"I don't think I can deal with Trina's 'singing' for much longer." Rosemary complained to Tori as they walked down their school's hall on their way to class, making sarcastic quotation gestures with her fingers on 'singing'.
"It's not much longer now, the big showcase in in two days. You're skipping school with me to watch right?"
"Yeah course, like I'd miss that train wreck." Rosemary smirked.
"Oh come on! She's not that bad and the song is really good! You and Andre did a great job."
"It was mainly Andre; I didn't actually do much at all. He's a great writer and musician, I can't believe how talented he is or rather I can't believe someone that talented has to go to the same school as Trina."
The bell rang over their heads.
"Alright I've got to get to math, see you at lunch." Rosemary waved, walking off.
She rushed through her Math work in the classroom, finding it tedious but it was always best to finish quick so she could continue writing her story and be able to say she had finished her assigned class work if the teacher saw her writing in her notebook.
As soon as she finished, she pulled out her writing notebook and started writing without a pause. She became so absorbed in her writing she hadn't noticed the classroom go completely quiet, the only sound in the room her pen on paper. A loud, obviously fake cough from right above her head finally pulled her out of her writing zone, making her look up to see her Math teacher standing over her with her hands on her hips and eyebrows raised in disbelief.
There was nothing she could think to say so she just kept awkward eye contact and let the silence grow until the teacher finally broke, "What are you doing? Because it certainly doesn't look like what I'm teaching."
"I finished the work."
"So, what are you doing now?" she pursed her lips haughtily at Rosemary.
"…writing." She was already tired of this; it was so unnecessary. What does it matter what she does after she's finished the work they've been set in class?
"You shouldn't be doing other classes work in my class."
"It's not other class work, it's just writing."
The teacher glared down at her, unamused.
"Give me the notebook. You can come get it at the end of school."
Rosemary took a deep breath, pissed off but biting her tongue so she didn't end up having to stay after school for detention. She handed her notebook over spending the rest of the class fidgeting and not taking her eyes off the teacher for more than five seconds, paranoid that she would read it. Not that there was anything in there that would get her in trouble, she just always felt awkward having people she knows read her writing unless it was Tori.
She was so pissed off, what was the point of taking away her notebook that she could be writing in when she literally has nothing else to do having finished her class work. Now she was just sitting there in absolute boredom with itchy skin, wanting her notebook back. Though she did have another one in her bag, she didn't want to risk getting that one took off her as well if the teacher saw her with it out.
The next twenty minutes of class went by so slowly Rosemary thought she was going to go out of her mind, she had about sixteen new ideas for her stories that she wanted to write down before she forgot them forever, as well as some song lyrics which kept coming to her more and more now that she had begun writing songs.
She had to stop herself from glaring in rage at the teacher as she left at the end of class. The rest of that day at school was spent in a funk, she was able to continue writing in her other notebook throughout the day but the fact that a teacher had a book full of her inner thoughts and writings was in the forefront of her mind all day. If the idea of taking away the notebook had been to make her concentrate on her school work then it had failed epically, all she could think about all day was that notebook in her Math teachers desk and how anyone could see and read it without her knowing about it, even if it was unlikely, not being able to see it and check was making her paranoid.
When the last bell of the day rang, she basically sprinted to her Math teacher's classroom. She burst into the classroom, having forgotten to knock and was glad that the class that had been in here last had already all left.
The teacher was sat at her desk looking at her with a slightly judging face that Rosemary ignored, "Hey, can I have my notebook back?"
She just raised her eyebrows at her and lowered her head, giving her a warning look for her rudeness.
Rosemary took a deep breath and curled her hands into fists to contain her rage, "May I please have my notebook back Miss?"
The teacher nodded, smiling with satisfaction but then it dropped into a slight frown, "I don't have it-"
"What?" Rosemary may have bit out a bit too harshly because the teachers face reverted back to the warning look.
"Where is it?" she attempted to ask politely but probably missed the mark entirely considering her teeth were grinding together as she spoke through her teeth.
"I read some of your writing-"
Rosemary had to take a deep breath through her nose at this, her jaw having clenched hard to stop herself from screaming "-and I thought your English teacher may have wanted to read it." She finished with a smile, looking at Rosemary as if she was expecting a gushing thanks.
She felt as though her shaking from rage was visible as she stared at the teacher, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't get her expelled from school.
The teacher was still smiling, seemingly unaware of how close she is to her gruesome death, "She's in her office if you want to get your notebook from her."
Rosemary was out the door not even a second after she had finished the sentence, not caring about how rude she was being, she wanted that notebook back right now before the whole goddamn faculty had read it.
This time she really was sprinting and getting a lot of weird looks as she dodged through the other students.
Tori grabs her out of nowhere as she pushed through throngs of students just standing around chatting with their friends and getting in her way. "Rose! What are you doing?!"
"That bitch read my goddamn notebook and then gave it to Miss Wright to read and now I need to get to her stupid office before the whole stupid faculty reads it then posts it online or just reads it aloud on the tv or something!" she was basically screaming by the time she finished, aware of the absurdity of what she was saying but way too wound up to care.
"Okay, it'll be okay! We'll get it back alright. Let's go!" Tori grabbed her hand and ran, starting out dragging her until Rosemary started running properly again. This was one reason she loved Tori, she was always ready and willing to help no matter what. Sometimes too ready some would say, to the point of seeming interfering and sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, but it comes from a good place. Tori really doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
They trip over themselves as they come to a sudden stop at the Miss Wright's office door, barely stopping themselves from hitting the floor.
Rosemary's knock on the door was fast and unintentionally aggressive.
"Come in!"
Rosemary and Tori burst through the door, still panting from their run. The English teacher was sitting at her desk with the drama teacher Mr Land, both bent over looking at something on the desk.
"My notebook!" Rosemary gasped out demandingly, giving up with politeness at this point.
"Oh Rosemary!" Miss Wight called out, suddenly beaming. It always annoyed her that the teachers insist on calling her Rosemary instead of Rose, the only one who listened when she said she preferred Rose was the other teacher in the room, Mr Land. He was a staunch believer in the freedom of self-expression and always told students they should do what feels right even if it's not something society views as socially acceptable, encouraging piercings, dyeing your hair, weird clothing trends and anything people want to experiment with. So, her asking that she be called Rose and never Rosemary was hardly an outlandish request considering all the other weird shit kids ask.
"We were just going through your notebook here!" Miss Wright gestured to where her and Mr Land were just converged on her desk.
Rosemary threw her head back and groaned out loud until it turned into dramatic whimpers.
Miss Wright just laughed and shook her head, "Oh it's alright Rosemary! It's very good! Mr Land and I think you've got a real talent here!"
Mr Land stood, "Rose, I always knew you had a real talent for drama and acting but this is some amazing work! You need to develop these skills, have you ever considered applying for a specialised school like Hollywood Arts?"
She felt more than saw Tori turn from beside her to look at her with a smug smirk.
"Going to Hollywood Arts could really help you not only develop the skills you already have but you'll also be able to attend classes you can't anywhere else to acquire more specified skills and knowledge that could really help you go places in the industry with this. You'll also be going to school with future stars and industry workers that could give you connections and the school itself gives you opportunities to work in real life productions and more." Mr Land continued.
"She should totally apply right?!" Tori bursts out, excited.
Rosemary turned to glare daggers at Tori until she backed down again, smiling sheepishly but clearly without remorse.
Miss Wright just laughs again, picking up her notebook from her desk and finally handing it over making Rosemary release a relieved breath. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to of course but both me, Mr Land and clearly your friend Tori here think it's something you should seriously consider. Promise to think about it okay?"
Rosemary nodded reluctantly, "I promise to think it over."
"Good." Miss Wright nodded, "Also maybe leave the writing for breaks and at home rather than in the classroom from now on okay? At least until you start at Hollywood Arts." She winked at Rosemary.
She gave her an awkward chuckle and agreed, too exhausted from the rollercoaster of this day to put any real effort into anything anymore. She just wanted to go home, or rather to Tori's, and collapse. Then she remembered Trina and her stupid showcase.
They said goodbye to Miss Wright and Mr Land and left to drive home.
"Hey, I'm just going to drop you at your house then go back to mine tonight okay?"
"You don't want to stay over and hang with me and Andre tonight?" Tori pouted.
"You and Andre? Sure. Trina? Not a chance. I'm not in the right head space to deal with her for an extended period tonight, I think I might actually end up committing murder."
"Fair enough. So… about Hollywood Arts…"
"Oh god, not right now Tori please. I literally cannot deal with anything more today."
"Okay. Just so you know, if you ever did decide you wanted to apply for Hollywood Arts I know you'd not only get in but blow everyone in that place away." She knocked her shoulder into mine lightly, giving me a soft smile.
"Thanks Tori, but I really am perfectly happy at our boring normal school with my boring normal best friend." Rosemary smirked at her.
"Thanks?"
"You're welcome."
They drove the rest of the way just listening to the radio play softly until they pulled up at Tori's house, "Good luck with not bleeding from your ears."
Tori just cringed and nodded, "See you tomorrow."
The next few days after that leading up to the big showcase were brutal. Trina's singing was making Rosemary wish she could go temporarily deaf while Tori's insistence on talking about what Miss Wright and Mr Land had said and pressuring her to audition for Hollywood Arts was sending her insane.
She had been spending every night at the Vega's home but decided to spend the night before the big showcase at her own home to get away from Trina and Tori for a few hours before having to put up with them at Trina's school for the day.
Her parents were on one of their romantic getaway holidays, so the house was dark and silent when she got home. She didn't bother turning any lights on, just going straight up to her room, changing into her pyjamas in the near pitch dark and collapsing in bed.
Exhausted, she slept like the dead all the way through the night. She had set her alarm for later than usual for the next day because her and Tori were skipping school to go to Trina and Andre's showcase and she didn't have to be at the Vega's house until midday but she was woke that morning at half seven by her mom opening her bedroom door and calling her name.
"Rosemary! Shouldn't you be up by now and getting ready for school?"
She groaned into her pillow, wondering when the hell her parents got back and why couldn't they have just stayed away.
"I'm not going to school today; I've got something important to do." She grumbled at her almost unintelligibly.
"What? What are you talking about? Of course, you're going to school, you can't just skip!" her mom marched into the room, tugging the covers away from her face.
She squinted up at her mom, immediately annoyed at how perfect she looked at this ridiculous early time, there must have only been a handful of times she's ever seen her parents with even a single hair out of place. They were both her polar opposites, mainly by design. They both had rather dark brown hair that her mom wore in a short pixie cut so she dyes hers blonde and has it down past her shoulders and is planning to grow it down to her waist. They were always wearing professional expensive suits and brand clothes, so she wears grunge styled clothes that hang from her frame.
"Mom!" she made a grab for the covers but her mom pulled them away again.
"Get up! You need to get ready and leave for school! This is concerning you know; do you always skip school while your father and I are away?" she stood above her with her hands on her round hips.
Rosemary sighed and sat up in bed, "No! I've been working with Trina and Andre all week helping them with a number they're doing for a big showcase at Hollywood Arts where they invite a load of important showbiz industry people to watch and I want to be there!"
"Well you'll just have to ask Trina how she did because you're not skipping school! Your father and I bought you something on our holiday, come downstairs and we'll give it to you now before you leave for school." Her mom pranced from her room.
Grabbing her pillow from behind her, she brought it round and pushed it into her face, screaming loudly.
The thought of her parent's typical guilty 'sorry for abandoning you for over a week' present was not particularly appealing to her at the moment, she'd much rather be allowed to skip school today and go to the showcase. Her parents were always buying her things to make up for their lack of presence or lack of care, like they didn't have to care about their child so long as they bought her nice things. They sure as hell wouldn't care if she was skipping school if it wouldn't reflect badly on them and possibly get them in trouble if she did it too much.
She got out of bed, dreading this whole day. It was supposed to be a fun day spent with her best friend at Hollywood Arts and supporting Andre while also kind of supporting Trina but mainly laughing at her and now she had to go to school with no Tori where she wouldn't be able to write during class anymore either due to the teachers keeping a close eye on her and what she was writing in class now.
She threw on some old ratty black skinny jeans and a frayed dark grey top with some Doc Martins, not caring how she looked today and wanting it to reflect her mood. With that in mind she grabbed her oversized leather jacket which had the words 'Don't Talk To Me' printed on the back in block white and threw her blonde hair into a messy bun so it wouldn't obscure the words.
Walking down the stairs she could immediately tell her parents were less than pleased with her choices, appearances were everything after all.
"Are you sure that's what you want to wear to school honey?" her mom asked in a sweet tone that sounded more condescending than anything else.
"Yep, pretty sure." She deadpanned back.
She grabbed a green apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen table and tried to walk out the front door but was stopped by her dad.
"Wait just a second darling. Don't you want your present?"
She sighed and turned back, "What is it?"
Her father pulled out a huge makeup kit and opened it so she could see it stuffed with different kinds of makeup, never mind that she only wore mascara and maybe some eyeshadow and lipstick if she was feeling it.
"Wow thanks… there's a load in there." She tried to sound appreciative, she really did. If they thought she didn't like it then it wouldn't assuage their guilt and she'd be forced into one of their horrifically awkward 'family bonding' dinner's instead at Maestro's and she so wasn't up to it.
She had thought she had failed terribly at seeming appreciative, but her parents smiled, totally satisfied.
"I could teach you to contour if you want?" her mom offered and she accepted, secure in the knowledge her mom will have forgotten even offering by the afternoon.
"Well, I guess I'll be getting to school then." She said, bitterness dripping from her voice, really regretting coming home last night rather than staying with Tori at the Vega's house.
She drove to school before calling Tori to tell her she wouldn't be able to make it, knowing that her call would wake her up but she couldn't wait any longer because of class. She likely wouldn't get a chance to call again until lunch and by then it would be too late, she was supposed to be driving Tori to Hollywood Arts but now she'll have to go with her parents and Trina.
It took six rings for Tori to pick up her phone, "What?" she groaned down the line.
"Heeey Tor, bad news."
"What? What bad news? What happened?" Tori rushed out.
"I can't come to the big showcase."
"What! Why?!"
"My parents came home last night; I didn't even realise they had returned until mom woke me up this morning. I tried telling her I needed to be there for Trina and Andre, but she wouldn't have it, you know how bad it would look for her and dad if it got out that I was skipping school." She rolled her eyes.
"Rose!" Tori whined, "You're not going to make me put up with Trina by myself today!"
"As if I want to be in school today by myself! I'd much rather be laughing at Trina!"
"Rose." Tori warned.
"Supporting Trina… with laughter."