A/N: First chapter of my long-awaited story, Of Stripes and Spots. I feel obliged to tell you from the start, however, that this is a very OC-centric story. It takes about six chapters just to get to any canon characters. I've got it written up to that point, so I'll be sure to update the story every day or two until I reach that point. I also feel obliged to tell you that the true inspiration of this comes from two different stories, one being from a different fandom, and the other being Light of the Jellicle Moon by M.W Roach. That's all for now, except for please read, review and all that jazz.

"Amélie! Pay attention!" Mr. Partker, the history teacher at my school, said. I jumped and turned away from the window I had been staring blankly out of. I had been fantasizing – again – about Mistoffelees and me dating again. For the past year or so I had been obsessed Andrew Lloyd Webber's amazing musical, Cats, and I spent most time, both in school and out of it, fantasizing about the various characters.

"Of course, Mr. Parker," I said, trying to hide the sarcasm in my voice. Mr. Parker sighed and walked over to my desk.

"Amélie, Amélie. Get your head out of the clouds and pay attention. I asked you, twice, about what made segregation so bad with the apartheid system," he said as he closed the notebook sitting open on my desk. I glared up at him before sighing softly and deciding to answer the question.

"From the viewpoint of the blacks, or the whites?" I asked him.

"For the blacks, Amélie, who we've been talking about for the past day," Mr. Parker said, sounding exasperated with me, not for the first time. I flinched slightly as I heard snickers coming from the rest of the class and I looked down at my desk as I answered the question.

"It was bad because they were forced to carry cards around, which were hard to get in the first place and if they didn't have it they were sent to jail. It also split up families, and forced them to live in certain places. It was also much harder to get jobs," I said, refusing to look up at him.

"For once you got it right," he said as he started walking back to the front of the room. I hated him for this treatment he put me through. It started when we were talking about the Puritan setters at the beginning of the school year, and had continued until today, and would most likely continue until one of us was gone.

"Now, segregation affected most of the South, like in…" Mr. Parker's voice faded as I sank into another fantasy, this time where I was an assassin for Macavity. I didn't usually daydream about that sort of thing, yet now that I was feeling particularly murderous, it worked quite nicely.

"Am, the bell rang," Lillian, one of my few good friends, said.

"I know," I said absent-mindedly as I started packing my stuff up. As I finished, I slung my bag over my shoulder and started walking out of the classroom.

"Amélie? Mind if I talk to you?" Mr. Parker asked. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before deciding whether or not to answer him.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Lillian said. I nodded tersely, and she walked out, presumably to go to the theatre wing like usual. I turned around, not even attempting to hide the glare I was giving him.

"Amélie, I know you hate me, yet I'm trying to help you. I know you're not working towards your full potential. Is anythi—"

"No, Mr. Parker. Nothing's happening at home. I have to get going," I said, cutting him off. He pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

"Fine. Just know that you're barely passing this class. If you don't pass the final, you don't pass this class, understood?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"Of course I do. I'll pass the final with flying colors," I said as I walked out of campus, starting the trek across the campus to the theatre department. It was my favorite place in this school, considering most of my friends were part of the theatre department.

"Hey, Am, we're eating up on the grid today," David said as I walked into the large theatre.

"Why? We only eat in the back hallway," I said running through the callender of events in my head for what could be happening in the smaller theatre that would take up the hallway.

"That school performance is running late and tech's up there, so we figured we would save the walk up there later and just eat up there," he replied. I sighed, looking up at the grid about eighty feet up into the air, and I started walking over to the stairs to head up there.

"You're actually going to eat up there?" David asked me as we started walking up.

"Might as well if tech class is going to be up there," I said, refusing to look down. It was a well – known fact that I was one of the few techies who was scared of heights.

"You're actually up here, Am?" Lillian asked, looking up as David and I walked onto the grid.

"Yes, Lil, I'm actually up on the grid. Willingly, also," I said, smiling slightly as I sat down between her and the railing. Even though my slight phobia wasn't as bad as it had been in years past, I still didn't trust the foot-wide gap in the grid. Lillian smiled, nodding and we continued eating our lunch.

"Hey, Am, can I talk to you?" Jonathan, a senior who was probably one of the nicest boys I had met in a long time, and just happened to be the crown jewel of the theatre wing. I stood up, forgetting about unlocking my locker to get my clarinet out, and nodded.

"Of course, Jonathan. What do you want?" I asked him, part of me wondering why he was talking to insignificant me. I had been crushing on him since freshman year, three years ago, yet I never actually had been able to work up the courage to tell him. Of course, it never really helped that the only time boys were nice to me was when they were doing so on a bet or on dares from their friends.

"Amélie, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be out of the country for a few months, if not years. I'm not actually not sure how long I'll be gone for," he said. I looked up at him, slightly confused.

"Where are you going to be, then? And what happened to SoU?" I asked him, trying to figure out when SOU was out of the country.

"Well, I decided to go straight into acting, rather than going to school to study acting. I wanted to tell you first so that you didn't worry when I wouldn't come back. I know how much you like me," he replied.

"You do?" I asked, my eyes growing slightly wide. I didn't think I had made it that obvious that I liked him. He nodded slightly. "When are you leaving then?" I asked him softly, looking down at my feet.

"A few days after graduation, right after my graduation party," he said. I looked up at him, slightly shocked.

"So soon?" I asked, not quite able to keep the sadness out of my voice, despite trying.

"It's best. I'd have more time to get settled in and find a job," he said. He looked almost guilty as he said those words. I closed my eyes and knelt down to my band locker, quickly unlocking it.

"Well then, I hope you do well," I said stiffly. I heard him sigh behind me and I saw a small, silver chain come around my neck, a small crystal in the center.

"I wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday. Granted, I had hoped that I would be able to give you something else, yet I don't think you'd like that right now," he said softly as he hooked the necklace together. I turned slightly, looking up at him.

"You don't have anything else in your hands though," I asked, slightly confused. He smiled gently, and kissed my cheek softly. "Why did you do that?" I asked him, slightly mad that he was leaving after suddenly kissing me.

"You seemed to like me a lot. I figured you would like it," he said, shrugging slightly.

"Yet…yet…you're going to leave soon!" I said, searching his face for some sign that this was just some cruel joke he was playing on me. I'd be able to accept that easier than him actually liking me, yet deciding to leave anyways.

"Am, please don't get all depressed again," he said softly as his eyes darkened slightly. "I know I'm going to leave, yet please, don't get depressed. I wouldn't be able to live with myself then."

"Again? How did you know I was depressed before?" I asked him, again confused slightly as to how he knew that about me.

"I noticed you start to wear long-sleeved shirts, and I saw a couple of lines on your wrist," I absent-mindedly rubbed my wrist slightly, "not to mention you just seemed lifeless," he finished. I looked down, slightly ashamed that he had seen my cuts. The scars had long-since faded—scars never lasted long for me—yet I still was on a knife's edge between normalcy and suicidal depression.

"Oh…Thank you for the necklace, Jonathan," I said, glancing back at him.

"It's nothing. I figured since I forgot about your sweet sixteen last year, I'd give you something nice this year," he said, shrugging slightly.

"Thank you, again," I said softly.

"You're welcome. Listen, Am, I have to get going, yet I'll see you later, 'kay?" he said, taking a few steps away from me. I nodded and he walked back into the theatre department, probably to go rush off to talk to the theatre teacher or something. Leaning back against the wall of lockers, I sighed deeply.

"Really? You just had to notice me the day before you graduate?" I asked to no one in particular. Sighing again, I slung my backpack onto my shoulders, picked up my clarinet, and started walking out of the school building.

"I'm home, Mom," I called as I dropped my backpack at the door and started walking up the stairs.

"Come back down here, Amélie," I heard my mom say. Barely concealing a sigh, I turned around and walked back down the stairs and over to her.

"Yes?" I asked, sounding annoyed.

"You're barely passing your classes. If you fail even one, you're going to be punished," she said. I nodded tersely and turned to walk back upstairs. "You know, if you spent even half of the time on your school work as you did on your stupid fanfiction, you'd be passing your classes with a 4.0!" she said harshly. Rolling my eyes, I started walking back up the stairs. She continued ranting as I walked into my room, and I closed it, being sure to lock the two locks before I booted up the computer.

Logged on: Broadway, Half-Mask, My_Hero, Boheme, Straps

I opted to call myself Broadway online, considering I loved too many musicals to just pick one. Despite knowing none of these people in reality, I still considered them to be good friends of mine.

Half-Mask: Hey there, 'Way. How are you this fine day?

Broadway: It's a fine day? O_o…not really over here. Parents are harping on grades and such.

Boheme: Mine always did before I went on to college…

My_Hero: Lucky! I still have four years until I can get into college.

Boheme: lol. I've got a ton of work though. Speaking of which, I'll be working tomorrow, so I won't be on.

Straps: You're not going to be on?*sob*

Broadway: Calm down straps…it's only one day

Straps: But…but…

Boheme: We have the weekend though!

Half-Mast: It's going to get better when we're all off school…

My_Hero: Yep. Much better.

Broadway: Boheme, I'm not going to be on this weekend. I've got stuff that I don't think I can weasel out of…

As the conversation melted into various aspects of random chat – speak, I started working on some stories I had been writing and some last-minute studying. I diddn't spend nearly as much time stydying though, considering I usually tested pretty well. I did spend quite a bit of time writing down various drabbles of daydreams that I liked. For some reason unknown to me, several people on Fanfiction liked reading my random daydreams and stories I would write, and would read them almost religiously. They were the true reason as to why I pulled out of my depression.

"Dinner, Amélie," my dad called from downstairs. I saved the document, locking the computer, and walked downstairs to eat something quickly.

"It's nice to see you join us for once," my mom said. I nodded, and sat down at the table.

"How was school?" my dad asked, trying to keep up the semblance of a normal family and the fighting from starting quite yet.

"It was fine. Nothing much happened. Finals and the last day is tomorrow, so that's nice," I replied.

"That's good. Don't forget to pack your bag tonight," he said. I looked over at him, slightly confused.

"Bag? Why?" I asked.

"We're going to your grandparents. Don't you remember that? It's been planned for a year now," he replied.

"Yet Jonathan's graduation party is this weekend!" I said, not believing that my parents wouldn't let me go to that.

"So? You're still going to your grandparents, and that's final," my mom said. I finished eating quickly in silence before storming upstairs, deciding to lose myself in a book. It wasn't right that I don't get to go to Jonathan's graduation party. Wasn't right at all.