Gather 'round the story mat, boys 'n' girls!!
Hypothetical question: Don't you ever find yourself watching "Newsies" and you go: "Hmm... I wonder how these characters would adapt to OUR time?" Ah, you're not alone.
I'm so sick of hearing the run-of-the-mill "back in time" stories. This isn't even a "FORWARD in time" story. Imagine that our favorite boys were never newsies... yeah, yeah, I know. What if they were just like the guys you see at your high school every day? The jocks, the class clowns, the rebels, the artsy kids... what if the NEWSIES were these guys?
And that, my friends, is what "Fast Times at Duane Street High" is all about.
Time to forget our boys as the strikers that we've come to know and love. Let's take 'em to the hardest environment to survive in: American high school. Ha ha ha...
*DISCLAIMER: Yep, nothin's changed. Disney still owns "Newsies." But in this story, that's ALL they own!! *evil grin* Other than that, I own my character, Stagey, and the others to come will own themselves. Yay! So indeed.*
AND BY THE WAY... I'm tryin' to please my readers to the best of my ability. But eventually I'm gonna make SOMEONE mad by putting their favorite newsie in a clique that they don't agree with. Look, you guys... this story is meant to be enjoyed by all of you, but I wrote this based on MY feelings. And, yeah... it's really stupid to keep the guys' nicknames since it's present-day now... but it works! Please don't hurt me... *cowers in her genie bottle*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And now without further ado... the first of what I hope will be MANY chapters of:
~FAST TIMES AT DUANE STREET HIGH~
Chapter ONE: New Kid in Town
The nanosecond Danielle "Stagey" Williams set foot in Duane Street High School, it was like the world stopped. Sure, she'd expected life to suck majorly when she was forced to move, but not this much. It was as though these kids had never seen a new face before.
Truth be told, they hadn't. Duane Street High was the only secondary school in the sleepy little town of Queens, New York. No, not THAT Queens. NEVER confuse Queens, New York with Queens, New York CITY. The two were as different as night and day and just as far apart. Queens was a tiny town up in the northwest corner of New York state. The kids at Duane Street High had grown up together. They'd been educated with each other from preschool on up-- from playing in the sandbox to going to junior prom.
So Stagey's was a noticeably different face, to say the least. Stagey tried to avoid the stares from the astounded kids in the hallway as she furiously clutched her schedule, in search of her first period class.
********************************
"Hey, look-- there's the auditions sheet."
"Why are you even looking at that, Jack? Everyone knows the parts in 'Romeo and Juliet.' We read it in freshman English, remember?"
"Yeah... jus' checkin', that's all." Jack smiled down at his girlfriend, Sarah Jacobs, turning his attention to the auditions notice hanging just outside the auditorium. "Wonder what part I'm gonna get..."
Sarah squinted at him. "What makes you think that you'll get a part?"
"Hey, c'mon!" Jack protested, trying not to sound too full of himself. "I've been in Miss Larkson's plays ever since I was a little kid. She'll let me in." He paused. "Don't know who's gonna be the female lead though," he mused. "Tabitha graduated last year."
"Hey, don't look at me," she said with a small smile as the warning bell rang. "You know I"m not into that sort of thing. C'mon; we're gonna be late for Bio."
********************************
Stagey arrived in front of room 713 right before the warning bell rang. She double and triple checked her schedule to make sure she was in the right place. Before she entered the room, she ran smack into a short-looking boy. He steadied the cabbie hat on his dark head of hair after the collision.
"Hey, where's the fire, kiddo?" he chirped in an accent.
"Sorry," she said, clutching her binder. "Guess I need to pay attention to where I'm going."
He shrugged. "No big deal. Say, you're new, ain't ya?"
She nodded.
"You in my class?"
Stagey fished out her schedule and read over it. "English Lit with... Denton?"
"Yeah, Mr. Denton... he's pretty okay for a teacher," he said with a smirk. "How ya doin'? I'm Anthony Higgins, but I only answer to Racetrack." He grinned.
"Racetrack..." she mulled over. "That's, er-- interesting. Uh, I'm Danielle... Danielle Williams. But my friends back home in D.C. called me Stagey." She smiled.
"An' I thought I had a weird nickname!" Racetrack remarked as they walked in the classroom, taking two seats one in front of the other. The rest of the students filed in gradually.
"'Morning, guys..." Mr. Denton rushed in, carrying his briefcase. "Sorry I'm late. The copier wasn't working, so your test on Emerson isn't going to be until tomorrow."
The class cheered.
"But first," he said, "we have a new student here with us this morning from Washington, D.C." Mr. Denton checked the roll. "Danielle Williams? That right?"
Stagey nodded. "Yeah," she said, feeling slightly uncomfortable as she felt twenty pairs of eyes stare at her.
"All right. Good." He opened a notebook. "Why don't you just listen in on the discussion today? I won't grade you on anything your first day."
She nodded again.
Mr. Denton started pacing around the room, a habit he was prone to doing during the lengthy class discussions. "Okay, now... let's talk about your novel that's due today..."
A communal moan filled the air.
"Mr. Conlon!" Mr. Denton acknowledged the boy sitting in the row next to Stagey.
This kid, Conlon, opened and closed his eyes slowly, lazily. His selection of wardrobe was in dull, dark colors, complete with a studded collar around his neck. His hair was darkish and tousled with gel. The only area of color was a pair of red suspenders and his electic blue eyes. He smirked at Mr. Denton.
"Mr. Denton..." he said with the same amount of authority.
"Tell us about 'Wuthering Heights,'" he asked.
Racetrack turned around to face Stagey. "That's Spot Conlon... badass of Duane Street High," he reported with a snicker.
Stagey stifled a laugh.
"'Wuthering Heights'..." Spot murmured to himself. "Oh, right! That was the one with that guy Heathcliff that kep' feelin' sorry for himself. What a loser. And Catherine. Sheez, she was hot."
Mr. Denton faked a heart attack. "What am I hearing? Bad Boy Conlon actually READ the book?"
The class sort of laughed.
"Yeah, actually," said Spot, raising his eyebrows. "Kinda liked all that dark romance crap."
********************************
Mid-"Wuthering Heights" discussion, the bell jingled in the hallway.
"Have a good day, guys!" Mr. Denton dismissed the class.
Racetrack shifted his bag to the other shoulder. "So where ya headed next, Stagey?"
Stagey examined her schedule. "Theatre Arts..."
He chuckled. "Well, that's where we part, kiddo! I ain't into all that drama crap." He pointed down the hallway. "But the class is right down those stairs."
"'Kay. Thanks, Racetrack."
"No sweat. See ya 'round, Stagey."
"'Bye." She half-waved to her new friend and trod down the stairwell and, surely enough, to the drama classroom.
Things were much different in the drama room than in her English Lit room. First of all, it looked like total anarchy-- akin to an open mike night at the coffee house. There were kids prancing all over the makeshift stage in the lecture hall-esque room. Where was the teacher?
Stagey found her-- a striking, friendly-looking redheaded woman doodling on her notepad. She cleared her throat, offering up her schedule.
"Oh, hello hon," she said with a melodious voice, checking Stagey's schedule. "Danielle? Okay, well, make yourself comfy anywhere you like. I'm Ms. Larkson, ringleader of this three-ring circus." She grinned. "Go on; take a seat."
"Thanks," Stagey said with a smile, navigating around the chairs, tossing her stuff down in an empty seat in the middle, at the end of a row. She took in the goings-on among the kids quietly. It was something she never did.
Ordinarily, she would have been right down there with them. Back in D.C., Stagey was queen of the drama department of her school. She knew everyone there. And then her dad had to get that job offer in Queens... the middle of nowhere. Still, Stagey watched the drama kids longingly, wanting to be a part of it.
"Hey... 'scuse me."
Someone appeared behind Stagey, taking a bag from under her chair, preparing to toss it into the one next to her.
"Oh," she said absent-mindedly, "Sorry... I didn't know this was your seat." She tucked a lock of her haphazardly wavy hair behind her ear, getting a good look at the person who she stole a seat from.
"Nah; it's okay. I can always use this one. It's just as good." The person-- a boy, grinned at her through the strands of ear-length light brown hair that fell in his eyes. He tossed his bag under the desk next to her, tugging at his fitted faded jeans and reajusting the sleeves on his baggy, laced-up black shirt. He was the stereotypical drama kid-- one of her group.
"You're new, huh?" he asked her, leaning back leisurely in his chair.
She nodded, forcing a grin. "Unfortunately. Gotta make new friends and everything, all over again."
"Here; I'll ease the transition." He shook her hand. "Name's Jack Kelly, wannabe actor and speed-reader extraordinaire." He grinned at her. "Who're you?"
"Danielle," she answered, catching his contagious smile. "Danielle Williams... but if you want, you can call me Stagey."
"Stagey, huh?" he repeated back to her. "'Kay."
"Okay, cats and kittens!" Miss Larkson's voice rang out in the room. "Believe it or not, the bell just rang! Take your seats, please... Blink! Get your tuchis in a chair, buddy!"
Blink-- apparently-- exhibited a broad grin as he plopped down in the chair in front of Stagey. Clearly, his namesake came from the eyepatch he wore over one eye... typical of your drama kids to do something weird like that. Stagey grinned, feeling at home already with such different people.
There was a rustling noise as everyone found a seat.
"All righty..." she continued, waving a pink flier at the front of the room. "First of all, this is a reminder for auditions for 'Romeo and Juliet' after school today! Please guys, make an effort to come out. You don't need any kind of monologue... I just need you to read from the script a few times. Sound like a plan?"
Jack leaned over to Stagey. "Comin' to auditions today?" he whispered. "We need a new leadin' lady. Our old one graduated las' year, so you got a real good chance."
Stagey eyed the pink flier amusingly. Maybe she would...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Okay, kids!! Now comes the fun part: telling me what you thought of it!! *smile* So please, post a review!! If you guys like it enough, I just might write some more... though I'd be inclined to write more even if no one liked it, ha ha!!! Well, thankies much in advance for the reviews, an' please stay tuned for chapter TWO... comin' soon!!
Hypothetical question: Don't you ever find yourself watching "Newsies" and you go: "Hmm... I wonder how these characters would adapt to OUR time?" Ah, you're not alone.
I'm so sick of hearing the run-of-the-mill "back in time" stories. This isn't even a "FORWARD in time" story. Imagine that our favorite boys were never newsies... yeah, yeah, I know. What if they were just like the guys you see at your high school every day? The jocks, the class clowns, the rebels, the artsy kids... what if the NEWSIES were these guys?
And that, my friends, is what "Fast Times at Duane Street High" is all about.
Time to forget our boys as the strikers that we've come to know and love. Let's take 'em to the hardest environment to survive in: American high school. Ha ha ha...
*DISCLAIMER: Yep, nothin's changed. Disney still owns "Newsies." But in this story, that's ALL they own!! *evil grin* Other than that, I own my character, Stagey, and the others to come will own themselves. Yay! So indeed.*
AND BY THE WAY... I'm tryin' to please my readers to the best of my ability. But eventually I'm gonna make SOMEONE mad by putting their favorite newsie in a clique that they don't agree with. Look, you guys... this story is meant to be enjoyed by all of you, but I wrote this based on MY feelings. And, yeah... it's really stupid to keep the guys' nicknames since it's present-day now... but it works! Please don't hurt me... *cowers in her genie bottle*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And now without further ado... the first of what I hope will be MANY chapters of:
~FAST TIMES AT DUANE STREET HIGH~
Chapter ONE: New Kid in Town
The nanosecond Danielle "Stagey" Williams set foot in Duane Street High School, it was like the world stopped. Sure, she'd expected life to suck majorly when she was forced to move, but not this much. It was as though these kids had never seen a new face before.
Truth be told, they hadn't. Duane Street High was the only secondary school in the sleepy little town of Queens, New York. No, not THAT Queens. NEVER confuse Queens, New York with Queens, New York CITY. The two were as different as night and day and just as far apart. Queens was a tiny town up in the northwest corner of New York state. The kids at Duane Street High had grown up together. They'd been educated with each other from preschool on up-- from playing in the sandbox to going to junior prom.
So Stagey's was a noticeably different face, to say the least. Stagey tried to avoid the stares from the astounded kids in the hallway as she furiously clutched her schedule, in search of her first period class.
********************************
"Hey, look-- there's the auditions sheet."
"Why are you even looking at that, Jack? Everyone knows the parts in 'Romeo and Juliet.' We read it in freshman English, remember?"
"Yeah... jus' checkin', that's all." Jack smiled down at his girlfriend, Sarah Jacobs, turning his attention to the auditions notice hanging just outside the auditorium. "Wonder what part I'm gonna get..."
Sarah squinted at him. "What makes you think that you'll get a part?"
"Hey, c'mon!" Jack protested, trying not to sound too full of himself. "I've been in Miss Larkson's plays ever since I was a little kid. She'll let me in." He paused. "Don't know who's gonna be the female lead though," he mused. "Tabitha graduated last year."
"Hey, don't look at me," she said with a small smile as the warning bell rang. "You know I"m not into that sort of thing. C'mon; we're gonna be late for Bio."
********************************
Stagey arrived in front of room 713 right before the warning bell rang. She double and triple checked her schedule to make sure she was in the right place. Before she entered the room, she ran smack into a short-looking boy. He steadied the cabbie hat on his dark head of hair after the collision.
"Hey, where's the fire, kiddo?" he chirped in an accent.
"Sorry," she said, clutching her binder. "Guess I need to pay attention to where I'm going."
He shrugged. "No big deal. Say, you're new, ain't ya?"
She nodded.
"You in my class?"
Stagey fished out her schedule and read over it. "English Lit with... Denton?"
"Yeah, Mr. Denton... he's pretty okay for a teacher," he said with a smirk. "How ya doin'? I'm Anthony Higgins, but I only answer to Racetrack." He grinned.
"Racetrack..." she mulled over. "That's, er-- interesting. Uh, I'm Danielle... Danielle Williams. But my friends back home in D.C. called me Stagey." She smiled.
"An' I thought I had a weird nickname!" Racetrack remarked as they walked in the classroom, taking two seats one in front of the other. The rest of the students filed in gradually.
"'Morning, guys..." Mr. Denton rushed in, carrying his briefcase. "Sorry I'm late. The copier wasn't working, so your test on Emerson isn't going to be until tomorrow."
The class cheered.
"But first," he said, "we have a new student here with us this morning from Washington, D.C." Mr. Denton checked the roll. "Danielle Williams? That right?"
Stagey nodded. "Yeah," she said, feeling slightly uncomfortable as she felt twenty pairs of eyes stare at her.
"All right. Good." He opened a notebook. "Why don't you just listen in on the discussion today? I won't grade you on anything your first day."
She nodded again.
Mr. Denton started pacing around the room, a habit he was prone to doing during the lengthy class discussions. "Okay, now... let's talk about your novel that's due today..."
A communal moan filled the air.
"Mr. Conlon!" Mr. Denton acknowledged the boy sitting in the row next to Stagey.
This kid, Conlon, opened and closed his eyes slowly, lazily. His selection of wardrobe was in dull, dark colors, complete with a studded collar around his neck. His hair was darkish and tousled with gel. The only area of color was a pair of red suspenders and his electic blue eyes. He smirked at Mr. Denton.
"Mr. Denton..." he said with the same amount of authority.
"Tell us about 'Wuthering Heights,'" he asked.
Racetrack turned around to face Stagey. "That's Spot Conlon... badass of Duane Street High," he reported with a snicker.
Stagey stifled a laugh.
"'Wuthering Heights'..." Spot murmured to himself. "Oh, right! That was the one with that guy Heathcliff that kep' feelin' sorry for himself. What a loser. And Catherine. Sheez, she was hot."
Mr. Denton faked a heart attack. "What am I hearing? Bad Boy Conlon actually READ the book?"
The class sort of laughed.
"Yeah, actually," said Spot, raising his eyebrows. "Kinda liked all that dark romance crap."
********************************
Mid-"Wuthering Heights" discussion, the bell jingled in the hallway.
"Have a good day, guys!" Mr. Denton dismissed the class.
Racetrack shifted his bag to the other shoulder. "So where ya headed next, Stagey?"
Stagey examined her schedule. "Theatre Arts..."
He chuckled. "Well, that's where we part, kiddo! I ain't into all that drama crap." He pointed down the hallway. "But the class is right down those stairs."
"'Kay. Thanks, Racetrack."
"No sweat. See ya 'round, Stagey."
"'Bye." She half-waved to her new friend and trod down the stairwell and, surely enough, to the drama classroom.
Things were much different in the drama room than in her English Lit room. First of all, it looked like total anarchy-- akin to an open mike night at the coffee house. There were kids prancing all over the makeshift stage in the lecture hall-esque room. Where was the teacher?
Stagey found her-- a striking, friendly-looking redheaded woman doodling on her notepad. She cleared her throat, offering up her schedule.
"Oh, hello hon," she said with a melodious voice, checking Stagey's schedule. "Danielle? Okay, well, make yourself comfy anywhere you like. I'm Ms. Larkson, ringleader of this three-ring circus." She grinned. "Go on; take a seat."
"Thanks," Stagey said with a smile, navigating around the chairs, tossing her stuff down in an empty seat in the middle, at the end of a row. She took in the goings-on among the kids quietly. It was something she never did.
Ordinarily, she would have been right down there with them. Back in D.C., Stagey was queen of the drama department of her school. She knew everyone there. And then her dad had to get that job offer in Queens... the middle of nowhere. Still, Stagey watched the drama kids longingly, wanting to be a part of it.
"Hey... 'scuse me."
Someone appeared behind Stagey, taking a bag from under her chair, preparing to toss it into the one next to her.
"Oh," she said absent-mindedly, "Sorry... I didn't know this was your seat." She tucked a lock of her haphazardly wavy hair behind her ear, getting a good look at the person who she stole a seat from.
"Nah; it's okay. I can always use this one. It's just as good." The person-- a boy, grinned at her through the strands of ear-length light brown hair that fell in his eyes. He tossed his bag under the desk next to her, tugging at his fitted faded jeans and reajusting the sleeves on his baggy, laced-up black shirt. He was the stereotypical drama kid-- one of her group.
"You're new, huh?" he asked her, leaning back leisurely in his chair.
She nodded, forcing a grin. "Unfortunately. Gotta make new friends and everything, all over again."
"Here; I'll ease the transition." He shook her hand. "Name's Jack Kelly, wannabe actor and speed-reader extraordinaire." He grinned at her. "Who're you?"
"Danielle," she answered, catching his contagious smile. "Danielle Williams... but if you want, you can call me Stagey."
"Stagey, huh?" he repeated back to her. "'Kay."
"Okay, cats and kittens!" Miss Larkson's voice rang out in the room. "Believe it or not, the bell just rang! Take your seats, please... Blink! Get your tuchis in a chair, buddy!"
Blink-- apparently-- exhibited a broad grin as he plopped down in the chair in front of Stagey. Clearly, his namesake came from the eyepatch he wore over one eye... typical of your drama kids to do something weird like that. Stagey grinned, feeling at home already with such different people.
There was a rustling noise as everyone found a seat.
"All righty..." she continued, waving a pink flier at the front of the room. "First of all, this is a reminder for auditions for 'Romeo and Juliet' after school today! Please guys, make an effort to come out. You don't need any kind of monologue... I just need you to read from the script a few times. Sound like a plan?"
Jack leaned over to Stagey. "Comin' to auditions today?" he whispered. "We need a new leadin' lady. Our old one graduated las' year, so you got a real good chance."
Stagey eyed the pink flier amusingly. Maybe she would...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Okay, kids!! Now comes the fun part: telling me what you thought of it!! *smile* So please, post a review!! If you guys like it enough, I just might write some more... though I'd be inclined to write more even if no one liked it, ha ha!!! Well, thankies much in advance for the reviews, an' please stay tuned for chapter TWO... comin' soon!!