Description: Young Jennifer and Needy face "evil" for the first time. A bully is tormenting Needy on the playground. Does Jennifer care enough to help her friend?

Note: This fic contains some mild femslash and some lite violence.

Credit where credit is due: Jennifer and Needy created by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody.

Everything is fictitious.

The Rock and the Unconquered Sun

by Diablo Priest

Part II

Two days later, Needy was alone and climbing on the monkey bars when Ruby, Dina, and a few other kids appeared. Ruby had a matte gray complexion, and she seldom smiled. When she did, her mouth was crooked and deformed. Dina was not unattractive, but she had a sooty look about her. The girls were mean.

"Lezzies aren't allowed on the monkey bars," Ruby said to Needy. "Get lost!"

"Yeah, loser," Dina added in a hateful tone.

"Am not a loser," Needy protested after jumping to the ground.

"You are too," Ruby said. "And I say you're not wanted here."

"You can't make me go," Needy said with a quivering voice.

"There's no teacher around," Ruby said. "So I can do what I want."

And she shoved Needy.

Needy turned away but, instead of retreating, reached for a bar to start climbing again. Ruby pushed her to the ground, the violence knocking Needy's glasses off her face.

Needy shrieked, and the other kids wailed in delight.

"Hey!" It was Jennifer. "Stop picking on Needy!"

"Says who?" Ruby challenged.

"It's wrong," Jennifer proclaimed.

Ruby was silent. Thinking that a victory, Jennifer turned to help her friend get up. However, Ruby would not give up that easily. She pushed Jennifer hard into the dirt by the ladder. Needy cried out again as Jennifer hit the hard ground beside her. Jennifer fell awkwardly, her elbow jamming into her stomach.

This time, the other kids laughed not. This was not the proper scene in the script for Jennifer. She was the star, the Queen of the school. Not only was Jennifer at the peak of the playground's social pyramid, but the teachers hoped for Jennifer's Grace too; for if Jennifer paid attention in class the other kids would as well. However, if Jennifer passed notes during class, all the students wanted to receive a memo from the Queen; and none cared what the teacher was saying. Needy, Ruby could molest; Jennifer, she could not. And the other kids knew this, not by instruction, but by instinct.

The script was re-written. Always other kids did what Jennifer wanted. Not Ruby. As Jennifer, the wind knocked out of her, lay gasping for air, Ruby declared:

"Lezzies aren't welcome here, Jennifer Check."

Then Ruby kicked the defenseless dark-haired girl. The other kids were silent with shock — Ruby had crossed the line from being the playground's petty thug to the playground's aspirant regicide.

No one could do that to Jennifer. Needy jumped to her feet and stood protectively over Jennifer.

"Stop that!" Needy shouted bravely.

"Who's gonna stop me?"

Needy was silent, and she trembled slightly.

"Get out of my way," Ruby ordered.

"I won't!" Needy's little voice thundered defiantly.

Ruby pushed Needy; but Needy wasn't going down again. Defensively, she grabbed a hold of Ruby's T-shirt with her little fist and held on.

Ruby punched Needy. The blow struck her left temple.

"Get out of my way," the bully snorted.

"I won't!"

Ruby punched Needy again upside her head. Tenaciously, Needy held on. A third time, Ruby punched Needy. With each blow to her head, Needy saw sparks; but she ad‐libbed — she wouldn't fall down.

It was over. Ruby, her violence weakened by spirited resistance, twisted free of Needy's grasp and lumbered away, grunting like a deranged baboon. Before she followed, Dina hissed at Needy:

"Loser!"

Jennifer struggled to her knees and caught her breath. Then she picked up Needy's glasses, stood up, and handed them to Needy who was watching the other kids go.

"Are you all right, Needy?"

The blonde girl nodded.

"You're my Rock!" Jennifer exclaimed triumphantly.

"Cuz my skull is hard as one," Needy replied.

The friends giggled.

The other kids had drifted away in different directions. Normally fastidious, Jennifer who was still dusty from falling in the dirt, threw her arms around Needy.

"You are," Jennifer whispered in Needy's ear, "the best lezzie in the whole wide world!"

[The End]

Thanks to Captain Crunch, Sky, Aftermath Man, and Famaniel for the comments and encouragement.