The Epitome of Seventh Grade- 2

"I'm so glad we have Science together." Aela said with an attempt at a lighthearted laugh. "At least I won't be paired with some random kid."

Thea linked her arm through Aela's, holding her other out and pulling Angie into their line. "Unless it's random partners for the project."

Aela covered Thea's mouth with her hand, glaring at Angie's amused expression. "Don't you dare jinx it." Aela wiped her palm on Thea's sleeve, laughing as she squealed and shook her arm. "But seriously, that first week was horrible."

"You have to be more social." Thea said with a shrug, like it was the simplest thing in the world. She waved to a boy passing, offering a smile as he waved back before losing himself in the mob of students hurrying for class before the seventh period bell.

Angie rolled her eyes, pulling the two forward towards their pod, glancing at the familiar group of students on their team as they filtered into classrooms. They stumbled into the room, handing out hasty apologies as they skirted around the other students. Aela laughed as Thea made a face at the prospect of her desk on the other side of the room than her friends.

"Remember, group of three."

Thea made her way over to her desk, the position in the middle right side of the brightly decorated room. There was one reason her grade wasn't below a seventy in science. The teacher. 

"Good afternoon, Miss Minnie." The students chorused as a messy haired woman walked into the room, holding the door open for a last straggling student before walking to her desk. Her eyes scanned the room as she picked up a stack of papers, lifting them horizontally and tapping them against the high wooden desk so that the edges lay even. She rummaged around for a pair of glasses, slipping them on to her nose before raising them so they sat in her cinnamon-colored hair. She stared at the student who had jokingly called her Minerva. 

"It's April, everyone." Her voice was hushed and cold like steel. "You should all know not to call me Minerva or Miss Minnie. Would you rather I called you by your last names? Or put a formality in front? It's just Minnie. Unless," Her eyes turned to Angeline. "Miss Neri, you would prefer your last name."

Angie vigorously shook her head. "No. Definitely not."

Thea held back a laugh at her friend's horrified reaction. As student's eyes landed on her, the same rushed thrill traveled through her body as when she was on stage. Something about people's eyes on her made her feel like she was back in the Drama Club with her director- the best director in the entire world, with stylishly dyed purple hair and a calming voice that could be authoritative when she needed it to be. The same voice that had called her and Julian's names for the duet, setting up the first of the many more inevitable songs together. 

Her train of thought was cut short as the quiet chatter of the class came to a cease, the door closing with a click magnified by a thousand. 

Two people stood in the doorway. Two strangers, both with caramel-colored skin and the most gorgeous wavy brown hair she had ever seen. Both of them were... super pretty. Thea didn't know where to look first- to the girl's obvious and impeccable sense of fashion and dangling gold earrings. Or to the boy- the girl's brother, most likely, and his disheveled hair and smile.

"We... got lost." He admitted, tossing the hair out of his face with a subtle shake of his head. "The floor is huge compared to our old school." There was a faint echo of an accent, every single letter spoken eloquently without the garbled mess of enunciation Thea was used to hearing. He glanced down at his schedule. "Ms... Eszes? For Science?"

She could feel Angie and Aela's eyes on her, knowing how they could obviously see the twisting of her hands, the fiddling of her bracelets as she refused to look away from the two newcomers. 

"Yes, but call me Minnie. Everyone does. I'm only fifteen years older than you." Minnie smiled as the twins nodded. "This is Sia," She gestured to the stylishly dressed girl, and then her brother. "And Shaun. They just moved here. Obviously. And even though it's late in the year, we all thought it would better if they were introduced to the building before starting eighth grade."

"Siea, actually." The girl said with a raise of her hand. "Sigh- uh. But you were close."

Minnie stepped over to her desk, picking up a stray pen and scribbling it in the corner of a sticky note to enliven the ink before writing down Siea's correction. "Thanks." Her eyes scanned the room, landing on Thea and the empty desk next to her. "One of you can sit there, and..." She darted to the desk in the back left corner of the room, pushing the stray papers and clear plastic bins filled with old papers and assignments on to the ledge apparently used for storage. "Here."

Thea's face reddened as Shaun made his way over to her, glancing back at his sister one more time. He waited as she moved her notebooks and pencil case off of the desk, arranging them in a neat line across the front edge as she sat down.

"Hi." 

Thea caught the slight accent again. "...Hi." She didn't understand how someone could look so... perfect. Even Julian didn't have the same exotic glow that Shaun did. She flushed red at her slight stutter, looking down at her hands and not looking up as Minnie began her instruction.

The robotic movements directed by her brain took over as her mind spiraled through the two people. Julian and the twins. Siea and Shaun.

"Your computer." Shaun whispered to Thea. She glanced up at Minnie, at everyone around the room quietly muttering as they opened their laptops and navigate their way to the list of grouped names for the project. 

"As you can see," Minnie said, waving her hands over the smartboard. "These are your groups. And, no, you can't switch."

Aela pulled Angie's hand down, offering a mouthed "sorry" in her direction. Thea shrugged. Honestly... she wasn't upset at the grouping. Angie had a chance to get to know Siea and then tell Thea everything. Aela was with Marcy, another quiet yet efficient worker. They would be fine. But she... she had lucked out. 

"Well... isn't this a coincidence." Shaun said with another perfect smile. A one-sided dimple she hadn't noticed before crept on to his face. He pointed to her notebook, to 'Theoria Trix' written in swirling calligraphy on the top, 'Thea' spelled out neatly below.

"Yep." she quipped with an attempted smile, face heating as she fumbled for her pencil case and notebook. "So... we're doing a project on Omnivores- humans- and all the controversy about GMOs and... Industrial Food Chains. And stuff." 

Shaun's eyes scanned the notated page Thea handed him. "Ignore all the writing in pink." She gestured to the scribbles in the margins of the paper. "That's just... inspiration. Songwriting stuff. For the Drama Club. As an extra side thing." Thea scrunched up her nose as his gaze drifted to the pink writing. "My friend Aela in the dark blue sweatshirt over there's more of a writer." She pointed in her friend's general direction, twisting her bracelets.

"I think it's cool." He said with a shrug and small smile. "Your stuff, not everything about the feedlots and pesticides."

Thea nodded, taking the page back and turning her computer so he could see the screen. "We're supposed to describe how organic and processed foods help and don't help the growing populations of obesity and impoverished, but in a poster or online thing."

"What does everyone else usually do?"

"Well, Aela writes some kind of story, and my other best friend, Angie, in the camo jean jacket, usually builds a diagram and spray paints it if she has enough time. Like... she basically builds sets, in theater terms." She chewed nervously on her lip. "If you're a drama kid."

"I've done my fair share of dancing." Shaun said with a shrug. "But Siea- she's amazing. Our grandmother taught her how."

"Wow." She looked back at the screen. Did she feel... threatened by them? Was her position a the resident seventh grade dancer and actress being jeopardized by yet another person? Having Desiree as competition for roles was enough. "Anyway, um... it sounds like you already know a bit about this."

"Yeah, a bit." Shaun looked down at his hands. "Most of the teachers at our old school were good, even though they couldn't afford to have everything you do here."

Thea nodded. She felt guilty for jumping Siea so quickly to the role of an adversary. Their old school probably didn't have an auditorium as half as big as the one where Drama Club meetings took place. 

"Well... this is a good district. I've been here since kindergarten, and everyone's really nice. I think you'll like it here." 

Shaun smiled, and Thea felt the blush rise to her face again. "I think I will."