Lost Girl Ch. 05

*You know why. Because you don't like people messing with what's yours.*

There was truth to that statement, so he couldn't refute it. Yet at the same time, he certainly couldn't claim possession of her. At least not until she stopped playing hard to get and finally gave into his advances. And she would, of course. It was only a matter of time. But damn if it didn't bother the hell out of him to think that someone like Tristan Whitefeather had gotten together with her first.

He didn't like the idea of some other guy having already been inside her, and he definitely didn't appreciate the fact that the cherry he'd been waiting three months to pop had already been deflated.

Not just three months. Three *long* months. Excitement had been steadily building up with each passing day, and now something like this just *had* to happen. What pissed him off the most was that she had been actively flirting and giving him signals that she was down to fuck, but everytime he tried to suggest that they meet up afterschool, she'd always give him some ass lame excuse as to why she wouldn't be able to do it. So why had she given in so easily to loner boy?

Thoroughly perplexed, Lucas furrowed his brows. He was trying to smother the resentment that was steadily building inside of him, but he just couldn't get over the fact that Tristan had gotten to bang Claudia before he'd even had a chance.

Noticing some movement from beyond the windshield of his truck, Lucas steadily focused on the Lincoln Continental and watched as the back door opened. A few seconds later Tristan got out, and after heaving his backpack onto his shoulders, he closed the door behind him.

With lips pulled into a hard, thin line, Lucas followed Tristan with his eyes, watching as he briskly strolled across the parking lot and towards the entrance of the school. He continued to stare until Tristan's thin, lanky frame disappeared through the doors and into the school's hallway. Then, with a turn of the key in the ignition, he brought the engine of his truck to life.

Lucas hit the gas hard with the sole of his boot, and with a sharp turn of the steering wheel, he swerved out of the parking spot and sped off into the distance.

* * * *

After two days of steady showers, the rain had finally let up. But as rays of light filtered through the blinds that covered the large windows of her English Literature class, Claudia wished that she were outside to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Although only partially sunny, it was still warm enough for her to rock one of her latest creations, which was an above the knee plaid skirt that fell mid-thigh. The turtleneck she'd paired it with fit her just snugly enough to hint at the curvature of her modestly sized breasts, and along with a pair of thrifted Doc Marten Mary Jane's, she'd chosen to wear a pair of knee high stockings.

For the past fifteen minutes, she'd been listening to her teacher ramble on about an upcoming project, but her mind was still foggy due to a lack of sleep, so she only caught the last half of what was being said.

"You can either choose your partner, or I will pair you up with one," concluded Ms. Mojika as she began passing out worksheets to the students in the front row. "Your choice."

Almost immediately, students began to switch seats so that they were sitting next to the person that they had chosen, and as the classroom began to buzz with conversation, Claudia threw a look over her shoulder at Tristan, who was seated in the very back of the class. As she approached his desk, she noticed that his eyes drifted downward to take in the hem of her skirt, and with a smile on her lips, she came to a stop in front of his desk.

"Hey. You wanna be partners?"

"Sure."

She took the seat beside him, and with legs crossed, began to discuss the project, which consisted of creating a power-point presentation on English literature of the 19th century. After a bit of brainstorming, they began jotting down ideas as to the types of photos and information that they would include. Since Claudia was already familiar with PowerPoint, she volunteered to teach Tristan the basics of the software, as well as assist him with research and locating photos.

They both had laptops, but since Claudia already had the PowerPoint software installed on her computer, she suggested that they meet up at her house over the weekend so that they could get a start on the project. They were just beginning to make a list of the most prominent writers of the 19th century, when a group of girls sitting beside her broke out into loud snickers. The sound was so brash, Claudia turned her head to look at them, and that was when she noticed that a note was being circulated from person to person.

As it passed from hand to hand, she noticed that each person who read it stifled either a snicker or laugh, followed by a shift of the eyes in her direction. This made her curious as to what the note was about, and with impatience, she watched as it continued to travel from student to student.

By the time the note made it to the row of desks where Tristan was seated, the smirks, snickers, and stares that were directed towards her became the only thing she could focus on. And as the note finally reached Tristan's hands, she anxiously waited as he read it. The flex of his jaw told her that whatever was written on the slip of paper deeply offended him, but it was the way he quickly crumpled up the note and threw it aside that sent a pang of distress through her body.

"What did it say?" She asked.

"Just something stupid, that some asshole wrote."

"It was about me though, right?"

He nodded.

"Well if it was about me, then I want to read it," she said. "I have a right to know what was said."

"Just forget about it, Claud." His voice was firm, almost demanding. "You really don't want to see what it says."

"Yes, I do," Claudia said, and with the toe of her shoe, she maneuvered the balled up note so that she could pick it up off the ground.

She uncrumpled the piece of paper, and with eyes keenly fixed on the oversized handwriting, she read the note:

Claudia Strauss is a PASS AROUND SLUT

She fucked Tristan Whitefeather

AND Lucas Good Blanket

On the EXACT. SAME. DAY

Can you believe her??

Claudia glanced up from the note to see that the entire class was staring her down with smirks on their faces. Her eyes then shifted to Tristan, who was wearing a tight-lipped expression with brows that were drawn together in anger.

"I know they're fucking assholes," he said to her. "But you can't let them get to you."

"So I'm just supposed to ignore it?"

"I didn't say that."

"This note is a lie, Tristan."

"Of course it is."

"But people think that It's true."

"Whoever wrote it is obviously trying to get a reaction out of you," he said. "Don't give it to them."

"That's easy for you to say. Guys don't get called sluts for sleeping around."

"Hey, Tristan."

Turning his head towards the voice that had interrupted his conversation with Claudia, Tristan noticed that a boy with a skateboard graphic tee was widely grinning at him.

"What?" He asked.

"When you get tired of hitting that, can you pass her to me?" He tilted his head towards Claudia.

"Don't talk about her that way," Tristan said through a now tight jaw. "She's not a slut, and she doesn't deserve to be treated like one."

"The note said she banged two dudes on the same day," he rebutted. "Sounds like a slut to me."

"The note is a lie," he said loudly. "You shouldn't believe everything you read, dumbass."

"Dumbass?" He rose to his feet, chest pushing forward in a display of aggression. "Come say that to my face, punk boy."

Tristan came to a standing position, and with an unblinking gaze, he stared the other boy down. "You wanna fight, you come to me."

The boy started across the room, only to be impeded by Ms. Mojika, who pressed a palm firmly against his chest while blocking him with her slim frame.

"No, Michael. You will *not* fight in this class, do you understand me?"

"Then I'll fight outside," he rebutted before shifting his gaze back to Tristan. "You're getting your ass kicked afterschool."

"Michael, I'm warning you," she said. "If I hear about you getting into any altercations, you *will* be suspended."

"So suspend me." He stared down Tristan for a few moments before slowly backing away from Ms. Mojika and returning to his seat.

Tristan sat back down as well, but his fists were still balled at his side and his body remained stiff. Although proud that he had stood up for himself, Claudia couldn't help worrying that Michael would make good on his threat, and as she shifted her attention to Tristan's antagonizer, she saw that he was staring both her and Tristan down.

As the bell signaled the end of first period, both Claudia and Tristan gathered their book bags and walked side by side to the door. They only made it halfway down the hall before they were suddenly cut off by Michael, who grabbed Tristan by the collar and slammed him forcefully against a row of lockers. Almost immediately, Tristan came back with a punch, but Michael deflected it by catching it in the palm of his hand. With his other fist still free, Tristan aimed it for Michael's gut, and on making contact, it knocked the wind right out of him. Momentarily stunned, he staggered away from Tristan, but as a crowd began to gather, he made a rush for his opponent.

Spurred on by the crowd, Michael wrestled Tristan down to his knees, and with remarkable quickness, hooked his arm around Tristan's neck. Now immovably locked into a sleeper hold, Tristan had no choice but to repeatedly jab his elbow into Michael's ribs, but this only caused Michael to tighten his grip around Tristan's neck.

Now seriously concerned for Tristan's safety, Claudia pushed her way out of the crowd and made hasty steps towards Ms. Mojika's class, but the sight of a beefy security guard lightly sprinting down the hallway made her realize that help was already on the way. As soon as he reached the throng of students, he pushed them aside, and on reaching the two boys that were violently entangled, he grabbed Michael by the scruff of his neck.

"Let go of him," The security guard demanded. "*Now.*"

With no choice but to obey, Michael released his hold around Tristan's neck, and with the security guard still grasping the back of his collar, he rose to his feet. It took Tristan a moment to catch his breath and rise to his feet, but as soon as he was able, he let out a few harsh coughs. With a crowd of students still watching on, the two boys engaged in an intense stare down, but it didn't last long, because the security stepped between them so that they couldn't make eye contact.

"Who started the fight?" The security guard asked.

"He did," Tristan said.

"That true?" He asked while looking at Michael.

"Naw, it ain't true. This punk ass pussy is the one who started it."

"Alright, boys," he said with a note of frustration. "Since we can't seem to come to an agreement, you're both going to the principal's office."

With Tristan on one side of him and Michael on the other, the security guard led them through the crowd that was still gathered. People turned to watch as the two boys were escorted down the hall, but as the bell rang for second period, the flock of students disassembled and went their separate ways.

Claudia went her own way as well. But she was too unsettled by the events that had just taken place to do much more than walk along in a kind of a daze.

* * * *

"Wow," Kimi said while looking down at the slip of paper. "This is a totally messed up note."

"Right?" A deep crease appeared between Claudia's brows as she added, "Who would write something like that?"

"Misty."

"She's not in my English class."

"Well, maybe she had one of her friends do it for her."

"You're right, that's definitely a possibility." Having reached her locker, Claudia maneuvered the combination dial until the shackle clicked open, then slipped her history book inside before slamming the metal compartment shut.

"Well, we already know that Misty hates you, so clearly she's the most likely suspect. But have you considered that Lucas was the one who started the rumor?"

"No," she said while walking side by side with Kimi. "But now that you mention it, he has been acting sort of funny these past few days."

"In what way?"

"I don't know." "He's just not as friendly as he used to be."

"Hmm. Well considering how relentlessly he's been chasing after you, that's definitely strange."

As they entered the cafeteria, the girls grabbed a plastic tray before entering the food line. They both accepted a chicken pot pie from one of the lunch ladies, and after placing a carton of milk and a bowl of jello on their trays, they headed for a table.

"I don't think Lucas started the rumor," Claudia said as they took their seats and dug into their chicken pot pies. "But *if* he did, I don't understand why he would do such a thing."

"Well, he's probably frustrated that you still haven't given into his advances yet."

"But It's only been three months since the semester started."

"To a guy like Lucas, three months is a lifetime," Kimi said. "He doesn't come to school to learn, he comes to chase pussy."

This got a faint smirk out of her, but as she caught sight of Lucas walking through the cafeteria doors, her heart involuntary sped up. She instantly hated herself for the reaction of her body, but that didn't stop her from following him with her eyes. As she sat there eating, she began to wonder if he really had been the one to start the rumor, but as she suddenly spotted Misty trailing a few feet behind him, her eyes began to narrow.

"If looks could kill..."

The sound of Kimi's voice made Claudia avert her attention, and on noticing that she was smiling at her, she asked, "It's that obvious, huh?"

Kimi nodded. "Is Lucas with her?"

"Yep."

"Has he noticed you yet?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Because you can tell a lot from a person's expression."

Kimi didn't need to say anything more for Claudia to understand what she meant, and as Lucas and Misty made their way through the grid of cafeteria tables, she continued to watch them. Just as always, they took their seats at a table that was located next to the window. Along with two guys who were wearing hoodies with the school's wrestling team logo, the table was also populated by a girl that Claudia immediately recognized from her English Literature class.

If Claudia remembered correctly, her name was Megan, and along with being one of the most outgoing people in the class, she was also known for being a shameless gossiper. As Claudia sat there watching her animatedly chat with Misty, she began to wonder if Megan had been responsible for writing the note. But even if she had, someone else was most likely behind the rumor, and that was when her gaze suddenly shifted to Lucas.

Without a second thought, she rose to her feet, and with a barely audible, "be right back" that was directed at Kimi, she made her way towards the table where Lucas was sitting. As she walked, numerous pairs of eyes followed her. The sound of whispers soon reached her ears and that was when she realized that nearly everyone in the cafeteria was looking her way.

Rather than give them the satisfaction of knowing that she was nervous, she chose instead to "fake it until she made it." For as long as she could remember, it had been one of her mother's favorite catchphrases, but it wasn't until that particular moment in her life that she suddenly realized why.

With each step that she took, her confidence seemed to increase, and soon she was walking with shoulders held high and quick, strong steps. She was nearly at the table where Misty and Lucas were seated when they suddenly caught sigh of her, and with both their gazes steadily focused on her, they watched as she continued to approach. As she reached their table, she zeroed in on Lucas, who appeared not only surprised, but a bit thrown off by her sudden presence.

"We need to talk," she said in a voice that was firm.

"About what?" Misty asked before Lucas could even respond.

"Oh, I think you know." One of her eyebrows rose sharply.

"Oh, you mean about you being a *slut*?"

The word 'slut' had rolled off Misty's tongue with such ease, Claudia couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. Yet instead of taking the bait, she instead summoned all of her willpower to ignore the degrading remark.

"Are you going to talk to me or not?" Claudia asked while looking back at Tristan. "The least you could do is give me a response."

"You want to talk, then we can talk," he said, and after rising to a standing position, he allowed her to lead the way.

As they headed for the cafeteria door, everyone in the lunchroom turned to watch their progress. Although their tones were hushed, Claudia's sensitive ears picked up a lot of what was said, and more than a few words that were spoken about her left her with a biting sting. Once they were out in the hallway, Claudia turned to face Lucas, and utilizing the power of her cat-shaped eyes, she pinned him with an icy stare.

"So, about this rumor that's going around school..."

"I had nothing to do with it," Lucas blurted out.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then why do people think that we slept together?"

"I don't know. Because somebody lied and started to spread it around."

"And you don't know who this somebody is?"

"No, of course not. Why would I?"

Giving him a long, hard gaze, she searched his eyes for any signs that he was being untruthful.

"Look, I didn't say anything about us, okay? So would you please stop staring at me like that?"

The intensity of her gaze slightly lessened, but her lips remained in a hard, straight line.

"If you ask me, I think it was your friend that started the rumor," he said.

"Yeah, right. Like Kimi would do that to me."

"I'm not talking about Kimi. I meant that guy you hang around with. The weird one, that never talks."

"Tristan is a nice person," she said. "He's not the type to do something like this."

"Wasn't his name mentioned in the note, too?"

"Yes."

"Well, maybe he's the one that started all of this."

"It wasn't," she affirmed. "He's a sweet guy with a good heart. Not a malicious liar."

"But I am?"

"I didn't say that."

"You don't have to say it. You bringing me out here to confront me, makes it pretty clear that you think I would do something like that."

"Look, I don't know what to think," she said. "I'm just trying to find out who started this whole rumor."

"Well you can check me off the list, because I had nothing to do with it."

She didn't want to believe him, and it would have made it a hell of a lot easier if she could squash her feelings of attraction and just start hating him. But there was something in his eyes that told her he was telling the truth.

"Come on, Claudia," he said, and with eyes that visibly softened, he added, "Why would I say something like that about you?"

"I don't know...why does any guy brag about having sex with girls?"

"I don't need to brag about it," he said. "If I have sex with a girl, I just have sex with her. I don't feel the need to go around telling everyone what I did."

"So why do you have this reputation for bedding virgins?" She asked. "If you don't go around bragging on it, why does everyone in school know about what you do?"

"First of all, I don't only go after virgins," he said. "And just so you know, I don't brag about it to the whole school. I might mention it to a couple of close friends, but I don't spread it around."

"So your friends are the culprits," she said.

"That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that if I tell them something, I can't control where the information goes from there."