bantha_fodder | [fic] turn out to be [pretender]

Turn Out to Be, two hundred words of young!Jarod, for

saeva, because she's feeling quite wretched.
I know a double drabble doesn't deserve a title, but I hate leaving things untitled, so.

The snip of scissors above his head is slightly disconcerting, and he fidgets. "Hold still," Miss Parker mutters. His hair rests about his ears and over his eyes, and he hates it: hates that Sydney will never let him cut it, and hates that his mother isn't there to scold him for growing it out. So he holds his breath as Miss Parker cuts, her grip unsteady and her attention on his wayward hair.

He hears the tread of footsteps down the hall, and he pushes her away. "Someone's coming," he hisses, and she ducks back out the way she came, through the pipe that never gets used.

When Sydney frowns, Jarod hates himself, but it's worth it when Mr Raines huffs, says, "He's just rebelling. Ignore him," and stomps away down the hall.

Sydney shakes his head. "You need to be more careful, Jarod," he says, and eyes the scissors on the table. "Mr Raines would like to see you punished."

"I think it suits you," Miss Parker says, later. She's crawled back through the pipe and her dress is all dirty, and he's only fifteen years old but she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

He smiles.