Mrs. Laney's Homeroom

[Nealosi†]

The school hadn't been re-opened for very long. The hallways were still a bustle as classmates re-acquainted with one another.

Jackie Kovacs stood up at the front of Mrs. Lanelys grade eleven homeroom. He looked around the class, making sure his eyes were level and nonchalant. He was also careful not to make eye contact with anyone. Mrs. Lanely continue to read off Jack's introduction in a drab monotone that seemed to be turning the majority of the class into a restless mob. Jack's palms sweated and he clenched his teeth behind his pert little grin as the lack-lustre introduction continued.

Jack stood a little straighter as Mrs. Lanely struggled with the pronunciation of his last name.

"Kovacs," he corrected. Was it that hard?

He waved a hand to the rest of the class.

Stay cool, Jackie. Stay cool.

Mrs. Lanely bade Jack sit in one of the empty seats in the back row. Curious young eyes analyzed his every move as he walked down the row to find his open seat. Steadily, Jack placed his backpack on the floor and put his notebook down on the desk taking his time in a cautious fashion.

Mrs. Lanely carried on with announcements, and things of particular school importance as the rest of the class feigned little interest. A few classmates whispered around the bland square room, and most of the people in the class looked about the chalkboard with fake looks on their faces. First impressions were most important after all.

As the announcements continued, Jack was perfectly aware of his own look on display. He had on a kindly little grin, to complement his smooth, unblemished skin, and assure everyone of his confidence, but made sure that his eyes and general visage was reasonably aloof. Jack knew he was being looked at. He concentrated every ounce of his being into not sweating as a few of the other students shoot him glances. Someone had died at this school, best be on guard, keep his head down. He had never been bullied in the past, but coming to a new school was always a risk. Generally Jackie had no visible flaws, and was attractive enough to drift by.

He noted a few students he might be able too talk too. They didn't all look threatening after all. There were a few punk looking kids, who Jackie could usually relate to, and the girls didn't look all that dangerous. There were certainly a few kids who Jackie would make sure to keep his distance from. A few of the jock looking guys, and there were also a few people who Jackie was fairly certain were death-obsessed and disturbed.

The bell rang and Jack made his way out of the class steadily as everyone else. He was careful to watch his pace with the other students. He nodded with approval as he passed some of the other boys in his class and waved shyly at the girls.

The front door was held open for him by the rush of students, Jackie made his way outside. He had history class, but he had no intention of arriving early. As Jack approached his sporty little old Pontiac he wriggled his fingers into the pocket of his tight blue jeans and produced a lighter. He reached into the pocket on his jacket and produced his cigarettes. He turned around quickly to survey for teachers, and was not surprised when he saw none.

Jackie put the cigarette in between his lips with the smooth and slow grace of a TV commercial, and lit it with his cheap red lighter. What a day, at least nothing had gone wrong yet. He would try to talk to a few people later, if no one came to him of course. Things couldn't get that bad.

[Jotun†]

Today seemed dead-set on being horrible to Kayla. She did not want to come back to school at all, but she forced herself out of bed anyway. She was not happy that none of her friends, even the ones who SHARED her homeroom class did not accompany her to the room, all content to skip instead, still clearly acting as though they were on holiday. She definately did not want to endure the gossip of Kim whoever-whoever's death, nor any memorial the school might concoct.

But, she didn't want to give anyone the impression she was avoiding school for any real, emotional reason. Besides, the first day back was important. She could fall behind tommorow.

Mrs. Laney's classroom was completely empty when she walked in and took her seat at the back of the room, long before the bell to start homeroom time rang. Soon after, a boy she didn't recognize walked in. He was singificant in that Kayla did not recognize him, in fact. Kayla would ahve seen him before, had he ever been here before. Ergo, he was new.

New students always had a certain stigma about them, a sort of nervousness and curiosity mixed. That made them important. The new student could then be used.

Kayla needed to double take her own thoughts, she had just broken down another human being on first glance, without knowing him at all, probably drawing all sorts of wrong conclusions. She had spent too much time around Felix, if she had inherited that trait.

Dropping the subject entirely, Kayla was almost pleased to see Gary Wachtler enter the room, but she soon stamped out hope of her friend talking to her. Her breakup with Felix may not have left Gary on speaking terms with both of them. However, Gary did not hesitate on meeting her eyes and sitting in the desk next to her, and greeting her. Dull, casual conversation followed, Kayla not wanting to mention their mutual aquaintance or her newfound singlehood...

[Nealosi†]

Jackie was wandered back into the school after a quick smoke break that had succeeded in cooling his nerves. Homeroom had gone well. At least he thought it went well. It was so hard to read the general mood at a new school. For all he knew the pleasant smiles and waves he had received could have masked something much more sinister. He knew one thing for sure. He was thinking about all of this far too much.

Jackie meandered through the hallways trying to decipher which room was which and where he was supposed to be. He was staring absently at the label above the door when he bumped into one of the girls, the one with the dark red hair, from his homeroom, heading to her class.

Dammit.

As textbooks strew themselves about the floor and mixed with the girl's textbooks all he could do was sigh. He reached down to pick them up and sort them out accordingly.

"I'm so sorry about that," Jackie handed the young lady her textbook. "I'm so stupid. I don't have any idea where I'm going. I'm trying to find my way to history"

"I'm Jackie, by the way," Jackie breathed in. Here goes nothing. "The teacher introduced me. I'm the new guy."

[Jotun†]

Talking with Gary, for whatever reason, had slightly alleviated Kayla's stress levels. He said nothing about Felix, which meant nothing had really changed. Regardless, Kayla still felt abnormally stressed. Everything ahead of her today and all week seeme dlike something she did not want to face.

Unfortunately for her, walking out the door and grumbling to herself, Kayla had to face something. A male something that walked into her and sent her and her books to the ground. By the time she'd gotten up and brushed herself off, the books were already being handed to her with an apology.

"I'm so sorry about that, I'm so stupid. I don't have any idea where I'm going. I'm trying to find my way to history"

"Oh." Kayla was a little surpised, by the fact that the new guy she was thinking about earlier was right there, seemingly utterly confused and bit nervous, and wholly apologetic. "That's okay."

"I'm Jackie, by the way," Jackie breathed in. Here goes nothing. "The teacher introduced me. I'm the new guy."

"It wasn't that long ago," Kayla said, stressing the word 'that' to empahsize her joking tone.' "I remmeber. I'm Kayla." Both hands were occupied by textbooks, so Kayla simply smiled sweetly to send the same message. Pointing down the hall, She attempted directions. "Down there, to the left, most of the history classes are down there. Your guess as to which one you're in, though."

"Well, I'll see you later." Still smiling, Kayla left for her next class, her mood somewhat better now that her day had at least one unexpected surprise.

[Nealosi†]

"Yeah," Jackie grinned. "I'll see you later."

He was surpirsed, to say the least, as the girl smiled pleasantly and helped point him in the right direction. He had thought that the redhead would have torn him a new hole for his clumsiness. Jackie shrugged, can't argue with results.

Jackie made his way back yowards his history class. He arrived, as he had intended, fashionably late, just after the bell. He caught the glances of a few of his classmates as he walked across the length of the class and found an open seat in the corner of the room. The stigma of the 'new kid' obviously was still attached to him. Nevertheless, he had yet to receive a negative reaction due to the label.

Advanced history had a few students he didn't recognize, people from outside his homeroom, and Jackie pledged to himself that he would strike up a conversation if at all possible. History had always been an interest of Jackies. It was all just stories, and Jackie loved stories. Luck was on Jackies side today, maybe he would head downtown after school and see what people were up to.