Chapter 3: School Stuff
"You'll be in the same first period with all of us, so I'll see you there okay?" Ken led Chastity to her homeroom and saw her in. Chastity noticed how the girls sent vicious looks at her, and she found it amusing that Ken had such an effect on women. Having known him since their diaper days, she found it hard to see him as the Casanova playboy that he could be. Chastity spent the homeroom period organizing her things and her thoughts. When she thumbed through her agenda, she noticed a note tucked between the pages.
~Smile, pretty girl. You'll do just fine. Love, Mom
"Chastity! Over here! Come sit next to me!" Shelly was practically bouncing in her desk trying to wave Chastity down. Chastity made her way to the corner where Ken, Shelly, Jerry, Vanness, and Kiki were seated. Vanness and Jerry were having some sort of intense discussion and bits of it drifted towards Chastity.
"You were supposed to do it last night! What the hell am I going to tell Sam?" Jerry growled.
"Chill out, what difference does a day make? I'll handle it okay? Look Hinderson's here. Shut up," Vanness was talking about the balding professor that entered the classroom. He called roll in a drone and stopped to ask about a certain Mr. Chou. "Mr. Yen do you know why Mr. Chou is not present today?" the professor inquired of Jerry.
"Sir, I believe he has an engagement with the studio this morning and will be late to school."
"Very well. Please make sure he gets his assignments. All right class, I hope you've looked over the syllabus I provided. Wednesday you will have your first quiz."
"Hey Chastity, let me see your schedule." Chastity handed the printout over to Shelly and then turned to say a few words to Kiki.
"This guy is so dull, what's the point of today's lecture?"
Kiki giggled and replied, "O I think it's something along the lines of, I'm the teacher, you're the student. Don't talk. Study. Yada yada."
"Here Chas, I've marked off all the periods we have together and Kiki's too. We'll meet you for lunch at the canteen today. If you get there before us, sit at the big table near the window. It's to the right of the fountain okay?" Shelly instructed, handing back the schedule.
~
Chastity had independent study the next period, so when she split from the gang she wandered the school. The long hallways wound like a maze, and Chastity had finally found the auditorium after a ten minute search. She pushed the heavy oak doors open and peered into the dimly lit hall. The melancholy tones of a violin resounded in the auditorium, and Chastity was deeply impressed by the depth of emotion in the music. She tiptoed quietly in and seated herself near the back. She could see the lone musician with his head bowed in concentration. When he had ended the wistful melody with an achy long note, Chastity was on the verge of tears. Being a musician herself, she could appreciate the beauty in his music, and she decided she had to meet this incredibly talented guy. She approached the stage quietly, taking a deep breath before starting, "That was haunting, really touching."
He turned to look at her, and Chastity was met with an inexpressive but nonetheless intensely attractive face.
"Um, my name is Chastity."
"You shouldn't intrude on people," the handsome boy said coldly before packing up his instrument and exiting through the back stage.
"Oookay. Rude much?" Chastity called out, a little peeved, but embarrassed too. She sensed that whatever he was doing in here, it was private. She probably shouldn't have been so forward. The bell rang sharply, signifying the start of her next period. Chastity was actually looking forward to lunch. Maybe she would ask Shelly about the mysterious violin boy. The canteen was relatively empty when Chastity strolled in, but she found the indicated table easily. It was the best spot in the café, with a great view of the campus. Chastity plopped down and propped her head on an elbow. She spotted a few of the girls from her homeroom walking in, giving her the same dirty looks. One of them strutted over to Chastity and demanded, "Why are you sitting there?"
"Why can't I sit here?" Chastity scoffed.
"You're the new girl aren't you. There are a couple things that should be pointed out to you. One, this table is reserved. Two, watch how you talk to people," the girl snapped. She tossed her brown curls and placed her hands on her hips. "You're not getting up."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had to. What's your name anyway?" Chastity rose from her chair, smiling.
"Tsk tsk. I'm Ashlyn. Don't bother telling me your name because I'm not interested."
"That's too bad Ashlyn. It was nice talking to you, but I see my friends now," Chastity had risen to wave to Shelly and Kiki. Not far behind them Jerry and Ken were joking around and walking towards the table.
"Shelly, have you met Ashlyn? She's in my homeroom and was so sweet that she came to introduce herself to me. She felt that as a new girl there were a few things I just had to know," Chastity gave Ashlyn a withering smile. Shelly caught the sarcasm in Chastity's voice and whipped towards Ashlyn.
"Ash, dear, have you been nice to Chastity? She's a really good friend of mine. I hope you won't give her any trouble."
"Of course not. I'll see you guys later. Melissa's waiting for me," Ashlyn drifted off to meet the girl Ken had said he disliked so much.
"Shell-bell why were you talking to Ashlyn?" Vanness asked, sitting himself next to Chastity.
"You mean, why was Ashlyn being a horror to Chastity?" Kiki inputted.
"Ah. It makes sense now. So Chas how was class this morning?" Ken queried.
"I had independent after lit with you guys, so it's been relatively uneventful. Hey I'm starving. Where's the food?"
Chastity pleaded.
"Jerry's ordering right now. Let me go see. Come on Vanness."
"This cafeteria is so nice. I bet the food is good too," Chastity tapped a slender finger on the white tablecloth.
"It's alright. The stuff gets old. The boys always get too much anyway," Shelly pointed to the three guys clutching trays heaped with food. Chastity laughed a little and stood up to get herself a drink. She offered to grab some for the other two girls as well. Heading back to her seat, Chastity found that there was someone else seated with them.
"Chastity, come on. Sit, eat," Vanness patted the chair next to him.
"Chastity this is Vic. The elusive fourth guy of our little group here," Shelly grabbed the ice tea from her and nodded towards the figure slumped over on the table.
"Is he okay?" Chastity was concerned.
"Haha. Vic can nap anywhere. He's just a bit tired that's all," Jerry patted his friend to rouse him.
"I'm hungry," Vic grunted and lifted his head slowly until Chastity could recognize who it was. She made a small gasp and struggled to find the appropriate words, but she was interrupted by a middle-aged woman with her hair twisted in a neat bun.
"Mr. Yen, Mr. Chou, Mr. Chu, Miss Willington, Mr. Wu, and Miss Chen, good afternoon. I trust everything is in order for this afternoon's assembly?"
"Yes Mrs. Garwin. I left copies of our speeches with your secretary," Shelly responded in a tone of maturity Chastity had never heard from the bubbly girl before.
"Wonderful, yes, I've already read through them. I'll see you all later then. Oh, Miss Tse I hope you are getting on alright here." Mrs. Garwin winked at Chastity and departed.
"Sorry Chas, but you'll have to fend for yourself at assembly. We'll all be on stage," Shelly told her.
"Are you interested in student government Chas? Did you do that in California?" Kiki asked her.
"Yeah, it's a pity I won't get to run for anything this year. Do you all hold office?" Chastity decided there wasn't a need to mention that she was class president the last couple of years. She would miss the bustle of activities and planning though.
"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you'll get your chance," Ken assured her.
"Let's see, Jerry is student body president, Vic is veep, Ken's the treasurer, Shelly's the secretary, I'm the committee chair, and Kiki's our historian," Vanness ticked off the titles of those seated at their table.
"Wow, I didn't know I was surrounded by such big shots. Since when did you get so involved in school?" Chastity poked Ken playfully. He shrugged.
"Chastity?"
"Yeah?" Chastity turned a smiling face to see who had called her name. Vic of all people was calling her.
"You'll be in the same first period with all of us, so I'll see you there okay?" Ken led Chastity to her homeroom and saw her in. Chastity noticed how the girls sent vicious looks at her, and she found it amusing that Ken had such an effect on women. Having known him since their diaper days, she found it hard to see him as the Casanova playboy that he could be. Chastity spent the homeroom period organizing her things and her thoughts. When she thumbed through her agenda, she noticed a note tucked between the pages.
~Smile, pretty girl. You'll do just fine. Love, Mom
"Chastity! Over here! Come sit next to me!" Shelly was practically bouncing in her desk trying to wave Chastity down. Chastity made her way to the corner where Ken, Shelly, Jerry, Vanness, and Kiki were seated. Vanness and Jerry were having some sort of intense discussion and bits of it drifted towards Chastity.
"You were supposed to do it last night! What the hell am I going to tell Sam?" Jerry growled.
"Chill out, what difference does a day make? I'll handle it okay? Look Hinderson's here. Shut up," Vanness was talking about the balding professor that entered the classroom. He called roll in a drone and stopped to ask about a certain Mr. Chou. "Mr. Yen do you know why Mr. Chou is not present today?" the professor inquired of Jerry.
"Sir, I believe he has an engagement with the studio this morning and will be late to school."
"Very well. Please make sure he gets his assignments. All right class, I hope you've looked over the syllabus I provided. Wednesday you will have your first quiz."
"Hey Chastity, let me see your schedule." Chastity handed the printout over to Shelly and then turned to say a few words to Kiki.
"This guy is so dull, what's the point of today's lecture?"
Kiki giggled and replied, "O I think it's something along the lines of, I'm the teacher, you're the student. Don't talk. Study. Yada yada."
"Here Chas, I've marked off all the periods we have together and Kiki's too. We'll meet you for lunch at the canteen today. If you get there before us, sit at the big table near the window. It's to the right of the fountain okay?" Shelly instructed, handing back the schedule.
~
Chastity had independent study the next period, so when she split from the gang she wandered the school. The long hallways wound like a maze, and Chastity had finally found the auditorium after a ten minute search. She pushed the heavy oak doors open and peered into the dimly lit hall. The melancholy tones of a violin resounded in the auditorium, and Chastity was deeply impressed by the depth of emotion in the music. She tiptoed quietly in and seated herself near the back. She could see the lone musician with his head bowed in concentration. When he had ended the wistful melody with an achy long note, Chastity was on the verge of tears. Being a musician herself, she could appreciate the beauty in his music, and she decided she had to meet this incredibly talented guy. She approached the stage quietly, taking a deep breath before starting, "That was haunting, really touching."
He turned to look at her, and Chastity was met with an inexpressive but nonetheless intensely attractive face.
"Um, my name is Chastity."
"You shouldn't intrude on people," the handsome boy said coldly before packing up his instrument and exiting through the back stage.
"Oookay. Rude much?" Chastity called out, a little peeved, but embarrassed too. She sensed that whatever he was doing in here, it was private. She probably shouldn't have been so forward. The bell rang sharply, signifying the start of her next period. Chastity was actually looking forward to lunch. Maybe she would ask Shelly about the mysterious violin boy. The canteen was relatively empty when Chastity strolled in, but she found the indicated table easily. It was the best spot in the café, with a great view of the campus. Chastity plopped down and propped her head on an elbow. She spotted a few of the girls from her homeroom walking in, giving her the same dirty looks. One of them strutted over to Chastity and demanded, "Why are you sitting there?"
"Why can't I sit here?" Chastity scoffed.
"You're the new girl aren't you. There are a couple things that should be pointed out to you. One, this table is reserved. Two, watch how you talk to people," the girl snapped. She tossed her brown curls and placed her hands on her hips. "You're not getting up."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had to. What's your name anyway?" Chastity rose from her chair, smiling.
"Tsk tsk. I'm Ashlyn. Don't bother telling me your name because I'm not interested."
"That's too bad Ashlyn. It was nice talking to you, but I see my friends now," Chastity had risen to wave to Shelly and Kiki. Not far behind them Jerry and Ken were joking around and walking towards the table.
"Shelly, have you met Ashlyn? She's in my homeroom and was so sweet that she came to introduce herself to me. She felt that as a new girl there were a few things I just had to know," Chastity gave Ashlyn a withering smile. Shelly caught the sarcasm in Chastity's voice and whipped towards Ashlyn.
"Ash, dear, have you been nice to Chastity? She's a really good friend of mine. I hope you won't give her any trouble."
"Of course not. I'll see you guys later. Melissa's waiting for me," Ashlyn drifted off to meet the girl Ken had said he disliked so much.
"Shell-bell why were you talking to Ashlyn?" Vanness asked, sitting himself next to Chastity.
"You mean, why was Ashlyn being a horror to Chastity?" Kiki inputted.
"Ah. It makes sense now. So Chas how was class this morning?" Ken queried.
"I had independent after lit with you guys, so it's been relatively uneventful. Hey I'm starving. Where's the food?"
Chastity pleaded.
"Jerry's ordering right now. Let me go see. Come on Vanness."
"This cafeteria is so nice. I bet the food is good too," Chastity tapped a slender finger on the white tablecloth.
"It's alright. The stuff gets old. The boys always get too much anyway," Shelly pointed to the three guys clutching trays heaped with food. Chastity laughed a little and stood up to get herself a drink. She offered to grab some for the other two girls as well. Heading back to her seat, Chastity found that there was someone else seated with them.
"Chastity, come on. Sit, eat," Vanness patted the chair next to him.
"Chastity this is Vic. The elusive fourth guy of our little group here," Shelly grabbed the ice tea from her and nodded towards the figure slumped over on the table.
"Is he okay?" Chastity was concerned.
"Haha. Vic can nap anywhere. He's just a bit tired that's all," Jerry patted his friend to rouse him.
"I'm hungry," Vic grunted and lifted his head slowly until Chastity could recognize who it was. She made a small gasp and struggled to find the appropriate words, but she was interrupted by a middle-aged woman with her hair twisted in a neat bun.
"Mr. Yen, Mr. Chou, Mr. Chu, Miss Willington, Mr. Wu, and Miss Chen, good afternoon. I trust everything is in order for this afternoon's assembly?"
"Yes Mrs. Garwin. I left copies of our speeches with your secretary," Shelly responded in a tone of maturity Chastity had never heard from the bubbly girl before.
"Wonderful, yes, I've already read through them. I'll see you all later then. Oh, Miss Tse I hope you are getting on alright here." Mrs. Garwin winked at Chastity and departed.
"Sorry Chas, but you'll have to fend for yourself at assembly. We'll all be on stage," Shelly told her.
"Are you interested in student government Chas? Did you do that in California?" Kiki asked her.
"Yeah, it's a pity I won't get to run for anything this year. Do you all hold office?" Chastity decided there wasn't a need to mention that she was class president the last couple of years. She would miss the bustle of activities and planning though.
"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you'll get your chance," Ken assured her.
"Let's see, Jerry is student body president, Vic is veep, Ken's the treasurer, Shelly's the secretary, I'm the committee chair, and Kiki's our historian," Vanness ticked off the titles of those seated at their table.
"Wow, I didn't know I was surrounded by such big shots. Since when did you get so involved in school?" Chastity poked Ken playfully. He shrugged.
"Chastity?"
"Yeah?" Chastity turned a smiling face to see who had called her name. Vic of all people was calling her.