Fraternizing With The Enemy

When She Listens

SHE ADJUSTS HER HOODIE TIGHTER, clenching her teeth, and shoving her hands into her pockets. Cold creeps under her clothes, spreading across her skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter. It chills her fingers into clumsy numbness, and she hates it. Weather like this is for staying at home, under your blanket, and a sweet, creamy cup of hot chocolate.

But life isn't about the things we want, or how we think it should be - sadly - and Pearl knows it, she simply deals with it the best way she can. Sitting on the bonnet of her brother's car, Pet glares at the door, asking herself when he is going to come out. Elijah takes so long to get ready as if he's going to a beauty contest or something of the sort.

Just as Elijah walks out of the house, Pearl catches sight of a certain boy with eyes the color of a perfect blue sky in spring. Both boys are approaching her, but she only wonders about the boy living in the house next door. "Hey," he waves at both of them with a polite smile.

"I offered Asher a ride to school," Elijah informs, and Pearl only responds with a small nod of the head. Before they all get in the car.

Elijah just has this amicable vibe that draws everyone toward him, she doesn't need to know when it happened, because one way or another, people always end up talking to Elijah, therefore, they get to know him, and they like him. It's not difficult to understand, besides, her brother is good looking, which adds more to the goofball, funny persona he has adopted over the years. It doesn't matter their gender, age, or s****l preference, everybody likes Elijah.

That's why she thinks it's a shame that he's so into Imogen when he can be with any other girl, that could care about him and give him the attention, and affection he deserves. Aside from everything, Elijah is a really good guy, way too sensitive at times.

When they arrive at school, Elijah gives Pearl a suggestive look, but she doesn't get what he's trying to tell her. So, she just rolls her eyes and gets off the car, not paying attention to whatever message is Elijah trying to send her. When they're all standing in the parking lot, he says, "Why don't you give Asher a tour, huh?"

Pearl fights the urge to glare at him. Elijah knows how uncomfortable that'd make her, so the only reaction she can afford to give is a nasty look to him, but that might offend Asher, and she doesn't want to be rude. "Sure," she tries to say with a casual tone. But wonders why doesn't he give the tour to Asher? Probably to go chase Imogen around like a dog chasing his tail.

"Thank you for the ride," Asher says to Elijah.

"No problem, man," Elijah gives him a small smile. "It's your first day of school. Good luck, by the way," they do that bro's handshake thingy, and Elijah walks away, leaving them alone.

"Do you have your schedule?" Pet asks, beckoning for him to start walking toward the entrance. Her eyes look around in search of Mack, but he might as well be inside already.

"Yes, Nana got it for me," Asher answers, who had his hands inside the pockets of his jacket and takes one out, to run it through his hair. "You don't have to give me a tour, you know," he chuckles. "I mean, if you want to..."

"It doesn't bother me, we have twenty minutes left before class starts, I can show you around in the meanwhile," she shrugs, tranquility on her voice.

None of them say anything else and enter the school. Pearl shows him the areas of the institute, which are not that much. The cafeteria, the principal's office, the library, some of the classrooms he'll have classes in, and so. She realizes Asher is a very talkative boy - not the annoying type that always rambles and rambles, just wasting saliva and speaking aloud every single little thought that crosses their mind – he enunciates funny comments, which get a smile from Pearl. Just as Beth has told her, Asher's nice, likable, and with a good sense of humor. That's the first impression, whatsoever. And he doesn't seem to mind that most of the responses Pearl gives him are smiles and soft laughs.

She checks his schedule and sees his first class is the same as hers, and points it out to him, to which he says, "That's good."

She doesn't ask him why. She just nods. Their small interaction being interrupted by the green-eyed version of Danny Zuko of Welliham Salem High School, as they walk into the classroom. His eyes land on Asher first, with a scrutinizing gaze, afterward they dart toward Pearl. "Hey, Blanchard."

"Hi, Heath," she shifts her weight from one foot to another uncomfortably. "Uh, this is Asher, he just moved in town."

They shake hands. "I'm Heath O'Neal."

"Asher Bohen. Nice to meet you, mate." He says politely.

Mr. Rocha, their economy teacher appears at the door, and that's their cue to walk and take their seats. Asher and Pearl sit next to each other in silence, waiting for Mr. Rocha to start the class. Though, the man's attention falls on the boy next to her, and quickly says, "Good morning, students. Today we have someone new in class," he points at Asher and beckons for him to walk to the front of the class. "Come on, boy. Why don't you introduce yourself to us?"

Asher shoots Pearl a quick look and stands up as the teacher said. He has his hands inside his pockets and smiles sheepishly. "Hi, I am Asher Bohen. I'm from Oxford, England. And... I'm 18 years old," he finishes.

"Good," Mr. Rocha said. "Take a seat, Mr. Bohen."

Pearl notices how Mallory, who's sitting in the front not too far from her, had his eyes set on Asher as if she is a lioness, and he is her gazelle to hunt. There's something slightly cringe-worthy about it, but Pearl shakes it off, minding her own business. Though, she doesn't have to be a psychic to know what's going to happen. Aside from everything, Pearl's a very observant girl; she notices many things but doesn't say a word.

Mallory Collins is hot, that's as plain as day, doesn't matter your gender, or your s****l orientation, you just have to admit it. And everyone knows that, while Imogen keeps a low profile, not trying to fit herself into The Most Popular Girl in School category, Mallory enjoys it, and takes advantage of it, with her pretty looks. And if Mallory Collins wants something, she gets it. That simple. It seems Asher might be the new object of her whimsy attention.

°°°

MACK WAVES AT HER, as he enters the cafeteria and approaches her table. There's something off with him, Pearl doesn't take long to notice it. And as soon as he sits in front of her, she asks, "Is there something wrong?"

"I caught a cold," Mack answers, heaving a sigh. "It's not bad, so mom sent me to school anyway. I feel like a truck ran over me, though."

Pearl knows Mack's parents; she's had the chance to talk to them on a couple of occasions. They're nice people, and anyone can tell they have raised their children well. A family with morals and values, and they have made sure their children never lose those principles. "Did you take an aspirin or some syrup?"

He nods. "Hasn't done any effect."

Her eyes catch a glimpse of Asher as Mallory is pulling him toward a table where most of the football players and cheerleaders sit, including her brother Elijah. Sometimes he sits with Pearl, but most of the time he seats with his friends; it doesn't bother her, though. She understands his brother has a life aside from her, and so does she, even if hers isn't as remotely interesting.

"Have you seen the new guy?" Mack questions, but his eyes are not on her, but on a table, not too far from theirs. "He's already hanging out with the football team. And it hasn't even been a day. How did he do it?"

"Probably because of Elijah," Pearl looks away quickly when Asher looks at her. Her heart even skips a beat. "He's our neighbor, and they're befriending quick."

"Oh," Mack articulates. "Didn't know that. Have you talked to him already? We have History together, and he seems like a pretty cool guy."

"Yes, he's nice," Pearl feels a bit of animosity on her voice, and knits her eyebrows, confused by her tone.

"Mallory's all over him," Mack adds, finally looking back at Pearl. "Ugh, why do I always have to fall for girls that are way out of my league?"

It takes a second for Pearl to register his words. She thought it was just a minor crash, a high school puppy love, but she never thought there was more to it. "You're in love with her?" She asks in a hushed voice, finding it hard to believe. Mack barely knows Mallory; they have only shared about ten words in the last three years of high school.

Mack doesn't answer, only seeming embarrassed by his confession. Maybe he knows what she's thinking about it, and regrets saying it aloud. Whatever the reason is, their attention is quickly drawn to the football team table when Heath stands up abruptly, slamming his fist on the table. Elijah stands, as well. Both boys staring into each other's eyes with flaming rage.

And her legs are already approaching the table before she can even register the moment when she stood up from her chair. Mack is following her and wraps his hand around Pearl's wrist when she's about to step in front of her brother and Heath as if warning her to not get too close. As if telling her that they might get into a fight.

"Oh, did it hurt?" Elijah says with venom in his voice. Oh yes, he can be as poisonous as he is sensitive. Elijah Blanchard is a boy with many facets, Pearl's had the chance to see them all, at least most of them. The goofball and funny guy, the sweet and protective brother, the lazy son, the helpful and nice son, the boy with a mouth so big and full of curses that never seem to end, the football-obsessed, and the worst of all: the snake with poison for blood, and hurtful words slipping out of his mouth unstoppably.

The last one isn't a facet Elijah shows often, and Pearl knows that he doesn't do it on purpose. He's just very impulsive whenever anger gets to him, letting the vicious monster out. Without exaggeration, Elijah can say the most hurtful things; she doesn't even know how he manages to do it. And be such a likable and funny person at the same time.

"Elijah, you're crossing the line," Heath says in a low, menacing voice.

"I don't care," Elijah snaps. "We've been putting up with you for too long, Heath. And either, you get your s**t together, or we get another captain." Pearl rolls her eyes. She thought it was something important, but then she regrets it because she knows how much this team and football mean to her brother.

Heath growls and storms out of the cafeteria with big strides. The silence in the cafeteria is redundant, and the sound of Imogen's shoes echo as she runs after her boyfriend. That must have hurt Elijah in the guts, Pet's sure of it.

Everyone gets back to what they were doing, and Pet approaches her brother, taking a seat next to him, not caring about the others sitting around the table. Not caring that she isn't a cheerleader, or whatever. "What happened?"

Elijah shrugs, uninterested. But she knows he cares; she knows that Imogen being with Heath drives him crazy. And even if she doesn't know what he's feeling, and even if she thinks the whole situation is just a little - very - overdramatic. She feels sorry for him; she wants to make him see that this will pass after graduation. "Just Heath being his usual d**k-self and me not putting up with his bullshit anymore."

The others at the table are too concentrated in their conversations to pay attention to the two of them, but she catches Asher looking at her every few seconds when he's supposed to be paying attention to Mallory, who's talking about only God knows what. After lunchtime, Mack and Pearl have Art class, which is the only subject Pet enjoys fondly. She's not particularly good at painting or drawing, but she likes it anyway and tries to do it as well as she can afford to. Miss Ishimaru is already sitting behind her desk, waiting for everyone to take a seat, so she can start the class.

She sees when Asher walks into the classroom, and his eyes look around probably searching for an empty chair, but his eyes stop right on Pearl. That small exchange of glances causes an uneasy feeling on her stomach, and she has to look away. But it gets worse when Asher takes a seat behind her. She doesn't understand why she feels so uncomfortable around him since he has done nothing but be nice and polite towards her. But she decides she's being way too overdramatic, and that overthinking won't do her any good, so she puts all her effort into focusing on Miss Ishimaru's words.

After class ends, Mack pokes her in the shoulder, calling for her attention. "Yes?" She asks, not meeting his gaze, as she's putting her book inside her backpack, and when she finally looks up, instead of finding a pair of chocolate brown eyes, she meets a set of soothing blue ones.

And there's a pen in his hand. "This fell off your book when you were putting it inside your backpack," Asher says, the corners of his lips lift the slightest bit.

"Thank you," Pearl takes the pen and puts it inside the front pocket of her backpack. Then she notices Mack looking at both of them and feels like she must introduce them. "Mack, this is Asher, he's new in town. Asher, this is my friend Mack."

"Nice to meet you," Mack shakes his hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, too," Asher responds, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. "We have a History class together, right?"

"Yes," Mack nods, and the two of them start to walk with Pearl following behind. "You're from England, right?"

That simple question leads to an endless conversation about football. Mack might not be very outgoing, or talkative, but when it comes to sports -especially football- he becomes another version of himself, very close to Elijah. Pearl finds it amusing how certain things can make us feel so passionate. For her brother and Mack, it's football. For her father, it's football, too. For her mother, anything related to the human body and mind. For Pearl, it'd be reading and swimming. She finds an escape in printed words, and peace in the embrace of water.

When she's about to turn around, and head to her next class, since both boys seem to be too caught up in their conversation, forgetting Pearl's walking with them. Heath calls for her, though the three of them stop, to look at the boy with green eyes as spring grass and glowing like dew under the morning light.

"Blanchard, I was thinking. What if we meet today to practice the screenplay?" He raises his eyebrows, looking expectantly at her.

"Uh, sure," she shrugs, uninterested. Whatever reason he has for changing the day it's none of her business. She's free that day, and the faster they start, the earliest they finish. "In my house, after school?"

"Sounds perfect," He winks and walks away.

Pearl tries hard not to analyze things because that always ends up on an everlasting overthinking session, and it's -indeed- a waste of time in her belief. But it's hard not to analyze Heath's words and body language towards her because, in all seriousness, he has never paid attention to her, not until they were paired up for the Literature project. She puts all her questions in a small box in the most recondite place in her head, as she enters her classroom.

Since she has the same schedule as Heath, it's only obvious that he's sitting in the back of the class, and as soon as their eyes meet, he flashes her a silly simper. To which Pearl forces herself to respond with a tiny smile, and sits in the front, blocking out any thoughts. Her hearing and vision are fixed on her teacher. As he starts the class.

°°°

DOWNSIDES OF HAVING TO GO to school and back home with Elijah: 1. Waiting for him every morning, as he takes a lifetime to get ready. 2. Waiting for him every day after class because of football practice. But it's something she's been getting used to over the year, though it does not make her feel any better. Of course, there's nothing she can do about the football practices. It's part of being in the team, and Pearl understands perfectly. But the amount of time he needs to get ready in the morning is exasperating, and if only he tried a little harder to get ready faster, it'd make Pearl very happy. Everyone knows her brother is not well known for pleasing her wishes.

She's sitting on the bleachers, watching the boys aligned, by turns they'd throw the ball and try to make a goal. Pearl glances back at her book, entering the marvelous world of Harry Potter, once more. The magic quickly dies when she hears a whistle, and two boys are fighting. Literally fighting. With punches, and she can even swear they're going to kill each other.

The book flies from her hand, and Pearl's running toward them. Although, the other players have separated them already, for their sake. Coach O'Neal seems infuriated, red like a tomato. "If you two want to be part of the WWE, get out of my field!" He shouts, causing everyone to flinch, and his raged eyes fall on Heath. "Get out of here; I'll talk to you later. And you, Elijah, go home. I expect both of you to come back tomorrow as football players and teammates, not fighters. Do you understand?"

Both of them nod and make their way to the lockers. Pearl runs back to the bleachers where she left her backpack and book, picks it up, and runs after her brother. Once she's walking beside him, she can see blood on his lower lip, and a bruise on his cheek. Heath is walking in front of them, with loud steps and clenched fists.

Elijah and Heath are not friends, Pearl knows that. But they aren't enemies either, as far she knows. She has seen them together, talking normally, and they even party together, and all, just like they do with the rest of their teammates. Undoubtedly, something is going on between the two of them, and obviously, it must have something to do with Imogen Johnson.

Pearl waits outside the dressing room, praying they don't fight again. But then she hears something, and she can't help but eavesdrop. "Stay away from-"

"You should have done the same," Heath cuts him off, bitterly. Just as he walks past the door and stops abruptly on his tracks when he sees Pearl. He's got a black eye, and it's hard to miss. "I need to go home first, I'll be at your house in an hour, is that okay?"

"Sure," she nods, not knowing how to act around him now. Heath might as well be the one that caused the fight, or it could've been Eli because he isn't much of an innocent angel either.

Heath nods and leaves just as Elijah appears. "Why's he going to our house?" They start walking to the parking lot.

"We're partners in a project," she answers. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Elijah's avoiding her gaze, and that bothers her.

"We fought."

"No kidding. I thought you guys were having a tea party, with some cookies along with a delicious jam made out of your own blood," Pearl adds, with the biggest amount of sarcasm.

Inside the car, Elijah shoots her a glare before igniting the engine and driving off the parking lot. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why?" Now, she feels offended. "Am I too much of a nerd? Or is it because I don't think with my p***s?" Yes, she can spit venom, too. It's not an ability that only Elijah possesses in the Blanchard family.

That comment gets a chuckle from Elijah that fills the car. "You don't even have a p***s, Pet. And I'm not going to tell you, simply because I don't feel like talking about it right now." And Pearl knows what he actually means is I don't feel like talking about it with you. But she stays silent, not wanting to argue with him.

At home, they're greeted by Oreo with a bark, and Pearl bents down to pat his head. "Hey, buddy. Did you miss me?"

Oreo goes to Elijah. "There you go, good boy. Keep ignoring Pet, that's the right thing to do." She pushes him, and he laughs.

Once in the security of her room, Pearl plumps down on the bed, closing her eyes. It wouldn't take long for Heath to arrive, so she enjoys the few minutes she has alone. Pearl doesn't know what it is, but she finds a certain pleasure in being on her own, in silence, just her thoughts and herself. Of course, she also needs to spend time with the ones she loves. It's just about finding the right balance.

Sadly, the quietness doesn't last long though. "Pet!" Elijah is calling from someplace in the house. "Can you lend me your charger? Mine is not working again." She growls standing up, grabs her charger, and when she opens the door, Elijah's already there. She throws the charger at him and closes the door on his face. "Thank you, you rude little girl."

She changes her clothes for something a little more comfortable, meaning her favorite pair of Nike sweatpants, and a black plain shirt. She ties her hair into a ponytail, and looking at herself in the mirror, a growl escapes her throat.

"Darn it." Her look isn't exactly what she would wear to receive visitors. Even if Heath is coming more out of obligation. Her head tilts to the side, and Pearl debates herself in between changing into a more appropriate outfit or keeping the one she has on. It's just Heath, and we're just going to do homework. She shrugs. It's not like it's some party or family reunion.

When Heath arrives, she's already in the living room, and she goes to the door, to receive him. He eyes her up with a smirk before saying, "Hey, looking tight, Blanchard."

She rolls her eyes, stepping aside to let him in. After closing the door, they go to the backyard, where they seat on the chaise lounges in front of the pool, Oreo springs toward them in bounding steps that are almost like little jumps and starts sniffing Heath's shoes. He smiles at the dog and pats his head. "Hey, little buddy. What's up?" Oreo wags his tail, showing the most adorable face. The dog loves attention: the more he gets, the better. He's greedy, very, but it's a dog. So, it isn't so bad anyway. "Have you read the screenplay?"

She shakes her head. "Not really. And you?"

"Unlike you, I'm dedicated to this," he says with smugness. "Our screenplay was written by that friend of yours. The only one you have." Pearl fights the urge to glare at him. She knows he's trying to annoy her, but she's not going to please him.

"Let me get my backpack," she stands up, goes to the living room, and grabs her backpack. Just when she turns around, she sees Elijah standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a can of Dr. Pepper in hand. "What?"

"What are you guys doing?"

"Studying," Pearls says with a duh look. "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen, you dramatic little boy," she chuckles, mostly because she finds it funny that Elijah thinks something would happen between Heath and her.

"Does dad know you brought a boy home?" He arches an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure you didn't tell him, right?" Pearl shakes her head. "Oh, bad girl."

"It was a last-minute decision, and besides, we're just doing homework. So, go away, and leave me alone," she sticks her tongue out, and goes back to the backyard, and takes her previous seat in front of Heath. And finally, she darts her eyes down at the screenplay.

REDAMANCY

Screenplay by Mack Sulkin

That's not good. Pearl knows it. She remembers perfectly what Mack's screenplay is about. His infatuation with Mallory is everything he thinks about, and if he does something, you can bet your life it has something to do with Mallory Collins, one way or another. Undoubtedly.