Rina Meets High School: Entry 1
OOC: I hope to do an entry every week or two regarding the mundane happenings of Rina's high school life. This is for my writing enjoyment and is not required reading for anyone. I just thought you might enjoy it. Also it is OOC knowledge only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
--
IC: Rina briskly walks down the crowded hall crawling with snot-nosed, pimple-faced teenagers with a steely step. She wants to be here, yes, but she didn't realize just how many kids there would be. She's anxious to attend her biology class, and lucky for her, it's her first hour. But before that, she pushes her way through the crowd to reach her locker, and tests it like Sam showed her, right - left - right - and pops it open. Okay, she's got a safe place to store stuff when she doesn't need it. She pops a pink mirror into it and slams it shut. Then she fights her way through the crowd to the girls bathroom. She has seen from countless movies that the school bathroom is where the most important socialization takes place, and she knows she has until the bell rings before she needs to start making her way to biology. She takes up a free spot in front of the mirrors and half-heartedly touches up her already perfect make up while listening closely to the other girls' conversations, soaking up every intonation and gesture.
Finally there is only herself and one other girl in the bathroom, a small, mousey girl with frizzy hair, braces, and bottlecap glasses who emerges shyly from a stall. "Does this make me look fat?" The girl nervously titters, and Rina, without knowledge of the proper response, answers, "Yes." The mousey girl blanches and looks like she might throw up, or cry, or both. "R-r-really?" She titters, and Rina nods, but there is no malice in her calculating appraisal of the girl. "You should wear higher waistbands," Rina specifies, "And less baggy material. It will accent your shape instead of hiding it." The mousey girl looks mystified, "Are you...an art student?" Her face has brightened a little at the round-about compliment. "Not me," Rina shakes her head, "I'm going to Biology." The mousey girl smiles, and her voice squeaks as she concurs, "Me too! I'm Megan by the way," and she hurries to follow Rina out the door as the bell rings.
***
Rina watches the class with wide eyes, memorizing every motion. When the teacher calls, "Tanzen, Rina Tanzen?" Rina raises her hand pertly and intones "Here," with a clear voice. She has performed accurately and no one suspects she is an interloper. The teacher continues through the list.
The class begins and most of the students are deflated to learn that this teacher is old-fashioned, believes in heavy lab work and rote memorization. Rina scans the syllabus for when they will begin dissections. The class goes on without a hitch and Rina even manages to win a begrudging grunt of acknowledgement from her teacher by answering a few tough questions.
The bell rings and Megan shyly walks beside Rina to the hall of lockers once more. "I think the teacher knows how smart you are," Megan nods as Rina checks her hair and make up, "I heard he never smiles at anybody, don't get discouraged. But you really know some stuff, did you read your textbook over the summer?" "Something like that," Rina answers cryptically, mimicking the mysterious air she has heard Rosalynn use with those she considers inferior. Another bell rings and Megan starts in a direction, expecting Rina to follow. "Don't you have Mrs. Fellows?" Rina shakes her head no. "Mrs. Mitchell," she shrugs, and a puzzled look comes over Megan's face. "But why do you have advanced Bio and remedial English?" She asks softly. "I'm not good at writing." Rina says flatly, loathe to admit any shortcoming. "Oh," says Megan apologetically. "Well, see you at lunch!" She waves encouragingly as she departs.
***
The English classroom is much rowdier, and the teacher, an inexperienced young woman, has trouble getting roll called, let alone introducing her syllabus. "Um, excuse me," she continues to insist with little result. Rina sits beside a large, greasy young man in an oversized black leather coat and all black digs who continues to try to make eyes at her. Rina, not interpretting his intention, stares instead at the girl behind her doing awkward streches in her desk chair. "What're you looking at," the haughty, scantily clad girl curls her lip in a snarl. "You." Rina answers in monotone and the darkly dressed boy snorts a chuckle at her brazen answer. The haughty girl scoffs in disgust and continues stretching, pom poms rustling in her hands. "Why are you doing that?" Rina insists, still eyeing her evenly. "Cheerleading tryouts, DUH." Answers the girl, before ignoring Rina completely. Rina leans over to the darkly dressed boy and sees he has eyeliner and nail polish on. "What's 'cheerleading tryouts'," Rina asks earnestly. The boy snorts another incredulous laugh and shakes his head, "It's for sluts and clones. You're not either of those...are you?" Rina shakes her head slowly no. "I'm Rina," she finally says. "Oscar," he tips his chin in acknowledgement.
***
In P.E. class, Rina sees the girl who was stretching, now surrounded by a horde of other girls. "Okay, okay, settle down," Calls out a loud, mannish woman with a mullet. She runs the length of her clipboard with precision and explains that this is a beginner's gymnastics class. Some of the girls groan but most seem glad to be there. They start out with an explanation of class policies and then begin a run through of the basics. The teacher asks that they pick partners for practicing a routine. All the girls pair off until Rina is left standing beside a tough, oversized looking girl with arms the size of Rina's thighs. "McConnelly, you're with Tanzen. Okay, let's go."
They begin running through the routine and Rina's grace is obvious from the first moment, whereas the other girl, whose name is Beth, is strong and powerful. She tells Rina in a casual way that she's involved in every sport the school offers, from volleyball to basketball to swim team, and she would play football if they had a girls team. Her dad's been her primary coach most of her life. Rina nods and shrugs, when she's listening, and comments softly, "I dance." "Yeah, I can tell," Beth barks appreciatively, "But you're not like those other girls." She motions to the group of giggling, skinny girls wiggling over yonder. "You just transfer here?" Beth asks, and Rina nods. "Yeah, if you wanna join any of the sports teams, just let me know. My dad practically owns this place, and I'm guaranteed a scholarship so." And Rina nods politely.
***
It's finally lunch hour, and Megan flags Rina down to an empty table. A geeky, freckle-faced boy sits with them, and Megan introduces him, "Rina, this is Paul. He was in our Bio class too." Paul reaches out his hand eagerly to shakes Rina's tenative one. "Wow, you really know your stuff. I was in Germany with my dad this summer and --" Paul is interrupted by the ominous presence of Oscar looming behind Rina. He allows Paul to swallow the fear in his throat before sitting protectively next to Rina. Megan widens her eyes huge, then coughs politely. "Hey." Oscar nods to Megan, then glares at Paul. Rina seems oblivious to the politics at work. Then Beth joins the table, slamming down her tray and growling at Oscar. "What're you doing here, fuckface?" Oscar scowls, and Beth just rolls her eyes. "Eat me, pussyboy. Can't find your mommy?" Megan and Paul looks white as sheets as Beth and Oscar continue to hurl retorts. Rina interrupts as smooth as ice, "Beth, this is my friend Oscar. Oscar, this is my friend Beth. She's not a slut or a clone," Rina says carefully, and they both reach a begrudging truce of silence. "What were you saying about Germany?" Rina coos sweetly, buttering her bread roll with precision. Megan can't help but smile in wonder.
--
IC: Rina briskly walks down the crowded hall crawling with snot-nosed, pimple-faced teenagers with a steely step. She wants to be here, yes, but she didn't realize just how many kids there would be. She's anxious to attend her biology class, and lucky for her, it's her first hour. But before that, she pushes her way through the crowd to reach her locker, and tests it like Sam showed her, right - left - right - and pops it open. Okay, she's got a safe place to store stuff when she doesn't need it. She pops a pink mirror into it and slams it shut. Then she fights her way through the crowd to the girls bathroom. She has seen from countless movies that the school bathroom is where the most important socialization takes place, and she knows she has until the bell rings before she needs to start making her way to biology. She takes up a free spot in front of the mirrors and half-heartedly touches up her already perfect make up while listening closely to the other girls' conversations, soaking up every intonation and gesture.
Finally there is only herself and one other girl in the bathroom, a small, mousey girl with frizzy hair, braces, and bottlecap glasses who emerges shyly from a stall. "Does this make me look fat?" The girl nervously titters, and Rina, without knowledge of the proper response, answers, "Yes." The mousey girl blanches and looks like she might throw up, or cry, or both. "R-r-really?" She titters, and Rina nods, but there is no malice in her calculating appraisal of the girl. "You should wear higher waistbands," Rina specifies, "And less baggy material. It will accent your shape instead of hiding it." The mousey girl looks mystified, "Are you...an art student?" Her face has brightened a little at the round-about compliment. "Not me," Rina shakes her head, "I'm going to Biology." The mousey girl smiles, and her voice squeaks as she concurs, "Me too! I'm Megan by the way," and she hurries to follow Rina out the door as the bell rings.
***
Rina watches the class with wide eyes, memorizing every motion. When the teacher calls, "Tanzen, Rina Tanzen?" Rina raises her hand pertly and intones "Here," with a clear voice. She has performed accurately and no one suspects she is an interloper. The teacher continues through the list.
The class begins and most of the students are deflated to learn that this teacher is old-fashioned, believes in heavy lab work and rote memorization. Rina scans the syllabus for when they will begin dissections. The class goes on without a hitch and Rina even manages to win a begrudging grunt of acknowledgement from her teacher by answering a few tough questions.
The bell rings and Megan shyly walks beside Rina to the hall of lockers once more. "I think the teacher knows how smart you are," Megan nods as Rina checks her hair and make up, "I heard he never smiles at anybody, don't get discouraged. But you really know some stuff, did you read your textbook over the summer?" "Something like that," Rina answers cryptically, mimicking the mysterious air she has heard Rosalynn use with those she considers inferior. Another bell rings and Megan starts in a direction, expecting Rina to follow. "Don't you have Mrs. Fellows?" Rina shakes her head no. "Mrs. Mitchell," she shrugs, and a puzzled look comes over Megan's face. "But why do you have advanced Bio and remedial English?" She asks softly. "I'm not good at writing." Rina says flatly, loathe to admit any shortcoming. "Oh," says Megan apologetically. "Well, see you at lunch!" She waves encouragingly as she departs.
***
The English classroom is much rowdier, and the teacher, an inexperienced young woman, has trouble getting roll called, let alone introducing her syllabus. "Um, excuse me," she continues to insist with little result. Rina sits beside a large, greasy young man in an oversized black leather coat and all black digs who continues to try to make eyes at her. Rina, not interpretting his intention, stares instead at the girl behind her doing awkward streches in her desk chair. "What're you looking at," the haughty, scantily clad girl curls her lip in a snarl. "You." Rina answers in monotone and the darkly dressed boy snorts a chuckle at her brazen answer. The haughty girl scoffs in disgust and continues stretching, pom poms rustling in her hands. "Why are you doing that?" Rina insists, still eyeing her evenly. "Cheerleading tryouts, DUH." Answers the girl, before ignoring Rina completely. Rina leans over to the darkly dressed boy and sees he has eyeliner and nail polish on. "What's 'cheerleading tryouts'," Rina asks earnestly. The boy snorts another incredulous laugh and shakes his head, "It's for sluts and clones. You're not either of those...are you?" Rina shakes her head slowly no. "I'm Rina," she finally says. "Oscar," he tips his chin in acknowledgement.
***
In P.E. class, Rina sees the girl who was stretching, now surrounded by a horde of other girls. "Okay, okay, settle down," Calls out a loud, mannish woman with a mullet. She runs the length of her clipboard with precision and explains that this is a beginner's gymnastics class. Some of the girls groan but most seem glad to be there. They start out with an explanation of class policies and then begin a run through of the basics. The teacher asks that they pick partners for practicing a routine. All the girls pair off until Rina is left standing beside a tough, oversized looking girl with arms the size of Rina's thighs. "McConnelly, you're with Tanzen. Okay, let's go."
They begin running through the routine and Rina's grace is obvious from the first moment, whereas the other girl, whose name is Beth, is strong and powerful. She tells Rina in a casual way that she's involved in every sport the school offers, from volleyball to basketball to swim team, and she would play football if they had a girls team. Her dad's been her primary coach most of her life. Rina nods and shrugs, when she's listening, and comments softly, "I dance." "Yeah, I can tell," Beth barks appreciatively, "But you're not like those other girls." She motions to the group of giggling, skinny girls wiggling over yonder. "You just transfer here?" Beth asks, and Rina nods. "Yeah, if you wanna join any of the sports teams, just let me know. My dad practically owns this place, and I'm guaranteed a scholarship so." And Rina nods politely.
***
It's finally lunch hour, and Megan flags Rina down to an empty table. A geeky, freckle-faced boy sits with them, and Megan introduces him, "Rina, this is Paul. He was in our Bio class too." Paul reaches out his hand eagerly to shakes Rina's tenative one. "Wow, you really know your stuff. I was in Germany with my dad this summer and --" Paul is interrupted by the ominous presence of Oscar looming behind Rina. He allows Paul to swallow the fear in his throat before sitting protectively next to Rina. Megan widens her eyes huge, then coughs politely. "Hey." Oscar nods to Megan, then glares at Paul. Rina seems oblivious to the politics at work. Then Beth joins the table, slamming down her tray and growling at Oscar. "What're you doing here, fuckface?" Oscar scowls, and Beth just rolls her eyes. "Eat me, pussyboy. Can't find your mommy?" Megan and Paul looks white as sheets as Beth and Oscar continue to hurl retorts. Rina interrupts as smooth as ice, "Beth, this is my friend Oscar. Oscar, this is my friend Beth. She's not a slut or a clone," Rina says carefully, and they both reach a begrudging truce of silence. "What were you saying about Germany?" Rina coos sweetly, buttering her bread roll with precision. Megan can't help but smile in wonder.