"I...I'd really, really like that!" Willow tried not to scream out in excitement. She was, internally, about to explode from being this close to Tom Ackerton, the star athlete of Shermer High. And he was talking to her! And smiling! OMG!
And Eve was smiling as well! Willow almost couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the grumpy-gus that Eve had become smile, and it had most certainly been before she'd taken the fall and kept Willow from making a fool out of herself back in October. It was is all the celestial forces in the unvierse were converging on the two of them and to be honest, Willow was finding it a little hard to breathe from all the excitement. But the skinny sophmore forced herself to take a deep breath and focus on the amazing thing happening in front of her as Eve spoke.
"Merry Christmas, Willow" Eve's voice was different to Willow, like it had sounded the school day before the fateful cheer practice. It was full of energy and genuine happiness, the sheer wonderous magic cracking the shell around her heart open and making her feel again. Or at least, that's how Willow chose to take it.
In reality, or what amounted to it when an artifact that could bend existence to it's will was floating around out there somewhere, Eugene, Eve, WAS happy. Maybe not on the scale that Willow believed she was, but the janitor turned cheerleader turned loser definitely felt better in this moment than she had for months. In fact, she instantly compared it to when Gabriella had first texted him, how sweet it had all sounded...But then that turned out to be fake. It had been wiped from existence along with his old life, but the pain still felt real to Eugene.
The smile on her face drooped a bit, her unpainted lips sliding closed to hide her perfect teeth once more.
"So, what do you want to do first? Als, you gonna eat that, bro?" Tom said good naturedly, pointing to the red apple sitting on Matt's tray. The greasy haired boy just continued to glare at Tom, his face growing more and more red as his hands began to ball up into fists.
'THIS ISN'T FAIR' Matt's mind howled and screamed in jealously and hate, 'WILLOW IS MINE! I SAW HER FIRST! YOU'RE JUST SOME SECOND FUCKING STRINGER FROM NOWHERE!' The fire in Matt's mind was making him so angry he couldn't think. If he'd only had that...that THING that he dreamed about, the thing that made him the star and made Willow realize she was made for him, destined to be with him, he could make this fucking jock pay...
Matt began to rise from his seat but an unexpected hand tugged at his pant leg. His head snapped towards the source and saw a flabby arm gripping one of his cargo pockets. He followed the had to an equally chubby arm, which was connected to the equally chubby body of Paige, whose face had turned from confusion to concern as she stared right at Matt.
'Woah. She's never done that before...Man, her eyes are pretty even if she looks like a pig' Matt's brain was distracted enough for the mental fire suppressants to kick on, and Matt found imself lowering himself back to the seat of the chair before he grabbed the apple and tossed it towards Tom with as much attitude as he could manage.
"No...'bro'. Take it. I'm not very hungry anymore anyway" Matt did nothing to hide the hate in his voice as Tom effortless caught the fruit with his fast reflexes.
"Thanks dude!" Was all Tom said in reply as he turned his attention back towards Willow. "So, you wanna finish lunch? You want seconds? I'll buy!" Tom's voice was eager, almost...urgent. Paige didn't like it.
It made no sense to the girl that often served as the 'Anchor of Reason' in her circle of friends. Or, well, with Willow. Matt was just sort of there, the flotsam of the school body clinging to the two of them simply because he had nowhere else to drift off to. She was relieved, at least, that Matt took her quiet suggestion to not have one of his freakouts, though. Even if Tom selling himself as a man-whore for the rest of the day seemed earnest enough...Why would he stick his neck out for a loser like Willow? Sure, the rumors that his on again off again girlfriend Gloria Vanapolous were awful but so many of them were just not true...Or were they? Paige had long since given up on trying to glean some kernal of truth from Gloria's bullshit.
'But still...' Was all her mind said as she watched the two interact, 'This doesn't feel right'
"Um, well, We've all got study hall next period. You can, um, help me study?" Willow said, blushing at the other kind of studying she wanted to do with Tom.
"That, my dear, sounds like a plan!" Tom smiled again before glancing at his phone, "Hey, lunch is about over, you want to beat the rush and get what you need from your locker first?"
Willow's knees can within millimeters from knocking together. This was it! They go to her locker and open it and they'd hide behind it while they shared their first kiss! It was just all so perfect!
"YES!" Was all Willow could say as she shot out of her chair like a lightning bolt, grabbing Tom's hand before pulling him away towards the double doors the group had been using. But Willow felt a tug on her hand and she wheeled around directly into Tom's muscled chest. She gave Tom a puzzled look that melted away under the toothy smile he was giving her.
"Let's go out this way! It's quicker. If we go the other way we have to walk all the way around the cafeteria to get to your lockers!" Was all Tom needed to say. Willow smiled, giglled, and nodded, allowing the hunky popular boy to lead her towards her wildest dreams. He even stopped near the double doors, released her tiny hand and gave a little bow as he said "Ladies first!"
'OMG, HE'SO PERFECT!!!!' Willow's mind simply screamed as she gave him a braced filled smile and walked through the slightly askew door...
..Which was was when Paige realized that Gloria and the other popular kids were no where to be seen in the cafeteria.
"WILLOW! STOP!" Paige screamed bolting up from the table, but it was too late as Willow pushed open the door and was suddenly doused, head to toe, in stinking garbage as the bucket that had been set on the lip of the door tumbled over as the door was opened.
Filthy water, trash, leftovers and other refuse poured down in a torrent upon the skinny girl that was almost too innocent and naieve for high school. All she heard was Paige saying something and then the WOOSH of water as it cascaded down upon her, soaking her from head to toe as she screamed in surprise and alarm. And then, as the water spread out around her and dripped furiously off of her previously frizzy hair, Willow heard it: The cruel laughter of several dozen voices from the hallway she had been coerced into using. Willow wiped wiped her eyes clean as the stench of the garbage began to overwhelm her as she saw the group of horrible, horrible kids led by Gloria Vanapolous pointing at her and laughing as they recorded the entire thing on their cellphones. And even to the right of her, she heard laughing. Confused she turned to look and saw the final straw that broke her back.
It was Tom, pointing and laughing at her as well.
"HEY EVE! THIS WAS GREAT! MAYBE YOU'RE STILL COOL AFTER ALL!" Gloria's shrill cry rang past Willow as the skinny girl burst into tears. She cast a large, wet look at the stunned face of Eve Kazinski before she took off running, slipping and falling twice as the stinking wetness from the prank made it impossible for her lanky form to gain traction on the floor tile as she tried to escape the horrible situation. The young Strasserman was full on bawling by the time she disappeared around the corner, heading deeper into the school to find refuge somewhere, anywhere, away from everyone. She wiped her face, but only caused more stinking garbage water to drip out of the friendship bracelet she had made for herself and Eve.
The betrayal hit her just as much as the prank ever did. She had been so wrong! Eve wasn't her friend!
Willow tore the bracelet from her damp wrist and let it fall to the floor as she ran for the only place she could think of: The janitor's closet.
Meanwhile in the cafeteria, the popular kids had eventually tired of their prank and had dispersed as the bell had begun ringing. Tom had vanished as well, but not before clapping a hand on Eve's shoulder and wiping the mirthful tears from his eyes. Paige and Matt simply stared at Eve in shock and horror (though Matt was also just relieved that it wasn't him for once).
"That...That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen anyone do, Eve" Was all Paige said before she stood from the table and rushed out the door to find her best friend. Matt simply faded away, getting up and heading towards his next class with a backwards glance at Eve.
And Eve simply sat there, staring at the horrible, horrible cruelness she had indirectly visited upon the only person that hadn't made her feel like shit for the past two months. Eventually the cafeteria staff had called Principal Stevens once the troubled redhead had failed to leave for class, and he and Mr. Irons, the school security officer, had arrived to collect her.
Once again, Eve found herself in the office of the man that had, once, paid her to clean the building, receiving another lashing for 'bullying' and 'harassment'. Her new parents had been called and there was hell to pay, especially because they couldn't find poor Willow anywhere.
But Eve? Eve felt the last part of her that seemed to care about the world around her shrivel and die. The world fell into a distant, muted, slow motion state as her mind just...shut down. It was all her fault. She should have never have picked up that goddamn Stone. She just should have stayed away instead of trying to be a 'good friend'.
Eve hated herself entirely.
Option 1: Eve is suspended indefinitely pending the result of a full investigation.
Option 2: Willow, crying alone in the janitor's closet, finds a peculiar looking gemstone...