Notes: I'm sorry it's taking so long for me to update. It's been a bit busy. I have finals this week and it's been kind of hectic lately. But I'll probably be working a bit more after next week…one of the perks of Christmas Vacation…note the sarcasm. Anyway, enjoy! And if your character doesn't appear this chapter, don't worry. I'll most likely make this part to be two chapters instead. Also, please forgive me if I got anything about the auras wrong, I just looked it up. I really don't know anything about them.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this chapter. The newsies belong to Disney and the girls to their respectable and amazing owners.
The day that the girls piled into the buses, headed for the other side of town, it was cold, but that was not unusual for September. Several were rubbing their hands for warmth halfway to the buses in the parking lot and rushing through the opening door of the large vehicle. They groaned as their names were called for roll, an unpleasant necessity.
Danielle Phillips or Hollywood stared out the window as they pulled away from the school building, her chocolate-colored eyes obviously giving away that she was daydreaming. That, or she was worried. Her tall frame looked awkward sitting in the small seats of the bus. Her dirty blonde hair, which reached down to just passed her shoulders, disappeared slightly under the baggy sweatshirt that she wore.
The girl that sat beside Hollywood nudged her gently, knowing that something was on her friend's mind. Saiorse Marie Bernadette Callan, or as she preferred to be called "Irish", raked a hand through her layered brown hair when she got no reply. She then directed her two different colored eyes, one blue and the other purple, out the window as well, trying to see what Hollywood was staring at.
"Are you okay," Irish finally asked, a bit tired of the silence. Hollywood jumped slightly at the sound of her friend's voice, but smiled at herself after a moment for her forgetfulness of the people around her.
"I'm fine," she replied, "I'm just a bit worried, that's all." Irish didn't say anything more. She knew how Hollywood could be sometimes and always tried to be kind to her friend's wishes, "What if they don't like me?"
Irish broke into a grin at that and laughed, "Don't like you? Of course they will. Once they get to know you, they'll love you." Hollywood smiled at that. That was Irish, always trying to make her friends see the bright side of things.
"I know. I'm just nervous," Hollywood told her.
"Your hair's down," Irish commented suddenly, "It looks nice."
"That's the point," Hollywood explained, sounding a little nervous, "I wanted to look a bit nicer for the guys. Besides, it's a bit too cold for skirts."
"Winter will be here in a few months," Irish agreed.
"I almost wish I didn't come," Hollywood said after a moment of silence, "I'm not exactly a people person."
"We're here anyway," the girl who sat in the aisle beside them said. McKinlee Dawson pointed out the window, where a group of brick buildings were coming into view. A small banner was hung above a door, declaring 'Welcome to Redman!' and was obviously made by someone who was very talented. It was obvious by the fancy lettering and drawings of stars and flowers decorating it.
Once they parked in front of the door, several girls rushed out, wanting to get to the warmth of the gym as quickly as possible. The others followed at a slower pace, a little apprehensive about the upcoming meeting.
That morning they had all been told the rules and that fact did not make them any less uneasy, knowing that Mrs. Kreiger was going to be watching their every move.
McKinlee was one of the last off the bus, not wanting to get trampled by the heat-loving girls who rushed out ahead of her. Kinlee as she wanted to be called, allowed her emerald-green eyes to look around at the boys' campus. Her mouth rounded into a slight smirk as her straight, dark brown hair swept into her eyes. It went to her shoulders and was layered with side-swept bangs, golden highlights running through its length.
Kinlee stood up as the way cleared and exited the bus. The door to the gym stood wide open and she didn't hesitate to enter either as the chill met her skin. Winter was definitely approaching fast.
She entered the room, looking up after her eyes adjusted to the bright lighting. She was greeted with the sight of about thirty boys staring in her direction…well, all of the girls' direction, but the looks on their faces were priceless. They looked like they hadn't seen a girl in years and that probably wasn't much of an understatement.
Glancing around the room, Kinlee noticed that it looked like a scene from one of those stupid middle school movies where they go to a school dance…boys were on one side of the room and girls on the other. They appeared to be staring each other down or were too shy to go over and introduce themselves.
After a moment of silence, Kinlee took a step towards the guys. Someone had to move first or the two hours that the girls were there was going to be wasted. A few of the other bolder girls moved after a second or so as well.
The nearest guy to Colleen Dupont or Zodiac was her first victim, or acquaintance if you will. She had no hesitancy in approaching him. Her hazel eyes met his as he turned to face her, the first girl to approach him. Her chin length hair, so deep red it almost appeared burgundy, was covered with a black bandana and contrasted almost sharply with her pale skin. She was shorter than he was at 5 foot 1, so when she stepped back after a moment to stare up at him, he only stared back in confusion.
"What are you doing," Dutchy finally asked, raising an eyebrow in both annoyance and questioning.
"I like your aura," Zodiac told him, still studying him, "I sense that you're a person who's full of inner joy. You're also very generous and not attached to anything…or in this case, anyone, correct?"
Dutchy had nothing to say to this statement. She was a lot bolder than most girls that he had met in the past. He didn't even know her name yet and she was getting straight to the point.
"Not right now," Dutchy admitted a bit hesitantly, reaching back to scratch his neck, a sure sign that he was nervous.
"Dutchy, save me," Spot suddenly ran up behind him.
"What is it Spot," Dutchy asked, looking at Zodiac apologetically. Spot simply pointed out into the crowd to where a girl with long, thick, wavy chocolate brown hair was approaching him.
"You got to be kidding," Zodiac spoke up, "It's just May. She can't hurt you."
Dutchy simply looked at Spot with a smirk, "I thought you knew everything about girls. You know…flowers, candy, the works?"
"My brothers never taught me how to deal with crazy ones," Spot told him, "She's so…bubbly and innocent. I can't stand it!"
"Is something wrong," May asked as she reached the group, "We were just talking." Her deep green eyes looked a bit hurt that Spot had simply left her company without saying 'goodbye'. She was only a few inches shorter than Spot at 5 foot 1, but at 15 was a few years younger. Freckles adorned her face and complimented rather than clashed with her fair, pale skin.
May's appearance, wearing a pink skirt and a white shirt, made her appear a bit younger than her years, but it was a look that well-suited her innocent nature.
"Nothing's wrong," Dutchy told her, "I just wanted Spot to meet her." He motioned to Zodiac, "Sorry if I dragged him away from you." May's eyes seemed to brighten a bit more at this, while Spot shot Dutchy a glare. However, knowing that Dutchy wasn't one to try and hurt feelings, he just nodded in pretend agreement.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Spot said, walking a few feet away with May following.
"That was nice of you," Zodiac said once May was out of earshot, "She's sensitive…if she knew that Spot was just trying to get away from her, she would have cried."
"I hate seeing girls cry," Dutchy admitted with an embarrassed shrug, "Plus, she seemed nice enough. Spot is just weird around girls."
"Anyway, I'm Zodiac," she told him, holding out a hand, which he shook quickly.
"Dutchy," he replied.
"Do you read your horoscope Dutchy," Zodiac asked.
"Yeah, but just for fun," Dutchy replied, "Sometimes it's weird how close they are to real life."
Zodiac didn't speak for a moment, but was rather thinking about what a part her horoscope had said that day. 'Fortune smiles upon you at this time'. It looked like it had been right.
Notes: The horoscope was actually from a fortune cookie I got. The next chapter will continue, but from the POV of the guys. There are still plenty more girls to introduce.