The ordeal was over in an instant, a solid blow to each of the stereotypical teenage stooges’ face triggering an immediate surrender, and inspiring absolute compliance to any of the dark-eyed assailant’s demands. Jack stood over the three, his hands clenched in anticipation, but rather than a fight, the boy simply watched, temporarily dumbfounded at how little effort it had taken to dispirit the overconfident trio. While the victor had planned to end the fight quickly, his opponents’ tendency to crumble after the first strike caught him, and the audience, completely off-guard, leaving the immediate area void of the usual roaring chatter.

Jack approached unhesitatingly, keeping the main reason for this fight at the forefront of his mind as he crouched next to the whimpering weasel’s face, and leaned in until he could feel the rodent’s panicked breaths against his skin. The dark-haired boy’s prey shook with genuine fear, a pale completion revealing his limited experience in being on the receiving end of disadvantageous situations, but Jack paid this reaction little attention, and continued to ask his question.

“Where is she?”

Jack inquired bluntly, hiding his burning desire to beat the goon to a pulp under an emotionless mask, and letting only the trembling figure beneath him see the danger of sharing false information. Frantic eyes darted to the crowd around him, releasing a silent cry for help to the unflinching bystanders, but found his plea useless on those who were constantly subject to his merciless beatings, and even saw a few smiling at the sight of his misery.

The dark-eyed freshman watched with growing irritation as despair gradually filled his cowardly upperclassman, and considered forcefully prying the answers free with a couple more well-placed hits. However, he quickly dismissed it since another attack may shock his terrified informant right out of consciousness, which would be incredibly troublesome. For people like him, realizing a peer’s true, unfettered opinion is probably a devastating experience, but Jack didn’t have time to spare on preserving some dipshit’s psyche, or sate a twisted crowd’s bloodlust... he had to find Jenny.

“Answer me, weasel.”

A sharp voice from above grabbed the the stooge’s attention, redirecting his desperate plea towards the interrogator, but only received a threatening glare in return. Stuttering mumbles fled from the terrified boy’s quivering lips, an incoherent slew of uncertainty that permeated the air around them as the coward weighed his loyalty to the most powerful kid in the school against the severe ass-whooping from an introvert. Jack didn’t have time for this.

Grabbing the weasel’s collar, Jack stood, forcefully pulling the other boy up along side him in the process as irritation tainted his eyes in response to the unpleasant idea forming in his mind. The dark freshman pushed the trembling goon backward, causing him to stumble past the parting audience, and nearly trip over his own feet as he scrambled away, trying to escape the annoyed underclassman’s wrath. Of course, Jack had anticipated this reaction, and stepped forward, closing the distance between them in an instant before once again taking hold of his quarry’s collar, and turning to face the exit. After dodging a few uncoordinated flails, the dark-eyed boy pushed the informant forward, this time completely freeing them from the stunned crowd’s encapsulation.

“Just take me there.”

Jack was thankful for the teachers’ disinterest in their student’s welfare, since not even a single staff member interrupted, giving little more than a passing glance as the two left the building, completely unhindered. The observers whispered to one another, likely debating whether they should follow the pair or not, but lost sight of the freshman and his guide before a solid decision could be made.

The dark-eyed boy’s urgency compelled him to move faster, rapidly turning his determined walk into an all-out sprint, and allowing himself to slow only while receiving directions from the breathless sophomore who clumsily lagged behind. The repetitive sound of heavy footsteps colliding with the pale sidewalk and two sets of rasping breaths filled Jack’s ears, effectively drowning out the predictable noises of a dreary afternoon. Disinterested in the occurrences around them, the high schoolers twisted and turned, winding their way through the town in desperate pursuit of the one who threatened the dark introvert’s sole friend.

‘Shit.’

Jack shook his head, throwing the memory of his elementary teacher pinned to a table out of his mind, while actively working against his cynical personality to ward off the oppressive uncertainty that threatened rational thought. Worrying about things you can’t change does nothing but perpetuate stress, and often makes the situation worse. Jack already knew this, but that knowledge brought little comfort to his already strained conscience. He stumbled, momentarily losing his balance as the teenager in tow collapsed from exhaustion just behind him, and nearly drug them both to the ground.

‘I don’t have time for this goddamn weasel.’

Jack turned, snapping his entire figure back to face his guide, a fiery gaze brought to bare against yet another problematic situation. A Terror-stricken weasel watched the boy’s approach with frantic eyes, condemned to helplessness by his own aching muscles, though still retaining the ability to understand how much danger he was in.

“Tell me where.”

A voice laced with poison escaped Jack’s clenched jaw, subconsciously drawn from the cynicism and fear that pooled in the darkest corners of his mind, and held out threateningly before the trembling informant. His unwavering gaze and the lack of hesitation after such an exhausting sprint made the weasel’s attacker seem almost inhuman, while in reality, the desperate boy was barely on his feet, and felt as if he might succumb to the gentle embrace of darkness any moment now.

“Where is her house?”

Jack spoke again, this time restraining his anger enough to persuade the terrified boy rather than simply inflaming an already overbearing fear, and leaving him bereft of intelligible speech. However, the indomitable fire that burned behind the dark brown eyes did not relent, neither did the threatening aura cease to oppress the coward’s “loyalty” to the one he had previously considered worthy of his service.

“S-s-second r-right, th-third house on th-the right.”

The long-awaited answer stuttered it’s way past a quivering lip, shakily delivering necessary information to the impatient boy, who upon receiving it, turned away, and heavily pushed off the concrete sidewalk as he resumed the chase. Each footfall resounded through Jack’s hazy mind, his strength fading as the anaerobic exercise stiffened his muscles, and ground his joints together. Memories of his friend’s poorly hidden issues followed by his own apathetic dismissal of her every time she tried to get close flashed before him, and inducing a brief malaise while an unsettling thought filled his weary mind.

‘Did I... do this to her? Could I have been one of the people who damaged her without even realizing it?’

Fists and jaw clenched tightly against the pain, the introvert quickened his pace, his wavering resolve reinforced by one incontrovertible fact that he was well aware of; Jenny is in danger. He approached the aforementioned street in mere seconds, noticing the lack of jackasses that had crossed his path so far, and could just barely restrain the gut-wrenching images that threatened to completely shatter whatever fragile part of him allowed this intense anxiety to exist. Jack had no doubts about the sincerity of his friendship with Jenny, because there is absolutely no way he would exert this much effort, or care this deeply for anyone else unless this was real.

The sharp corner drew near. Still no sign of Jenny’s boyfriend.

Jack didn’t care if they never got married, or had any other relationship besides the one they’ve currently maintained for so many years, he just wanted to fix the problem, and see what her smile looks like when even Jenny herself isn’t prepared for it. The dark-eyed boy wouldn’t be surprised if she hated him, but that didn’t matter. Fighting for one’s self is unfruitful, yet it’s the only way to survive without relying on others. Even if she abhorred him until the day he died, at least he would never be alone. Jenny would always be his friend, even if he could never be her’s.

‘Goddammit, this sucks. I don’t think every angels in heaven and demons of hell combined could have predicted this unlikely friendshi-...’

Jack stopped.

All fell silent save for the occasional broken rasps of a trembling boy’s hollow breathing, his dark brown eyes locked on one of the very few scenes in this world that could possibly have this effect on him. Around the corner was a long street, lined, just like every other, with an assortment of slums that made up about half of the small town’s housing, but that alone was not enough to break his determined stride. It is true, this trail of abandoned homes and decaying houses was unfit for any human to live in, but it was missing the one thing he had so desperately hoped to see upon arrival, the only thing that could fix this situation.

As much as he hated to admit it, the thing Jack wanted to see more than anything at that moment was the smug face of that jerk-off, making this a physical problem that could be easily resolved with a few well-placed physical solutions. However, there was no one. The street was void of life... which could only mean one thing.

‘I w-was... too late...’

The words rang through Jack’s mind, a hollow, ear-piercing note that shattered the final palisade, allowing the suppressed doubt and dread of the past hour to inundate his mind. He couldn’t save her. He risked everything that held any value to him, and lost it all to a selfish brat’s whimsical indulgence of lust-driven fantasies.

‘Why the fuck did I stop?’

If this was true, then Jenny is still in danger. Jack isn’t here to defeat a rapist, and rescue the beautiful virgin who’s only value exists in her innocence, but assist a friend who is in serious trouble. The boy lifted his weighted foot off the ground, slowly extending it out as he pushed through the overwhelming depression that constantly haunted his existence.

‘If I can’t catch that bastard before he hurts her, then I can at least help my friend heal properly from the damage.’

The haze dissipated, forcefully pushed from his dark eyes as they sharpened with renewed purpose, and locked on the third structure down the narrow street. Jack’s legs gradually shed their rigidity with each step, his mind returning it’s focus to the increasingly difficult task that lay just over a few hundred feet ahead, before simulating how to deal with some of the more likely situations.

‘Damn it!’

The dark-eyed boy cut through the third house’s front yard, eyes drawn away from the missing window panes and softball-sized holes in the brittle siding to a slightly ajar front door, one that had seemingly been closed in a hurry. A sickening dread slid it’s icy finger down Jack’s spine as he became acutely aware of the implications, and found himself barely able to hold back the vomit welling up in his churning stomach.

Silence was a truly nauseating welcome as Jack approached the entrance of his only friend’s house, a weary right arm brought to bare against the surprisingly solid-looking door. The boy’s teeth clenched in anticipation, the desperate introvert threw his body at the obstacle with all the momentum he could muster in a poorly-conceived attempt to speed up his transit into the building, but rather than success, he found yet another troublesome hinderance.

With a dull thud, Jack’s stunned body bounced off the sturdy wooden door, and sent him reeling backwards, before falling heavily to the concrete entryway below. The sharp pain from the unexpected trauma sent the befuddled freshman into a brief haze, confusion and urgency temporarily distorting his sense of direction. The boy glanced back to the wooden barrier that was somehow able to withstand his attack despite the rotting frame that held it in place, and noticed an old strip of wood that jutted out along it’s edge, creating the illusion of the door being pushed slightly inward.

Jack snapped out of his trance, suddenly remembering that an illusion had little to do with what was happening just beyond the thin palisade, and pushed himself up off the cold, hard ground.

‘I have to... I WILL get up...’

In his haste, he boy’s unsteady hand reached for the bronze handle before he had completely returned to his feet, causing him to stumble, and nearly fall back down, but strong fingers wrapped around the cold knob just in time to catch his descent.

‘Jenny is about to-or has been... or is being...’

Jack twisted the handle, feeling the internal scraping of rusted metal as he did, and mentally prepared himself for the worst case scenario as he flung the the heavy wooden door away with all the strength he could muster.

‘I’m going to save her, even from just hurting alone...’

The weary pursuer stared as shrieking hinges swung the door inward, revealing a scene he had not prepared for, and could only stand in place with a dumbfounded expression plastered on his young face.

There, sitting at a small wooden table was the one person he had been searching for, glassy brown eyes gazing intently through a mess of short, brown hair, and cradling a small, empty glass in her slender fingers. A nearly empty room surrounded the girl, making her appear even smaller than she actually was, though presented no signs of struggle, or recent activity of any kind. It was almost as if someone came in and swept the forsaken homestead, placed the clearly over-tired girl down at a rickety table, and left before capturing the picturesque image in a photograph.

“Jenny...”

The name slipped from the injured rescuer’s tongue as a flicker of hope formed under the piles of cynicism that typically cluttered his mind, and brought to light yet another possibility, one he had not previously thought of.

‘What if... he never intended to show up? All that talk about attacking Jenny... it could have been nothing more than a way to draw attention to himself.’

All bark and no bite is a common trait among people who have had everything handed to them on a silver platter, mostly because fighting for something that could easily be attained with a simple request or bribe makes absolutely no sense to them. Why would a rich, attractive young man risk his social status to pleasure himself with one girl while many “better” options were quite literally throwing themselves at him? The junior likely got tired of waiting for his attention-farming tool, deciding to use her absence as a way to both break up, and raise his own reputation as a “badass” to new heights.

The lonely girl’s dark friend had an odd reaction to the reality that slowly formed as the pieces finally began to fall in their proper places, catching both of them off-guard, and leaving the the old room deathly silent.

“Confused” did not even begin to describe the look on Jenny’s face as she stared in awe at the dark-haired boy who was barely able to stand up straight in the ancient doorway, and for the first time in her memory, was at a complete loss for words. The sapphire eyes of an uncertain girl quickly adjusted to a sudden influx of the pale, afternoon light, before fixing on Jack’s raw arms and bruised face with a horridly slow, and painfully unfamiliar sadness swelling within her small chest.

Slender fingers tightened around the small, empty glass in Jenny’s hand as she fought against the powerful urge to leap from her unsteady chair, and tend to his injuries, but was restrained by an expression that even she had ever seen before on the dark boy’s face.

The long-awaited reaction that Jenny had worked so hard to witness, and given a third of her life just to be the one who caused it, finally appeared. However, the unexpected feelings that formed during this five-year mission didn’t fade like they were supposed to, and when the sadistic girl’s eyes cautiously rested on the familiar face in the doorway, her once impenetrable facade shattered. A barrier built to resist the sharpest words, and a tongue quick enough to strike down the mightiest of foes rendered useless by the gentle, relieved smile of an unlikely companion.

The same blue eyes that always lit up at Jack’s apathetic responses, and would spend hours at a time trying to discern the deep secrets locked within his mind with a mercilessly obtrusive gaze, now watched as the dark boy lean heavily on the rotten doorframe with his left hand, trying to catch his breath. The alert eyes of a weary pursuer scanned the surrounding room for a couple of moments, quietly searching for any possible hidden threats, but soon found the unfurnished house to have very few places that would suitably conceal someone, and relaxed.

“J...J-Jack, w-what are you-!?”

Jenny’s question caught in her throat as the dark figure pushed off the wooden entryway with his supporting arm, and swiftly crossed the brittle wooden floor, his decently long stride to close the distance between them in a mere three steps. Each heavy footfall that landed on the hollow floor brought the intimidating figure closer the small table where a young girl nervously awaited, unsure of how the next few moments would play out if she tried to flee.

Jack stopped when he reached the obstacle, dark eyes passing over the rough surface between himself and the wide-eyed classmate who was barely out of arm’s reach, but made no attempt to step around or move it in any way. The welcoming smile faded into a contemplative frown as the boy’s attention shifted from the obvious problem to some underlying hinderance, but, with a brief pause, came up with a solution, and turned back to the situation at hand with renewed vigor.

“Jenny, I’m sorry.”

Silence pervaded the small room.

‘What?’

An apology was the last thing Jenny was expecting to hear at this moment, but before she even had a chance to sort out how her feelings, the boy continued, unaware of the stupor he had induced with the first phrase of his monologue, and clearly anxious to finish without interruption.

“I completely dismissed you while you were hurting, and ignored your attempts to tell me about...”

Jack glanced around, his hands awkwardly gesturing to the peeling walls, crumbling ceiling, and surprisingly well-maintained floors as he inwardly searched for an accurate description, but found none.

“...this. If I’d paid any attention, I would have been able to help make it a-... livable home. It’s my fault that you’ve had to deal with this by yourself for the past five years, and for that, I am truly sorry.”

It began to make sense, though Jenny still didn’t understand why Jack decided to come to her house today, of all days. Did he somehow find out about the third, and final, step of her plan, then come just to stop it? If that were so, it would explain all of this shifting the blame from her conscience to himself, and why he looked so relieved to her.

‘No.’

If Jack’s just here to prevent her from finishing what she started all those years ago, then he is no longer suited for entertainment, but yet another obstacle for the girl to overcome.

‘I refuse to submit to anything, not even...’

Jenny hesitated, looking at the distraught eyes that pierced through the boy’s outwardly untouchable defenses as if it were nothing, and momentarily lost sight of her original goal. She didn’t want to hurt him, so what’s stopping her from leaping over this accursed table right now and accepting him with open arms?

‘Oh... that’s right. Reality.’

Jack can’t help her, no matter how much sentiment or good intentions he carries with him. Jenny has no money, her house is in shambles, her family is god-knows-where, and after three days, she’s likely to have failed all of the classes that she barely maintained in the first place. If all this wasn’t enough, Jenny is insane. Absolutely, without a doubt, a complete psychopath who only find something else to obsess about the moment she accepts this too-good-to-be-true offer he has extended to her, which will most likely wind up with him paying it’s high price. That can’t happen.

Jenny stood, her chair rumbling as it slid against the grooved floor, while a hand, weakened with exhaustion, unintentionally knocked the small glass on it’s side, and sent it rolling across the raised wooden platform. Noticing this motion, Jack quickly stepped forward, extending a steady hand just in time to catch the fragile container before it shattered, before slowly returning it to it’s former upright position on the table.

“You can’t fix this, Jack. You can’t fix me.”

Jenny had an uncharacteristically serious tone in her voice, which she had thought would dissuade the boy, but Jack showed no sign of relent, and simply listened with a unchangingly soft expression.

“I have no money for food or heating, and no family to come home to. I’m obsessive, and take pleasure in inflicting pain on others. Surely you know by now that before the week is over I would end up betraying for nothing more than a good laugh, or concoct yet another plan to make your life a living hell, so just leave. You did your part.”

In an attempt to incite a reaction, Jenny made sure to throw in a provocative phrase at the end, which she was certain would kindle a spark of rage in his eyes, and, in her mind, prove the argument right. However, the persistent flame in Jack’s gaze never once flared or faltered at the weakened girl’s words, but retained an almost out of place, while still very comforting warmth which he openly projected for her acceptance, or rejection.

The brown-haired freshman didn’t understand exactly why, but something inside her heaving breast began to burn, it’s flame igniting dormant stores of energy that exploded out of every cell in the twisted high-schooler’s frail body, and fueling the double-edged sword known as rage.

“Don’t you dare pity me. You came here, you pried into my life, and now you think you there is anything you can do to stop the final step of my plan? You, who wouldn’t even lift a finger to save your own sorry ass, are going to help me?”

Jenny took a step to the right, staring intensely at the only person in the entire world who meant anything to her, and began to move forward with an undoubtedly threatening look in her beautiful sapphire eyes. The terrifying figure knew that she had done nothing to deserve such a friend, but with every kindness and adorable memory that forced it’s way into her heart, surge of passionate fury arose to destroy it, as well as a small part of herself. Tears beaded in the corners of the glassy blue eyes in spite of her tremendous efforts to withhold them, but this minor inconvenience was hardly enough to hinder the girl who had spent five years trying to satisfy her lust, and she continued with increasing volume.

“Just fuck off and leave me alone already! Can’t you take a hint!? GET. THE. FUCK. OUT!”

Jenny approached the target of her fury, who kept strained, but motionless stance throughout the rant while clearly fighting the overwhelming urge to respond. However, this silence had a greater effect than one might have thought, and in the silence that followed, the worn out student’s unchallenged hatred had already begun to drain from her face. Jack had already made his decision, so interrupting now would do nothing but confuse his friend further, and cause her to push against him even harder in self-defense.

“You just... you just...*sniff*... just don’t...”

Jenny’s voice gradually lost it’s hostility, shed with the tears that now drenched her pale cheeks, and instantly replaced by the untainted, unrestrained, undefended truth of what she feared more than anything else.

“...just don’t leave me.”

A hushed voice almost whispered the request as Jenny leaned forward, hesitantly resting her soft head on Jack’s chest, and feeling a contented smile brush the corners of her lips for the first time since she was a toddler. The slow rise and fall of someone else’s lungs pushing against her head comforted the fragile ex-sadist, a reassuring that there is someone who cares, and is willing to sacrifice his time just to keep her company. And...

‘He didn’t move this time. He’s just... here for me. I think I could get used to th-’

Jack shifted slightly, lifting his idle arms up, and wrapping them around Jenny’s back, which trembled in response to the unexpected contact, but made no attempt to pull away or resist this physical act of acceptance. The world subtly drifted into the background as the brown-haired girl sank deep into his embrace, and helplessly fell into something that even she could easily recognize; a painfully inconvenient, extremely unlikely, hopelessly irresistible, absolutely undeniable, and irreparably completing love.

‘What if... he wasn’t joking? Who am I kidding, jack doesn’t make jokes, he was really serious! He... he asked me out!’

An energizing realization nearly caused Jenny’s heart to leap from her chest, the faint smile that hid under a veil of short brown hair grew longer, and more defined as she suddenly found herself pausing to summon up the courage to speak for the first time, but stopped. There was a problem, and not a small one at that.

‘I don’t deserve Jack, even as a friend. He needs someone perfect! But... I don’t think perfect people exist. Hmm...’

The brilliant smile vanished from Jenny’s slender lips as a look of determination forced it’s way across her sleepy face, hardening as she began to piece together yet another scheme, and sorting through them with a bias to keep one significant detail constant throughout.

‘Well... if I can’t have perfect, I’ll settle with loyalty, beauty, and maybe a cute personality. I won’t let him consider a girl unless I’m absolutely certain that she will never betray him. Of course, she has to be cute as well... that seems fair, but what if there are multiple? Or none?’

A greedy smile appeared on the young girl’s tear-stained face as one solution after another popped into her strange mind, and the final step of the five-year plan which would end a sad, fifteen-year story changed to a five-year step that would initiate it’s happy beginning.

| Step one: befriend | Step two: shatter | Step three: end ???