Thanks to Sim Addict, for letting me know they were present. : ) Everyone else please leave a review as well.

This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but we're getting off the ground.

Jess Needs a Head Check

Aunt Joan was the one who drove them to school the first day. Jessica had asked if she could drive all three of them there, given that she had a permit. But Joan said she was running late, and for that matter wasn't comfortable with Jessica driving.

"You should really be practicing with your father, honey." Aunt Joan said to Jessica. "Maybe it's because I've always been driving you around, but I don't like it when you're behind the wheel."

Jessica voiced a short complaint, which was easily shot down. Maureen scoffed under her breath—a parent who freaked out at the thought of their child driving was normal, but awful all the same. It showed they still saw their children as babies, and put no trust in them as real people. Maureen only had a driver's permit herself. But she'd driven plenty of times all the same, with others and (illegally) on her own. The power was exhilarating. Even when driving slowly, the feeling of control over a ton of metal gave her a strong jolt of confidence. It was a power trip, regardless of how safely one was driving.

"We should get to drive once in a while, Aunt Joan." Maureen said out loud. "Jessica's right. Practice is important."

Joan nodded, distracted by the row of cars in front of her.

Forks High School was essentially a small collection of unconnected buildings, scattered across several large fields. Maureen wondered why a town that got so much snow and rain would build a school that required its students to step outside so frequently. It seemed inefficient.

Another small thing. Maureen thought dismissively. Damn her if she was going to let them add up.

Joan dropped them both off near the gym, and wished the girls a good first day. Maureen was thankful Aunt Joan hadn't used the term 'wise fool' which Uncle Thomas had been wringing to death for the last seven days.

"What do you think?" Jessica asked, as the pair walked towards the main office.

"Small." Was Maureen's honest reply. "The last school I was at had over a thousand students."

"Holy shit." Jessica's eyes bulged. "What was that like?"

"Easier to get lost in the crowd." Maureen replied honestly. In her high school there had simply been too many people to acknowledge a specific person as 'the bottom of the pecking order'. Ironically, despite the mass of people it had been easier to go off on her own, to find breathing space.

The two girls walked into the office. Two 'stations' had been set up, and the secretaries manning them were handing out schedules. Maureen and Jessica got in the line behind the sign marked 'N-Z'.

"We have Biology I this year." Jessica wrinkled her nose. "I can't say I'm looking forward to it."

"At my school, the freshmen took it first thing." Maureen said. "It was a pain, but not impossible."

"You should lend me your notes." Jessica said.

"I burned them." Maureen grinned. "You know, catharsis. Part of the healing ritual."

"Well, then tutor me." Jessica said, a hint of mock exasperation in her tone.

"There's a difference between recognizing the lessons and remembering the lessons. I'm the sort for person who does the former."

Maureen gave her name to the woman behind the table, who handed her a class schedule, a map and several pamphlets. One pamphlet contained the basic rules of conduct in the school. The others were cheerful propaganda, things like how to do you homework on time, and why drugs were bad.

"Can I see your schedule?" Maureen asked, as they left the office.

Jessica passed it over; Maureen scanned it quickly. "I have all of my morning classes with you." She observed. "Including Biology I. Also Spanish."

"Awesome. I'll be your guide, then let you go off on your own to test the mad skillz I've given you." Jessica said proudly.

"Mad skillz indeed." Maureen checked her schedule. "Where's building 5, then?"

"This way."

There was a coatroom just inside the building, and most people were making use of it—even in early September, the temperature in Forks was a little brisk. Maureen took off the jean jacket that Aunt Joan had loaned her, and tucked her felt cap into the sleeve.

"I'm still not sure what they're going to say about your jumper." Jessica said, worriedly,

Maureen smoothed the jumper down over her lap—it was cherry red cotton, and came down to mid-thigh. Blue glass buttons anchored the two wide straps over her shoulders, and the edges were decorated with small roses embroidered in white thread. Underneath she wore a white linen shirt with elbow-length sleeves, and a pair of blue wool leggings that went down into her boots.

"One, who the hell is 'they'?" Maureen said matter-of-factly. "Second, what's wrong with my jumper?"

"It's a jumper." Jessica repeated, as if that made it obvious.

"So?"

"So it makes you look like a little kid."

"Jess, I'm fifteen. I am a little kid."

"Fifteen isn't little!"

"Only because that's the longest we've been alive. Under eighteen is young. Hell, under thirty is young. Anyway, none of my clothes look particularly mainstream, and I've been wearing them for a whole week. You never complained."

"We weren't in school last week."

"Look, I made what I'm wearing and I'm proud of it. It's my art. If it embarrasses you, pretend I'm Michelangelo and I'm wearing the Sistine Chapel."

"That doesn't help. Or make any sense."

Maureen giggled; she couldn't help herself. "Relax, Jess. If anyone cares, it's their problem." But they won't know it's their problem. Ugh.

As it turned out, the problem was what other people said…and did. While Maureen's clothes were brought up a few times, the majority of inquisitive students seemed chiefly interested in Maureen herself—for no real reason.

"Hey, Maureen Stanley right?"

"Whoa, Jessie's cousin, right? Cool!"

"You're from California!"

She was assaulted at the beginning of every class with a flurry of questions, and plenty of students chose to just stare at her, like she was a zoo animal.

It was getting very annoying.

"Jess, is everyone here really that bored? That starved for gossip and new faces?" Maureen asked at the end of second period. "Do none of them have access to the internet?"

"Oh Maureen, be positive." Jess said. "People are interested in you!"

"I didn't come here to be interesting." Maureen grumbled. This was ridiculous. She hadn't done anything to provoke so much attention. In her experience, such excitable behavior over a New Girl was bizarre and uncalled for.

This place is built to idolize the new, and make it special. Maureen observed. No matter how mundane it actually is.

The classes themselves went quickly enough, even when it required changing buildings. Each class was more or less an overview of the semester's lesson plan, along with the teacher's personal policies about homework, tests and grading. Maureen paid strict attention, trying to get a feel for each teacher. The first one was fairly lax—a plus, since the early hour was ideal for dozing. The rest seemed more hard assed; but Maureen couldn't tell exactly how strict they were. Time would tell.

Inquisitive students notwithstanding, by the time the bell rang for lunch Maureen was bored stiff. She'd purposely not brought any knitting or sewing to school, so that she could learn the ropes without a preferred distraction. But the lack of anything constructive to do was making her fidgety.

"Inside or outside?" Maureen asked. Although the weather was cool and the sky was cloudy, it was apparently nice enough that some of the student body had opted to sit outside.

Jessica squinted, peering at the outside benches. "Inside. I don't see my friends."

Inside was distinctly warmer. But the fluorescents were a little blinding, and the air contained the steamy fart smell of potatoes and overcooked vegetables. Maureen had opted for the bag lunch, unsure if the cafeteria food would be crappy or not. But although there appeared to be a Tuna Surprise on the menu, pizza and hamburgers were also available. Maureen made a mental note to take advantage of that.

She felt a sudden sharp tug on her arm; Jessica was pulling her with rather excessive force towards a table of chattering girls. With a degree of speed and subtlety that Maureen didn't know Jessica had, her cousin slid them both into chairs at this table.

"Hey, guys!" Jessica said, smiling her most endearing smile.

A chorus of hi's and hey's sounded out, some more reluctant than others.

Dear lord, are we sitting with people who don't want us? Maureen thought.

The answer turned out to be no, although Maureen assumed it had something to do with Jess brown nosing the blonde girl who was clearly queen bee at this table.

Whatever. It wasn't Maureen's problem. She unwrapped her lunch, and quietly began to eat.

"This is your cousin from California, then?" The blonde girl asked, gesturing her head at Maureen.

"Oh! Yeah, this is Maureen." Jess said. "She's staying with me and my family. She's really cool."

"Hey all." Maureen said. The chorus of hellos was repeated, and Jess introduced the girls by name. Beth, Angela, Ashley, Lauren, June—Maureen lost track after the fifth. They all looked sort of the same.

I'm sure they all have unique traits and personalities. She thought.

Maureen's eyes widened as Forks nudged her again…with a big fat NEGATIVE. Apparently, personality was not the defining trait of half these girls—they were effectively wallpaper.

Wow. So much for the value of an individual life. Maureen thought bitterly. At least here, the irony was smothered by the numbness.

Maureen realized someone had asked her a question. "I'm sorry, what was that?" She said.

"You're from California!" Jane—or was it June?—repeated. "Do you know any movie stars?"

"No." Maureen said.

"I like your outfit." The blonde girl—Lauren—said. "The colors are great, very nouveau-schoolgirl."

"Thanks!" Maureen smiled. So much for Jess' theories.

"Where did you get it?" Lauren asked, adjusting the sleeves of her low-cut, black and white print top.

"I made it."

"…oh."

Maureen's smile faded. There were whole paragraphs hidden in that 'oh'…lines and lines chock full of superiority.

"Yeah. The shirt, the jumper, everything." Maureen said.

"She likes to sew." Jess threw in, perhaps sensing the sudden tension.

Lauren casually dug her fork into her salad. "I suppose it's useful, if buying clothes is too expensive."

Ah, an attempted blow at my socio-economic status. Nice try, b*tch.

"Actually, it can be more expensive to make clothes than to buy them." Maureen said, nonchalantly. "Shopping at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or even Wal-Mart is cheaper. But there are ways around that—like buying a big sweater at Goodwill, then unraveling it and using the yarn to knit a cool hat, or crochet a flowery shawl."

"Wow, you must really like making things." Angela voiced.

"My parents made me take Home Ec. last year." One of the other girls said. "I hated it. So much work! If making aprons and pillows taught me anything, it's that it's better to pay other people to make stuff for you than to make it yourself."

Maureen bit down on her turkey sandwich, as a red haze of rage quietly filled her vision. She chewed, slowly—the longer she had her mouth full, the more time she would have to avoid speaking.

Luckily by the time she swallowed, Lauren had a new question.

"So, why'd you move up here to live with your cousin?" Lauren asked.

"She was expelled." Jess said, before Maureen could answer.

Maureen whipped her head around. Jess! What the hell?

"Really?" Lauren's eyes lit up.

Oh. That was what the hell. Maureen grimaced—Jess was using her as a story to propel them both into the spotlight.

"Yeah, there were these as*hole teachers, and she had to make trouble to get away from them." Jessica announced. "Otherwise they would keep sending her to detention and making her life a living hell…"

…that's not exactly the story I told you, but thanks for painting me as a cool anti-establishment rebel, Jess. Maureen thought wearily.

"…so her Dad and step mom sent her up here." Jessica finished.

"Oh, so where's your real Mom?" Lauren asked. She had the decency to address the question to Maureen, but Jess leapt in again.

"She walked out on Maureen and her Dad." Jess said. She turned to Maureen. "When you were like, nine, right?"

Maureen had to grip the edge of the table to keep from slapping Jessica across the face. What was she thinking?

She wasn't thinking, obviously. Maureen took another bite out of her sandwich, at an utter loss for anything else to do.

"That's awful." Lauren said, her voice anything but compassionate. She turned back to Maureen. "Is that why you made the teachers mad? Do you feel like it was your fault that she left?"

Maureen swallowed, feeling the corner of her eyelid twitch in anger.

"Ask a real question." She said.

While still nasty, Lauren's expression was worth it. "Huh?"

"You're asking rhetorical questions." Maureen took a quick swig of orange juice, hoping she could keep her voice level. "You don't expect me to give a real answer…and if I did, you wouldn't care. You're just gleefully scandalized about my dirty laundry, and want to draw out my discomfort to make yourself look superior."

It took Lauren a moment to recover, but her response was predictably deflective.

"Well," She sniffed. "If you don't want to talk about it, fine. I guess it must be a touchy subject."

More touched than your bony ass will ever be, you ugly stick. Maureen bit her tongue. From the sidelong looks Jessica was giving her, she'd already dug the hole deep enough.

"What the hell were you doing?" Jessica practically screamed as the two girls walked out of the cafeteria. "Lauren's probably furious at me! What if she won't let me sit with her anymore?"

Maureen winced. Between Jessica's shrill tone and the end-of-lunch bell, she felt half deaf.

But not deaf enough to miss Jessica's use of 'me' instead of 'us'. Blood thicker than water, my ass.

"What were you doing?" Maureen snapped back. "I haven't been in this school a full day, and you tell everyone you know that my Mother is a child-neglecting deadbeat? What the f*ck, Jessica?"

"Well she is!" Jessica narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, but it's true, right? She took off, just like that, no explanation. Like she didn't care what anybody thought. If she wasn't messed up, why else would she do that?"

Because she had infinitely better places to be, and I for one don't blame her. Maureen bit the words back again. Her teeth were starting to form a dent in her tongue.

"Jessica, will you just, for the love of pete, stop babbling all my dirty secrets?" Maureen asked. "I could do without the whole school thinking of me as some psycho delinquent. It would make things easier."

"Nobody thinks you're a psycho delinquent." Jessica snapped. Several heads turned in the crowded hallway. Maureen grimaced, feeling her cheeks grow warm. She hated that feeling.

Great. Embarrassed about being embarrassed. I think, therefore I am. I shame, therefore I am…a teenage idiot.

"I'm going to my next class." Maureen said. "I think I've had enough of your 'guidance' for one day."

Maureen spent the rest of the school day in a haze of frustration and anger. She barely looked at the people around her, and when someone asked her a question—student or teacher, it didn't matter—her answer was short and uninviting.

This place was supposed to make her numb. It wasn't supposed to have any real tragedies, any big stuff.

This isn't 'big stuff'. She gently reminded herself. This is just trashy gossip. What was the gossip, anyway? Nothing deep. Just a façade about expulsion, and how everyone thinks I have a crazy Mother.

Maureen's mother was crazy, of course. But no more crazy than Maureen was. And she'd taken off for better places, with Maureen's blessing.

Hell, it was pretty much what Maureen had done, in coming here.

Do you miss her? Maureen asked herself.

A bit. But we parted on good terms, and she's been gone a long while. It's more that I miss—

Maureen squeezed her eyes shut until she saw white. Numb, numb, numb. She chanted in her head.

And the numbness came. The inanity of the world around her came in, and washed her thoughts away. She was calm again.

Maureen bumped into Jessica at the end of they day—obviously, as they were both taking the same bus.

Jessica began to apologize profusely—apparently she'd had time to think over what she'd said, and realized why Maureen had been so pissed.

"It's okay, it's okay." Maureen said, reassuring her. "But I don't think Lauren and I are going to get along. I'll sit apart from you guys from now on."

"Are you sure?" Jessica's concern was genuine, but so was the relief in her eyes when Maureen didn't insist that Jessica join her in exile.

"Positive. I like to work on projects at lunch, anyway." Maureen said. "You sit with her and your friends. It's fine."

You might as well do what you want to do, whether it's talking nonstop or currying favor with the popular sophomore princess. Maureen thought. After all, in a place like this—where everyone could live without pain—why not do what you liked?

Maureen certainly would. There were sixteen ounces of brown wool in a bag on her desk, and she couldn't think of anything she wanted to do more than card it until it was smooth and clean. She could already see herself spinning it into a good, soft yarn—pressing with her foot and moving her fingers, until she lost herself in the act of construction.

The next update should be on Monday, as I'm out of town this weekend. Next chapter...the Cullens actually make an appearance. If, you know, that sort of thing is important to you. I hear it is. Apparently Edward is very well liked. For some reason.

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