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Pens, books and papers went flying everywhere as Joxer’s backpack tore when he stumbled over the last step.
“Great.”
Though she, apparently tried to conceal it, Joxer still heard Gabrielle’s little laugh of amusement. As he knelt down to pick up his things, he saw her Ugg boots step around his mess and continue on to the doors.
“Come on, Xena! We’ll be late for class!” she whined, as she turned back and saw her girlfriend helping Joxer.
“I’ll be right there. Go on.”
Without another backward glance, she flounced through the open double doors, disappearing from view as she took the first right hand hallway of the high school.
“I told you to borrow my other backpack. This old thing lasted long enough.”
Joxer stuffed the mess of paper he had gathered into the pack as fast as he could, while Xena examined the tear. The fabric was so threadbare, that the zipper had torn right off, leaving a wide gap.
“You wouldn’t be caught dead with that pink monstrosity, and you expect me to? No thanks. I can mend this when I get home.”
That explained to Xena the oddly bright color thread visible all around the pack; it had been mended many times before. She fished around in her pack and came up with some binder clips she had used to keep together a bunch of copies. She handed them to him with a sad smile. “Hey, I know. Why don’t we go to the mall this afternoon and I can lend you money for a new pack?” she asked as he clipped together his book bag. It would do for the day.
“No.”
“Aw, come on, Joxer. It’s just twenty bucks or so.”
“Thanks Xena, but no. My dad should be paying this month’s alimony, and I can hold out until then,” Joxer said without looking at her face, lying through his teeth and knowing she knew. His mom and his brothers had been living with her family for four months now. Aunt Cyrene had opened her doors to them when his dad threw them out. He sold the house and moved in with this new girlfriend… a girl twenty years his junior. In the four months, he hadn’t paid a penny.
Xena said nothing, she just nodded her head and looked around the floor and steps, checking to see if they have missed something.
“I think we got everything. We better hurry, the first bell already rang.”
He threw her a dark look. “We would have been early if it weren’t for her. Half an hour to get ready when we were already waiting for her. She knew I had to get here early. She did it on purpose, you know.”
“I'm sorry, Joxer.”
“Sorry is not enough, Xena. I am trying to catch up and she knows it. She doesn’t have to be mean.”
Xena didn’t want to say ‘I’m sorry again’, so she just shrugged her shoulders in apology.
“Well, well, well… lookie who it is. How’s your brother, Joxer? Still in Juvie or have they moved him to max security already?” Eris Wars asked as she came up the steps, coming up close to Xena’s side. “Hey, beautiful,” she mock whispered in a loud voice.
“Not interested, Eris. How many times do I have to tell your gothy ass?”
Eris’ twin brother, Ares, came up behind her, sparing only the briefest glance at Joxer before continuing on. His leather jacket didn’t cover his jean clad ass that Joxer was trying to covertly admire.
“It is one fine piece of ass.”
“Yeah,” Joxer agreed dreamily before realizing that someone had actually spoken that out loud. He jumped in alarm and turned to see Strife, Eris and Ares’ cousin, next to him. Turning bright pink he babbled incoherently for almost a whole minute before he could get his mouth under control. His capacity for speech restored, but not affected, the first word out of his mouth came out as an embarrassingly high pitched squeak.
“Strife!” He blanched in slight fear... Strife had a reputation of taking the goth thing to the extremes. How true the rumors were, he didn’t know... and didn’t want to find out. But, as usually happened with Joxer, his mouth started speaking without consulting his brain first. “He’s your cousin! Gross!”
Strife laughed as Joxer clamped his hand over his mouth, horror written on his face. He liked the guy, even if he was deathly afraid of him. “That don’t mean I can’t appreciate the merchandise.”
Xena’s hand on his shoulder startled Joxer who was already by nature a tad jumpy. He felt her tug none too gently at him, urging him to go with her inside. He couldn’t blame her urgency; Eris was creepier than Strife and had one hell of a crush on Xena.
“Don’t let them bother you, Joxer. You can just walk away.”
“No... it’s okay. He wasn’t bothering-”
“I know you’re kinda shy,” Xena interrupted him. “But don’t let them treat you like dirt.”
“No, he wasn’t-”
“And you might not be popular, but you don’t want to be considered a loser; which will happen if you let them bully you.”
“He wasn’t bullyi-”
“And I know it’s not fair to you, Joxer, but even if you are my cousin, Gabby would have a fit if your status lowers to loser. We wouldn’t be able to hang together.”
Joxer stopped cold in his tracks, feeling as if all the air in the room had almost been sucked out. His gut ached and he couldn’t think right.
“Joxer! I’m gonna go ahead! You’re taking too long and I don’t want to be late.”
He was peripherally aware of her departure but nothing more.
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