(a/n: ok, the first chapter of the revised off balance. I only got to
chapter 4 last time and I was really disappointed with it, so I hope you'll
like this one more. I'm taking it slower and have taken out quite a few
characters. Sorry Claire, Peet is gone. Ok. Read.)
"Hello Children," said a dumpy middle-aged man standing at the platform in the middle of the stage. His voice boomed throughout the auditorium of students.
"Good morning my lord," mumbled a purple-haired boy sitting in the front row.
"Welcome to another exciting year at Cogsgrove High School," the man said energetically, "Its great to see your shining faces again! I know you are all happy to be back from summer vacation."
"Ecstatic," muttered the boy.
"This year, Cogsgrove High will be undergoing some changes, designed to insure a fruitful learning experience for all of you children! I won't elaborate; you'll have to wait for first period! But I'm sure you will all adapt easily. I am excited! Are you?" he grinned and winked.
The bell rang and the students filed out of the auditorium, all discussing the contents of the assembly, and wondering what Dr. Lee meant by changes. The purple haired boy hung back, writing furiously in a worn marble notebook and walking slowly.
"Trunks!" a tall well built blonde ran down the isle towards his purple- haired friend. Trunks looked up from his notebook, "Hey Jian, what's up?" he said rubbing his eyes.
"Thinking about going to class?" Jian said grinning.
"What? Oh, yeah. Have to find out about these changes don't we," Trunks replied with a laugh.
"Damnit, we've got Risman. Let's get out of here, I need to make a good impression." Jian replied, smirking.
---
Mr. Risman stood leaning against his desk fingering his black mustache. Trunks and Jian trudged into the room, Trunks still writing in his note book.
"Hello, Risman!" Jian called out. "How's the wife? Keeping things exciting, if you know what I mean?" he said, slipping past Mr. Risman and grinning madly at his laughing classmates.
"Think that's funny, eh?" Risman muttered, "SETTLE DOWN!" The class quieted instantly. Jian and Trunks slipped into adjacent desks. Risman stepped forward, glaring at his students with the utmost contempt.
"There's gonna be changes, ya hear? Yeah. Changes...and Risman's gonna have the last laugh!!! " He said, tapping his long nails against his desk.
"A bit eccentric, this one?" Trunks whispered to Jian, who sniggered.
"NO WHISPERING! THERE WILL BE NO WHISPERING! LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE DELINQUINTS!" He sat down behind his desk and sighed. He adjusted a few items on his desk and continued, "There are going to be a few changes. ARE YOU LISTENING? Letters have been sent to your parents. Letters, LOTS OF LETTERS. Do you know what was written in them? DO YOU KNOW? Letters, letters. Yes. The letters tell your parents that the school day has been EXTENDED! ITS BEEN EXTENDED! In fact, you now have 55 minutes in each period. 55 minutes of learning. Your parents have been notified. The day has been extended. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" bellowed Mr. Risman.
"Holy shit.." Jian muttered.
"TALK NOW! TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS! SPEND 10 MINUTES TALKING AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Risman cried. He then abruptly dropped his head down onto his desk and seemed to be asleep. The students sat in a bewildered silence for a few moments before breaking out in muffled whispers. Trunks and Jian sat together with two other friends in quiet conference.
"Extended school day? Did any of you know about this?" Trunks said urgently.
"I did," a boy named Steve replied.
"How? Why did they extend the day?" Jian asked him.
"My mother is on the school board. I don't know, she only hinted. But I can tell you that this isn't the only change. Its gonna get a lot worse."
---
Outside Mr. Risman's room, a confused freshman girl wandered aimlessly in search of her first class. She wore an orange bandana that masked a mass of thick black hair. In her hand she clutched a school map that she stared at angrily tapping her foot on the tile. She looked up suddenly, searching the hallway for something.
"This map makes no sense..where the hell am I?" she muttered to herself. "I am going to kill Bra when I find her." She looked up at the door in front of her. "Ah ha! I found it, room..98. This seems right."
---
"What do you mean wors-" Trunks was interrupted as a pretty black haired girl stumbled into the room, babbling.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Andrea, I couldn't find the classroom and-" she looked around at the congregation of seniors and, realizing she was in the wrong place, blushed. "Must have been holding the map upside down.." She said, turning.
"Panny!" Trunks yelled, jumping up.
"Trunks!" she yelled back, delighted. Jian caught Trunks' eye and mouthed, Panny?
Trunks began to walk towards the door when Mr. Risman flew out of his seat screaming, "SIT BACK DOWN SCOUNDRELS!! PREPARE TO LEARN!" Pan had nothing to do but find a desk and sit down.
"THIS YEAR WE WILL BE LEARNING EVERYTHING FROM THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA TO THE CIVIL WAR. AM I UNDERSTOOD? COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE IN 1492 ARE YOU TAKING NOTES????"
Pan stared around the room at the confused seniors as Mr. Risner babbled about Comubus' journey and the sea monsters that made it fail twice before he finally reached America. I can't believe it's my first day and I'm already cutting, she thought to herself. And imagine the chances of walking into Trunks' class, she thought, biting her lip.
"The heathens ran at the soldiers spears raised, when Columbus raised up his arm and cried, 'stop, I bring for thee a bushel of greek fire," continued Mr. Risner. Pan stifled a laugh. She opened her notebook.
---
There. Good? Bad? I should stop writing all together and jump down the stairs? Bye!
-Abba
"Hello Children," said a dumpy middle-aged man standing at the platform in the middle of the stage. His voice boomed throughout the auditorium of students.
"Good morning my lord," mumbled a purple-haired boy sitting in the front row.
"Welcome to another exciting year at Cogsgrove High School," the man said energetically, "Its great to see your shining faces again! I know you are all happy to be back from summer vacation."
"Ecstatic," muttered the boy.
"This year, Cogsgrove High will be undergoing some changes, designed to insure a fruitful learning experience for all of you children! I won't elaborate; you'll have to wait for first period! But I'm sure you will all adapt easily. I am excited! Are you?" he grinned and winked.
The bell rang and the students filed out of the auditorium, all discussing the contents of the assembly, and wondering what Dr. Lee meant by changes. The purple haired boy hung back, writing furiously in a worn marble notebook and walking slowly.
"Trunks!" a tall well built blonde ran down the isle towards his purple- haired friend. Trunks looked up from his notebook, "Hey Jian, what's up?" he said rubbing his eyes.
"Thinking about going to class?" Jian said grinning.
"What? Oh, yeah. Have to find out about these changes don't we," Trunks replied with a laugh.
"Damnit, we've got Risman. Let's get out of here, I need to make a good impression." Jian replied, smirking.
---
Mr. Risman stood leaning against his desk fingering his black mustache. Trunks and Jian trudged into the room, Trunks still writing in his note book.
"Hello, Risman!" Jian called out. "How's the wife? Keeping things exciting, if you know what I mean?" he said, slipping past Mr. Risman and grinning madly at his laughing classmates.
"Think that's funny, eh?" Risman muttered, "SETTLE DOWN!" The class quieted instantly. Jian and Trunks slipped into adjacent desks. Risman stepped forward, glaring at his students with the utmost contempt.
"There's gonna be changes, ya hear? Yeah. Changes...and Risman's gonna have the last laugh!!! " He said, tapping his long nails against his desk.
"A bit eccentric, this one?" Trunks whispered to Jian, who sniggered.
"NO WHISPERING! THERE WILL BE NO WHISPERING! LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE DELINQUINTS!" He sat down behind his desk and sighed. He adjusted a few items on his desk and continued, "There are going to be a few changes. ARE YOU LISTENING? Letters have been sent to your parents. Letters, LOTS OF LETTERS. Do you know what was written in them? DO YOU KNOW? Letters, letters. Yes. The letters tell your parents that the school day has been EXTENDED! ITS BEEN EXTENDED! In fact, you now have 55 minutes in each period. 55 minutes of learning. Your parents have been notified. The day has been extended. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" bellowed Mr. Risman.
"Holy shit.." Jian muttered.
"TALK NOW! TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS! SPEND 10 MINUTES TALKING AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Risman cried. He then abruptly dropped his head down onto his desk and seemed to be asleep. The students sat in a bewildered silence for a few moments before breaking out in muffled whispers. Trunks and Jian sat together with two other friends in quiet conference.
"Extended school day? Did any of you know about this?" Trunks said urgently.
"I did," a boy named Steve replied.
"How? Why did they extend the day?" Jian asked him.
"My mother is on the school board. I don't know, she only hinted. But I can tell you that this isn't the only change. Its gonna get a lot worse."
---
Outside Mr. Risman's room, a confused freshman girl wandered aimlessly in search of her first class. She wore an orange bandana that masked a mass of thick black hair. In her hand she clutched a school map that she stared at angrily tapping her foot on the tile. She looked up suddenly, searching the hallway for something.
"This map makes no sense..where the hell am I?" she muttered to herself. "I am going to kill Bra when I find her." She looked up at the door in front of her. "Ah ha! I found it, room..98. This seems right."
---
"What do you mean wors-" Trunks was interrupted as a pretty black haired girl stumbled into the room, babbling.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Andrea, I couldn't find the classroom and-" she looked around at the congregation of seniors and, realizing she was in the wrong place, blushed. "Must have been holding the map upside down.." She said, turning.
"Panny!" Trunks yelled, jumping up.
"Trunks!" she yelled back, delighted. Jian caught Trunks' eye and mouthed, Panny?
Trunks began to walk towards the door when Mr. Risman flew out of his seat screaming, "SIT BACK DOWN SCOUNDRELS!! PREPARE TO LEARN!" Pan had nothing to do but find a desk and sit down.
"THIS YEAR WE WILL BE LEARNING EVERYTHING FROM THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA TO THE CIVIL WAR. AM I UNDERSTOOD? COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE IN 1492 ARE YOU TAKING NOTES????"
Pan stared around the room at the confused seniors as Mr. Risner babbled about Comubus' journey and the sea monsters that made it fail twice before he finally reached America. I can't believe it's my first day and I'm already cutting, she thought to herself. And imagine the chances of walking into Trunks' class, she thought, biting her lip.
"The heathens ran at the soldiers spears raised, when Columbus raised up his arm and cried, 'stop, I bring for thee a bushel of greek fire," continued Mr. Risner. Pan stifled a laugh. She opened her notebook.
---
There. Good? Bad? I should stop writing all together and jump down the stairs? Bye!
-Abba