friday 6th of may 2016

Peter ran up the steps in pursuit of J.D. Words buzzed around him, many of them involving her name. The word had got out that she had been saved by Spider-Man, and now everyone was talking.

J.D was doing a marvellous job at ignoring it, she walked around school with her headphones plugged into her ears and her music on full volume. As she walked down halls all eyes were on her, but her gaze was averted to the pages of her novel, blocking out everything in her surroundings.

She didn't hear Peter's yells over her Frankie Goes to Hollywood track.

Relax, don't do it, when you wanna go to it.

Relax, don't do it, when you wanna come.

"J.D!" She turned the corner, her eyes skimming the pages of A Game of Thrones, her third time reading the novel. It was one of her favourites, and though she pretended that she didn't watch it in front of Herb due to the age restrictions for later seasons, she had actually watched all of them online.

Her feet led her to her English classroom, people dodging her as she walked through the corridors and up staircases without having to raise her eyes once.

It was only when Peter grabbed her upper arm did she stop and glance up. She blinked a couple of times to focus her gaze, and when it did it landed on Peter's face. He sent her an awkward and breathless smile, and she returned it with a raise of her eyebrow.

Peter gestured to her earbuds and she made a face of realisation and pulled them out, letting them hang from the collar of her t-shirt. The music was still playing and they could both hear it, but paid it no attention. J.D pursed her lips and closed her book, her index finger keeping her place. "What do you want, Parker? To say 'I told you so?' Because you can keep it to yourself."

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but J.D brushed past him, placing her earbuds back in and retreating down the linoleum floors.

Scheme those schemes

Got to hit me

Hit me

Hit me with those laser beams

Peter clenched his jaw and followed her, grabbing her arm again. J.D threw his arm off her, but he took it a third time and pulled her into an empty classroom. He stood in front of the door and folded his arms. "What the hell is up with you?"

J.D was slightly taken aback at his tone. She paused her music and sent him a cold look. "Nothing is up with me."

"I've known you since first grade, I know you." He stated and J.D scoffed, going to move past him, but he stuck his arm out to block her. "Tell me what's wrong. I won't say anything to Mason."

"There's nothing wrong." She snapped, and Peter grabbed her upper arms and made her look at him. "Get off."

"I'm not letting you leave until you tell me what's going on." He replied firmly, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, this is my English class, and when the bell goes you're gonna have to leave." She gave a soft smirk. She looked at her watch on her left hand, just above where Peter was holding. "And that's two minutes away. Guess we'll have to wait."

Peter clenched his jaw and J.D's smirk widened at his frustration.

She leaned forward so they were even closer than before. "It's gonna take a lot more than dragging me into a classroom and interrogating me to get me to talk."

The bell rang after another moment, and Peter closed his eyes tightly and exhaled in annoyance. He dropped her arms and backed away, opening the door and escaping into the hallway. 

Students poured into the class, brushing past J.D and taking their assigned seats. J.D pursed her lips and sighed, before turning on her heel and retreating to the back of the classroom. 

"Good afternoon, class." Mr. Anthony Ikeman walked in, waving to the group of students. A good twenty of them muttered short replies, and he placed his binder on his desk, before leaning back against it. He pointed to Max Goodman in the third row. "Max, what's in a name?"

J.D scoffed quietly, her eyes drifting back to the pages of her book. Mr. Ikeman was her favourite teacher, but he wasn't very subtle at introducing their units to the class. 

Max went slightly red. He was adorably awkward, and didn't know how to respond to much when you conversed with him. "Uhm, w-well,"

"Don't worry about it." Mr. Ikeman smiled and his green eyes scanned over the room, before landing on the slouching girl in the back corner. "J.D, what's in a name?"

"That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." She quoted flawlessly, her eyes still trained on her text. She seemed almost bored, and ignored the gazes on her as she continued to read. 

"And where is that from, Miss Purnell?" Mr. Ikeman continued to ask and she sighed, glancing up briefly. 

"Romeo and Juliet," She said easily. "Shakespeare."

"Well done." The teacher congratulated her. He was quite a young man, at the age of twenty-nine. He had dark hair and a friendly aura surrounding him, one that welcomed everyone. There was no denying he was attractive, and J.D often felt herself seeking advice from him rather than Peter or Mason. Mr. Ikeman wasn't one to judge, he listened to everyone and was there to help wherever he could. "Welcome to our new unit, everyone. We'll be studying Shakespeare until the end of the school year, which is less than a month away."

A few people in the class groaned, while others cheered. J.D did neither. She wasn't in the mood that day, and it wasn't just because of the Spider-Man incident. 

Truth was, she was just unhappy. It was one of the days where she wasn't particularly sad, she just wasn't happy. She didn't feel the need to smile or talk or do much, she just wanted to sleep and eat chocolate. Plus, with the upcoming event in her calendar, she wasn't to be the most joyful. 

It was the last class of the day, and she was more than relieved to be able to get home to the silence. She had gotten sick of all the staring by second period, and even though on the outside it looked like she couldn't care less about all the eyes on her, on the inside she was freaking out. What was so interesting? So, Spider-Man helped her, what's so incredible about that?

"Shakespeare was born in the April of fifteen-sixty-four in Stratford-Upon-Aven..." Mr. Ikeman began, bringing up a powerpoint presentation on his laptop with a huge cartoon of the playwright. 

J.D placed her book down and rested her head on her arms, releasing a sigh and staring out the window, trying to listen to her teacher's lesson, but failing miserably. 

At the end of the lesson, J.D slung her backpack over her shoulder and opened her novel, waiting for the rest of the row to walk out before she followed behind. 

She almost made it to the door before she heard her name. "J.D, can you wait back a sec?"

J.D stopped in her tracks and her shoulders visibly slumped, students moving past her and knocking her slightly as they left for the day. 

As soon as the class was empty, J.D saw a figure move in front of her. She glanced up and met the bright green eyes of her english teacher. "Have I done something wrong, sir?"

"On the contrary. Your last essay was brilliant and I wanted to congratulate you. But that's not the reason I held you back." Mr. Ikeman leaned against the side of one of the desks and pressed his lips together in deep thought. He furrowed his eyebrows together and leaned forward slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." J.D muttered, and he scoffed. 

"You're lying." He stated and she rolled her eyes. "Do you know how I know that?"

"How?" J.D asked quietly and he chuckled. 

"You're muttering." He smiled and she huffed, crossing her arms. "You know, being a teacher means getting to know your students. I've had you in my class for the past two years, and I know how much you've changed since last summer. You went through a lot, and in times like these it's beginning to show."

J.D didn't reply, she kept her head low and clenched her jaw slightly. 

"I know you're in a tough place right now." Mr. Ikeman continued, and J.D began rocking back and forth on her heels. "I know it's the anniversary of your parents' deaths next week, and it's got to be tough on your family. But you have to know that keeping quiet about it won't help you. Talk to someone about it. Talk to your brother, your guardian, your friends. You're friends with the Parker boy, right?"

J.D nodded.

"Talk to him then. You need to trust more people, J.D." Mr. Ikeman was watching J.D's actions, and smiled softly. "Have you seen any John Hughes films?"

J.D nodded again, and glanced up at her teacher. "Yeah, his characters all end up with the happy ending. It's real sweet."

"Well, I know several people who wish they could trade their life for Ferris', even Claire's. They all end up happy, or they have all the luck and love in the world." Mr. Ikeman said, and laced his hands together. "Spending your life wishing you were in an eighties movie won't do you any good, believe me. Unfortunately we have to make do with whatever life throws our way and embrace it. You're the only one with your life, and wasting it wanting someone else's sucks. I know you miss your parents, but a part of growing up is having to deal with these things. I know you can handle it, even if you don't think so. You're a strong kid, J.D, you just have to believe it yourself."

"Thanks, Mr. Ikeman." J.D mumbled, and sent him a forced smile. "Um, so, can I go now?"

Mr. Ikeman chuckled and nodded, gesturing to the door. "Yeah, go ahead. But remember what I've just told you, okay? I hope to you at Decathlon practice next week."

"You got it." J.D responded and walked out into the halls, leaving her teacher to the empty classroom. She sent another forced smile when she saw Mason walking towards her. "Hey, Mase."

"Hey, you good?" He asked her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. 

J.D glanced over to the doorway, where she saw Mr. Ikeman wiping down the whiteboard and humming a song quietly. She sighed and looked up at her brother. "Yeah, I'm fine."

:-( POOR LIL SAD BEAN

J.D DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO DESERVE HER SADNESSS AOIHFOSDBFILASBFKBS

ALSO INTRODUCING MR. IKEMAN WOOOOO HE'S GONNA BE A FREQUENT CHARACTER FROM NOW ON, HE'S A PRETTY COOL DUDE. BUT I DON'T KNOW WHO TO CAST FOR HIM HELP

SHOULD I DO KIT HARINGTON 

ED WESTWICK 

OR JACK FALAHEE

PLEASE VOTE FOR WHO YOU WANT, BUT DON'T DO IT ON PERSONAL PREFERENCE. PLEASE DO IT BASED ON WHO YOU THINK SUITS THE ROLE OF MR. IKEMAN 

OK COOL BEANS BYEEE