Ep 2, Chapter 3
At lunch, when Jacqueline came into the lunch room, it was naturally packed with upperclassmen as the order of classes went by seniority.
When she got her tray, she was aimed at the one lone corner when she heard her name called out.
“Jacqueline come eat with us!” Margaret called out.
Jacqueline was now undecided.
She liked being alone, but she did not want to disappoint her newly made friend.
“Come on,” Margaret said, “They won't bite.” then she turned and looked at them and said, “They better not anyhow.” which made them all laugh or giggle as their personalities led them.
Finally she turned toward them and wove through the tables to find the seat next to Margaret.
“Jacqueline,” she announced, “This is Julie, our drummer, Rachel our lead guitarist and resident expert on ped-ouch!, Tammy our bassist, and Lily our 'additional instrument' expert and lackey-ouch!” she growled.
Both girls had kicked her shin under the table and Jacqueline giggled at this.
“You're supposed to be on MY side!” Margaret whined at Jacqueline.
“She knows you’re just a hot air bag.” Julie said.
“Margaret is good to me.” Jacqueline finally spoke, her high pitched voice was soft and not scratchy, “I just know she is being funny today.”
“Wow, look, at, you!” Rachel marveled, “You have the band spirit in you!”
“I do?” the plump little girl asked lighting up visibly at the compliment.
“Sure ya do!” Margaret gave her a slightly gruff short one armed hug, “You got what it takes girl!”
She blushed deeply and turned her head down some, not sure what to think.
“She's not used to compliments...” Marge said, “Well, not from people she doesn't know anyhow.”
“Give her time and she'll be an unbearable diva just like you!” Tammy said in a haughty tone with her nose turned up.
Everybody laughed.
Ep 2, Chapter 4
After they ate, they all went to their classes, except Jacqueline who went to the office to see what next task they would have her do.
She went to the school loading dock with a metal cart from the library which was on the way, and took a cart of office supplies back to the main office.
Along the way, she found herself humming the tune she had sung for Margaret the night before and feeling unusually happy.
She did not know what or why this was, but she felt just so peaceful now that the mysterious musical wild child had come into her life.
As she walked, happy and contented though, suddenly she felt a very bad aura near her and it was moving fast.
She screamed out in her shrill voice and reflexively rolled away from it and came up near the wall, her teeth chattering.
Actually, she was in fact scanning with her unusual sonar ability to assess the situation.
There was another person there and they had just leapt out from the alcove where the water fountains were.
“Leave me alone!” Jacqueline shrilled at the attacker loudly.
“I'm going to find where you live and kill you!” the female voice whispered in hate and then sped off down the hall, her sneakers squeaking as she rounded a hall corner.
By the time anybody arrived, Jacqueline had resumed pushing the cart, not wanting to make a big ordeal out of it.
“Who was just here just now?” Mr. Drexler the PE teacher asked.
“I don't know.” Jacqueline answered in all honesty, “I cant recognize people by sight.”
“Well did they say anything to you?” he asked.
“Its not important.” she said trying to avoid the situation.
“Look Miss Shunokoi,” the principal said, coming up behind Mr. Drexler, “You're not helping yourself by protecting these girls.”
“I just don't want to make a big fuss.” she pleaded weakly.
“This is serious sweetie,” he said, “You need to be careful and help us protect you from these viscous students.”
“They won't be stopped anyhow,” she derided their admonition, “they're all from rich influential families and they hold positions of power in the community, so they got off scott free while I had to go to the hospital in pain.”
“We did not see what happened or we would have been able to take more decisive actions Miss Shunokoi,” he defended, “We don't have cameras in the school because of the will of these girl's parents and their fear of public scandal, so we are limited on what we can do.”
“The guards who saw refused to testify.” Jacqueline's high pitched voice complained.
“Well I for one promise to get to the bottom of this and make it stop.” Mr. Ellis promised, “I just need to find a way to produce proof positive that they were attacking you so we can have them expelled from the school.”
“Then let me watch over her.” came from behind them, making both men startle.
“Miss Cooper!” Mr. Ellis cried out in surprise, “Shouldn't you be in classes?”
“Shouldn't you be doing more to protect the student body?” she shot back in a calm tone.
“I'm doing the best I can.” he tried to defend his position.
“Not you're not.” she said, “Allowing me to be her body guard would be 'doing the best you can'.”
“Now don't you go getting involved with school policy now,” the principal tried to warn her off.
“I'll have you know,” Margaret casually said in a cool smooth tone, “I now know her family and can tell them what is going on here...”
“Are you threat -” he began to get indignant, then he turned to the girl and asked, “Is this true what she is saying?”
“Yes,” Jacqueline said, “My parents approved of her coming to my house any time and she is now my official friend.” her words sounded just like a five year old had said them, and with the same emphasis and resolve.
It was at once adorable, good news and at the same time, made Margret’s previous words a real factual threat.
“What are you going to do about your studies then?” the principal asked Margaret.
“Look – I'm a straight A student here on a joint scholarship and paying my own way.” she looked at him like he was a total moron, “No other student can hold a candle to me.”
“And besides,” Jacqueline offered, “She can come and study at MY house!”
“Well,” Mr. Ellis now saw he was in a real tight spot, “We'll hold a staff meeting about this and contact your parents and get their reaction before we do something so unorthodox.”
“I'll be waiting...” Margaret said, turning and walking back up the hallway, leaving the principal feeling very sick to his stomach as he pondered the immense political ramifications of this turn of events.
Ep 2, Chapter 5
After school, Anna picked up Jacqueline from school, which was unusual, and took her home directly.
Margaret had called her and told her what was going on.
“Thank you for letting us know.” the muscular Russian woman said, looking at once elegant and yet slightly out of place in the gown she wore while she was out and about in town.
“Nice dress.” Margaret said, “You be safe now little bunny rabbit,” and she gave Jacqueline another one armed hug, to which Jacqueline responded with both of her slender dainty arms.
At just 4' 6” tall, Jacqueline looked indeed like a child next to the two tall women over six feet each.
“Well,” Margaret breathed in mild regret, “I have band practice tonight, so I gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow here then okay?”
“Okay!” Jacqueline responded and released her first ever friend, “See you tomorrow!”
With that, Margaret hopped into her Corvette and softly rumbled out of the school parking lot and down the lane to the security gates of the school, where she turned onto the busy street and out of sight beyond the thick stone walls.
“We best go home too,” Anna said, “Supper wi
ll be getting cold.”
With that they got in the limousine black armored Mercedes 550 SEL and left as well.
Ep 2, Chapter 6
“We found a club who would let us pull this off,” Lily said, “They're a friend of my uncle and really dig our tunes.”
“AND,” Julie said, “You polished – ow!” she recoiled from a kick in the shins.
“Did not,” Lily said, “I'm like Margaret here.”
“Whoa!” Margaret said, “How did I get into this argument?” tipping up a bottle of beer, “I'm just an innocent bystander in all of this!”
“Innocent?” Rachel rolled her eyes with a smirk, “You got the hottest squeeze of us all!”
“She's not a SQEEZE!” Margaret groaned while throwing a couch pillow at her.
“What do you call it then?” Rachel defied her and threw it back, “Don't you spill my beer either!” as she lit up a cigarette.
“Don't call Jacqueline my 'squeeze' then.” Margaret insisted.
“I saw you this afternoon in the parking lot.” Rachel said in a tattle tale tone which got more ooos from the others.
“That's HUG. Something friends and family do.” she said with an annoyed tone, “As if you had a clue.”
“Since when do you know anything about family?” Rachel shot back.
“Since now dammit,” she said swigging down her beer and reaching for another one.
“That sure was fast,” Julie said, “I could have sworn it wasn't eight months ago you said 'families are a load of crap.'” then she turned to Tammy and said, “Huh, Tammy?”
“That's what I heard,” Tammy said back, swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels.
“Whatever,” Margaret said, throwing a bottle cap at Rachel, “So what's the deal with this test run gig?”
“We'll have the place from noon on any Saturday we want, until 3pm when the regular stage crew comes in.”
“So we just come in set up and see what she can do?” Tammy asked.
“That's it,” Lily replied, reaching for the bottle of whiskey.
“What about her being a minor?” Rachel asked blowing out a stream of smoke.
“We're all minors,” Lily said.
“Yeah but we're not squeaky little cross eyed shrimps either.”
“Not, you're fucking gawky ass beaky nosed frizzy haired pincushion who looks like you're strung out on heroin!” Margaret shot back.
They all laughed really hard, except Rachel who just turned her legs from the right side of her chair to the left side and gave a look of contempt.
“We'll figure something out,” Margaret said, “that is if I can get her body guard to let it happen.”
Episode 3
“Undue Influence”
“We can't let you do it.” Mr Ellis said.
“And why not?” Margaret demanded, seated on the corner of his desk, her thigh high black platform boots crossed over each other.
“Because somehow their parents found out and came to us spouting all about school policy and responsibility and how they would have the school shut down if we tried.”
“What a load of shhhhhhhit” Margaret slammed her palm down on the corner of his desk rising up off of it in one smooth motion.
“Hey,” he shrugged, “the more I thought about it, the more I like the idea personally.”
“Not enough to make it happen obviously.”
“Well we hired more guards from a new company,” he offered, “Its the best I could do.”
“They better do their damn jobs this time,” she warned, “Or so help me,” she held an imaginary blade in her hand as if to be pointing the imaginary blade as a reference.
“Don't do anything foolish Miss Cooper.” he said hesitantly.
“Oh trust me,” she said, “They don't call me 'No Regrets' Margaret for nothing Mr. Ellis.”
With that, she turned and walked out of the principal's office with her hips swaying to her stride as her thick red hair swung boldly behind her like a cascading lion's mane.
“I swear that girl is going to be the death of me some day,” he sighed.
Ep 3, Chapter 2
Jacqueline began eating lunch with the band every day now.
She often leaned up against Margaret while she ate and simply listened to what went on around her.
The guards had been doing their duty as well as anyone could determine, seeing as nobody had been trying anything recently.
“Maybe its just the new uniforms.” Lily said, “Given time they will get brave and try something to test the waters.”
“Could be,” Margaret said, “But until then we have another thing to figure out now.” she indicated Jacqueline with a glance without moving her head, “We gotta figure out how this all leaked to the parents of the offenders of all people.”
“Could be the secretary,” Rachel said, “that old hag is a piece of shit.”
“Well,” Julie ventured, “She does have access to the information for sure,” she shook her head, “but to be a plant and have some kind of motivation to be a mole,” she reckoned, “Doesn't add up.”
“Some things Julie,” Rachel said, “Don't have to make sense.”
“Good.” Julie said and then stole a french fry from Rachel's plate.
“Hey!” she swatted at her a bit too late and everybody laughed.”
Ep 3, Chapter 3
“So,” Anna said, sitting across from Margaret while Jacqueline was upstairs taking a bath, “You want my help figuring out who is in the inside making life hard for Miss Shunokoi.” she mused this while drinking straight Smirnoff vodka from a bourbon glass.
“If you would,” Margaret asked, holding a glass of Cutty Sark single malt scotch whiskey, “I'll take care of getting it into the school and planted,” she said, “And the system would naturally report back to you here at your command post kitchen.”
“Hahah,” she pointed with the hand holding the glass, “I like you.” she then poured more vodka, “You're pretty smart.”
“Thank you.” she replied quietly.
“Well let me do some digging around,” she said, “I know some of my friends have some really good hardware for just this kind of thing.”
“Okay,” she said, “I'll wait for you to get that then.”
“Margaret?” came the small voice from upstairs.
“Yes?” she asked, putting down the glass of scotch whiskey.
“You going to come study with me?” her dark hair tumbled down all around her shoulders and she was still in a towel with the upstairs hall light making an imperfect silhouette of her.
“Sure,” she said warmly, “I was just talking business with Anna here is all.” she picked up the glass and tipped it up, then put it down empty on the coffee table, “On my way up.”
“Wait,” Jacqueline petitioned, “Let me get dressed first.”
“Oh.” she stopped, “Yeah right.” and she sat down blushing.
“You kids today,” Anna said, “So fast to do things.” she shook her head.
“Huh?” Margaret asked.
Ep 3, Chapter 4
“Why do you always wear that school uniform?” Margaret asked.
“Its my memory of Japan.” Jacqueline replied, opening up her school books and leaning right down to them to read.
“Don't you have any other clothes?” she asked.
“I have my pajamas and underwear.” Jacqueline replied, writing down numbers on a piece of paper while leaning equally as close to it.
“You don't wear pajamas or underwear out in public.” she challenged softly.
“I don't go anywhere but school” the younger girl replied, turning back to the textbook.
“Oh.” she suddenly had an idea how she could arrange the band tryout, “Have you ever been to a zoo?”
“No,” Jacqueline replied, “I can't see animals except on this television or if I stick my face right up to them.” then she wrote some more on the paper.
Bunny Love ( Songs of Love Book 1) Page 3