Those That Which Are Talented: Chapter Three (Part One of Two)

Chapter Three (Part One of Two)

I woke up early once again, but I’d forgotten to shower at night and once again I was surrounded by the chatty girls in the shower. Worst of all, Piper was in there and she spotted me immediately. I tried my hardest to pretend like we hadn't made eye contact, but it was so obvious what I was doing that there was no way at all to avoid her coming over to me.

“Taking a shower, huh?” she came over to ask me.

“What else would I be doing?” I said and she rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know, staring at the other girls,” she said. “I mean you look like the type to do that!” The other girls immediately put their attention on our conversation and just like that they were all staring at me like I was an animal at the zoo.

“Eww, seriously! Get the fuck out of here!” some of them started to yell.

“I don’t even know how they let someone so unsophisticated into this school,” Piper said. “I mean it’s absolutely repulsive what she’s doing.”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked her unaffected by everything she had been telling the girls. Lies were nothing to me. They were lies, they weren't the truth. If it was the truth then maybe I’d feel a bit of shame for my actions, but these actions were nonexistent so how could I be sorry for something that I didn't do.

“What do you mean?” she looked at me puzzled.

“You’re a great actress,” I said turning around and getting out.

Then she muttered, “Bitch.”

“Don’t ever fucking call me that again, unless you want to be called something worse,” I said.

“Oh, look who thinks she’s a little badass,” she said leaning over to the point where I could see her boobs popping out of her robe.

“You know, I can’t deal with this,” I said and I left.

I went back to our room where Teagan was up and ready putting on a necklace.

“Oh, you’re back,” she said. “So fast?”

“Umm, it was too crowded in there,” I lied to her. She’d here about it later on anyways and I really just wasn't in the mood to talk about Piper. Piper had a disgusting personality that I wanted to get rid of. To even talk about her, no less think of her, made me want to throw up. It is quite sad, to think I have this impression of her after only knowing her for three days. Three days! How can this be?! I take even longer to decide whether or not I’ll like a book, so a person should take even longer for me, no? Wrong! She might be of a higher class, but honestly she is of the lower.

I looked through my clothes and decided to wear my checkered skirt with a black collared blouse on top. I gave myself mesh stockings and I wore my black converse to give me a very punk look. I liked it, too. It was nice. It was me.

“I didn't know you were hardcore like that,” Teagan said grinning at me. “No wonder my brother was scared of you!”

“He told you that?” I asked.

“Well, he said you stood up for him—thanks by the way the kid needs someone to stick up for him—and that he felt very indebted to you. Basically, he’s probably going to try to do something really nice for you, so if he screws up don’t get mad.”

“I could never get mad at that kid, he’s so adorable!” I said.

“Adorable, that’s a first!” she exclaimed with a laugh. “Well, glad to know you have a good impression of him, if any.”

“Oh, I think your brother’s a nice kid,” I said. “Don’t worry about thinking I’d hate his guts or something like that. I don’t do petty things like that.” Then that just brought my mind to the thought of Piper again. She was absolutely petty!

“Good to know,” she said. “I must be going now. Have a nice day!”

“Hey, wait, are you two like twins or something?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m the older one,” she made a point of saying.

“Cool!” I said walking out the door with her. We waved good bye as we went our separate ways.

When I went out to the area next to Building A, I saw Lysander talking to Devin of all people who was for once not surrounded by girls who were flaunting themselves for him.

“Oh, look there she is now,” Lysander said as I sat down next to him. “She looks very nice today, doesn’t she? Wait, no, don’t answer that!” Devin let out a slight chuckle, but I was not amused.

“So, umm, not to be rude or anything, but is there a specific reason as to why you’re here with us?” I asked Devin.

“Yeah, there is actually,” he said handing me a card. “If you’d come to school any later, you wouldn’t have been invited.”

“Invited to what?” I asked staring at the invitation with my name on it. “I don’t want to open it in front of you, because if I did I’d look very awkward.”

“You got a keeper, Lysander,” Devin said laughing. It took all of me not to roll my eyes. “I’ve invited you to my party. You don’t have to get me anything, since you don’t know much about me, but I’d appreciate it if you’d come. That would be a gift in itself.”

“Yes, you’re asking for too much,” Lysander joked.

“Oh, I’m not really,” Devin said. “I mean you’ll be there, too, won’t you?”

“Well, of course,” Lysander said.

“Hope you like crowds,” Devin said to the two of us. “It will be very crowded in there.”

“I can adapt to any situation,” I said. He laughed and left the two of us as he went to who knows where.

“I don’t like that kid,” I told Lysander.

“Neither do I,” Lysander said. “I just talked to him, because he approached me and he didn't seem to be hurt by the comments I made so I just decided to pass the time.”

“I see,” I said. That was a logical explanation, but was it true? After this morning, my head was in a knot between truth and lie.

“Well, Kalliope, shall we start heading for our next class,” he said holding out his hand for me.

“Of course, Lysander,” I said taking his hand.

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We walked to Building C, hand in hand when Lysander suddenly let go and clapped when we’d finally reached the classroom. He looked at me funny and then he stopped and hugged me so tight.

“Please, stop…” I said.

“Kalliope, do you know what class this is?” he asked as if it were a big secret.

“Yes,” I said.

“And do you know what the teacher is about to make you do?” he asked.

“Take pictures,” I said.

“Yes, yes, and you know who’s going to keep those pictures?” he asked.

“The teacher,” I said.

“No, me, because I’ll ask for them and you cannot deny a student the right to own a picture in this class,” he said so happily.

“I don’t want to know why that excites you, when you can quite easily take out your phone and take a picture of me,” I said.

“Yes, but it is not as enjoyable as a picture from an actual studio,” he said sighing with his eyes closed and his hands in the air. He seemed very cross when he opened his eyes, but then almost immediately joy was visible in his eyes once more.

“Class, class, come in,” said a totally and quite obviously gay male.

“That’s our teacher?” I asked.

“Yes,” Lysander said.

“Nice…” I said with a small smile coming onto my face. After watching so many modeling/fashion shows, it seemed that there was always a token homosexual that was able to snap you back into shape and so if there really was in this class, maybe it was what I needed to get my mind off of Piper.

Of course, then I realized the embarrassment of being torn apart by someone who would be brutally honest to you would be so horrible that then I’d hate the class.

Then the thought of everyone watching me would make me become nauseous, because as much as I loved being in the limelight, it was dreadfully horrible when I was not performing!

There were a million possible scenarios of how the kids would make fun of me for doing something very stupid running through my mind. I couldn't live with that!!!

“So I’m well aware that we have a new student,” our teacher said. He flashed me a smile and I was so taken aback that I tried smiling back, but I’m sure I looked like a wounded animal, because it looked like he wanted to laugh but had hidden it with a “cough”.

“Don't you guys think we should see what she can do?” he said.

Of course, the girls were saying yes, because they all hated me now. Most of them at least. There was a girl at the end of the same row as Lysander and I, who seemed to be indifferent to the whole situation. In fact, she even smiled at me as if she knew why the other girls were doing what they were doing. She was smiling like she said, “You can go through this and show them you’re amazing.”

“Alright, so you come down here?” the teacher directed at me.

I went down and stood next to him.

“Hmm, let’s see how good you look just as you are right now. I’ll be able to tell if you’re photogenic or not by doing this and if you’re not expect me to make fun of you, okay?”

“Sure, whatever,” I said. So then I stood in the center of the room in front of flashing lights and at that moment I couldn't even see anybody and so if I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me. At least, I was telling myself that. I knew very well that everyone could see me, but if I let myself believe it, I’d look like a nervous wreck in my pictures.

“So, just pose, I’m sure you have no formal training, but just try what you think looks good,” the teacher said.

I put out a few poses while he took pictures and I changed my poses very fast without thinking about whether the camera was going to make me look like a blur. I just did, I did not think.

After I was done, the teacher just looked at the pictures for a while and said, “I've never met someone with such natural beauty. I mean half of the time you weren't even trying. You looked absolutely stupid and yet I still took amazing pictures of you.”

“Thanks,” I said sitting down next to Lysander.

“Mr. Yeager, can I have the pictures?!” Lysander said.

“Umm, sure, I’ll make you a copy, Lysander,” he said still looking baffled.

The girl at the far end of our row, smiled once again, but this time it was saying, “Good job at showing them up.”

I smiled back and we shared a moment.

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“Oh, I’m so glad I got these,” Lysander said just hugging my pictures, which was freaking me out.

“What are you going to do with them pervert?” I asked.

“Everything,” he said.

“I like how you have no shame at all to admit such vulgar things,” I said.

“I don’t act that way for just anyone,” he said.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I said bluntly.

“You play really hard to get and that makes me really hard,” he said giving me a huge grin.

I let out a sigh but it was hard for me not to smile back at him.

“Do you love me?” he said shoving his elbow into my arm playfully.

“No,” I said shoving my elbow into his arm playfully.

“Yes, you do,” he said.

“I just met you! It’s literally my third day knowing you. Chill, dude,” I said but I squeezed his hand.

“I don’t think you’re going to actually do anything in this class,” he said changing the topic.

“Oh, really, why’s that?” I asked.

“Because the teacher never teaches, she just shows us videos of different dancing styles.”

“Really?!” I said happy. I did not enjoy dancing, nor did I make a good dancer. I was great at jumping up and down and walking back and forth, but dancing dancing?! Well, that takes finesse. I do not have any of that finesse and probably won’t ever get any of it.

“Yeah, but at the end of the year you have to perform a dance style you like in front of the whole class either with a partner, a group, or by yourself,” he said.

“Oh,” I said not as happily as I was earlier.

“Well, it takes two to tango, Kalliope, so…” he said smirking at me.

“…Lysander…Never!” I said. The way he had held me in his arms yesterday, was the way he would hold me when we danced and I wanted that to be seen by me and only me. No one else would be allowed to witness that.

“But, but, but, it would be cool!” he stammered.

“Umm, not tango,” I said. “I’d surely step on your feet and you wouldn't want that!”

“No, I would,” he said.

“Freak,” I said.

“Haha,” he laughed giving me a dazzling smile.

The teacher opened the door for us and let us in. She did not actually look like much of a dancer, she was chubby with a pretty round face that had lots of make-up on it to make it even prettier.

“You’re the new student, Alyssa was talking about,” the teacher said.

“Who?” I asked.

“Oh, umm, nobody,” she said. “Don’t mind me. Take a seat.”

“Who’s Alyssa?” I asked Lysander.

“Ms. Morgan,” he answered.

“Oh,” I said. “She’s been talking about me…”

“Apparently so,” Lysander said. “I think she’s jealous now. I mean she only sees us once a week so it’s probably cutting her down deep.”

“Really, but I mean, I couldn't have affected her so much,” I said.

“Yes, because you beat her and she’s not used to being beat by others. She’s a person who wins at everything and is handed wins even when she doesn't deserve them. She wins teacher of the year, every year, because no one ever stops to think, well, why not someone else. No they just let it keep happening.”

“I like how you know stuff about the teachers,” I said.

“Well, I mean, like I said, Mr. Miller and I are connected in a different way. That’s mainly how I know this stuff. Some stuff I know because it’s rumors that have been spread throughout the school, but I always ask Mr. Miller if they’re true first.”

“That’s cool,” I said and then our teacher put on a video for us. It was contemporary dancing, which was just supposed to show us that we can express ourselves with dance. It looked funny to me though. Sometimes the people would look so incredibly stupid doing whatever it was they decided to do, but sometimes they looked incredibly beautiful expressing whatever it was in their heart they wanted to share with the world.

I didn't realize until a bit later, but Lysander was holding my hand. It was not strange, but at this moment it felt a bit strange. He wasn't holding it like he usually held it. It felt a bit…softer.

“Lysander, are you okay?” I asked him and he looked at me stunned as though he broke out of thought.

“Yes, of course, do I not look okay?” he asked.

“Well, yes, you look a bit off…” I said. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, yes, I was just thinking of something,” he said patting my hand to assure me everything was fine. Something told me everything was not fine, though and I really wanted to find out.

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