It's Esteem, as in Esteeeeeem!
"How dare they put me in here with the losers?!" Val fumed to herself as she took a seat in O'Neill's classroom after school was supposed to be over.
Oh sure maybe she went a little too far in making fun of that one girl, who just happened to be related to the mayor. But Val was still convinced she had been doing that tramp a favor in pointing out that if you dress like trash, you will be treated like it.
She glanced at other kids and noticed that they were all unpopulars, and therefore not worthy of her time.
Because she was Val, as in Val.
Val smirked as she pulled out the latest issue of Sandi and began reading, hoping to ignore everything that was happening around her.
Mr. O'Neill got around to showing up five minutes late and plunged into a speech about 'teens' and 'esteem', Val was tuning him out the best she could, but that damn fake-happy voice of his was starting to work her last nerve.
"And now..." O'Neill said in merry obliviousness, "A video!"
He flicked off the lights, and most importantly, cut Val off from reading that interesting article about who wore the latest slip dress better.
"HEY!" Val screamed at the top of her lungs, "TURN THE DAMN LIGHTS BACK ON!"
"Eep!" O'Neill squeaked and did what he was told.
"That was cool..." Some granola lesbo type said from behind her.
"Of course it was," Val said with a sniff to the nameless unfashionable mess, "Because I was the one that said it."
"Because I'm Val, as in Val!"