Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, PowerPoint, or the concept of taboo. I
just find it really fascinating, and was bored. A slight AU, takes place
after Whisper to a Scream, as thought Paige never told Ms. Suave about
Ellie.
Food Service Girl: It's not based on that show, although that show is awesome. I am borrowing topic ideas for the project from episodes they've had, though. And thanks for the comment about the characterization; this is my first Degrassi fic, and I actually haven't even seen all the episodes, (I'm a poor, unfortunate American stuck with The N) so that means a lot to me.
Chapter 2
The smell of fake orange cheese met Ellie's nose, causing her to wrinkle it in distaste.
A person clad in orange and sporting a hairnet dropped a glob of orange- yellow "food" onto a plate and held it out to Ellie, who took it without complaint. This is what she got for forgetting to make a lunch that morning, but she had been distracted, what-with cleaning up after her mom's latest binge.
She took a seat at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the students. It wasn't that she was feeling antisocial; it was just that she wasn't feeling particularly friendly. Ellie had gotten her test back from math, and had been more then a little disappointed with her grade. Especially since she had studied her ass off for said test.
Ellie picked up her fork and speared a few soggy pieces of macaroni, her mind still on the exam. It was really frustrating; it seemed that no matter how hard Ellie tried, she just could not succeed at math. This was the fourth test in a row that she had failed, and no matter how many times Marco helped her get a handle on the theorems, or how many hours she spent studying, all the formulas and equations seemed to vacate themselves of her brain the second she stepped into math class.
Ellie set down her fork without eating the macaroni. Her eyes had fallen on the knife she had been given to cut apart the under-cooked asparagus. It was plastic, but the serrated edge seemed sharp enough... Ellie shook her head. No. She was at school. Last time she had cut at school, she had gotten caught. And although Paige didn't nark on her that time, there was no telling what would happen if someone else discovered Ellie...
But last time she had been really stupid, Ellie thought reasonably. She had done it right out in the open of the girls' washroom, of course she had gotten caught. But if she went into one of the stalls, where no one could see her...
Convinced, Ellie stood up from the table, abandoning the untouched "lunch". She made her quickly to the nearest washroom, pushed open the door, and stopped short.
Paige and Hazel were in there, putting on their fifth coat of make-up. The former shot a worried glance towards Ellie, who brushed past them and entered a stall, locking it behind her. Paige started telling Hazel about her latest date with Spinner, making it clear to Ellie that they weren't planning on leaving any time soon.
Ellie sat down on the edge of the toilet, backpack on her knees. She unzipped the front pocket and pulled out her water bottle. Undoing the sports-top, she slowly poured the water into the toilet, trying to convince Paige that she was only in the washroom for its intended use.
The lame sound effect must have worked, because Paige and Hazel left after a couple of moments. As soon as the door banged shut, Ellie put her backpack on the floor and peered under her stall. She couldn't see any other pairs of feet, so, assuming she was alone, she pulled out her compass from her CD case and rolled up her arm warmer.
She thought about how hard even the most simple algebra equation was to her, how, no matter how hard she tried, she always, always failed. How her dad was a math wiz, and if he were at home, he would be able to help Ellie with her homework... Ellie gasped softly as the compass broke the pale skin of her left forearm, making a thin tail of crimson down to her wrist.
The sound of kids yelling and laughing leaked into the washroom as the door opened. Ellie's eyes widened, and she quickly climbed up onto the water tank of the toilet, so that if someone were to check for feet, they wouldn't be able to see hers. As an afterthought Ellie reached down and lifted her backpack up, letting it balance on the toilet seat, hoping it wouldn't fall in. She carefully placed her CDs and compass on top of that.
"Are you serious? It was Rick?"
Ellie mentally swore as she heard Paige's voice, full of excitement, followed by Terri's.
"Yes! I'm so happy, I just can't believe it. I mean, I've never had a boyfriend before, and he's just so sweet..." Terri gushed.
Paige made a 'mm-hm' sound, and Ellie heard footsteps coming closer to her stall. Ellie's breath quickened, and she looked frantically for a means of escape. There was none, of course. The footsteps stopped in front of Ellie's stall, and she saw the door give a little as Paige pushed up against it.
"That's weird," Paige muttered, feigning confusion, "The door is locked, yet there doesn't seem to be anyone in the stall..."
Ellie tried to regulate her breathing, tried to get her heart to stop pounding so loudly.
She heard Paige enter the stall next to hers. 'Please just let her have to take a piss...' Ellie thought desperately. She heard two soft 'clunks' of platform sandals stepping onto porcelain, and Ellie glanced up.
Paige was looking down at her, having climbed onto the water tank. Her eyes were focused on the scarlet line of blood threading its way down Ellie's arm. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was frowning, looking like she was trying to decide what to do.
Ellie bit her lip, praying to whatever higher power there may be that Paige would just mind her own damn business. She glanced up again at Paige, mentally pleading her not to make a fuss. Ellie knew she must have looked pathetic, practically begging Paige to not nark on her, but Ellie was feeling really desperate.
The bell signaling the end of lunch sounded, and Ellie heard a set of footsteps heading towards the door.
"Are you coming Paige?" Terri asked from the doorway. "Is there anyone in that stall?"
Ellie bit her lip even harder, and tasted a little bit of blood.
Paige looked Ellie up and down. "No," she said, turning back to face Terri, "No one's in there. Some stupid 7th grader must've locked it and then crawled out under the door for some lame prank."
"Oh." Terri took another step towards the door. "Are you coming?"
Paige glanced back at Ellie. "You go ahead. I really need to go."
Ellie heard the door open and then close again.
"Ellie, get out of that stall right now." Paige said sharply, climbing off the toilet she had been standing on.
Sighing, Ellie crawled off the water tank, picked up her CDs and backpack, and exited the stall, slipping the compass into the pocket of her cargo skirt. Paige was standing by the wall of sinks, glaring at Ellie.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Paige asked accusatorily, looking again at Ellie's arm.
Ellie pushed her arm warmer back down. "What did it look like I was doing?" she snapped back.
Paige looked affronted. "I know what I saw," she said, "And that's the second time I've caught you doing that to yourself. It's not healthy, Ellie. I don't want to be a nark," and at this Ellie snorted, "But," Paige pressed on, "If I catch you again, I'm going straight to Ms. Suave."
Before Ellie could respond, Paige left the washroom in a huff of her own self-importance, leaving Ellie to repeatedly bang her head against the wall.
A/N: And there be Chapter 2. As I said before, I might not have a chance to update again for awhile, but any reviews will motivate me to update sooner.
Food Service Girl: It's not based on that show, although that show is awesome. I am borrowing topic ideas for the project from episodes they've had, though. And thanks for the comment about the characterization; this is my first Degrassi fic, and I actually haven't even seen all the episodes, (I'm a poor, unfortunate American stuck with The N) so that means a lot to me.
Chapter 2
The smell of fake orange cheese met Ellie's nose, causing her to wrinkle it in distaste.
A person clad in orange and sporting a hairnet dropped a glob of orange- yellow "food" onto a plate and held it out to Ellie, who took it without complaint. This is what she got for forgetting to make a lunch that morning, but she had been distracted, what-with cleaning up after her mom's latest binge.
She took a seat at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the students. It wasn't that she was feeling antisocial; it was just that she wasn't feeling particularly friendly. Ellie had gotten her test back from math, and had been more then a little disappointed with her grade. Especially since she had studied her ass off for said test.
Ellie picked up her fork and speared a few soggy pieces of macaroni, her mind still on the exam. It was really frustrating; it seemed that no matter how hard Ellie tried, she just could not succeed at math. This was the fourth test in a row that she had failed, and no matter how many times Marco helped her get a handle on the theorems, or how many hours she spent studying, all the formulas and equations seemed to vacate themselves of her brain the second she stepped into math class.
Ellie set down her fork without eating the macaroni. Her eyes had fallen on the knife she had been given to cut apart the under-cooked asparagus. It was plastic, but the serrated edge seemed sharp enough... Ellie shook her head. No. She was at school. Last time she had cut at school, she had gotten caught. And although Paige didn't nark on her that time, there was no telling what would happen if someone else discovered Ellie...
But last time she had been really stupid, Ellie thought reasonably. She had done it right out in the open of the girls' washroom, of course she had gotten caught. But if she went into one of the stalls, where no one could see her...
Convinced, Ellie stood up from the table, abandoning the untouched "lunch". She made her quickly to the nearest washroom, pushed open the door, and stopped short.
Paige and Hazel were in there, putting on their fifth coat of make-up. The former shot a worried glance towards Ellie, who brushed past them and entered a stall, locking it behind her. Paige started telling Hazel about her latest date with Spinner, making it clear to Ellie that they weren't planning on leaving any time soon.
Ellie sat down on the edge of the toilet, backpack on her knees. She unzipped the front pocket and pulled out her water bottle. Undoing the sports-top, she slowly poured the water into the toilet, trying to convince Paige that she was only in the washroom for its intended use.
The lame sound effect must have worked, because Paige and Hazel left after a couple of moments. As soon as the door banged shut, Ellie put her backpack on the floor and peered under her stall. She couldn't see any other pairs of feet, so, assuming she was alone, she pulled out her compass from her CD case and rolled up her arm warmer.
She thought about how hard even the most simple algebra equation was to her, how, no matter how hard she tried, she always, always failed. How her dad was a math wiz, and if he were at home, he would be able to help Ellie with her homework... Ellie gasped softly as the compass broke the pale skin of her left forearm, making a thin tail of crimson down to her wrist.
The sound of kids yelling and laughing leaked into the washroom as the door opened. Ellie's eyes widened, and she quickly climbed up onto the water tank of the toilet, so that if someone were to check for feet, they wouldn't be able to see hers. As an afterthought Ellie reached down and lifted her backpack up, letting it balance on the toilet seat, hoping it wouldn't fall in. She carefully placed her CDs and compass on top of that.
"Are you serious? It was Rick?"
Ellie mentally swore as she heard Paige's voice, full of excitement, followed by Terri's.
"Yes! I'm so happy, I just can't believe it. I mean, I've never had a boyfriend before, and he's just so sweet..." Terri gushed.
Paige made a 'mm-hm' sound, and Ellie heard footsteps coming closer to her stall. Ellie's breath quickened, and she looked frantically for a means of escape. There was none, of course. The footsteps stopped in front of Ellie's stall, and she saw the door give a little as Paige pushed up against it.
"That's weird," Paige muttered, feigning confusion, "The door is locked, yet there doesn't seem to be anyone in the stall..."
Ellie tried to regulate her breathing, tried to get her heart to stop pounding so loudly.
She heard Paige enter the stall next to hers. 'Please just let her have to take a piss...' Ellie thought desperately. She heard two soft 'clunks' of platform sandals stepping onto porcelain, and Ellie glanced up.
Paige was looking down at her, having climbed onto the water tank. Her eyes were focused on the scarlet line of blood threading its way down Ellie's arm. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was frowning, looking like she was trying to decide what to do.
Ellie bit her lip, praying to whatever higher power there may be that Paige would just mind her own damn business. She glanced up again at Paige, mentally pleading her not to make a fuss. Ellie knew she must have looked pathetic, practically begging Paige to not nark on her, but Ellie was feeling really desperate.
The bell signaling the end of lunch sounded, and Ellie heard a set of footsteps heading towards the door.
"Are you coming Paige?" Terri asked from the doorway. "Is there anyone in that stall?"
Ellie bit her lip even harder, and tasted a little bit of blood.
Paige looked Ellie up and down. "No," she said, turning back to face Terri, "No one's in there. Some stupid 7th grader must've locked it and then crawled out under the door for some lame prank."
"Oh." Terri took another step towards the door. "Are you coming?"
Paige glanced back at Ellie. "You go ahead. I really need to go."
Ellie heard the door open and then close again.
"Ellie, get out of that stall right now." Paige said sharply, climbing off the toilet she had been standing on.
Sighing, Ellie crawled off the water tank, picked up her CDs and backpack, and exited the stall, slipping the compass into the pocket of her cargo skirt. Paige was standing by the wall of sinks, glaring at Ellie.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Paige asked accusatorily, looking again at Ellie's arm.
Ellie pushed her arm warmer back down. "What did it look like I was doing?" she snapped back.
Paige looked affronted. "I know what I saw," she said, "And that's the second time I've caught you doing that to yourself. It's not healthy, Ellie. I don't want to be a nark," and at this Ellie snorted, "But," Paige pressed on, "If I catch you again, I'm going straight to Ms. Suave."
Before Ellie could respond, Paige left the washroom in a huff of her own self-importance, leaving Ellie to repeatedly bang her head against the wall.
A/N: And there be Chapter 2. As I said before, I might not have a chance to update again for awhile, but any reviews will motivate me to update sooner.