5.
~ Lunch for Norma wasn't much easier. She'd neglected to go to the store last night to buy anything for a brown bag, but had enough cash for a hot lunch. Unfortunately, no one else here seemed to eat the school food. They all liked to congregate in the old gymnasium with their home lunches and snacks. School officials didn't care where students ate, so long as there were no rough housing, and a few groups of girls neatly held court in the bleachers.
Norma recognized these girls right away. They were the same all over. Well manicured, well loved goddesses with oh-so-trendy fashion and perfectly preened hair and makeup. Norma had forgotten all about her makeup in the mad dash of her morning.
These girls no doubt did touch ups every hour. Their clothes were expensive, but meant to look casual. Nothing 'off the rack' at a big box store or thrift shop. These were the girls who's mother fawned over and who stayed at home just to devote all their time and energy to their children. Mother's who went to PTA meetings and held bake sales. Mothers who were totally different than Fanny who probably didn't even know what grade her children were in and was actively clueless about their academic careers.
These girls sat demurely on the bleachers and watched the boys play a quick pick up game of basket ball when the rain outside started. The boys having finished their food with disgusting speed just so they could no doubt show off for everyone.
Norma had seen it all before in what felt like a hundred different schools. The behavior was timeless and predictable. She hadn't had much of an appetite, maybe it was still nerves from the day, or the bad food in general. She'd given up her lunch and retreated to the bleachers to simply watch the human interaction of her classmates. She could tell right away who the popular kids were. The tightly formed group of girls sat close to the action and seemed deep in some scandalous conversation. Their eyes wide with shock at what the others were saying.
She spotted that Alex person who'd so callously stopped her in the hallway just before dance class. He looked different from the other boys. Almost like he was worried about something and thinking too hard. The other boys were constantly shouting and throwing the basketball around. None of them making any serious effort to have a real game. Just shouting and running till the bell rang for class. Norma guessed this was traditional here. With all the bad weather, an extended recess of sorts was needed to burn away all the pent up energy till the bell called them all back to class. Norma even saw some girls practicing cheerleading and a few walking and talking around the basketball court.
Norma herself didn't feel the need to join any of them. Her dance class had proven far more exuberant than she'd thought it would be. It was taught by an elderly woman who was a dance instructors for years. She kept the small class of about ten students on their feet and moving the entire time.
There were only three boys in the class of ten and Norma was paired with a girl named Maggie who seemed thankful she had someone to talk to.
"I hated P.E." Maggie said losing step as she tried to talk to Norma and dance to the beat. "So much running and they made us do al these drills when it rained. This is much better. No one shouts at you, no competition, no changing in the locker rooms. I hated that the most. I had hoped there would be more boys though. It's going to be good when we go to prom. We'll all know how to dance."
Norma had to agree, but Maggie's bad footwork was throwing her off. The dance they were learning to do was relatively simple but Maggie seemed lost and terrified to make the right moves. She couldn't tell her left from right and tried to lead when it was Norma's turn to lead.
Norma had been thankful they had called to switch partners and she ended up with a nice looking fellow sophomore named George instead. He kept looking at his feet and apologizing for 'not getting it' but at least he could lead. The entire class felt clunky and clumsy, but their teacher said she was pleased so far.
Now, she watched this Alex person gracefully roll the ball towards one of his teammates. Almost as if he didn't want to waste any energy on the sport. He hadn't even bothered to remove his letterman's jacket like the others. They'd all been hopeful to show off for the girls and Norma's new annoyance didn't seem to even belong to the rest of them.
Norma felt a headache coming on and realized she'd been scowling at him. This boy shouldn't bother her this much. No boy should. Her father was always dead set against her making friends with anyone at school, especially boys. He'd violently opposed the whole idea of Norma ever having a boyfriend and was constantly suspicious of her every activity. Even as a young a thirteen, Norma remembered her father, in a drunken rage would accuse her of doing all kinds of things with boys.
The memory sent a shiver down her spine and she looked away from Alex. Someone like him probably had a lot of girls after him. He probably just talked to her for sport. Just to see if he could toy with her emotions. She should leave the gym. Go to the library and get started on the reading she'd have to do for english class. They'd been assigned "The Glass Menagerie" and it was some sort of play. Norma felt her school work back in Florida had woefully underprepared her for the workload here. She looked over the dialog between mother and son and it seemed rapid and almost manic. She thought how awful it would be to have to be a mother like that. Someone who controlled her children's every decision and shouldn't let them be themselves. In a way, she supposed she should be thankful Fanny didn't show that much of an interest in her children. She'd always allowed Caleb and Norma complete autonomy in their lives.
'Thank God, I'll never be this clingy or neurotic.' Norma thought reading over Mrs. Wingfield elaborate plans to have her daughter meet an eligible bachelor. It felt like the worst sort of thing to be. A mother who refused to let her children do anything without her.
"Norma?" came a curious voice and she looked up from the plight of the Wingfield family to see her dance partner George tentatively trying to join her seat on the bleachers.
"You mind?" he asked nodding to the emptiness around her.
"Oh no." she said quickly and wished he would go away. George was a nice boy but awkward and slightly off putting. She'd long ago gotten used to her own company at school and preferred to be alone. She didn't have enough social skills to make small talk with other kids her age. Not when her family was always moving. She knew she wasn't like the rest of the them, so why get close when they would only move in a few months anyway?
George sat down and looked sightly uncomfortable.
"It's not easy being new. They aren't exactly friendly here. My sister Christine and I moved here last year from L.A. and she had an easier time adjusting." George nodded to the pack of nice looking girls sitting in a tightly knit circle. Each of them regal in appearance and self importance.
Interested, Norma asked.
"Which one's your sister?" she asked.
"The redhead, in the black sweater." George nodded to a very tall girl dressed elegantly who was all smiles and struck Norma as being completely superficial. She was the kind of girl Norma could never be friends with. They might as well have lived on different planets, they were so different.
"Her?" Norma asked nodding in her direction. George sighed.
"She's the one who got the school to start the theater class and she's running for student body president this year."
"I'm in theater." Norma said without thinking. She didn't mention it was one of the few classes open to her this late in the year.
"Well, I'll see you there." George said with a smile. "We're starting with 'Dracula' and it's coming out just in time for Halloween. We're big on Halloween in my family." he explained.
Norma felt herself smile. She liked the old Bella Lugosi film and secretly hoped they would stay true to that. It might actually be fun to play with the smoke and mirrors effects that made the old movie so corny but so good.
He lifted his chin to another pack of girls sitting on the front row of the bleachers.
"My sister's running against Rebecca Hamilton over there." he said softly enough that Norma had to lean in closer to him. "They kind of have a running feud but girls don't like to call each other out on that kind of thing."
Norma wasn't paying attention to George, or a stupid election for student body president in which she couldn't possibly ever care about. Just now, Alex had had spotted the two of them together. Norma leaning in close to George and the pair of them looking like they belonged together. She watched Alex's dark eyes grow wide and look slightly disorientated when someone shouted at him. A rouge basketball hitting him squarely in the chest and gales of laughter were heard all around.
Norma let out a silent 'O' in sympathy and surprise. She'd expected him to have better reflexes than that.
"That's Alex Romero. He's a Junior." George said with a huff. "Sheriff's son and star athlete of White Pine Bay. He's in all the honors classes to."
"Okay." Norma said and hoped she sounded indifferent.
"He's dating Rebecca." George added nodding down to the slender redhead who boldly wore a bright fire engine red coat in the wash of dark and dreary clothed students. "Has been since last year anyway. Who knows now?" George shrugged. "I only know this because my sister used to like him and thought the feeling was mutual. So where are you from again?" George asked nervously.
Norma had gotten the impression he wanted to be her friend and now it was clear by the eager way George looked at her, he desperately found her attractive.
Unsure of what to do or how to act, Norma shifted slightly away from him. She'd never had a boy 'like' her before.
"Um… Florida. Originally." she said carefully. "My parents are divorcing."
"Long way. It's a big change in weather huh?" George said sympathetically. "I miss the sun in California. And being able to go do things past 9pm. I don't know what my parents were thinking moving us way out here."
"It's a smaller school than I'm used to." she admitted keeping her eyes focused on the gaggle of girls pretending to do cheers.
She could feel her cheeks flush hot and didn't like it. She spotted Alex who was constantly throwing them looks. His expression seemed angry and he kept locking eyes with her in a way that made her breathing pick up.
'Don't be mad at me.' she tried to tell him when she looked back at him. 'I didn't ask this guy to come sit with me. I was minding my own business and not caring at all about you.'
It was with relief that Norma heard the first bell ring and the students seeming to take their time about gathering their books and belongings together to go back to class. Norma would have to buy a backpack today she reminded herself.
"I'll walk you to theater class." George said helpfully climbing down the bleachers. "It's next. So far we've got twenty kids in it and Christine's been really happy we actually made the class."
Norma didn't miss the curious look Alex gave her and George as they left together. She also didn't miss Rebecca in her red coat coming to greet him as if he'd won a championship game.