189A/N:
New story! Yay!
This is a story that I got into super quick, planning most of it out in less than four hours. I hope it goes well, because I really like the idea.
Warning: This story has trigger warnings, which will be given for each chapter that specifically has them, including self-harm and suicide attempts.
Well, this should be interesting.
Chapter Warnings: Rider has a foul mouth, and there is brief mentioning of suicide and self-harm.
Enjoy!
"Ah, yes, Miss Strauss, I am so glad you were able to come and see me." the tall, stick-like principal said as Juniper walked into his office. His thick, graying, but still partly brown, hair was slicked back, and his little gray eyes stared at the young woman as she sat down in the uncomfortable leather chair across from the man. His suit was very loose on him, Juniper noticed, and she scooted back in her chair, uncomfortable as the leather stuck to the backs of her legs.
"I am glad to be here, Mr. Gordon. Is this about the scholarship?" Juniper asked. She brushed some of her strawberry blond hair out of her dark blue eyes,
"Sort of, Miss Strauss. I apologize again that the people from the scholarship had to back out for unexplained reasons. I know that you desperately need this scholarship, so the board and I have come up with a solution that will be, as you youngins say, hitting two birds with one stone." Mr. Gordon said, smiling.
'We 'youngins' really don't say that..' Juniper thought briefly.
"See, we have a student here at Smith University that is very troubled. They have been constantly bullied, have attempted suicide twice, and are known to be a victim of self harm. We have done our best to help them, but they are adamant against utilizing our resources. As we wondered how we could help this young adult, we noticed an article sticking out of your folder in our files. It was titled, 'Guardian Angel at Merriam High'. Does that sound familiar?" Mr. Gordon said, standing and pacing around the back of his desk.
Juniper nodded slowly, curious as to where this conversation would lead.
"Well, we read over it and were amazed at the story. You, a simple, humble, teenager, had stopped four individuals from taking their lives. Now, we began to think, maybe you would be able to help us. As you now, I assume, your father and I were close in high school. I called him the next day, asking if you would be able to help us. He assured us that you were perfectly capable of doing so, but that it was your choice whether you helped us or not. We have decided that, until you either must give up or until graduation, you will room with this young adult and help them on the path to recovery. You will work to help them with their.. raging emotional issues, guide him through this year, and prevent him from harming anyone, including them. In return, your entire education fr this year will be paid for in complete." Mr Gordon explained, leaning onto his desk, palms flat on the wooden top.
Juniper was surprised, but she knew that this was most likely the only way that she would be able to afford her education. "Mr. Gordon, if I may, can I ask who this student is?" she asked kindly, leaning forward with her forearms on her knees.
"Of course, my dear, but I would think you would already know by my earlier description." Mr. Gordon replies, worry edging his voice.
"I apologize, sir, but I am not with the current gossip of the university, as I have stayed focused on my studies." Juniper explained, slightly offended that Mr. Gordon assumed that she, a scholarship student, would get caught up in the tangled web of gossip.
"Yes, I understand. This student is Rider Smith, son of Frederick Smith, the head of the school board, and the great-grandson of the university's founder, Marcell Smith." Mr. Gordon explained, albeit a little haughtily.
"Wait- I am supposed to room with a MALE? A MAN?" Juniper said, her voice squeaking slightly.
"Yes, Miss Strauss." Mr. Gordon said, as if addressing a child.
"Doesn't that violate a code, or something? No two people of opposite gender may room together? Wasn't that the first rule on the dorm room signature form?" Juniper said nervously.
"Yes, it was, but we have a special dorm, Connigsway Building, for the students with.. special circumstances. Brothers and sisters, people with a child, and anyone like you and Rider." he explained, sitting back down.
"Sir, I am very grateful for this opportunity, but will there be any legal issues with this?" Juniper asked.
"No, as we both are aware, you are studying to be a school counselor. This will be a study, or a practice test of sorts. You will be 'observing a young student in the toils of university life'. Now, Juniper, do you want to have an approved version of his file, so that you may see why he is how he is.?" Mr. Gordon asked, holding out a Manilla folder stuffed with papers.
Juniper looked at the folder, then back at the principal. "While this information would definitely help me a lot, I would like to have a clean slate with Rider. He is probably judges immediately because everyone knows what happened. Now, when will I be moving in?"
"Today." Mr. Gordon said, smiling.
"T-Today?! Okay..." Juniper said loudly, shocked at how quickly they were trying to get this plan in motion.
"Yes, I have asked your roommate, Miss Elizabeth Giffords, to have your things ready. She told me that everything would be packed and on its way over as soon as I called you into my office." Mr. Gordon said, leaning back in his chair.
'So he knew I would have to agree. That sneaky little-' Juniper though bitterly before Mr. Gordon continued.
'Now, I suggest that you go to your new dormitory, you do have the rest of the day free from classes, as you will need to get situated until Mr. Smith is back from his classes, which, by the way, are identical to yours. You may not have seen him a lot due to his tendencies to skip classes.."
"O-okay. And I will not have to pay anything, anything at all?" Juniper asked.
"Not a penny will come from you or your family." he confirmed.
Juniper smiled falsely, shaking the man's hand and taking the dormitory necessities envelope, containing the key card for the building and the key for the room. She looked at her student map as she walked out, locating the Connigsway Building.
"It's on the complete opposite side of campus... although it IS closer to my classes..." Juniper mumbled, ready to start the long walk to the building when she saw her old roommate leaning on the wall outside.
"Hey, Junie-B." Elizabeth, or Betty, said, hurrying towards her, "I guess you accepted. I was told just this morning, and was excused from classes.. I'm sorry you have to do this.."
"It should be a nice, new experience, actually. I am excited to meet Rider." Juniper chirped happily. She was excited, although she was laying it on thick or else her old roommate would be worried.
"Wait- Rider SMITH? THAT is who you're helping? Juniper, he is-" Betty started before Juniper held her index finger up, cutting her off.
"I don't want to hear anything bad about him. This is a fresh start for him." Juniper said, clipping the keycard and room key to her university lanyard.
"Alright, Junie-B. But please be careful around him..." Betty said nervously, chewing on her lip.
"Don't worry about me. You should be worried about whether they're gonna stick you with a new roommate." Juniper said, waving and heading off, knowing she had to hurry.
"Wait- Junie-B. I'll give you a ride over. That's why I stopped here in the first place." Betty said, grabbing the girl's pale arm and dragging her to the old car that was parked in the office building lot. Betty's frizzy black hair bounced as she ran, her ponytail always ending up looking more like a puff ball by the end of the day due to her hair texture. Her brown skin always had a golden undertone, making her look angelic. Betty always had a smile on her face, and joy always danced in her honey-colored eyes. Juniper was always jealous of her eyes, as they were welcoming, yet they could be absolutely terrifying when she was mad.
Betty dragged her friend and pushed her into the car, chattering away about her family. Juniper buckled in, sitting back in the old, splitting leather seat of Betty's car. It had been her grandfather's car before Betty took it in, caring for it and naming it Wendy.
Betty continued talking away as she drove her friend to what she assumed would be her doom. Juniper, however, was happily looking at the tall building that grew closer with every second.
When Betty stopped the car in front of the brick building, Juniper was about to hop out when Betty grabbed her left arm.
"Juniper, promise me that you will tell me if he does anything to you. And I mean ANYTHING. He is potentially dangerous... I would tell you but you seem adamant against me doing so... just please do not get too stressed over his situation... people have tried, professionals have tried, and I know that you are really talented with helping people, but with this one... you may lose him... Promise me that you will never let him do anything to you, and if he does, you tell me. And promise that you will not get too caught up in his life. Please." Betty said, her eyes filling with fear and worry.
Juniper smiled, nodded and said, "I promise that I'll tell you if he does anything." She hopped out of the car, leaving Betty to tear up and let the hot tears pill down her dark skin.
"She didn't promise to not get too involved..." Betty said, shaking slightly as horrid thoughts of her friend's failure to save that boy filled her mind.
"Rider, you had better treat her like a goddess." Betty hissed to herself, starting the car and heading back to their- no, her dorm room.
Juniper skipped up the three flights of stairs, wondering how on Earth the men had gotten her stuff to room 315 without an elevator. She reached the right floor and started humming a happy tune, excited to get to put her stuff in the new dorm. 311, 313, 315! Juniper held out her key and unlocked the door, swinging the wooden door open to reveal a bright lit entry room.
The front door opened to a multipurpose room. On the left was a couch facing a TV, with a door leading to what looked like a bathroom in the closer corner. On the opposite side was a kitchen with a dining table in the center, the counters against the back wall. Against the far wall was a single door, with a sign that read, 'Rider's Room, don't fucking come in' hanging on the front. She turned to the right o see another door, this one was open, and her boxes of things were piled at the doorway. She brightened up, hurriedly shutting the door and running into her new room. There was a single bed against the left wall, with a dresser against the right wall. A desk sat at the back wall, with one of those swiveling office chairs at it. Juniper squealed, running over and plopping down in it.
Yes, she was a college student, but spinney chairs were awesome.
Juniper finished her little moment with the chair and walked to the boxes. There were only three, as she had very little belongings. She had one larger box of clothes, with her sheets and blankets tossed in as well. She quickly put her clothing away, and made her bed. Her favorite blanket, a brown fleece blanket with a forest floor pattern on it, lay on top of the green sheets. The second, slightly smaller box had her school books and supplies, her picture of her best friends from high school, some of her favorite books from home, and her own set of dishes and silverware. There was a little box in the second box with all of the other little things, like phone chargers. The last box had her laptop and its accessories, her little bedside fan, cooking utensils, mixing bowls and the like, and her stack of papers, envelopes, and stamps that she would need to write to her friends and family.
After unpacking her room, she took the dish and silverware set out to the kitchen. It was just colored plastic plates, cups, and bowls, with plain silverware and a few cooking utensils, but she had bought them, and they were her own, not just some that she had taken from home. She opened the cupboards to find paper plates, plastic cups, and Styrofoam bowls. Nothing else.
"Well, I guess it is good that I brought my own." Juniper chirruped, smiling at her new roommate's eating arrangements. She put the dished on into one of the cupboards, and the cooking supplies in another. She put the silverware in a drawer, after finding a measly set of plastic forks and knives. She sighed, knowing that she would also have to go grocery shopping with the money her mother had given her. Her father had promised to send the necessities later that week, including ramen noodle cups, veggie chips, and Rice Krispies.
She sighed, knowing it would be hard to catch up on the first day of classes, but shook her head, deciding that she would be fine. Juniper was about to start a grocery list on her phone when the doorknob turned.
"What the fuck?" a young man said as he walked into the room. Juniper was taken aback by the language, but she was even more surprised at the appearance of the troubled boy she was helping.
He had short, messy black hair that stuck out every which way, part of his bangs covering his bright green eyes. He had pale skin, even paler than Juniper's. He wore a long sleeved gray shirt, and had on dark blue jeans.
He was incredibly handsome, Juniper had to admit.
"Who the fuck're you? Oh, Christ, please don't tell me you're that psychiatrist student. They said I had another fucking week... damn principal.." Rider spat, crossing his arms and looking at the young woman standing in his kitchen.
The girl had long reddish blond hair, pulled back in a braid that reached her hips. Her dark blue eyes were full of shock as he stared at her. She wore a dark blue sweatshirt, and had loose gray jeans slung low at her hips. Her skin was slightly darker than his, and she had a splay of red-brown freckles across the bridge of her nose and under each eye.
"Well, what's your fucking name?" he asked, sighing.
"My name is Juniper Strauss." the girl said, standing straight and grinning.
"Why are you so fucking happy?" Rider asked, walking to the fridge behind her and grabbing the last Red Bull.
"I am just glad to meet you." she said, that damn smile staying on her face.
"Okay, bitch, listen up. I know they gave you my file, and so I don't want you pretending that you give a damn about me. You'd be better off running back to your fucking friends and having a grand old fucking time." Rider hissed, done with her attitude.
"Well, Rider, if I may call you that. First, you can call me whatever you want, although calling me bitch will only prevent you from getting anything you want. Second, I did not read your file. And third, I had only one friend, my old roommate, and she's probably already off with her other friends." Juniper replied, sitting at one of the dining chairs.
"You didn't read my file? What kind of fucking therapist are you?" Rider asked, sitting down across from her and opening the can.
"I am not a therapist. I am here to help, though. I felt that you would tell me your story if you wanted to. If not, I'll just never know." Juniper said.
"Oh, that's fucking great. Now, bitch, I am out of Red Bull. You gonna be a good little fucker and get me some more or what?" Rider asked, chugging the energy drink.
"I was going to go shopping, if you wanted to join me. But I will not be getting you anything without you there to pick it out AND to pay." Juniper said, tying some things onto her little list.
"Fine, bitch. But you'll have to drive. I don't... have a license." Rider said, stumbling a bit.
"Well, I don't have a car." she said in reply.
"You got a fucking license?" Rider asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I have a driver's license, but I am not licensed to fuck yet." Juniper said, grinning at him sarcastically.
Rider let out a short chuckle, then sneered, "Shut the fuck up. You know what I meant. Then let's go. I have a fucking car downstairs."
"Is it a specific car for fucking, or is it used for driving as well?" Juniper asked, smirking as she got up and grabbed her wallet from her room.
"I swear, bitch, if you keep fucking with me, I'll kill you." Rider said, smirking back at her.
"Sorry, I really don't want to fuck with you. Maybe if you cleaned up your language, this wouldn't be an issue." Juniper said, walking past a gawking Rider.
"I swear, Juniper, I will get you." Rider hissed as he shut the door behind them.
"Aww.. you learned my name... Well, if you keep that up, I won't fuck you anymore. I mean, with you, not that I was fucking you before, I mean-" Juniper said, stumbling over her words.
"Yeah, I got it. Now shut up and walk." Rider said, going down the stairs.
A/N:
Yes, I like this idea...
Please give me input, I would love to improve this in any way!
Rider is a little sailor with his cursing, but Juniper is smart enough to whip responses back at him.
I will probably update this every other day... probably being the key word...
Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you can!