No Talent for Certainty

Located on the first floor of the school building, the language arts wing houses all the school's English, Spanish, and other foreign language classes. The Principal's office is also in this area.
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Ciel†
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No Talent for Certainty

#1

Post by Ciel† »

The name English Literature seemed to breathe intelligence. Apart from the other classes that were simply name English, ENGLISH literature appeared to be the more intensive class. However this was far from the truth. In fact it was similar to all the other English classes (as if the similarities weren't apparent enough) but just focusing on British writings - more specifically those of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Out of all of the kids who wished they could have transferred to another english class, James Mulzet was about one of the few kids who found the class somewhat interesting. Somewhat. Reading books that were written in the 1800's wasn't the biggest waste of time, but if he (the boy who could read all of these things in around a month) really wanted to read seven books and three plays in just one year he would have done it in his free time.

So in a way, James Mulzet WAS one of the students who wanted to transfer to another class.

What's more, they were reading Mansfield Park. James hated Mansfield Park. Granted all of Jane Austin's books are complex with so many things happening in them that they could tie one's head up into tight knots, but Mansfield Park was just so complicated that even the Sparknotes for the friggin thing was difficult to read.

The teacher was going over one of the chapters that they had read in class and James gave a sigh. He felt like he was going to go to sleep - and that was a very rare thing for him to do. He was normally tired but never enough to fall asleep in any class. His eyes darted back and forth. He tried to sit up straight - anything to keep him awake. He didn't want to get yelled at - definitely not in the class he prided himself as being the best in.
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Arscapi†
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#2

Post by Arscapi† »

((continued from Five, Six, Seven, Eight ))

Thea Kairos sat in English Lit doodling hearts onto a piece of notebook paper in an attempt to keep herself occupied. She'd taken English Lit., because quite frankly American authors bored her. She'd enjoyed the class for the most part, but this Austin theme had failed to spark her interest. 'Is it me or did all of Austin's books have the same basic plot,' she thought to herself. She'd read Emma and Sense and Sensibility this summer and while she'd enjoyed them she didn't think they were worth the in-depth attention the teacher was giving them. It was like he was going over the chapter page by page. What was the purpose of doing homework if they were just going over it again in class? She had more important things to do with her time.

Thea glanced over at the boy sitting next to her and smirked as his head dipped down and then snapped up. She could tell he was having difficulty staying awake and decided to take pity on James, knowing how out of character it was for him. She hastily scratched a note on the paper in front of her. She waited until the teacher's attention was elsewhere then reached over and dropped the note on James' desk.

You as bored by Mr. Howard's lecture as I am?
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Ciel†
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#3

Post by Ciel† »

A white sheet of paper gently found it's way onto James's desk. His eyes looked downwards at the piece of paper, reading "You as bored by Mr. Howard's lecture as I am?" in clear but rushed handwriting. Without a moments hesitation James turned his head to look to his left, directly at Thea who had just turned back to face Mr. Howard. He smiled in a nervous but cheerful way. Thea was a nice girl, probably one of the few people James spoke occasionally with outside of school, though he knew that British Literature wasn't the most interesting subject for her (or anyone else for that matter).

Without any other warning he took his No. 2 Pencil and began to write slowly under what Thea had sent. He had done these sort of note messages many times before but everytime he did he would do it all the same way - very slowly, carefully as though he were handling a baby or a delicate piece of pottery. As soon as he was done he quickly handed it off back to Thea, not paying attention to whether the teacher was looking.

'If you're as close to falling asleep as I am then yes. Image You got cheerleading practice today?
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Arscapi†
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#4

Post by Arscapi† »

Thea's attention snapped back towards her desk as the note was dropped onto her desk. She tossed a warning look at James and quickly tucked the note under her arm as Mr. Howard made a pass by her desk. Thea could probably be considered an expert at note passing and hadn't been caught since her freshmen year. She waited for Mr. Howard to return to the front of the classroom before retrieving the note and reading its contents. She glanced down at the familiar neat block letters. She liked James he was a true friend, not one of those fake social clingers that only hung out with her because they thought she'd boost their social standings.

'If you're as close to falling asleep as I am then yes. You got cheerleading practice today?' She rolled her eyes at the question, then retrieved her pen from the top of her desk and, checking once again on the teacher's location, scribbled her own reply underneath his response.

Not falling asleep yet. Have practice almost every day this week, we still have one more major competition. What about you? Plans for after school?
PS. Be careful the last thing I need is detention.


She folded the paper neatly and then caught James' eye and held her hand out to him with the note tucked into her palm.
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Ciel†
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#5

Post by Ciel† »

James eyes look down to Thea's outstretched hand, not turning his head even an inch. As quickly as he could he took the note from her palm and placed it on his desk. He waited for Mr. Howard to pass by before opening it up and taking a look.

Not falling asleep yet. Have practice almost every day this week, we still have one more major competition. What about you? Plans for after school?
PS. Be careful the last thing I need is detention.


James read the note and tensed up for a moment. The statement "Be careful the last thing I need is detention." reminded him that what they were doing was dangerous. James had always had a clean record but regardless Mr. Howard treated him with the same suspicion as everyone else in the class. Thea knew how to sneak past teachers like Mr. Howard but James wasn't nearly as good. He had to be more careful to not get caught.

He waited until Mr. Howard had his back turned to the chalkboard before James went with the response. It took less time than the first reply, and folded the paper back in the same way as before. He waited for another mintue, tracking Mr. Howard's movements before he twisted his hand back out, the note placed directly in his palm. He turned, shot Thea a smile, and then turned back to the front of the class.

Nothing - Debate club is always on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Maybe I'll go to the mall. Idk when or how long tho.

James really hated txt talk. It helped though, sometimes.
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#6

Post by Arscapi† »

Thea did a small stretch and discretely took the note back, her eyes on Mr. Howard the whole time. She read the information on the board making sure she didn't miss anything then unfolded the note and read it.

Nothing - Debate club is always on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Maybe I'll go to the mall. Idk when or how long tho.

She grinned at the txt talk. Now he's paranoid, she thought with a smile. She paused for a moment to copy down the vocabulary words they'd need to know for next week's quiz then returned her attention to the note, rereading it. The mall, lucky, she thought. I could use a trip to the mall. Picking up her pen again, glanced at her watch, and wrote down her response then refolded the note. Glancing at Mr. Howard, who was redirecting someone's attention back to the topic at hand, she tossed the note over to James. She then quickly turned in her chair with her hand raised to answer the question Mr. Howard was loudly demanding an answer too.

Lucky you, the mall sounds like fun. Maybe I'll swing by after practice. What I really want to know is who stopped the clock in this room? Will this lecture every be over?
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Naqualo†
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#7

Post by Naqualo† »

((Begin Samson Everett))

Samson sat quietly at the back of the classroom, amused at the sight of one of the smartest guys he knew struggling to keep his head off his desk. James was usually quite alert in the classes they had together, but this was clearly an exception. Perhaps Mr. Howard droning on and on about Mansfield Park, by far Jane Austen's worst book, had finally gotten to him.

Samson waited for the teacher to notice. Mr. Howard was not the strictest of teachers, but he did not tolerate inattentiveness in his classroom and constantly paced down the rows of desks to make sure everyone was mentally engaged in his lectures. Samson could hardly blame him. After so many months of lectures on the same era of English literature, the class inevitably began to exude an air of indifference. The teacher had to forcefully keep them focused.

Unexpectedly, one charade was traded for another. Thea, who Samson knew to to be a cheerleader and member of the student council, waited for the right moment and tossed a piece of paper onto James desk. The distraction instantly roused James from his drowsy state. Samson, in a moment of prudence, diverted his attention back to Mr. Howard to make sure he was catching the final and most important points of the lecture.

Then he saw James pass the same note back, James obviously not noticing that the teacher was facing his side of the classroom. Mr. Howard didn't bat an eye. Curses! How did he not see that! Something needs to happen to liven up this class or I'll fall asleep!

Samson noticed that several other students were now watching the antics of scribbling and passing as well.

Come on now...
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#8

Post by Ciel† »

James gave a quick look to the side to take a peak at Mr. Howard, who currently was over at the other side of the room. He was staring right in James direction, but he didn't say anything. Or do anything at all. Did he know what Thea and he were doing? And if so why wasn't he doing anything? Paranoia was something that James himself could never really deal with, and this went especially true when he was misbehaving in even the smallest way possible.

James looked down at the note on his table, then back at Mr. Howard. "Yeah, he definitely has no clue what we're doing..." Slowly he opened the piece of paper and began to read it.

Lucky you, the mall sounds like fun. Maybe I'll swing by after practice. What I really want to know is who stopped the clock in this room? Will this lecture every be over?

For this James gave even more grand of a smile. He slid the piece of paper off of the desk and under his seat. He felt the eyes of another student watching him but he wasn't quite sure who it was, nor did he have the nerve to turn and look back in the hopes of finding out. Maybe in a moment or two he would send Thea a response, but not when so much attention was being called in his direction. He turned back to the board for a moment, pretending that nothing had happened.
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#9

Post by Arscapi† »

Thea watched James' movements out of the corner of her eye. She frowned as he tucked the note under his chair. Well, there went that entertainment. She went back to doodling hearts around the vocabulary words she'd already written. When she'd covered the entire margin with hearts and flowers she glanced around the room again, to check where Mr. Howard was, and met the eyes of several of her classmates. Samson Everett who sat several rows behind her seemed to have taken particular interest in her and James. Seriously, get a life, like you've never seen someone passing notes before? She knew Samson vaguely from the cross country and track. She flashed him a sugary sweet smile, and then turned around to face forward again. Thea glanced over at James and was disappointed to see he still wasn't writing. I know I told him to be careful but this is a little ridiculous. She let out a long sigh and then turned her attention to her current manicure. She scrutinized it intensely, noting that she'd have to fix the polish on her pinkie at lunch.
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BetaKnight
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#10

Post by BetaKnight »

(Aislyn McCreery continued from Cooling Down)

Aislyn absently tapped her pencil against her notebook before abruptly jotting down several things on the paper. She looked exactly like a proper student intently studying her lecture notes. In reality, she had completely tuned out Mr. Howard and his dreadfully boring recitation of the chapter. Like having to read together wasn't punishment enough, now he was going over it. Rather than focus on the redundency of the situation, she began working on a list of potential birthday gifts for her father intead.

Camping coffee pot
Sunglasses
New chain for St. Michael the Archangel medallion
Underwear
Socks

Nibbling on the end of her pencil, she quickly wrote 'belt', then after a moment's consideration, crossing it out. Father's Day was coming up in June. She would need to keep some gift ideas in reserve so that she didn't end up with nothing to give him then. Since they wouldn't be going on their big camping trip until after school got out for the year, there was no point in getting him the coffee pot right now either. With a small sigh, she scratched it off the list as well.

Glancing up, she saw that Mr. Howard had begun to prowl the room as he talked, looking for students who weren't paying attention. I don't know why he still does that. By now we've all learned to either pay attention or do a really good job of faking it.

She looked down at the list she'd written instead of her notes and let a guilty little grin slip onto her face. Since Mr. Howard frequently gets verbal diarrhea like the case he has today, the ability to goof off and not get caught is more of a survival skill than anything else. Aislyn fought the urge to crane her neck and see if any of the people around her were busy working on margin artwork or some discreet personal grooming.

"Okay people, now that we've gone over the basics, I want you to get into your literature circles and discuss any insights or ideas that you had and wrote in your journals as you read last night," Mr. Howard boomed as he clapped his hands together.

Aislyn jumped a bit, startled by the clap. Gathering up her things, she slid from her seat and dodged around her classmates as everyone scrambled to get into their groups. As the small, jumbled sea of humanity parted, she spotted a convenient empty desk. Grabbing it, she dragged it over near James and Thea. Occasionally she felt a little bitter that she had to move clear across the classroom and fight for a chair while they got to sit and wait for the rest of the group to form around them. Well, I suppose being in a group with one of the brightest students in class makes up for that.

She made sure to leave room for the other desks that would arrive once the others finally got it in gear before slipping into her new seat. Flipping open her literature journal to the proper page, Aislyn smiled apologetically at her partners. "Hey guys. Please tell me one of you got the notes for today and that I can copy them really quickly. I totally zoned out during the lecture."
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Naqualo†
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#11

Post by Naqualo† »

Thea apparently had realized that she was being watched by a number of bored classmates. She glanced around at her peers, who were now trying to look busy in order to avert her gaze. When she found Samson's eyes, she flashed a smile with a tinge of, what was it... sarcasm? Well, whatever. He decided he should probably start paying attention to class again.

Mr. Howard finally finished his long-winded lecture and directed students to assemble their literature circles. The students began scuttling about, shoving desks here and there into approximated round-tables. Great. Time to go enlighten some slackers... Again. Samson waited as his other group members gathered around. As the unspoken leader, he at least had the benefit of staying in one place while the class jostled around him.

Samson looked around at the anxious eyes of his circle-mates. He didn't know how he had gotten stuck with such a bad group. In general, English Literature had an above average number of decently intelligent people. Yet, these were the eyes of an above average number of literary imbeciles. This is why he hated classes where the teachers didn't allow them to choose their own groups. The other groups were actually capable of involved discussions. James' group was definitely manageable. Samson's was just a 'let me see what you have' and 'I think you're probably right' session. God, let this period end.
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Ciel†
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#12

Post by Ciel† »

James personally liked when they got into personal circles but today he felt that there was no need for it. There was only thirty minutes left in the class! They weren't going to get done whatever he was assigning them to do, no matter how small it was. Maybe he would give them more time to do it tommorrow? Personally James couldn't care that much - he had more important things on his mind.

James looked to his side again once Mr. Howard's back was turned. Thea was looking intently at her nails, as she had been before they had started swiping notes back and forth. They say in the same circle thankfully. He was thinking about alot of things right then and there - should he ask her? He tapped the table for a moment with his fingernails, sighing loudly. He took the paper and placed it back on the dest, smoothing the wrinkles on it. He then grabbed his pencil and started to write on it again, much slower this time around. He didn't want to make any mistakes.

As soon as he was done writing, he folded it up and leaned closer to Thea's desk. With one quick flick he dropped the paper on the desk, nearly missing Mr. Howard's glare. They had to get their work done but James personally couldn't care less if he got it done or not. If he didn't get it done now, then he'd just finish it at home.

Hey Thea! I was just wondering - do you have a date for the prom?

He turned away from Thea, pretending that he didn't pass the note over at all.
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#13

Post by Arscapi† »

Thea nodded to Aislyn and pushed her desk back to make room for the other girl to join the group. When she glanced down she was surprised to see that the note had reappeared. Since the majority of the class was still rearranging seats, she took the opportunity to unfold the note and read it.

Hey Thea! I was just wondering - do you have a date for the prom?

When she finished, she smiled and then glanced around to see where the teacher was. Seeing that the coast was clear, Thea set up her book and notebook, getting ready to add to her literature journal before writing a response back.

I'm not going with anyone at the moment. I've been holding out for someone, and even though I see him ever day he still hasn't asked. Which is kinda surprising since he's so smart and all. Who are you going to prom with?
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Ciel†
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#14

Post by Ciel† »

James found the note on his table when he looked away. It had come over so suddenly that he didn't notice it was there until a moment later when he looked down. He looked over at Aislyn and gave a wave. "Hey Aislyn!" He called to her before unfolding the note, slowly gazing over it as he got his notebook out from under his desk. He took a minute to grab a pencil before reading it fully.

I'm not going with anyone at the moment. I've been holding out for someone, and even though I see him ever day he still hasn't asked. Which is kinda surprising since he's so smart and all. Who are you going to prom with?

Hmm... he didn't know who she was talking about, but he decided it was best not to keep thinking about it.

He flipped the piece of paper over on the other side and began to write his reply on it. He stopped halfway through and stared at it, before crossing out something. He didn't have enough time to erase it fully - besides his eraser sounded like nails being dragged on a chalkboard when he used it. He finally finished the note, taking another look at it before cracking a smile. He folded it up quickly, waiting for the right opportunity to slip it onto Thea's desk. James got that chance and threw it over, letting it land on the table so close to the end that he was afraid it would fall.

No one at the moment. I have someone in mind, and I'm hoping that Would you like to go to the prom with me? It's okay if you don't.

James turned his head quickly away, and for a second the faint outline of a blush came across his face.
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#15

Post by Arscapi† »

Thea watched James anxiously out of the corner of her eye. She made a few notes in her notebook, but stopped mid-word when she saw the confused look on his face. She frowned, afraid her carefully thought out plan of the last ten minutes would fail. Thea held her breath as she saw him start to write and then cross out something. Oh please don't let that be him changing his mind about asking me. Thea thought to herself. She exhaled as she saw him start writing again. Okay, be cool. She reminded herself then deliberately diverted her attention. When the note finally landed on her desk she had to force herself to casually pick it up. Can't appear too desperate now, can we? She opened it slowly and had to bite her lip to keep the cheer from escaping as she read the note.

No one at the moment. I have someone in mind, and I'm hoping that Would you like to go to the prom with me? It's okay if you don't.

Picking up her pen she began to write, only now glancing to see where Mr. Howard was.

Great minds must think alike, although you had me worried for a second there. I'd love to go to prom with you.
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