Building Bridges

Chapter 1

With a worried bottom lip trapped between her teeth, Mary Blake made her way into Southside High. It was her first day; a freshman none-the-less; and she was still very new in Riverdale. The metal detectors and guards with batons put her off guard as she tried to copy everyone else. Taking off her jacket and necklace, placing them in the bin with her phone; the girl walked through hesitantly. Waiting for them to finish shuffling through her satchel; she looked around. Every other kid was acting like it was normal. Accepted. Stumbling through the crowd to find the administrative office; Mary found her way to the desk with nearly a dozen other kids. Everyone pushing and trying to talk over each other. Quietly, the girl made her way to the bench and waited. By the first bell for homeroom, the older woman behind the desk waved her forward; "Name and year?" She asked. "M-Mary Blake, ma'am." Shyly, she fiddled with the strap of her bag as the woman typed away. Hearing the printer and being handed a time schedule; she headed late to her first class with a note from the woman. It didn't take Mary long to find her homeroom and first period, English I. The teacher, Mr. Phillips, gave her a wry smile when she entered; vaguely pointing to the rows of mostly filled desks, "Find a seat, Miss..." He paused to look over the schedule in her hands, "Blake." Looking out at the other kids, she felt pale. Most eyes were on her as she scanned the room for an empty seat, taking the closest. It was in the front row, near the window. To Mary, it was an optimal seat. No one sat next to her and she had the window to herself. Mr. Phillips raised his eyebrow, but clapped his hands for everyone's attention, "Alright guys, listen up! Today, we will be getting to know one another and the syllabus for this year. We're going to partner up in groups of three." Cue the groans and 'boo's sounding from the teenagers. The teacher waved them off and rolled his eyes; "I can already tell that most of you will be a problem, so this project will count for a quarter of your grade this year. Pass this, it's smooth sailing for the next few weeks." He compromised and something said that the man was used to this. Kids coming in with no intentions to really learn, but more so that they don't get truancy. Mary thought it was nice that he was willing to help kids pass his class instead of passing them along just to get rid of them. "I'm going to be deciding groups." And the class simultaneously groaned in protest again. Mary watched as he walked around the room, pointing to kids and pairing them up at random. At least, she thought it was random. Until she was paired with two boys. Taking notice of the boy-girl ratio and notable gang members; she put together what he seemed to be trying to do. Two rival gangs with an unallied buffer. She; a newbie nobody; with a Serpent and a Ghoulie. Being new to Riverdale; she was quick to learn of these two groups. Her mother pointing out how to identify who; telling her to steer clear of both. Mostly the Serpents though, seeing as her stepfather is a Ghoulie. They sat awkwardly at the cluster of desks they moved over, the girl watching both boys and wondering where to start.
With paper and pen at the ready, she wrote her name at the top of the paper, "S-so; what are your n-names?" Her stutter drawing their attention from the staring contest they seemed to be having. The Serpent leaned forward, "Fogarty; but you can call me Fangs." He gave the girl a small grin and a wink. He was buff with dark hair and equally dark eyes; his grin dimpled. If Mary was any other girl, she might have found him attractive. Seeing his leather Serpent jacket made her reign in any thoughts on that as she wrote down his name next to hers. Looking to the other boy, his blue eyes caught her own and she gave him an expecting look. His short brown hair and smaller stature made him seem young. Then again, his clothes were black and ripped and he sported a similar jacket to her stepfather's. A Ghoulie for sure. "Kurtz." He muttered, looking away as she wrote his name down as well. Her writing was neat, cursive, and in black ink. She had a feeling this was not going to be so easy.
"S-since you two obviously won't b-be caught dead in a room together, we can do o-one on one session." Mary began to explain, already understand that most of the work would be on her. "I'll go over the key q-questions with one of you, then r-relay it to the other when I switch p-partners." The girl thought it might be the best plan of action since she was working with rivals. The less time they spent together, the fewer chances they have of fighting. Mr. Phillips had given detailed instruction on the questions and the standard number of sentences required. A paragraph for each question; then the last had to be at least three paragraphs long. It was also mentioned that he would be looking for and taking off for repetitive words or copied work, but Mary figured she could work around that. With her old recorder, she could just have them listen to each other's sessions and write depending on how they interpret it.
At the nods of agreement, she took out a quarter from her lunch money, "Call it." She said to Fangs. "Heads." He claimed with a quirk of his eyebrow. As it flipped, she caught it with one and hand flipped it onto the back of her other without looking. Wasting no time; she moved her hand to show them the outcome. "Tails." Kurtz grinned in triumph like he had won something. "W-with three weeks to do this project, a-along with homework from other classes, we should m-meet up twice this week." Already beginning another plan with the Ghoulie; Mary tugged at her sleeve absentmindedly. "Your place if we can. Or a c-café." The boy nodded. She slides her notebook over to him, "Can y-you put your number b-by your name? We can f-figure out a day later." After he jotted down his number, she did the same with Fangs. With both numbers, Mary thought of what else she might need before the bell rang but came up empty. Gathering her things, she made her way to her next class; noticing that Fangs was walking with her, "Chemistry?" She asked, trying to seem casual. He looked down at her with a surprised look, "I don't know, we just met and all."
The implication made her face turn red, "I-I m-m-mean the c-c-class." Her stutter worsened as she pulled the strap of her satchel closer to her chest. At his boisterous laughter, she pursed her lips as she realized he had been joking. His hand patted her head, "Sorry, Blake; but your face got so red. I couldn't help myself." With a more relaxed walk, she finally let a small smile peek through, "Y-you nearly gave me a h-heart attack." To her surprise, the taller boy sat next to her him their next class. He pulled her into a conversation with a few of his friends as they debated on if they could dissect a frog in chemistry. "T-that's Biology, but I d-doubt they'll let any of us h-hold scalpels." The other two kids laughed at that and Mary did not feel quite as nervous about them anymore. Her next class; Algebra; she shared with Fangs and Kurtz. The other boy sat at the back of the class, not even looking her way as she sat in the front. Fangs moved to sit with his friends again as she waved him off; "S-sorry, but I need to p-pay extra attention in math. I'm r-really bad at it." She grimaced as she sat down with her notebook out. Already, she knew she would need to talk to the teacher about a tutor.
With her first three classes already done with, the girl made her way to the lunchroom and instantly hesitated. The chain fence acted as a barrier for the two gangs and she didn't know where the neutral side was. Seeing an empty table by the wall; Mary made her way there with her lunch tray. No one seemed to be looking at her anyway, so she thought she might be safe enough. If Ghoulies gave her trouble, she could always mention her stepfather. Although that might put her as a target for the Serpents; they weren't as much of a threat as the Ghoulies. Seeing as she was technically on the Ghoulie side of the fence; the girl knew it was a dangerous move. No matter where she sat; it was dangerous. If she sat on the Serpent side, her stepfather would kill her. Sitting on the Ghoulie side was the lesser of two evils though. A tray clattered next to her, startling the girl from her thoughts. Looking over at Kurtz; he didn't say anything while sitting next to her. Still, she gave him a grateful smile before beginning to eat.
After lunch, the worst part of the day started. Gym. She hadn't prepared any clothes to change into, but luckily, the coach only had them practice lining up in order from their last names. Fangs and Kurtz were, once again, in the same class as her. Mary supposed it wasn't so odd since they were all freshmen. After a few lineup drills; they got free time. Being it as the first day of school; there wasn't much else to do. Sitting on the floor by the bleachers, mostly out of sight to write in her journal; Mary sighed. The day was overwhelming so far, as she predicted it to be that morning. The school and gangs were entirely different than that of her home in Atlanta, Georgia. She was mostly thankful that no one comments on her slightly country accent or knew her full name. The thought made her cringe at the teasing she would undoubtedly receive. Even though both boys were in gym with her, neither tried to socialize with the girl.
Thankfully, Mary gathered her things as the bell rang again. The next class she had was Social Studies. To her surprise, Kurtz sat next to her with a sigh. "I'm free this Thursday. We can meet outside of school and go to my place." He stated, waiting for her reaction. Surprised that he'd already had a plan, she nodded; "I-I'll ask my folks, but it should b-be okay." Biting her lip, "M-my curfew is before dark. T-they'll kill me if I-I'm not home before the street l-lights come on." She added, watching the boy nod. Quietly, class began. It could have been because the day was finally winding down, but everyone seemed to be less rowdy. The teacher covered the syllabus, monotone, and bored. It was clear that this was going to be an easy class, as Ms. Rye could barely keep her own eyes open. As the bell rang; signaling it was time for the last class; Mary stretched with her own yawn. Kurtz rolled his blue eyes at her, "Just one more class; don't knock out now Blake." It could have just been from the long day, but she swore the boy grinned as he walked ahead of her. Catching up with him; "L-like you're not exhausted t-too." She inquired with her own hint of a teasing grin. With a shrug, they entered their last class. Art. This was something she knew she could pass in her sleep. Sitting at an empty table, Kurtz moved next to her and, to her surprise once more, Fangs on her other side. "I don't know anyone else in this class." He defended with raised hands at her skeptical glance. Seeing that there really were no other Serpents; or even Ghoulies; Mary figured they'd have no problems without instigators. Other, more gang neutral, kids kept their distance from the three. As the teacher, a quirky guidance counselor who took over Art made her way around the room with the syllabus; Mary felt like she could finally relax a bit. This was a class that required very little brain power from her, and it was nice that she had an outlet for everything. "I want you to gather some paper and pencils, and draw me a picture of yourself." The woman began; sounding whimsical as she stood in front of the class. Sitting up straighter, Mary paid more attention; "I want you to draw or sketch what you think you look like; do not be afraid to add colors or objects that describe what you like." Even though it was a simple project; Mary frowned. It was only the first day, but the teacher was really diving right into personal things. Grabbing some paper, pencils, and erasers; she made her way back to the table and handed some over to either boy. Her eyes looked at the white sheet, wondering where to start. Her face; a baby-doll chin and rounded cheeks. Small lips; but not thin. A pert nose with a slightly long bridge. Almond-shaped blue eyes with sharp eyebrows. Pausing; Mary made sure there were no smudges before leaning over the paper once more. Even though it was shadowed; she could still see each line of hair her pencil made. Her hair, straight brown and parted in the middle, was long and thick. With a breath, she leaned back again to make sure it looked okay in the light. The two boys on either side of her were engrossed in their own portraits with concentrated looks.
Taking a sharper pencil; she sketched things in the background. Large enough to cover the whole left corner; she outlined a sunflower. Overlapping that; she detailed her journal. Those took up the left open space and she thought of what to do for the right side. Deciding to draw out a skull with spiders crawling from the eyes and mouth; she thought the right side should be things she feared or didn't like. Below that, she drew a dark silhouette of a man. Picking up the colored pencils; she shaded the left side blue and green. The sunflower being outlined yellow, but she made sure it was still mostly white. Her journal had been shaded brown; lighter than the shade she did for her hair. The right side was a swirl of red and black; making sure to blacken the spiders but keep the skull white. The vague figure of a man was pitch black. Focusing on her eyes, she outlined them blue and her lips a shade of pink. Her complexion; shaded in a light tan. Leaning back and breathing, she hadn't known when she stopped. In all her focus, she held her breath.
"Shit, that's good." Kurtz startled her a bit, making her jump. With a quirked grin, the girl rubbed the back of her head awkwardly; "It's okay, I-I guess." Truthfully, it wasn't how she honestly saw herself. Maybe on the outside, something acceptable for class, but something inside of her was uglier. Fangs leaned over, "No; Ghoulie boy's right on this one. You're talented." He complimented and patted her shoulder. Looking to the Serpents work, she pursed her lips to stop any amusement from slipping, "And you... R-Really know how to use singular lines." Mary attempted to repay the compliment, but Kurtz laughed at the other boy's drawing first and made her crack. Apologetically, she smiled at his frown, "D-don't worry, Fangs. You can only g-get better from here." He playfully pouted, leaning over her to look at Kurtz work, "It's not as bad as that!" He laughed loudly, hitting his hand on the table dramatically. Seeing the odd shapes on Kurtz paper; Mary could put together his face. But that was it. He scowled; "At least it's not sticks." He commented. Fangs paused to return the scowl, "Shit is shit, man." The tension thickened as the girl between them shuffled her things into her bag, "C-come on, guys. The bells going to r-ring any moment, c-calm down." She nervously said, looking between the boys. They had gone all day without hostility, a few more minutes should be easier. Just as she thought this; the bell rang loudly. With a relieved sigh, they headed out and broke away from one another. She began her trek home alone. The house was empty and cold, with no note or message as to where her parental figures had gone. Taking the opportunity to sit at the table and do her homework; mostly 'get to know you' work; Mary chewed over everything that happened today. School had been mostly easy, and the gangs weren't that difficult to manage around. Her stepfather, Dawson, would want to know everything that happened. Details of her classmates and teachers, no doubt. She waited up for them to come home after finishing her work.
Bored of waiting, she debated on messages Kurtz or Fangs to see if they finished their work yet. Just as she entered them as contacts in her phone, the door opened. It was dark out, nearing eight at night when her mother and stepfather made their way into the living room. Her mother walked right past her, mumbling about changing and heading right for bed. Mary pursed her lips and stared at her hands as Dawson sat next to her; ignoring his wife; "How was school, Margret?" Her full name sounding foreign when he said it, sickly sweet, and her skin burned as he held her hands in his own, much larger ones. Swallowing heavily; "F-fine. I-I have a P-project in English t-that n-n-needs three weeks t-t-to do. I-I-I'm paired with t-t-two o-o-others." The stutter worsened horribly as his thumb brushed over her wrist. He nodded, letting go of her to look over her schedule and schoolwork. "Have you spoken with the Algebra teacher about a tutor yet?" He asked, patiently waiting for her to stumble out an answer. "I-it's the f-first day; s-so they're g-gathering tutors." Mary said, keeping her eyes on her hands. His fingers brushed her chin, pulling her head up to look at her face clearly to assess if she was lying. At the sight of his honey eyes, she felt like she was being suffocated. Under a microscope and stripped down. While her mother swooned over the man for his handsome features and a thick wallet; Mary knew better. She'd known the type of man he was and why he was with a gold-digger like her mother. His thumb brushed her bottom lip and she closed her eyes tightly. Suppressing everything and trying to ignore his hot mouth on hers, "I missed you so much today; Margret." He murmured against her lips as his hands held her face to his. To keep her from moving away or for control, the girl didn't know. All she knew was that she had to keep breathing slowly through her nose to stop her queasy stomach from rolling. Even if it made her dizzy; the girl waited for his face to move away from her own as she counted each breath she took. Trying to ignore the way it mingled with his. When he finally pulled back, she hung her head to catch her breath and avoid looking at the man. "Put all of this up and let's go to bed." Trying to ignore how heavy her stomach felt, the girl nodded and began to put everything back in her bag for school the next day. Her mother was probably already asleep from the Valium and Mary knew that tonight was going to be more difficult than any 'first day' could ever be. His hands; large and bruising and imposing; on her premature body haunted her for hours. His mouth leaving lingering marks on her, like claiming her as his possession. The next morning, her mother didn't say anything about it. Even as the glaring red hickeys stood out from her pale shoulders, the woman just served eggs with a smile. "Daddy," Mary began, her mouth feeling like cotton at the name she'd been taught to call him for nearly a year; "I need t-to m-m-meet with my first English p-partner tomorrow a-after school. I-is that o-o-okay?" Anxiously, she looked up at the man and hoped he was in a good enough mood. Watching his honey eyes, he chewed his food thoughtfully.
"I suppose. Just don't be out past curfew, young lady." He agreed, waving his fork absentmindedly before continuing to eat. She forced a small smile, "I-I w-won't. Thank y-you d-daddy."