Warm Welcomes to the Antichrist

[Kayito-san]

Just like any other day, Allan woke to the sound of Miles Davis. It was just about the only thing he could listen to first thing in the morning that didn't remind him of the frustrating repetitions that lay ahead. He missed the first bus, of course, caught the second in the hopes of being late and having someone else to blame. Yet, he arrived on time just like every other day. The morning bell rang with its usual feeble atonality. Minutes later, Allan's bag slid across the classroom floor and landed with a thud against the back of a desk to the left-hand side of the classroom. He wasn't the first to class, nor the last. He wore jeans, a dark-blue T-shirt and an unbuttoned black dress shirt over top. No fancy name brands, he didn't wear Nikes, he didn't gel his hair, nor did he wear thick glasses or suspenders. Nothing about him stuck out, besides his slightly less pleasant demeanour. The second bell rang and he lifted his forehead from his desk.

"Good morning class," chimed the teacher, to which the students mirrored, with little enthusiasm, "Good morning Miss Andrews". Allan mouthed the words but didn't make a sound. Bible Studies class– his favourite. First class on Monday mornings. Miss Andrews turned to the chalkboard and began writing– this was unusual because she was not, for once, holding a bible. "We have a new student," she explained, "I'd like you all to give a warm Christian welcome to, Hailee." She turned to the door and her jaw fell slack. For the first time in her career, had nothing to say.

For once, Andrews' reaction piqued Allan's interest. He turned his head slowly, his eyes still on the prof. They snapped towards the door and, as sure as the sky was blue, there was something to behold. Allan smiled slightly. This would be an interesting semester.

 

[Cosmic]

It was hard not to have a smirk at the reaction. It wasn't as if she went far out of her way to attain it, so the fact that this...nun? Was acting like she as slapped in the face after such a rushed morning made her want to laugh. Hell, she didn't even hawk her hair today due to the fact that she came to school on her bike. Which shouldn't be confused for a bicycle, even though it was scratched up like all hell and it's engine left something to be desired.

She stood at the front of the class, her thumbs in the front belt-loops of the skin-tight black skinny jeans she was wearing. They had various patches on them, all looking violent in nature with the skulls, knives, and various other symbols. Instead of dress shoes, or sneakers, She wore what appeared to be standard-issue combat boots with visible steel toes and neon rainbow laces. She wore a black Iron Maiden tshirt and a black denim jacket with an upturned collar. While her hair was short, it had the appearance of an outgrown mohawk, that had since been trimmed slightly on the top and back, but had hair on the sides. Her bag was a home-made monstrosity made from both denim and tshirts and all patches and duct tape . While it looked like it could hold quite a bite, it was relatively empty-looking, as she swung it over her shoulder.

"Hi. I'm Hailee," She said with a bit of a shrug, nervously playing with a pentacle pendant around her neck. "Ummm...This is bible study right? I don't actually have a bible with me..." She looked over at the students and teacher before meeting Allan's eye slightly, "I left mine on my alter...next to my goat." She said finally letting her smirk come through. She looked to the half-stunned half repulsed Miss Andrews waiting to be seated. "Although I can take pretty good notes."

 

[Kayito-san]

Allan struggled to hide his smile. "…next to my goat." He turned his head and fought a grin before turning back towards her, his face plain and, 'shocked'. A girl from the other end of the class, blonde pigtails and blue eyes, stood up. "M-miss Andrews, you're sure there hasn't been a mistake?" she said, with a firm jaw. Allan's face slackened and he turned to see the girl with a certain look of incomprehension. Miss Andrews turned to her as well, "Leanne, th…" she glanced at Hailee, "That is extremely inappropriate. You should try to… try to be more welcoming. Although," she continued, turning her body to face Hailee once more, "I hope you're aware that there are certain… dress conventions that students have… chosen to respect. I think it may be to your advantage to see to it that you follow them. Take a seat, you'll have to share with somebody else."

For a few further moments, Leanne stared at Hailee. Leanne sat down. Allan couldn't believe his ears. What had just transpired was exactly the same kind of crap that he'd been trying to get on camera to prove how awful this school really was. There was so much stupid shit he witnessed, often on a daily basis, he was surprised the school board hadn't investigated. And it frustrated him a great deal. He retrieved his Bible, flipped it open and sat back in the chair.

 

[Cosmic]

"Oh..I just didn't realize there was a dress code beyond "modest attire" My apologies," Hailee said in a strained, yet polite voice dripping with sarcasm. She caught Allan's eye, before rolling her eyes, mentally noting his laughter. Maybe not as much of a douche bag as the rest of them.
So she sat behind Allan with a slump, pulling out a cardboard covered composition book, and shot Leanne a smile along with miming "call me" before sitting back into her seat, spreading her legs like she always did.

Though this place was likely to make her want to light something on fire (like the building, and potentially the faculty) she had to admit--it was fun as hell to be the one and only bad girl in the school. If she had known they were this stiff she would have shaved her head and wore a Planned Parenthood tshirt. She got a pen out of her pocket and looked to a boy sitting next to her, who looked two parts scared to every three parts in awe of her presence. Like she was walking sex, debauchery, and fun, and he had never seen any of those things, particularly in that combo. Then again, it really didn't take much to get that kind of reaction apparently, so it was more of an annoyance than a compliment.

"Hi. What's your name?" She asked with a grin leaning over her desk.

"He-Hecter, Hecter Schmoll," He spoke a bit blushingly adverting his eyes.

"Hey Hecter, Got a good book I could borrow? You look like the type to carry four or five spares," Hailee grinned her brown eyes shiny with amusement. "I promise you can have it back after class."

"Okay..." The male said slowly getting out a leather bound bible from his backpack and handing it to her. "It's King James, I don't know what you believe about it--"

"Oh it's all bullshit as far as i'm concerned don't worry," She gave him a shrug and accepted the book, "But thank you anyways." She opened it, but looked down to her notebook.
Apparently not fans of Iron Maiden. Pity. Hmm...Perhaps some Manson lyrics painted on the bathroom could open them up some?....to be continued. She wrote calmly before looking up like every other good little monkey.

 

[Kayito-san]

Miss Andrews fumed. "Clearly we're going to have to re-educate you about the meaning of the word, 'modest'." she muttered under her breath. A student near the front chortled. Allan couldn't see Hailee but he heard every word between the two behind him as he retrieved his book. He flipped it open about halfway. Miss Andrews spoke up again. "I'd like us to revisit Psalms 117 through 119 today." There was a sigh or two from a few students. Allan was one of them, flipping to the right page. He rested his chin on his hand and gazed lifelessly towards the paper. The class passed slowly as verses were recounted by Miss Andrews as well as a few volunteers from around the class. Eventually, Allan managed to slip a piece of paper under the bible, onto which he could write. It gets worse before it gets better. Find some reliable alibis or they'll start blaming you for things you didn't do. he wrote. He waited for a few moments, forced and 'hid' a yawn, leaned back to stretch and dropped the tiny folded paper onto the corner of Hailee's desk. He sat up, readjusted his shoulders and back, and subtly removed his music player from his bag onto his lap. He uncoiled his headphones, dropped the player down the front of his shirt and slipped a headphone into his left hear. Then the bell rang. Quickly, he slid his bible into his bag and promptly left. He flicked the 'hold' switch, pressed play and was soon immersed in a world more intelligent than his.

He hurried out the door into the hall, and walked briskly towards the gym. His class was chemistry, and the sciences classrooms were in the wider east wing of the school, next to the gym. He didn't want any trouble, he just wanted to be done with the day. Allan turned a corner and nearly ran into another student. Allan was not particularly tall, maybe about 5'10", but Greg was 6'3" and built like a statue. Jagged, abrupt and cold. "Hey fag." snickered Greg, "Whatcha listening to, champ– Nigger music?" Allan struggled to keep his temper. Greg Stein was the school favourite. Quarterback, rich kid; narcissistic and violent. His father was an executive of a state-wide gas station chain and pro-life activist. Allan cringed. He was surprised pro-choice activists hadn't yet taken advantage of Bob Stein's biggest mistake. "Yep." conceded Allan. The last thing he wanted right now was trouble from alpha-douchebag. Allan dodged left. Greg did the same. Right, so did Greg. "Looks like you're gonna be late, prig, and I hear this isn't your first offense. Hope you don't get DT." The bell rang. Strike three, Allan was now expected on Saturday. Greg laughed, shoved Allan into the lockers nearby and walked into the gym change rooms.

Allan calmly walked to the deserted east-wing bathrooms. If he was going to be late, he was going to be late. He sighed and slid his backpack up against the wall, turned on the cold water in the furthest sink and splashed his face. There were a million thoughts going through his head right now, most of them various things he'd like to do to Greg, were they legal. Not the least of which included murder. Allan splashed his face in an attempt to cleanse the thought. He wasn't Greg's only victim. People had tried to turn the tables on Greg before, but by some convenient agent, every case brought against Greg was either thrown out due to 'compromised evidence' or some other spectacular circumstance by which the plaintiff was suspended or expelled. Water splashed against his face again and suddenly his thoughts were flooded with those about the new girl. She would probably have a difficult time at this school, he thought, though he didn't know what she had done previous to deserve being sent here. Firstly, she was the most 'punk' the school had ever seen in its supposed history of acceptance, secondly– he speculated with a slight flush– she was really goddamn cute. He smirked.

He opened the door to the classroom and, as usual, was halted by the prof, "Late again, Allan? Your marks notwithstanding, I'm afraid I have to penalize you for being late." Allan sighed and turned to his prof, "I'm sorry, Dr. Nolan, I got out of class late and had to use the bathroom." Dr. Nolan was probably the best in the school. A very chill prof with much less care for 'the good word' than most of the other faculty. He was usually quite nice to students, but was obligated to follow the same guidelines of faculty behaviour as the rest. "Allan… that was your excuse on Friday. I'm sorry, but I have to write you up. Please take a seat." Allan furrowed his brow and sat down in the second row, retrieving his textbook.

 

[Cosmic]

Hailee scanned the note narrowing her eyes. She certainly didn't like the sound of that. However, she wasn't really that afraid--she planned to toe the line like no one else before. Plus, truth be told, she was a born tight-rope walker, she could bend the rules just enough to annoy the hell out of everyone but not get punished. Usually. As the bell rang she thought briefly of stopping Allan and talking to him, trying to get more of an idea of what he meant--along with hopefully finding someone to sit with at lunch. (The fact that it was closed campus made her eye twitch; she was never very good with the whole cafeteria scene.) But once he was out of the door he more or less booked it and the crowding student body made it difficult for her eyes to keep track of him. However, she noted the scene between him and Greg and gritted her teeth. She instantly disliked him.

Setting aside the fact that Greg looked like a grade-A douche bag, he acted like one too. But it wasn't as if she had a lot to go off of. As far as she knew, Allan was a serial killer who ate babies, so she shouldn't be making too many judgements as to who disliked him. Though...Greg was lucky he didn't hit Allan, cause she drew the line at that. If she witnessed anything like that, poor Greg would have a broken face and her boot so far up his ass that he would be choking on it.

Regardless though, she turned and began making her way to the gym...she thought. It wasn't as if this place was astronomically huge or anything, but it was new to her, and admittedly, her sense of direction was so broken that she was lucky she could tell which way was up sometimes. She ended up walking to the west end of the school before she got to getting directions, and a map, from a kind office lady. Walking back, she sighed and walked into the gym, preparing for the worst.

She hated gym. And it wasn't because she wasn't athletic, nor was it because she wasn't competitive. Years stuck on survival mode gave her that. It was the fact that she never grew out of the middle-school anxiety of having to change and shower in front of others. Of course, her tattoos in this environment just made it worse. People were always awkward naked, but let alone when they actually had something the look at. Although she was five minutes late, she talked to the coach, getting her P.E. uniform (black shorts and a white tshirt) and got a freebie and a dirty look for the day. As she walked into the locker room she felt eyes on her as she walked to her assigned locker, opening it and slowly taking off her clothing.

As she pulled off her shirt she winced, remembering her red phoenix tattoo on her left side. She quickly put on her gym shirt and dressed as fast as she could. she locked up her belongings as tight as she could and avoided the stares and whispers that were most certainly about her as she followed the crowd out.

"You are going to hell, I hope you know that." A particularly snarky voice state to her left as she walked out. Abigail Williams was, how do you say, the image of the stereotypical self-righteous bitch. She had long blond hair, pulled into a pony-tail for gym class, and big bright blue eyes that were narrowed as she stared at Hailee over her nose. "I don't know how you got into this school, but I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you."

"Sweetie, if you were me, you would be out of the training bras by now." Hailee said, trying not to sound defensive. "Don't you have shit to do? Don't you have to prepare for the rapture or something?" Abigail sneered.

"Well, let me put it into perspective for you," She hissed flicking her head, "We aren't amused by your little get-up. We have no place for a filthy whore like you, okay? But because I'm a Christian, unlike you," She looked pointedly to Hailee's necklace, "all I can do is pray for you to repent. But until then, I would appreciate if you didn't flaunt your filthy sinful ways to everyone, okay?" She tried to sound sweet, making the whole statement just three times more bitchy. "And, just so you know, your homosexual agenda doesn't work around here, and if you try anything...funny, I'll tell my boyfriend."

"Homosexual agenda?" Hailee questioned, thoroughly confused. Since when did wearing pants make a girl gay?

"Everyone saw how you hit on Leanne. It was absolutely disgusting you dyke. You better not cause any trouble though, cause I will make your life a living hell if I have to, to keep my school clean from your kind." She spat walking away.

Hailee just laughed. Dear lord, if that was what it took to 'hit' on someone, she wanted to see what the dances at this school were like. Probably like board meetings. Jesus. "Don't worry princess, you and your kind are already fulfilling that particular wish. By the way, you look really cute. You wouldn't happen to have a boyfriend would you?" She laughed walking down to the track as the coach blew his whistle.

It was going to be one long ass period...

 

[Kayito-san]

A frustrated Allan flipped open his notebook. He'd need to reschedule or cancel Friday night's band practice in order to be up early enough for his detention, which he quickly scribbled down at the top of the page. Although he didn't particularly care for chemistry– he preferred his physics and computing courses– hell, even bio was better– he did well enough in this class without any substantial effort. Dr. Nolan lectured, scribbling things on the board that were relevant to the curriculum, with slightly more enthusiasm as the kids in the class. Which is to say, very little. Allan tried to pay attention, but found himself doodling in his notebook as usual. Dr. Nolan droned, Allan doodled, the clock ticked and soon it was over. Class ended, and the bell rang twice in quick succession to indicate morning break. Although students were expected to go to the gymnasium/assembly hall, there was rarely any reason for Allan to go, since most announcements had to do with club activities, none of which he took part in. And so, as usual, he made his way back to his locker, unlocked it and thrust his backpack into the stack of binders and paper. He checked his schedule; next class was math, then gym, then he had a spare immediately before lunch, which meant an extra-long lunch break. He grabbed his music player and headphones, shut his locker, and made his way swiftly towards the exit to the field.

"Hey, Allan." came another familiar voice: Daryl. He was, much like Greg, popular at the school, albeit for different reasons. Although he wasn't quite as much of a dick, Daryl still often caused trouble for Allan whenever there was somebody else around– somebody worth showing off to. Allan turned his head and looked at him. "Yeah?" he acknowledged. Daryl smirked and looked around as students flocked towards the gym. Luckily for Allan, people were too busy to care. "Heard you got another detention. I also heard there's some new F.O.B dyke. I'm putting some money on her getting a detention by the end of the week. And I was thinking, cause you're kinda weird, too: maybe you could help make that happen. This could be a good opportunity for you, buddy. You know? Maybe get a break for once, now that there's a new kid. Shift the uh, 'attention' to somebody else? C'mon, whatd'ya say?" Allan thought for a moment, but no longer than that. "Frame the new kid for something? I'm not an idiot, Daryl, find somebody else to be your patsy." he muttered, to which Daryl replied, "I fucking knew it, you're a fucking wimp. Yeah fuck you."

The doors swung open and Allan was met with a cool breeze. He jabbed his earphones into his ears and made his way over to the bleachers. There, he took a seat, leaning back on the bench behind and above, taking in the dewey air. He sighed, took a deep breath, and dropped his head into his hands. "Fuck everything about this school." he exclaimed. He sat up and rubbed his face with both hands. He checked his phone, set it to vibrate and set a timer, then turned up his music a notch, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes.

 

[Cosmic]

After a very awkward shower combined with a very awkward period, Hailee wasn't sure what to do with herself. Part of her was thinking to skip the rest of the day--which in itself, said a lot. This is not to say that the girl never skipped school or that she wasn't routinely kicked out or punished by school boards for truancy, but simply she had rules about skipping. Rules that she was willing to break because she was starting to get that annoyed.

Abigail's little taunts did nothing it was the fucking talk of her being gay that was driving her up the wall. This is not to say she never had a girlfriend or anything, cause well, she had, it was simply the fact that there was some kind of paramount idea that if you weren't some bible thumping reject you didn't belong. The fact that being called gay was considered an insult. That was what was driving her up the wall. She changed back into her normal street clothes, and noticed there was a place to put your own padlock. She made a mental note of this and promised herself to get one by tomorrow. It was partly because of Allan, and partly because she new that she couldn't trust anyone in this damn place. She had witnessed gay bashing, and she had been in enough fights because of it, it made her eyes twitch. She didn't want to deal with more of it, nor did she want her stuff taken or destroyed because she was "gay."

She smiled to herself slightly, thinking. Out of all the things they could potentially call her, gay was not in the forefront of her mind. She thought perhaps whore, definitely Satan worshiper, she even entertained the thought of "infidel." But no, they lacked too much creativity. She would have to rectify that. She needed to find some sorry sap to make out with. The bell rang and she noticed everyone going one direction, so she decided to go the other. Perhaps she would be able to sneak off campus a little bit and check out the music store she saw on the way there. Anything to get a bit of a breather.

She grabbed her mp3 player and put in her headphones and started walking out not really sure when she was going. It wasn't as if she really had any friends to speak of. She got down to the field before she noticed Allan sitting on the bleachers. She cracked a small smile, and stuck her hands in her pockets and whistled along with her music. (Which currently was acoustic rock, as the device was on shuffle.) She walked up the bleachers and sat a few bleachers down and sprawled herself down on the bench laying down. She turned down her music but didn't bother turning it off, not sure if he was going to speak to her or not. Either way she felt like bothering him, or at least attempting to figure out exactly what he meant by that note.

"Hey stranger," she spoke to the sky, "Feeling sorry for yourself too, or just being one of them strong silent types? You reek of being an artist. You ain't one of them pretentious ones are ya?" she finished, needlessly falling into a southern accent that seemed somewhat convincing off her tongue. "Cause if ya are," she continued, pulling out her headphones and wrapping them around the device as she turned it off, "I won't tell you the latest gossip."

 

[Kayito-san]

It took him a second or two before he realized somebody was talking to him. His eyes blinked open and he looked at Hailee before sitting up and taking out his right earphone. "…too, or just being one of them strong silent types?…" Allan opened his mouth as though to speak, but didn't, and she continued. He was curious as to why she was outside rather than in the gymnasium, on her first day. She made a brief mention of gossip and then there was a silence as Allan figured out what and whether or not to say. "Um… if I had to guess, I'd say you've been relegated to 'team faggot'." he muttered reservedly, "Happens more often than I'd care to retell." He pressed pause and popped the other headphone out of his ear, made a loop, and wrapped his headphones around his player, pulling the last few centimetres of cable through the loop and tightening it. He shoved it in his pocket and leaned forward, crossing his arms and resting his elbows on his knees, looking out to the field.

"You're half right. I am pretentious." Allan smiled slyly and turned to her. "I'm surprised you're out here right now. They might mention you during the assembly and notice your absence, which could shit on your reputation– if it isn't tarnished enough already, no offence." he said, with less hesitation. He sat for a few seconds wordlessly before he hopped down to the dirt at the base of the bleachers. There was a moment where he wondered about the dangers– both to himself and to her– of correspondence with her. Unique though she may be, his plans for the school could have serious consequences for the both of them should she be caught in the tumble. On the other hand, she was new and probably not yet aware of the seriousness of her 'crimes'. Allan was sympathetic, but tenuously so. There had been a time when he had dared to be visible, and he was still suffering the consequences. He approached her and extended his hand. "Allan." he said with a smile. Maybe an ally was just what he needed. All of a sudden, his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Allan returned his phone to his pocket, glanced at the double doors of the school He sighed, and looked back at Hailee. "Morning break is half over, we should head back soon." he sighed, visibly irate, "What's your next class?"

 

[Cosmic]

"Math. You know, where you learn dyke plus dyke equals abomination." She joked, only shooting him a smirking glance before looking back up at the sky. She stared at his hand for a moment before shooting hers out "letting" him help pull her back to a sitting position. "Is this place have like an asshole quota or something? Was it a pre-req to get in or something? You are the first non-complete asshole I've had the pleasure of meeting." It was obvious she talked pretty quick, a slight accent gracing her voice a very light bit of Spanish that she was definitely not born with but, acquired.

She shrugged off the announcements not really caring about her reputation all that much. She didn't want to try for these assholes. She only had a few months until she was eighteen and then, well, it really didn't matter if she was in school or not. That was just one of the few thoughts that replayed in her head like a broken record urging her to just fuck the day off and leave. "Anyway, I don't really care about this little hell-hole's announcements. What would the assembly due but make sure everyone knew exactly who to try to kick. Though it's not like I have anyone to blame. I did choose to dress like this for a reason." She popped her knuckles as a smirk formed in a quiet brooding fashion. "I mean. I figured this school needed to get a taste about how much I hated it off the bat. Bible thumpers....no offense man." She said turning to look at him, realizing she may have insulted his beliefs. "But out of the people I've met today everyone seems to be snorting the holy spirit like cocaine. It's a bit scary."

 

[Kayito-san]

Allan chuckled but shook his head. "The asshole quota has long since been filled. Surprised the WBC hasn't started recruiting here, it'd be a cake walk." Allan nodded as she spoke, visibly become more relaxed. "I know how you feel. When I first came to this school, I had a pretty hard time wrapping my brain around the culture. Not much changes, so far as I can tell. I can't ever seem to make myself quite scarce enough, though it's occasionally left me opportunities…" but he trailed off. He looked away momentarily, as if remembering something, slid his hands in his pockets and then looked back in her direction. "You really don't have to worry about offending me. If I once held beliefs about an omnipotent being, they've long since been extinguished. No loving God would allow this place to exist. I'm as atheist as they come. Or a satanist, if you'd prefer." he said with a wink.

He was admittedly impressed. She was cynical and sharp, voracious come the subject of ignorance. Cute, too, in all of the ways to which rebellion lends itself. Allan withheld a grin. Stepping backwards, he tilted his head to suggest she come with him. "I have math, too. Most math courses are in the same wing, so either I'm in your class or you're across the hall. Anyways, I already have the answers most of tomorrow's homework. I can fill you in if you like."

 

[Cosmic]

"Ooh. Satanist has a nice ring to it. Kinda like our own special club.
And who in their right mind turns down math answers?" She grinned getting up, popping her neck. Her hands fell back into her pockets as she walked off the bleachers with him, her posture slouched with good humor. "So what about this framing thing? Are you hinting that these people actually have the brain power to be diabolical instead of just painfully aggravating?" Though her tone was light, almost nonchalant, there was the slightest glint of worry in her eyes. She always typically had a smooth operation when it came to her, for lack of better word, schemes, but she had no experience in people actively trying to nail her with things. Particularly things she didn't even do.

"I only ask because I didn't factor in any actual intelligence in these people. I mean, the WBC are at least comprised of lawyers. I figured that all the creationism, ignorance, and holy cocaine would have done something to this particular population by now." She pushed her hand through her hair thinking. She wasn't good around authority...she never really was. Even in the most open-minded schools she had been through she ended up with sour relationships with most of her teachers and principals. It didn't help that this place was built like some kind of totalitarian regime in her mind. So if she got in trouble for something that she wast literally framed for, she would have a very hard time talking herself out of it.

 

[Kayito-san]

Tried to chuckle, but it came as more of a sigh. "They already dislike you. But their lack of brain power is exactly why you're most at risk. It may be a christian school, but just as much shit happens here as any other. Some of it even more serious." He paused, finding the words, slowing as they approached the concrete steps. "A kid almost died here." he said, pointing at the steps. "A week before graduation; four days after coming out of the closet. They… tried to blame somebody for it. This was a few years ago, of course. Anyways the kid testified against Greg, but they didn't believe his testimony and tried to pin it all on this other kid with severe bipolar disorder, or paranoid schizophrenia or something. Even the school counsellor, who'd never actually seen him, claimed he was a violent psychopath. Showed up at school a day later– I'd never seen a kid look more scared or guilt-ridden. Of course he hadn't done it, the kid was like, ten pounds lighter than I was at the time, quiet, nice enough guy. Anyways his parents withdrew him from the school, and eventually court found him not guilty. But still, that's something you can never really escape. Criminal record or not, he has that reputation to live with."

"Let's change the subject. It's your first day here and I think I'm doing more harm than good." he said, throwing on a smile and walking up the steps. He put his hand on the door and turned to her. "What about music– what do you listen to?" he asked as he opened the door. He made a slight hand gesture, a 'you first', and tried his best to lighten his expression.

 

[Cosmic]

Though she was quiet throughout his story, she gave a couple flinches involuntarily. Despite the reputation, Hailee generally tried to live as non-violently as possible. This is not to say she wouldn't pull out a knife in self-defense, or that she was a push-over in any sense. Merely that she had rules about it. Namely, the offending party had to hit first.

But even with her rules she had to break them, and often. It was simply part of being a foster kid. "Group homes" were little more than prisons for people under eighteen, and in prison you did what you could to survive. It didn't help that a lot of the kids had suffered all kinds of abuse both from their biological parents and their various sets of foster parents. Just thinking about it made her sweat a little more than an average person.

She shot him a look as he held open the door, her brow furrowing slightly as she puzzled over the gesture. It wasn't as if she was angry or even offend. Simply...confused. In her experiences when hanging out with guys, she was just another one of 'em. A regular average "bro" and nothing more. It was a curse she never really shook off. Inwardly she assumed it was just politeness, a characteristic she noticed Allan had a lot of, but it took a second or two for it to register in her brain. She walked in with him before answering his question.

"Well, other than the obvious, I've been known to enjoy a bit of Ludwig Van with my fellow droogs." She joked, wondering if he would catch the reference before continuing, "But really..I listen to a little bit of everything. A good guitarist has to. I like a lost of acoustic-folkie stuff. Techno is awesome, I had a bit of an electric-techno ish band back in New York. I like rock, obviously, but when I was in Louisiana I got in a bit of a jazz groove. Umm, Yeah, hip-hop's pretty good too. Depending. Kinda went through an MC/rapper phase in Alabama. But yeah, always been a bit of a head thrasher." She gave a shrug. "I'm not much for mainstream music, but I'm not a complete hipster either, even if I make most of my own clothes. What about you?" She asked cocking her head in his direction as they walked.

 

[Kayito-san]

Allan nodded as she listed off her tastes, some of which he was unfamiliar with, impressed at her expansive tastes. He made a mental note of her past musical experience and then shrugged. "Some of the same. Classical, though I'm more into Mahler. A lot of jazz." He paused for a few moments, considering the question. "I don't listen to as many different genres of music as you do, so I feel kind of foolish talking about music. I must listen to some pretty weird stuff, considering. I guess, um… Classical, Jazz, psychedelic noise, experimental black metal… I listen to Miles and Brubeck fairly regularly, with others. Some of it is harder to categorize…" Narrowing his eyes slightly, he opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it prematurely. "Eh, forget it. I'll just have to show you sometime." That came out horribly, he thought.

They approached Allan's locker and he opened it, grabbing his bag and shoving his math binder inside. He looked around. Students were milling about, grabbing their things for the next class. Many of them were glancing towards Hailee expectantly. The hallway was somewhat noisy, but he could tell a good number of them were talking about her– about both of them. Allan closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath. "Uh… they might not have given you a lock yet." he said, turning his head, "If that's the case, feel free to use my locker for the time being." Checking his watch, he tilted his head to each side and brought a hand up to his shoulder, kneading it for a moment, sore from earlier that morning.

 

[Cosmic]

Hailee chuckled. Wasn't the first time she got that response when it came to her musical tastes. At least this time it didn't sound condescending coming from his mouth. An eyebrow was raised as he spoke, her eyes obviously impressed. She was sure that in this community, anything besides gospel was probably considered satanic. So it was nice to have a fellow rebel when it came to that. Which just made her mind wander to a few of the problems at hand. She had been uprooted yet again, and her main source of income, namely the few gigs her and her bad got, was now gone. True she could get a job, she was definitely stubborn enough to get one, but she did have certain preferences.

"...I'll have to show you sometime." Damn. They were still talking about music right? He didn't just ask her out did he? Cause that would be a bit awkward. She hated having anything resembling the average "date" let alone any kind of significant other crap. Until she graduated (which given the fact her credits were all kinds of fucked up from her constant moving probably wouldn't happen any time soon) she didn't like starting up anything like that. It would be nice until it hurt like hell when she had to leave. But she gave him a smile and a non-committal shrug. "Maybe. I'm never opposed to...hearing new music...?" She said a bit unsure, mentally kicking herself for getting lost in her head like that.

She waited for him by his locker, trying not to laugh at all the stiffs staring at her. It was just too damn easy to be hated by these people. It was honestly amusing to her. Hypocrisy had a way of getting so over the top it was ridiculous. Love thy neighbor...unless that neighbor is different from you. Then you should kill your neighbor and eat his or her spleen. She thought cracking up.

"No offense, but I don't need it. If I can't carry it on my back it's obviously not important. Plus I have a P.E. locker. I just need another lock for it," She said shaking her head. She leaned closer to him for a moment before whispering, "Plus I tend to operate on a no casualty basis. I'm not going to have your shit ruined just because Asshole McDouchebag tries to break into it to get to my pathetic stuff. Thanks for the offer though that's appreciated." She moved back to the set six inches to a foot away from him him that seemed to be the "proper" distance to just be acquaintances.

"Man, I hope my goat is okay. Some of these people look a little too...well....exotic if you know what I mean." She smirked at some football player as they passed. "Even if it is non-existent. I think I may have excited one to many people with the possibility."

 

[Kayito-san]

Allan felt slightly embarrassed. She'd noticed his slip-up it seemed. He turned to his locker, and rooted through his belongings for his textbook and homework. He heard her laugh briefly and leaned into his locker. Retrieving his textbook, he stuffed it into his bag and closed his locker, quickly locking it and twisting the dial. He listened, hoisting the bag over his shoulder, and turned back to her, as if to speak, but she continued. Gradually he closed his mouth and shrugged. "No… casualties." he repeated awkwardly as she distanced herself. "Alright well, that's your choice I guess." She'd been close, just now, and it made him just a bit nervous, because she was probably right. She hadn't met Greg yet, who would probably have gone the extra mile to ruin Allan's locker, should he have found that Hailee had taken him up on it. He didn't mention this to her, of course.

They made their way down the hall to the math room. The halls were noisy, peppered with trite remarks about Hailee and Allan, which made it clear to him that he was now once again under scrutiny. It was too early in the semester for this, he thought. He shook it off and they reached Allan's math class. He turned to her, eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Do you know which prof you have? You're either with Mr. Smith in this room or Mrs. Abbott in the one across the hall." The door was still open and students were still shuffling in, one or two of them glancing nervously at Hailee and Allan as they passed.

 

[Cosmic]

Hailee smiled to every single person they passed, and even waved at a few. At this point, if her reputation was as bad as Allan hinted it could be, there was no point in being a bitch to people outright. She could be annoyingly perky too. Even though she didn't have pigtails or a pleated skirt. She dug her schedule out at Allan''s question before nodding in the direction of the room they were at. "I have Smith." She said looking up from the paper brightly, before folding it up and putting it back in her pocket. "You have this class too right?" She asked trying not to sound desperate. It wasn't that she was afraid of her classmates, or rather, audience, but she definitely didn't want to be alone with them. Gym was bad enough. She didn't want to snap and get in trouble on her first day.

"I mean I really suck at math." She covered fluently. "I could definitely use some help as far as where everyone is at and stuff." It was only a half lie. She wasn't bad at math as much as she was slow with it. As soon as she understood something, she could do it upside down and backwards, she just always needed it explained about four different ways before the proverbial wires in her head connected and she figured it out.

She took a step in the classroom, looking around for professor, but not seeing him yet. God she hoped she wouldn't have to introduce herself again. It was getting more than a little aggravating. Her whole day, being two classes, was already weighing on her and she could feel the start of a headache in the back of her head. Not a good sign. She would definitely need to be more theatrical then to keep things interesting. Which, gave her a few more ideas for a tomorrow, and she smiled to herself in a strange kind of way. She would need to write that down before she forgot.

 

[Kayito-san]

"Uh… yeah." he replied. Her friendliness surprised him a little, though he was glad to see that, perhaps his introduction to the workings of the school hadn't freaked her out too much. It was just solid advice for not getting screwed. Allan chuckled at her admission: "I somehow doubt you're that bad at math. The math curriculum here is nothing special, you'll do fine if you don't doze off. I'll help out if I can, though. We just finished transformations, we're doing Conics and graphing algebra." He stepped into the classroom and walked towards the window, hovering about two desks towards the back. Most of the desks further up had been occupied. He sat, and looked briefly out the window. The weather was still fairly nice, but he was some dark clouds clustered on the horizon. There might be rain that afternoon. He slung his bag under the desk and sat down, and fished out his binder, his textbook and a notepad. Allan sighed and sat back in his seat. "Mr. Smith is usually early, gives kids trouble if they show up late, other than that, he's alright." he noted idly.

As if on cue, an older man, maybe in his fifties or sixties, with a shiny bald head and a greying moustache stepped into the room. The room slowly fell silent as Mr. Smith began writing on the blackboard, coughing once or twice before turning to the class. "Good morning, ladies and gents." he announced, "Turn to page 235 in your textbooks, that's chapter nineteen." The man slowly scanned the classroom until he saw Hailee, and smiled a well-aged grin. "You must be Hailee. You'll have to share a book with somebody today; pick up your textbooks from the office at the end of the day." Carrying on, he returned his attention to the chalkboard and resumed drawing figures.

 

[Cosmic]

Hailee gave a mock salute, "Right-o sir!" she said cheerfully, plopping down in a desk next to Allan. She didn't want to abuse his kindness too much, but in all honesty she was a little less than comfortable sharing a book with someone else. She was more or less silent as the professor lectured. She scribbled in her notebook dully, small doodles, lines of random poetry, the occasional note actually pertaining to math. However her ADD rattled brain couldn't take much more of the boring, and quickly fell into writing her observations and checklists in her notebook.

So apparently there was a murder here. How lovely. Don't forget to bring knife tomorrow, and a planned parenthood tee? There is an obvious need for girls to wear pink. Check craigslist for bands to join. She sighed, turning the page of her spiral, wondering how she got into the annoying habit of writing everything down. Perhaps it was one of those things that she developed to cope with the constant moving. Then again, in her book, psychology was sixty percent bullshit.

She started ahead of the others, realizing she had already been doing this crap for a while. What was it about moving? You never actually finished a textbook. Hell, she doubted she would ever get past chapter ten. She chortled a bit thinking about it. Once the prof gave them time to work, she looked at Allan with a cheerful grin that was just kissed with a smirking attitude. "This looks fun. Pretty sure that I've done this for the past two years." she said conversationally.

 

[Kayito-san]

Allan smirked a little as Hailee sat down. She seemed cheerful despite his introduction. Class progressed at a snail's pace, and soon enough Hailee was doodling something in her notebook, and Allan's attention span was equally parched. He began to silently tap his foot and finger to some imagined, evolving beat. His eyes defocused while he contemplated some unheard tune. Minutes later, he drew a notepad from his pocket, which had been pre-filled with tablature and drum tab lines. He hastily scribbled a few symbols into each, marked down the measures and time signatures and flipped back a couple of pages and crossed out another few measures. For a while, he flipped idly through the pages, idly glancing at Hailee's notebook once or twice, before stowing the pad back into his pocket and glancing in Hailee's direction. He smiled a little. "Yeah it does seem repetitive at times, doesn't it? Tthere doesn't ever seem to be much of a difference between one assignment and the next. But I bet it's worse for you, new school and all. Where did you go to school before you came here, by the way?" he quietly replied. He scratched his neck briefly, eyes flitting from Hailee to the prof and back.

 

[Cosmic]

"Coffee Capitol itself, Seattle Wah." She spoke with a grin, pronouncing the shorthand for the state as if it was a word. "I got dropped like a rock after I almost burnt down the check collectors--I mean my foster parent's house. The funny thing was it was actually an accident. Luckily there wasn't enough evidence to build much of a case against me, but they knew it was me and well it was a very quick way to get back into DHS." She finished with a shrug. Considering how dark her story seemed she was rather nonchalant, and she didn't hide the fact that she didn't really care. The only thing she did miss was her band, but even she knew better than to really try to keep ties with people--that is people that didn't float around like her. She had made "friends" with many, in the forty-eight continental that is, over the years but after half of her life floating in the system she wasn't really into getting close to much anymore.

"In any case it doesn't really matter. I just can't get kicked from this place for a few months. Soon as I turn eighteen I can get the hell out of DHS. Then, back to California." She gave him a smile, finishing up two more answers as she spoke. "What about you? Well I mean, you're obviously from here to some extent. And I mean that as no insult. Just as in I'm kinda alien, you have familiarity--"

"Miss Burton? You are talking about math I assume." The Professor said raising an eyebrow. "Cause there are people who need the quiet."

"Shit. I'm sorry. I mean. I'm sorry, God!...and Jesus." She finished realizing she was digging a deeper hole. There was a silence, then she slumped back down to her notes. Damn...that could've gone better... she though a tad bitterly. She was a bit silent before whispering to Allan again. "But umm...yeah, What about you. Life and stuff?" She asked feeling kinda dumb.

 

[Kayito-san]

Seemed she was an orphan, or adopted at least. Her backstory was interesting, and it did sort of explain her counter-cultural visual style. Allan had to give her credit for resiliency. He nodded, acknowledging her recount of the previous years. The professor stopped writing on the board and began to turn. Allan opened his mouth to interject, but the prof was a step ahead. He sighed and pretended to go back to his book, glancing at the prof briefly before watching Hailee struggle to apologize- he precluded a chuckle at her expense. She certainly seemed out of place in this setting, but considering her background, moving around so much, her lack of climatization didn't really surprise him. He sympathized. Soon enough, the professor sat down at his desk and began marking papers. Hailee was silent. Allan turned his eyes towards Hailee again, smiled and gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow.

He stewed over her question. What could he tell her? Allan had grown up with two good parents. His father was a contracting financial project manager, his mother was devoutly christian and sorely naive. When his father had been sent to Canada on a six-month stint to do some contracting for a lumber company, his mother had enrolled him, against his father's wishes, into a school that would imbue him with 'higher moral standards'. By the time his father returned, he was already four months into the school year. Changing schools by that time, he would have had to re-take the grade. But that wasn't all. His mother had made it quite clear that he was to stay at that school. As much as he and his father had complained, the truth was that his father hadn't nearly as much experience raising him, business trips and all. Allan decided not to tell Hailee that. It was a family ordeal and that is how it would stay. What could he tell her? He was a cynic. He played bass. He was an amateur producer and recording engineer, audiophile and record collector. He didn't consider himself terribly good looking. No, of course he wouldn't say that.

"Um… well…" he began, still unsure. "Basically, as you said. I grew up in the city. Moved once when I was thirteen. Uh, parents are annoying but not terrible. Mom's nosey. Dad's away on business. That's it, I guess."

 

[Cosmic]

"Your parents enroll you into this shit-hole despite the fact you are a free thinker and all you can come up with is annoying? I envy you man." She replied honestly. He was cute trying to come up with words to say. She often had to come up with ways to shut up--at least when she was talking to people she liked. "What do you do for fun? You aren't an arsonist are you? Cause trust me when I say that the pigs know how to investigate that crap. Bit scary really. Don't do crap for poor people, but god forbid that some rich asshole's summer house nearly falls victim to an ill positioned smoking break." She shook her head and finished the last problem on the page and flipped the page of the text book.

"You keep tapping your foot. Normally I would be worried, but your eyes aren't red and your hands look okay so I don't think you're a meth-head. I'm not making you nervous am I? I promise I'm pretty harmless. I mean I bite, scream, and listen to death metal, but I have never been convicted for anything serious." That came out a lot more awkward than her words typically did, she noticed with a slight wince of her eyes. She decided to change the subject. "If it's just a tick or something that's okay. Ticks are kinda cute. Not the bugs mind you, bugs are gross...wait...Shit how do I do this?" She ended staring at the problem she wrote down on her page. "Oh never mind. I'm an idiot."

 

[Kayito-san]

"At least I'm not dead. Plus, they've had the foresight to put some money away for college tuition, so it sort of balances out, I guess." Allan shrugged and leaned towards her a bit after she'd finished her spiel about arson. "I'll take your word for it." he acknowledged, "And I'll try to avoid setting things on fire, if possible." He smiled and finished another problem on the page. When she took note of his foot tapping, he gave her a sidelong glance, suddenly feeling a little unsure. His foot ceased moving and he watched her as she spoke, in what seemed to be a stream-of-consciousness monologue.

Allan remained quiet for a few minutes, not really sure what he wanted to tell her. Maybe it was a tick after all, it rarely seemed a conscious choice, and once he started, or found a beat or groove or time signature that he liked, it was more difficult to stop tapping his foot than it was to pick it up. He considered this, and then realizing that his foot had begun gently tapping again, this time, a mix of hesitated eighths on a 7/4 measure. He'd noticed a while ago that the more excited, or nervous he became, the more complex the rhythms became.

He furrowed his brow for a moment and sat back, looking down at his shoe, willing it to stop again, then opened his mouth briefly as if to speak but for a few moments didn't. "It's a nervous habit I guess." he replied at last, "But I tap my foot pretty relentlessly most days." Allan was deliberate with his words and avoided a tactless rebuttal. She seemed unsettled, and he understood perfectly well why that might be the case. He considered other places where they could talk, a more relaxed atmosphere, and he glanced briefly at the clock— seems the time had really flown by. The bell rang, Allan tore a piece of paper from the corner of his page and quickly scribbled something down. He neatly folded the piece and stood up, grabbing his bag from the floor.

"I spend my lunch hours off-campus whenever I can. It's a quiet place, free of schoolyard gossip and and an all around good place to chill. Feel free to join me, just be careful getting off campus." he said, slowly augmenting the volume of his voice to compensate for the quickly building drone of the classroom and hallway. Reaching over, he grabbed her wrist and with the other hand pushed the piece of paper into her palm. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to chat at this juncture, since his next class was gym, at the other end of the school. He smiled at her and slid between two desks, quickly folding into the thick mass of students shuffling between classes.

The Gaslamp Coffee Lounge, 122a Weston Trail
From SW corner of field (baseball diamond),
Go: South 2 blocks, West 1 block
On opp. corner. Sm. red brick boutique
Long horiz. windows, hanging gas lamp
next to sign above door