one.
red sox

   Flights had to be the best thing in the world. A couple thousand miles in a matter of hours? It seemed absolutely mind blowing to JT as she flew from Kennebunkport, Maine to Seattle. It wasn't incredibly long, but it wasn't short, she still loved it, though.
Returning home after two years was a terrifying yet exhilarating feat. She had taken part in a one-way exchange that had sent her to a school across the country. It was a nice school, full of intellectual people with open minds. She knew that was not what she was returning home to.
The thought of her alcoholic mother and indifferent father made JT's blood boil. The blonde knew that Lauren could take care of herself, but JT had never felt so guilty as when she was chosen for the program instead of Lauren. The younger of the Irish twins claimed to be impartial to the choosing, but JT knew that she had wanted the position just as much, if not more than she did.
JT closed her eyes for a bit, only opening them upon the jostling of landing. She had a flight to Port Angeles on a small plane shortly after they landed. It was only about an hour long, but it felt agonizingly long as anticipation to see her sister built in her stomach. She looked lovingly over the clouds as the sun began to rise slowly in the sky. It was a blinding kind of beauty, but she adored it. The wheels touched the ground with a jolt.
With her baggage in hand, she looked around the room, looking for the blonde hair of her sister.
"JT!" Lauren's shrill call reached her ears and then both sisters were on the floor in a tangled sprawl. Lauren's legs were wrapped around JT's middle like a constricting boa. JT giggled, squeezing her sister.
"Hey Ren." She laughed. The program had a strict rule about traveling back home, so this was the first time JT and Lauren had seen each other since the former left. Just the smell of Lauren's orange and vanilla perfume put all of JT's unknown anxieties to rest.
"I missed you," Lauren whined, still wrapped around her older sister. Scratching Lauren's back, JT just smiled.
"Josephine, Lauren, get up. You're making a scene," the hissing voice of their mother caused Lauren to yank JT and herself to their feet.
Lorraine Mallory was in no way physically demanding, but the woman was straight trash. She dressed like a proper lady, but her breath rank of whisky and she would fight literally anyone. Her platinum blonde hair had lost its shine years ago, fishy green eyes never clear. Even now, they were glassy and red with drink.
"Mother," JT said stiffly. Lorraine barely looked at her before she was walking towards the exit.
Lauren sighed, putting her arm through JT's. "I drove. I'm not really sure why she decided to come," she paused, taking a breath. "I also don't know why you want to go to school on your first day back, but oh well." The two girls walked to the car in silence. Lorraine was already in the back seat, passed out. JT rolled her eyes and climbed into the passenger seat after loading her luggage into the trunk of Lauren's Ford Explorer.
Lauren motioned with her hand to the bottom of the passenger seat, where a grayish-navy backpack sat at JT's feet. "I have all the supplies you'll need in there."
"Thanks," JT smiled, flashing her pearly whites. Lauren grinned a closed lipped smile, shaking her head. "So are you still infatuated with Tyler, or was that just last week's phone call?" She quickly dodged Lauren's hand flying in her direction.
"I will backhand you back to Maine. Don't test me," It came out of her lips like a playful snarl. JT snickered, swatting her hand away as it came back for another attempt.
"You missed me, admit it!"
"You wish!" The girls erupted into giggles, which were abruptly cut off.
"For the love of God, shut the hell up," Lorraine groaned from the back seat. JT snapped her jaw shut, casting a look to her sister. Lauren's jaw was clenched harshly, her eyes narrowed and on the road. JT reaches for her hand, which rested on the gear shift. Without taking her eyes off the road, Lauren flipped her hand so the sisters could intertwine their fingers. Giving Lauren's hand a squeeze, JT turned her gaze to the trees along the highway.
The greenery gave a sense of home along with her sister's hand within her home. Despite the tension from their mother in the backseat, both girls were at ease in each other's presence.
When they finally arrived at the three story house, JT took a long look at the house she grew up in. The robin egg blue of the siding was bright, happy, along with the rose bushes out front. The white shudders winked at her tauntingly. She'd always wondered how such a happy house could home such an unhappy family.
Lauren hauled their mother upstairs despite JT's protests, and JT used that time to freshen up. She had an hour before school started, but it was enough. JT left her hair in the fluffy Dutch braids. Her sweats were traded for a pair of skinny jeans, and her sweatshirt was traded with a long sleeved Red Sox t-shirt. It belonged to her host dad in Maine, Joey. He had been appalled to learn that she knew virtually nothing about baseball. She became well versed in the sport in about a month. The baggy fabric was comforting. JT decided she would shoot him a call later. She changed her slippers out for a pair of red rain boots from Lauren's closet. Ending the look with a lined denim jacket, she brushed her teeth, applied some mascara, and some chapstick before meeting Lauren downstairs. Their father must've been at work already.
Lauren eyed her narrowly, scoffing. "You've been here for half an hour and you're already stealing my shoes. Typical."
JT stuck her foot out and twisted it in the air, admiring the boot. "They're cute! And they go with my outfit!" She narrowly dodged a mitten being thrown her way. The sisters laughed quietly, not wanting to awake the beast upstairs. JT climbed into the passenger seat and watched as the trees passed by.
The high school was smaller than she remembered, but it was easy to find. Located right off the highway, the school was made up of multiple small, house-like buildings. The newest car in the crowded parking lot was a shiny silver Volvo. JT was able to pick Tyler's van out of the sea of vehicles with ease. She didn't even want to think about Lauren's tales of mischief in the back of it.
"I have a meeting with Coach Clapp, so I can take you to the office, but that's about it. You'll be okay, right?"
She could figure it out, she decided as she looked around the parking lot. "Yeah, Ren. I'll be fine," she mumbled.
Lauren seemed unconvinced, so she began to move her hands. "Your teachers have been informed about your lungs. So if you need to step out or take a break, they should be pretty lenient with you," she signed. People had kind of converged around them, Lauren being quite the popular girl. Less than one percent of Forks knew sign language, so the girls had taken it up in fourth grade in able to speak without interruption or eavesdropping. JT nodded, letting her sister guide her through the crowds.
A plump, red headed lady sat at the desk. She seemed nice enough, and her name tag read 'Ms. Cope.' Ms. Cope smiled brightly at the girls. JT smiled back just as brightly, letting her bundled nerves unravel. "Hey there, you must be Josephine," she greeted.
"That's me," JT didn't bother to correct her. She probably wouldn't be speaking to her very much anyways.
"Here's your schedule, a map, and I'm going to need you to have your teachers sign this and bring it back to me at the end of the day, okay sweetheart?"
JT almost saluted, "Yes, ma'am. Have a good day," she flashed her another smile, letting Lauren drag her out of the building.
"Let me see your schedule," the younger Mallory demanded, snatching the paper before JT had a chance to look at it. She looked over her sister's shoulder. AP Trig, Biology, English, painting, APUSH, and Spanish. Overall, easy enough compared to her classes at Elk Grove Academy. "We have biology and Trig together. Now I have to go, so I'll see you later," Lauren began to walk away when JT called out.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow, dear sister," she said, chuckling when Lauren flipped her off. This wasn't unusual for the situation as Lauren hated Shakespeare to an extent that she often wished aloud to be a time traveler so that she could kill the playwright as a child. JT was indifferent to the man, but she'd much prefer not to be forced to study his work in school.
Upon examining her schedule, she realized that her first class, English, was across campus, and the bell rang in one minute. JT moved quickly down the sidewalk, ignoring the stares from the students. In a small town, new things were to be observed intently, despite the fact that she knew the majority of them since they were in diapers. Balls of sleet and snow mixtures were flying everywhere, and the blonde did everything she could to dodge them.
Mike Newton was the first person JT saw when she entered the building assigned to her English class. He hadn't changed incredibly much, but he'd grown out of his eighth grade chub for sure. His eyes widened to saucers when he saw her, leaving the side of an unfamiliar brunette.
"Josie Mallory. Holy smokes, it's been a minute!" He pulled her into a hug which she happily returned. He'd always been nice to her, maybe a little too nice sometimes, but he was still sweet.
"It's JT now, Mikey," she laughed, rubbing his back once before pulling away.
"JT," he tested the word on his tongue like he was trying a new drink, blue eyes sparkling. "I like it, it suits you."
"Alright, have a seat everyone, it's quiz day," Mr. Mason ordered, taking and signing JT's slip without truly looking at her. There was a collective groan over the class. "Take a seat anywhere that's open, I don't really care," he said, pushing up his glasses and picking up a stack of papers. JT did as she was told, taking the seat across the aisle from Mike, which was coincidentally next to Eric Yorkie.
"What's up, home girl? Long time no see—"
"There will be no talking during this quiz. Unless you'd like a zero, Mr. Yorkie," Mr. Mason interrupted the Asian boy with a firm stare. Eric gulped, shaking his head.
JT was a bit startled when Mr. Mason placed a quiz in front of her, but was put at ease when she realized it was over Wuthering Heights. She'd been obsessed with that book her entire freshman year and went through the quiz quickly. Some students took the whole class period, so JT let her gaze wander outside, where snow was falling. She loved the snow as much as the next northerner, but Lauren's snow driving made her kind of nervous. The bell rang. JT exited the building quickly to avoid Eric and Mike, and found her sister waiting outside the door for her.
"Ready for trig, aka hell in the form of geometry on crack?" Lauren joked, but JT could sense the actual dread. Lauren hadn't really been all that good at math. She took courses over summers in able to be in Trig this year.
"Let's go," the oldest Mallory tucked her arm through Lauren's. They kept a close eye on the students throwing snowballs, avoiding being hit as best they could.
It was in vain, though, as a wet, sloppy, cold ball hit the back of JT's head. She turned to find a terrified freshman boy, arm still in the finished throwing position. He'd obviously missed his friend. The result of his overthrow was freezing as it soaked down the back of her neck. Wordlessly, she handed Lauren her books. Her sister was about to go off on the boy, but JT had other plans. She reached down, scooping up a ball and forming it in her hands. The boy took off running.
Softball team captain and nicknamed "Sharpshooter" during dodge-ball tournaments, she knew that the boy didn't stand a chance.
JT rocketed the ball into the back of his skull. It traveled like an MLB fast pitch, a scream coming from him when it made contact. Laughs burst out from the students around them as he flailed to the ground in surprise. Lauren snickered and handed the books back.
"Good one, JT. Now they'll know not to fuck with you."
JT fingered her wet braids with a roll of her eyes, "We can only hope."
Immediately, JT disliked Mr. Varner. His narrow eyes and permanent scowl made her feel like she was the plague coming to take over his classroom. He signed her slip and told her to introduce herself to the class.
She looked out over the students, eyes catching on a literal goddess in the back row. Blonde hair that fell to her waist in waves, curves to die for, and piercing gold eyes. Aphrodite in the flesh. JT cleared her throat, looking at her sister for comfort. "I'm JT Mallory, I've lived here the majority of my life except for the past two years, thanks."
"Take the seat next to Ms. Hale in the back," Mr. Varner ordered. As she passed a pair of boys, she heard one of them whisper.
"Speaking of Hale, I saw right up her skirt the other day. It was so hot—"
"Hey Mackie, I ever hear that come out of your mouth or see you looking up anyone's skirts ever again, I'm going straight to your mother," JT snapped quietly, just loud enough so him and his partner could hear. Mrs. Mackie was a self respecting, feminist, Christian, and badass Latina. She would be sure to have her son's head on a pike if JT ever told her. Mackie's face flushed with both anger and embarrassment. JT continued on her way back to her seat.
She took a deep, calming breath when she sat down, refusing to let the blonde's intimidating beauty get to her again.
"Hello." Her plan was utterly and completely ripped to shreds when the girl spoke to her.
JT cleared her throat again, looking over at the goddess next to her. "Hi."
"I'm Rosalie," she said, voice like honey dripping over the objectified sound of a symphony. If there was anyone to ever make JT question her sexuality, it would definitely be Rosalie Hale.
"Nice to meet you," JT managed, shooting her a small smile. Rosalie smirked a little, hearing the Mallory's heartbeat jump around like a kangaroo.
"Thank you for sticking up for me over there." Her blonde tresses waved as she jerked her head towards Mackie and his table-mate. JT furrowed her brows in slight anger. Males that objectified and disrespected women in such a way made her blood boil.
With a glare at the back of Mackie's head, she nodded. "As women, we protect each other, no matter if we're strangers." She turned her gaze to the board, where Mr. Varner was discussing the next unit.
Rosalie kept her golden eyes on JT for a brief moment, a small smile on her lips. Her eyes shifted to Lauren, who whispered heatedly with her table-mate about Bella Swan. Alice had been right.
JT Mallory was nothing like her sister.

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