"Well, come on then, don't just stand in the doorway!" Paine's new English teacher scooped her inside the room before quickly closing the door behind her. "Go ahead now, find a seat! I love your style, by the way."

Paine was appalled. Not only was she complimented by her teacher, but by an old, slightly hunch-backed old man. He had a long, crooked nose and kind, blue eyes. And he wore a hat. Paine liked the hat. It was one of those russian-types, and strangely, it looked really cool on the man.

She turned to head down one of the rows of seats to get out of his way--he looked eager to begin class. She was about to lift her bag's strap up over her head to take it off when she came lurching forward and nearly fell on her face.

Giggles erupted all around her and she quickly shot up and glared around at her fellow students, trying to figure out who it'd been that tried to trip her.

Her eyes immediately fell on a petite, blonde girl with bright green eyes and a perfect tan. She was nearly bent double laughing; it was almost too obvious that she had done it. Paine scowled at her, but the girl didn't even notice. She just kept laughing. Instead of dwelling on it, Paine continued down the aisle and threw her bag on the floor before taking a seat in the last row.

It was then that she realized her teacher was fake-singing to...what was that? Some old music coming out of the radio behind his desk. Apparently, everyone had been laughing at him.

No one tripped you, fool, Paine told herself. They didn't even notice you.

Paine was so used to people being cruel that she was almost expecting this sort of thing on her first day--but she'd made it all up in her mind. This relieved her. Maybe high school wasn't going to be so horrible after all.

Her teacher let out a great big sigh and clapped his hands against his chest. He then shuffled around his desk and turned off the radio before taking a seat in his red, squashy chair.

"Hello class!" he beamed. Some of the students were still giggling. "Isn't it great to be in school again? Hmm?" he asked them all. No one said anything. "Yes, I know. It's horrible, isn't it? Just after we've all gotten used to lounging around at home without having to get dressed, and all that great stuff."

Some of the students looked around at each other, as if unsure if the dude was for real.

"So, I'm Mr. Schecter! And we're going to be going around the room...starting...over there, right hand corner, telling everyone our names and whatnot. Go ahead now, you start," he said, waving his hand around at a kid sitting at the far end of the room.

It's going to be one of those classes, Paine thought to herself. She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing. Sometimes it was nice to know everyone in the class. There was always the chance of finding a friend easier that way. But then again, Paine didn't really want to stand up in the middle of the room and say her name out loud.

Mr. Schecter sat in his chair, looking quite content, as each student introduced themselves. Paine watched as he scribbled onto his clipboard each time, probably marking whether or not they were present.

Some of the kids made sure to include their hobbies and how old they were, while others just hurriedly said their name and sat down. When Mr. Schecter tried encouraging them to say more, they would just shake their head vigorously and slouch further into their chairs. Paine wondered if she'd end up acting the same way, then decided it was more stupid to do that than to just answer his fucking questions.

"Ah! The girl with style," Mr. Schecter finally came to Paine. She raised an eyebrow at him and looked down at her clothes, wondering what the hell was so special about them. All she was wearing was a pair of plain, tight black pants and some high-top boots. Other than that, she just had on a red tank top. It was hot as hell outside.

She slowly stood up, trying to ignore all the eyes that suddenly swept over her. They were all looking at her clothes now, too, probably wondering the exact same thing Paine was: what style? A pair of bright green eyes caught Paine's attention once more. It was the same girl she thought had tripped her. Instead of laughing, she was now sitting rather quietly with the tiniest smile on her face, like she didn't want anyone to see it. Paine cocked her head at the girl, who quickly erased the smile and tried to look somewhat interested in what Paine was about to say.

Paine looked up at her teacher again.

"Uhm, Paine, sir."

"Excuse me, miss?"

I knew this was going to happen, Paine thought to herself. It always does. She cleared her throat.

"Raine, I mean. Sorry. I'm in the right class, right?" She tried to laugh.

"Ah, ah yes, I see it right here. With an 'e' on the end! Interesting name, interesting. For a moment there I thought you said your name was "Pain". I was going to ask if I should take cover!"

She knitted her eyebrows together and grimaced. Everyone probably thinks I'm a freak, she thought to herself once more. They always do.

"Well uh," she started, clearing her throat. "Paine is my nickname, sir. It's kind of a long story." She scratched the back of her head.

"So how did you come to be called Paine?"

Her teacher sure was curious.

Paine glanced down at the thin blonde again--anything to get away from the strange stare her teacher was giving her. But the look the blonde was giving her was even stranger. She had her hand over her mouth like she was still trying to get rid of that same smile, and her eyes were unusually bright...focused.

Paine looked to her left and right, then toward the girl again, trying to figure out why she was looking at Paine so strangely. All of the other students were already getting bored and had laid their heads down on their desks.

"My sister gave me the nickname," Paine quickly explained. "Like I said, long story. I don't really want to go on about it. No offense. Sir."

Paine glanced at the blonde once more, and didn't know whether or not to be freaked out, because the girl was still staring at her with the same look in her eyes.

"Well, that's very interesting. I'm glad you shared with us," Mr. Schecter finally stopped bombarding Paine with questions, and she went sliding back into her seat with her eyes still plastered to the blonde's, waiting for her to look away or something. But even when the next person began to introduce themselves, she still kept glancing back in Paine's direction.

Paine finally gave her a hesitant wave, hoping that the girl would realize she could tell she was staring at her like a freak. She was used to girls like that just ignoring her. Or sticking gum on her chair. Girls like her. What are girls like her, anyway? Paine pondered over this while the girl smiled brightly back at her. Popular? Attractive? Preppy? Er, blonde? Why isn't she sneering at me or something? Isn't that what they do?

The girl had stood up for some reason and was now looking around at the entire class. Paine realized it was her turn to introduce herself.

"It's Rikku, mister. With an 'ee' sound! Not Rih-ku!" she giggled.

One of Paine's eyebrows slowly crept up toward her forehead once more. Now that the girl--Rikku--was standing, Paine was confronted with the reality that was her very short skirt, and the uncomfortable belly-flopping sensation that went through her stomach for half a second.

How the hell is she allowed to wear clothes like that to school? Paine thought, astounded. Paine's eyes continued down her well-tanned legs and stopped at the pair of dusty-looking boots Rikku wore. The shoelaces were untied, and her toes were turned inward like a small child.

"Well, Rikku, did you get a copy of the school dress code?" Mr. Schecter asked, suddenly stern.

"Uh..." Rikku bit her lip.

"Now, I'm not one of those teachers that will send you to the office," Mr. Schecter said, getting up and shuffling slowly toward the classroom door. He peered through the glass, looking about as if searching for any suspicious persons. "But there are these other anal teachers about, you know. They'd send you there before you could say 'laundry day', no questions asked."

All of the kids in the class were paying close attention now. Mr. Schecter continued.

"Now, I know it's the culture and everything nowadays, and the world changes all the time. I mean, girls used to not even be able to show their wrists and ankles!" he laughed. "But most other teachers are not as understanding, and I thought I would just give you a little...a little heads up." He nodded, then headed back to his chair.

He turned around.

"Just a little helpful advice for all of you Freshman. You too," he added, pointing at a boy with a spiked collar. The boy frowned.

"But hold on Rikku. Hold on." Mr. Schecter waved his hand around once more. "I was wondering, are those contacts?"

"Heh, no. They're my real eyes." Rikku twisted her fingers around each other.

"Stunning! I've never seen eyes quite that green before."

"Um, thanks Mr. Schecter." Rikku slipped back into her chair, glad to conceal her outfit under her desk once more. She didn't turn around to look at Paine again for the rest of the entire period, which was consumed by the other students' introductions and a long-winded complaint about medical care by Mr. Schecter.

"Doctors! All they want is money, money, money! I break a leg, I go in debt!" he rambled.

When the bell rang, Rikku quickly gathered her things and sped out the door before Paine could catch a glimpse of those bright, green eyes once more.