When a former college teacher takes a job teaching high school students, she finds herself bonding with one of them; a delinquent and a violent thug, according to everyone around. There is much more than meets the eye, however. A lesson the teacher will learn soon enough...
Likes: Coffee, junk food, rap and rock music, dancing, drawing, parties, drinking. Enjoys hard partying, menthol cigarettes and a good fight - all things she's trying to avoid.
Dislikes: Gangs, drugs, classical and oldies music, school, dogs and vegetables
Personality: Quiet and determined. Usually ignores insults, but can - and will - defend herself if need be. Can hold in her temper very well, but has quite a mean streak when pushed too far. A loner, formerly a thug.
Background: A girl from the "wrong side of the tracks", Alice and her older brother, Zack, became part of a gang to help pay the bills. Alice was 14 when she was brought in, and quickly became one of the guys. All seemed to be going well, until a new rival gang started encroaching on their turf. Things quickly escalated between them. Alice and Zack's parents were killed in a drive by shooting last year. After that, Alice wanted nothing to do with the "lifestyle" anymore, and sought to turn her life around. Unfortunately her bad reputation follows her - leading to a general dislike of her by most of the staff, teachers, and a lot of students.
Goal: Alice wants to be a tattoo artist someday, and is saving up for an apprenticeship.
Karnen's Character(s):
Name:Dani Farris Age: 23 Likes: art, drawing, painting, sculpting, rock, coffee, and the occasional glass of wine Dislikes: people who have a lack of regard for the arts, anyone who talks bad about her parents, losing Personality: Dani is firm when she has to be but she would rather take things easily. She is laid back and can be easy to talk with and is always willing to make friends. Background: Dani grew up with two very loving parents, two mothers. Because of this a lot of kids at school made fun of her and her parents. It kept everything she had to prevent from blowing up but when she did blow up there was a fight. Maybe she couldn't have reacted to violence but she couldn't take it. The fights led her to almost being expelled so instead Dani was sent to a private school and things were easier there. She was always a very talented artist and knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life ever since she was 10. After graduating she enrolled in a very expensive art school she worked hard. She knew that she could do this but it wasn’t easy getting recognition for her art. After college she got a job teaching art at a High School, not her dream but perhaps one day she’ll get there.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 9:10 pm
Dani Farris walked down the hall of high school she had just gotten a job at. It was packed with teenagers pushing trying to get to their class. She couldn’t believe she was back at high school, well at least it wasn’t the one she attended when she was younger. She stepped into her class room and already it was filled with students. As with any high school she knew the groups could easily be scene, the jocks and the cheerleaders seemed to gravitate toward each other. Followed by some others who didn’t quite fit in and then in toward the back well were the loners. "Alright, settle down everyone." She walked over toward her desk her messenger bag hung over her shoulder her jacket hanging around the strap as well. She slid the bag and jacket down at her desk and slowly took a sip of coffee as she bell sounded and soon the class room quieted down. She had a charming look about her, and she looked young, she could easily pass as a student. Dani took her time sipping the coffee slowly before she began to scan the faces of her students with her grayish blue eyes. She set the coffee cup on the desk and leaned against the edge of the desk. “I’m Ms. Farris, your art teacher. I should probably do roll call…” Her hand reached behind her grabbing a piece of paper that had the class names. She read them one by one, it was rather time consuming. After that was done she passed out a list to each student. “So while you are with me I will require a few necessary supplies that we are going to use this semester. Try to get them as soon as possible.” While she was passing out the papers she noticed someone passing a note and as she walked by she quickly picked it up. “Notes hum…. Well shall we have a look…” Dani opened the noted and after reading it asked, “Humm who’s Sarah?”
A blonde skinny cheerleader raised her hand, “That’d be me.”
“Oh well Jimmy here is asking you out via note….” That response caused both Sarah and Jimmy to be embarrassed and a few chuckles from the class. “Don’t share notes in my class, seriously there is a better way to talk to each other outside of class. I will read the note if you pass them.” She threw the note into the garbage can. “So like I was saying, get these items, you will need them. You can expect in this class lots of drawing, painting, and even learning about some amazing artists. Your final will not be a test, it will be an essay on an artist of your choosing.” One guy raised his hand then interrupting Dani, “Yeah what is it?”
“What’s the point of learning about old dead guys and what they painted?” Dani sighed deeply at the question.
“Seriously? What was your name again?” She asked as she rubbed the temples of her forehead.
“Name’s Jeff.”
“Right, Jeff. Those old dead guys are an inspiration, they did profound work. Without art our society would be bland, what you wear, music albums, furniture, technology, glasses, tattoos everything is design and art. Without that there wouldn’t be anything cool in the world. It would look bland and uneventful. Your school is fortunate to still have the arts. Some schools have cut it out and instead you guys wouldn’t be here but in good old math. I hope that answers your question. So what I want everyone to do now is to draw, something. Anything just let your mind flow onto the paper, spill it out. If you don’t have paper or a pencil you can get some on my desk. Before you leave I need to see what each of you’ve done.” Dani walked back to her desk and picked up her coffee again as she sat in her desk chair.
Alice took a deep breath as she walked into the school, knowing full well that more than a few eyes were focused on her. As expected, the teachers she passed viewed her with nothing but scorn and contempt; students made room for her to pass - probably afraid. She sighed at that, letting her long, pale-blond hair hang down. Whispers and murmurs followed as she quickly walked past, a mask of forced calm hiding the nervousness she felt. When they look at me, they don't see a person. They see a monster. Not that I blame them, of course. I see the same thing. Even so, she couldn't help the slow burning anger she felt, anger expressed only by the slight tremble of her fists. They longed for the feeling of hitting flesh, and the sharp crack of breaking bones. But no, it wouldn't come to that. Crimson Alice was no more...
...and that was how it would stay. With that reminder, she marched forward.
I'm not that person anymore, and I'm not going to let them make me that way. Never again.
~()~
Fortunately, her first class happened to be Art. As someone who enjoyed drawing, she hoped it would be a way to focus on something other than the fearful whispers and glances. One of the last to arrive, she quietly took her seat before the bell rang. Not long after, roll call began. When the teacher called her name, Alice answered with a simple "Yo". It was then that she realized her teacher was new. And looked pretty damn young for a teacher. It wasn't long before she started passing out the list of supplies; a pretty lengthy one, compared to last year. Ms. Farris seemed to expect quite a bit out of them.
“Notes hum…. Well shall we have a look…" Alice rolled her eyes, as Ms. Farris silently read the note that Jimmy Jones had passed around. Served the idiot right."Humm who's Sarah?"Said girl raised her hand. It was none other than Sarah Evans, one of the nicer cheerleaders; she'd been one of the few people to greet Alice with a smile.Oh, well, Jimmy here is asking you out via note..."That response caused Sarah and Jimmy to look embarrassed, as several of the students chuckled at that. "Don't share notes in my class, seriously there is a better way to talk to each other outside of class. I will read the note if you pass them."Ms. Farris threw the note in the trash, and continued to speak." So, like I was saying, get these items, you will need them. You can expect in this class lots of drawing, painting and even learning about some amazing artists. Your final will not be a test, it will be an essay on an artist of your choosing.One of the guys raised their hand, interrupting her."Yeah, what is it?"
Interestingly enough, the teacher's response was beautiful. Normally, lectures bored Anna to tears, but not this time. There was something about the woman's voice that simply commanded attention. From the tone of her voice, to the expression on her face, it was quite clear that she loved Art. It was something that couldn't be taken away from her. Alice found herself smiling at this; it was a refreshing difference, compared to everyone else she'd have to put up with. Researching a bunch of dead guys didn't sound nearly as boring now. A pain in the a**? Yeah. Possibly enlightening? Double yep. It was with this mindset that Alice got out her paper and started to draw a tattoo design she'd thought up.
All in all, it turned out quite well. Fully focused, Alice put all her attention into what she was drawing, feeling far more at peace with herself because of it.
Perhaps today wasn't going to be so terrible, after all.
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:47 pm
As Dani sat at her desk she began to finish the sketch, of the memory she couldn’t get out of her head. She remembered it so clearly and she had to draw it out because if she didn’t she didn’t think she could move on. Drawing something painful was cathartic, she could physically turn the page and then it was over. Lily on that day it tore them both apart, she remembered the tears. Her puffy red eyes from crying. Dani slowly bit her lower lip and the memory bore into her, it was hard to forget. She was disturbed by a soft knock against the door frame of the class room and in stood an older man. He was balding, only hair was on the sides of his head and they stood up shooting up in crazy directions.
As she stood up and approached the man smiled, “Ah hello there I wanted to introduce myself my name is Ron Phelps, the music teacher.”
She nodded slowly, “Ahh, yes nice to meet you.” She took the hand he had extended. He reminded her of an old crazy man. Maybe he was perfectly fine but he looked odd.
“If you need anything I am just right next door neighbor.”
She forced a small smiled, oh god. “Yes, thank you I’ll be sure to do that. If I need any help.” Yeah fat chance of that happening.
“Well I need to get going I’ll see you later neighbor.” Mr. Phelps said before exiting the room and Dani was relieved when he did. She glanced up at the clock, there would only be a few minutes left before the bell rang. She then began making her round across the room scanning everyone’s artwork. She complemented them saying, very nice, good job. She eventually came to the last seat which was Alice. As she took a look down at her paper she was very impressed. “Wow, that is very impressive. Keep up the good work.” She knew talent when she saw it, and this was it. Dani did not know anything about Alice or her previous reputation. “What was your name again? I’m sorry it’s going to take some time to remember everyone’s name.” The bell then rang loudly dismissing class and everyone stood up on cue and began to leave the class room.
Alice listened to the conversation Mr. Phelps and Ms. Ferris had, but wished she didn't. The woman had treated her as if she were just the same, and was now speaking to one of them. All too soon, the new teacher would hear all about her and then it would be business as usual. The thought made her feel kind of sad, but Alice pushed that as far down as it would go, and doubled her efforts to finish her drawing on time. Completely engrossed in her work once more, she was suddenly startled when someone spoke directly to her.
"Wow, that is very impressive. Keep up the good work."
"Huh? Uh, thanks..." Alice winced inwardly at how dumb she'd sounded. Fortunately, Ms. Farris didn't seem to mind.
"What was your name again? I'm sorry, it's going to take some time to remember everyone's name."
Alice found herself smiling back, which was something she hadn't quite expected to do today. At least, not without a fair amount of scorn. "I'm Alice Vandercoy. Nice to meet ya." She held out her hand just as the bell rang. For now, Ms. Ferris had earned her politeness. While it would probably be a different story tomorrow, it would've been rude to simply blow her off. "Well, looks like I've gotta go. See ya tomorrow!" And with that, she packed up and hurried to her next class. Keeping her cold, indifferent mask in place, the former gangster shot down any feelings of contentment or hope that dared to surface.
Monsters deserve no peace.
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 8:24 pm
Dani shook Alice’s hand that she offered she smiled lightly as she watched the girl leave. She seemed nice. The rest of the day crept on slowly and Dani couldn’t wait for it to be lunch. She walked into the teacher’s lounge and went over toward the fridge, she pulled out a small brown paper bag that contained her lunch. As she sat down and began to eat someone sat down beside her. When she turned to look she was met with deep dark brown eyes and a very pleasant smile. “Hello, I’m Zara Hall, I teach history. You must be the new art teacher.”
“Ummm, y-yes. Yes I am, I’m Dani Farris.” She stammered out. Seeing a pretty face wasn't what she expected to see.
“How’s your first day going so far?”
“Oh, not too bad. The kids are fine, and I haven’t had much trouble. Though this one girl named Alice Vandercoy she seemed to be a very talented artist I was going to check out her file.” As soon as she said the name everyone in the room went quiet. Dani looked puzzled,what’d she say wrong? “What?”
“That girl is a train wreck.” Someone replied.
“What do you mean?” Dani asked.
Another teacher replied, “She was in a gang, she’s the violent type. The only place I see her going is jail.”
“Well maybe she just needs a chance.” Dani suggested.
Zara sighed, “She just doesn’t open up and she doesn’t trust very well. I’ve given up.” It didn’t seem right. The girl that she had met didn’t seem like that at all. Her mind wandered toward Lily and she knew she couldn’t just give up like all the rest. Maybe Alice had changed and just needed someone to give her the benefit of the doubt.
After an arguably interesting Art class, the rest of the day seemed to go by rather slowly. Alice said not a word to any of the teachers, knowing full well it wouldn't do any good. Fortunately, most of the teachers pretty much ignored her the whole time, which was just as well. The only other one who had given her any notice was Mrs. Hall, the History teacher. When class had ended, she had held Alice back for a few moments. What followed wasn't exactly the best conversation.
"How are you, Miss Vandercoy? How was your summer?"
"Fine."
"Did you do anything or go somewhere exciting?"
"Nah.."
"..."
"..."
"Well then, have a good day."
" 'Kay."
Alice brushed her aside without a second thought. More than the stares, the leers, or even the contempt, she absolutely loathed pity; something the history teacher offered her in spades. Last school year, it had been a lot worse, and only served to make things more difficult. It wasn't as if they had ever had a particularly good relationship - there were a few nasty incidents between them, all of them ending in detention or suspension. To think that b***h suddenly cared was stupid and ******** up. No, it had to be out of pity, because of her job, or some stupid "Christian duty" bullshit. None of which she was in the mood to deal with.
Leave me alone, you ********' b***h! She nearly screamed that in her face, but decided not to. It had been a near thing, though. At least Mrs. Hall stopped trying to talk to her about her parents - she was feeling particularly vicious at the moment. So it was a relief when that pitying face morphed into one of tired apathy; something she'd been wanting to see since it all started. Satisfied, yet oddly disappointed at the same time, she went to her locker, put her books away, and pulled out a brown paper bag. Then, she walked toward the cafeteria, weaving through groups of friends and cliques; avoiding everyone skillfully.
BAM!
And yet, someone had managed to push her from behind. Alice found herself on the ground, and got herself up quickly. Anger flared within her in an instant, her hands balled into fists. Some of the braver students laughed, causing her to let out a snarl in return. After a moment of looking around, it was clear to see who had done it. A group of older guys, one of whom she had beaten to a pulp on the first day of summer. Jason Higgins, star quarterback, and grade-A dipshit. He, along with his asshat pals, were laughing and sneering at her.
"Awwww, what's wrong? Little baby gonna cry?" Jason teased mockingly. "Baby gonna s**t her diaper?"
No. Alice decided, reigning in her temper. She knew where this would lead, if she fought back during school. She could kick Higgins clear across the cafeteria, and it would cost her everything. The last thing she wanted was to be expelled. No, it would be better to wait...
"Wanna dance, s**t-for-brains? Fine! Meet me in the park, after school!"
Jason's friends laughed at that. Jason... not so much. Alice was delighted to see that his eyes had widened, clearly remembering his lesson from last time. She had been kind enough to keep it a secret. This time, everyone would know.
"J-man's gonna kick your a**, girl!" One of them insisted, giving the quarterback a friendly slap on the back. He was a tall, lanky black guy; more of a basketball player than a football player. Tyrone might have been his name - it really didn't matter."Won't ya?"
"Uh, yeah! I'll send her running back to mommy and daddy!"
There was a loud, collective gasp. By now, quite a few students had gathered around them, watching and listening like the busy-bodies they were. Alice barely heard them. It didn't matter that Jason hadn't been confident when throwing around that insult, not at all. Everything went silent for a moment, as the severity of his insult set in. Jason paled. Alice felt a white-hot hatred course through her veins, and it took every bit of self-control not to lose it in school. She hated being here, but she couldn't afford to get expelled. So it was with great difficulty that she managed to ignore his callous words, biting back the hurt-fueled rage that begged to be released. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she looked directly up at him, scowling. "After school. In the park."
She shoved her way through the crowd, and sat down at a table by herself. The crowd soon broke up, with Jason's friends hooting and hollering like a bunch of morons. Jason couldn't be seen in the group, but it was quite clear that he was petrified. Alice smirked cruelly. Either Jason would show up and fight, or he'd back out and look like a wuss. The rest of lunch was very peaceful. Nobody dared to interrupt her.
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 10:48 pm
The rest of the day couldn’t creep by any slower after lunch every class went about the same. When the final bell rang Dani stayed in her desk chair her mind absorbed in drawing the memory that she clearly pictured in her head. When it was finally finished she let out a slow breath of relief. Her fingers gently ran along the page before they closed the sketch book. As her eyes glanced up at the clock she knew she had spent way longer than necessary after school. She pulled her black jacket on then packed up the few things she had in her messenger bag. There was a vibration in her pocket as her cell rang. Already huh… She smiled a little as she answered it. “Hey mom, miss me already huh?”
“I was just checking up on you, it’s your first day of school you know.” She teased. “Very funny, it’s gone pretty well.” She replied as she swung the strap of the messenger bag over her shoulder. She slowly took steps out and down toward the exit. “How are you really doing? I know it’s been hard on you? Are you getting enough to eat, you should really get some rest too.” It wasn’t surprising that she had called to check up on her. After all it was motherly concern, they were both worried about her. It was wise that they did, because it was hard to deal with the loss.
“I am doing better… it’s going to take time…being in a new place is a new start and a distraction.”
“Just… call whenever you need to talk. You know we’re always willing to listen. Just call or stop by if you need too honey. I’ll make you your favorite, spaghetti and meat balls.”
“Well maybe I will, if you’re offering food…” Her smile then turned into a frown as she noticed a very large group out in the nearby park. “Hey mom something just came up I’ll call you both later. Love you.”
“Love you too honey.”
As she approached she could hear there was quiet a commotion going on and she feared the worst. It had to be a fight but between who she couldn’t guess that. She pushed her way though the crowd and when she saw Alice and Jason her eyes widened. Definitely not the pair she expected. “Hey what the hell is going on! Break it up! Break it up!” She yelled as she pushed her way into the center of the fight ring.
The remainder of the day seemed to have gone by much faster, now that Alice had a clear goal in mind. She didn't care that it went against everything she was trying to do; sometimes, people needed to be put in their place. If she allowed him to get away with it, it wouldn't be long before she too became a victim. Under normal circumstances, she might have avoided humiliating him in front of everyone - it really wasn't her style. However, he had brought her parents into the fight, knowing just as well as she did that they were dead. It was inexcusable, unforgivable, and something that must be avenged. And avenge she would.
~()~
As soon as the bell rang, Alice made her way toward the park. And while she wasn't one for friends, a few people seemed to be sympathetic towards the slight to her parents. At least, that's what seemed to have happened. How else could she explain the cheers she'd gotten, as she took her place in the center of the circle. Jason showed himself moments later, looking as if he were facing death itself. In a way, he is. Just this once, I think I'll live up to my old nickname.
"Any last words, shithead?" She inquired, cracking her knuckles. She let every ounce of her hatred seep into her voice.
"I should be asking you the same question, Vandercoy!" He boasted, getting paler and paler by the second. "I'm not getting my a** kicked by some trashy getto-girl!"
There was silence. And then, laughter. Alice simply couldn't help herself - his stupidity was hysterical! Her smirk turned into a full-blown slasher smile. It must have been scary, because some of Jason's little friends backed off. She laughed mirthlessly, walking toward him. Jason attempted to lunge at her, but she dodged easily. The same thing happened a few more times, as she continued to laugh. After dodging what would have been a fairly powerful punch, she dropped down and kneed him in the gut as hard as she could. He dropped to the ground for a moment, allowing her to get a few more kicks in. Then, he got up. Before she continue her assault, however, a familiar voice caused her to stop in her tracks.
"Hey, what the hell is going on!? Break it up! Break it up!"
The next thing she knew, Ms. Farris had made her way to them, looking quite angry. Jason slowly got up, looking worse for wear. Ha! Not so fond of me now, huh? Knew it... Alice sneered at the teacher. "Heya, teach. Wanna watch me kick the s**t out of this a*****e here?"
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:08 am
Dani took a deep breath. “As amazing as that sounds I can’t let you beat him up. First of all I’m a teacher and second it would make a mess.” She then turned around looking at all the students around them. “Hey fight is over! Go home!” The rest of the students were disappointed the fight was over with. So they slowly started to scatter.
She took a look at both Alice and Jason who well was a mess already. Guess she sort of saved his a** by interrupting the fight. “Maybe you should just stick to sports, guess fighting really isn’t your thing.” She said the Jason smiling slightly. “Now both of you I don’t want to find another fight close to the school understand. Cause if I catch you two again I will have to give you both detention.” Dani then turned her attention to Alice who well looked different than she did in art. Obviously the first thing she wanted to do was yell at her and say what the hell was she thinking but then she remembered the fight she got into. “Did he deserve it?” Sometimes you just needed to fight, you could only turn the other cheek so much before you couldn’t take it anymore. Kids were mean, they knew just what to say to you to get you angry. She hated high school and now she was back here again, she was glad she wasn’t a teenager anymore. The things you find important back then aren’t as important when you are older. You lose friends that you’ve had, and you find out that you didn’t know everything like you thought you did.
If there was one thing Alice had been expecting, it wasn't that. She had figured Ms. Farris would see her just like everyone else did - a violent thug; someone out to cause trouble. Out of all the times she'd gotten in trouble for beating someone up, nobody had ever asked if it was deserved. "Yeah, he did." she replied lamely, not quite knowing what else to say. Jason looked ready to protest, but didn't. It seemed that the humiliation of being beaten by a girl was too much for the asshat. She sneered at him, while he stared right at the ground. Well, at least one good thing had come out of it.
She couldn't help but smirk as Jason walked away, the very picture of defeat.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 7:45 pm
After Jason had walked away and most of the students left it was just Alice and her. “Sometimes you just have to fight. Sometimes you just can’t let things go you have to act because people can cross a line. I can understand that. You should be more careful though, if another teacher would have caught you, you’d be dead.” Dani looked at Alice, “Since you aren’t on school property hummm I really didn’t see you two do anything wrong actually. You want a coffee or something? I was going to head over there anyways and you are welcome to join me. If not I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” She then slowly started walking toward the nearby coffee shop.
From what she could tell Alice had a rough past, she didn’t know what it was and didn’t care to know. Everyone had a past and some things they would rather not talk about. Even she had things she’d rather not discuss. No one had ever given the girl another chance, all they did was label her no one saw through that.
After a moment of being completely dumbstruck, Alice grinned. For the first time in what felt like ages, she'd been completely wrong about someone. Ms. Farris hadn't judged her at all - unlike anyone else. She nodded at her advice, and laughed. "Sure, why not?" Alice said, following close behind. "Could use a little coffee, myself. Heh. You're alright, teach."
That feeling from earlier returned.
Hope.
This time, Alice found herself unable to quash it.
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:24 pm
Dani smiled and turned to look at Alice, “Thanks.” One thing she didn’t want to be is like every teacher she’d seen in high school. She wanted to be different and she wanted her students to enjoy what she taught. Maybe not everyone would appreciate art the way she did but she could at least open their eyes a little. Then that would make her happy, she would have done her job right.
As they walked down to the nearby coffee shop she walked in with Alice and ordered a dark roast coffee, with no cream, only a little sugar and a croissant to go with it. “And whatever she is having.” She handed her card to the woman to pay for their coffee. She sat down at a nearby table and slowly took a sip of coffee. “Ahh… soo good, I don’t think I could live without coffee.” She took a bite of the croissant she ordered before she spoke. “So, that tattoo design that you drew today. I really liked it. You know I always wanted to get a tattoo but I could never find one that I really liked. You think you could design one for me? I was going to have one put right on my back just below my neck.”
"I'll a dark roast too, but no sugar." Alice replied, after thinking for a moment. She wasn't hungry yet, and didn't really want anything sweet. Once they got their coffee and sat, Ms. Ferris took a sip of her coffee, looking quite pleased by something so simple. It was... cute. That was the only word that popped into her head.
"So, that tattoo design that you drew today, I really liked it. You know, I always wanted to get a tattoo, but I could never find one I really liked. You think you could design one for me? I was going to have one put right on my back, just below my neck."
Alice smiled into her mug, as she had been going to take a sip herself. The strong, bitter flavor was exactly what she'd wanted right now. She then put down her coffee cup, grinning wolfishly. A teacher, wanting a tattoo!? That seemed... crazy. Then again, this whole scenario was. "Oh, really? And what sort of tattoo would you want?" Already, though, ideas were going through her head. Perhaps, she'd bring her portfolio tomorrow...
