Freaking Americans
Deidra Rhodes
Chapter 1


Where to start?

Deidra wrote down in English.

She looked up at the teacher, who was preaching at them in Japanese with a book in her hand. Deidra could understand about… every other word or so. She figured she'd just plead incomprehension and see where that got her.

Probably with a tutor or a translator.

That's embarrassing.

What kind of ambassador for America was she being? Playing such incompetence? Her test scores where what had persuaded them to let her in to the school three quarters through Sophomore year. Wasn't she supposed to be better than this?

No, that's the answer. This was somewhat normal to how she was at home; she took notes, that was all the teachers could ask of her. She paid attention, when it suited her, and she got an average of Cs and Bs, and As in easy things, like language and art. Language is only on that list because, at her school, she had taken Chinese, and the teacher had been so humble, as Chinese manners demanded, that she gave all nine of the students in her class an A, no matter how much effort they put forth. And art was just… well, people got by in art pretty easily. Her school had been for the talented, and, once again, the thing that got her in was her test scores.

Neither she nor her mother understood how her test scores were as high as they were (97% in Comprehension was the highest) when she herself was so lazy.

But no matter. The schools did not question it, so that was fine, and she had only been accused of cheating in first grade, unjustly at that.

If she listened to the teacher VERY HARD she could comprehend what she was saying, but it was rough, and she was already in the middle of the third sentence after when Deidra caught up, so what was the point?

I don't want to explain who I am, Deidra wrote, glancing at the boy to her side to make sure he wasn't peaking at her writing; she felt pathetic for writing in English, but who cares anyway? Obviously not the kid next to her. Just know; my name is Deidra, I am 15, brown hair, hazel eyes, and I am an American exchange student in Japan.

She lifted the end pencil to her mouth and bit down, feeling her teeth sink slightly into the eraser. She couldn't help it. She had to write some lyrics.

When we break the Dawn.

She pulled her head back to stretch her neck. She had been uncomfortably bent over her notebook for far too long.

Examining the lyrics, she frowned, and then leveled a glance at the teacher so she would think she was paying attention. The song wasn't among her usual tastes, but she had heard it over the summer and found the techno tones to be to her liking.

Which reminded her…

As she began to list her favorite albums, she didn't notice the kid next to her glancing at her notebook, and slowly, ever so slowly, raising his hand at what he saw…

"Takashi?" the teacher called in a shrill voice over the students.

Deidra poked her head up, looked at the teacher, then looked at the kid next to her, Takashi.

He pointed to her notebook discretely.

Deidra's eyes narrowed and she blew a small breath out of her nose. The boy was a straight up tattle tale, which was probably why she had been seated next to him.

"Deidra-san," the teacher sighed, making Deidra cringe. "I want to see you during lunch."

Back in America, the room would have rippled with "oo"s or something similar. Not here. Here everyone stared at her with pity or scorn, and one or two people scowled at Takashi. Deidra sank in her seat.


A/N: Make sure you note that she's American, so her last name is LAST in the Title. ;)