Hawaiian Roller Coaster Love

[Ravenbelle]

CHARACTERS!

oh. Let's say she's short. Like barely 5 feet tall. cuz she's cute that way.

Lilo got up early when the sunlight streamed through her blinds at around 6 am in Kauai. This. is. crazy. She hardly ever wakes before Stitch does, but maybe today is special. A sixteen year old hawaiian born teen jumped out of bed and changed into a red bathing suit under shorts and a loose Elvis T-shirt before she giggled down the steps while Stitch and the rest of her Ohana slept. She made her usual breakfast knowing Nani was already out of the house on her way to the beach by now. She's a pro surfer and would soon be going on a tour around Hawaii so she's been practicing all the time. Nani is everything Lilo knew she could never be. Smart, responsible, mature and amazing all at the same time. Best Sister EVER.
When Lilo finished her toast with pineapple jelly, she picked up her flowery backpack to walk to Punahou High school, but just as she reached the door by the calendar, she found that it was Thursday. Lilo gasped loudly and swiftly returned to the kitchen to make a peanut butter sandwich as fast as her pudgy hands would move. Leaving the open bread and the peanut butter on the counter with the knife still sticking out of it, she was running to the beach with a manhandled sandwich in her right hand and her back pack slung over her shoulder, bouncing against her back while she ran in her dirty sneakers.
---
When she reached the sand, she pulled off her shoes, shirt and shorts, hopping all the way to the shoreline in a red, whole bathing suit before diving fearlessly into the sea. Her waist-length black hair slicked back as she swam gracefully beneath the waves holding a ziploc bag containing a sloppy peanut butter sandwich in her right hand. It's Sandwich Day. Every Thursday, she brings Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich because he controls the weather in her town. Of course nowadays, she knows that's probably not true, but when she was 7, she wanted to make sure it wouldn't rain bad enough to get anyone she loved into a car crash. Like her parents. Today, she did it because it's a tradition and Pudge probably wouldn't have survived this long without her TLC. And the sandwiches. He has peanut butter belly.
When she found the green spotted, orange fish among the other tropical fish and coral reef, Lilo pulled the sandwich out of its bag where it quickly went soggy in the salt water. She was used to the slight sting in her eyes by now. It doesn't really affect her. So Pudge, knowing the routine, took the sandwich right from her hand and swam away with a gleeful look in his greenish eyes.

Lilo smiled and swam back to shore near the surface, body surfing with the waves all the way back to shore. Not bothering to squeeze out her hair or her body, she dashed back to her clothes, put them on in a rush and stuffed her sandy feet in her shoes before rushing off to class. No matter what she does, she's Always late to first period. Chemistry. Ugh.
--
A few seconds after the bell rang, Lilo yanked the door open and put her hands up. "I'm here! I'm he-!"
Mr. Feggle glared at her dripping form, especially because he had his hand on a student's shoulder in front of the class. Lilo blinked and it clicked. She had interrupted him while he was introducing a new student. She knew he was new because she had never seen him before. She blushed, ducked her head and dropped the ziploc bag in her hand into the trash can by the door. A few strands of her wet bangs stuck to her forehead.
He was cute.
"I suppose you're sorry for the millionth time, Ms. Pelekai? Go to your seat. Next time, I'll be calling your sister."
"But--!" She wanted to say it wasn't her fault and she hadn't arrived all that late, but he cut her off and returned to introducing the new kid. Lilo left a small trail of water and sand back to her seat in the back of the class. Mertle Edmons sat two seats to her left, surely texting her little posse, Yuki, Teresa and Elena. "Weirdlo." She whispered and pushed up her glasses. Lilo sighed and looked at the empty seat beside her. The only empty seat in class. No one would ever want to be her lab partner.
No more fights. Nani will ground me again if I punch Mertle's stupid mouth.

 

[abibliophobia]

An alarm startled Jack out of the unconscious state that was sleep. He rolled over groggily and looked at the clock, it read 5:30. He still had another two hours before he had to attend his first day in an entirely foreign new high school. Jack slipped out of bed, stretching his arms high over his blond head of hair. He pulled on a t-shirt that read the name of his old high school in California and a pair of basketball shorts. He took his iPod off of his dresser that he had filled with all of his things the night before. Cranking up the volume he set the buds in his ears and left his family's newly furnished beach house to go for a jog on the beach. His father, a marine, had to move his family to Hawaii because he got a position change. The change was good for his career, but that had meant saying goodbye to everything and everyone they knew in California. It would take a lot to get used to their new life on the small island.

Jack wasn't an unfit teenager. In California he was an active athlete, participating in a sport every season. His favorite sport though, was swim. Which wasn't a bad sport to like when he always found himself living by the ocean. Back in California he always took a morning jog along the shore, this was his first time trying it since they moved. They had only been in Hawaii for a week, but he hadn't liked it that much. Even now as he jogged across the practically empty beach he couldn't help but recall the difference between there and California. Whenever he jogged in Cali the beach was already littered with at least twenty surfers, here there were only two. Going from a big city to a tiny island was a big change, and he felt like everyone was going to know his name by the end of the day only because of the small population. With his iPod tightly gripped in one hand and his other hand wiping the perspiration he decided it was time to go back so he could fit in a shower without being late to school.

When he got home his parents were already awake and eating breakfast, he passed by them wordlessly, keeping up with the silent treatment that he had started when they had first moved to their new home. Jack took a quick shower and dressed in a plain blue t-shirt and tan cargo shirts. He found his phone, that was blowing up with texts about Hawaii and how it was. He made a face and put the phone away in his pocket. Jack grabbed his old backpack that was still full of his old schoolwork from his previous school. It was the middle of the school year and he still had all of the same classes as he did before. The sixteen year old went out the back door and found his bike, it had been nearly a year since he had to actually get himself to school. He always used to carpool with his friends.

Getting to school wasn't an issue, the island was tiny. He chained his bike up and then went into the office, asking for his schedule. The school's secretary gave it to him with a mindful eye. Jack knew it was him, his face always made it look like he was up to something. He wandered the halls, getting odd looks from all the students around him, until he finally made it to Chemistry. Jack frowned, he had never liked Chemistry, he was more of a math kind of guy. When he walked into the room the teacher greeted him cheerily. Jack was a little confused when the teacher said that he was going to introduce him to the entire class. He thought that they only did that in movies. The teacher was in the middle of telling the entire class his name: Jack Acker, when a student walked in dripping wet and terribly late.

"Let me try that again," the teacher stated, a bit annoyed, "This is Jack Acker, our new student." Jack looked over at his teacher with an eyebrow raised, was introducing him to the entire class necessary? "Go ahead and sit down anywhere you like and we can start." Jack looked around for an empty seat, but he only found one. He went over and sat down next to the girl that was dripping wet and incredibly late. He noted her dark hair and skin which meant that she was probably native to the island. Looking over at her made himself feel self conscious and he looked down at his own lightly tanned skin. The teacher began talking about equilibrium or something, Jack looked over at the girl. "Why are you so wet?" He asked, with a confused look on his face. The girl looked like she had just come out of the ocean, she smelled like it too.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Jack Acker, the new student, didn't look too excited about being introduced to the class. She supposed she wouldn't be either. But it didn't matter. It wouldn't make any difference because nobody at this school likes her anyway. She kept her eyes down at her lap and realized only when he sat beside her that it was the only empty seat in class. Of course. He wouldn't sit beside her for any other reason. Lilo slid her back pack down her arm and set it down by the leg of the table. The inside of it was wet where her back had been bumping against it. She glanced out the window and sighed until Jack spoke to her. Mr. Feggle droned on about some weird balance thing she had no clue about so she paid attention to the new student, who probably wanted a friend. That would be the only reason she would be spoken to. He doesn't know yet that she's weird. She looked at him through the stringy pieces of her wet hair and pouted. Well, it's not like she's going to act any different around him just because he's really handsome and tall and tannish and...he's still waiting for her to say something.
"...It's Sandwich Day." She mumbled and draped her thick hair over her shoulder to hopefully dry by the sunny window she sat next to.

She should tell him of all her uncommon hobbies so he won't get himself in trouble. He's new. He could be popular, she was sure. But if he kept talking to her, the other kids might look at him funny. And she shouldn't do that to him. Not when he seemed nice and charming and...Stop it Lolo! It's what Nani calls her when she's acting crazy. If you keep looking at him like that you might start to think he would accept you. No. Only Stitch gets me.

 

[abibliophobia]

Jack's eyebrows rose in response to the girl claiming that it was sandwich day. It was odd that she wasn't pouring her heart into the conversation. Usually when he started talking to girls they went crazy. Maybe it was just teenage girls from California that were crazy. Jack's face went back to normal as he tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. Unfortunately, Jack had already learned all of this, so his attention really wasn't on the board. He turned around, feeling a pair of eyes staring at the back of his head. Just as he was turning a ginger haired girl with glasses turned away as if she hadn't been looking. Jack raised an eyebrow again, but ignored her and and turned back around. This girl, the one that was entirely uninterested in him, was oddly intriguing to Jack. Wasn't that a psychology theory he just accidentally proved true?

"Since everyone here now knows my name, may I ask what yours is?" He asked with a smile, trying to be casual about his curiosity. Jack got a few looks of surprise from others. Was this girl the outcast? She was beautiful, maybe it was her odd nature that set her apart form the others. He was determined now, screw popularity. He was top dog at his old school, but this was not his old school. He was going to be friends with this girl, one way or another.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Lilo had expected the shocked look on his face. Everyone thought her strange so she shouldn't feel bad that he's just another person to add to that list. But she did. And she wasn't sure why. So in order to keep herself from looking pathetic as she dripped in her stool, Lilo stared out the window and tried to begin daydreaming to keep herself distracted. It's not like she would ever understand whatever it was her teacher was trying to explain to the class. Especially since the coldness of the air conditioning was really starting to get to Lilo, who was usually outdoors in the sun and if not, well she usually isn't soaking wet. Goosebumps rose and spread all over her skin and she started to shiver a little. She grit her teeth to keep them from chattering and then tensed a bit when Jack spoke again. She turned to face him completely and gave him a funny look. Had he really been talking to her?

"Um-m..Me?" She whispered and pointed at herself while her lower lip trembled and her skin tone slowly started to pale. "I'm L-Lilo. One L s-sorry. You don't have t-to talk to me Jack I'm j-just-- Jack...that's a funny name. JackJackJack. I only know Jack from J-Jack and the beans-stalk and--well n-nevermind I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to m-make fun of your name it's just I've nev-ver--"
"Ms. Pelekai!" Mr. Feggle suddenly called on her to answer a question or something and her head snapped up with a panicked look.
"Fals-se! Um..Mol-lecular p-pantosis!..ehe..r-right?"
Everyone laughed. Lilo turned red and her eyes watered. To keep from showing them her mortification, she got angry instead, gripping the edge of the table and wishing her grip was strong enough to rip it in half like her best friend. That would show them. But just before she could yell at them, Mr. Feggle quieted the class and gave a stern look to his worst student. As if she needed to be further humiliated. "I would advise you pay more attention to the lesson and less on the new student. I wouldn't want him learning from your behavior in my class."

Lilo tried desperately to come up with a way to respond to that, but with her chattering teeth and the whole class staring at her and failing at holding in their giggles, she couldn't come up with a thing.So she just kept opening and closing her mouth like an idiot, drowning in mortification and helpless against the terrible feeling in her stomach. She hates school. Why does she have to be so...different?

 

[abibliophobia]

As Jack witnessed the horror that was classroom humility he cringed visibly. No one deserved that type of treatment in a classroom. He could understand how the teacher thought them talking was a bad thing, but if a student didn't understand the topic at hand he should at least offer help. But, Jack didn't really know anything about Lilo, or what her grades were like. Maybe she was a good student, maybe she wasn't. He couldn't tell just by looking at her. Jack looked over at the notebook that lay in front of her, it looked full of notes. Or full enough anyway. But he had known plenty of good students that never studied for a test, they just knew the things they needed to. Perhaps he could help Lilo. If she would let him. He knew how some girls hated being treated as if they were the damsel in distress.

Jack looked from the teacher to Lilo and back and forth again. "Actually sir, I was just helping Lilo with the problem you put on the board earlier." He gave a charming smile and broke eye contact with the teacher when he nodded an okay. Jack looked over at Lilo. She looked cold, should he do something about that? It wasn't like he had a jacket on him or anything, it was spring. Maybe an arm around the shoulder? He lifted a muscled arm, only to put it back down again. That probably wouldn't be a welcome gesture to someone he barely knew. He thought about how she had toyed with his name in her mouth, the action hadn't offended Jack in the slightest. His name was sort of common in the US, but it only fit adults. Not teenagers.

"Would you like help? I'm familiar with the subject he is talking about." Jack said, laughing at himself for acting as if he were some type of experienced tutor. It didn't matter if she took the help or not, he wouldn't think less of anyone who admitted when they needed help with something. In fact, he would probably think higher of them if they admitted a weakness, because it takes real character to admit when you aren't good at something.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Lilo stammered a few seconds longer and suffered the sinking feeling she got when they all stared at her as if she was the stupidest creature they'd ever seen. Worst thing was, Lilo would believe it. But then Jack spoke up to help her and her lips parted in shock. She remembered that he hadn't been laughing at her and widened her eyes at his speedy attempt to save her from further humiliation. He mentioned a problem she hadn't seen him put up on the board so Lilo swiftly pulled out her notebook that was full of notes she hardly ever understood and stopped dripping for the most part. Trying to look like she had been paying attention even though she had proved that to be untrue with her idiotic response to the teacher's question. Thank goodness Mr. Feggle nodded an okay and believed his new student. She wasn't surprised. Jack was charismatic and...kind of perfect. So why was he sticking up for her? His beautiful blue eyes met hers and she gave him a grateful look while trembling in her wet clothes. He seemed indecisive about something, but she wasn't sure what, so she let it go.

She herself was unsure about why he didn't find her strange and unworthy of his time. Everyone else did. What made him different?
"Would you like help? I'm familiar with the subject he is talking about." He laughed at himself though he sounded so worldly and intelligent. His chuckle sounded perfect and his smile was contagious and all she could do for a couple seconds was gaze at his gorgeous face with a dreamy look in her dark eyes. And then she forced herself to remember what it is he had actually asked her and snapped herself back into the conversation she shouldn't be having in the middle of class.
"N-no it's alright. I-I'm sure y-you don't want to d-deal with me while I suck at c-chemistry." She was sure he wouldn't want to come to her house and actually tutor her or anything. She could see it now. Pleakly trying to offer him lemon squares and Jumba commenting on every move he made while typing up some new research or something while Stitch...oh she didn't even wanna know. He's unpredictable.
Lilo shivered again, sure that she would get sick if she didn't warm up soon. But she was also sure that Mr. Feggle wouldn't want to be interrupted in his lesson just because she wanted to go to the bathroom and wring out all her clothes in an attempt to dry them a little.

 

[abibliophobia]

Jack listened to Lilo the best way he knew how: with a calm look, nodding occasionally, and eye contact. Eye contact mattered, because it shows that you actually want to listen to what the other person has to say. After she was done speaking, she was still shivering notably, which concerned Jack. "That gives me even more reason to offer you some tutoring!" He said, smiling at the dark haired girl. The bell interrupted what he was going to say next. Everyone was streaming out the door, but he had to offer her some help somehow. "Hey, since I'm new you're the only person I know." He stated, talking and walking with her out the door with the rest of the class. "And I was planning on leaving school grounds when lunch came around, but since I know you how about we meet up somewhere?" He thought for a moment, what was something noticeable he had seen on his way through the school? "Ah, the giant statue out front. Meet me there at lunch." Jack called while having to walk in the other direction.

Somehow, Jack had successfully made it to his advanced lit class, he looked around the room and only saw four other students. None of them were Lilo, which disappointed him a bit, but he still survived nonetheless. This teacher didn't introduce him to the class, just acknowledged him with a slight nod of the head. His next class: being a teacher's assistant to a freshman math class, which was boring as well. At his old school he was in such an advanced math class that they didn't even teach it at his new school. So he was stuck grading teachers for a crabby freshman teacher. And this class was a grade below Lilo so there wasn't a chance he would see her there. His next class, the one right before lunch was AP US history. The class that made Jack want to quit high school and work minimum wage anywhere else. That class was nothing but memorizing terms and useless dates, he didn't see Lilo there either. His disappointment was visible, but no one cared enough to wonder what was up with him. It was weird that he had just met her and he already wanted to talk to her more.

Finally lunch came and he couldn't hide his anticipation. He wanted to see if Lilo wanted to meet up where he had told her to. Jack winced at that. He had told her to meet him there, not offered, but directed. That was kind of rude, and he didn't know if she would show up now. But still, he went to the statue that stood in the school's front courtyard. There was a bench sitting in front of the tall piece of cement. Jack had already decided that Lilo probably wouldn't come to meet him there, so he might as well make use of his free time. He laid down on the shaded bench, putting his black backpack on his face to block the oncoming Sun. He probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep, but it was worth trying. Jack had nothing better to do, and he never ate lunch anyway.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Befoe she could reluctantly refuse Jack's offer again with an apologetic shake of her head, the bell rang. Lilo scooped up her back pack, stuffed her notebook in it and walked with Jack. It was new. She had never walked with a guy between classes before. Not even with Keoni, that one boy who she used to have a crush on. That crush lasted a week and now he's the soccer star jock everyone loves. Except he's a real jerk and Lilo was sure that if he wanted to, Jack could be the newest most popular kid even if Keoni is a senior this year.

Jack spoke up again and Lilo was almost surprised he was still walking beside her. He proposed they sit together at lunch and Lilo's dark eyes widened. Sure she was the only one he'd talked to, but that doesn't mean he should feel obligated to spend time with her. But he more or less decided on his own that they'd meet on the grassy area in the middle of school where everyone eats when it's sunny. She wasn't particularly against doing that, but he might change his mind later when he meets other people in other classes.

Lilo sighed and got to her next class early so she could ask her teacher to go to the bathroom to dry off. Lilo actually kind of likes her English Honors teacher, who let her go when she saw Lilo shivering. The short Hawaiian girl dried off her clothes and hair as much as she could with the hand dryer. The outfit was wrinkly afterward, but at least she would feel better. They were analyzing an exerpt from a novel they'd read earlier in the year. Lilo didn't usually like reading, but it hadn't been that bad despite Stitch's attempts to distract her at home. Lilo was surprisedto find Yuki, one of Mertle's friends, politely asking her for help on one of the questions. Lilo had always had a sneaking suspicion that Mertle's posse was never as bad as their leader so she helped her and they didn't talk for the rest of class. Awkward, but not bad.

The rest of her classes before lunch flew by, --Art, then Geometry--especially since Lilo almost fell asleep in her regular level math class. She always hated math. Too much number stuff and never any creativity. It took her awhile to understand anything and to make matters worse, the other kids don't want to learn like she does. They just mess around so half the class was spent listening to a yelling teacher who demanded respect that wouldn't come. That class is a nightmare and she always wonders if she should just give up on it. She's already slipping to a D. Nani's going to kill her.

But she decided she wouldn't think about that because she has a boy to warn about her social status here. She didn't want to tell him about it because then she wouldn't have a new friend, but it was only fair that he know. On her way out into the sunlight with her clothes and body dry, Lilo was intercepted by a familiar orange ponytail and a trio of followers. She sighed. There wasn't time for this.
"Where do you think you're going Weirdlo?"
Lilo rolled her eyes. Mertle Edmons has been a constant annoyance since she was a kid. Honestly, she felt bad for the girl. She'd learned a long time ago about how her parents were divorced and her mom that she lives with is oblivious. She doesn't get much attention at home so she seeks it everywhere else. But in so vicious a way that Lilo usually forgot about her home life situation.
"To eat. You should probably do the same in case you starve Mertle." Lilo tried to sidestep her little group of girls. Most had quit hula in pursuit of cheerleading. All except Teresa, who didn't bother her without Mertle around. Again she was intercepted.
" Not with him, you aren't. Besides, shouldn't you be practicing your dance? For Hula class? Teresa told me there was a solo memorization test and you should learn your moves. "
"Yeeeeaaah."
"Sadly, even then, you'll never be as good as your mom."
Lilo visibly flinched and grew red again. Mertle could be so infuriating! The witch had been using that jibe so often lately that Lilo was starting to believe it. And it was killing her. Her hands curled into fists and her eyes watered. She could hear Teresa whispering about how that hadn't been a good idea.
Lilo's misty eyes blazed with fury. Three girls cowered and started pulling Mertle away. "You mean that? Say it again! Say it again I dare you! You'll regret it!" She called after them, but they were already leaving around the corner to join the rest of the cheerleading squad.Or the gawking girls drooling over Keoni.

Lilo didn't really want to see Jack now. She was still hurting from Mertle's stupid big mouth. She wouldn't be surprised if he had heard what happened. The statue wasn't too far off that he wouldn't gave heard. Humiliated again. He'd never care about her now.

 

[abibliophobia]

The Sun had made it's way to the center of the sky. Jack knew this because he felt the heat against his bare arms. He heard some voices near him, he'd misjudged the popularity of the spot where he was. There were a few groups of his fellow students sitting around in the grass that surrounded the statue. Jack was glad that he had gotten there so early to claim the bench for himself. He sat up, his backpack sliding from the top of his face to the ground next to the bench. The blond looked around for the black haired girl he had come in contact with earlier. Without any luck of spotting her he sighed irritably and pulled out his phone. Cell phones made for a nice distraction when you didn't want to seem oddly alone to your peers. He went through the plethora of unread text messages from his old friends. Most of them asked how Hawaii was, some of them said how they'd miss him, others told him to them a call. 'Don't be a stranger' a text read, this line was repeated throughout many of the messages. Was it possible though, that he would soon be a stranger to them? Forgotten over time just like everything else. He was just a friend that moved away. That was what he didn't miss about California. He was just a student there, a friend to most, but nothing more. Jack wanted to make a lasting friendship, and his moving to an entirely new area was his chance to do so. Even from elementary to high school he had never had someone so close to him that they knew what he was thinking before he had to say anything out loud. Maybe he was afraid of getting hurt, of trusting the wrong person and being embarrassed. Jack didn't know why he suddenly didn't care about any of that though. Maybe it was the move, the whole idea of leaving everything behind to start anew, or maybe it was because he had met someone he genuinely wanted to know better. But now, he wanted that kind of closeness he saw that other people had.

New voices brought him out of his thoughtful reverie. He recognized the second voice, it was Lilo, but the others were entirely foreign to him. As was the entire island. The conversation seemed to carry across the space between the bench and where he could see a group of girls standing. Jack hadn't meant to listen in, it just happened. What was being said made him cringe. He bit his lip in self-confliction. Lilo seemed to want to handle things herself, but should he step in anyway? But, just as he had come to a decision to help her out--again--their conversation was over. And the girls were all walking away, leaving Lilo standing there. Before he would get up and go to her, because of course he would, he watched her for a moment. She wasn't too tall, and her dark hair and tanned skin added to her already beautiful features. Because she seemed to be unaware of how pretty she actually was, her lack of makeup and other such beauty supplies only seemed to enhance everything that made her unique in Jack's eye. He stood slowly, scooping his backpack off the ground and slinging it over his shoulder. Jack ran a hand through his blond hair, there were random strands of hair that were longer than the others and bugged the crap out of him. A light breeze blew through the air, reminding Jack of how close to the ocean they were. He started to walk toward Lilo, but decided his pace was too slow and half-jogged to get to her quicker.

"Lilo." He said, to get her attention and to also test out how her name sounded when he said it. "I--" Should he mention what he had overheard? It sounded like a very rude and hurtful conversation. No, he decided quickly. It could wait. "I'm sorry for being so forward with you this morning. It's just that we were in a rush out the door and I couldn't exactly ask about lunch when we had to be in our next class." He noted how far away from the statue she had been. Was it coincidence that she was there, or had she actually been on her way to see him? Maybe the interception of the cheerleaders had stopped Lilo from going to the statue. Did she still want to talk to him? "And I don't want to see you just so that I can help you out with chemistry. I won't give you any tutoring if you don't want it." His face was serious, and he realized that he was talking a lot. "So that's that. Did you want to have lunch with me?" He asked, a smile teasing his lips. Jack had a habit of wringing his fingers together as he talked. He felt awkward with them at his sides and the action of him playing with his fingers now made his small smile turn into an actual one. Hopefully Lilo wouldn't see his persistence as something else, he merely wanted her as a friend.

 

[Ravenbelle]

While Lilo stood, feeling a terribly aching hole in her chest and stomach, a slight breeze from the ocean blew in with a white flower on it. The flower landed not far from Lilo's feet. A pua aloalo. Her mother's favorite. "I'm sorry Mama." She whispered, and turned her head to the sound of feet stepping through the grass in her direction. Jack. He called out her name and she bit her lip. She hardly ever heard her name around here if it wasn't spoken in a derogatory tone. But she knew it would change soon enough. He was new here after all. Lilo ran a hand through her hair and faced him completely after he hesitated. He had a concerned look in his eyes, so her brow furrowed. What did he cut himself off for? She knew it wasn't the apology he next started with, but she listened closely anyway. She didn't know Jack well enough at all to speculate about what he would keep to himself or not.
She just shook her head. Why would he apologize for being forward? If that was forward, well she never got anything but backwards. Is that how it worked?

Jack then shot down her next theory on why he'd want to hang around her. Guess it wasn't pity for Mr. Feggle's derisive comments in her worst class. As much as tutoring might help her, she couldn't risk letting him get too close. Not with all the secrets she had to keep when it came to her Ohana. But then he inited her to eat lunch. Something she had only prepared for Pudge this morning. Oops. Her stomach growled a yes in response to his question. So she just gave him a half smile so she could lighten the mood and try to push away her shame and sorrow for bedtime. His smile was really awesome. It helped.
"Well, stomach says yes. I'll um...sit with you for lunch time. But just be warned, I'm kinda the weird kid. In case you haven't noticed..so if you were planning on making a lot of friends here, well I would probably avoid me."She nodded honestly and made a weird face halfway between awkwardness and actual advise giving. kind of a strange quirk of her lips.

 

[abibliophobia]

Jack smiled when she said yes to his offer, not really realizing what she had said until they started walking towards the cafeteria. She was serious? Lilo honestly thought that she was the odd one out, that no one really liked her. Surely that couldn't be true. No one could survive high school without any friends. As Jack and Lilo walked he noticed some people staring, making faces at him. Faces that read Why are you with her? His face became more and more disgusted the more they walked through the school. "Are you serious?" He stopped walking, putting a hand on Lilo's shoulder. "This is how the school actually treats you?" Jack hated it. No one deserved that kind of treatment. It wasn't as if Lilo were some kind of bully or something, someone that made others suffer for fun. She seemed to be just the opposite. So why was she treated in this way? "Screw these people. They're all idiots. I barely even know you and I know better than to treat a perfectly decent human being like crap." There was a hint of anger in his voice, not towards Lilo, of course, but toward his peers. Was there anything he could do to stop this? Probably not. He just wanted to do what he could though. To try and get Lilo away from the madness. Even though he barely knew her, he still felt protective. It was an odd feeling: to want to protect the feelings of a practical stranger. But, somehow, she didn't feel like a stranger. At least, not to him anyway.

"If you want, we could walk to this diner that's pretty close by. My treat." He knew that there was a diner nearby because he had rode past it on his bike just that morning. Although, Lilo probably knew what he was talking about just by a mere description. She, and along with anyone else who had grown up on the island, probably knew the streets like the back of her hand. "I'm not trying to force you into anything though. We can stay here if you want." He offered looking over at the nearest student with a slight sneer, making the student instantly stop looking at them. Perhaps Jack could intimidate the entire school into staying off of Lilo's back. He was tall, and he had the build of a swimmer, which he was. Although, intimidation was something Jack had never been really too good at. His muscles could probably do the job for him. He sighed, messing with the straps of his backpack to distract his hands.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Lilio had to stop short when Jack put a hand on he shoulder and pulled her back. She blinked, eyes wide while his voice, laced with real anger questioned how people treat her here. Why wouldn't they treat her this way? It's high school. People love gossip, love rumors, love something to criticize. Heck, society itself shuns anything that's really 'different'. Why is he so surprised? And why is he defending her so much? Are people more accepting in California? Because if so, she would definitely like to move there. For once, Lilo really didn't have much to say in response to his little rant. He thought the student body consisted of idiots, which felt nice because she was pretty sure that's what she believed too. At least she used to. Before Victoria moved schools. Victoria, her best human friend had been one of the only things getting her through each and every school day. It was Lilo and Victoria against the world. But without her, Lilo had started to slowly buy into the liew they fed her constantly. That she was worthlesss, stupid, ugly. Not just different. But weird. so weird that they didn't even call her Lilo that often anymore. In Punahou, most call her...Weirdlo. she thought she'd be used to it since Mertle had used it when they were kids, but it still hurts just as much as it used to. Why doesn't Jack do the same as the rest of them? Why was he so determined to ruin his own reputation? A new one at that? Had his old school been opposite from hers? Maybe the popular kids were no fun to hang out with and now he wants to see what the misfits are like? She was honestly wondering now about his past, about all of him. What is it about this handsome newbie that makes him want to have anything to do with her?

A diner close by? Must be Kimo's. She wanted to go. Get out of here and find out more about this strange boy, but he didn't need to pay for her. Maybe she'd tell Haku to keep her meal off the tab and she'd clean the toilets for him later. He always pay for her with that deal. Yeah. Lilo gave a slight nod in recognition of the place, smiling after in reaction to his sweet revision.
Oh pleasepleaseplease don't let this be a cruel trick played by the cold-hearted universe!

"Well Kimo's is pretty close and some of the other students like to go there for off-campus lunch too. By now though, they wouldn't want to risk being tardy. But if we're quick, we'll probably make it. You sure you want to go?"

Last chance to back down from inviting the weird kid to lunch with you...Honestly, he probably shouldn't be trusting Lilo's poor judgement of time displayed by this morning's tardy slip, but she dangerously hoped that he would. Is that bad?