T. Oso (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
campkilkare) wrote2009-01-13 03:16 pm
campkilkare) wrote2009-01-13 03:16 pm
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Morningside Park Middle and High School are part of a particular kind of private school; aimed at the young and upwardly mobile people of Morningside Heights who don't like to think about what that spells. The ones who don't think of themselves as private school people, but aren't quite insane enough to send their children to a Harlem public school.
There are no uniforms; there are lockers, and dances in the gym, not private hotels. There is, here outside the school office, a long wooden bench where troublemakers awaiting their doom can contemplate what has brought them to this pass. It looks more like a TV set of an ordinary American high school than an ordinary American high school--no graffiti, no door torn off the lockers, and this bench doesn't get a lot of occupants--but that's good enough.
There are three kids on this bench; one of is from the high school, tall and athletic in a wiry way. He's in ninth grade. The other two are eighth graders; a small Asian boy in glasses and a pretty-but-gawky girl with honey-colored skin, draped in a letterman jacket that's far too big for her skinny frame.
"You are so dumb," Laura Bailey tells them. "Dumb, dumb, dumb boys."
***
"Hey--um, hey Laura?"
She pauses in the doorway, her friends waiting up for her; a thousand sof adolescent girl-stares nailing him to the spot.
"Yeah?"
"D-do you have a date to the dance Friday?" Kevin Park stutters out.
She smiles--whenever she smiles it's like the sun coming out; Kevin Park is not a poet (words are hard) but he wishes he could be. He's only fourteen. Then she nods, and his heart hits his tennis shoes.
"Okay," he says quietly.
Laura smacks his arm. "You. Duh." Then she darts off to catch up with her friends, who are twittering about it.
He doesn't care. (His arm kind of hurts. He doesn't care about that, either.) "Hooray!" he tries saying.
No, that was stupid. But his grin--while maybe not as illuminating as Laura's--is pretty wide going home.
***
"I mean, I'm not even surprised about you," she tells the older boy. "But you're supposed to be the smart one, Kevin. I don't need two stupid boyfriends! One is enough!"
Kevin already looks low; now he's trying to climb into his own collar.
To Chad: "And I don't know what you're looking so smug about, dumbass. God. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking, wow, Laura's going to be pissed if I just stand here and watch Ferguson beat the crap out of her--out of this guy."
***
"So I have a date to the dance Friday," she mentions. They're getting a slice on the walk home.
"Hah, you're funny."
"I'm not joking," she says. Mmm, extra cheese.
"You can't go to the dance with someone else." Chad is indignant.
"You said you didn't want to go. You said it was a dumb middle school baby dance and you had better things to do. I want to go, someone asked me." She shrugs, chews.
"Okay, fine, if it's such a big deal, I'll take you."
She shakes her head. "Too late, I already told Kevin I'd go with him."
"You can't go to the dance with someone else."
"Well... I'm gonna." You can't let boys boss you around.
"Well, we have to break up then."
She shrugs. "Okay."
"Whatever." He kicks the table.
"What does that mean, whatever?"
"Whatever, go with your little middle school friend. I don't care."
"Okay. Are we broken up?" Chew chew chew.
"No. Do you want to break up?"
She shakes her head; beams. "No, I'm fine."
***
"Kevin," she says, "you have to lie."
"What!?" Chad grimaces. "That's bull."
"You don't understand about his mother." Kevin looks terrified; silent.
"I'm not scared," Chad says. "There's no rule about it."
"His parents will pull him out of the school, Chad."
"What?"
"They barely can stand that I have a girlfriend," Kevin whispers.
"Jeez."
"I don't want to lie," Kevin says, quietly. "I'm not sorry."
Laura looks sick; so does Chad a little bit. "Maybe you should, dude. I will, too. That way it's fair. It was all just a bunch of rumors."
"No, that's dumb," Laura says. "That doesn't make any sense at all."
***
"I had a really good time," Kevin says. She's holding his hand, and he's acutely aware that it's sweating. He wishes it would stop.
"I did too!" she says. "I never knew you were so cool, Kevin. You're always so quiet."
"I'm not cool," he says. He's having a wonderful night--a dream-come-true night--but he's not delusional.
"Maybe not cool-cool," she admits. "But you know so much stuff I don't! And you get so excited about it, it's totally cute." He gets very pink.
He wonders if he should kiss her. She looks troubled, though, so he doesn't.
***
The boys are arguing; as far as Laura can tell, they've completely switched positions on everything by now.
"Omigod," she says. "Fine. Look. Let's just tell Ms. Patterson everything. The truth is the simplest thing."
"It's not that simple," Chad sulks.
***
"You what?"
"I really like him," she says, twisting her fingers. This is different than telling him about the dance.
"So you're breaking up with me?" Chad sounds... disbelieving. For an eighth grader??
"I don't want to," she says, her voice small.
"What--what are you saying?"
He doesn't take it that well.
***
"Kids, Ms. Patterson will see you now."
They each hold one of Laura's hands, going in. Laura takes deep breaths.
***
She's on a date with Kevin (milkshakes), when her phone rings. "Chad? What do you want?"
"Oh boy."
She feels bad, because she's pretty sure Kevin only does it because he'd rather have that than nothing. But then--why else did Chad call her, either?
***
"So you've all been going out... together?" Ms. Patterson says. "Do I have that right?"
"No!" Chad says, and Kevin is hot on his heels. "Not together."
"We're not gay."
"Laura, explain--"
"Huh?" Laura shakes her head. "Um--sorry. I was somewhere else."
(It was a happy place.)
***
"You can break up with me, you know," Kevin says. She wishes he didn't sound so pathetic. It's kind of...
Pathetic.
"I don't want to, oh my God," she says. "Why would I put up with this if I didn't want to."
"I mean, you don't have to be afraid of hurting my feelings."
"Kevin. I like you. A lot. You were the one I started all this for, remember?"
"Yeah, but you weren't happy with... just me."
Kevin." She rubs her temples. "Please, just... believe me."
***
"All right, boys. I think this can be cleared up," Ms. Patterson said. "You're... friends. Right?"
They look at each other. Shrug. Nod.
"Okay. And sometimes friends... look out for each other. It would've been much better if either of you had gotten an adult," she says sternly. "But... boys will be boys. You'll both have detention, of course."
"And our parents don't have to know about--" Kevin says, trailing off.
"I don't care if they do," Chad says, posturing. But he looks relieved.
"No, I don't see why they would. Laura, can you stay and talk to me a little bit, though?"
***
"Look, we need to talk about this," Chad says. She wants to scream.
"I can't do this again, Chad. I can't. You're in or you're out, okay? In or out."
"I need something, Laura. Something. To show me you're not just dragging me along behind you."
***
"Laura, it seems to me like you're the one holding this little triad together. Would you say that's right?"
"I 'unno." She shrugs.
"Well--the boys wouldn't have done this on their own. Is that right."
***
"Which one is your girlfriend?"
"The one in my letterman jacket, duh."
"The one sitting next to that Korean kid?"
"Yeah, I guess. Whatever, dude."
"They look pretty cozy."
"Yeah, I'm real scared of an eighth grade nerdbox stealing my girl, Ferguson."
***
She sighs. "Yeah."
"It must be stressful, keeping all this going."
She nods.
***
"If she's your girlfriend, why does she wear that guy's jacket?"
"Why don't you shut up, Ryan?"
"Just answer the question, man."
"I'm pretty sure your girlfriend is, like, your hand," Kevin says, the closest he gets to wit. "So why don't you shut up."
"Are you sure she's really your girlfriend?"
"Hey guys!"
An uneasy chorus. "Hey Laura."
"Hi, Kevin." She grabs him.
"Laura Bailey. That is not appropriate to the lunchroom." Mr. Harris, an English teacher, pretty much drags her off of him.
***
There are no uniforms; there are lockers, and dances in the gym, not private hotels. There is, here outside the school office, a long wooden bench where troublemakers awaiting their doom can contemplate what has brought them to this pass. It looks more like a TV set of an ordinary American high school than an ordinary American high school--no graffiti, no door torn off the lockers, and this bench doesn't get a lot of occupants--but that's good enough.
There are three kids on this bench; one of is from the high school, tall and athletic in a wiry way. He's in ninth grade. The other two are eighth graders; a small Asian boy in glasses and a pretty-but-gawky girl with honey-colored skin, draped in a letterman jacket that's far too big for her skinny frame.
"You are so dumb," Laura Bailey tells them. "Dumb, dumb, dumb boys."
***
"Hey--um, hey Laura?"
She pauses in the doorway, her friends waiting up for her; a thousand sof adolescent girl-stares nailing him to the spot.
"Yeah?"
"D-do you have a date to the dance Friday?" Kevin Park stutters out.
She smiles--whenever she smiles it's like the sun coming out; Kevin Park is not a poet (words are hard) but he wishes he could be. He's only fourteen. Then she nods, and his heart hits his tennis shoes.
"Okay," he says quietly.
Laura smacks his arm. "You. Duh." Then she darts off to catch up with her friends, who are twittering about it.
He doesn't care. (His arm kind of hurts. He doesn't care about that, either.) "Hooray!" he tries saying.
No, that was stupid. But his grin--while maybe not as illuminating as Laura's--is pretty wide going home.
***
"I mean, I'm not even surprised about you," she tells the older boy. "But you're supposed to be the smart one, Kevin. I don't need two stupid boyfriends! One is enough!"
Kevin already looks low; now he's trying to climb into his own collar.
To Chad: "And I don't know what you're looking so smug about, dumbass. God. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking, wow, Laura's going to be pissed if I just stand here and watch Ferguson beat the crap out of her--out of this guy."
***
"So I have a date to the dance Friday," she mentions. They're getting a slice on the walk home.
"Hah, you're funny."
"I'm not joking," she says. Mmm, extra cheese.
"You can't go to the dance with someone else." Chad is indignant.
"You said you didn't want to go. You said it was a dumb middle school baby dance and you had better things to do. I want to go, someone asked me." She shrugs, chews.
"Okay, fine, if it's such a big deal, I'll take you."
She shakes her head. "Too late, I already told Kevin I'd go with him."
"You can't go to the dance with someone else."
"Well... I'm gonna." You can't let boys boss you around.
"Well, we have to break up then."
She shrugs. "Okay."
"Whatever." He kicks the table.
"What does that mean, whatever?"
"Whatever, go with your little middle school friend. I don't care."
"Okay. Are we broken up?" Chew chew chew.
"No. Do you want to break up?"
She shakes her head; beams. "No, I'm fine."
***
"Kevin," she says, "you have to lie."
"What!?" Chad grimaces. "That's bull."
"You don't understand about his mother." Kevin looks terrified; silent.
"I'm not scared," Chad says. "There's no rule about it."
"His parents will pull him out of the school, Chad."
"What?"
"They barely can stand that I have a girlfriend," Kevin whispers.
"Jeez."
"I don't want to lie," Kevin says, quietly. "I'm not sorry."
Laura looks sick; so does Chad a little bit. "Maybe you should, dude. I will, too. That way it's fair. It was all just a bunch of rumors."
"No, that's dumb," Laura says. "That doesn't make any sense at all."
***
"I had a really good time," Kevin says. She's holding his hand, and he's acutely aware that it's sweating. He wishes it would stop.
"I did too!" she says. "I never knew you were so cool, Kevin. You're always so quiet."
"I'm not cool," he says. He's having a wonderful night--a dream-come-true night--but he's not delusional.
"Maybe not cool-cool," she admits. "But you know so much stuff I don't! And you get so excited about it, it's totally cute." He gets very pink.
He wonders if he should kiss her. She looks troubled, though, so he doesn't.
***
The boys are arguing; as far as Laura can tell, they've completely switched positions on everything by now.
"Omigod," she says. "Fine. Look. Let's just tell Ms. Patterson everything. The truth is the simplest thing."
"It's not that simple," Chad sulks.
***
"You what?"
"I really like him," she says, twisting her fingers. This is different than telling him about the dance.
"So you're breaking up with me?" Chad sounds... disbelieving. For an eighth grader??
"I don't want to," she says, her voice small.
"What--what are you saying?"
He doesn't take it that well.
***
"Kids, Ms. Patterson will see you now."
They each hold one of Laura's hands, going in. Laura takes deep breaths.
***
She's on a date with Kevin (milkshakes), when her phone rings. "Chad? What do you want?"
"Oh boy."
She feels bad, because she's pretty sure Kevin only does it because he'd rather have that than nothing. But then--why else did Chad call her, either?
***
"So you've all been going out... together?" Ms. Patterson says. "Do I have that right?"
"No!" Chad says, and Kevin is hot on his heels. "Not together."
"We're not gay."
"Laura, explain--"
"Huh?" Laura shakes her head. "Um--sorry. I was somewhere else."
(It was a happy place.)
***
"You can break up with me, you know," Kevin says. She wishes he didn't sound so pathetic. It's kind of...
Pathetic.
"I don't want to, oh my God," she says. "Why would I put up with this if I didn't want to."
"I mean, you don't have to be afraid of hurting my feelings."
"Kevin. I like you. A lot. You were the one I started all this for, remember?"
"Yeah, but you weren't happy with... just me."
Kevin." She rubs her temples. "Please, just... believe me."
***
"All right, boys. I think this can be cleared up," Ms. Patterson said. "You're... friends. Right?"
They look at each other. Shrug. Nod.
"Okay. And sometimes friends... look out for each other. It would've been much better if either of you had gotten an adult," she says sternly. "But... boys will be boys. You'll both have detention, of course."
"And our parents don't have to know about--" Kevin says, trailing off.
"I don't care if they do," Chad says, posturing. But he looks relieved.
"No, I don't see why they would. Laura, can you stay and talk to me a little bit, though?"
***
"Look, we need to talk about this," Chad says. She wants to scream.
"I can't do this again, Chad. I can't. You're in or you're out, okay? In or out."
"I need something, Laura. Something. To show me you're not just dragging me along behind you."
***
"Laura, it seems to me like you're the one holding this little triad together. Would you say that's right?"
"I 'unno." She shrugs.
"Well--the boys wouldn't have done this on their own. Is that right."
***
"Which one is your girlfriend?"
"The one in my letterman jacket, duh."
"The one sitting next to that Korean kid?"
"Yeah, I guess. Whatever, dude."
"They look pretty cozy."
"Yeah, I'm real scared of an eighth grade nerdbox stealing my girl, Ferguson."
***
She sighs. "Yeah."
"It must be stressful, keeping all this going."
She nods.
***
"If she's your girlfriend, why does she wear that guy's jacket?"
"Why don't you shut up, Ryan?"
"Just answer the question, man."
"I'm pretty sure your girlfriend is, like, your hand," Kevin says, the closest he gets to wit. "So why don't you shut up."
"Are you sure she's really your girlfriend?"
"Hey guys!"
An uneasy chorus. "Hey Laura."
"Hi, Kevin." She grabs him.
"Laura Bailey. That is not appropriate to the lunchroom." Mr. Harris, an English teacher, pretty much drags her off of him.
***