, hm?" I pull a book out of my bag and put it in front of her. If she can handle some of my homework and I can tackle some of it, maybe I can go to that party tonight with one less thing to worry about.

I actually do join Red in getting some homework done, taking on things that are too hard for someone else to do for me mostly. I want to get it out of the way while I'm stuck here. In the back of my mind, though, I'm thinking about what I might wear to the party tonight and what might have inspired Dionysus to throw this sudden bash...I mean, if there's any reason other than the fact that he's Dionysus.

Willow works the entire time, no breaks, no chit-chat. She's one of those people who can hyper-focus when needed. It's enough to ease your concerns about her keeping up. Eventually, the bell rings, bringing an end to school.

What do you do? Where do you go?

As soon as the bell rings, I pack up my things, give Red the quickest 'thanks' and tell her I'll see her tomorrow, then I head off to my locker to get what I need to head home. I text JS as I head out:

Want a ride home?

JS eagerly accepts your offer and by the time you make it to the senior parking lot, you see her running with her backpack slapping against her skin, a big dopey smile on her face.

"Hey Fee!" I call when she gets closer. She looks so young, so happy. It's pretty adorable and my heart swells with a kind of protective warmth. "Hop in. You pick the music." I get in the driver's side and start the car up.

It takes me a second to get over the name of the artist - it reminding me too much of my own sexy Red experience not even an hour ago. But then the lyrics are just...

"Where do you find stuff like this?" I ask, realizing too late that I sound like a grandmother.

I feel the corner of my mouth turn down when JS declares that she "loves" Sexxy Red. This is not the type of person I want JS aspiring to be. But dren, I'm not even the kind of person I want JS aspiring to be. I want her to be someone better.

But then she gets to the Skylar thing before I can and that's obviously more important than her branching out into questionable music choices.

"Well..." I say slowly as I pull out of the parking lot and onto the road. "Why do you think she hates him?"

I listen to her, glancing over to read her expression before looking back at the road. I do feel bad for her, but I understand how Soph feels about it too.

"I don't think your mom wants you to be lonely," I say gently. "I think she wants you to have lots of friends and relationships. But that doesn't have to mean romantic relationships." I sigh. "You are beautiful, JS. And I don't want you to feel ashamed about your grown-up body. But sharing it with other people is a big step, and it involves more than just you. Imagine how Skylar might feel if he knew how old you really are? Would that be fair to him?"

I feel guilty for making her feel bad, but I'm also glad to see my point with her lands. It sucks, though. I can understand how she feels, at least a little. Then she calls me out on my own relationships and I chew on my lip for a second, trying to figure out how to answer.

I come to a stoplight and let a breath out. "There will be so much time for you to find people you connect with, JS. Way more time than normal mortals have. And as you get older, like me, your options will...get wider too. But your first, JS...that's special. And there will only ever be one. Don't rush into it, okay?"

I stop myself just short of immediately responding that JS should absolutely not come to the party tonight. I know it wouldn't feel good to be immediately rejected like that, even if Soph is make the right call.

"It's not our party, really," I tell her instead. "Dionysus is throwing it, and that can be...a little wild. Besides, we made the Weirdo Club so you could hang out with people like us. You don't need some crazy party where everyone's secretly just trying to make boring political moves all night anyway."