American History: Mrs. Clemens

"Roppongi de imashita. Soshite, rokkumyūjikku o konomu. Kurashikku ga amari sukide wa arimasen." Ah-Gyul had let slip a small expression of distaste at Akane's mention of Classical music, but it couldn't be helped by now. He adjusted his glasses before asking more politely than with interest: "Anata no tomodachi mo nihonjin desu ka?"
Even if the loud boy was, Ah-Gyul would probably make zero effort to getto know him--it seemed more trouble than it was worth.

[[I lived in Roppongi [a famous area of Tokyo]. And, I prefer rock music. I don't like classical much.]][[Is your friend Japanese too?]]

Lorilynn wasn't too sure that everything was alright with Becky, seeing as her expression changed from flustered to happy-go-lucky, but she didn't get a chance to make sure before the brunette launched into yesterdays events in Art Class. Cringing slightly, she turned to look for Ah-Gyul, who was a table away. "Yeah, Ah-Gyul's got quite a grip too," she said a little louder, rubbing her wrist. Turning to Becky, a small laugh did escape her lips. "But I thought the pink mustache was very becoming on him as well. Shame he took it off."

Yawning, Kyren sauntered into the classroom, pointedly not glancing about in search of wolves frothing at the mouth or their intended prey. He almost faltered as he realized that, in essence, he was avoiding Emma; something he hated to do. He had to shake that thought, however; this was the only solution he could think of at the moment. Otherwise, Kyren feared that the problem they had yet to fully solve would drive an even bigger wedge between the siblings. Catching sight of the board, he was a little put out at noticing that there was a seating chart for this class, as well. Upon closer inspection, and completely without his permission, his mind zeroed in on the fact that wolf-boy and Emma would not be sitting together, and decided to rejoice in the fact. Sighing, he mentally swatted the thought away, before finding his own seat, located near the rear of the room. Kyren could definitely live with that; history wasn't exactly a subject he was dying to learn about. Noticing that only one of his table-mates was already there, he sat down on the opposite side. He entertained the notion that he should say hi, but figured that was a little too much of a step in a direction he had been nothing but content to stay away from, so he just placed one hand palm up underneath his chin, the other drawing random, invisible patterns on the table.

"Hahahaha, right? Y'know, I can't say I don't blame him for how he reacted--I only wish I got a picture. His face was priceless!" Rebecca's expression was now one of pure mischief, past and potentially future. She slid back in her seat, stretching her long legs out towards the empty seat directly across from her. Drewe Pryde, whoever that was (though the name sounded very familiar), was the last one that needed to join the group, but since he was at the moment not present the brunette had no qualms whatsoever with extending her legs as far into his floorspace as she felt necessary.
She glanced over at her silken-haired friend. "Lynn, you wanna do beach volleyball tomorrow mornin'? I always like going before work." Rebecca turned towards the quiet Stills girl and grinned invitingly. "You too, you can come if you want, open invitation."

Gracefully hoping down from the edge of Andy’s desk, her tight red curls spilling over her bare slender shoulders, Lena made it a point to step in Andy’s way of seeing the seating chart. The traces of light brown freckles trailing along her exposed shoulders were more noticeable today due to her choice of attire - light blue top which dipped over either shoulder leaving them uncovered aside from the thin strap of fabric belonging to her undershirt. Placing her hands on her denim covered hips; the redhead tilted her head a feigned pout on her lips at Andy’s attempt to brush her off. “You can’t get rid of me that easily buddy!” She responded side stepping to reveal the chart she’d been blocking. Slowly walking around Andy, Lena continued her voice lowered to a hushed almost serious tone. “You know even though I’m not as devoted to school as some of you elite here at Valevay…I assure you that I am not her just to horse around.” Andy wasn’t the first one to question Cholena’s abilities at this prestigious school . . . the Stills siblings as well as her own parent’s had thought that it might have been a little far out of her reach. Be it making it to class on time – since everyone knew that repeated tardiness could buy you a one way ticket out of the school- or keeping up with the rigorously demanding courses Lena was trying her absolute best.

“Well, I look forward to seeing how you’ll make good on that bet.” Lena concluded scooping up her belonging from the desk she had abandoned them at. Leaving Andy to his business Lena skipped over to her now full table, plopping her bag down in the only empty seat available beside the Wilder boy. “Goooooood Morning!” Lena cheerfully greeted taking in the faces around her table. There was an Asian girl she’d never met before already in a conversation with “science book” boy – which it seemed as though they might have forgotten they were still in America- and the notorious Chuck Wilder whom was preoccupied by something at the front of the class. Following his gaze Lena glanced over her shoulder to see what had had been so intriguing when her blue eyes landed on a scrumptious little brunette. “Oh control your hormones a little will ‘ya?!” Lena insisted sarcasm laced in her tone. Although Cholena had never witnessed Chuck Wilder do anything that would support all the bad rumors that were floating around about him and his family, she couldn’t help but feel protective over Emma. She was like a little sister to her and she didn’t want to see her get hurt . . . . . . . .or maybe maybe deep down she just didn’t want someone to take her best friend away . . . . . Nah!

Taking out the article she had been reading earlier Lena approached the neighboring group leaning over the back of Emma’s chair, pulling the girl’s small figure into a tight hug. “You look amazing! Like you’re going on a date or something… which can’t possibly be the case because you would have told me about it! So, what’s the occasion? Trying to catch someone’s eye?” Lena teased poking Emma’s side playfully as she indiscreetly bobbed her head in a particular curly haired boy’s direction. The blush on Emma’s face was proof enough for Lena who only laughed before sitting down in the seat across from Rebecca. After the epic paint fight that occurred in Art Class the day before it was clear to Lena that this girl Rebecca Clemens knew how to have a good time, and Lena definitely wanted to include her in on this little ghost hunt she’d been planning. “Hey guys, so did you see the front page article in the school newspaper today? Supposedly Valevay may be haunted!” Lena informed them setting the paper down in the middle of the table so that everyone could see the picture -by Gary Winter- of an eerily empty hallway in the west wing of the school which Danielle Thompson’s article followed. Lowering her voice so that Mrs. Clemens wouldn’t overhear her Lena eyed the other three girls’ a mischievous look in her radiant blue eyes as she asked. “Don’t you think it’s our duty as proud Valevaynians to prove this story true or false?” Lena asked hoping to persuade Emma by displaying a bit of school pride. “Though I work during the day this weekend I’m free for a nightly investigation!”

Being one of the last student’s to arrive to class wasn’t new for Drewe Pryde. On the contrary due to the horde of admirers that followed him about the hallways every morning it was a surprise that he managed to even make it to class before the late bell rang out. Sauntering into American History -void of any textbook or book bag- Drewe approached Mrs. Clemens desk a flirtatious smirk dancing across his full lips. The golden blonde had made sure to acquire a spot in Jane’s class ever since he was accepted into Valevay freshman year. Though history wasn’t his best subject . . . he couldn’t pass up the chance to be taught by such a babe . It hadn’t been too difficult for him secure a spot in her class either, all he had to do was flash that pearly white smile of his at the office ladies and add a small comment or two about how nice they were looking…never seemed to fail that they’d swoon and buckle at his request.

“Good Morning Jane .” Drewe’s usual friendly greeting was rather low compared to the noise of his chattering classmates, that were all already getting to know each other. Leaning against her desk –arms crossed over his chest - Drewe continued to toy with his teacher a bit more. “Seems I’ve forgotten my History book this morning, wouldn’t you be willing to share with me?” He asked mustering up the most innocent look he could manage. With his back to the class Drewe hadn’t cared to see whom his peers would be, but it hadn’t slipped by him that there had been two Pryde’s listed on the seating chart. Clenching his fists Drewe’s icy blue gaze narrowed in on Andy Pryde’s name. This had to be his worst nightmare . . . actually sharing a class with that sorry excuse for a brother, and after all these years of avoiding each other!

Biting her bottom lip Emma couldn’t stop the painful feeling of guilt from rising up to her chest. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Lena all about the events of the last few days it was just that she’d had been extremely busy . . . everything around her was happening fast! What with the tutoring sessions, attempting to put Kyren’s worries at ease, her own studies along with the responsibilities of being the senior class representative – it had just honestly slipped her mind to include Lena. “Umm- well . . . you see . . .” Thankfully Cholena had changed the subject before Emma could spill the beans on her after school “study” date, addressing the whole table this time about some kind of ghost story.

Scooting to the edge of her seat Emma delicately leaned over the table to get a better look at the article that Lena placed in the center. This story wasn’t new to her at all, actually the rumor of a haunting had been floating around since Emma was accepted to Valevay her freshman year. It just happened to change and become more and more elaborate as the years passed by – one year a couple of student’s had actually been put on suspension for getting caught playing the game of Courage within the school halls one night after hearing the spooky tale. Looking up from the article a bit troubled Emma asked, “Are you requesting that we do a ghost hunt ?” She knew that Lena was impulsive and never thought about the consequences of her actions, but she couldn’t seriously be considering that they actually sneak into Valevay after nightfall. The redhead’s wink to her question had proven her worst thoughts to be correct. Pulling on one of her soft brown pigtails Emma looked up to see how Rebecca and Lorilynn felt about this escapade.

Control his hormones?

Did everyone aside from Emma consider him to be nothing better than an animal? Chuck rolled his eyes at Lena's comment and went back to reading the history book. So maybe he couldn't help it if the petite brunette had caught his eye when she'd walked in. It should be considered a mortal sin if he wouldn't have noticed, especially with how pretty she looked. Well, he always thought Emma looked pretty, but he really liked the way she looked today. It made him smile that she had decided to dress nicely to meet his family and he was definitely going to make sure she had a good time.

Speaking of which, he had called his family's house last night after classes to make sure everyone else knew that he was bringing a girl home. Terry had asked him if he needed a bed - and if so, Chuck could use his, while he took Chuck's hammock - but the younger brother declined, letting him know that Emma wasn't going to be spending the night with him...tonight. He omitted the fact that she'd stayed the night in his bed with him during the storm a couple days ago, considering they hadn't done anything. If Terry was surprised, he didn't voice it. Nonetheless, his entire family knew they'd be having a guest tonight.

As he read the text, focusing on it intently, the rest of the classroom noise started to fade into the background. He barely caught Emma voicing the words 'ghost hunt', but figured she wouldn't do something like that.

"Volleyball! Oh, I'd love to!" Lorilynn cheered excitedly. She couldn't wait to learn how to play. She wished someone could take pictures. Every brilliant memory should be captured, and for Lorilynn, it was oh so very brilliant. She was about to ask what time they should meet up when a familiar red-head made her way to them. Giggling at Cholena's comment about how nice Emma looked, Lorilynn placed a hand delicately over her chest.

"And Emma looks like that courtesy of moi. I'm brilliant, aren't I?" After listening to Lena go on about ghosts roaming around the school, Lorilynn rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. You don't actually believe they exist, do you? Of course the story is false. Whoever wrote it just wanted an attention grabbing story... And they succeeded." Lorilynn spoke, eyeing Lena. Ghosts were nothing but a hoax, and Lorilynn certainly wasn't going to spend her night looking for something nonexistent when she could be doing something way more productive such as dancing or sleeping.

So . . . Lori was playing dress up with Emma? Well, I must say she has a good eye for fashion.


“Ooooh, I see what’s going on!” Lena interjected tilting back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk spreading across her lips as she eyed Lorilynn. So it was going to take a little bit of convincing to get Emma’s roommate on board with her little spooky escapade . . . “You know if you’re scared of ghost you could have just told me! I totally understand everybody has their fears.” Lena quipped trying to keep a straight understanding face, hoping that she didn’t actually hit the nail on the head. Lorilynn seemed like the type that once you challenged her she wouldn’t turn it down… pulling the scaredy cat card could either completely blown up in her face, or could actually worm Lorilynn into joining them over her better judgment. Hopefully it was the later of the two.

Eyeing Cholena as she walked away, Andy sighed. He hadn't said she was just there to be playing around, but did he imply it in any way? Shrugging, he returned to his planning. Finding he couldn't concentrate, due to the lack of chit-chat around the room, he gave up. I can always try later today.

He had to admit, he was growing more and more worried that he'd have to be thrown into another group since no one else but him was present at the moment. As if on cue, another gentleman mad his way into the classroom. If Andy wasn't mistaken, that was Mr. Stills, Emma's brother. He couldn't really remember his first name, but he was sure the two were siblings.

Siblings.

Andy was sure he heard a very familiar voice. The voice of his least favorite sibling - and it wasn't Dani. "Oh perfect," the blonde mumbled. He hadn't seen the other Pryde on the list because little miss Cholena was blocking it when she sat on his desk. How wonderful. Dearest brother Drewe was here. Let's hope this day isn't too painful...

"Excuse me?" Lorilynn asked, raising a brow. How dare Lena say that she was afraid of something that was totally nonexistent. As if! Folding her arms, the white-haired girl huffed. "I'm not scared of things that don't exist. Do I need to go out there and prove to you that the 'ghosts' aren't there?" And then she had the nerve to say "Everyone has their fears." Lorilynn was a queen! She feared nothing - except bugs - and conquered all! "I'll go. Just to prove to you that I'm not scared and that there is no such thing." Turning to Emma, Lorilynn pointed her finger at her. "And you, Miss Stills. You need to come too; to help me prove there's no such thing. I helped you pick out an outfit, so to say thank you, you have to come with. No ifs ands or buts about it. Besides, with you there, I won't be the only sane one there." She laughed, sending her a playful wink.

"[[I see. So yes, well, I hope it will be good working with you. It's nice meeting you.]]" Ah-Gyul told the girl, nodding politely as he said so, the well-mannered mask not allowing for any kind of self-satisfied look this time around. Like that, he withdrew from the conversation to reflect on his own.

The gaze of dark Korean eyes traveled the room aimlessly--he wasn't in the mood for class again today. In all honesty he was never really in the mood for it, especially one he didn't need. As it was Ah-Gyul thought he might not make a habit of appearing, unless things proved more interesting than they initially appeared.

Though Emma knew they would all be faced with dire consequences if they were to be caught within the school after hours, following through with Lena’s ridiculous “Ghost Hunt” she just couldn’t muster up the words to turn the girls down. Not that she had no choice in the matter, after all neither her roommate or best friend would allow her to “chicken” out this ….or as Lorilynn had stated no ifs, ands, or buts about it!

Out of all the years that Emma had known Lena she couldn’t remember even an instance that the redhead had shown interested or fascination in the “unknown” or anything related to spirits and ghosts. It hadn’t surprised her though; Emma had expected Lena to come up with some absurd idea like this sooner or later. It had been awhile since her friend had done something crazy and spontaneous….so it was a bit overdue. Pushing the article away that had originally sparked this idea, Emma leaned on her elbows keeping her voice as low as possible as she spoke so that Mrs. Clemens –or any unwanted eavesdroppers- wouldn’t overhear their conversation. “Well if you have your hearts set on this then you better make it Saturday. We wouldn’t want to show up in class Monday morning dead tired from running around the school the night before chasing imaginary ghosts.” Emma stated finally voicing her own opinion on matter, sarcasm more than evident in her voice.

Two down, one to go!

Though neither Lorilynn nor Emma seemed particularly pumped about getting roped into tagging along, Lena hoped that she could at least stir up some excitement in the sporty brunette sitting across from her. Tucking a loose spiral curl back behind her ear Lena inquired further on Rebecca’s thoughts in her little plan. It didn’t matter at all really if any of them believed in ghost or not because she honestly hadn’t believed in them herself. It was just an excuse to do something crazy and unforgettable – and if it scared the living daylights out of them than that was just a lucky bonus. Glancing towards the teacher’s desk to make sure that she was still preoccupied –with some student- Lena quietly asked Rebecca, “So are you in?”

"Who died? Is the ghost supposed to be a murderous psycho-killer vengeance type ghost or some sad floaty quiet ex-student ghost? It all affects my decision-making."  Rebecca whispered back thoughtfully with her fists propping up her chin as she leaned forward in her chair. Her expression was all business until she could no longer hide a broad grin of excitement. "Who'm I kiddin'! Of course I'm in. It just better be legit, because that's awesome. Lynn and Anna," she continued, still having not-quite-remembered the Stills girl's name, "You can admit you're afraid of ghosts, spirits, poltergeists and et cetera, that's alright. Nobody's judgin'. Much. But I totally applaud you for getting over that fear to come hunt the thing. "
She leaned back and stretched her legs out further under the desk across from her where the redheaded girl sat, still all smiles. "A ghost hunt and volleyball. Couldn't ask for a much better weekend."


"Mr. Pryde." Jane Clemens arced a single brow, rather unamused but at least satisfied the boy had made it in for the final bell. She knew his reputation through lounge gossip and had been prepared do deal with it, so she thought--it could turn out to be a very long school year. At the same time, she had grouped him with her daughter and it was quite possible that Rebecca would sort him out and Jane wouldn't have to do a thing. Not that Rebecca intended to do anything for her mother.
Interlocking her fingers in front of her, her golden wedding band an obvious sight, Jane smiled politely back at him but refused to encourage his lazy behavior that verged on the bounds of inappropriate. Her almost stern gaze never left the Pryde boy's face for a moment, her brows raising in emphasis. "You will please refer to me as Mrs. Clemens--I'm not your friend or peer, I am your teacher. And you can share a book with either Rebecca or Emma at your table. While I'm at it I think I'll remind you that my class isn't for socializing but rather learning. Also I expect you'll come to class prepared next time because participation is graded here." The blonde history teacher cleared her throat as she adjusted her glasses with her left hand. "Now to your seat... Um..." She noticed an extra person at his particular desk grouping and glanced at the seating chart for reference. "Miss Nelson, would you please sit at your assigned table?"
Let's get this class started, she thought, getting to business and marking up the attendance sheet.

"Now that's more like it! You two should take note. This girl here knows how to have some fun!" Lena hooted excited with Becky's eager agreement. The redhead was feeling much more pumped now and would have immediately dived into sorting out all the small details, if there wasn't a teacher in earshot that could ultimately catch wind of their rule breaking escapade! Instead she followed Mrs. Clemens directions and took off to her own seat beside Ah-Gyul and directly across from some Asian girl she'd yet to become acquainted with.

It took a minute for Lena to fully recognize the boy she'd sat beside. He'd been the transfer student that had forgotten his book in Mr. Rosenweisk class. Well now was the time to see if he was willing to return the favor. Seeing a Lena's textbooks were left in her poor sickly truck -currently broken down in the Nelson's driveway- she'd come unprepared to class following suit of a certain Pryde. Her choices were pretty slim, and there was no way she'd even consider asking a Wilder to share books with. On top of that she didn't even know the girl's name across from her, so that left the stoic Korean boy! "Sooo . . . I forgot my book. Mind sharing?" Lena's asked, her choice of words nearly recycled from the time he'd asked her.

"Sure Missssss Clemens." Drewe responded deciding it was probably for the best not to push the History teacher's buttons anymore than he already had. Sauntering off to his assigned table -that was now Lena free- Drewe was happily surprised. Well this is certainly a dream come true. He'd been seated with a table full of attractive girls, one of them being Lorilynn. Great! Now he wouldn't have to track the beauty down after class. He had already secured a date with her, but now he could try and score a few more points and hopefully speed up the process of his little game.

Taking in each girl at the table Drewe could only identify two out of the three. Of course there was Lorilynn and across from her was the unexpectedly captivating Emma Stills. It seemed as though the small nerd had blossomed overnight! Drewe never cared to strike up conversation with the school's genius since she honestly wasn't his type, but with this transformation he considered adding her to his list. And if his memory served him right the only boy that was ever following her around was that apathetic brother of hers.

Lastly there was the girl sitting directly across from him. With her hair tied back in the pony tail she was rather simple looking. It didn't seem like she was trying very hard on her appearance, however she did have some redeemable features. Also she seemed pretty athletic and 'those' were always the best girls! After all they had a lot of stamina!

"Good morning ladies!" Drewe greeted as he took his seat beside Emma. Deciding to keep all his indecent thoughts to himself, knowing good and well that most females don't take kindly to such impure and lewd comments, he stuck with his normal approach starting with a nice simple compliment. "Lucky me. Getting seated with the prettiest girls in class. I hope one of you don't mind sharing. I made a mistake and left my book back at the dorms."

This person was one Rebecca almost recognized facially, but as usual had not an inkling of a name to match it to. However, just because his face was nearly familiar didn't mean she was anything but a little wary of the guy. She didn't mind hanging out with dudes at all, in fact, her having female friends besides Lupe was straight-up rare... Though that might be changing, she mused, thinking about Lynn and the redhead. Still, something about the way he looked at the girls put the Clemens girl on guard.

Though she'd had her long legs stretched to underneath the chair in front of her, as the boy sat, she retracted her legs to her own side, as cramped as the desks were. Rebecca wondered if he really had left his book at the dorm, or had other purposes and pretended to. Well, either way, she didn't really have any intention of participating in this class--not more than to skim a 'C', that is. She might as well help a guy out--it counted as a good deed, right? ...Probably. Possibly. Maaaybe.

"Here," the brunette told the blond as she handed over her textbook. "You'll make better use of it than me, so go ahead'n borrow it for today."

Lorilynn flashed a bright smile, one that could rival the ever so charming one that graced Drewe’s lips. “Why good morning to you too, sir.” She greeted him. The blond gentleman seemed very chipper today, and in good spirits as well it seemed. Not that she thought of it, whenever she caught a glimpse of him either in the hallways or in class, he definitely seemed to be exuberant in everything that he did. Now that she was purposely stealing glances of Prince Charming around campus. Even so, she didn’t mind it. Drewe was a very handsome young man who seemed to be trying to court her.

The thought made the white haired beauty bite her bottom lip only slightly to suppress a tiny giggle.

The giddy feeling she got in her chest died down, after a little while when Drewe asked to share a book. Lorilynn had no objections about sharing, however, she did think that a man of his stature should have come a bit more prepared. Lorilynn opened her mouth slightly to express that, but then her tomboyish friend Rebecca had tossed him her own book, saying that she didn’t need it.

“Oh no, Becky. That won’t do.” She scooted closer to her athletic friend, sliding her book in between them. “Here darling, we can share. I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble.”

Sir....and DARLING? Lynn, who ya tryin' to impress?? Rebecca couldn't handle it--she absolutely could not handle it! What was her fancy-pants friend doing preening and proper like a pretentious peacock? They were in an American high school history classroom, not Victorian England! And guessing from the snowy-haired girl's happy greeting, it was for this blond dude? Why girls did things like trying to improve their image somehow (however weirdly they chose to do it), Rebecca would never understand. To avoid offending her friend TOO much the brunette tucked her head down and hid her face with her hands as her shoulders shook with silent laughter to kind-of sort-of hide it.

"I-it's fine, Lynn," she choked out, trying not to let the laughter seep into her voice. "I seriously--seriously!! Do you actually speak like that? Why DARLING, of all terms? Haha, no um, I meant I don't need it. I don't want it." She pushed the book back to Lorilynn's desk, a more serious look returning to her face.

Though Chuck had been less than interested in what was in the book he was trying to plow through, there was no missing Drewe's tone of voice as he sat at the table Emma was at. And the look of obvious approval when the taller boy looked her over sent the normally easygoing Wilder's blood boiling in an instant. The hand he'd just sat on his open spiral notebook and pencil clenched tightly and snapped the pencil without much resistance.

Without moving his head, he looked down to see he'd broken off a piece of wood about an inch long. He patiently waited until the teacher looked away, then threw the small piece at the back of Drewe's head, just enough to get his attention. When the offender looked back at the bassist, Chuck pointed directly at Emma, then jerked his thumb back at himself. To make sure he made himself perfectly clear, he gave Drewe a murderous look and doubled a fist.