CHAPTER 2!!!!!!
'Whoosh! Speed demon Trinity is off!! Through the mosh of royals she gracefully moves! Watch in awe as she slides past campus security! Clap you hands in delight as she-' CONK! "Ouch… rams into another tree. Jesus, where do these things come from? I hate the outdoors!"
"Nice moves, Renada!" Trinity heard from some snotty upper class-person as she brushed herself off. Her uniform was perfectly pressed, that bitch. If Trinity had had the chance, she would have made the teal bow around her neck into a noose and hung her from the flag pole. Of course, she could have tied the teal knee socks together and…no. One person didn't matter. When she finally picked herself up, she saw everybody was breaking apart from their groups.
Trinity decided to ignore the snide comments that were coming from the upperclassmen. "Aw crap. I'm gonna be lateeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she screeched as she ran halfway across the school and into her Western Civ. room. She scrambled into her seat just as the bell rang.
"How nice of you to join us, Ms. Renada. I nearly started class without you," the lady said. She was a petite woman, probably in her early 50's. She was also a stickler for promptness. Trinity would have taken offence to that remark if it wasn't Mrs. Gigstad. She was always like that and you either had to take it or leave it.
"Yeah, I know. But what would you do without me?" Trinity beamed.
"Spend a lot less time trying to decipher what the loops you call letters mean," Gigstad retorted. " But now let's get on with class. As you all know, we have a project to do!" groans filled the classroom like potassium chloride. (That's not a good thing.) "Now quit your whining. You're sophomores, but you're all starting to sound like my whiney seniors!"
People looked around the room. It was a known fact that when you were compared to the seniors, you knew that there was nothing worse you could do. Except for maybe using double negatives.
"As I was saying, we have a project. You're all going to like it because it's really easy. It's something you've all done before, and if you've ever watched that scary lady, I think her name is Martha Stewart-"
"Get on with it!" the random Aussie student exclaimed. (You've gotta have the random Aussie student.)
"It's a report on your family history! Jeez… I had this big schpeal all planned out and you made me ruin it! I knew there was a reason I asked to not have any Australian students. But no, administration said I was being racist…" the looks around the room had gone from horrified/constipated to relief to complete confusion in about .7 seconds. Well, mostly. Neither Trinity nor Hannah looked thrilled, although both were rather interested in their teachers ramblings.
Moving on…sadness filled Hannah's eyes as she looked around the room. 'Family tree? Oh yeah, that's gotta be wonderful for people. I'm sure the people who lost people during the war are gonna love remembering this. What about the people who can't even remember their families?' she looked down at her desktop so nobody could see the tears that were filling her eyes. All this thinking was giving her an undeserved headache. It wasn't fair what they were being asked to do. But Hannah wasn't going to say anything about it, so she fumed silently some more. She just hoped that Trinity wouldn't have to do anything. A re-lapse this far into recovery wasn't needed.
Mrs. Gigstad approached Trinity's desk. "Don't worry. I know of your 'situation.' You're excluded from this. You can write an essay on static electricity and socks."
Trinity looked at Hannah, who was still looking at her desk. "As interesting as socks sound… I think I'd like to help someone."
"Okay. If you can find anybody who's willing," Mrs. Gigstad replied. She went back up to the front of the room and took in a great big breath. "Now, these will be due at semester, so I don't want a whole bunch of crap written down on cardstock. This gives you nearly 2 months of research and writing time, got it?" Nods were seen all across the room. "Okay. And since I'm such a nice person, I'm giving you the rest of the hour off so you can go call your mommies and/or daddies so you can get them to send you whatever you need. I'm sure most of you won't actually do that, but I'll be naïve and believe that you people still do what you're told. Now leave!" She exclaimed and watched the herd of young adults leave the room.
'This is good. Now I can at least have a chance to ask Hannah about her project. Oh yeah, and apologize some more.' Trinity thought to herself as she packed up the remaining objects on her desk and put them into her dark blue backpack.
"Hey, Hannah?"
"Yeah?"
Sucking up the rest of her pride, Trinity answered, "I'm still really sorry for what I did. I'm planning on making it up to you no matter what! I'll do whatever you want!"
"You already said that," Hannah replied, a look on her face that told Trinity she was staring off into space again. The short girl seemed to be doing that a lot, lately.
"Girls, didn't you hear me? I'm setting you free early! Why don't you go off and rejoice in another area of the school? Or at least graze the fields?" Mrs. Gigstad asked, making it blatantly obvious that she wanted the pair to leave.
"Sorry Mrs. Gigstad," they said at the same time. Hannah picked up her lime green backpack and headed out the door with Trinity on her heals. Mrs. Gigstad could be heard in the background singing Christmas tunes. (She's just a Christmas-y kind of person.)
"So… what do ya wanna do with our free time?" Trinity timidly asked. "We could go to the cafeteria and eat! Cause, you know, food is good."
"Look, Trinity. I've got a headache that could take down a large rhinoceros. I'm going to go home and sleep it off. Would you tell my teachers for me?" Hannah replied as she walked away from the sworded one.
"Well sure, but are you telling me that you're turning down a mocha chino, 3 sugars, low-fat cream?" Trinity looked a bit worried at that point. Not only was Hannah acting un-Hannahlike, but she also looked really pale. Paler than her usual Norwegian in the dead of winter look.
"I guess so," Hannah's voice wavered through the corridor, as the blonde pushed the down button on the near-by elevator.
'She is acting so funny. I remember when Nadir acted like that. He would always walk away when he felt nasty because he never wanted me to see him vulnerable. Is that what Hannah is doing?'
'Whoosh! Speed demon Trinity is off!! Through the mosh of royals she gracefully moves! Watch in awe as she slides past campus security! Clap you hands in delight as she-' CONK! "Ouch… rams into another tree. Jesus, where do these things come from? I hate the outdoors!"
"Nice moves, Renada!" Trinity heard from some snotty upper class-person as she brushed herself off. Her uniform was perfectly pressed, that bitch. If Trinity had had the chance, she would have made the teal bow around her neck into a noose and hung her from the flag pole. Of course, she could have tied the teal knee socks together and…no. One person didn't matter. When she finally picked herself up, she saw everybody was breaking apart from their groups.
Trinity decided to ignore the snide comments that were coming from the upperclassmen. "Aw crap. I'm gonna be lateeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she screeched as she ran halfway across the school and into her Western Civ. room. She scrambled into her seat just as the bell rang.
"How nice of you to join us, Ms. Renada. I nearly started class without you," the lady said. She was a petite woman, probably in her early 50's. She was also a stickler for promptness. Trinity would have taken offence to that remark if it wasn't Mrs. Gigstad. She was always like that and you either had to take it or leave it.
"Yeah, I know. But what would you do without me?" Trinity beamed.
"Spend a lot less time trying to decipher what the loops you call letters mean," Gigstad retorted. " But now let's get on with class. As you all know, we have a project to do!" groans filled the classroom like potassium chloride. (That's not a good thing.) "Now quit your whining. You're sophomores, but you're all starting to sound like my whiney seniors!"
People looked around the room. It was a known fact that when you were compared to the seniors, you knew that there was nothing worse you could do. Except for maybe using double negatives.
"As I was saying, we have a project. You're all going to like it because it's really easy. It's something you've all done before, and if you've ever watched that scary lady, I think her name is Martha Stewart-"
"Get on with it!" the random Aussie student exclaimed. (You've gotta have the random Aussie student.)
"It's a report on your family history! Jeez… I had this big schpeal all planned out and you made me ruin it! I knew there was a reason I asked to not have any Australian students. But no, administration said I was being racist…" the looks around the room had gone from horrified/constipated to relief to complete confusion in about .7 seconds. Well, mostly. Neither Trinity nor Hannah looked thrilled, although both were rather interested in their teachers ramblings.
Moving on…sadness filled Hannah's eyes as she looked around the room. 'Family tree? Oh yeah, that's gotta be wonderful for people. I'm sure the people who lost people during the war are gonna love remembering this. What about the people who can't even remember their families?' she looked down at her desktop so nobody could see the tears that were filling her eyes. All this thinking was giving her an undeserved headache. It wasn't fair what they were being asked to do. But Hannah wasn't going to say anything about it, so she fumed silently some more. She just hoped that Trinity wouldn't have to do anything. A re-lapse this far into recovery wasn't needed.
Mrs. Gigstad approached Trinity's desk. "Don't worry. I know of your 'situation.' You're excluded from this. You can write an essay on static electricity and socks."
Trinity looked at Hannah, who was still looking at her desk. "As interesting as socks sound… I think I'd like to help someone."
"Okay. If you can find anybody who's willing," Mrs. Gigstad replied. She went back up to the front of the room and took in a great big breath. "Now, these will be due at semester, so I don't want a whole bunch of crap written down on cardstock. This gives you nearly 2 months of research and writing time, got it?" Nods were seen all across the room. "Okay. And since I'm such a nice person, I'm giving you the rest of the hour off so you can go call your mommies and/or daddies so you can get them to send you whatever you need. I'm sure most of you won't actually do that, but I'll be naïve and believe that you people still do what you're told. Now leave!" She exclaimed and watched the herd of young adults leave the room.
'This is good. Now I can at least have a chance to ask Hannah about her project. Oh yeah, and apologize some more.' Trinity thought to herself as she packed up the remaining objects on her desk and put them into her dark blue backpack.
"Hey, Hannah?"
"Yeah?"
Sucking up the rest of her pride, Trinity answered, "I'm still really sorry for what I did. I'm planning on making it up to you no matter what! I'll do whatever you want!"
"You already said that," Hannah replied, a look on her face that told Trinity she was staring off into space again. The short girl seemed to be doing that a lot, lately.
"Girls, didn't you hear me? I'm setting you free early! Why don't you go off and rejoice in another area of the school? Or at least graze the fields?" Mrs. Gigstad asked, making it blatantly obvious that she wanted the pair to leave.
"Sorry Mrs. Gigstad," they said at the same time. Hannah picked up her lime green backpack and headed out the door with Trinity on her heals. Mrs. Gigstad could be heard in the background singing Christmas tunes. (She's just a Christmas-y kind of person.)
"So… what do ya wanna do with our free time?" Trinity timidly asked. "We could go to the cafeteria and eat! Cause, you know, food is good."
"Look, Trinity. I've got a headache that could take down a large rhinoceros. I'm going to go home and sleep it off. Would you tell my teachers for me?" Hannah replied as she walked away from the sworded one.
"Well sure, but are you telling me that you're turning down a mocha chino, 3 sugars, low-fat cream?" Trinity looked a bit worried at that point. Not only was Hannah acting un-Hannahlike, but she also looked really pale. Paler than her usual Norwegian in the dead of winter look.
"I guess so," Hannah's voice wavered through the corridor, as the blonde pushed the down button on the near-by elevator.
'She is acting so funny. I remember when Nadir acted like that. He would always walk away when he felt nasty because he never wanted me to see him vulnerable. Is that what Hannah is doing?'