"Alright class, today we'll be going more in depth into-"
John McClellan wrote in big letters at the top of the whiteboard.
"Unemployment."
Kayden Brockman rolled his eyes because he probably already knew this class thanks to both his parents constantly talking about unemployment statistics at dinner - he'd probably learned it via osmosis at some point. Something both his parents also always talked about was how having to do stuff repeatedly even though you already knew it and even though you didn't want to was part of becoming an adult, so that ended that little fantasy of spinning out of this classroom in a glitter tornado, off to do something else.
There was also the fact of the matter that he had to actually attend classes to stay on the football team, so, y'know, tough titties Kayden. You're stuck in Economics.
"So last lesson we went over mostly the basics, but today we'll be doing something a little more hands-on."
Translation: you kids learn, I'm watching internet videos. Or I would if I could use the computer.
It probably wasn't nice to think bad thoughts about one of the teachers, but considering it was Mr. McClellan nobody would really care. He was unpopular for a reason, and that reason is that his classes were a dive at best and an anchor at worst, and when you're in your senior year nobody wants an anchor class that's going to tank their entire GPA. Especially when Kayden's future of going to college and seducing curious straight guys depended on it if he didn't want to ask either mom for financial assistance.
"So this lesson, we'll be doing a little bit of role-playing."
Kayden had to fight the urge to laugh, and mostly failed. A snort erupted from his nostrils and mouth that he mere milliseconds later tried to play off as a cough. McClellan paused, but seemed to buy it, and that was all that mattered.
"... so as I was saying, each of you will get one of these biography cards, which will tell you your name, age, gender, and employment status. Once everyone has one of these, you will then form-"
McClellan quickly counted the class with his hands.
"Five groups of five, six if I've just miscounted and you can't find a group, and you will then compare your information in order to draw your conclusions from the statistics about the employment rate. Employment status won't be as easy as 'employed' and 'unemployed', but you must figure out how many people in your group are either employed, unemployed, or not part of the workforce, and what this means for the unemployment rate."
Yup, this was a boring dive lesson, and now they were all stuck there. Oh well, at least he could shoot the shit with his classmates.
Cards were passed up the rows, and eventually Kayden got his hands on one.
"Alright, if everyone has a card, form your groups and generate your statistics."
Almost immediately the chairs in the room scraped against the floor and got up to form their groups. Kayden did so as well, while reading his card biography:
Name: Tanisha
Gender: Female
Age: 35
Status: Looking for jobs for six months, but unqualified
Another student at this school probably would have brought up a fuss over the implications of this card, but Kayden was not another student, he was Kayden, and he did not want to be left without a group. So he began scanning the room, looking for someone to shoot the shit with until this lesson was over.
Take The High Road
economics class: OPEN
(Gyu-ri Christensen, continued from Venipuncture)
Gyu-ri etched 'Unemployment' onto the very top-most margin of her plain glossy yellow notebook. This being on the thirty-second page of said notebook, with the margins on both sides exactingly measured by the length of a fold-able plastic ruler exactingly manipulated by Gyu-ri's nubby and perpetually trembling fingers. Or more specifically, she believed they were in a constant state of quake through a simple visual evaluation that whenever done would make her feel queasy as if she was properly diagnosed with something. According to her late night research, such something could be a diverse range of clinical issues including Parkinson's and early-onset dementia.
She considered each of Mr. McClellan's words carefully. His dry tone was inoffensive, somewhat soothing in how little presence it actually had in either of Gyu-ri's ear canals.
She was well acquainted with Mr. McClellan's status as thoroughly despised by the student population, that particular information was merely a pickings from the surface of the deeply rooted grape vine. Memory served her platters of information without her prompting or request: rumors that he'd used to be attractive, tales from- was it?- the football team disseminated from the specific source of one Mr. Lorenzen, that Mr. McClellan had once fought Miss Coleman- annoying voiced, overly loud sycophant- over cicadas for reasons unknown. He was hated because he was droll, he was hated because he was arbitrary. His history classes were mind-numbing. His economics classes were shallow and insufficiently rigorous for those studying for their APs.
Gyu-ri was well aware of that overdose of impersonal informations, yes, she was inclined to agree with many of them in her own personal observations. Mr. McClellan was a teacher, however, and he was due respect and attention. It was best to be dutiful, in deference to such a power dynamic as student and teacher. Even if his droning rote was difficult to parse for actual information. Likewise, even if said information was irrelevant and Gyu-ri was only passing this class by an uncomfortable margin. She would huff and fret over the grades on her own time, as she did whenever she checked the progress report site. In this class she would do diligence onto her notes, carefully arrange them so that each word Mr. McClellan uttered neatly fit into it's assigned bullet point.
'Cyclical unemployment refers to unemployment that is a product of the business cycle. During recessions, for instance, there is often inadequate demand for labor and wages are typically slow to fall to a point where the demand and supply of labor are back in balance.'
It seemed very word-for-word, asininely so, which niggled at Gyu-ri's conscience. But the notes were already made, neatly printed in a deliberate script, wherein Gyu-ri was very exacting about making each letter precisely the same size as the prior.
They had an activity now, and Gyu-ri rankled because she was never much a fan of spontaneous, unplanned intermingling with her peers. She didn't mind them in theory, but there was always a certain anticipatory anxiety that would gently massage tense nausea into her throat and down the pillar of her torso. That was, she certainly could talk, but she would always feel a dull dread about what exactly it was that was going to be exchanged and said. Her brow had furrowed unconsciously, she relaxed it slightly, found it too wound up like a spring coiled to infinity, and gently sighed to herself as she continued to look ridiculous in public, as per usual.
She took the top-most card from the stack passed down her aisle. Carefully, with fingers delicately held so as to limit the pressure of the card stock that could otherwise sink into her skin until it broke and burst like a dam holding back her poisoned blood. She carefully tapped the remaining stack until it was crisply even on all sides, perfectly neat and symmetrical, and she passed the stack over to the waiting girl behind her whose gaze her way was an emotion of perhaps vague concern or irritation, though Gyu-ri couldn't entirely be sure which as they did not exchange looks for a long enough duration of time. Gyu-ri felt a flush of embarrassment, she being the toilet in metaphorical question.
She evaluated the card, simultaneous to her irate self-evaluation which went along the lines of whipping herself upon the cross for her many unrelated sins.
Name: Louden
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Status: Looked for work for one year, stopped looking as of last week
She evaluated the information at hand, her quick appraisal was that Louden as the character she was playing- she never much liked imagining being male, it was conceptually alienating in the extreme- qualified as out-of-the-workforce. But she could never be sure. She always elected to second guess herself without meaning to, for it always seemed there was either hidden nuance or the room to overthink, in almost any collection of words bundled into a sentence in the English language that had ever been written. She checked her notes twice over in the span of ten seconds, identifying the specific page thirty-one where she had written several definitions, but even checking the exact definitions did not assuage her vague foreboding sense of doom, that she was completely mistaken about everything ever.
She noticed a certain Brockman, his eyes glanced with hers and she didn't look away, though she perhaps looked a bit shocked. Brockman had strange views far removed from the norms Gyu-ri understood though she of course did not fault him for it, nor did she particularly care beyond her typified paralyzingly apathetic fear of the unknown. The chain of causality followed: d'Aramitz- who Gyu-ri considered ominous- and Brockman were close, thus Brockman was perhaps casually acquainted with Ivy, but Brockman was likewise alright with Meloy- who Gyu-ri did not associate with out of loyalty, on principle- so he sent mixed signals, and Gyu-ri could rarely parse mixed signals in either the short or the long term.
Really, all teen relationships seemed to be festering piles of confusion. It was a spider's web Gyu-ri often felt splattering over her face, sometimes literally, on particularly hot and muggy summer days where she felt particularly onerous towards everyone for being too difficultly inane.
Still, she nodded gently, offering a nervously tiny smile. Usual affairs, really. She brooded on the inside, and barely reacted on the outside. The story of her life told in as few words as possible.
Gyu-ri etched 'Unemployment' onto the very top-most margin of her plain glossy yellow notebook. This being on the thirty-second page of said notebook, with the margins on both sides exactingly measured by the length of a fold-able plastic ruler exactingly manipulated by Gyu-ri's nubby and perpetually trembling fingers. Or more specifically, she believed they were in a constant state of quake through a simple visual evaluation that whenever done would make her feel queasy as if she was properly diagnosed with something. According to her late night research, such something could be a diverse range of clinical issues including Parkinson's and early-onset dementia.
She considered each of Mr. McClellan's words carefully. His dry tone was inoffensive, somewhat soothing in how little presence it actually had in either of Gyu-ri's ear canals.
She was well acquainted with Mr. McClellan's status as thoroughly despised by the student population, that particular information was merely a pickings from the surface of the deeply rooted grape vine. Memory served her platters of information without her prompting or request: rumors that he'd used to be attractive, tales from- was it?- the football team disseminated from the specific source of one Mr. Lorenzen, that Mr. McClellan had once fought Miss Coleman- annoying voiced, overly loud sycophant- over cicadas for reasons unknown. He was hated because he was droll, he was hated because he was arbitrary. His history classes were mind-numbing. His economics classes were shallow and insufficiently rigorous for those studying for their APs.
Gyu-ri was well aware of that overdose of impersonal informations, yes, she was inclined to agree with many of them in her own personal observations. Mr. McClellan was a teacher, however, and he was due respect and attention. It was best to be dutiful, in deference to such a power dynamic as student and teacher. Even if his droning rote was difficult to parse for actual information. Likewise, even if said information was irrelevant and Gyu-ri was only passing this class by an uncomfortable margin. She would huff and fret over the grades on her own time, as she did whenever she checked the progress report site. In this class she would do diligence onto her notes, carefully arrange them so that each word Mr. McClellan uttered neatly fit into it's assigned bullet point.
'Cyclical unemployment refers to unemployment that is a product of the business cycle. During recessions, for instance, there is often inadequate demand for labor and wages are typically slow to fall to a point where the demand and supply of labor are back in balance.'
It seemed very word-for-word, asininely so, which niggled at Gyu-ri's conscience. But the notes were already made, neatly printed in a deliberate script, wherein Gyu-ri was very exacting about making each letter precisely the same size as the prior.
They had an activity now, and Gyu-ri rankled because she was never much a fan of spontaneous, unplanned intermingling with her peers. She didn't mind them in theory, but there was always a certain anticipatory anxiety that would gently massage tense nausea into her throat and down the pillar of her torso. That was, she certainly could talk, but she would always feel a dull dread about what exactly it was that was going to be exchanged and said. Her brow had furrowed unconsciously, she relaxed it slightly, found it too wound up like a spring coiled to infinity, and gently sighed to herself as she continued to look ridiculous in public, as per usual.
She took the top-most card from the stack passed down her aisle. Carefully, with fingers delicately held so as to limit the pressure of the card stock that could otherwise sink into her skin until it broke and burst like a dam holding back her poisoned blood. She carefully tapped the remaining stack until it was crisply even on all sides, perfectly neat and symmetrical, and she passed the stack over to the waiting girl behind her whose gaze her way was an emotion of perhaps vague concern or irritation, though Gyu-ri couldn't entirely be sure which as they did not exchange looks for a long enough duration of time. Gyu-ri felt a flush of embarrassment, she being the toilet in metaphorical question.
She evaluated the card, simultaneous to her irate self-evaluation which went along the lines of whipping herself upon the cross for her many unrelated sins.
Name: Louden
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Status: Looked for work for one year, stopped looking as of last week
She evaluated the information at hand, her quick appraisal was that Louden as the character she was playing- she never much liked imagining being male, it was conceptually alienating in the extreme- qualified as out-of-the-workforce. But she could never be sure. She always elected to second guess herself without meaning to, for it always seemed there was either hidden nuance or the room to overthink, in almost any collection of words bundled into a sentence in the English language that had ever been written. She checked her notes twice over in the span of ten seconds, identifying the specific page thirty-one where she had written several definitions, but even checking the exact definitions did not assuage her vague foreboding sense of doom, that she was completely mistaken about everything ever.
She noticed a certain Brockman, his eyes glanced with hers and she didn't look away, though she perhaps looked a bit shocked. Brockman had strange views far removed from the norms Gyu-ri understood though she of course did not fault him for it, nor did she particularly care beyond her typified paralyzingly apathetic fear of the unknown. The chain of causality followed: d'Aramitz- who Gyu-ri considered ominous- and Brockman were close, thus Brockman was perhaps casually acquainted with Ivy, but Brockman was likewise alright with Meloy- who Gyu-ri did not associate with out of loyalty, on principle- so he sent mixed signals, and Gyu-ri could rarely parse mixed signals in either the short or the long term.
Really, all teen relationships seemed to be festering piles of confusion. It was a spider's web Gyu-ri often felt splattering over her face, sometimes literally, on particularly hot and muggy summer days where she felt particularly onerous towards everyone for being too difficultly inane.
Still, she nodded gently, offering a nervously tiny smile. Usual affairs, really. She brooded on the inside, and barely reacted on the outside. The story of her life told in as few words as possible.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
((Daniel "Danny" Chamnanma pregame second start))
There was something Danny never understood about Economics: why wasn't it in the math department. He always assumed economics and shit were about counting bills and doing maths on money but as the year went on, Danny realized that there was a problem with that. He knew that money meant counting but what he didn't understant at first was the fact this was an Economics class, not Accounting. He went in it expecting to learn how to pay mortage and shit and instead got conversation based classes.
That didn't mean he hated it, however. He actually enjoyed it. The topic itself was fascinating along with how the class was structured. He was able to use his skills in a way that demonstrated his knowledge and he was able to get good grades. The issue was that he openly talked about his dislike for the class, so he couldn't go around and say to people: "Oh, I got Economics third period, this is a nice day." He had to somewhat look as if he didn't like it. So that was the issue, his words came to bite his ass.
If anything, he was kinda glad this wasn't Accounting, he wasn't really enjoying mathematic that much. He thought he would but in actuality Calculus made him to want to blow his brain out. It wasn't a fun experience. So having a class where you chat about Economics and took notes about the topic and just took a breather from the rest of the day was nice. While economical theory wasn't a practical skill like learning to pay your taxes, there was still a part that felt like he was learning something important. He had dreams for the future, perhaps having his own restaurant. He would perhaps go in business or learn a trade and be an independant worker. He just wanted that class to have value.
The topic of this class wasn't a really fun one but an interesting one. Unemployment felt like a stone in Danny's chest, as if it was cutting him from the inside, wanting to get out. It was a fear he had that he didn't really understand. He never really faced real financial insecurity nor had relatives going through extreme povetry, but the idea of being unable to pay for what he wanted scared him. He worked at the Café at the moment, if he lost that job, he would be disappointment, upset at worst, but he knew that Jocelyn losing her job would probably make her small family crash and burn. Kids are expensive and she is the only source of stable income, unemployment would just add another layer of stress to this situation. Danny didn't want to be Jocelyn.
The card he had was a bit too Jocelyn-ish for his own taste but good enough:
Name: Karen
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Status: Teenage mother living with her parents, seeking a job after a GED.
At least Danny was living with her parents still, Danny wondered how old was his baby. He decided to name her Aimee and she was 3 years old. Karen was also probably featured on Teen Mom so she was able to get some money from ad revenues. It led to Danny wondered if the teens were paid and, in that moment, teams were made. As he realized his overquestioning, he saw a team forming in the corner of his eye and he turned his head toward them. It was Gyu-ri and Kayden. They were people that Danny knew from other classes and interacted with in the past. Gyu-ri always came off as a weirdo but she was probably nice. Kayden was the camp gay footballer, Danny respected him despite not really understand what made him tick. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers when you are a teen mom named Karen with a baby girl named Aimee, ya' gotta' do what ya' gotta' do.
Still in his seat, he greeted them and his left hand. He assumed he got their attention when they turned their head toward him then Danny continued,
"Can I be part of your team?"
There was something Danny never understood about Economics: why wasn't it in the math department. He always assumed economics and shit were about counting bills and doing maths on money but as the year went on, Danny realized that there was a problem with that. He knew that money meant counting but what he didn't understant at first was the fact this was an Economics class, not Accounting. He went in it expecting to learn how to pay mortage and shit and instead got conversation based classes.
That didn't mean he hated it, however. He actually enjoyed it. The topic itself was fascinating along with how the class was structured. He was able to use his skills in a way that demonstrated his knowledge and he was able to get good grades. The issue was that he openly talked about his dislike for the class, so he couldn't go around and say to people: "Oh, I got Economics third period, this is a nice day." He had to somewhat look as if he didn't like it. So that was the issue, his words came to bite his ass.
If anything, he was kinda glad this wasn't Accounting, he wasn't really enjoying mathematic that much. He thought he would but in actuality Calculus made him to want to blow his brain out. It wasn't a fun experience. So having a class where you chat about Economics and took notes about the topic and just took a breather from the rest of the day was nice. While economical theory wasn't a practical skill like learning to pay your taxes, there was still a part that felt like he was learning something important. He had dreams for the future, perhaps having his own restaurant. He would perhaps go in business or learn a trade and be an independant worker. He just wanted that class to have value.
The topic of this class wasn't a really fun one but an interesting one. Unemployment felt like a stone in Danny's chest, as if it was cutting him from the inside, wanting to get out. It was a fear he had that he didn't really understand. He never really faced real financial insecurity nor had relatives going through extreme povetry, but the idea of being unable to pay for what he wanted scared him. He worked at the Café at the moment, if he lost that job, he would be disappointment, upset at worst, but he knew that Jocelyn losing her job would probably make her small family crash and burn. Kids are expensive and she is the only source of stable income, unemployment would just add another layer of stress to this situation. Danny didn't want to be Jocelyn.
The card he had was a bit too Jocelyn-ish for his own taste but good enough:
Name: Karen
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Status: Teenage mother living with her parents, seeking a job after a GED.
At least Danny was living with her parents still, Danny wondered how old was his baby. He decided to name her Aimee and she was 3 years old. Karen was also probably featured on Teen Mom so she was able to get some money from ad revenues. It led to Danny wondered if the teens were paid and, in that moment, teams were made. As he realized his overquestioning, he saw a team forming in the corner of his eye and he turned his head toward them. It was Gyu-ri and Kayden. They were people that Danny knew from other classes and interacted with in the past. Gyu-ri always came off as a weirdo but she was probably nice. Kayden was the camp gay footballer, Danny respected him despite not really understand what made him tick. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers when you are a teen mom named Karen with a baby girl named Aimee, ya' gotta' do what ya' gotta' do.
Still in his seat, he greeted them and his left hand. He assumed he got their attention when they turned their head toward him then Danny continued,
"Can I be part of your team?"
-
General Goose
- Posts: 731
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:02 pm
((Ashlynn Martinek continued from Martinek's the One.))
Ashlynn already knew all about economics. She read Paul Krugman's column. She was basically ready to be tenured at this point. Intellectually, anyway. So the teaching in Mr McClellan's class, marked as it were by his anodyne teaching style, was far beneath her level. And, she feared, doing her classmates a disservice too.
The thought came to her mind of offering to tutor her peers. Pro bono, of course. It would have been better if she'd come up with that idea earlier - to build a loyal base of support in advance of the elections - but whatever. She knew about economics. She knew about the theory. Sure, she'd be quite biased and partisan in the lessons she imparted, but at least Ashlynn was honest about that. No attempts made to skirt around what she thought was the truth, which gave her bias the transparency and the potential for critical thinking that was quite frankly needed.
But for now, they'd been given an assignment. Ashlynn decided to roll with it. She noticed, a few seats down from her, a group of three forming. Decided to invite herself into that midst. Their names - and Ashlynn was good with names - were Kayden, Gyu-ri, and...Dan? Some derivative of Daniel. Ashlynn did not think about who they were or what they meant to her. She just needed peers to engage in this problem with, and they would suffice.
Kayden had been the one to laugh at the word 'role-playing'. Ashlynn wasn't impressed by that, but kept her judgements to herself.
She didn't think to ask to join. No need, really. They were quite clearly an organically sprouting team regardless. So Ashlynn pulled her chair over, and immediately set about reading her card.
Name: John
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Status: In regular employment as a teacher for 30 years
Heh. Such a transparent self-insert, with either the generous subtraction of a few years of age or a subtle hint that these cards had been reused a few years time before. But also, Ashlynn noted with a huff of disappointment, what a conceptually boring case. She was hoping for an example of underemployment! Nope, instead, this was a case that was quite cut and dry. Quite clearly a token example to easily slot into the "employed" statistic.
"So, I'm John, I'm male, I'm 57, and I'm employed as a teacher for 30 years." Unless you were one of those morons who didn't consider government jobs real jobs, that was a pretty conclusive case. "So, one for the employment pile, then."
Ashlynn already knew all about economics. She read Paul Krugman's column. She was basically ready to be tenured at this point. Intellectually, anyway. So the teaching in Mr McClellan's class, marked as it were by his anodyne teaching style, was far beneath her level. And, she feared, doing her classmates a disservice too.
The thought came to her mind of offering to tutor her peers. Pro bono, of course. It would have been better if she'd come up with that idea earlier - to build a loyal base of support in advance of the elections - but whatever. She knew about economics. She knew about the theory. Sure, she'd be quite biased and partisan in the lessons she imparted, but at least Ashlynn was honest about that. No attempts made to skirt around what she thought was the truth, which gave her bias the transparency and the potential for critical thinking that was quite frankly needed.
But for now, they'd been given an assignment. Ashlynn decided to roll with it. She noticed, a few seats down from her, a group of three forming. Decided to invite herself into that midst. Their names - and Ashlynn was good with names - were Kayden, Gyu-ri, and...Dan? Some derivative of Daniel. Ashlynn did not think about who they were or what they meant to her. She just needed peers to engage in this problem with, and they would suffice.
Kayden had been the one to laugh at the word 'role-playing'. Ashlynn wasn't impressed by that, but kept her judgements to herself.
She didn't think to ask to join. No need, really. They were quite clearly an organically sprouting team regardless. So Ashlynn pulled her chair over, and immediately set about reading her card.
Name: John
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Status: In regular employment as a teacher for 30 years
Heh. Such a transparent self-insert, with either the generous subtraction of a few years of age or a subtle hint that these cards had been reused a few years time before. But also, Ashlynn noted with a huff of disappointment, what a conceptually boring case. She was hoping for an example of underemployment! Nope, instead, this was a case that was quite cut and dry. Quite clearly a token example to easily slot into the "employed" statistic.
"So, I'm John, I'm male, I'm 57, and I'm employed as a teacher for 30 years." Unless you were one of those morons who didn't consider government jobs real jobs, that was a pretty conclusive case. "So, one for the employment pile, then."
((Abel Zelenovic continued from It's Raining Somewhere Else))
"Something something unemployment" was all Abel heard as he mindlessly gazed at Mr. McClellan writing on the board. Sure, Abel was physically here. But spiritually? Anywhere but.
His mind drifted as he thought about the upcoming game on Saturday. Then it shifted over to thinking about how dumb this class was. Then it shuffled over to thinking about Amber❤ and their date Friday. He still wasn't sure about what they were gonna do, probably just dinner and a movie, probably A Quiet Place since a lot of people were talking about how good it was. Horror movies were always fun and a safe bet to be enjoyable for both of them.
The kid sitting in front of Abel jabbed him in the shoulder with a pile of cards, snapping Abel back into reality for a second as he took one and passed the stack back. He spun the card around in his hand before taking a brief look at what it actually said.
Name: Lisa
Gender: Female
Age: 34
Status: Single parent of two on disability. Does side jobs to supplement her social security income and gets paid under the table
Oh, a group assignment huh? Maybe he could-
But it was too late as everyone in the class already got up and started the mad dash to form groups. Ok Abel, don't panic, McClellan said something about groups of 5-ish right? He scanned the room for any obviously malnourished groups, and it looked like it was just one now.
Of course it had to be one where Abel didn't really talk to any of the group members except maybe Kayden, but that was a big "maybe". Not that Abel disliked Kayden, but just... ya know.
He sighed and admitted defeat as he approached the group of 4 that looked like they already started the assignment, whatever the fuck it actually was.
"Hey guys, any room for a disabled mother of two?" said Abel, pulling up a chair as he swooced right in.
"Something something unemployment" was all Abel heard as he mindlessly gazed at Mr. McClellan writing on the board. Sure, Abel was physically here. But spiritually? Anywhere but.
His mind drifted as he thought about the upcoming game on Saturday. Then it shifted over to thinking about how dumb this class was. Then it shuffled over to thinking about Amber❤ and their date Friday. He still wasn't sure about what they were gonna do, probably just dinner and a movie, probably A Quiet Place since a lot of people were talking about how good it was. Horror movies were always fun and a safe bet to be enjoyable for both of them.
The kid sitting in front of Abel jabbed him in the shoulder with a pile of cards, snapping Abel back into reality for a second as he took one and passed the stack back. He spun the card around in his hand before taking a brief look at what it actually said.
Name: Lisa
Gender: Female
Age: 34
Status: Single parent of two on disability. Does side jobs to supplement her social security income and gets paid under the table
Oh, a group assignment huh? Maybe he could-
But it was too late as everyone in the class already got up and started the mad dash to form groups. Ok Abel, don't panic, McClellan said something about groups of 5-ish right? He scanned the room for any obviously malnourished groups, and it looked like it was just one now.
Of course it had to be one where Abel didn't really talk to any of the group members except maybe Kayden, but that was a big "maybe". Not that Abel disliked Kayden, but just... ya know.
He sighed and admitted defeat as he approached the group of 4 that looked like they already started the assignment, whatever the fuck it actually was.
"Hey guys, any room for a disabled mother of two?" said Abel, pulling up a chair as he swooced right in.
You really couldn't have cobbled together a stranger group if you'd tried.
The first to catch his eye and not look away was Gyu-ri Christensen. Uber-strange girl, from Kayden's perspective, and she also happened to hang out in social circles he quite frankly wasn't fond of. She was a few degrees of separation from Wyatt, and she wasn't even on the football team like he was to have an excuse for it. Gyu-ri was also kind of a bitch. Either way, she was first up, so Kayden scooted over to her position and started wordlessly pulling some tables together.
"Okay that's two."
Next into the fray was Danny Chamnanma. Of course 40% of the five-person group was now Asian, this was Economics, right? Either way Kayden knew absolutely nothing about Danny so he didn't have any judgemental comments on the state of his friend group like he did for Gyu-ri so he just waved him in.
"Yeah sure, just waiting on two more."
The next one to rock up was Ashlynn, who didn't even ask or hesitate, which made perfect sense for someone who almost became class president. No objections there, Kayden wasn't about to swipe the chair out from under her and order her out of the classroom or anything. Plus this probably meant they'd get by with some authenticity when they did nothing the entire lesson.
Kayden gave Ashlynn a friendly glance as she rocked up, soon to be followed by Abel, one of the cuter members of the baseball team and any sporting team really, although considering this was Chattanooga, Tennessee, that wasn't really saying much. He was passingly familiar with him at least on a social level, though, which put him up above everyone else in the new ragtag group of five, so Kayden smiled up at the new arrival.
"Well depends, does that make you unemployed?" Kayden asked. He was pretty sure being on disability made you not part of the workforce, but there was time to ask that later. He pulled up his own card and cleared his throat. Not to do a bad impression of how he thought someone named Tanisha would act, no, that would be callous and terrible and also something Blaise would probably drag him over the coals for if she ever found out, but just to read out the important info.
"Okay so hi, I'm Tanisha, I'm thirty-five years old, and I've been searching for jobs for six months but haven't been qualified for any of them."
Kayden was pretty sure that made her unemployed. Right now the unemployment rate was at 50% - so much for making America great again, Canon. He hoped the others were as easy to figure out so they could cut right to the chase and treat this like the dive it was.
The first to catch his eye and not look away was Gyu-ri Christensen. Uber-strange girl, from Kayden's perspective, and she also happened to hang out in social circles he quite frankly wasn't fond of. She was a few degrees of separation from Wyatt, and she wasn't even on the football team like he was to have an excuse for it. Gyu-ri was also kind of a bitch. Either way, she was first up, so Kayden scooted over to her position and started wordlessly pulling some tables together.
"Okay that's two."
Next into the fray was Danny Chamnanma. Of course 40% of the five-person group was now Asian, this was Economics, right? Either way Kayden knew absolutely nothing about Danny so he didn't have any judgemental comments on the state of his friend group like he did for Gyu-ri so he just waved him in.
"Yeah sure, just waiting on two more."
The next one to rock up was Ashlynn, who didn't even ask or hesitate, which made perfect sense for someone who almost became class president. No objections there, Kayden wasn't about to swipe the chair out from under her and order her out of the classroom or anything. Plus this probably meant they'd get by with some authenticity when they did nothing the entire lesson.
Kayden gave Ashlynn a friendly glance as she rocked up, soon to be followed by Abel, one of the cuter members of the baseball team and any sporting team really, although considering this was Chattanooga, Tennessee, that wasn't really saying much. He was passingly familiar with him at least on a social level, though, which put him up above everyone else in the new ragtag group of five, so Kayden smiled up at the new arrival.
"Well depends, does that make you unemployed?" Kayden asked. He was pretty sure being on disability made you not part of the workforce, but there was time to ask that later. He pulled up his own card and cleared his throat. Not to do a bad impression of how he thought someone named Tanisha would act, no, that would be callous and terrible and also something Blaise would probably drag him over the coals for if she ever found out, but just to read out the important info.
"Okay so hi, I'm Tanisha, I'm thirty-five years old, and I've been searching for jobs for six months but haven't been qualified for any of them."
Kayden was pretty sure that made her unemployed. Right now the unemployment rate was at 50% - so much for making America great again, Canon. He hoped the others were as easy to figure out so they could cut right to the chase and treat this like the dive it was.
Everyone promptly spoke all at once.
Gyu-ri had been aware of every face- they blurred into and out of the background all too sharply like needles to her own iris- as they'd approached, as time had dilated to expressly make sure she processed every detail with hyperactive fervor. The olive skin of someone Asianic in the Southeastern persuasion- was irrelevant, in grades, in activities- was irrelevant in that way that a man tends to lose themselves into the slipstream of a life generically well lived- was the name of Danny though that was one of many- onto the next, seated besides- seated across from- next to: vaguely attractive, model-like- bespoke of the innumerable intricacies of the carelessly overzealous progressive- onto whom Gyu-ri would project a personal sort of discomfit with the unknown and the unknowable- no less when it was worn so openly, so proudly- brazen voice, too loud, much too loud- seated next to, besides, in the vicinity of: tall- relative to Gyu-ri they all were- handsome, clearly befuddled by the early onset of a withering hairline- was well known, pleasantly enough well known- avoided the throttle of the grape vine- no, she did not know if it was in fact a net positive or negative to be so socially naive, so as to avoid the politics of the whispered and the rumored-
She grumbled.
"Left the work force. As of last week."
Her thumb found a pressure point, at the depression where her skull collapsed into the socket of her eyes. She pressed with a dullard relish, insistent sensation belaying insistent sensations further. How gratuitous.
"Depending on what Abel says-" his name, yes, she tended to remember names at a glance at a face on a whim on a dime in a tizzy- "Daniel likewise, I believe I am the only one out of the workforce." Irrelevant information yet unconfirmed. Gyu-ri shrugged. "Spoke too soon, my apologies." She was half mumbling at this point. Where the hell had all these people come from?
She supposed she didn't mind them, but the stress set in all the same. She continued to fumble expertly with her card as if it were her talisman. Two fingers dancing on the sharp corner, her palm painfully stretched because her hands were damn tiny for even a standard piece of generic card stock.
Gyu-ri had been aware of every face- they blurred into and out of the background all too sharply like needles to her own iris- as they'd approached, as time had dilated to expressly make sure she processed every detail with hyperactive fervor. The olive skin of someone Asianic in the Southeastern persuasion- was irrelevant, in grades, in activities- was irrelevant in that way that a man tends to lose themselves into the slipstream of a life generically well lived- was the name of Danny though that was one of many- onto the next, seated besides- seated across from- next to: vaguely attractive, model-like- bespoke of the innumerable intricacies of the carelessly overzealous progressive- onto whom Gyu-ri would project a personal sort of discomfit with the unknown and the unknowable- no less when it was worn so openly, so proudly- brazen voice, too loud, much too loud- seated next to, besides, in the vicinity of: tall- relative to Gyu-ri they all were- handsome, clearly befuddled by the early onset of a withering hairline- was well known, pleasantly enough well known- avoided the throttle of the grape vine- no, she did not know if it was in fact a net positive or negative to be so socially naive, so as to avoid the politics of the whispered and the rumored-
She grumbled.
"Left the work force. As of last week."
Her thumb found a pressure point, at the depression where her skull collapsed into the socket of her eyes. She pressed with a dullard relish, insistent sensation belaying insistent sensations further. How gratuitous.
"Depending on what Abel says-" his name, yes, she tended to remember names at a glance at a face on a whim on a dime in a tizzy- "Daniel likewise, I believe I am the only one out of the workforce." Irrelevant information yet unconfirmed. Gyu-ri shrugged. "Spoke too soon, my apologies." She was half mumbling at this point. Where the hell had all these people come from?
She supposed she didn't mind them, but the stress set in all the same. She continued to fumble expertly with her card as if it were her talisman. Two fingers dancing on the sharp corner, her palm painfully stretched because her hands were damn tiny for even a standard piece of generic card stock.
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General Goose
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Ashlynn rolled her eyes, slapping her card against the table in some act of inexplicable rhythmic fidgeting. Not that it actually made noise, at least one that could be audible over the standard din of the classroom, of equally inane conversations about this terribly executed lesson plan drowning out all but the most determined and deliberate of noises.
"An unemployed woman named Tanisha? Seriously?" The question was not aimed at Kayden. More just muttered under her breath, a commentary on how awfully these cards had been constructed, on how clumsily these characters had been generated. Ashlynn brought her palm to her forehead. She doubted that this was an unfair sample of an otherwise well-crafted and laudably diverse section of life experiences.
"Plus it strikes me as obvious that my card is based on our erstwhile teacher," Ashlynn continued, oblivious to the fact that was she using that word incorrectly, no lull in confidence to suggest that. "Have we got anyone who's underemployed? Or as a contingent worker?" Ashlynn found the policy issues raised by those cases so much more interesting. Plus it would spark an actually interesting debate about how they should be counted.
"An unemployed woman named Tanisha? Seriously?" The question was not aimed at Kayden. More just muttered under her breath, a commentary on how awfully these cards had been constructed, on how clumsily these characters had been generated. Ashlynn brought her palm to her forehead. She doubted that this was an unfair sample of an otherwise well-crafted and laudably diverse section of life experiences.
"Plus it strikes me as obvious that my card is based on our erstwhile teacher," Ashlynn continued, oblivious to the fact that was she using that word incorrectly, no lull in confidence to suggest that. "Have we got anyone who's underemployed? Or as a contingent worker?" Ashlynn found the policy issues raised by those cases so much more interesting. Plus it would spark an actually interesting debate about how they should be counted.
Abel ran his finger on the edge of the card, absorbing the sloppily cut corner as he read the words over and over again. This whole "not in the workforce" angle didn't make any sense, like it seemed like a binary issue—you were either employed or you weren't. Adding some secret third element seemed like a lie to make it needlessly complicated.
A counterpoint though: this Lisa lady technically was employed too, right? Did side jobs count, so therefore she would be in the workforce anyway? Maybe her kids were the ones on disability; that could happen, right?
"I think...," he cut Ashlynn off, his eyes scanning the words one final time. "...I mean, I guess I'm neither? What do you think, Kayden?" He passed the card over to his new bestie.
A counterpoint though: this Lisa lady technically was employed too, right? Did side jobs count, so therefore she would be in the workforce anyway? Maybe her kids were the ones on disability; that could happen, right?
"I think...," he cut Ashlynn off, his eyes scanning the words one final time. "...I mean, I guess I'm neither? What do you think, Kayden?" He passed the card over to his new bestie.
Kayden was ignoring Ashlynn right now. Not that she probably didn't have something interesting to say, but he pretty much had this figured out.
Kayden slash Tanisha was unemployed, that was clear. Not working, but looking for work, which still made her a part of the workforce.
Gyu-ri slash Louden (Louden? Was that even a fucking name?) was not in the workforce, since he wasn't looking for work. Unemployment was still at 100%.
Danny slash Karen had a GED and was looking for work. That made her part of the workforce, and still kept the Unemployment rate at 100%, and at this point the GOP had a lot to answer for.
Ashlynn slash Mr McClellan was their teacher because he was a lazy old fuck, which finally pushed the Unemployment rate down to 66.6%.
Abel passed his card over to Kayden, and he accepted it with a quick suggestive raise of the eyebrows. He read it over quickly, then handed it back.
"She's on disability hun, so she's not in the workforce. This is all, like, based on good old government statistics, and unless she wants to be the next Orange is the New Black she's not reporting this to the government, so she's, like, technically not really working."
Kayden handed the card back and scribbled everything down in mostly illegible handwriting.
"'kay so Tanish's unemployed, Karen's unemployed, Mr McClellan has a job, and Lisa and the other guy aren't in the workforce. Brings us to sixty-six point six percent unemployment. Great job, Merica."
Kayden put his pen down and tossed Tanisha into the centre of the tables. Classwork was done, such an easy nothing. Now time to find out who was fucking who.
"Alright, now that that's done, let's waste some time. What've we all been doing for fun?"
Interesting people only - if anyone here said video games or books Kayden was going Teresa Guidice.
Kayden slash Tanisha was unemployed, that was clear. Not working, but looking for work, which still made her a part of the workforce.
Gyu-ri slash Louden (Louden? Was that even a fucking name?) was not in the workforce, since he wasn't looking for work. Unemployment was still at 100%.
Danny slash Karen had a GED and was looking for work. That made her part of the workforce, and still kept the Unemployment rate at 100%, and at this point the GOP had a lot to answer for.
Ashlynn slash Mr McClellan was their teacher because he was a lazy old fuck, which finally pushed the Unemployment rate down to 66.6%.
Abel passed his card over to Kayden, and he accepted it with a quick suggestive raise of the eyebrows. He read it over quickly, then handed it back.
"She's on disability hun, so she's not in the workforce. This is all, like, based on good old government statistics, and unless she wants to be the next Orange is the New Black she's not reporting this to the government, so she's, like, technically not really working."
Kayden handed the card back and scribbled everything down in mostly illegible handwriting.
"'kay so Tanish's unemployed, Karen's unemployed, Mr McClellan has a job, and Lisa and the other guy aren't in the workforce. Brings us to sixty-six point six percent unemployment. Great job, Merica."
Kayden put his pen down and tossed Tanisha into the centre of the tables. Classwork was done, such an easy nothing. Now time to find out who was fucking who.
"Alright, now that that's done, let's waste some time. What've we all been doing for fun?"
Interesting people only - if anyone here said video games or books Kayden was going Teresa Guidice.
Gyu-ri was ambivalent for all the two seconds they stayed on topic. Carefully occupied with her card, further distracted by thought. She followed Brockman's train of thought as it muscularly bustled into her mental space. Truncated to an annoying degree, but understood all while Gyu-ri tried to understand more of the concept than was elaborated on. Each name had a face which had a ways and means and such details were certainly irrelevant.
"We're not done," Gyu-ri insisted bluntly, a frown curling her soft drawl as she laid out a blank page of her own notebook before her. Her hand was unwavering when she glared harshly enough at it to strip the flesh from her own bone: if she felt a wobble in her own poise, rather, she stamped it out with a grinding pressure against her own nerve endings. Thus with mechanical precision she could produce a neat grid structure. "This was how Mr. McClellan demonstrated the work be turned in." In passing, on the whiteboard. A fleeting moment burned into her memory like a branding iron and now she reconstructed it with zealous faith, and she wasn't especially sure why she felt the need to. It was, as per her observations and experiences in two semesters worth of his classes, gratuitous. Didn't feel the part, though. It was as crucial to be particular as it was to also breathe on a regular basis.
Though, Gyu-ri did sometimes forget to do just that. Sometimes she swore her lungs felt too tight to swallow down air correctly.
"I've been speaking with Kyle, um, Harrison. After the blood drive, um, February 10th it was specifically." Early morning at precisely 9:43 AM. Gyu-ri was bothered by the urge to specify further as she always was, but she believed at least from experience that she wasn't exactly supposed to do that. Some detail didn't hurt, too much clouded the soup of conversation, or maybe that was how it worked even though Gyu-ri could never really be sure how other people thought when she only had the perpetual motion machine in her own head for reference. It boggled the mind, turned thoughts sour, such shortcomings of her own perception when she couldn't perfectly calculate everything she absolutely needed to.
"We've been talking about medicine and I've been... well, interested, but just in passing anyways," and she rushed carefully as usual to addend onto her addendum storm, "it's just a thought, unlikely." She meekly talked directly at her still slowly synthesizing multi-column table while her attempts at eye contact were shyly fleeting. She hated, as always, to seem too centrally present in a conversation. It was too damn quiet, she could only hear herself and then whispers of other groups in the background, and she would have preferred herself to be the very last thing she could be bothered to attentively hear.
"We're not done," Gyu-ri insisted bluntly, a frown curling her soft drawl as she laid out a blank page of her own notebook before her. Her hand was unwavering when she glared harshly enough at it to strip the flesh from her own bone: if she felt a wobble in her own poise, rather, she stamped it out with a grinding pressure against her own nerve endings. Thus with mechanical precision she could produce a neat grid structure. "This was how Mr. McClellan demonstrated the work be turned in." In passing, on the whiteboard. A fleeting moment burned into her memory like a branding iron and now she reconstructed it with zealous faith, and she wasn't especially sure why she felt the need to. It was, as per her observations and experiences in two semesters worth of his classes, gratuitous. Didn't feel the part, though. It was as crucial to be particular as it was to also breathe on a regular basis.
Though, Gyu-ri did sometimes forget to do just that. Sometimes she swore her lungs felt too tight to swallow down air correctly.
"I've been speaking with Kyle, um, Harrison. After the blood drive, um, February 10th it was specifically." Early morning at precisely 9:43 AM. Gyu-ri was bothered by the urge to specify further as she always was, but she believed at least from experience that she wasn't exactly supposed to do that. Some detail didn't hurt, too much clouded the soup of conversation, or maybe that was how it worked even though Gyu-ri could never really be sure how other people thought when she only had the perpetual motion machine in her own head for reference. It boggled the mind, turned thoughts sour, such shortcomings of her own perception when she couldn't perfectly calculate everything she absolutely needed to.
"We've been talking about medicine and I've been... well, interested, but just in passing anyways," and she rushed carefully as usual to addend onto her addendum storm, "it's just a thought, unlikely." She meekly talked directly at her still slowly synthesizing multi-column table while her attempts at eye contact were shyly fleeting. She hated, as always, to seem too centrally present in a conversation. It was too damn quiet, she could only hear herself and then whispers of other groups in the background, and she would have preferred herself to be the very last thing she could be bothered to attentively hear.
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Ashlynn could have done all of this in a moment. She had a rudimentary grasp of labour economics. She knew the various categories. Slightly irritating that she was cut out of the final deliberation, that it fell to Kayden seemingly by fluke, but whatever. His analysis was ultimately correct. Ashlynn felt...what was the word in education circles? Understimulated? Underchallenged? Bored? Whatever. The point was, this challenge was insultingly meagre, and that wasn't just her own boasting. It felt way too anodyne, sterile, pointless. Concepts that did not need such an elaborate exercise to understand.
It said a lot about Mr McClellan's teaching style, none of it favourable, that working out how to present it for approval seemed to be the most challenging part of the task.
Gyu-ri had that task covered. Ashlynn was fine with that.
And then the conversation turned to...well, stuff that wasn't exactly an economics lesson. Not that Ashlynn cared. She leaned back in her chair, surprising herself with how happy she was that there was a respite from this shitty lesson, almost (but not quite) grateful that nobody picked her up on her offer for a more in-depth conversation about employment.
Ashlynn wasn't too interested (not straight away, anyway) in adding her own contributions, so was happy to just follow up on what was being said by others. "What, as a career choice?" Ashlynn wasn't 100% sure what the point of the anecdote would have been otherwise. "Because, hey, I say go for it."
It said a lot about Mr McClellan's teaching style, none of it favourable, that working out how to present it for approval seemed to be the most challenging part of the task.
Gyu-ri had that task covered. Ashlynn was fine with that.
And then the conversation turned to...well, stuff that wasn't exactly an economics lesson. Not that Ashlynn cared. She leaned back in her chair, surprising herself with how happy she was that there was a respite from this shitty lesson, almost (but not quite) grateful that nobody picked her up on her offer for a more in-depth conversation about employment.
Ashlynn wasn't too interested (not straight away, anyway) in adding her own contributions, so was happy to just follow up on what was being said by others. "What, as a career choice?" Ashlynn wasn't 100% sure what the point of the anecdote would have been otherwise. "Because, hey, I say go for it."
"Hun."
That was what Abel meant, that kind of condescending word Kayden threw around like a football. Abel knew he probably didn't mean it in that way, but something about that word was always off-putting. It was just so... fake.
He let it go; there wasn't any time to bring it up anyway before all-business Gyu-ri butted in. Abel was both impressed but also a little fearful that she could remember such a minor thing like a specific day 2 months ago. She'd be a good witness if she got called in for a court case, but that would depend on if she didn't get thrown out for being maybe a little fucking weird.
He should probably be a little social.
"Medicine is pretty cool," he picked at his cheek. "It's where the money is; people are always gonna get sick."
And back to Kayden's question. "Anyone see that Quiet Place movie yet? Amber and I are gonna go see it Friday but I don't know a whole lot of what I'm walking into."
That was what Abel meant, that kind of condescending word Kayden threw around like a football. Abel knew he probably didn't mean it in that way, but something about that word was always off-putting. It was just so... fake.
He let it go; there wasn't any time to bring it up anyway before all-business Gyu-ri butted in. Abel was both impressed but also a little fearful that she could remember such a minor thing like a specific day 2 months ago. She'd be a good witness if she got called in for a court case, but that would depend on if she didn't get thrown out for being maybe a little fucking weird.
He should probably be a little social.
"Medicine is pretty cool," he picked at his cheek. "It's where the money is; people are always gonna get sick."
And back to Kayden's question. "Anyone see that Quiet Place movie yet? Amber and I are gonna go see it Friday but I don't know a whole lot of what I'm walking into."
Kayden had no idea what the fuck Gyu-ri was saying but it bored the shit out of him. For one thing she condescendingly corrected him on what they were supposed to do like Kayden wasn't in the same class with the same teacher and a Kayden on a different day probably would have exploded at her but he instead maintained his cool, forcing an obviously pained brief smile. For another she started talking about some conversation she had with someone he'd never heard of what had to be months ago now, like anyone cared. Part of him started to feel a little bad, because she seemed like one of those kids who never got the hang of actually being around other kids and how to have conversations, but another part reminded himself that they were like 18 years old now and if you didn't know how to speak to people you were going to have a real shit go at life.
Ashlynn tried amusing her, but Kayden couldn't really put up as much of a front besides sitting there placidly. Abel has the same idea as Ashlynn. It was amazing how well Ashlynn could put up with boring people without seeming bored - she really should have been their class president, but Kayden couldn't even remember if she was up for contention, let alone who he voted for. It definitely wasn't Nathan, though. He didn't do sympathy votes.
"I've heard, like, so many good things about that. I've got a friend to take me and we're going Saturday, I just wanna see what all the fuss is about, y'know?"
By "friend" he really meant "college student he clicked with on Grindr who wanted to go on a date". Some people were still old fashioned, although Kayden was holding out hope the date wasn't ending there.
"Of course there's also that big party coming up soon, gotta get ready for that," Kayden said, running his hand through his hair which was due for a cut. He also took a mental glance down at his stomach. It was also due for a cut, and he'd been doing what he could over the course of a few weeks.
Ashlynn tried amusing her, but Kayden couldn't really put up as much of a front besides sitting there placidly. Abel has the same idea as Ashlynn. It was amazing how well Ashlynn could put up with boring people without seeming bored - she really should have been their class president, but Kayden couldn't even remember if she was up for contention, let alone who he voted for. It definitely wasn't Nathan, though. He didn't do sympathy votes.
"I've heard, like, so many good things about that. I've got a friend to take me and we're going Saturday, I just wanna see what all the fuss is about, y'know?"
By "friend" he really meant "college student he clicked with on Grindr who wanted to go on a date". Some people were still old fashioned, although Kayden was holding out hope the date wasn't ending there.
"Of course there's also that big party coming up soon, gotta get ready for that," Kayden said, running his hand through his hair which was due for a cut. He also took a mental glance down at his stomach. It was also due for a cut, and he'd been doing what he could over the course of a few weeks.
Gyu-ri's nervous hand continued to weld the most stable of lines that squared at perfect ninety degrees contrary to one another. Her handwriting, in neat knife-stabs and strokes, was by many counts far less imaginative, less energetic than Ji-hyun's. Low energy inputs seemed to yield the most exactingly perfect of outputs. It was not, in this instance, that she was merely business-as-usual plying her irrelevant craft of atom-carved penmanship. This was a group assignment. She had taken the burden of the group output onto herself- for reasons unknown to herself certainty- and it thus behooved her to provide the best work she could be held against despite her innumerable flaws and shortcomings. It was unarguable, unmistakable, principle itself of the universe that she offered her all into work that reflected the many.
There was only one her, but there was many of another. Simple hierarchical superiority.
Likewise, she did at least try to be responsive and engaged, even as her mind meandered several ways at once, and frayed for the effort. The fingers of a conversation tended to stretch her attentions like taffy. She hated how many topics seemed to blunder into and out of being without rhyme or reason from the mouths of the chaotic many, but she wore her best weary smile all the same, her little lips pristine like a spring.
"Sorry, bit of a digression," and she apologetically smiled at: was it Ashlynn (leaning in her chair, what sort of body language was she denigrating herself to carry?)- was it Abel (picking at his cheek- didn't he know he could inflame the skin into the first pimple of potentially many?)- was it Kayden (was he even looking at anybody else of the group he'd tried to lure off topic anyways, did he even care?)- she did not know but she felt the smolder of their presences all the same, all too heavy in the spacetime of her own scorched earth memory.
"Not about the money, anyways," and she knew Abel had hinted at that, she gently nodded at him in particular- was that body language too forward, too churlish, what was she doing anyways-? He'd brought up a movie, Kayden had answered, that matter seemed settled and she hated thriller and horror movies anyways, as if her perpetually abnormal systole (when she checked it, Grandpa tended to cite more normal numbers for her heart rate) could handle any further stress load-?
"Swiftball could be messy. I don't think so many people have intended to go to one party all at once since... Freshman year, there might have been such a sizable mixer. When we had so many transferees people wanted to pull into their respective social orbits, before it all settled. That is..."
Gyu-ri mumbled the remainder under her breath. The date, the time of that event, at least a few names she could recall from detail of those who had been at that exact function.
She felt like she talked too much. It always behooved her to shut up, she'd learned in her laconic time on this earth. The assignment was completed, a grid in blue ink of names and verbatim repeated definitions and observations- likewise verbatim of Kayden's appraisal, but with the profanities and crassness cleaned to a whitewashed degree. She silently contemplated the paper, awkwardly yes, but mostly focused on checking at least twice over for the tiniest of mistakes. She had white out, she had correction tape, she had the raw patience to redo the entire paper one hundred times over. Whatever was necessary.
There was only one her, but there was many of another. Simple hierarchical superiority.
Likewise, she did at least try to be responsive and engaged, even as her mind meandered several ways at once, and frayed for the effort. The fingers of a conversation tended to stretch her attentions like taffy. She hated how many topics seemed to blunder into and out of being without rhyme or reason from the mouths of the chaotic many, but she wore her best weary smile all the same, her little lips pristine like a spring.
"Sorry, bit of a digression," and she apologetically smiled at: was it Ashlynn (leaning in her chair, what sort of body language was she denigrating herself to carry?)- was it Abel (picking at his cheek- didn't he know he could inflame the skin into the first pimple of potentially many?)- was it Kayden (was he even looking at anybody else of the group he'd tried to lure off topic anyways, did he even care?)- she did not know but she felt the smolder of their presences all the same, all too heavy in the spacetime of her own scorched earth memory.
"Not about the money, anyways," and she knew Abel had hinted at that, she gently nodded at him in particular- was that body language too forward, too churlish, what was she doing anyways-? He'd brought up a movie, Kayden had answered, that matter seemed settled and she hated thriller and horror movies anyways, as if her perpetually abnormal systole (when she checked it, Grandpa tended to cite more normal numbers for her heart rate) could handle any further stress load-?
"Swiftball could be messy. I don't think so many people have intended to go to one party all at once since... Freshman year, there might have been such a sizable mixer. When we had so many transferees people wanted to pull into their respective social orbits, before it all settled. That is..."
Gyu-ri mumbled the remainder under her breath. The date, the time of that event, at least a few names she could recall from detail of those who had been at that exact function.
She felt like she talked too much. It always behooved her to shut up, she'd learned in her laconic time on this earth. The assignment was completed, a grid in blue ink of names and verbatim repeated definitions and observations- likewise verbatim of Kayden's appraisal, but with the profanities and crassness cleaned to a whitewashed degree. She silently contemplated the paper, awkwardly yes, but mostly focused on checking at least twice over for the tiniest of mistakes. She had white out, she had correction tape, she had the raw patience to redo the entire paper one hundred times over. Whatever was necessary.
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