3.

~ Norma had spotted a shop downtown that appeared to carry new clothes, but everything was gently used and on the nicer end of clothes she'd worn before. The lady called it a boutique which was something Norma wasn't used to. Her experience of buying clothes had always been at the Good Will with her mother and her mother had terrible taste. They were always tops bedecked with rhinestones or spray painted cats with bows attached, and horrid neon colors. When Norma didn't like what her mother picked out, Franny would sulk for a few days or even deny buying her daughter anything at all.

In fact, this might be the first time Norma was able to shop for herself, by herself. She bought a very pretty plum colored coat that would hopefully be warm enough this winter and the friendly lady tactfully suggested boots for her to wear along with a series of colorful, practical sweaters that would be warm in winter and hadn't lost their shape or vibrancy from multiple washings.

The lady at the counter had been helpful and nice to the girl who was new in town, but had looked at Norma questioningly when she asked about school starting back up.

"Why it's tomorrow." she told her with a perplexed smile.

"Tomorrow?" Norma asked in alarm when the woman handed her the large bag.

"You're new to town?" the woman asked. "The school here is very nice. It's an old building but there's talk of building a new one now that the Sheriff's Station is almost done."

"Thank you." Norma said sadly. She'd honestly hoped she had more time. Now she had to go and get new notebooks and supplies. She'd taken nothing with her from her old school. Her freshman year had found her lost in a hoard of other students in a larger than average high school. Her class alone had over eight hundred students and it was easy to hide.

"You should go by there today. They're open for late registration on Sundays." the woman said. "My sister works in the front office. Just ask for Shirley and explain the situation. She'd been there for thirty years and she knows what to do."

Norma nodded and thanked her again. She walked back to the apartment where Fanny had fallen asleep on her bed near the kitchen. Her mother hadn't bothered to quarter off her own bedroom off like her daughter had done. Instead, a half unpacked box laid by her bed with clothes and shoes scattered around. It was normal for Fanny to sleep all day for a few days in a row, then have wild bursts of energy filled with up all nighters where she'd paint the walls or demand her children get out of bed and go driving with her to see the stars.

Norma crept in and stashed her new school clothes under the bed. Her mother had a habit of raiding Norma's wardrobe if she lacked anything clean to wear and she didn't want her carefully selected clothes to be ruined before she had a chance to wear it.

~ The local high school was an ugly box shaped two story building with nothing to set it apart as a place for young people. A few cars were parked in a large lot and school busses were in the back. Norma felt slightly nervous about going in alone. Caleb had always gone with her and this was the first year he wouldn't be with her at all.

"I'm looking for Shirley?" Norma asked the elderly woman at the front office. She resembled the woman from the shop in age and dress, although she didn't see as nice.

"Hello, honey." the older woman finally smiled at her.

"I need to register for school. We just moved here." she said in a quick explanation.

"You have your transcripts? Vaccination records?"

Norma shook her head.

The woman rolled her eyes but wasn't upset.

"Where was your last school? What was the name?" she asked.

"In Florida." Norma said meekly. "Center High School."

The woman looked alarmed.
"You're a long way from home, Dorothy." she said with a smile.

"My name is Norma." the younger girl explained quickly not getting the joke.
"Fill this out. I need your full name and your address. I've got a registry here I can look up the fax number for you're old school. Afraid a lot of our electives are already filled up though. What grade are you entering?" she asked.

"I'm a sophomore." Norma said. "I did well last year." she added as if that changed anything.

"Well, I'll fax you're old school and see if we can get you settled today." Shirley said checking off some things.

"Looks like Principal Lewis is demanding all the students learn computers now so your study hall will be replaced with that. Let's see…" she looked over a long list of classes with red X's over them. "All I can give you for electives are Home Economics with Mrs. Tinert and… Theater with Mr. Jones."

Norma smiled. Home Economics and Theater? At her old school she'd have to fight to get a place in those programs. Those were easy A's and everyone wanted them because all you had to do was show up.

"Afraid all the art and shop classes fill up fast and it's first come first serve. You'll need a P. E. requirement and we have a few spots left in our ballroom dancing class." Shirley said hopefully.

Norma almost laughed out loud. She hid a smile behind her hand. What kind of place was this? Cooking, acting in plays and dancing were actual classes she'd be forced to take? In her old school if those extra classes filled up you'd have to go to summer school or take some sort of made up class they used just to babysit the students.

Shirley looked at her harshly.

"Next year, I want you to plan ahead and register your electives in advance. Understand, Norma?" she said in a stern but likable voice. It was as though Norma was being lectured by a forgiving grandmother right before she gave Norma some money and told her how pretty she was.

Norma nodded happily.

"Are you going to take the drivers ED class? I'll have to take payment six months before your sixteenth birthday before we let you in the class." Shirley went on. Norma sucked in a breath.

"How- How much is it?" Norma asked weakly. In Florida the price was $500 to take drivers ED and Caleb had saved for months just to afford it. It was useless to ask their parents for money. Even ten dollars would have been beyond their means and a drivers license would mean a car, and that cost money and might take their kids away from them. So Norma and Caleb always knew better than to ask for money.

"It's $250 and we'll need a parent's signed permission and a copy of your brith certificate." Shirley said. "Here's the form, have your parents fill it out." she said.

"Thank you." Norma said feeling grateful it had been so easy.

"Come by the office first thing in the morning." Shirley said. "I'll have your schedule then. Oh and Norma?" Shirley told her.

Norma was about to leave the office when she was called back. Shirley looked intense and not to be messed with.

"We have a strict policy about open toed shoes here. Wear normal shoes tomorrow." she warned.

Norma glanced down at her flip flops. Her go to easy wear shoes the had carried her almost the entire school year as well as summer back in Florida.

She felt embarrassed and nodded.

~ Norma decided to stop at a small drug store and picked up a few spiral bound notebooks, pens and pencils. She had no idea what else she would need for classes. Ballroom dancing and Theater were still swarming around her brain like brilliant friaries. She snickered to herself that these were real things and maybe high school here wouldn't be quite as challenging as it had been back in Florida.

In her old school, things had a certain predatory feel. Because she lived in the bad neighborhoods, she was surrounded by the kids of those bad elements. There were budding gang members and teen moms. Malicious girls and generally violent students that roamed the halls like sharks. Norma had fallen into the mass of new students and made no friends. She'd been rightfully invisible in her Good Will jeans and faded old shirts. No one mistook her for anything more than what she was.

But here. This place was different. She was noticing nice cars and well dressed people as she walked back to the apartment. What if she didn't fit in here? What if her new clothes weren't nice enough? What if they recognized them as second hand and laughed at her? Not that it bothered Norma too much. She'd hardly ever had new clothes in her life and most of the people she knew were smart enough to not care about fashion. But these people were different. Appearance mattered to them.

Norma decided it should matter to her to. She quickly collected her simple school supplies and then stopped at the make-up counter.

~ Alex sucked in his breath. There, coming out of the Bay Drug Store was the girl he'd spotted last night. She seemed careless and free as she strolled out of the pharmacy with a plastic bag.

At a closer range, she looked young. Young enough to attend high school. Alex, had he been on his own, would have pulled over and maybe gotten her name and more information. Sadly, he was already booked for the day.

"Who's that?" his father said in a sour tone. It was as if he'd just eaten something rotten. "You know her?"

The Sheriff nodded to the blond girl who was walking away from them.

"Who?" Alex asked pretending to play dumb.

"That girl in the skirt wearing… I don't know… sandals. She's not from here." Dominic Romero said in disgust.

Alex had to hand it to the old man. He hand't thought to check out the girl's shoes.

"All these new people coming in. Bringing in prostitutes." the Sheriff grumbled. "Probably going to that hunting club later. You know what they do there. Disgusting."

"She looks a little young… for- for that." Alex stuttered slightly and felt his face heat up. His father had gone into horrific detail about what went on at the Arcanum club just outside of town. Bob Paris wasn't afraid to regale everyone with how he'd lost his virginity before freshman year to a prostitute there.

The talk made Alex uncomfortable. He didn't like to share this aspect of his life with his father. They were never close like. Not close enough to share much of anything. Alex didn't like how his father talked about women. Like they were lesser creatures somehow. Such an attitude was what caused his parents to separate. His mother was far too fragile for this horrible man.

"She's not even pretty." the Sheriff said hurtfully and Alex winced at the implication. It was like his father knew he was intrigued by this mysterious girl and wanted to hurt him by calling her names.

"Were you planning to come with me?" he asked instead. "To see mom?"

"Pineview isn't close, Alex." Dominic said soberly. The mood between both men had changed when he brought his mother up.
"It's been a month. She hasn't seen you. She was hurt when you didn't come." Alex said.
"I've got things that need doing here. Your mother is in that place where the doctors are going to fix whatever is wrong with her. God, knows I paid them enough money. When they say she's better, then she'll come home again. End of story."

Alex knew better than to argue. His mother had spent the entire summer at Pineview after his parents had a fight. She'd been crying and his father had her put in there claiming she was going to hurt herself. Alex had known better. It was easy to blame the victim. Easy to say they were the problem, or that they asked for it or, in his mother's case, they were crazy.

He knew his mother was depressed. She had been for a long time now, but his father used that depression to stash her away when he didn't want to be bothered.

"Nervous about school starting?" Dominic asked.

"No." Alex lied.

"Well, you and Rebecca hadn't seen too much of each other this summer." his father said. "You haven't talked about her. She with someone else?"

Alex didn't want to say anything. Rebecca was too complicated and he didn't like to explain that to anyone. Besides, when did his father start caring so much about Rebecca?

"She was in New York all summer. Visiting her family." Alex said.

"Yeah, I know. Her father says she was at some kind of study program at Columbia. While you were out goofing off at the bay with Keith Summers and Jimmy Brendan, she was getting a head start on her education. Bob Paris to. He was at a corporate internship his father set up. Why didn't you plan ahead like that?" Dominic wanted to know. "It was embarrassing to hear Mark Paris describe how his son is doing and knowing my son isn't going anywhere."

Alex refused to answer.

"You're plenty smart, Alex. Smarter than you give yourself credit for." Dominic sighed. "Have you even started to think about what schools you want to go to?"

Alex shook his head.

"We'll talk later in the week about this." his father said. "No more going out until we make a plan for you."

I think we all know where I'm going with a ballroom dancing class.