Mr. Average

Finn calls Adonis a drug addict.

The next day, I sat with my usual LC.

When I sat down, tension was pumping in the air. It was originating from an unsuspected source. Kassi and Victoria.

"What's going on?" I asked, cautious.

"They're fighting," Jolly whispered to me.

"We are not fighting!!" Kassi snapped, "Vic's just being stupid."

Vic gawked, "I'm not being stupid!! Kassi's just being a w***e!!"

Madison and Kassi gasped simultaneously.

"I was just talking to her!" Kassi hissed back.

"You were flirting!" Vic declared.

"Guys!" I yelled, holding my hands up. "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh, God," Logan groaned, "Kassi called that new girl, Carolyn, pretty. Victoria got pissed."

"Oh, my god Victoria." I said with a grunt.

"Kassi did not call Carolyn pretty. She called Carolyn hot." Victoria hissed, slamming her hands on the table. "Kassi never calls me hot."

"Victoria, you're being ridiculous." Kassi spat at her.

"But you two aren't supposed to fight!" Jolly mumbled, mellow.

"Yeah, the fighting is supposed to come from Helena!" Madison nodded.

The air hung still for a moment before we all burst into fits of laughter; even Helena grinned.

When the laughter died down, I hung my head in my hand. I adored the chemistry in my LC. No matter the tensity, no matter the fight, someone would crack a joke and it would all melt away.

"So," Madison knotted her fingers together, "I saw you sat next to Scott yesterday. Was that an adventure?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but Victoria beat me to it.

"Ugh, don't bring up Carolyn's other spawn!" She groaned.

I did a double take, "Carolyn and Scott are siblings?"

"Yeah," Kassi tugged a lock of hair behind her ear. "He's got a brother, too."

"A super hot brother," Madison squeed. "You need to do him justice, Kassi."

Kassi cast a sidelong glance at Victoria. "We've already been through calling the Faire's hot, now haven't we?"

Victoria rolled her eyes.

I cleared my throat, "Well, he's not that great."

Madison raised an eyebrow, "You've seen him?" She used a suggestive drawl in her voice.

I ruffled my napkin into a ball and threw it at her. It bounced off her forehead. "Not like that, moron." I sighed, "But my brother seems to think so." I winced when I remembered the disaster that was the past night.

"What?" Logan asked, her nose wrinkling.

I sighed heavily, "He thinks just because Adonis wants to take me out, I will somehow convince every guy he brings over into my bed."

"Is he homophobic?" Helena asked.

"No, he's paranoid." I pushed my hair out of my eyes, "It's the classic 'don't-touch-my-stuff' act. It's ridiculous. I was talking to him about Scott and his plans for the racist cheerleaders and he flipped. Now Lydia knows how to say 'f**k', and just--augh!" I groaned, stuffing my face in my hands.

I lingered for a few moments before letting ym hands slump down. "I'm gonna go talk to Carolyn, see if she knows any thing about Scott's plans."

"Did you learn anything from Neil?" Madison asked, "Scott and Carolyn's brother," She informed the rest of the LC.

"I know that he got butter, colored contact lenses, and 4 movie tickets for it. I have no clue what their for, but Neil is confident it'll help and--" I halted, "Wait, how do you know Neil?"

Madison's face blossomed red, "Hehe, that's a good question."

I glared at her, wide-eyed. "You didn't!!" I shoved her shoulder.

Madison swatted me away, "Go talk to Carolyn!" She demanded, eager to get off the subject.

I walked away, not letting my gaze fall from her blushing features. She couldn't have done anything with Neil could she? Well, I guess if Adonis is into me, Neil could be into her.

I pushed those thoughts away; I was grossing myself out.

Walking backwards was a bad idea, and I figured that out when my shoulder bumped into something that felt muscular, yet soft.

As if the name was embroidered into my brain, it came fumbling out of my mouth. "Scott," I greeted, turning around to meet his eyes.

"Joel," A grinned speard across his face, "Where ya headed?"

I hesitated, if I said I was going to go see his sister he would be suspicious. "Um, Kassi and Victoria aren't exactly happy with each other. I'm trying to sneak into someone else's LC." Well, it was half true.

Scott chuckled, "I think I'm finally getting down this Hello Holly lingo." His grin deepened, "You wanna come sit with me?"

My 'please-believe-I'm-innocent' smile faltered, "Er, actually they're fight is happening because someone else, so I'm going to try to straighten it out." I bit my lip, a strange feeling tingling in my gut. "Hopefully it won't take too long." I tried to weave a clue into the sentence, but the thought of time reminded me of what I'm doing.

Before I rustled to Carolyn, I hovered next to Scott, thinking. I cast a long look at Scott, his lips were fighting a pout, it was cute. Oddly cute. Unbelievably cute.

I pushed those thoughts way, I didn't have time for them. Technically, I was opposing Scott to make sure he didn't hurt Madison or any of the cheer leading squad, so why were this feelings suddenly being rushed into me?

Can I take unfair for a thousand?

I couldn't handle two guys-- Adonis and Scott--being a love interest right now. That was out of the question.

I sighed, breathing away thoughts of Adonis and Scott, busying myself with something useful for once.

I searched the fields of brown "wooden" tables, the sea of awkward, pimple-faced teens in search for the apparently gorgeous Carolyn. I thought it was ridiculous searching blindly for someone I didn't even kno--

Holy s**t.

It wasn't Carolyn herself that made me gawk, it was her atmosphere.

Whenever she walked, she had an odd swagger that made every guy's head swirl to meet her long legs, covered only [about] a foot above the knees. I didn't even know shorts of that length were allowed, but no one called her out on it. She wore a baggy hot pink sweater and a matching snap back, which was tilted to the side. Her long black hair complimented her smooth olive skin, unlike Neil's and Scott's pale completion, and it glided down, naturally straight, a little below her hips.

Now, like I've said before, I'm not into girls. But even I could admit, she was easy on the eyes. And every straight guy sure as hell thought so. With their dazed expressions, slacked jaws, they looked like they were the human embodiment of morphine.

Carolyn smirked as she walked past them, sliding gracefully into a seat next to Lola and Zoi, and a girl with fiery hair and patterned freckles; I couldn't remember her name. I froze, remembering that this was Scott's LC, and I couldn't exactly examine Scott's plans with Scott in the earshot. Despite how pleasant his company may be.

I bit my lip, examining the entire room carefully, but Scott wasn't there. I exhaled hopefully, thinking maybe he had a lunch detention.

I clunked myself into a seat, opposite Carolyn. Her glide had made mine seem awkward and uncomfortable, and her gaze seemed to suggest so.

"Hey, Joel." Zoi grinned, "Not sitting with Madison and them?"

"No," I grumbled, "Kassi and Vic are fighting."

"Hi," Carolyn gave me an award-winning grin. "Carolyn."

I felt my expression soften, her tone was kind. "Joel, I'm friends with your brother."

Carolyn rolled her eyes, "Of course you are." Her grin dropped to a smirk, she let her arms cross. "And you're gonna ask me about the racist cheerleaders, right?"

My eyes widened, "How'd you--"

Carolyn snickered, "I can't take half a breath without some bimbo rushing up to me spluttering some new gossip. Plus, these two helped," She said, gesturing to Lola and Zoi, who just offered an almost innocent smile, but not quite.

I swatted them both on the head, "Idiots."

Carolyn giggled, "Like I said, Joel. I hear gossip. Rumors. I don't know squat."

I bit my lip, "Is it being spread around?" I eyed Lola and Zoi.

Carolyn sighed, "Uh... yeah." She shrugged, "But that's what Scott wants."

I c****d an eyebrow, Scott didn't seem like one to advertise. "What?"

Carolyn snickered again, "Scott has thing strong thing against bullying. It's like that big vein in your temple, if it gets prodded it pops and you're f****d. And this happens with any hate. But Scott has this subtle way of fighting. Sometimes he fights with love, sometimes he beats the snot out of them. Scott spreads the word lightly at first, smooth and slow. Like, fuckin', molasses or some s**t, I don't know. But soon enough every one knows and it's just a ticking timer, ready to go off."

I glared at her, Scott was smart. Scott was clever. Scott was amazing.

Wait-- What?

I pushed thoughts of Scott's redeeming qualities and just focused on what Carolyn and Neil had told me and tried to match that together.

Butter, colored contacts, and four movie tickets. Scott was clever and had a special plan of beating the racist cheerleaders, but if he was a ticking timer, how could I know to be by Madison's side to protect her at the right time? Scott was impossible to figure out, but that made me excited.

Scott was a sneaky bastard, and I loved it.

_~_~_

Later that afternoon, I swung the door open and dropped my keys into the holder as usual.

"I'm home!" I called, listening for Adonis and Finn's laughter, but was greeted by something else.

Lydia's wailing.

Adonis yelling.

Finn yelling louder.

An odd, yet constant, thumping on the walls, as if there was a bull trapped in Finn's room.

"Finn!!" I shouted, dropping my bag. "Adonis, stop!!!"

I dodged the corners of our house, speeding to Finn's room.

I slammed the door open, and saw chaos.

"What the HELL IS GOING ON?!?!" I screamed into the scene playing before me.

Finn had Adonis in a head lock, repeatedly punching him in the face, but Adonis flipped him over, onto his messy floor. Lydia was hiding in the corner, screaming and weeping.

I ran over and scooped her up, running her to her room and closing the door.

"Lydia, don't you dare come out of this room until I say so, understand?"

I could hear Lydia's whimper. "Yes... sir."

I sighed, running back to Finn's room.

"Guys!! Stop!!" I shrieked, flinging myself into the mess.

Adonis and Finn were throwing hard punches at each other. I jutted out my arms, pushing with all my might to untangle this mess. I swatted at them, trying to get them out of the daze.

I felt an iron fist filled with fury come crashing into the side of my face, dots clouded my vision and I was blind for a few moments.

When my sight was back, Finn was cowarding away from me, cradling his fist.

My jaw dropped, realization and anger throbbing in my veins. I touched my hand to the spot Finn had punched, it was already starting to bruise.

"Joel, I'm so--"

Finn was interrupted by my fierce battle cry and my own fist hitting his jaw and clocking his forehead. He sprawled along the floor, in another daze.

"Don't you ever, ever hit me again." I spat, swatting hair out of my face.

I spun around to face Adonis. "Now, will you tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Gladly," Adonis grunted, "We were talking about the usual k-babble that we do, and Finn decided to slide in a smooth 'Don't fool around with my brother'. He then began to tell me that you couldn't 'steal' me, because I am-- was-- his friend. I began to defend myself, but was rudely interrupted by a shove, knocking over the chair I was sitting on. Lydia heard the crash, came rushing in, and shouted, 'What the f**k is going on'?"

I gasped.

"Tell me about it." Adonis sighed, "Then Finn proceeded to call me a pedophile, saying that I wanted to lure her big brother, you, into, my big white van."

"Finn!" I hissed, kicking his crumpled form as soon as he tried to get back up.

"Joel," Finn groaned, standing up. "You can't go out with him. You can't be around him anymore."

Rage throbbed in my chest. "Why the hell not?!" I shouted, shoving him.

"He's a drug addict and a pedophile." Finn crossed his arms.

"I'm not either of those things," Adonis rolled his eyes.

Finn frowned, as if the frown was carved in his face. "I'm forbidding you, Joel."

"You forbid me? To Hell with what you think." I declared, "I'll do whatever I want!"

I grabbed Adonis' arms, pushing him into a kiss.

Adonis was stiff at first, but soon enough melted into the kiss, scooping me up and pinning me against Finn's wall.

Finn pryed us apart. "Take it outside," He mumbled.

I slid down off the wall, rubbing my forehead. How the hell was I supposed to explain this to Victoria?

Adonis pulled me into a kiss, though now it felt hollow.

I snaked my hand in the crook of his neck, the kiss morphing into a make out session as his tongue flipped in between my lips, our tongues fighting for dominance.

But before it could be gained, I heard a key in the front door unlock the lock.

Oh, my God.

My parents were home, and they had impeccable timing.