roller derby queen ~ j.g.

five

classes started the day after move-in day, and that was a fact dakota could not hate more. just because she was at eden on an academic scholarship didn't mean that she automatically loved the place, and she especially hated the fact that her mind would be occupied all day trying to figure out how the hell she was supposed to make it through the school year with julie gaffney as a roommate. and of course her first class, which was at eight in the morning, was the one she hated the most. english.

contrary to popular belief, you did not have to be good in every subject to get an academic scholarship. that fact was proven with dakota, who could do calculus and physics and chemistry with no effort but struggled to get her essays turned in on time. it's not that she was necessarily bad at english, she just hated the subject like no other. especially when the teachers at eden were less than great.

dakota slipped into her seat a second before the bell, dropping her backpack at her feet. she normally would have been in class a few minutes before the bell, but it's difficult to be on time when you have a roommate that you're trying to avoid who's running on the same schedule you are. it's not that she didn't like julie, seriously. it's just that dakota knew how it went; you act normal around her, get changed in the same room, walk around in a towel, be in the bathroom at the same time, and then once she knows you're gay, she flips out because you might have been watching her the whole time. dakota figured it was just easier to avoid it in the first place.

"good morning, class, and welcome to your first day of the school year. i'm mrs. gardener, and i'm going to be your junior english teacher. now, let's get right into the syllabus..." dakota zoned out as the teacher talked. the good thing about being an upperclassmen was that the teachers were a little bit more laid-back knowing that the material was harder, but that didn't mean she had to listen. instead, she looked around the room, taking in what kind of people would be in her class for the semester.

the right side of the room was mostly band kids, and she only knew that because most of them were wearing the shirts from their show last year. they kept talking to each other in low voices and kicking each other underneath the desks while a blonde girl with braces leaned over and scribbled things on everyone else's notebooks. the girl turned her head toward the back and dakota's eyes went wide. shit. that was her roommate from last year. her eyes darted away as she made a mental note not to look over at that side of the room anymore.

the left side was full of preps, wearing sweaters over collared shirts (in august? dakota thought) and frantically writing down everything the teacher was saying into their notebooks. dakota held back a snort. what a bunch of teacher's pets. as she turned back around, a face she knew all too well caught her eye. matthew cole was sitting at the back, scowl on his face as he stared straight ahead. dakota smirked. after all that trouble he gave her, here he was, a nineteen year old super senior still in a junior english class. she had the urge to laugh.

"...for your first assignment, i'd like you to turn to the person next to you and find out more about them. i'd like a two paragraph essay on my desk by the end of the class period. oh, and since we have an odd number, you three girls at the back will be a group of three. you may move your desks together for this, but make sure to move them back." dakota looked around as she realized she was part of the three girls at the back, and then felt herself being pushed back as the two other girls moved their desks to face each other in front of her.

the girl sitting on the right smiled and held out a hand. "hi! i'm vicky, and this is connie." dakota shook her hand, and looked over at connie, who just smiled. vicky continued. "i made cookies before i came yesterday just in case anyone wanted one, they're chocolate chip if you want one." she gave dakota a smile so bright it nearly blinded her.