Girl Power
āā¦ Hmm.ā Pepper murmured thoughtfully, between another bite or veggies. Half the box was already gone, which was surprising considering how little Pepper usually ate.
What was more surprising still, however, was what Juniper was saying. It was hard to imagine someone as innocent looking as Juniper saying such scandalous things. She was going against the very foundation of hero society. And for what? A quiet protest where no one suffered but herself?
It was almostā¦ pitiful, if not vainly valiant. The more Juniper spoke, the more interested Pepper became in her. Which is why she found herself especially irritated when she caught murmurs behind her. She shot the group of chattering idiots a fierce glare, silencing them in an instant and causing their emotions (mainly fear) to spike so sharply that it caused a soft groan to escape the blonde. She gently started rubbing her temple, grumpily turning her attention back to Juniper and resuming their conversation.
āā¦ Do you really think youāre accomplishing anythingā¦?ā Blunt, but as honest and pointed as everything Pepper said to the girl.
Juniper couldnāt help but feel a bit proud at how much Pepper had eaten. She never ate that muchā¦this made her feel very goodā¦Pepper needed nourishmentā¦ She winced a bit at Pepperās glare but it faded as soon as she saw it had caused Pepper pain. Without thinking, she reached out to pat her shoulder comfortinglyā¦then rethought the approach and her hand fell back into her lap. āIā¦I donāt know.ā She rubbed her arms and turned to the side. āI justā¦Iām not a strong person. I donāt have the confidence to do much. Itāsā¦stupid, I know butā¦Iām taking baby steps. Maybeā¦maybe someone will join me, maybe not. Iām just doing what I can until I become a stronger person.ā That was pretty personal. She felt weird telling Pepper butā¦again, somehow, it felt nice.
āYouāre not many thingsā¦ but I wouldnāt count strong on that listā¦ā Pepper said, simply. She finished a few more bites of the box before setting it aside, finding herself more than a little full. Ā
āYouāre plenty strong, carrying around all of that anxiety and timidnessā¦ā But then again, perhaps it wasnāt helpful to point out what Juniper was so clearly feeling. Pepper couldnāt help being invasive either, given how loud Juniperās emotions were. Tiredly, Pepper took a sip of water. She couldnāt remember talking this much inā¦
Ever?
āYouāre not confident though, Iāll give you that. Dunno why though, if these peppers are any testament to your powerā¦ you really donāt have anything to be so shy about.ā She should be proud, not insecure and shyā¦
Then again, Pepperās power was nothing to be proud of. She couldnāt claim to understand Juniperā¦
But she couldnāt help but find her interesting.Ā
Juniper was stunned. Were thoseā¦compliments? That was the first time sheād felt genuinely touched by something Pepper had said, the first time she felt Pepper really meant what she said. She blinked blankly, stumbling to find a reply.Ā āIā¦Iā¦th-thank you.ā She said softly.āIā¦I justā¦get so easily scared.ā She swallowed and looked at the floor.Ā āI justā¦I lived in the mountains away from people for so longā¦I donāt really knowā¦I justā¦people think Iām weird, and they judge me, and I feel awful, and that causes me anxiety and shy. Itās dumb, I knowā¦even if my powers are good, I donāt want to be liked for them. Iā¦want to be liked for meā¦ā Juniper actually felt her eyes well up with tears. She hadnāt really even thought about it this deeply herself until just now. She turned her head away so Pepper couldnāt see. God, she was pathetic.Ā āIā¦really, really appreciate what you said, though. That..that makes me feel better about myself.ā
When she diverted her gaze, he found herself staring at the lunchbox. It was almost completely empty. She smiled through her tears.
āSounds like youāve been around people more than me.ā Pepper commented quietly, still not understanding Juniperās point. āIf you can get past all that anxiety and muster the courage to talk to me, then youāre grossly underestimating yourself. And donāt pretend I donāt scare you senseless. Your fearās so strong youāve been giving me a migraine all weekā¦ā
Pepper winced at Juniperās self-realization. Sh-she was going through so muchā¦ So much all at onceā¦ It was like a huge weight, pressing on Pepperās body. āD-damnā¦ā Pepper managed, grimacing and wiping her clammy brow.
Her temperature had spiked.
Pepper supposed sheā¦ really hadnāt been around people this much. Not for such prolonged periods of time andā¦ not when they were going through such intense self-realization. Usually things didnāt affect her quite soā¦ intensely.Ā
However, Juniperās flash of happiness caused Pepper an emended sigh of relief. It was like a sudden calm before the impact of a hurricane.
Grumpily, she crosses her arms on the table and lay her head down. She justā¦. needed a moment.
āYouāre looking pale, Green.ā Pepper heard a voice call behind her. She didnāt even need to look up to know who it was.
āFuck off, Engarde.ā Pepper grumbled, not looking up. Luckily for Juniper, he seemed very focused on Pepper at the moment.Ā
Juniper became deeply worried about Pepper.Ā āOh gosh Iā¦Iām sorry,ā She quickly wiped her tears away, forcing a smile.Ā āUmā¦maybe itāsā¦best if I just leaveā¦I donāt want to give you migraines, thatāsā¦Iām so sorry, I didnāt mean tooā¦ā She started to get up, guilt rippling through her.Ā āI-Iāll stay awayā¦I donāt want you to be in painā¦ā She started to get up, when Matt Engardeās voice glued her in place.Ā Her eyes grew wide as he approached them. Oh noā¦oh no, please, not nowā¦
Pepper wanted to tell Juniper no, that it was fine, but of course Matt just had to screw it all up.
āLeaving so soon, string bean?ā Matt said, stretching his arm toward her and pushing her back down on the lunch bench. Pepper looked up sharply as he did that, her emerald eyes narrowing.Ā āI said fuck off Engarde. That means leaving her too.ā
āWhat?ā He said, smirking.Ā āShe your girlfriend?ā He laughed, moving to touch her again. Reflexively, Pepper grabbed his arm.Ā
The color drained right out of his face.
āNo. But since you led her to ruin my lunch, I figured she owed me a new one.ā Of course Pepper didnāt mean that, but she didnāt want him to have any reasons to harass Juniperā¦
Knowing that Pepper didnāt have it in her at the moment to use her power, she gave Matt a forceful push. Within moments he was on the ground, and Pepper had slung her backpack over her shoulder. She made direct eye contact with Juniper, offering her a small nod.Ā āAnd youā¦ Donāt think Iām through with you either.ā
Which was her way of saying that Juniper leaving was far from what she wanted.
And with that, Pepper left. It wasnāt until gym when she actually started feeling a bit better. That wasā¦
Until Engarde and a mind reader picked her for save the citizen.
Her andā¦ Juniper.
Perfect.
Juniper jolted back down in fear of Mattās touch. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. She didnāt know what to doā¦ She gasped when Pepper grabbed him, and covered her eyes when she threw him on the ground. It all happened so fast and was over in a flash. Wowā¦not only were Pepperās powers strong, but she was physically strong tooā¦ Matt skittered away, and Juniper rushed up to thank Pepper for saving her from Matt once again, but ended up standing there blinking in confusion from the girlās comment. Pepper Green was a puzzle. On the way to gym, it occurred to her that maybe Pepper meant she didnāt want her to leave her alone like Juniperād saidā¦and a smile tickled onto her lips.Ā She was a puzzle, yes, but wellā¦maybe Juniper was figuring out how to put the pieces together. Gym Class. The epitome of everything Juniper disliked about this school. People, usually the asshole jocks, using their powers on each other just because. It wasnāt even real training. They usually just played āsave the citizen.ā And they were. Two teams, bad vs. evil, throwing their powers at each other to save a mannequin doll from getting crushed by the metal grinder in the middle of the room. Thankfully, she hadnāt gotten chosen to take place in this ridiculous and dangerous game yet. But of course her luck would run out eventually. This hours villian team, Matt and snooty Alita Tiala the mindreader, picked Pepper. Apparently the mishap at lunch was coming back to bite herā¦Juniper felt really bad. She should have done something moreā¦they were starting to torment Pepper more than they were tormenting her. Pepper looked like she was going to explode with anger as she put down her book and made her way toward the hero side of the arena. Some of the coaches looked concerned, and understandably so. Pepperās powers wereā¦not to be messed with, and Matt knew that. So whyā¦? āAnd we want Juniper Woods, too.ā Oh. People around her started to snicker and point at her. āOh my god!ā Juniper could hear someone saying.Ā āThe crazy chick with the girl with no powers! This is going to be hilarious.ā She sat there dazed as the gym buzzed, and she felt a kid behind her start to push her forward off her seat.Ā āCāmon! Thatās you! Go on up!ā Juniper practically fell onto the floor, stiffly making her way to stand beside Pepper. She looked up at her partner, wide-eyed, and swallowed.Ā āHi again, Pepperā¦ā She attempted to sound friendly, but she was justā¦nervous. Greatā¦just greatā¦she didnāt want to use her powersā¦not for thisā¦not nowā¦
āā¦. Unbelievable.ā Pepper sighed, rubbing her temples. She still looked quite tired and her cheeks were still flushed, but sheād made her way down to the gym floor regardless. She didnāt actually intend on playing, something she made apparent by the way she leisurely leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Engarde, almost daring him to lay a finger on her.
He didnāt. No one did.
And yet, when the game started, Pepper immediately found herself crumpling to her knees, her hands gripping her skull and her breath ragged.Ā āG-GET OUT!ā She yelled, almost screaming.Ā āFuck-! Alita!! GET OUT!!!!ā
She couldnāt deal with this. Hell, she could barely deal with her messed up head usually. But with herā¦ picking at itā¦. Dragging things out andā¦ jumbling everythingā¦
Pepper couldnāt breathe. She couldnāt see.Ā
She felt as though she was going to die.
Matt, meanwhile, was making his way towards Juniper, limbs already stretching and trying to trip her.
Juniper wasnāt expecting them to target Pepper first. The blonde girl collapsed almost instantly to the ground, screaming in agony, and Juniper was shaken up to her core. Sheād thought it impossible to take down Pepper that fast, but she supposed when it came to emotionsā¦ She couldnāt even imagine the types of memories she was reliving right now, as if they were happening to her all over again, and Juniper felt sick at the thought. Not to mentionā¦how dare they? Juniper felt a strange form of rage. Sheād grown almost fond of Pepper recently. And it was NOT okay for them to be rummaging through her thoughts and brain like it were a joke. It made her furious. Theyād done enough. Couldnāt they just leave her and Pepper alone? She rushed to Pepperās side without thinking, foolishly not bothering to keep an eye on Matt, and he tripped her to the floor with his elastic arms before she could reach her. Her face hit the ground hard with a loud WHACK. A roar of laughter erupted from the spectators, Mattās friends, she presumed, and dizzily got to her feet. Her anger worsened, and thatās when she knew, she had no choice. There was no way she was going to be able to hold herself back. She had trouble controlling her powers at times. She had difficulty growing certain plants. But when she got angry, sometimes they would burst out and she couldnāt do anything about it. Her getting this angry was rare, but it did happen. Could that be why she had such strong sympathy toward Pepper and her own emotional issues? Either way, the minute she was on her feet and her spine went straight, a trickle of blood slipping down her top lip from the impact with the floor, a thorny vine shot through the gymnasium floor and constricted itself around both Alita and Matt like a giant snake. It slammed them against the wall and held them there, and Alita let out a wheeze It held her around the neck, while it had gone even farther and wrapped itself around Mattās entire face, leaving only his gasping mouth in the open. Juniper was shocked and terrified of her own power and shrunk back, the vine falling back as well, not letting them go, but loosening itās furious grip so she would not hurt them. However, Alita had a mark around her neck already, and Matt had them all over his head too. Juniper looked away, ashamed of what sheād done. Although it was what they got from messing with the two so many times. Juniper pulled Pepper up, shaking slightly, still a bit stunned and scared by herself. She didnāt know what to say so she said, in a soft voice āSave the citizen.ā Might as well wrap this up.
Pepper was shaking violently, curled on the floor and clutching her head. Screams caught in her throat, her expression twisted with agony. It was him.
It was always him.
She felt as though she was being torn apart from the inside, her power turned right back on her as her emotional turmoil began to manifest into physical pain. Or.. perhaps it was a memory. Perhaps it was all in her head. Perhaps she was insane. Losing it. About to snap. About to die.
She couldnāt breathe. Couldnāt see. Everything Juniper did went completely unnoticed. That was, until the torment very abruptly ended, the blonde suddenly hyperaware of her own audible hyperventilating.
Of the pain of others. She felt anger. Fear. Regret. Andā¦ was that pride? Determination?
She managed to look up, emerald eyes brimmed with tears. Her coldness had gone. Her intimidation.
Pepper Green looked so vulnerable.
Juniper, an angel to her scattered mind, took her trembling hand, helping her up before Pepper could return to her senses. She clutched her head and shut her eyes for a moment. That was, until Juniperās words registered.
Save the citizen
All this for some game. All this painā¦ all this trauma.. and for what? It was a perfect metaphor, wasnāt it? Even if Pepper saved a citizen, even ten, even a thousand, she would still have to endure these abuses. She would still be the daughter of a villain. That would always act as an excuse for mistreatment.
Anger fueled her quick recovery as she charged at the doll and grabbed it, pulling it out of harms way. Out of harms way, that was, until she chucked the doll as Alita, who was struggling to her feet, and hit her square in the head and causing her to lose her footing.
āThereās your citizenā¦ā Pepper managed, still shaking horribly, before turning and leaving the gym.
Her and Juniper had broken a record. The fastest time a citizen had been saved in the schoolās history. And Juniper was just a freshman! Granted, one who everyone had grossly underestimated, but a freshmen all the same. And now they were the talk of the school, werenāt they? The little sidekick turned hero and the resident psychopath reduced to a crumpled heap on the ground.
Pepper wasnāt in their shared class. Noā¦ Sheād tried to hide in the detention room for some peace and quiet, to try to escape the noise, but Principal Darklaw had ended up catching her and sending her to the nurses office. Despite their relatively estranged relationship, Pepper supposed Darklaw was the closest thing she currently had to a parental figures. At times like these, Principal Darklaw was actually very protective and helpful.Ā
Now Pepper lay in a cot with a damp cloth on her forehead, cheeks flushed brightly and eyes shut tightly. As a result of everything, her temperature had spiked dramatically. A bottle of prescribed anxiety pills lay next to her glasses on the table beside her, the power surprising bracelet, for once, something she was very grateful to be wearing.
She took deep, steadying breaths, attempting to block it all out. Conceal it. Bury it. Forget forget forget. She tried to think of anything but her father, finally fixing on the curious brunette who had gone against her very moral code to help her. New traveled fast, of course. Pepper had even heard that Juniper was being moved to Hero statusā¦
She had just lulled into some vague state of rest when the door opened, tired emerald eyes opening to see-
The blurry form of a familiar friend.
Friend. Pepper liked to think she was using the term loosely. That it was merely a slip. Then againā¦ perhaps Juniper was a friend, in some vague sense of the word. In any case, Pepper supposed she owed Juniper her thanks.
āā¦. Juniā¦per.ā She ventured slowly, finding herself sounding much weaker than she had hoped.
An accurate reflection of how she felt.
The room was in completely stunned silence after Save The Citizen was over. Theyād done it really fast, yes, broken the record. But Juniper couldnāt really bring herself to care that much. She watched as Pepper walked out of the room, the bell ringing a short moment after, and thatās when the cheering began. Some girls came over to compliment her, a group of boys chanted her name, while the rest just buzzed. But...sheād never seen Pepper that weak. That was the only thing on her mind. Pepper...was different than people thought, wasnāt she? Shortly after Juniper got called into the office, and found out her class schedule was being switched. She was getting moved to Hero class. Thatās when it really sunk in for her how the school must have changed tunes about their feelings on Juniper. She was shocked, thankful, yet, she wasnāt happy about it. This is exactly why Juniper hadnāt wanted to reveal her powers in the first place. People liked her for her powers now. Not for who she was. Not because she saved Pepper. Because she broke the sport record. Her first hero class was that afternoon, and it was a little intimidating. They actually had her learning about hero weaponry, instead of just the right time to pass it to your hero. She had to get a lot of help to catch up on the lesson, but it wasnāt that hard to find people who were willing to give her notes and advice. They were nice to her now, of course. Juniper felt too sad to read the notes. She was still picturing Pepperās crumpled figure. Near the end of class, she asked to go to the restroom, but she didnāt go there. She went to see Pepper in the nurseās office. Not surprisingly, she was in a lot of pain still after earlier. As she entered the room, she saw Pepper lying there, without glasses, eyes red, with 4 pillows and a bottle of anti-anxiety pills on the table next to her, the same brand Juniper got. Yes. Pepper was a lot different than people thought. She supposed she knew her a bit now, though. Thought of her as...a friend, even. Maybe. āHi...ā She replied vacantly. āHow are you feeling?ā
