New friends

Who: Isabelle and Jessalyn
When: After cheerleading practice
Where: MSHS gym

For all that the popular blonde cheerleader thing Isabelle had going on was just an act, she did actually enjoy parts of cheerleading. Wearing tiny skirts and cheering on the boys wasn't part of it, but the gymnastics and stunting parts required balance, grace, athleticism, and rhythm, and she enjoyed testing herself with newer, bigger tricks. That had been the goal for this practice - working on their stunts and tumbling for the competitions that typically ran after the end of football season. Being tiny, Isabelle was always her stunt group's flyer, and being strong and flexible made her the best. It was, of course, part of the plan - being the best made it easy to take over, and she'd nearly rousted Chrissy Chapman from her spot as captain already. Without using any number of secrets she'd discovered during her short stint on the team. They were working on basket tosses today, and Isabelle was becoming a little frustrated. Her bases were good, but weren't quite strong enough to pull off some of the really flashy tricks she'd learned at the gym back in Iron Mountain - plus some of the moves were illegal in high school cheerleading. Which meant she had to content herself with single back tucks and lateral spins as she was launched into the air.

Jessalyn had a really bad habit of watching various sporting practices that went on after school. She tended to sit in the bleachers during basketball season to watch Ransom, but with basketball quite a ways off, she found herself watching the dancers, or cheerleaders - and sometimes the football practices, if it wasn't too cold outside. Which today it was, so she stayed in the door frame of the gym, watching the girls chant and tumble about. It was really fun, as most of the girls were extremely agile. Jessalyn was graceful enough but not that graceful, so it always left her in awe that the girl's were strong enough to do half the things that they did. Every now and then Jessalyn wondered what it would be like to be a cheerleader, and she thought maybe she was cheerful enough to pull it off - but not many of the girls on the squad really liked her - half of them Jessalyn had scented - so she was content to simply watch.

Practice ended as it usually did, with each girl taking a turn down the mats throwing her favorite tumbling pass - though really, what some of these girls considered 'tumbling' was atrocious. Waving goodbye to her teammates, Isabelle headed over to where she'd dropped her gym bag near the door. She grabbed her small towel to wipe the faint sheen of sweat off her face and neck, her eye caught just then by someone standing in the doorway. She grinned at the girl, taking a swig of water from her bottle. "You can come in, you know," she said cheerfully. "I don't think anyone here is in the habit of tossing people out of a public place."

Surprised that the girl was inviting her in, Jessalyn returned the smile and stepped inside, readjusting her book bag on her shoulder. She didn't think the girls would toss her out, but she knew they didn't always appreciate being watched. "Thanks! I just don't like distracting... you're very good," Jessalyn told her. "I don't think I could do any of that without breaking something."

"I think it helps to have people watching," Isabelle said, shrugging. "After all, the point of this is to perform in front of crowds. If you flub with one person watching, you've obviously got something you need to work on." Inwardly, she was evaluating the girl. They seemed about the same age, pretty but sort of timid-looking. The kind of girl Isabelle loved to collect. "And thanks," she said, smiling warmly again. "You'd probably be surprised at what you can do. Most of it's just practice." She extended a hand to shake. "I'm Isabelle, by the way."

"But I think with crowds, you don't have to focus on just one person staring at you... there's so many people to distract you, I don't think I would get as flustered than if I saw just one person watching." Jessalyn took Isabelle's hand, pleased that the other girl was so nice and introducing herself. She smelled like sweat, but that was okay. It wasn't off putting to Jessalyn at all. "I'm Jessalyn. You must have been practicing a lot, because you're really good. You're more graceful than some of them."

"I guess people handle it different ways, then," Isabelle said, suppressing her first instinct to frown when she caught the surface thoughts from Jessalyn. She smelled like sweat? She didn't think that was something that was quite so noticeable for most people. "Thank you," she said with a smile instead, finding it interesting that Jessalyn hadn't reacted to shaking hands with her four-fingered self. "I've been doing it a long time; we had a good gym back where I used to live. I learned a lot."

Jessalyn was too busy being internally excited that this girl was being so friendly to her that she didn't even notice Isabelle was missing a finger. "I'm terrible at sports, er, or well, any gym related activities. I can run really well, but sometimes I'm just not very coordinated." Except when she shifted, then she could do just about anything - or so she liked to think. Jessalyn released Isabelle's hand, finding the urge to lift it to her nose growing increasingly harder to resist.

Isabelle's smile grew as if pleased to be making friends, but really, she was amused by the snatches of thought she was getting. Jessalyn was almost too easy to read - and that was without using her telepathy. "Different strokes and all," she said with a little laugh. "I don't really like to run. I feel like I'm all over the place when I do." What did she mean by shifting? "Are you new?" she asked. "Sorry if you're not; I am, which is why I don't know, like, hardly anyone here yet, but I guess there are a bunch of other new kids running around, too. What grade are you in?"

"Oh! That's okay, I understand. No, I'm not new, I've lived in Marquette since birth. I'm a junior. I've met a couple new people already, there seems to be a steady influx of them." Not that she's had such a great track record with them all - being yelled at and fled from was definitely a low point. "Where did you move here from?"

"Cool, we're in the same grade, then," Isabelle said, beaming. "I didn't move from far; my sister and I used to live in Iron Mountain, it's only about an hour away. Crazy that so many people seem to be moving here, though."

"Iron Mountain? Yes, that's not far away at all." Jessalyn supposed people were drawn to Marquette for a variety of reasons, some of which they might not fully understand. "I didn't think people would necessarily want to move here so close to winter, but it certainly seems to be a popular destination lately. Does your sister go to school here too?"

"I didn't think people would want to move to the area period," Isabelle joked with the familiarity of one who'd lived her whole life dealing with the harsh winters. "But I guess they see something we miss." She nodded. "She's a junior, too - her name's Medea."

"It's not so bad," Jessalyn said, defending her small, hometown with a smile. "I like it especially in the spring and summer. It's warmer, and the lake is really beautiful and there's always people roaming about. And we gets carnivals, and the circus and everything. Although they're not extravagant or anything, but at least it's something. Are you and Medea twins?"

"Half-sisters, actually," Isabelle said, letting the bits about Marquette slide. She'd more meant that she didn't know why people chose to live in Michigan. She wanted out as soon as she and Medea were able - maybe go somewhere warmer, bigger. California, maybe. Or New York. "We're about ten months apart."

Jessalyn's eyes widened briefly. "Wow, ten months? So you're practically twins. I've got a younger brother and sister... and my mom's got twins on the way." She paused, because she was sure Isabelle didn't really care. She pushed her blonde hair behind her ears. "Hopefully you guys will like living here, even if it's unbelievably cold."

"Wow, so you're going to have a big family," Isabelle commented, looking suitably impressed. "That's cool; it's just Medea and I, though I suppose it's possible we could have more siblings around somewhere, I guess." She tended to keep an eye out for people who either resembled them a little but more importantly, she looked for bracelets - it stood to reason that anyone else who was related to them in the area might even have the same kind of locket that she and Medea had. She shrugged. "We're used to the cold, and really, one small town is the same as another, right? Though Marquette has the lake, which is nice. Iron Mountain had a small lake nearby, but not like this."

She wasn't sure how she would feel if she though she had more siblings running about the country. It would be a strange feeling for sure. She and her family - and her pack mates - were all close. Even Ransom felt like a brother to her, so yes, her family was pretty big. And it was growing. "The lake is really fun. They have beach parties there in the summer, and sailing... even though it's freezing, it's still fun to roam around down there in the winter." One of Jessalyn's favorite things to do was run the shoreline when it was snowing. Her fur kept her warm enough.

"And there was the bonfire not too long ago," Isabelle added. She'd contemplated going, but decided there wasn't much she could accomplish there that she couldn't do during a more comfortable (and warmer) indoor party. "I wouldn't mind having another one of those since I missed that last one. Now that we're getting snow, though, I doubt it'll happen until spring."

"Oh, yeah..." She hadn't gone to the bonfire. Well, she hadn't been invited, but still. "I'm sure everything will be indoors until spring. But that's a lot of fun too, some people have really nice houses." Jessalyn even had a few mementos from those parties - not that anyone knew that. It was easier to take things when people were drunk and passed out. Not many people paid attention to her anyway. "I think there's going to be a few Halloween parties going on this weekend and next... you should totally go to a few, they're a lot of fun."

"Yeah, I heard about the one Kavin's having. My sister and I will probably go to that one. And one of the girls on the squad is having a little get-together, too," Isabelle said. "Are you going to Kavin's? It's Saturday, if you hadn't heard."

"Kavin? Uhm, I don't know, maybe... Gabe invited me to go for helping him with his costume..." She wasn't sure if Ransom would be going, though she doubted it because of the situation with he and Charlotte and Jessalyn wasn't sure she could hang out in a house full of Gabe's friends - most of whom didn't really seem to pay her much attention. "But I don't know if I'll know many people there."

"Well, you'll know me," Isabelle said cheerfully. "And you can always meet my sister so you'll know her. And you'll know Gabe. Besides, parties are great ways to get out and meet people new. I know," she said as if just stricken by inspiration, "you can come over before the party on Saturday and get ready with us, and we'll go together. It'll be fun." She needed a pet, anyway - an errand girl, a pushover - and this shy little Jessalyn seemed to fit the bill well.

Jessalyn's face lit up immediately at the suggestion and she bounced briefly on the heels of her feet. "That would be fun! I mean, if you're sure... I'd love to do that!" It had been a very long time since she'd been around other girls in that way, just as friends. Ransom's sisters, and her own, didn't really count. "Your sister won't mind?"

"Awesome," Isabelle said with a grin. "And no, she won't mind. We love meeting new people, and you seem really sweet." She dug out a notebook and pen from her bag. "Why don't you come by around eight or so?" she suggested as she scribbled down their address. "We can take our time getting ready and end up fashionably late." She winked. "The trick is to get there after most everyone else but before they're all drunk. That way, everyone notices you. What are you going as?"

Giggling, Jessalyn nodded and thought that was probably a brilliant idea. She was already impatiently excited for Saturday. "I guess I never thought of it like that. Thanks for inviting me over and everything, I think it'll be a lot of fun." Going to a party with someone other than Ransom definitely held appeal, mainly because they were other girls. "Thanks, Isabelle."

She hadn't answered the question, but Isabelle let it slide. Maybe she didn't know yet. "No problem," she said with a wave of her hand and a smile. "We're going to have an awesome time." She handed over the paper with their address and number. "Give me a call if you need directions or anything - that's the house phone. We don't have cells."

Another reason why Jessalyn really liked this girl - not having a cell. Jessalyn had one, but she hated it and could barely work it beyond the basics. She stuck the piece of paper into her jacket pocket, determined not to lose it. "I doubt I'll need directions, but thanks..." Jessalyn was pretty adept at finding things, and people. "Uhm, oh! Right, I'm going as Little Red Riding Hood... I'm making my own costume, actually. Do you know what you're going to be?"

"I'm going to re-use my gypsy costume from the masquerade thing at Babylon," Isabelle said. "I got lucky, but I don't think I'll find anything else as good at the thrift stores. And I suck at making my own stuff, so it's probably best if I don't try," she confessed with a grin. "That's cool that you can, though."

"Thrift stores are really great for finding things that you can like, rip apart and create into other things. Which probably doesn't make any sense." She waved her hand with a nervous smile. "Uhm, but if you ever need help making anything! I like sewing and everything so... I make a lot of my own things, I'd be happy to do it for you or your sister. But... I'll definitely be there on Saturday." Jessalyn forced herself to stop talking before she annoyed the other girl to death.

"Thanks, that's really sweet of you," Isabelle said. "I should probably get going before I'm late - homework and dinner and all that - but it was nice to meet you. I'll see you on Saturday, then." She grinned as she stood and gathered her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "I can't wait to see your costume, I'm sure it'll be way cute." This was going to be so easy.

"Sure! Totally... bye Isabelle." Jessalyn smiled and gave a small wave before turning and heading happily out of the gym to head home herself. At least she had something good to tell Ransom - this new girl had actually invited her to a party, and hadn't run off in tears. She was one for one this week. Not too bad.