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[color=slategray][sub]Featuring: [color=fef929]Charity Spencer[/color] and [color=31ba9f]Jamie Callaghan[/color]
Location: Newspaper Room
Time: Wednesday, After school[/sub][/color][/center][hr][hr]


By the time Charity Spencer arrived at the newspaper room, she heard the printers whirring, and working hard. It was too early to print the whole paper, and Trixie would not have gotten Charity’s coverage of the party to the printers this fast. That meant somebody else was printing something, and by the time she entered the room, she knew it was Jamie before she saw him. She was glad to see him, and equally nervous about asking for his help.

[color=fef929]”Hi, Jamie. Working hard as usual?”[/color] she greeted as she strolled over to the printers and read what he had printed, turning her back to him as she read because despite what Jamie might have thought about Charity’s reaction to such a gossip-bait piece, she was actually smiling as she read it. I mean, the content of the story was bad, but the only part Charity did not already either know or suspect was the good news; Owen didn’t cheat on Trixie, and they had a chance at getting back together. Charity didn’t really know Owen, and from his reputation, didn’t want to know, but Charity had seen firsthand the effect this drama has had on Trixie.

Charity was smiling for another reason, however. These skills, and this ability to stir the pot with a mere article could rival the Weekend Warrior’s, and those were exactly the skills she would need from Jamie. Here goes nothing...

[color=fef929][b]”Hey, Jamie? Could I ask you a favour? Well, it’s more of a proposition for a story, but it’s for a friend of mine.”[/b][/color]

Jamie grinned at Charity. He liked the girl, he did. Sure, she was a bit of a Bible thumper, but she was a good writer, and she was dedicated. As someone working under him, that’s the best thing she could be. Well, someone soon to be working under him, if all went well. [color=31ba9f][b]“Ask away,”[/b][/color] he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, his blue eyes trained on the sophomore.

Charity took a deep breath to steel herself, and made sure the door was closed, before turning back to Jamie. [color=fef929][b]”Trent from the football team is blackmailing Miriam Archer into dating him. I don’t know what he’s blackmailing her with but I’d like to find out before anybody besides us hears about this. I also need help gathering any dirt on him that exists...Not what you were expecting me to ask, I know, but Miriam’s my best friend”[/b][/color]

Jamie nodded, chewing his lip as he mulled over the request. Trent was an asshole, for sure. Trent was also an asshole who played football, so that meant he packed heat, though, that hadn’t stopped Jamie before. Miriam Archer was a nice girl, and while she might not be an obvious ally, Jamie knew there was a benefit to helping everyone. Sooner or later, he’d be grateful he came to her aid. Jamie leaned forward, his posture gone from casual and laid back, to all business. 

[color=31ba9f][b]“Alright, I’m in. Find out what Trent has on Miriam, and then find a way to get him to drop it. This isn’t gonna be easy. I’m sure he knows that you and Miriam are close, so it’ll be too difficult for you to earn his trust. Nobody tells me anything unless they want it in the paper, so I can’t go either. Our best bet is someone on the football team, someone who can talk to him without it seeming suspicious,”[/b][/color] Jamie said, looking up at Charity, awaiting her response.

[color=fef929][b]”I don’t want to risk getting a football team member involved unless I’m a hundred percent sure they won’t choose team loyalty over us,”[/b][/color] Charity answered, shaking her head. [color=fef929][b]”I haven’t lost Trent’s trust yet. I think I could get him to at least divulge the information. I’m pretty sure it’s just information because if it was an object like a picture or something, Miriam would have told me he has a picture. I’ll look into who we could trust from the football team too, in case there is actually somebody.”[/b][/color]

[color=31ba9f][b]“If you say so. Just keep in mind, if he catches on to you, he’s gonna have his guard up. He might even take it out on Miriam.”[/b][/color] Jamie paused for a moment, then a grin broke out across his face. [color=31ba9f][b]“Trevor Wells. If you need someone from the team, it’s him. He’s well liked by just about everyone, and he can’t help but do the right thing. I wouldn’t tell him the whole story, but I’m confident you can figure something out. I’ll keep my ears open for anything that could help. I’m sure Trent has something we can use against him.”[/b][/color]

[color=fef929][b]”Thank you for helping. I mean it. I’m really out my comfort zone this, and I wouldn’t have known where to start.”[/b][/color] Spoke Charity, bowing her head, before looking back at the printer. [color=fef929][b]”Nice story too, though it perhaps should have focused more on Owen and Trixie than on Ophelia and Hailey. This school could use more positive stories.”[/b][/color]

Jamie nodded as Charity thanked him, and smirked as she shared her opinions on his piece. [color=31ba9f][b]“You’re probably right,”[/b][/color] he said, pausing for a moment before continuing. [color=31ba9f][b]“The school could use more positive stories, except I don’t care what the school thinks of Owen and Trixie. Gossip is a weapon, not just here, but everywhere. The student body rooting for Owen and Trixie? Who cares. The student body seeing their HOT Girls tearing each other apart? Well, that’s useful.”[/b][/color] Jamie said, shrugging. 

Charity frowned as she looked into the middle distance, before looking back to Jamie and smiling. [color=fef929][b]”I suppose why Trixie needs the both of us, and I suppose it’s also why I asked you for help. But, what do you mean, it’s useful?”[/b][/color]

[color=31ba9f][b]“Hailey has power because the rest of this school gives it to her. They see her and her lieutenants fighting though, and maybe they reconsider who they want to give their power to,”[/b][/color] Jamie said slyly. He wasn’t under any impression that he’d be next in line for the throne. If it was gonna be anyone who took Hailey’s place it would be Selena or Becca Helmsley, but either one was better than the Green Queen. 

Charity nodded, and thought to herself for several seconds, contemplating Jamie’s words. While she didn’t really agree that any good would come out of the student body seeing HOT girl infighting, after all, Hailey didn’t have her position because people thought she was a wise and benevolent queen after all, she appreciated how much power the newspaper had, and why they played the ‘gossip girl’ angle so much. It was the same reason the Weekend Warrior had become such an important part of the BHHS infrastructure, possibly as much as the paper. Words can change the way people think. Charity would use this power to try to make people get along a little better, and to keep people happy, with her articles. But she could see that there was a game in progress, in which Trixie and Jamie were players but she was not. She wasn’t even a piece. And that filled her partly with pride, but for a brief moment, that revelation annoyed her.

[color=fef929][b]”Alright, well,”[/b][/color] she finally said. [color=fef929][b]“I’ll find a way to chase up Trevor, but until then I’ll try to get close to Trent Thank you for your help, Jamie!”[/b][/color]

[color=31ba9f][b]“Any time.”[/b][/color]