The halls of Degrassi Junior High were buzzing with excitement and preparation. In the gym sat boxes of decorations, patiently waiting for the grade seven students to be dismissed.
Some of them couldn't wait to. Lucy, who had moved from New York a couple of months back, had an artistic vision in her mind for how to decorate, but was probably going to answer every question by saying, "Whatever, this tradition's fascist anyways"
Others were awaiting religiously for the results of class superlatives, hoping they'd include them. Joey was sure he'd win "Most likely to try and jump a shark tank with a motorcycle". It was a joke category his best friend Wheels proposed specifically for him.
Some were more neutral, like Stephanie. She cared about class superlatives just enough to have actually thought of who to vote for in each category. "Most likely to come back and teach at this school" was a debated one. Heather was enough into random science facts to make an interesting teacher, but one time the Farrell twins, Steph and Spike took pity on Archie, a lanky guy that some kids called Snake that was mostly by himself, and invited him to skip class to go eat ice cream with them. He answered "Wouldn't that mean losing an important lesson about something that's going to be on the test?". That was teacher behaviour. She had voted for Heather in the end. "Most likely to become a model (guy)" was a much easier choice.
As for the preparations for the graduation dance, she cared only because of the tradition. She loved imagining herself going. Her mother was a bit more relaxed when it came to elegant clothes. The reality was, her dance was a year away, and for now she was only allowed to decorate. But she could imagine herself, under the disco ball, hung by next year's grade sevens, in her boyfriend's arms. Not that she had a boyfriend. But dream Stephanie did. And he looked a lot like the blonde guy sitting in front of her.
The thing Stephanie was looking forward to was a moment to talk with her best friend, Voula. The summer was now omnipresent; vacation was fast approaching. Voula would travel to her parents' village soon enough, coming back only the day before school in September. They had to do as much as possible before she left. And Steph already had event #1 in mind.
One by one, the superlatives got announced, as Ms Avery kept reminding everyone it was just for fun.
Most Likely To Be Prime Minister: Nancy
Steph assumed politics were a bore, even if parts of it were intriguing. Winning over a crowd, that would be fun— every other responsibility that came with it, way less.
Most Likely To Win An Olympic Medal: Archie
He was the best swimmer under-14 in the entirety of Toronto, as he couldn't stop reminding everyone by wearing his team's jacket everyday.
Most Likely To Come Back And Teach At This School: Heather
Steph guessed Archie was much happier having gotten the previous one, rather than being doomed to a life of a terrible salary.
Most Likely To Become A Model (girl): Lucy
Lucy shrugged, she didn't care. She was a weird choice, according to Stephanie. She was terribly pretty and a dancer, it's true, but she was an odd person. She didn't care for most things, her favourite adjective was fascist, and she dressed like she was homeless, despite being the child of two successful lawyers.
Stephanie's parents were a pharmacist and a letter carrier, and divorced, and she was always dressed pristine. She couldn't see what the appeal in dressing like that was. Although, in grade six, one of the superlatives had been "Most likely to be cast for an Anne of Green Gables movie and not need to change" and although she was very proud of being Canadian, she was not proud when her name was called. Lucy couldn't have gotten even one vote for that.
Most Likely To Become A Model (guy): Derek
Wheels shoot the class a timid smile. Part of it was that he hated his birth name, why Steph wasn't sure, and part of that he was just as shy as he was hot. And he was such a hunk.
Most Likely To Try And Jump A Shark Tank With A Motorcycle: Joey
He got up triumphantly, and exclaimed many thanks like he was on a stage, bowing in-between. He was not shy in the slightest, a good balance of friends.
Most Likely To Get Married: Tim and Nancy
They weren't actually together, but the whole year, everyone had been joking that they should have been. No one in the class was dating anyone, even less someone else there. Maybe in a year Steph and her someone would win it.
Most Improved: Michelle
And it was true. She started the year basically mute. She now talked to Alexa and LD during breaks, and answered the questions teachers asked her, most of the time.
And that was it, all of the class superlatives. Stephanie had won none of them, but she only allowed herself to be upset for a minute. None of the categories applied well to her anyways. What could she have wanted, to be seen as a teacher by most of the class? That would have been humiliating. Maybe she should have checked with Ms Avery to make sure no one voted for her.
As they were leaving the class, Stephanie waited for Voula to pass by her desk. «Voula, hi!»
«Hi, we should go to Lucy and congratulate her,» her friend proposed.
Voula didn't find Lucy odd, somehow. Steph couldn't even say that she probably hid any bad feelings, because when Voula had any contempt for anyone, she could be extremely petty.
«If so, we should go to Heather first. She's our friend.»
The Farrell twins, already in the gym, didn't both take the superlative in the same way.
«It's embarrassing, I can't have the same face as a teacher,» Erica lamented.
Stephanie definitely had to check with Ms Avery.
«And I can't have the same face as someone who won nothing,» Heather replied.
«I could have never gotten teacher, I'm not a nerd.»
«And what could you have gotten? Model? Then I could have too!»
They weren't really fighting, they never did, but they loved to tease each other, probably to prove how different they were from one another.
«It doesn't matter, Lucy won,» Voula chimed in.
«I don't understand it, she doesn't dress like it,» Stephanie said.
«Well, Wheels dresses like a grandpa and he won.»
Two answers to Erica's comeback jumped in Stephanie's mind. The first, that Wheels actually dressed like the last fashion, was a complete lie. The second, that Stephanie too dressed like a grandma and she didn't win, was just a little bit too selfish to say aloud.
«Whatever you say,» was what she settled on ultimately.
Tim walked in, one final box in his hands. He had gone talking to Matthew Saunders, student council president, as vice-president, to get all the decorations that were still locked in the janitor's closet. «This should be all.»
The moved towards a box
Steph picked up something, and moved her hair from one shoulder to the other. It was very long, reaching to the point her spine curved back towards her bellybutton.
«You should tie it, it'd help with the sweat,» Voula suggested.
«It's going to dent her hair, not help, and it's so lovely this way,» Erica retorted.
It was extremely flat though. «My mom says it's gotten too long to manage. I have to cut if I want to ever go to the beach.»
«Well today you're going to your dad's and you're staying all the rest of June, I bet he doesn't care,» Heather said. And she was right, he didn't care.
Stephanie assumed she and her father would have gotten along if they were schoolmates, but as a parent figure, there was lots to be desired. She didn't like how strict her mom was, but the last time she had been at his house, Steph had marshmallows for dinner and he didn't even notice. That was a problem too.
«That reminds me! Voula I need to talk to you. In private»
They moved to the side, still trying to unravel some tinsel.
«Tomorrow, we're going to the beach. I think one of the pebbles ones, because Arthur hates sand. I'd be by your house at 8?»
«I don't think my dad will let me come.»
Somehow, Voula's father was even stricter than Stephanie's mother. She couldn't wear anything but dark colours, and had to be home by six every day no matter what. He probably thought that it was immoral to be happy or something. Voula's mother tended to try and be by her side, but lately she was too busy caring for Voula's sister Melina now that she was pregnant.
«Oh come on, I'm sure he lets you swim lots in Greece.»
«Yeah, among family.»
«What about swimming in school, that's full of strangers!»
«Yeah, but it's not co-ed. My dad would go crazy if he knew I was swimming with boys.»
«Arthur doesn't count as a guy, he barely counts as a human!»
«Then who counts?»
«I have some ideas.»
Steph looked at Wheels, dealing with some fairy lights. Voula had been the patient listener to an extreme amount of phone calls about him. If intercontinental calls didn't cost an arm and a leg, she probably would have to suffer them all summer too.
«Even if I could come, I don't have any swimming suit but the school's Olympic-style.» Voula tried to appeal to Steph's sense of shame.
The school-issued swimming one piece was truly terrible. Nobody in their sane mind would want to wear them on the beach. But this was not the option of either Mr Grivogiannis or Ms Kaye.
«Don't worry, it's the same with me. I wish I had a bikini, maybe you can gift me one for my birthday in August.»
«I'd want to still be friends by the time school starts.»
One time Steph had bought a red lipstick, and her mother found out, and grounded her for a week. She could still go to Voula's, since her house was so boring anyways.
«I don't understand why our parents are so against the idea of letting us grow up. What evil could a two piece be?»
«Maybe they regretted growing up.»
«What's to regret? Freedom?»
«Maybe. Melina always seems so sad.»
«I'd be sad if I was pregnant. Can pregnant people go to the beach?»
«They can't fly, that's for sure. She's stuck in Toronto all summer.»
The idea of not visiting her family seemed great to Stephanie, but her family wasn't at all close like Voula's. Her parents lived in the same neighbourhood, and hated each other. Voula's family had continents between them and couldn't be more filled with love. Maybe if she moved to France or something she would find her relatives a lot more likeable. She'd probably love her cousin Dorothy's pet rat too.
An idea popped in Stephanie's head. «Maybe if we invite your sister he'll let you come!»
Voula smiled. «That could work.»
Stephanie was so happy. Not only was she avoiding family time with her dad, he didn't think she was, and she got to spend time with her best friend in the whole world. «I can't wait!»