A/N: Well it is CHAPTER 2 TIME! Aerith gets her first real impression of the school. What can happen!?
Italics Aerith's imagination is vast, so she occasionally imagines things happening in song. Sometimes they really do! So the italics are for when Aerith is imagining a scene in her head and/or someone is singing.
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Chapter 2: Welcome to Midgar Academy of Music Part II
"Whew! Good lord, it's about time I made it across that street!"
Aerith looked behind her and pouted at the street while wrinkling her nose with distaste. She then bent over a bit and stuck her tongue out at the street filled with speeding cars because in her head sticking out your tongue at something that you didn't like meant instant victory…or something like that. With that she stood up straight again and gave a little confident smile, her pink lips parted slightly to show off her pearly white teeth. Lifting her right wrist up into view she stared at her silver watch which read 7:23 a.m. Cocking her head to the side, Aerith muttered to herself, "Hmm… Looks like I'm early."
She shrugged her shoulders and soon turned around to face the gates of the school. She looked at them nervously, biting her lower lip in anxiety and fiddling with her freshly manicured nails. Aerith shook her head and put a determined look on her face. This was no time to get cold feet! She HAD to make a good impression on her first day so she didn't look like a complete fool. With that thought in mind, Aerith decided the best thing she could do was make sure everything was in order. First thing was hair. Aerith adjusted her pink bow so it was wrapped nice and tight around the top of her long brown braid which went down to her tailbone. Next thing was clothes. Aerith then lowered her gaze to her pink, cotton tank top for anything sticking to it. When she made sure nothing was there, she moved on to her light blue jean capris to make sure that there were no smudges from bumping into anything. When she saw that there was nothing on her capris either she took the time to admire how well the pants clung to her body. Next thing was shoes. Her white sandals with giant, plastic, yellow sunflowers near the base of her toes were in perfect condition as everything else in her attire. And finally, her pink over the shoulder book bag. There was a bit of dust on this piece of her outfit, but she quickly brushed it off with her hands. NOW everything was perfect. Clapping her hands together and breathing out, Aerith put on her best smile and opened the gates of the school.
She covered her eyes with her hands, wincing at the bright sunlight that shone directly at her as she opened the gates. Blinking those beautiful emerald orbs a few times, she looked around and took in everything she saw. Her jaw dropped a little, but then she just smiled really big and said one single word. "Wowza!"
The building was huge and made of stone. It looked like a very large (and very fancy) museum rather than a school. In fact, it was so huge, Aerith found herself worrying about how lost she was going to get in it. She then brought her gaze downward and took in the rest of the scenery. A bunch of students were standing around and conversing before they entered the school building. Some of them were sitting in the garden in front of the school, eating breakfast and sipping some Starbucks coffee and/or tea. Aerith grinned to herself merrily, listening to the hustle and bustle that rang throughout the school. In a sense, the small town girl felt a little out of place amongst all these trendy, music majors, but still kept on her friendly smile. In her next breath, she walked onto the campus, absolutely beaming now. She walked with confidence and even turned a few heads as she made her way to the doors of the building. Unfortunately, she was stopped by some weird red-headed kid.
"You new around here, babe?"
Aerith looked to the side and stared at the red-headed kid who was leaning against the side of the building. His arms were folded across his chest in an aloof manner, and a cigarette dangled in his mouth. Aerith inwardly cringed as she thought about the extreme damage smoking brought upon your vocal cords. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and he had a very perverted grin on his face as he looked her up and down with those blue eyes. He wore black, baggy shorts that reached a little past his knees and a baggy t-shirt that matched the fiery color of his hair. On both of his wrists were black sweatbands and around his neck he wore a little chain with the cross on it. Aerith gulped slightly at his punk-like presence; afterall she wasn't used to all the outlandish characters in Midgar just yet due to the fact that her old school was much smaller and quieter. Even so, she tried to remain as pleasant as possible, even though he was coming off as awfully crude and tactless. She reminded herself not to judge a book by its cover and she didn't have the right to judge anyone she just met. "Um, yes, actually. I am new here. My name's Aerith Gainsborough. What about you?"
She smiled at him and he grinned back at her. "The name's Reno, babe. Nice to meet your, uh…acquaintances."
He progressed forward, and as he came closer to Aerith the more smoke she inhaled. Keeping him at arms length, she stuck out her arm in front of her as if to offer a handshake. Reno looked at her oddly, obviously very confused at her reaction, but awkwardly took her hand in his own and shook it. Aerith kept, through a lot of effort, a smile on her face and replied, "Well, it's very nice to meet you too. Now, I better get going. I gotta get my schedule from the office people around here. Thanks for the chat."
With that she let go of his hand and continued on her original direction. It was unfortunate for her that Reno was stubborn. Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he dropped it on the ground and stomped it out with the heel of his shoe and followed her inside the school. In a few steps, he appeared next to Aerith and began walking in stride with her. "You know, babe, I can be your tour guide if ya want. I know all the nooks and crannies of this school. I'm sure you can find my knowledge…worthwhile."
Reno wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Aerith merely sighed. "It's alright. I'm sure I can find it on my own, but thank you for the offer."
She began to walk faster, but Reno easily kept up with her quickening speed. Aerith just couldn't seem to lose this guy and was getting mighty irritated. Couldn't he just leave her alone? "But, babe-"
"Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough."
"Aerith. Listen to me. It's a big school, babe, and I'm tellin' ya, yer bound to get lost."
Aerith was now on the brink of losing her temper with him, and desperately tried to not say anything in fear of snapping at him. She really wanted to make a good impression on her first day at school, but she wouldn't be able to do that if she kept getting hit on like this. "Babe, c'mon. You know you want me to guide you around."
Aerith twitched and, as calmly as she could, stopped in mid-walk and turned to face him. "For the last time, Reno, it's Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough. Not 'babe'!"
Reno looked slightly alarmed at Aerith's aggravated response and even looked like he was going to try and get smart with her, when a big black man with sunglasses appeared behind him. In a deep, almost monotone voice, he asked, "Is he bothering you?"
Aerith had to look up to see his face and blinked her green eyes innocently at him. His head was either shaved or he was bald at an early age. His skin was dark, but the shades of his sunglasses were darker and he almost looked like a secret agent. He wore a black working suit and looked very stern, calm, cool, and collected. In other words, the complete opposite of Reno. Aerith froze at the sight of him. "I wasn't causing shit, Rude! I was just trying to be nice to the lil' lady and then she-"
Rude cut him off. "Your version of being nice normally involves hitting on girls until they get fed up with you and smack you. Now apologize to the new girl."
Reno muttered a couple of curse words and reluctantly turned around to face Aerith. Staring into her gaze, he muttered, "Sorry, babe…"
Aerith frowned. "It's AERITH! Aerith Gainsborough."
Reno looked up at Rude, but Rude grunted in an intimidating manner, making Reno turn around again to face Aerith. "Sorry, Aerith…"
Aerith sighed and smiled. "Thank you. Um, thank you, Rude."
Rude nodded, and then grabbed Reno by the ear as if to drag him along. Reno cried out in protest, but didn't struggle too much against the larger man. Aerith began to walk away from them when Rude called out. "The office is up the hallway to your left. It's big, so you can't miss it."
Aerith turned back and nodded at Rude. "Oh, and Aerith!"
She completely turned around to face him. "Yes?"
With a small smile, he said, "Welcome to Midgar Academy."
It was at that that Aerith held her hands behind her back, and smiled and said cheerfully, "Thanks!"