The Anklebiters
Nothing Good Can Last
Hayley’s eyes wandered toward the famous table that belonged to Jack Barakat at lunch one day. She was sauntering down the aisles with Tay, the brunette eating her French fries off her tray as she shot cold glares at the people staring at them. Hayley would’ve been doing the same thing, but she was distracted by a certain sight.
There seemed to be more people sitting at Jack’s table.
She had been noticing this over the past week. It seems as if there were two more people sitting there each passing day. It intrigued her, because what was so special now that wasn’t there three weeks ago?
“What’s going on with Jack’s table?” She asked.
Tay shrugged. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
Hayley let out a hmmph as they approached the table and sat in their usual seats. Jenna reached over and plucked a fry from Tay’s tray, causing the brunette to sigh. “Check out Barakat’s table,” Hayley muttered to no one in particular.
Jenna glanced up as Taylor spun in her seat, seeing the insane amount of people laughing and crowding around the lunch table. Hayley noticed the way Taylor’s hand clenched around her fork and she suddenly stabbed the utensil into her salad. Some dressing spilled over the sides of her tray, causing the rest of the Anklebiters to flinch at their leader’s anger.
Taylor turned back around, her face as red as a tomato. “That little mutt is planning something,” she growled and took a bite of her lunch.
Jenna stood from her seat, starting to crack her neck and knuckles. “I’ll go find out what it is.”
“No,” Tay grabbed for the green-haired girl’s arm. “Don’t start anything. It’s the last thing we need.”
“But we do need to figure out what he’s planning.” Hayley added. “It’s starting to irritate me.”
“Lucky for us that you’re lab partners with the new kid in his group,” Taylor grinned.
Hayley raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Talk to him; find out stuff,” Taylor suggested. “Tay said he likes talking to you. Use that to find out stuff.”
Tay frowned. “Well, don’t use hi―”
“No,” Taylor cut in, shooting Tay a look, “use him to the fullest extent, okay?” She glanced at Hayley, who after hesitating, nodded. “Lost the battle, win the war?”
“Lost the battle, win the war,” Hayley sighed with a nod.
Ash and Abi arrived at the table, giving confused looks to the rest of the girls. “Explanation to Jack’s sudden popularity?” Ash threw out, taking a seat.
Taylor smirked, her sharp teeth shining. “Hayley will find out soon.”
---
Hayley scooted her chair closer to Alex’s once Mr. Brenn allowed people to help each other. He had given them a lab sheet, asking to double up and measure screws with their bolts and put it into a stoichiometry problem. Hayley completely ignored the project, because she needed to get down to deeper problems, or Taylor would kill her. Sometimes the Anklebiters really did come first.
Alex picked up the scale in front of them to measure a screw. “So, I think we should―”
“Hey, can I ask you something?” She interrupted.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
She pulled out her notebook, recording the amount of grams of one screw. “What’s up with all the new people at your table?”
“You noticed, huh?” He laughed, and stopped immediately when he saw she wasn’t. “I don’t really understand it, but it started happening ever since I went out for the Fall football season.”
She raised her brow as he wrote down some information they would need for the problem. “Why did you decide to do that?”
He glanced at her for a second, growing suspicious. Why was she asking so many questions? Was she asking for herself, or for all of the Anklebiters? Why did she need to know this information, and what was she going to do with it? He didn’t have much to say, but whatever it was, it seemed important to her.
He finally shrugged. “Jack said I looked like I’d be good for football.”
She furrowed her brow, looking down at her notebook and returning back to the project. He didn’t give her much, and the information he did totally left her hanging. Why did Jack suddenly want Alex to go out for the Fall football season? What was he planning to use Alex for? Three weeks ago, Jack Barakat and his crew were nothing, and now with Alex in the picture, people were suddenly savaging to sit with them.
Unless …
Unless Jack is using Alex’s athletic skill to increase his clique’s popularity since none of the others, including himself, can play sports, Hayley’s thought clicked in her head. It makes perfect sense: if you’re in with the football players, you’re wanted by everyone.
Hayley smiled at her new found realization, but it soon faded as a new thought popped in her head: Shit. That’s not good.
Notes
Sorry for the short chapter, but I've finally caught up and released new chapters for my stories after being gone for a few days, which is good!
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Rock on \m/
Haha, wait a minute, hold up. HOLD UP.
I started reading this story, thinking it was your other story I have yet to read with multiple installments... and then I just got to this last update, realizing I confused the stories the whole time AND THIS WAS NEVER FINISHED. UGH.
OMG. This story though...
This story is seriously amazing. Very John Tucker Must Die, but different. I've seen people take that plot and incorporate it with an ATL story before, but this story is definitely different with it; not as much of a direct influence, but kind of a similar thing going on, and able to stand alone on its own and be great. I'm really bummed that this was never continued; you're a really talented writer and I'm itching to know how this would have ended now. Especially considering I was thrown for a loop since I mixed it up with the other story, ugh! SO FRUSTRATING.
I hope maybe you still get on here, or get notifications, or are just able to see this comment... I see another person commented around a month ago, so you definitely still have readers!
That being said, I know that life can be hell with hecticness and just reality and so... that seemed to be catching up with you in your last author's note. I hope everything is okay with you. Even if this story isn't ever continued, I hope at the very least, you're still writing on your own time... you definitely have a knack for it.
And as Taylex_Jarkarth said... this story made me feel weird things as well. Maybe butterflies? Hayley's emotions definitely transpired through me as a reader; whatever she was feeling, I was feeling. You conveyed her as a very relatable character, and I commend you for that. I'm just bummed that things had to go down the way they did. :/ I'm just wondering how you planned to end it all, now. lol. I have faith that Alex still loves her, and if he knew the full truth (and Hayley plucks up the courage to tell him how she truly feels and how it changed for her), there may be chance for reconciliation. But idk. What she did was pretty big, so it's hard to tell and you honestly can't blame him for being angry. But I'm an optimist, lol.
How did I confuse the multiple installment stories. Ugh. I guess I would've had to reach the end of what you had eventually. XD But it just frustrates me that there isn't more to read!
But anyway, you are seriously an amazing writer, and I just wanted to let you know that. This story had me in with just the first chapter. Even though it's been a minute, I have faith that you could come back to it; I've seen other authors do so before. :) I will be here to read and leave feedback if you do, for sure.
7/2/17