"Alright. I would usually make you all do something big, boring, and worth half of your grade, but today's a little different." Deidara paused and momentarilly messed with a stack of signed forms, and then his aqua eyes wandered to the fifteen-year-old ever-so-slowly trying to morph into the art room without actually entering. He leaned back in the big leather-coushioned chair, removed his reading glasses and pinched between his eyes all the while thinking, 'Come on. Not another recluse.' The Hyuga cousins were enough with their overall "Goth" facade. He knew better than to use high school clique labels to describe his students. Perhaps hearing it so much from themselves was beginning to wear off on him? He took his mind off of this irritating possability and stared at the papers on the desk. He pretended to read the permission forms until his eyes went back-without his consent- to the boy who had finally realized he couldn't just materialize into the room and had to use the door. A twinge of regret nipped at him. The "Emo" flip, the band tee, the too-tight-to-fit-a-human-being pants. It was all evedince. besides the black backpack on his back. 'Aren't those out of style..?' Deidara let out a silent sigh of exasperation, and finally decided to check his e-mail. He rolled his eyes at the most recently-sent.
Sender: kberry
New student. Tobi Goodman. 10th grade and all that jazz. He has Art 5th Period
It was definitely Ms. Konan Berry's writing. Deidara frowned at such illiteracy coming from a fellow teacher, and thought to himself, 'She needs to stop texting... And what great timing...' He felt a presence over his desk and looked up to find the new student, his one visible, abnormally crimson eye-his right eye- darting from the same papers he had tried to look interested in and then meeting his own.
"Umm... Excuse me..." He said it so softly that Deidara showed his irritation, tapping his fingers on his desk and clearing his throat.
"I'm sorry. You'll have to speak up," he said, leaning slightly over his desk, "I'm a bit deaf," Deidara replied, his irritation visible in his sarcastic tone.
The boy was nervous, visibly chewing mercilessly at his bottom lip where a single black ring dangled from near the left corner of his mouth. Dispite his annoyance with the boy's fashion sense and unbearably shy nature, the exasperated art teacher forced a friendly grin, revealing perfectly-alligned colgate-indulged teeth.
"Tobi Goodman, I presume?"
"Umm... Yeah. Sorry-"
"Ookay. Take this and find a seat," Deidara replied, dropping a blank form into Tobi's hand.
The black-haired teenager took the paper and struggled to decide where to sit. There were two empty seats, one beside a blond boy with blue eyes and a goofy grin on his face, and the one across from a pale girl with short black hair and light lavendar eyes, dressed in a 'Lolita' fashion. The corners of her mouth twitched as Tobi's eye met hers and then they collapsed into a full frown and she suddenly whipped her head around, confusing and hurting him. Nobody was making this easy for him. He stole a glance at the art teacher and made a mental note of how he looked, so that he could tell his best friend Zetsu all about him. Long blond hair styled half-and-half. Handsome light, blue-green eyes, and an overall aura that yelled, 'Artist'. This was his new teacher. Deidara's what they call him. He also noted the man's attitude; seemingly unhappy about his position in life; perhaps indiscovered genius?
The boy forced himself to stop staring and was prepared to listen intently to all that Deidara had to say.
"As I was saying," Deidara continued, now rising to his feet and purposly walking behind Tobi to get to the front of the room, "I told you today was going to be a little different." He saw the optimism in his students' eyes and quickly added, "We're still going to work. He smirked inwardly as the teenagers' faces nuetrualized, back to the bored faces to which almost everybody in this bloody school had grown accustomed. Deidara made a "tsk" sound and made a face, holding out his hands to the class.
"Come on, people. Where's your working, school spirit?"
He hadn't expected to be answered so quickly. A girl in the back, far right table sighed and then began twirling her blush pink hair.
"Why don't you come on, Mr. Ohako. The spirit is dead in this school."
"Great, Ms. Haruno. five points extra credit for being a smartass."
The class gasped and whispered immaturly to one another, well, everybody but the "Goth" girl, the kid with ADHD, and Tobi. The truth was, nobody in the class was really bothered with Deidara's cursing. They just acted like this... Deidara noticed the new boy eyeing him again and shot him a skeptical look. Tobi let out a small gasp and slammed his face down on the table. Deidara, completely unconcerned, arched a blond eyebrow, and then attempted to enlighten the mood.
"Well, get over it. We start sculpting Monday."
That did enlighten the mood. The majority of the class began chattering about what they were going to make. Naruto Uzumaki was making a giant, fierce nine-tailed fox. Ino Yamanaka was making some kind of idol of the most stereotypically "Emo" kid in the 11th grade, Sasuke Uchiha. Deidara wrinkled his nose at the thought of it ever winning any awards. He shoved yet another thought out of his mind and decided to check on Tobi. He still hadn't rose his head. Deidara felt another small nip of irritation. 'He had better not be sleeping.' He took up a blue-green textbook and walked slowly over to Tobi's side. He paused to make sure everybody was watching and dropped the book right by Tobi's ear, making the boy nearly fall backwards out of his chair. A smirk played across Deidara's face as he looked into the one crimson eye, Tobi's chest was rising and falling like he was hypervenalating, but his heartbeat gradually neutrualized. His eyes followed as Deidara picked up the book again, still smirking, with him still gripping the edge of the wooden table for dear life.
"You know... I thought they stopped napping in kindergarten. Perhaps...you're not ready for high school."
At this the class snickered, but Deidara quickly shushed them, and then turned to Tobi again.
"Get your sleep back on track, kiddo"
Tobi nodded, turning bright red, adding "sarcastic" and "cynical" to the mental list of words describing his art teacher.
"Get that signed, alright? Sculpting is pretty fun. I'd hate for you to miss out," Deidara called over to Tobi, looking over his the other already-signed permission forms he had taken up, attempting to drown out irritating thoughts of what the future now had in store for him.
Tobi let out a sigh of exhaustion as the final bell rang. His hands were still visibly shaking. But from what? Humiliation? That was the only word available in the mental word bank. Utter humiliation. He threw his books inside. Stupid Deidara Ohako. He slammed his locker closed and stormed away, his bookbag slung over one shoulder. As he hurried to greet the rest of the students waiting for different buses, he reviewed what all had happened in art. Why art? Why couldn't he think of something else? Anything but the "Stage" where Deidara scrutionized him like a judge of worthyness! "Get that signed. Sculpting is pretty fun. I'd hate for you to miss out."
"Fuck!"
Tobi brought himself to a sliding stop at the front doors of Kona Yuki High School, and whirled around, back towards his locker on the far side of the building. He had to plant his heels into the carpet to make sure he didn't pass it and put in his combination wrong four times, and finally yanked the door open.
"Stupid permission form," he grumbled and jerked the paper out from under his algebra book. After that, he didn't know why he even tried to make it for the bus home. He was shocked to realize it had taken him seven minutes to open his locker, and he had read the whole form, staring at Deidara's signature at the very bottom for about another five. He stared out down the streets, regretting going back to get the stupid thing, but he loved to work with clay. It was a must for him. He heaved a sigh and situated his bookbag, beginning to walk down the sidewalk toward his, when sombody stopped him.
"Tsk tsk. How irresponsible."
The amused voice definitely belonged to a man. Tobi whirled around and saw Deidara standing there, his aqua eyes staring over at him through black-rimmed reading glasses.
Tobi jerked the permission form into view from his pants pocket
"I did it to get your stupid form," he replied.
"You left your locker open."
Tobi froze and his hand dropped. Was he really that forgetful?
"I closed it for you, but next time, I'm going to let others take what they want."
"That's great," Tobi said, regaining his anger, "But you know... I gotta get going." He narrowed his eye at Deidara as he turned away, and began walking.
" You take bus three. You don't live very close."
Tobi couldn't tell if Deidara was getting at something or if he was just finding something else to criticize him for. So, he took his chances.
"Your point?"
Deidara jingled his keys on one finger, and Tobi's heart skipped a beat. This was becoming rediculous. Now he was showing him pity? Not on his watch!
"No...thanks," he said, but Deidara made a face.
"Don't be stupid. By the time you get home, it'll be your bedtime," he said, ushering Tobi to a nice, red convertible. Tobi couldn't help thinking, 'This is so cliched. When'd he get it? Yesterday after he won the lottery?'
"I don't have a bedtime."
"Shut up, buckle up, and tell me where to go," Deidara demanded.
Tobi obeyed, hooking himself in.
"You sound like a pedofile."
"You're lucky I'm married."
.