A dollar short

>"Oh come on, where is it?!" -Janna grumbled in frustration, checking every pocket on her person for the loose change she was sure she had on her
>"Honey, you got enough or what? Got a line forming up behind ya" -the lunch lady informed Janna, as she turned around and noticed her predicament
>"Can you save me that sandwich please? I'll be right back!" -Janna yelled at the lunch lady as she dashed away to find Hope
>After a few minutes wandering in a zigzag pattern through the lunchroom, she finally spotted Hope sitting with Jackie, far from their usual table
>"Hey Hope, I need a dollar, do you think you could spare me a few quarters or something?" -Janna begged, skimming the ground for any change nearby
>"Aww, I'm sorry Janna, but I used the last of my lunch money on a soda. I've got a few pennies left if you want those?" -Hope offered, showing Janna five pennies in her hand
>"I've got a nickel if you need it Janna" -Jackie said, as she pulled out the coin and showed it to Janna
>"Ahh, not enough, but thanks guys..." -Janna said sadly, slumping over and sitting down in one of the unoccupied chairs
>"I..ahh...heard from Ferguson that Marco carries some extra cash on him, in case of emergencies...you could always ask him to borrow a dollar so you can get lunch..."-Hope said, as Janna's eyes lit up with something like determination
>"Thanks for that tidbit of info Hope, I'll be back soon!" -Janna said as she scrambled to find Marco
>Janna hoped that Marco was sitting where he usually did, otherwise she'd probably probably never find him in time before the lunch period ended
>Lucky for her, he was sitting right where he normally did
>With Ferguson, Alfonzo, and Star in a corner table near the back of the lunchroom
>"Heya Marco, can you do me a huge favor and let me borrow a dollar from ya? I'm short for a sandwich and it's calling my name..." -Janna asked as she reached the table and put her arm around Marco's shoulder

>Which he immediately pulled away from out of pure muscle memory
>"And why would I let you borrow a dollar Janna? What good will have you shown me in recent memory? Do you have something you can at least trade me for it?" -Marco asked, suspicious of Janna's motives and not really wanting to dig into his emergency cash stash without good reason
>"I....uhh... let me see...that one time...noo..." -Janna mumbled, straining her brain to come up with a reason, not to much avail
>"You could give me back my house keys you know..." -Marco intoned, starring at Janna as she started to get nervous
>She couldn't give him back his keys!
>She needed those if she wanted to keep up her midnight snuggle sessions with him!
>No...she had to have something else to trade him for...
>"Oh don't be so stingy Marco, just ask her for a favor in return and give her the dang dollar!" -Star said offhandedly, trying to enjoy her meal and slightly annoyed at the interruption that Janna's visit had caused
>"Yeah Marco, when a girl asks you for a favor, you can't really say no..." -Ferguson said while trying to catch the eye of a girl at a nearby table, who appeared to not want anything to do with him
>"Fine...here you go Janna...one dollar for a favor at a later date, ok?" -Marco said as he sighed, holding out the dollar for Janna to grab
>"Thanks Marco, you won't regret this!" -Janna cried happily as she hugged Marco, to his surprise and embarrassment
>20 seconds later, and Janna still hadn't ended the hug yet, as Marco started to get a little worried, not to mention he was starting to blush
>"Uh Janna? You gonna go use your new dollar or what?" -Marco asked, not sure how to handle this situation
>"Oh, yeah, right...thanks again!" -Janna mumbled as she finally separated from Marco, a slight blush starting on her face as well
>Turning around quickly, Janna made a beeline for the lunch counter
>Thankfully the lunch lady HAD held her sandwich for her

>Happy as a clam, both for her sandwich and for getting to hug Marco in public, Janna made her way back to her usual table, where Hope and Jackie were finishing their lunches
>"Arrr, the triumphant Janna returns from her perilous journey to Marco Mountain in search of buried booty" -Jackie said, laughing as Janna sat down and lightly punched her in the shoulder
>"So how did it go? I assume he gave you the dollar then?" -Hope asked, smiling as Janna tore into her sandwich with abandon
>In between bites, Janna laid out the basics of what had transpired
>Which got a few chuckles from the two girls
>"Peer pressure wins the day again! Take that individuality!" -Jackie snorted, shadow boxing the air
>"It was nice of Marco to loan her that dollar, he didn't have to give her anything really" -Hope reminded Jackie
>"Well, it wasn't really a loan, he was willing to trade a future favor for it" -Janna mentioned, to the surprise of Hope and Jackie
>"Wait, a favor? Ooohhh...be careful Janna, a woman indebted to a man a favor...that's how those sappy romance novels my mom reads tend to start..."-Jackie warned, while taking a sip of what was left of her milk carton
>"I think it's cute...don't you have a crush on Marco anyway Janna? This could work in your favor, depending on if you can convince him to give you what most boys really want..." -Hope said, blushing at the thought of the potential favors she'd ask of Marco if the situations were reversed...
>"Oh, is that your plan Janna? Get Marco alone in a dark corner and ask to exchange that favor for some private one on one tutoring in anatomy?" -Jackie said while giggling at the thought
>"That's...not a bad plan...but I've still got his house keys, so I could make my move at any time. Better to wait for him to be at home alone and let him call in that favor after I mysteriously show up in his room one night..." -Janna said, somewhat nervously

>She really didn't want them to know that she'd sorta already did so, multiple times this week in fact, just not when he was fully awake
>Well, most of him wasn't awake that was
>Just one of her dirty little secrets was all
>Janna laughed nervously, coughed, then tried to steer the conversation to somewhat safer waters without appearing to do so
>"So Jackie, what's your opinion on Marco? You two share those morning nods after all" -Janna said, somewhat curious as to what that nod every morning even signified
>"Oh, it's just a...habit I guess. He started nodding at me when we were young, so I'd return it, ya know? Just acknowledging each other I think, most of us having been going here for so long. I've honestly never really thought much about it, I figured he was being friendly..." -Jackie said, trying not to think about it too hard
>"Does he not nod at you two or something?" -Jackie asked, as both girls shook their heads
>"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he might have a crush on you Jackie." -Hope said, giggling at all this relationship talk they were having
>"Oh, maybe he does...I've never really thought about it honestly, he seems nice enough, but he's not really my type though..." -Jackie mused, fingering her seashell pendant absently
>"Thank goodness for th- I mean, ah unrequited love...so sad and all that...yeah" -Janna mumbled, hoping neither girl caught her slip up
>"Well, lunch is almost up, see you two next period" -Hope said while getting up and throwing away her trash in a nearby garbage bin, waving at the two girls as she left
>"I caught that Janna..." -Jackie said as she waved at Hope as she left, turning toward Janna with a devious smile on her face
>"If Marco starts growing a beard, I think he'd be pretty close to my type...what do you think?" -Jackie asked Janna, who wasn't sure if she was joking or not...

>"I thought you had a thing for Blake Jackie? Don't be greedy now...Marco's mine..." -Janna said, eyeing her friend/potential rival in love
>After a few tense moments, Jackie started laughing, with Janna loosening up as well
>"Oh Janna...your so cute when you get jealous. I'm kidding, Marco's all yours, provided you can pry him from Star's grasp that is." -Jackie said while she started throwing away her trash, giving Janna a wink and a quick salute, then headed out of the lunchroom to her next class
>Which left Janna alone at the table, as she quickly finished her lunch while looking in the direction of Marco's table
>"Oh well, I've got plenty of time to win Marco's heart, Star'll leave in time like all the other exchange students..." -Janna mumbled to herself, confident in her ability to win Marco over in due time