The Fruity Four

Chapter 2

If it wasn't for the fact that first period was Robin's favorite class, she'd never show up for homeroom. She was a firm believer that forcing high school students to wake up at the crack of dawn should be ruled a form of torture. As usual, she was dressed in one of her dad's old button downs, baggy jeans, and the same red converse she'd had for years. Sharpie doodles decorated the worn shoes. Robin would always be grateful to her parents for letting her explore her style without judgment. Though she wasn't as lucky when it came to her classmates. She loved expressing herself, but her strange style combined with being a band nerd meant she would always be dismissed as an outcast.

Robin glanced around the room out of boredom while waiting for her teacher to arrive. It was layered with colorful inspirational posters and basic Spanish tips. As if the majority of these kids weren't sex addicts and potheads who thought taking Spanish senior year would be an easy AP. Speaking of, Robin turned around in her seat to see if Eddie Munson decided to grace the room with his presence. Lucky for her, the class clown was tucked into the back corner scribbling on his desk. As if sensing her stare, he put his pencil down and looked up at her. Robin offered him a head nod. He blew her a kiss before returning to his important work vandalizing school property. They weren't exactly close friends, but were bonded over their mutual attachment to Steve. Neither knew why, but there was something about that goofball nobody could resist.

Señora Rivera stepped into the classroom two minutes after the first bell rang. Some found her lack of punctuality irritating and unprofessional, Robin loved her for it. She wore a flowing orange dress adorned with pink flowers. A brown belt was propped in the center. It was the picture of springtime.

"Hola, clase." Their teacher greeted as she began unpacking her belongings at her desk. Maybe five kids out of twenty responded, Robin being one of them.

Robin wasn't crazy about school. She did the bare minimum to pass and was counting down the days until she could leave the hell that is Hawkins High. But learning languages had always come easy to her. By eighth grade she'd mastered French. In high school she switched to Spanish and Italian and was already taking senior level classes for both.

Once Señora Rivera was settled in, she centered herself in front of the class and clapped her hands together. She began in Spanish, "I have a little surprise for you all today. We're going to be starting our final projects!"

The couple kids who understood what she'd said groaned. The rest whispered to their more competent peers for a translation.

"And I'll be picking your partners for you," Señora Rivera said in English, to which the entire class let out a chorus of frustrations.

"Hush, hush. It's already April and you don't even know each other's names. This will give everyone a chance to make new friends!" Señora's enthusiasm was only made possible at eight in the morning by the large cup of coffee already half empty in her grasp.

Señora Rivera gave the students a few moments to chatter when the classroom door creaked open slightly. A slender figure emerged and Robin's heart dropped into her stomach.

"Is this AP Spanish?" The new girl asked.

"Si, buenos días! You must be Nancy Wheeler." Señora Rivera said cheerfully, ushering the clearly unwilling participant to stand beside her. Then addressing the whole class, "We have a new student joining us for the remainder of the year. I want you all to make sure she feels supported and welcomed."

Nancy gave a cringed smile and wasted no time finding an open chair a few rows behind Robin. As she squeezed past her desk Robin braced herself for a death glare, but Nancy passed over her as if they'd never encountered each other before, which almost hurt more.

Señora cleared her throat purposefully and the talking subsided. "As I was saying, I put a lot of time and consideration into who to partner everyone with." She then focuses directly on Nancy and shared a warm smile. "And don't worry, Ms. Wheeler. Since you're joining us so late in the year, I'm pairing you with one of our most capable students. I have no doubt that you and Robin will make a great team."

Señora Rivera gestured to Robin, who had gone cold. Her teacher continued to list off the groups as if Robin hadn't frozen into a statue. She refused to turn around and face her new 'partner,' who she had no doubt shared an expression just as mortified. Instead Robin focused on a bird teetering by the windowsill for the remainder of class. It was a cardinal, not a robin. She often found herself correcting people who misidentified her namesake.

When a loud blare signaled the end of first period, Robin was shaken out of her trance. It was only then she realized she hadn't a clue what their project was actually about.

The last thing she caught Señora Rivera say before they were dismissed was, "So make sure you meet with your groups and start brainstorming. This presentation is worth a large portion of your grade. Good luck, adiós!"

Kids raced out of the room like it was an evacuation. Robin took her time packing up, keeping an eye on the bright red creature still propped by the window. She would have given anything to transform into that little bird and escape into the clear afternoon sky. Going wherever the wind carried her. She'd never even left Indiana before.

"Your place or mine?"

Robin jumped at the sudden interruption. Sending her pencil case flying and littering the floor with pens, post its, tape, and other essentials. Nancy Wheeler knelt down and began frantically grabbing at Robin's supplies.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Robin bent down and helped her put everything back in the case before zipping it securely into her backpack.

"No, it's not your fault. I'm just really clumsy."

"How about we split the blame fifty-fifty?" Nancy countered.

"You've got yourself a deal," Robin stretched out her arm for a handshake.

Nancy obliged, with a firmer grip than Robin anticipated. Their hands lingered, neither girl letting go. Nancy had on light pink nail polish and a simple gold ring, probably real. Robin's slightly larger hands sported an assortment of statement rings and shortly clipped nails from her constantly biting them. It was like night versus day. So why did their hands interlock so perfectly?

Nancy was the one to finally pull back. Not letting the awkward silence stretch any further, Robin asked, "Can we do your place? You meant for the project, right? Mine might be a little... messy."

Robin's home wasn't much by any means, but her and her parents got by just fine. It was they, who were the problem actually. While she loved her mom and dad dearly, she'd inherited her messy habits from the both of them. Dishes and trash would pile up, sweeping was a foreign concept, and their bedrooms were in a constant state of disaster. And the last thing she wanted was for this pretty, rich girl to ruin her shoes picking her way through Robin's house.

"Sure. But I can't do tonight. My boyfriend and I have a phone date."

Robin nodded her head, trying not to let her disappointment show. " Tomorrow night works for me." She paused for a second, "So... we're good, then?"

Nancy shrugged. "I still think what you said to Tina the other day was rude. But there's no point in avoiding you if we have to work together."

Robin had to hold back from rolling her eyes. "Hold on, you think I was rude? Tina had it coming."

"What's your problem with her, anyway?"

"Um, maybe the fact that she's been making my life a living nightmare since we were little. I don't even understand why she hates me. The only thing I can think of is the time I stole one of her favorite barrettes in second grade. It was lady bug print and-"

"You don't exactly make it... easy." Nancy interrupted. Choosing her words very carefully. "She said you just talk too much and without thinking. It can get annoying."

Robin's face fell. "Thanks for the enlightening news, but I've been hearing that my whole life. Can't really help it."

Before Nancy could reply, Robin grabbed her backpack and bolted out of the classroom. The hallway was a sea of students pushing and shouting their way to second period. Robin ducked into an empty bathroom just as her own floodgates unleashed. She sobbed into the sink, letting her tears wash down the drain.