This is a lot more different than middle school.
Being a freshman in high school is one of those things that seems like a big deal at first. But once it actually happens, it's really not. Maureen and Kathleen have already gone through, and now the two of them stand there in the main hall of Glen Oaks High School. The funny thing about this is that their entire family has gone there, and now it's their turn.
"Odds that people only know us because we're someone's younger siblings," says Dickie and Elizabeth looks over at him. He has already warned her off calling him by the nickname he's had since they were little, but knows she'll do it anyway, every now and then, just to annoy him.
After a moment, she shrugs. "I lose, I owe you a soda or whatever and vice versa," she says. "You're on."
They look at each other, briefly, and then walk off, towards the cafeteria, to get their official schedules, because the ones they have right now are temporary and only kept because they have the locker numbers and combinations on them. The lockers are right next to each other.
"You know, it's almost weird being here, now," Elizabeth remarks. "I mean, we haven't even gone to school here and we already know where everything is."
"Well, duh, everyone else in the family's gone here, it'd be kind of hard not to." Dickie replies. "Where are we going, again?"
"Cafeteria. We have to get the official schedules and figure out where classes are, and block scheduling, and all that other mess…I wish we were still in middle school."
"You're not the only one."
The school is not an unfamiliar one, it's just…new, so to speak. The two of them have never really thought that entering high school is that big of a deal, but before now, there'd been a question as to whether or not this would be the school they'd go to.
That, however, was because then, they had been living on the opposite end of Queens, and now, they were back at home.
"Odds that you and I will have at least one class together, and it'll take at least five minutes for the teacher to figure out that we're twins," says Elizabeth.
"Bet it'll take at least ten. Same penalty as the last one," says Dickie. "Odds that we don't have a class together, but we end up with the same teacher, different periods?"
"Better than I'd like to think about," Elizabeth replies, and knows that he knows at this point that she's just about as nervous about all this as he is.
Ridiculous, she thinks, and says nothing. There isn't anything to worry about.
The cafeteria is more crowded than not, with everyone from the new freshmen (a group which they belong to) to the seniors who have already been around for three years and will now only live to torment the underclassmen trying to get their schedules. Some people have already gotten theirs. There are conversations going on everywhere. People who like their schedule, and people who don't, friends who have classes together, and siblings giving advice on what teacher does what and who's a jerk and who's all right as far as being nice is concerned.
"Odds that we'll find some reminder that either Maureen and Kathleen or Mom and Dad have been through here," says Dickie. Elizabeth snorts.
"All you have to do is go look in the yearbook room," she says. "That's a reminder if nothing else."
"Well, yeah, but who's gonna go in the yearbook room? Neither of us are taking it this year."
"Yeah, and I'm not going to, either. Not after doing newspaper in middle school, that's the biggest pain in the neck ever."
"That's what you get for not paying attention to your deadlines."
"Oh, whatever. I think we're supposed to be on the other side of this place."
They are. Class colors have already been assigned; this year, the freshmen are blue. Elizabeth looks down at her outfit.
"Guess I have school spirit already," she says, dryly. "We'll see how long that lasts."
"Will you just walk already?" Dickie asks in reply. "You're standing in the way."
"Yeah, in your way," says Elizabeth, to be annoying, but she moves, and they end up in line.
Surprisingly, getting schedules doesn't take as long as they thought it would, and afterwards, he pokes at her.
"You owe me," he said. "That teacher asked if we were related to Maureen."
Elizabeth rolls her eyes. "Yeah, it's so hard to figure out," she says, "I mean, there've only been how many people with the name 'Stabler' through here now? Let me see yours?"
They exchange schedules. She won't admit it, and neither will he, but there is a significant amount of relief that settles over both of them when they realize that they have the first class of the day together.
"Sit by me, then," she says to him, and he nods, because while they know a lot of kids, they don't know everyone, and they figure it's best to just stay with those that they do know for the time being.
They go to class. It's seven-fifteen in the morning, and fifteen minutes until school starts. They asked to get dropped off early to avoid having to deal with the crowds, but apparently, everyone else had the same idea as well.
"You know, I think this year might not be so bad after all," Dickie remarks, "I mean, we already know where everything is, so it's not likely that we'll get lost, and we know people…"
"And we're going to be constantly reminded about our siblings, and have to build our own reputation, and deal with crap from people who like to start drama for no reason," says Elizabeth. He rolls his eyes.
"You're such a pessimist."
"No, I just like to look at reality."
They sit near the middle of the room, because they don't want to be in the front, and they don't want to be in the back, either, and besides that, Elizabeth's need for glasses makes it so they have to sit somewhere close, anyway. She lets her backpack drop to the floor and so does he, and then they sit, in different rows, but side by side. She pushes her glasses up onto her nose, and looks down at the desk, and then reaches out and hits her brother in the arm.
"Hey, look," she says, and he does. There on the desk are two sets of initials carved in by what looks like a pencil, and probably meaningless to everyone else that's sat there before, but not to them.
"You think it's…" Dickie starts, and Elizabeth nods.
"Mom and Dad," she says, and falls silent for a moment before going on. "Well, if that's not a sign, then I don't know what is."