Home Room/ Study Hall

[More than Music]

OOC: First official post for Jodie! Here goes! *winces* And let me know if this is a bad plot bunny... it kinda just came in there. I just thought that rumors like this would get started... so tell me if it's too much. !_!
BIC:

Jordan "Jodie" Watanabi

It was interesting, that there were still kind people in the world, with all the world did to try and bring them down. What was more interesting, was that kind people were usually one of two things: people who had been through the flame and back, determined to make it through anyway; or completely naive of the world. Looking around at the other students who had stayed behind to wrap presents for a single mom and her posse of adorable children, Jodie could easily remember which people were which. He'd just finished colorfully decorating a gift tag - the present was for one of the little girls, and at her age, creativity with flowers and such were enough to light up a pudgy little face - when a perfect example turned towards him.

"Can you please hand me one of those gift tags? Thanks." Cassie Wright. Jodie smiled nicely at her, adding on a fervent nod.

"Sure thing, honey," he said, handing her one.

Cassandra Wright, commonly known as 'Cassie'. Oh, Cassie. Her parents had recently divorced because her mother had been cheating. For over a year. Such a scandal Jodie couldn't imagine how Cassie lived with the shame and rage she must have been feeling. Especially after what had happened with her mother's boyfriend... What a creeper. He sighed, turning back to his gift. Cassie, pretty but not exceptionally beautiful, with her long red hair and friendly little smile, had been fading into depression the last few weeks. He'd even heard that Cassie and her new boyfriend, who was apparently a friend of Yukito Maki - who had good lips and great hair but definitely not Jodie's type of guy - , were having some trouble too. What a life.

Well, at least she had money to make up for it, right? And her good looks.

She seemed to be making it along just fine today, a cute green sticker bow on her head that drew attention to her red hair and blue eyes. But, that was the way of high school - especially around the rich - : one day they were crying their eyes out, the next they were smiling and laughing like nothing had happened. Those were the kind of people the stories started up about. Like how Cassie obviously hung out with Yukito Maki too much. Yes, it was her best friend's boyfriend. But... wasn't it getting mildly serious? What a scandal! She definitely didn't have her mother's nature, but... the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Jodie put his present with the rest, and was mobbed by a swarm of whispering girls. "Slow down," he replied, his words quiet but hoarse. "Slow down girls! Now, what is it?"

"You should go talk to her." a girl suggested. Jodie looked at her a little sideways.

"Who?"

"The older Wright sister... Katie or whoever."

Jodie smiled knowingly. "Cassie."

"Yeah, whatever," another girl said, cutting of the first girl as she tried to get the point across. "Apparently there's some rumor going around about her being..." The girl leaned closer, and Jodie's eyes widened. "...Pregnant." Jodie's eyes widened.

"No!" he gasped, putting one hand dramatically on his chest. He glanced over at Cassie, then shook his head. "How?" he asked, his voice still quiet.

The girls looked at him pointedly, then said so softly it was barely audible save their unison: "Creepo man."

Jodie jumped forwards to cover their mouths, gasping again. "Sh! Don't talk about that here! 'Tis the season, girls, 'tis the season!" He shook his head. "But... I'll go talk to her. She didn't seem very hormonal..." He glanced over at Cassie again. "...and she'd be showing by now..."

"First one sneaks up on you," a girl corrected. "Remember Ani?"

Jodie bit his lip. Of course he did. "Well, I'll go talk to her anyway. Meanwhile, you girls... scatter!" he commanded in a coarse whisper, waving his hands to try and make his words more effective. They did just as he'd told them to, retreating to their various places in the room. Jodie's eyes fell on Cassie. He took a deep breath, grabbing two cups of soda and one of those bows that she had on her head - except fire engine red - as he went over to her. "Hi," he cooed, setting the cups down carefully. "Aren't you just as busy as one of Santa's elves!" Laughing, he held out the bow. "Can I try that too, or is it just for cute girls like you?" He punctuated this with a wink, trying to make sure she was happy and relaxed. Because then he could ask questions and get her to say things that would make it obvious whether they were just rumors or the truth coming about.

He could never be sure just by what his girls told him. As wonderful as they were, gossipy girls often came with selective hearing. Jodie didn't start rumors: he either spread them or killed them.

Where would this one lead?

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

The room filled with the sounds of crinkling wrapping paper, chatting teenagers, and the Taylor Swift Christmas song that was piped through the room on the speakers connected to the teacher's computer. Cassie tried to lose herself in the music, but the whispers distracted her. She closed her eyes, trying to block them out, but for some reason that only seemed to make them louder. Did they honestly think that she didn't know what they were saying about her? The rumors went swirling throughout the school like snowflakes on the wind, and no one was safe from them. Even if they weren't true...especially when they weren't true. Seriously? Pregnant? How stupid can you get? That was over the summer. Six months ago. Do they have any idea how big I would be if it were true? Does anyone at this school have common sense anymore?

But Cassie knew the answer to that already. In high school, it wasn't important whether all the rumors were true or not. What mattered was who they were about, who told them, how fast they spread around the school like wildfire. The facts didn't matter, but the speculations did.

"Can you please hand me one of those gift tags?"[/b] she asked no one in particular, trying to distract herself. She looked up to see the person who pressed one into her hands. Jodie. Jodie....some Japanese name. He was nice enough, hung out with poor little Anika Ross and usually had a smile for everyone. All the girls loved him because they could be themselves around him, and he was a sweet guy who gave them compliments. I wonder if he believes half the things his friends tell him. "Thanks."


"Sure thing, honey." Was she just imagining it, or was there a hint of concern in his voice? What, did he think she was going to go into labor with her nonexistent baby right then and there? Or that the strain of wrapping presents for kids would be too much for her? Ridiculous. I hate people sometimes.

Jodie was swept away into his crowd of girlfriends, and Cassie wrapped in silence for a little while, cutting off pieces of wrapping paper and taping them together mechanically, her mind far away. Sadie, the girl next to her, asked her to pass the tape, staring at her stomach the entire time. Cassie pasted on a smile and gave her what she asked for, wishing to be anywhere but here.

"Thanks, Casey."

"Cassie," she corrected quietly. Nobody even cares.

The lighthearted chatter went in and out of her ears, little snippets coming in clearer than others. One startled her so much the hand that was measuring out paper slipped, causing a painful paper cut to appear on Cassie's right index finger. "Remember Ani?"

Of course he did. Everybody did. Ani was impossible to forget.

Cassie sucked on her injured finger for a moment, waving it around to stop the stinging. No one seemed concerned about this mishap in the slightest. They had all been there, had all seen what happened. The paper cut could be proven. The "pregnancy" could not.

"Hi," came a voice. Cassie looked up to see Jodie again, holding a red bow and two cups of soda. "Aren't you just as busy as one of Santa's elves! Can I try that too, or is it just for cute girls like you?"

Cassie gave him a little smile. "Go right ahead. I'm sure you could pull it off better than I could."

[More than Music]

Jordan "Jodie" Watanbi

"Hi. Aren't you just as busy as one of Santa's elves! Can I try that too, or is it just for cute girls like you?"

She offered a little smile. She looked tired; either stress or... "Go right ahead. I'm sure you could pull it off better than I could."

He laughed. "I don't think so, girlie!" Jodie pinched Cassie's cheek a little. "Trust me, you're totally fab." Setting the cups down, he took the end of the sticker that wasn't sticky - how hilariously ironic, right? - and put the bow on his head. Smiling cutely, Jodie posed for Cassie. Then he saw her finger. "Oh my gosh!" Grabbing her hand, he looked at the cut. "Oh my gosh, you need to see the nurse!" Jodie held his breath for second, then blew it out. "Lemme see what I can do, okay, honey?"

He ran to the other end of the room, grabbing some tissue paper - the soft, blow-your-nose-on-it kind, not the crinkly could-sand-a-board-with-it kind - and ran back to Cassie's side. "Here," he said, in a rush. He took a square of the tissue paper and folded it up. Then he pulled some tape off the roll and stuck it to one of his own fingers. Wiping off her finger like he had every right to be taking care of her, Jodie put his make-shift band-aid together. "That'll hold you over 'till the ambulance gets here." He smiled at her nicely. "I wanna be a nurse, you know. I wanna take care of people and just be awesome like that." Jodie just beamed as he shared his dream.

"You know, I think I might just be a school nurse. Then there could be some life in the position. I bet I'd be an awesome school nurse!" he squeaked. Then he put a hand over his mouth. "Oh, we're not here to chat, we're here to work." He folded his hands behind his back like he supposed business people did. "Okay. What are you doing now?" He inspected what was in front of her and finally allowed her a chance to speak. "I want to help you."

"Oh, and drink your soda! Losing blood makes you dehydrated, and you need to stay totally hydrated. Wish we had juice..." He looked around with pouted lips. "That's way better, like, totally."

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

"I don't think so, girlie!" Jodie cried excitedly, reaching out a hand to pinch Cassie's as if she were a child relative he hadn't seen since she was 'knee high to a grasshopper' or something ridiculous like that. "Trust me, you're totally fab." She watched as Jodie put the bow in his head, absentmindedly fiddling a scrap of metallic green wrapping paper the entire time. I know why you're here, you know...

"Oh my gosh!" Jodie exclaimed, apparently noticing Cassie's little cut. He took hold of her hand and looked down at it. "Oh my gosh, you need to see the nurse!" Cassie looked at him, a bit alarmed, not knowing whether he was kidding or not. "Lemme see what I can do, okay, honey?"

"It's just a little paper cut," Cassie protested lamely, but Jodie was already off, shooting across the room like a rocket. He returned with a little Kleenex and some tape, folding it up and placing it on Cassie's finger. "Here." Before Cassie knew it, she had a little homemade Band-Aid on her finger as Jodie said, "That'll hold you over 'till the ambulance gets here. I wanna be a nurse, you know. I wanna take care of people and just be awesome like that."

Cassie laughed a little at that. "I'm sure you'd be really good at it. Thanks."

"You know, I think I might just be a school nurse. Then there could be some life in the position. I bet I'd be an awesome school nurse! Oh, we're not here to chat, we're here to work," Jodie said, suddenly all businesslike. "Okay. What are you doing now? I want to help you."

'I want to help you.' You didn't have to be a genius to realize that Jodie was talking about way more than wrapping presents for a few less-fortunate kids. There's nothing to help. I'm not gonna have a baby, you can't turn back the clock and say that Mike never attacked me in the first place...there's nothing you can do. Really. I appreciate it, but...

"Um, I'm wrapping stuff for one of the little girls..." Cassie reached for the piece of paper in front of her to read the name. "Maya. She's four. You can just grab something if you want...and don't forget to put a gift tag and stuff on it. I'm sure you'll be a natural at present-wrapping."

"Oh, and drink your soda!" Jodie told her. "Losing blood makes you dehydrated, and you need to stay totally hydrated. Wish we had juice...That's way better, like, totally."

Feeling slightly exasperated, Cassie took a sip. Orange soda. Her favorite. How had he known? "Mmm. Thanks."

The reason for Jodie's 'helping' her was pretty much the elephant in the room, but Cassie certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. She had been brought up not to. If he wanted to talk to her about something, he had to broach the subject himself. That was fair, right?

Cassie hoped so.

[The Phantom of Paris]

OOC: Planned Shelby/SJ! And so it begins! BIC:

Shelby Wright

She thought that they had settled this. She thought that doing summer school that one time would have solved the whole problem, would have erased the whole ordeal of skipping and failing the majority of her classes freshman year back when she was still deep into her depression, as Preston called it. She thought that everything was going to be fine, and the administration had led her to believe that as well--up until a few weeks ago.

Not long after her interview with Columbia, she'd been called in to speak with the guidance counselor and had learned that despite her hard work during summer school and after, Shelby was still not on track to graduate next year. Somehow, things had gotten mixed up or something, and she needed more credits in science than what she would ordinarily get if she wanted to graduate with the rest of her class. Ordinarily, the only solution would be to drop one of her more "non-essential" electives, but Shelby couldn't bear to part with her film studies class. After a seemingly endless battle between Shelby's dad, the principal, and the registrar, they'd worked something out--Shelby would drop her gym class instead and switch into chemistry. Her gym credit would be fulfilled by a combination of taking walks and yoga classes and logging the hours she exercised--she was sure playing some basketball with Preston when they got the chance would count, too--and in order to make up for what she had missed in the chemistry class, Shelby would get a tutor.

A tutor. It was humiliating to even think about, because Shelby had always hated asking for help. It was like admitting that you were too incompetent to figure it out yourself, in her opinion, and she grumbled about it quietly to herself as she made her way to the study hall room, where her first tutoring session was about to begin. She crossed her arms over her chest, fiddling with the strap of her messenger bag as she walked. Stupid freaking school. This is all their fault--couldn't they have told me about this sooner? Now I have a few weeks to catch up on stuff I should have been learning all year, and on top of that I'll have someone thinking that they're wasting their time teaching me, and they'll probably get angry when I don't know what they're talking about or something...I hate this. I just want to make movies, okay? I'm not going to be a scientist, so what's the point of taking science classes? If you already know what you want to do with the rest of your life, you shouldn't be forced to take classes that don't relate to it. Not past a certain point in your high school career, anyway.

It being after school, the study hall was all but deserted, only a few kids lingering, and Shelby stood there awkwardly for a few moments before catching sight of a girl sitting at one of the tables near the window. Her thick eyeliner was a stark contrast to her brightly dyed red hair, and she had some books and papers strewn about in an orderly fashion across the table. Hanging onto the strap of her bag so it wouldn't fall off her shoulder, Shelby reached into one of the outside pockets to pull out her tutoring assignment, double-checking the name one more time before she approached the girl.

"Hi," she said quietly, her voice betraying her nervousness. Sure, you can direct people in movies and make out in libraries, but meet a single new person and you have the communication skills of a mollusk. Fantastic. "Are you Sarah, by any chance? Sarah Tompkins?"

[Elda Forever]

Sarah Jane Tompkins

She'd been waiting for about half an hour, using her free time to wrap up her own homework and then texted with Clarence, who was enjoying a fine afternoon of free time overseas. Several of his dirty jokes made her chuckle aloud, responding in kind until they had successfully poked fun at a plethora of subjects about life, philosophy, and cheeseburgers.

'Cheeseburgers make you fat' he messaged, making her shake her head.

'Bet you're craving one right now' she retorted. When he answered with more comments on what they were made of, how bad they were for you, and so on, she replied with, 'Says the self-proclaimed 'burger king'. You scared the neighborhood for WEEKS!!'

'It was a dare ; D Fine, be a cow. It's your choice, babe. But don't expect me to carry up the stairs.'

'Bet you're too wussy to carry me anyways, gunny. Now I'm gonna go. I have tutoring to do.'

'Pfft..later, coon-eyes.'

She slipped her phone back into her pocket, sitting up straighter and arranging the Chemistry notes across the table chronologically, so they could deal with at least a quick summary of each individual lesson before moving on. She had more extensive notes organized to send home with the girl. From what she could hear about the girl's story, this whole thing pretty much was one big screw-up from the school, and not her fault. SJ sat back, then, not sure what to do. After a few minutes, she checked the time on her cell phone, then picked up the last lesson's notes, so she could triple-check the material and make sure it was legible and cohesive. Sure, it was a really nerdy way to spend an afternoon, but it looked great on a college app – and she could use the excuse to stay out of the house. Today her mother was going through a dress-making spree, and had chosen Annette as her prime model. Not that Annette didn't totally enjoy every minute of it, but SJ didn't have the same tastes in time-wasting.

"Hi," came a quiet voice, and SJ looked up to peer up at the girl who could only be 'Shelby Wright' through her glasses. No one else had come up to her since she had gotten here, anyways. It had to be someone looking for a faceless tutor. She looked scared, and nerve-wracked. Which SJ didn't blame her for – she was a scrawny little mouse, and too cute to be left unnoticed. In addition, she probably thought this some form of humiliation, getting a tutor for a class she should have been taking, if the school hadn't missed out on a credit.

“Hey, there,” SJ sent her way flippantly, a little smile gracing her face as she placed her papers back in order.

"Are you Sarah, by any chance? Sarah Tompkins?"

At that, SJ pursed her lips together tightly, refraining from a scowl. “You can just call me SJ, thanks,” she said, offering Shelby her hand to shake. “Nice to meet you, Shelby. And let me just say that this whole 'whoops, my bad' thing the school did kind of sucks. Let's just try and repair it with as little gunfire as possible.” She smirked, then pointed to the layout of papers fanned across the table, “Each stack is for a lesson, I figure we can start from the beginning and see how far we can go until we burn out or start begging for caffeine. Capiche?”

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

Sarah Tompkins. A pretty common, easily forgettable name, and Shelby had to wrack her brain to remember if she had met the girl before. The bright head of red hair, so different from Shelby's natural fiery curls, definitely seemed familiar, but she still couldn't be sure. Fleetingly, she entertained the thought of just running away, pretending she'd forgotten all about the tutoring session and had just never shown up. The girl hadn't looked up when Shelby had walked in, and Shelby was certain she wouldn't notice if she left. She could go home, call up Preston to rant some more about the unfairness of the whole situation and invite him over to play some basketball with her again--she'd somehow found it oddly therapeutic, a way of relieving stress that worked just as well as binging on cookie dough ice cream but was much, much better for her.

She could feel her palms starting to sweat as she stood there, deliberating on whether or not to leave. No one would have to know, she told herself. I didn't tell Preston the first one was today, and he's got practice anyway. Dad's still working, and Ilaria's probably shopping again. The little girls have playgroup after school and even then they won't care what time I come home...no one would ever have to know I skipped out...

But in her heart, she knew running away wasn't the best thing to do. The tutor would accept her excuse and reschedule for another day, and this whole mess would start all over again. No, Shelby had to get this over with at some point. With a quiet, resigned sigh, she stepped forward, trying her best to smile. "Hey."

“Hey, there,” came the polite response. The girl's voice was different than she would have imagined just going by her appearance--it was soft and slightly higher=pitched, not rough and in-control like most other goth girls tried to sound. Getting a slight confidence boost by the friendly tone, Shelby asked, "Are you Sarah, by any chance? Sarah Tompkins?"

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to ask--the girl's face changed as her lips pressed together until she almost looked like she'd been sucking on a lemon. Fantastic. I'm never leaving my house again. Shelby looked down at her shoes, embarrassed, as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You can just call me SJ, thanks,” she said, offering Shelby her hand to shake. She took it with an embarrassed smile, hoping that she wouldn't make a fool of herself just by doing a simple handshake. "SJ, then," she said. "Okay. Sorry."

“Nice to meet you, Shelby. And let me just say that this whole 'whoops, my bad' thing the school did kind of sucks." Shelby nodded vehemently as she took the seat across from SJ. "Let's just try and repair it with as little gunfire as possible. Each stack is for a lesson, I figure we can start from the beginning and see how far we can go until we burn out or start begging for caffeine. Capiche?”

"That sounds good to me," Shelby said quietly. "Oh, hang on one second." Reaching into her pocket, she took out her phone and sent a quick text to Preston, just in case he got out of practice early. 'At my first chem tutoring session, should be done by 5. Come over for dinner afterwards? Tonight's lasagna night.' Having sent it, she quickly turned the phone off and slipped it into her bag before reaching for the nearest stack of papers and flipping through it. "We're doing equations for molarity and molality right now, but I don't know what they started the year with or anything..." She paused, looking flustered as she gazed at the mountain of work she had ahead of her over these next few weeks. How was she expected to take the class and pass an entire final exam with such short notice? Sure, SJ seemed nice after that little name mixup, and Shelby was sure she was a good tutor, but...SJ. Is that...

"Um, this is gonna sound weird," she said, looking up. "But do you know Clarence Morgan? He was talking about knowing someone named SJ the other day."

[Elda Forever]

Sarah Jane Tompkins

SJ sort of just skipped over Shelby's apology as though she hadn't heard it. It was too bothersome to go through the social dance at this point, and she was irritated. Not at Shelby, but at her mother for giving her such a plain name, and refusing to comply to her requests for a nickname.

“Nice to meet you, Shelby. And let me just say that this whole 'whoops, my bad' thing the school did kind of sucks." Shelby nodded vehemently as she took the seat across from SJ. "Let's just try and repair it with as little gunfire as possible. Each stack is for a lesson, I figure we can start from the beginning and see how far we can go until we burn out or start begging for caffeine. Capiche?”

"That sounds good to me," Shelby said quietly, the determination in her nod a moment ago quickly giving away to a mousy shyness. "Oh, hang on one second." SJ didn't visibly react while Shelby pulled out her cell phone and made a quick text. She instead played with her pencil, setting it up on the eraser and letting it fall into her hand, then up on its lead point, over and over. When Shelby put her phone away, she reached out for one of the stacks of notes SJ had taken, flipping through them, her movements seeming eager for the job. "We're doing equations for molarity and molality right now, but I don't know what they started the year with or anything..."

“Hmm..” SJ began, trying to figure out the best plan to begin. She picked up the first set of papers and skimmed them, trying to see how early on – or late – in the lesson plan they had started equations on molarity..

"Um, this is gonna sound weird," Shelby suddenly added, making SJ look up curiously, "But do you know Clarence Morgan? He was talking about knowing someone named SJ the other day."

For a long moment, SJ just blinked stupidly at Shelby. Then, it clicked. “Holy ****, you're the Shelby he was talking about?!” She couldn't hide her surprise, though she fortunately kept her voice adequately quiet. She had come back here countless times with Clarence to screw around between the most boring classes of the day, trying to find the most awkward books to dare each other to ask the stuffy librarians about. “I've known that screw-ball since he was in elementary school. We were neighbors forever.” She smirked mischeviously, “I punched him in the glasses for calling me fat and he decided to be best friends with me, so he shared his stockpile of water guns with me during the summer.”

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

This had to be some sort of new record. Shelby had met someone and gotten them annoyed with her in the span of about sixty seconds. Dropping her gaze to the endless stack of notes in front of them, Shelby tried to save face by turning the subject to chemistry. "We're doing equations for molarity and molality right now, but I don't know what they started the year with or anything..." To be perfectly honest, Shelby could barely keep the two equations for molarity and molality straight in her head, much less fathom the equations she had missed while the school was busy shooting her in the foot, schedule-wise. SJ didn't seem to react, only voicing a quiet, “Hmm..” as she flipped through several pages of notes, her eyes not meeting Shelby's.

This was getting far too awkward. Shelby had to say something, so she focused on the nickname her tutor had insisted that Shelby call her: SJ. A common enough set of initials, even though her reaction to being called by her 'real' name was a bit weird, but what caught Shelby's attention was that she had heard someone recently talk about having a friend going by that same nickname. Maybe it was just a shot in the dark, but Clarence had gone to their same school...


"Um, this is gonna sound weird, but do you know Clarence Morgan? He was talking about knowing someone named SJ the other day."

There was a pause then as everything seemed to click. “Holy ****, you're the Shelby he was talking about?!”

Shelby gave a shrug and a little smile. "The one and only."

“I've known that screw-ball since he was in elementary school. We were neighbors forever.” She smirked mischievously, her words growing faster and more excited. “I punched him in the glasses for calling me fat and he decided to be best friends with me, so he shared his stockpile of water guns with me during the summer.”

Shelby laughed out loud. "Yeah, that's Clarence to a T. He broke my sister's heart and insulted my boyfriend and teases me every chance he gets and now he thinks I'm his BFF, even though I hardly hear from him now that he's decided to go play G.I. Joe over in Pakistan or wherever he's stationed now. It's sort of weird, but whatever. Just another branch of this dysfunctional family tree of people I've accumulated that are in no way actually related to me."