"Alright, so I was setting up next year's schedules...and I couldn't help but notice that you signed up for the advanced math class..."

"Yes."

"Um any particular reason for this? Love of math, pursuit of a math-based career, ...?"

"Oh. Uh, actually, no. No way. I just signed up for it because you know, college."

"Oh, of course. Colleges love seeing advanced classes on the records of prospective students." He smiled brightly. "What I wanna know is why you're going for it now. Next year will be your first year in an advanced math class. Why?"

"Why next year?"

"Yes."

"Well...last year before senior year...might as well get into the loop..." She looked uncertain. "Ok, really though, my brother said that colleges would not even think about me unless I had some good academic stuff on my--what's it called?--records, yeah. I was thinking that junior year I could get into math, and senior year I could kick..butt..at it."

She reflected on the conversation about the future with Justin, their mom, and their dad. There will a bunch of tears and some screams, but she needed that before she could be more serious.

He chuckled. "Alright, that's reasonable. I can appreciate your enthusiasm... Only problem is, your academic performance in the past..." He brought forward (to her attention) a tabbed folder with her name clearly printed Russo, Alex. The folder had stamped on it "Detention" a number of times in a column, and at the end of the column there were tally marks set in black pen.

Her eyebrows knitted together worriedly. Her expression was asking for more. An explanation or something.

In the room right across, where the door was open, the voice of her principal was prominent. "...a very intelligent student, in the top 1% of your class. And this was a huge school, as your file shows. Such excellence leaves me no choice but to further cultivate your love of learning, and that is why your schedule consists of nothing but AP and Honors classes...with the exception of Phys. Ed, lunch, and your band class, but obviously we can't monitor that! Could you imagine an AP Lunch?"

Cue the chuckle. Cute, but insincere. So cute. "Yeah, AP Lunch. I can just imagine taking notes with a pencil in my right hand and an apple in my left." Healthy girl. Cool stuff.

"…You with me?" The counselor grinned at Alex warmly.

"Oh wow. Yeah, that's… rough." In reality, Alex had no idea what his last words were. Well, the ones before 'You with me?' anyway. Ambiguous answers fit best for these situations.

"'Yeah' is right. Look, I can get you in the advanced class, but you have to do something for me. You have to get those grades up. This 73 I see for last semester is not gonna cut it. So far your average for that class is a solid 75. If you can manage at least an 85, your final grade average will be at 80, and you will be qualified."

She nodded carefully.

"There are a few ways to go about that..."

A few ways, ok, but what's going on in the other room… "As you can see, your schedule outlines each course, its period, its teacher, and in which room it's taught. First period, AP American 2 with Philips, room 203; second, Instrumental Arts with Mirandev, room 109; third period, AP English 2 with Connoway, room 211; fourth period, Advanced Math: Pre-Calculus..."

This girl is in pre-calculus?? The class is not open to sophomores!!! And I KNOW she's a sophomore, because English II??

"...or having a current advanced math student tutor you. So, I mean, it is up to you. You can get an outside opinion, as you know, to help you pick, but it's your choice. You can get those grades up by yourself; it's been done. If you keep up your end of the bargain, you'll be in the advanced class." He smiled a big smile.

"Oh, sweet, cool," she said dismissively. "We have a new student?" She pointed simply across the hall with her thumb.

"Oh, yes, we do! Her name is Mitchie. She's actually in your grade. She is an extremely smart girl. Active with extra-ciruc's at her old school as well. I trust she's gonna be great here, might even teach some teachers a thing or two," he joked.

"Can I...meet her?" She gestured awkwardly to the room across the hall.

"Uhhh, I guess. Ok. Just wait until Mr. Laritate has finished talking to her. You can hang around here until then. Don't want you wandering the halls."

"I will get someone to show you around..." Mr. Laritate was headed out of the office. As he stepped aside the doorway, the girl trailed behind. A huge, excited smile adorned her face. Awww. "Miss Russo!" He saw her across the hall. "Mr. Leonardo, hello!"

Mr. Guidance stood up to greet his boss. "Mr. Laritate! How have you been?"

"Good, good, thanks Gian. Alex, now I would like to know if you would do me a favor? This is your new classmate, Miss Torres." He nudged her forward softly. "I want you to show her around Waverly High."

"Yeah, definitely." That wasn't a question, why are you responding to it like one?? She smiled brightly. "It would be my pleasure to show Mitchie around."

The girl perked up at her name.

"Oh, you know her? Of her?" Mr. Laritate turned to Mr. Leonardo for answers.

Alex answered. "Yeah, Mr. Leonardo was telling me that she's--" she realized that it was rude to talk ABOUT someone when they're right there, so she, giggling at her mistake, then addressed the girl, "that you're--really smart."

Mitchie smiled good-naturedly, looking her in the eyes. "I had to pass on AP Lunch though. My schedule's way too packed for that kind of torture."

The adults shared a chuckle, and Alex bore a small smile. Oh sweet, girl knows how to humor older folks.

"Well, it's good that you two are acquainted now. It's… almost time for period two, so you two had better get started on your way. Start showing her around now, so it doesn't cut into class time." Turning to Mitchie, he said, "You're allowed to be five minutes late to any class, at any time, for the first week. Adjusting is tough, but it gets easier."

"Yeah, that's true. We better get going then. Come on, Mitchie." Alex started down the hall, Mitchie knowingly following close behind, and the girls did not stop until they turned the first corner. "Aw man, I am no fan of that principal man. I had to get away, sorry bout that. Lemme see your schedule."

Mitchie carefully handed over the piece of paper, her smile getting more serious. Learning mode?

"Your class now was with Mr. Philips. He is really smart, as in you ask a question, you get the right answer complete with statistical background to support it. Guy knows his stuff. He's strict, but he's fair. Don't make excuses, but if you have to, be creative. You get major kudos." She grins to herself. "The room is actually that one, right there." She points to a room diagonal from where they are standing. A sign on its door reads "History in the making" with forefathers' faces comprising the letters.

"Next period, which starts in..." Alex consults her watch, "...seven minutes, is with..." consulting the schedule... "Miss Mirandev. Alright, I have to warn you. Lady's got a few screws loose, know wha'm sayin? Nobody joins the band program--oh, excuse me, the 'Instrumental Arts' program--so she will keep you in the band at all costs. She will bump your grade 15 points if it means having you in band the next year. On a side note, whaddya play?"

"Oh, that's easy. Piano."

"Oh, that's cool," Alex can't hide how unimpressed she is. That's a dull instrument. Knowing this, she tries to cover, "I used to think piano was the most boring instrument you could play..."

She hopes that Mitchie will cut in and say something like 'Good thing you learned otherwise! High five!', but it doesn't happen.

Mitchie chuckles at the moment of silence. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

"Did that sort of thinking stop sometime between the time I said 'piano' and the time I said 'Yeah?', or was it sooner than that?"

Alex is blushing furiously. "Ummm I would say about that time is right." She giggles all out, knowing that she's been caught.

Mitchie just smiles. "Ok, gotcha. And that room is...?"

"Right, it's.. upstairs, walk until the very end of the hall, take that right turn, and it's the door on your right, right when you turn." Once the instructions have settled, Alex finds that they are rather confusing. Mitchie laughs first. "Um, yeah, I will take you there."

"Your class is nearby?" Mitchie asks curiously.

"Yeah, yeah, it's three doors down. ...Like the band." Alex smiles bashfully at her corniness.

"Oh man, cool band! They have some good songs."

"I guess so...got tired of them after album two."

"Yeah, the older stuff is usually the better stuff. 'If you could step into my head, tell me would you still know me? If you woke up in my bed, tell me then, would you hold me?'"

Alex let a flustered look overwhelm her.

"It's a song... 'So I Need You.' Well I like it."

"Good for you. Third period is English AP with Mrs. Connoway, room 211. It's this floor, go past the principal's office, swing a turn, and continue down the hall till you get to literally the last door. There's no room across from it, so you won't get confused. I dunno what to say about Connoway except that I don't know anything about her." Alex thinks for a moment. "Except that she has long hair. It's blonde."

"Blonde, long hair? Sounds like my ideal teacher."

"Your ideal teacher is a fierce-icious long, blond weave? Can you really settle for so little? No outrageous pink sunglasses, or mittens hanging from the ears? We are talking ideals here, miss."

"Alright, I see how you operate. My ideal teacher is someone my age," she says simply.

"That's interesting," Alex muses. She takes her time thinking of who she would want to teach her. "That's actually a good answer, because people our age could be people to be taught…from. Taught of? Learned from? Learned of?? Wow, I am thinking I will lose full control of my speaking ability sometime tonight, at this rate."

"No, I totally get you. Finding the right words is hard. Sometimes... I write songs, and..." Before she could finish her thought, the buzz signaling the end of first period rings. "Oh."

The rush of students spilling out of classrooms and into the hall is both overwhelming and calming for Mitchie. Calming in that the plain and emptiness of the hallway is gone. It's overwhelming in that there are now zillions of people walking in nearly every direction.

"Aw, looks like we got caught up with this..." Alex pauses when her eyes find Harper and she waves to her as she passes. "Um, so you get four minutes to get from one class to the next. Well, I guess nine minutes cuz Principal said you had the five minute thing, but really four minutes is all you need.

I'll walk you." Tugging on her backpack strap, she ascends the flight of stairs. She doesn't go too fast to make sure that Mitchie's not lost in the flood of people rushing every way.

"New girl!" Some faceless guy calls. And immediately the existing whispers seem to fade into white noise as the new hallway discussion takes stage.

"What? Where?"

"What grade is she in?"

"Is she hot?"

"Is she new?" The question in particular brings a smile to the new girl's face.

As they get closer to their destination, the whispers get softer and there are fewer people in the halls. Alex slows to a stop before a door. Room 109. She turns to Mitchie. "Alright, so this is it. Umm, I will come get you at the end of class. And I'll meet you at the end of school at your locker...Where's your locker?"

"Oh, um..." Mitchie just shrugs when Alex remembers she has the girl's schedule.

"Oh, oops. Let's see." She unfolds the schedule and examines it briefly. "Locker 316. I think I know which one that is. Here, you might need this." She chuckles, giving the new girl back her schedule. "Have fun being musical."

"Thanks! Have fun...!" Before she can recall what class Alex is going to, she's already headed there. Did Alex even tell her? Mitchie just lets the sentiment fall as she enters Instrumental Arts.