Summary: You never know what you'll find in the grass.

I've had this story stuck in my head for some time. I hope you all like it. :) If you see any mistakes on pretense or anything, please let me know in a review. Oh, and please review! :D

And thank you to my mom and sister, who gave me the support I needed to write this!

This chapter might be a little slow, I just wanted to get all the introductions and stuff out of the way. But it's good! :D

Chapter quote: "In time we hate that which we often fear." William Shakespeare.

There Stands The Grass

Tazz D'jecti Bonaparte

It's just another day, I think. Another day to face the bullys and parents who are too high and drunk to care about the goings on.

I sigh and finally enter my shcool through the front doors, one hand firmly grasping my backpack strap. All around me are kids of different status. The jocks eagerly down their breakfeast, laughing and nudging each other, the cheerleaders and preps (who are not too far from the jocks) crowd around each other like a group of sqawking hens. Nerds and geeks alike scatter the halls in seperate groups. The sound of closing lockers, and the chatter of the students ring in my ears, but never lingering in my mind.

I just want to get to class before -

"Hey loser, catch!" Before I can duck, a carton of milk hits me in the chest and bounces off onto the linoleum tiles. White milk drips from my face and t-shirt. Red hot shame starts from my neck and builds toward my cheeks. I hunch over and quickly push past a group of students. Their mocking laughter bounces off of me, but echoes within my mind.

I rush into the junior girls' bathroom and lock myself in a stall. My heart hammers inside my chest, my shame burning like a star. I can't help but wonder where my best friend was through all of this. I spend five minutes in the stall just wipeing my face and t-shirt clean when I hear someone open the door to the girls bathroom and call out frantically.

"Logan? Oh god, Logan! I'm so sorry I wasn't there waiting! I woke up really late. I heard about everything..."

My only friend stops in front of my stall and peers in through a crack. "Logan? Please come out so I can help you. And don't worry, I punched Victor right in the stomach when I heard what he did!"

I couldn't help but smile. Sometimes I felt unworthy to have a beautiful, caring friend like Veda Blackburn. I sigh and open the stall door, and I'm met with a big white smile and soft, caring brown eyes. The tall native American girl bends down slightly to hug me.

"I'm sorry, Logan. It was a late night at the gym." Veda explained as she reached into her bag. Veda was a body builder, but it wouldn't look like it if you saw her for the first time. She was tall and slender, with little curves in the right places. Her skin was light brown and her hair was long and dark. Veda pulled out a gray shirt and held it up to me with a smile. "I have my work-out shirt, I washed it last night. Not that I stink, anyway! You can wear it the rest of the day, if you want."

I smile slightly. "Thank you." I take the shirt from her and lock myself in the stall again to change.

"Don't listen to them, Logan. They're jerks...I think they're also a little jelly..." She giggles.

I chuckle a little despite myself. My resolve to face the day grows as I'm with the only person I look forward to seeing each day.

I step out of the stall and shuffle up to the mirror. The gray shirt felt tight and awkward on me since I'm use to baggy t-shirts. Veda comes up behind me and starts to play with my long brown hair. "You should wear shirts like this more often. It brings out your curves and makes you look sexy." She chuckles and pokes me in the side.

I wasn't always a social reject and recluse. In fact, I was very 'popular' 7th grade through a little of 9th grade. I made a pledge to myself to not become pitiful like my parents, so I took care with my makeup and hair and also made sure I had an inviting smile everyday. I even had a boyfriend at one point. Then, in 9th grade, Victor Whitman showed up. Victor is the school god. Good looking, good grades, athletic with black hair and blue eyes. All the girls fell for him instantly. He started talking to me, then finally asked me out. By then me and my boyfriend had broken up, and I said yes to Victor. That same day he asked me out, we were going to have sex, but I didn't fully consent because it was my first time and It didn't feel right so I rejected him. So he dumped me. Whenever he passed me in the halls, he would whisper 'loser'. Then he got this idea, and started calling me loser out loud. This took the rest of the 9th grade for people to finally catch on and listen to him, and start calling me loser too. Even my group of friends choose him over me, and I was left alone. In the middle of 10th grade, Veda came along and chose to sit with me at my lonely little table at lunch, and we've been friends ever since.

I roll my eyes and smooth my hands down the slightly crinkled gray shirt. My shame from earlier is gone, replaced by amusement.

"It's true!" Veda says, grabing both our bags. She hands me my bag, then steers me out of the bathroom and to first period Geometry.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After school Veda suggested we go to the Little Classroom Cafe in town. Well, I think where I live it's mostly considered a village because there isn't a bar, but thats another story.

"Come on! My treat. We haven't had a girls day since you came back from visiting your grandma in Florida, which was like three weeks ago." Veda says consciously guiding me to her beat up chevy. I walk to school, since I only live a mile away from it. And also, I don't have a car, I hate riding the bus, and my parents don't care enough to take me.

"Alright, you win! Lets go." Eager to get away from the school, I smile at Veda and grab her hand and run the rest of the way to Veda's chevy.

Veda parks in front of the cafe, then we both jump out and head inside. Veda finds a booth in the corner and we sit down, patiently waiting for a waiter.

Just then I see a big group of dreadfully familiar guys walk in, their laughter ringing in my ears.

"You should have seen her face! She looked like she was going to cry! That was a good one, Victor!" Victor's friend Gabe says, lightly punching Victor on his shoulder.

I groan and slouch down into my seat, trying to hide my face. Veda reaches over and lightly taps my arm to get my attention. I look at her and she shakes her head, and I mouth a 'what?' while shrugging my shoulders.

"Don't hide! He can't do anything here..." Veda says, sounding unsure.

I sigh. "That's what you think. It hasn't stopped him before." I look at Veda, but she's not listening. Instead, shes looking over my shoulder, her big brown eyes wide. I screw my face up in confusion and look behind me, trying to see what she's so nervous about. I don't see anything, or anyone.

"Veda, what are you looking at?" I ask and turn back around to see that she has a reasuring smile, which calms me down.

"Oh, it was nothing." She waves a hand as if to shoo away a fly, and I believe her without a question. Just then a waiter arived at our table, and I reconize him as being one of Victors many groupies. He smiles at Veda as he hands her a menu, then he practically threw a menu at me.

"What would you like to drink?" He looks at Veda while saying this, and I grumble. Another guy who is into Veda, but she dosn't date. Well, as far as I know. I've never seen her take a liking to any guy.

"I just want tea." Says Veda, looking briefly over my shoulder again before looking at me with a smile. "What are you geting, Logan?"

"I want a Sprite." I murmur, fiddling with my nails. Victor and his group were seated not far from us in a booth, their laughter and not-so-quiet jeers were disheartening me. The waiter, Jared (as I heard Victor calling him), nodds and leaves, but not without winking at Veda. Veda just ignores it as she looks down at her menu.

"The chicken cordon bleu sounds good..." Veda murmures, then looks up at me in question.

"I just want a cheeseburger." I say, folding up my menu and glancing around. Another group had walked in, from our school and they situated themselves at the table placed to our right.

Veda smiles widely. "I knew it." I stack my menu on her's and wait for Jared again. I caught Veda glancing over my shoulder nervously from time to time, and when - if - she caught me looking at her, she would smile, and I would forget. I thought her behavior was kind of strange, but I let it go when Jared came back with our drinks.

He set our drinks down and asked, still ignoring me, "And what will you be eating?"

"I'm going to have a chicken cordon bleu, and Logan wants a cheeseburger with fries." He writes our orders down and leaves heading toward the kitchen.

Victor then turned around in his seat, smirking at us. "Why in gods name," Victor drawls. "Does Veda hang out with that loser Logan?" He finishes very loudly, his friends snickering in their seats.

Veda glances up at me from the table surface. "Ignore them." She murmures quietly. She then twists around in her seat and glares daggers at Victor. I've never seen her this evil looking before, but it dosn't really shock me. I know she can get like this, I've just never seen it.

"No, no, I'm serious! Veda is totally hot, and Logan is totally fugly. It dosn't make sense." Victor continued, getting louder. My cheeks burned from embarrassment and I noticed Veda's glare intensifying. Then, like someone opened a window, I felt a cold chill race up my arms like a breeze. I frowned and looked at Veda.

"Do you think it's cold in here?" I asked her, having to tug on her sleeve to get her attention.

"Hmm?" She murmured, but we were both distracted again to hear Victor coughing. We both looked at the group to see Victor excusing himself from the table. He disappeared into the boys restroom. The chill was still there, slightly intensifying as I stared at the restroom door while it closed slowly with a creak.

"Here you go, chicken cordon bleu and a cheeseburger with fries and fry sauce." I jumped out of my stupor as Jared placed the trays of food on our table. He smiled for the millionth time at Veda before leaving us to our meal. The chill was suddonly gone from my arms.

"This is great!" Veda says, chewing a forkful of her cordon bleu. "How's your's?" She asks, motioning with her fork at my meal.

I pick up my cheeseburger and take a bite, nodding in approval. "It's very good." I say with a mouthful of food.

Veda smiles and hands me a napkin. "That's good to hear." She looks over my shoulder for a split second, then looks at me. I fail to notice the mischief gleaming in her brown eyes.