Fic: Salt of the Earth
Dec. 11th, 2010 05:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starrikaTitle: Salt of the Earth
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starrika
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Sky High
Summary: Companion piece to Norah. At Sky High, Norah finds her place and some old family friends. Sometimes a good partnership is all that is needed to make a sidekick a hero. PG-13.
Previous Chapters & "Norah" Chapters
Instead of riding home with Jasper, Jessica waited for Norah to take the bus back with her. She knew, as soon as the fight had ended, that she needed to apologize to her. She’d told her that superhero teams stuck together, but as soon as she’d been dragged into the fight with Amanda, she’d completely forgotten about her.
Jessica felt even worse when she’d been told that Norah had been in the detention room since lunch. She loitered in the hall, as her classmates streamed out onto the front lawn, feeling worse than the time she’d accidentally ruined six months of work for her dad. She wasn’t sure what she’d say, other than sorry, but she hoped Norah would forgive her. She’d been a crap friend – too preoccupied with beating Amanda than anything else.
She’d probably have to apologize to Jasper, too. Jessica pulled a face. Even if he was right in telling her to cool it, she hated to apologize to him. He still treated her like a little kid sometimes. She hated letting him lord it over her again.
The door to the detention room opened, and Norah exited, looking tired. Jess swallowed, feeling like there was a stone in her stomach.
“Hey, Norah,” she said quietly.
“Hi, Jess.”
Jessica wasn’t sure if she was mad – wasn’t sure what Norah felt at all, really. That was the hardest part talking to her. She never gave anything away. She was always so reserved. Jessica wasn’t even sure if Norah really liked her, for all that she hung out with her at school.
“Look, I’m sorry about earlier,” Jessica said finally, as they walked outside. “I was angry at Amanda, and a little bit at Sean, and I forgot how everyone angry around you would make things bad for you. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
Norah nodded, pulling her into the seat next to her on the bus. Jessica wasn’t sure if that was a ploy to test her sincerity, or if Norah really wanted her to sit there. She sat anyway.
“It wasn’t fun, but it really wasn’t that bad. It’s not your job, or Amanda or Sean’s, to mind me. It’s not the first time I’ve been around angry people, you know,” Norah said. She paused for a moment, lips pursed, looking like she wanted to say something else.
“What?” Jessica prompted. “Really, you can say it. Say whatever you want. I deserve it.”
Norah shook her head with a small smile. “Honestly, I’m not mad. It sucked, but it’s not your fault. I would have reacted the same way if it had been the table next to us. The world can’t be wrapped in bubble wrap for me. I’m getting better, too. Really, it’s not your fault.” She paused again. “But – didn’t you know? You know, about Sean? And Amanda?”
Jesssica frowned. “No. Did you?”
Norah hesitated, looking guilty. She nodded. “Not from anything directly said to me. It was more just a feeling, you know? He likes you, Jess. He has for a while, I think.”
Jessica’s mouth opened a bit. “Sean? He can’t like me. I mean, he’s been dating Amanda. That’s like – she’s nothing like me.”
“You don’t – you aren’t mad at me for not warning you?” Norah asked, biting her lip.
“What? No!” Jessica said. “That’s personal. I mean, I totally wish I had known before lunch because all I knew from this morning is that they were acting totally weird, but I don’t. Well. Okay, it would be totally cool,” she admitted. “But that’s not you. And it’s not right or fair.”
Norah looked relieved and Jessica wondered if she thought Jessica had been mad at her. “Oh, good,” she said.
“But, Sean?” Jessica said, lowering her voice and leaning forward. “So not interested. Like, at all. He’s really not my type. Plus, having Amanda hate me for life is really not worth the hassle.”
Norah giggled. “I didn’t think so. Sean is nice, really he is. But I don’t see the two of you ever dating. You guys don’t –“ she wiggled her fingers, indicating chemistry.
Jessica laughed and shook her head. “No, not at all. There’s no –“ she wiggled her fingers herself. “Now, Warren Peace?” Jessica wiggled both her hands at the same time.
Norah laughed harder. “Duly noted,” she said with a grin. The bus stopped at Norah’s exit first, and she stood, hoisting her backpack. “I’ll see you on Monday, Jess.”
“See you then. Have a good weekend!” Jessica gave a little wave and sat back in her seat as Norah left the bus. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t feel quite so awful anymore.
Author:
starrikaRating: PG-13
Fandom: Sky High
Summary: Companion piece to Norah. At Sky High, Norah finds her place and some old family friends. Sometimes a good partnership is all that is needed to make a sidekick a hero. PG-13.
Previous Chapters & "Norah" Chapters
Instead of riding home with Jasper, Jessica waited for Norah to take the bus back with her. She knew, as soon as the fight had ended, that she needed to apologize to her. She’d told her that superhero teams stuck together, but as soon as she’d been dragged into the fight with Amanda, she’d completely forgotten about her.
Jessica felt even worse when she’d been told that Norah had been in the detention room since lunch. She loitered in the hall, as her classmates streamed out onto the front lawn, feeling worse than the time she’d accidentally ruined six months of work for her dad. She wasn’t sure what she’d say, other than sorry, but she hoped Norah would forgive her. She’d been a crap friend – too preoccupied with beating Amanda than anything else.
She’d probably have to apologize to Jasper, too. Jessica pulled a face. Even if he was right in telling her to cool it, she hated to apologize to him. He still treated her like a little kid sometimes. She hated letting him lord it over her again.
The door to the detention room opened, and Norah exited, looking tired. Jess swallowed, feeling like there was a stone in her stomach.
“Hey, Norah,” she said quietly.
“Hi, Jess.”
Jessica wasn’t sure if she was mad – wasn’t sure what Norah felt at all, really. That was the hardest part talking to her. She never gave anything away. She was always so reserved. Jessica wasn’t even sure if Norah really liked her, for all that she hung out with her at school.
“Look, I’m sorry about earlier,” Jessica said finally, as they walked outside. “I was angry at Amanda, and a little bit at Sean, and I forgot how everyone angry around you would make things bad for you. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
Norah nodded, pulling her into the seat next to her on the bus. Jessica wasn’t sure if that was a ploy to test her sincerity, or if Norah really wanted her to sit there. She sat anyway.
“It wasn’t fun, but it really wasn’t that bad. It’s not your job, or Amanda or Sean’s, to mind me. It’s not the first time I’ve been around angry people, you know,” Norah said. She paused for a moment, lips pursed, looking like she wanted to say something else.
“What?” Jessica prompted. “Really, you can say it. Say whatever you want. I deserve it.”
Norah shook her head with a small smile. “Honestly, I’m not mad. It sucked, but it’s not your fault. I would have reacted the same way if it had been the table next to us. The world can’t be wrapped in bubble wrap for me. I’m getting better, too. Really, it’s not your fault.” She paused again. “But – didn’t you know? You know, about Sean? And Amanda?”
Jesssica frowned. “No. Did you?”
Norah hesitated, looking guilty. She nodded. “Not from anything directly said to me. It was more just a feeling, you know? He likes you, Jess. He has for a while, I think.”
Jessica’s mouth opened a bit. “Sean? He can’t like me. I mean, he’s been dating Amanda. That’s like – she’s nothing like me.”
“You don’t – you aren’t mad at me for not warning you?” Norah asked, biting her lip.
“What? No!” Jessica said. “That’s personal. I mean, I totally wish I had known before lunch because all I knew from this morning is that they were acting totally weird, but I don’t. Well. Okay, it would be totally cool,” she admitted. “But that’s not you. And it’s not right or fair.”
Norah looked relieved and Jessica wondered if she thought Jessica had been mad at her. “Oh, good,” she said.
“But, Sean?” Jessica said, lowering her voice and leaning forward. “So not interested. Like, at all. He’s really not my type. Plus, having Amanda hate me for life is really not worth the hassle.”
Norah giggled. “I didn’t think so. Sean is nice, really he is. But I don’t see the two of you ever dating. You guys don’t –“ she wiggled her fingers, indicating chemistry.
Jessica laughed and shook her head. “No, not at all. There’s no –“ she wiggled her fingers herself. “Now, Warren Peace?” Jessica wiggled both her hands at the same time.
Norah laughed harder. “Duly noted,” she said with a grin. The bus stopped at Norah’s exit first, and she stood, hoisting her backpack. “I’ll see you on Monday, Jess.”
“See you then. Have a good weekend!” Jessica gave a little wave and sat back in her seat as Norah left the bus. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t feel quite so awful anymore.
