Coastal Daytona Academy: A High School RP [IC|DEAD]

[Imperial Esplanade]

School Parking Lot
Daniel Taylor

Danny maintained the wide, beaming grin as the two exchanged handshakes. "Doing great, thanks man." Daniel said, in response to the first question, though noticeably paused for a moment to look over toward the other two, Luke Lennox and Eleanor Moran, and to offer them both a wave prior to answering Larry's subsequent one as it pertains to his cousins. Daniel glanced back toward Larry, and nodded his head as he thought through an answer. His cousins, Sophia and Sydney -- though especially the former, were relatively frequent visitors toward the very-end of their practices, something that is rarely, if ever, even allowed. Though Coach Carl knew he could make an exception to them, considering his nieces certainly wouldn't leak plays or the like to opposing, rivaling football teams. The pair of sisters had gotten to know the players a decent bit, and the same held true vice-versa, as they would offer the guys high-fives after each practice. "They're still trying to get their bearings straight around here. But, they're doing pretty good too." Daniel remarked, pausing for a moment, reaching up to scratch the back of his head for a second, and then continuing. "Well, ya know. At least, as good as they can be." Daniel added toward the very end. Not wanting the conversation to remain circling around the gloomy topic of having lost his uncle, and his cousins' remaining parent, Daniel turned over toward Eleanor and Luke, extending out his hand toward them, in respective order, and flashing a grin once more as he introduced himself to the new-faces. "What's up, guys? I'm Daniel. Nice to see some new faces around here." Danny added, with a wink.

[Charlia]

School Parking Lot
Daniel Taylor

Danny maintained the wide, beaming grin as the two exchanged handshakes. "Doing great, thanks man." Daniel said, in response to the first question, though noticeably paused for a moment to look over toward the other two, Luke Lennox and Eleanor Moran, and to offer them both a wave prior to answering Larry's subsequent one as it pertains to his cousins. Daniel glanced back toward Larry, and nodded his head as he thought through an answer. His cousins, Sophia and Sydney -- though especially the former, were relatively frequent visitors toward the very-end of their practices, something that is rarely, if ever, even allowed. Though Coach Carl knew he could make an exception to them, considering his nieces certainly wouldn't leak plays or the like to opposing, rivaling football teams. The pair of sisters had gotten to know the players a decent bit, and the same held true vice-versa, as they would offer the guys high-fives after each practice. "They're still trying to get their bearings straight around here. But, they're doing pretty good too." Daniel remarked, pausing for a moment, reaching up to scratch the back of his head for a second, and then continuing. "Well, ya know. At least, as good as they can be." Daniel added toward the very end. Not wanting the conversation to remain circling around the gloomy topic of having lost his uncle, and his cousins' remaining parent, Daniel turned over toward Eleanor and Luke, extending out his hand toward them, in respective order, and flashing a grin once more as he introduced himself to the new-faces. "What's up, guys? I'm Daniel. Nice to see some new faces around here." Danny added, with a wink.

Eleanor had gone quiet after introducing herself to Larry, as the pause in his speech had led her to begin worrying. Would they have heard about it all the way down here? It'll be hard to have a new start if they do... Please let it just be a coincidence. The last thing I need is to have what I did in Connecticut following me here...

Someone interrupted her thoughts, however, by introducing himself as Daniel and extending a hand. She took it, trying not to let her emotions show on her face, and nodded in a coolly cordial manner. "Eleanor," she said curtly. With a little bit of luck, I won't have to be a new face at some other school next year.

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf absentmindedly walked straight down the entrance corridor, weaving in and out of the clumps of students that were hanging around the length of the open space and on more than one occasion taking extra large steps where bags were tossed carelessly on the floor. The joys of being back in school. By the time he came to the end of the locker corridor he couldn't help but sigh in relief noticing that the number of groups of students this far down was smaller and that meant more space to walk without being knocked into. Crowds weren't exactly his area of expertise, even back in Washington his friendship group consisted of only three people. He hadn't even been in CDA for very long but it already felt different to Seattle, but maybe that was just because he knew nobody yet. This would also be his first time living in a school, an experience he was strangely anticipating, providing he ended up with a decent roommate of course and not some questionable sociopath, or worse, a heavy metal fan.

Somehow without noticing, Yusuf had wound up in a completely deserted part of the school, no students, teachers or even cleaners were in sight, not that this bothered him, there was something peaceful about deserted corridors even if they wouldn't look out of place in a Netflix horror series. Glancing at the different classrooms around him he had yet see any sort of music room, which he was looking forward to finding, knowing a lot of time would likely be spent there. Losing concentration on his surroundings again, he ran his hand through his hair, happy at how soft it was this morning. He was glad to have chosen the olive green shirt too, as opposed to black. Even if he didn't like everything about Florida, the warm weather and sunshine was definitely a plus. Quickly, his attention was brought back to the corridor as he turned the corner and narrowly avoided walking right into somebody. "Woah...sorry man!" Yusuf exclaimed to the stranger, embarrassed from having almost caused a collision. That would have made for an instantly awkward first day. Coming over himself he glanced at who it was he had stumbled upon. A handsome young guy who looked to be around his age, albeit more muscular. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

[Kyraina]

Joseph Bridges

Joseph had woken up really hourly to go to Football Practice. Why they had one early in the morning He would never know but Oh well. After the Practice, Joseph had gotten his stuff out of his Tundra, found his room, Claimed the bed on the left, and taken a Shower. He was wearing a Trinity High Football (Euless, TX) Shirt with his Number of 21 on the back (The Shirt Stretched across the muscles in his chest and arms), Grey Basketball Shorts, and blue Nike Free Run Shoes. He grabbed his Phone, Wallet, and Keys and left to go to the main part of the school. Upon Entering the Lobby, He looked around for a teammate or just some random person to talk to.

Jessica Bridges

Jessica woke up at 7 in Dirk's House in the bedroom she shared with her Cousin Amanda, at Jessica's and Joseph's Uncle Dirk's House. There was already tension between Jessica and Amanda over how gingerly Jessica was being treated and Jessica and Joseph had only been there since the end of May. Jessica was stressed about what had happened back in Texas and Now even more so with the New School and with how Amanda was acting. She shook her head as she got dressed, ate a bowl of cereal, grabbed her stuff, Climbed in her FJ Cruiser, and drove to the school. She was sad that Dirk, and Joseph were already at the school because she didn't want to drive to the school by herself and Amanda avoided Jessica like the Plague. With Music playing, Jessica drove while trying not to cry.

A few Minutes later she pulled into a parking spot by Joseph's truck under the Solar Panel Carports. She Grabbed one of her bags and walked towards the school

[Terintania]

Asher Lyndon
Hour before the start of school
Asher laid quietly in bed, already missing the ability to sleep in that summer had granted. Just because he was active didn't mean he had to naturally be a morning person. Most nights his overabundance of energy kept him up late in to the night, leaving him tired in the morning until his energy caught back up with him. At the moment, he was staring at his clock, knowing he should probably get up and get some food, but not yet figuring out how limbs worked.Slowly, he slid his legs over the side of the bed, before managing to sit up, his hair sticking every which way. Slowly it truly dawned on him that it was the first day of a new school, and excitement began to return his usual energy, and he got out of bed, bustling about, getting ready for the dad. A quick shower, brushing of the teeth. Getting dressed and grabbing a quick breakfast. After saying goodbye to his parents, he pulled on his biking jacket and went to the garage where his bike sat. He checked to make sure everything was set, then sat on the seat, pulling his helmet on. The engine roared to life, and he headed out to the school, driving probably slightly faster than he should have been, but not so fast that he would really get in trouble for it.

Start Of School
Asher pulled in to the parking lot for his new high school, weaving around the parking spaces until he found a satisfactory one up near the front. Kicking down the kick stand, he dismounted and removed his helmet, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to fix the mess the helmet had made of it. As he combed his hair with his fingers, he gazed out at the students, his future classmates and, hopefully, future friends. Either satisfied, or just plain giving up on his hair, he lowered his hand and placed his helmet on the seat of his bike, glancing at his watch. There was still plenty of time before the school assembly, so maybe he'd be able to make some new friends in that time. For now, he scanned around, looking for anyone who seemed to be alone or appeared eager to socialize.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Rick Palermo and Daniel Taylor

Yet another beautiful, sunny day -- but what would Coastal Daytona be, without arguably its' most high-profile of trouble-makers? Rick Palermo, and his beloved '16 Chevy Colorado Z71, whips into an open spot somewhere along the edges of the student parking lot. The truck, proudly, has a big American flag waving at the tail-end of it -- and has been having it for as long as he had the vehicle in his possession. The 5'11 athlete with light-brunette hair swings open the door, his pale blue eyes soaking in the pure blue skies above him. Rick turns to grab his red school bag, which sports an American flag engraved in the center of it, and swings it around his shoulders as he steps out, swings the door shut, and reaches into his pocket to remote-lock the door as he steps away. While Rick was born in Daytona, he spent his childhood growing up in rural Georgia -- which he considered his true home. He ended up moving back, along with his mother, following the divorce between her and Rick's father once the latter was caught sleeping with another woman. His dad still resides in Georgia, to this day, though the two hardly ever speak since the incident that brought Rick back to his birthplace and his mother's hometown.

Rick kept strolling along, and glanced over to see Danny Taylor conversing with a few new students. Oh, my. What a perfect opportunity. Rick thought to himself, flashing a rather mischievous grin. He slowly crept up to Daniel, making sure to stay behind him and out-of-sight. As he drew closer, Rick raised his index finger and placed it over his perked lips, giving the universal 'hush' sign. Whether it was by pure coincidence that they followed along, or they just couldn't warn Daniel in time before Rick pounced, Daniel found himself in a headlock-position just as he was verbalizing the "nice to see some new faces around here" sentiment toward Luke and Eleanor. Palermo, with his straight-laced teammate in a headlock, grinded his knuckles into Danny's head via the ever-infamous noogie. Ugh, wha--STOP!" Daniel shouted. Rick glanced toward Larry, and grinned as Daniel struggled to break the hold. "Hey, bro!" Rick shouted enthusiastically, finally letting Daniel free after a few agonizing and humiliating seconds for him, and ran off toward the school entrance. Rick and Daniel never seemed to get along, sharing only a tenuous working relationship existing between the two on the field. Off of it, though? Rick was always looking for ways to irritate the prodigal child of Coastal Daytona football. More often than not, as was the case in this instance, he was successful in that endeavor. "Asshole." Daniel whispered, rather loudly -- audible enough for the three around him to hear. Danny sighed, looking back to his newly-made acquaintances, and Larry, and shook his head. "I apologize for that, guys. That's Rick, he's... well, I don't think he needs much of an intro after that." Daniel remarked, ending with a chuckle. "Anyway." Daniel then turned toward Larry. "I was just wondering if you could help move some stuff around in my sister's room. I'm heading over there, if you wouldn't mind coming along, Larry." Daniel remarked, reaching up to fix a few stray hairs following Rick's playful, if not annoying, tussle.

Following the successful irking of Daniel Taylor, Rick scouts around for a new target. First day, might as well have some fun with it -- am I right? Rick was beaming with pride as he opened the doors of the place he called home, sporting a white polo shirt and blue jeans. He meandered around the hallway, his mind wandering into the realm of mischievous thinking, and waved at a few familiar faces and friends -- cracking a few inside jokes and one-liners with some of his pals. Then, he froze. His eyes widened, and his grin grew even more. He spotted victim number two, Eric Stevens. Rick rubbed his chin, slowly walking up to him, and silently stopped just behind him. His eyes glanced toward the pair of girls he was conversing with, and was pleased to see he was distracted by them. Not a second after Sophia was telling Eric "great to see you as always," Rick reached down and Eric would find, and feel, that his gym shorts were being pulled down. Rick turned toward the two girls, giving them a thumb's up, and began sprinting away, proudly, and loudly, exclaiming "Got' em!" as he may his getaway -- hoping the attempt of fleeing would go without being caught by a disciplinarian, teacher, or the principal himself.

[Maligard]

Grimm Residence
7:30 AM EST

"Damnit!" Logan Grimm groaned as the alarm clock on his phone was going off. He turned over, and pressed the 'stop' button. He proceeded to do his usual morning ritual: Eat breakfast, take a shower, brush teeth, get clothes on, and fix hair. After doing so, he got his black messenger bag and proceeded to walk out of his two-story home. He got into his 2016 Chevrolet Malibu and went off to the academy.

He arrived at the academy at 7:40 AM, seeing the students of the school talking in the parking lots and walking into the school. He parked his car, and got out. He then began to take in his new surroundings, this will be the school he will attend, probably for the next two school years. After another few minutes, he got his messenger bag and followed the path of the other students. After getting in, he went over to his locker, putting a few things in, and a few decorations. His phone then vibrated, and he looked to see who it was.

It was his mother.

"Hey honey! I hope you have a good first day at school! -Love Mom

Thanks mom he thought as he texted her back, thanking her and telling her that he loved her. He then made his way into the cafeteria, and sat at an empty table. He thought that maybe sitting here alone would help him out, he could probably make some new friends this way. It wasn't any sort of plot, he needed friends right now to talk to, but he also wanted to sit alone, maybe calm down a bit, because after all, he was feeling nervous.

[Duestchstien]

London Heathrow Airport
“Alright mum, see you at Christmas.” Jordan turned and went through security. Before he knew it he was flying in the air. He changed his new Hamilton Watch to East Coast Time before taking a rest, he was tired after pulling an all nighter playing CSG. 8 Hours later he awoke with only an hour to spare beforehand landing a table Six O Clock in the morning. He went to lavatories where he put on some deodorant and combed his hair before sitting back down.

Daytona Beach, USA
“Thank you for flying KLM, and enjoy your stay, we hope to fly again” said the overhead speakers as a crowd of people and suitcases slowly shuffled alongside the aisle. Jordan grabbed his Backpack and shuffled off the plane. He headed down to the conveyor belt where he picked up his suit case and then found a nearby McDonald’s to eat.

It felt so good to eat food Jordan was starving after his long flight. Once he was done he called his mom before leaving the restaurant. He got in an Uber and went straight to school. During nervous car ride questions kept running through his mind, did he have everything? What was American slang? and What was he going to expect? Among other things. Following this he promptly got out at the school with his suitcase in one hand his backpack in his shoulders he felt mostly ready to begin his new life.

[True Christopia]

Max

Schooldays were good. They were days that she didn't have to see him, considering he didn't feel the need to wake up early enough simply to harass her on the way out of the house - as much as he might prefer her not to leave at all. Some things, however, he couldn't force.

As quiet as she could, she slipped out of the house as soon as she was dressed. No need to linger, even if it was to eat. She wanted out of that house with any excuse she could find. Shrugging her school-bag onto her shoulders, she made her way to the Academy.

Being the first day of school, she did feel some relief after the summer. Although, it was a bummer knowing there'd be a lack of people who would want to talk to her. She was an outcast of sorts - not really fitting in with many considering she'd only moved into Daytona the previous year. She felt bad for the newer kids - she'd heard a bunch were moving into the school. Hurts to be late.

Stepping onto the campus, she rubbed her dreary eyes and sat on one of the wooden benches, taking out a small notepad in which she started to doodle absent-mindedly. The sketches were terrible - just stick-figures, mostly, but it was something that kept her mind occupied as she waited for the school to start.

[Chewion]

Before School
Ryan Weber

Ryan pulled his truck into his parking spot and turned off the ignition before checking his phone. Later today he knew he would have to come back to school and move in some of his stuff to his dorm. This would be the first time he would be staying at the school. His family lived in the city but his parents thought it would be a good idea for him to stay on campus to ease into what college would be like. Ryan didn't mind at all. It just gave him more freedom and still the comfort of knowing his home was only fifteen minutes away.

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Ryan got out of his truck and grabbed his trumpet case and backpack before shutting his doors and locking them. At least my football gear is already inside. Making his way to the doors he entered the school and made a beeline for the Band Hall. He had something he had to do. In fact it had kept him up most of the night.

Finally reaching the Band Hall he walked in and gave Dr. Eijck a nod and a smile. The band director was one of Ryan's favorite teachers. The man had really helped Ryan become a great trumpet player only second to Jessica Deckard although not by that much if you asked Ryan. The thought of Jessica almost sent Ryan's stomach into flip flops. He had always liked her and the two had a good chemistry but Ryan had been dating his know ex-girlfriend until the end of last school year. But with her gone Ryan now was free to possibly date Jessica.

Finally snapping back to reality and out of his thoughts, Ryan spotted Jessica over by the trumpet lockers and made his way over there. He put his trumpet in his locker, which coincidentally was right above Jessica's, and then turned around and looked at Jessica saying "Hey Jessica. I was wondering if you wanted to come to the Beach Part with me? After he said it he wanted to punch himself. What if he had asked to soon and she said no? He could ruin any chance with her. Despite this internal war going on in his head Ryan kept a calm and confident outward appearance even as she looked slightly surprised at his sudden question before smiling and saying "Uhh, yeah sure. It'll be cool to go as friends." Smiling Ryan quickly said "Cool. I have to go now. See you in class." Grabbing his stuff he headed out to the cafeteria and noticed his sister over by the other cheerleaders. Heading over there he smiled at the other two before saying “Hey y’all. Excited for school?”

[Recon]

Ryo Shimizu

The alarm bleeped loudly on the desk, the vibrating phone's screen flashing in urgent warning. Ryo groaned loudly, he felt this way often, simply switch it off and retreat back under the covers, he thought. But the alarm was growing louder with each moment. He had placed the phone on the desk on the far side of the room, so he would have to get up to switch it off. After a moment’s hesitation about leaving his warm bed, he dragged himself up and dismissed the alarm, hoping he had not disturbed another guest. It did not take long after washing his face and brushing his teeth that he began to feel awake. He checked the time on his phone 05:50, making sure he had wiped the sleeps from his eyes he started to get ready. Ryo put on his ASICS warm up gear, tied up his sneakers and headed down to the pool. As he arrived, it was being opened; the staff members were laying out the lane lines on the short course pool. Ryo liked to start early and choose his lane, before the pool would begin to fill.

After a quick shower, he entered the water. Ryo activated his tracker and settled down into his routine. By the time he stepped out the pool, he was disappointed. The tracker showed he was slow, maybe it was the jetlag, but his legs felt like they were just dragging in the water. Frustrated, he returned to his room, showered again to wash off the chlorine, did his best to get his luggage together and then headed down to breakfast. Breakfast improved his mood, as he enjoyed wholemeal toast, eggs and fruit juice while checking the device’s information. Silently matching his lap count, with the tracker’s readings, he sent the data to his coach back at Keio as he enjoyed soaking up the egg’s yoke with the toast. He found comfort in his routine, even in the unfamiliar surroundings of the hotel; it kept him from thinking about going into the school later. Checking through all his Line message groups also helped.

The time came, his luggage was packed. He made a last phone call home; his family were sitting down to dinner, Sukiyaki with wagyu beef. His stomach ached as he thought about it and after delaying as long as he could and probably, letting his family’s food go cold, he got off the phone and checked out of the hotel. He asked the hotel to order him a taxi. Arriving at the school, he put on his backpack and dragged his case towards the main entrance under the hot Florida sun.

[Segral]

Larry Colbourne

Larry watched with a half-annoyance, half-awe as one Rick Palermo came up and decided to give what was commonly known as a "noogie" on to the receiving target of Daniel Taylor's head. When Rick Palermo was somewhere, anywhere, trouble, mischief, and chaos quickly followed suit. He had been in the locker room with him enough times to know full well about this, and to make sure your towel was nowhere near his hands.

Poor Daniel looked very annoyed after the noogie, and wasn't afraid to vocalize his opinion. Quite a trait, it was, it was always good to vocalize. Which is exactly why Larry does not. Turning to Eleanor and Luke, a slight grin hidden under the folds of his hair, he began to explain further.

"Rick is....a little...out-there." he said quietly. "I'll give you some advice for when you're around him; move as quickly as possible in the opposite direction. It helps." he continued with a slight chuckle, before turning to Danny, fixing his hair. If the ladies wanted you, great hair was a necessity. Then again, it doesn't always apply, in the case of Larry and his hair, which he spent a considerable amount of time doing each morning. But this wasn't about hair-care, this was about CDA and Rick Palermo. And Danny Taylor's sisters moving requirements.

"....................." was the long pause before his answer, as if he was struggling with some internal indecision, as he began to seemingly shrink before the group's eyes, despite never changing in height. Suddenly, he let out an abrupt answer to Danny's question. "Ok, sure, what needs to be moved?"

[New Flattnerk]

Eric Stevens
“It’s great to se-” Eric’s reply would cut short by the feeling of his athletic shorts being pulled down with a rather embarrassing audience around him. Luckily the audience who witnessed the pantsing was rather small due to all the day students not being required to be there. So, even though the crowd was small Eric was still rather embarrassed due to the fact that Sophia and Sydney got eyeful of the whole situation being as they were front and center to the whole thing. Eric was shocked for a second and just stood there staring at Rick make his escape and even contemplating running after him.

Poor Rick would not get far as he had hoped. While running the hallway he looked back to see the aftermath which caused him to run straight into what felt like a brick wall. A brick wall would be preferable to what Rick would look up and see. Which was the big bushy bearded Coach Graves. The collision had caused Graves’ scorching coffee to launch itself from its container onto Graves’ shirt. He glared at Rick then peered around him to see Eric pulling up his shorts and went back to staring Rick down. A deep heavy sigh was then followed by the words “That was my last batch.” Graves then took Rick by the shoulder and started to march him down to the disciplinarian office.

Eric now fully aware of the situation quickly pulled up his shorts. Waved to some of the onlookers and turned his attention to Sophia. His face was noticeably red. Whether it be from anger or embarrassment or a combination of both. He didn’t lose his composure and apologized. “Well, I’m sorry that you had to see that..”

[Anowa]

Cameron Vanstraaten
School Janitor
Custodian's 'Office', Coastal Daytona Academy // Wednesday, August 16th, 2017 // 8:08 AM

The room was poorly lit, smelled like random chemicals, had shitty ventilation, and was dusty. Just like all the barracks Cameron had lived in for five years of her life. It wasn't all too bad, living in a run down dump was second nature to the woman at this point, so spending a few hours a day ordering cleaning supplies and bathroom stock in fold up furniture wasn't all too bad. At least she didn't have anyone screaming at her, or getting her in shit, or asking stupid fucking questions.

But of course, with her nature of waking up at five every morning all she needed to do for the day was pretty much done. All the bathrooms were stocked with bog roll, soap, paper towels, etcetera. While all the floors were mopped and swept. Had she not done so over a week ago, she'd have waxed the floors again just to keep busy. But sadly there wasn't enough time, so she simply sat, staring at a Acer screen, reading up on the yearly news for hurricane season. Among other storms was one named Harvey, but as it stood it wasn't anything more than a rain cloud throwing an unnecessary tantrum.

The whole 'Hurricane Culture' of Florida also had threw Cameron for a bit of a loop when she first got here. In Quebec, if you said your windows were a foot thick, everyone would think you were nuts. But here, you kinda need them to avoid eating a tree branch moving at several hundred miles an hour.

The alarm on her watch started going off, and she closed the laptop, returning the room to it's usual darkness, illuminated by a single, dated, 40 watt bulb. She stood, tall based on averages, but compared to most still a bit under the cut. The athletic body she'd attained during her stint with the MP unit she served in was still with her, though with better nutrition after being discharged it was much less wiry than before. It wasn't the only thing from her service that stuck with her. The pants came with.

Not because Cameron liked MultiCam, nor because she was some moto douchebag who couldn't let go of military life, but because finding women's pants with any pockets that were more than half an inch deep was a pain in the ass. Of course, she also kept the preference for solid shoes that weren't likely to explode after three weeks, but then again so did most people. Good old brown hiking boot adorned her feet, proven to save the average person from the feeling of busting their ass on ice.

Her upper body was much more basic: a deep blue polo shirt. That was it. To say she cared about wearing clothing that matched in palette to any degree would be a blatant lie, as the woman valued function and comfort above all else.

That being said, the alarm on her watch signified she was supposed to head on down to the Auditorium for the introductory assembly. She wasn't looking forward to it. Her civvie side disliked it simply because it was gonna be the same shit as always, some motivational BS about the school followed by some spirit week tier crap, followed by introductions for the staff. The last part was the only thing Cameron saw as worth it. Meanwhile, her military side that never really left, loathed it for the irrational hatred of sitting through a three hour powerpoint basically telling people how to have common sense.

Regardless she stepped towards the door of the glorified broom closet. Pausing as she grabbed the door knob, she glanced back at the backpack resting against the foldaway table. A moment passed as she contemplated grabbing a few things, before ultimately settling in on getting a few of the bag's contents. Zipping it open she grabbed a small pill bottle, seemingly innocuous, the label read 'Alprazolam'. Cameron popped it open before dry swallowing a duo of the pills. Turkcing it back into the pack, she returned to the door, departing the room, and locking the door behind her.

261 days to go.

[Vaquas]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf absentmindedly walked straight down the entrance corridor, weaving in and out of the clumps of students that were hanging around the length of the open space and on more than one occasion taking extra large steps where bags were tossed carelessly on the floor. The joys of being back in school. By the time he came to the end of the locker corridor he couldn't help but sigh in relief noticing that the number of groups of students this far down was smaller and that meant more space to walk without being knocked into. Crowds weren't exactly his area of expertise, even back in Washington his friendship group consisted of only three people. He hadn't even been in CDA for very long but it already felt different to Seattle, but maybe that was just because he knew nobody yet. This would also be his first time living in a school, an experience he was strangely anticipating, providing he ended up with a decent roommate of course and not some questionable sociopath, or worse, a heavy metal fan.

Somehow without noticing, Yusuf had wound up in a completely deserted part of the school, no students, teachers or even cleaners were in sight, not that this bothered him, there was something peaceful about deserted corridors even if they wouldn't look out of place in a Netflix horror series. Glancing at the different classrooms around him he had yet see any sort of music room, which he was looking forward to finding, knowing a lot of time would likely be spent there. Losing concentration on his surroundings again, he ran his hand through his hair, happy at how soft it was this morning. He was glad to have chosen the olive green shirt too, as opposed to black. Even if he didn't like everything about Florida, the warm weather and sunshine was definitely a plus. Quickly, his attention was brought back to the corridor as he turned the corner and narrowly avoided walking right into somebody. "Woah...sorry man!" Yusuf exclaimed to the stranger, embarrassed from having almost caused a collision. That would have made for an instantly awkward first day. Coming over himself he glanced at who it was he had stumbled upon. A handsome young guy who looked to be around his age, albeit more muscular. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

As Jackson walked through the halls of the large sprawling complex, he couldn't help but admire the work that was put into it. The layout was ideal, he thought, though perhaps a few more bathrooms wouldn't hurt, especially in the more obscure parts of the building. Traversing through the empty space, he stopped at the door of his favorite instructor, Mr. Richards. An advanced math teacher, Mr. Richards was always there to discuss the subject and its many intricacies with the detail oriented student, often helping him sketch things out and the like for his architecture class and pouring over seemingly unsolvable problems. Seeing that the short fat man was not yet present, Jackson moved on, starting to turn a corner when he almost stumbled into someone. With the other person apologizing before he did, Jackson unclenched his fist somewhat, which had been a bit too tight around his poster, and sized the guy up.

The shorter boy was clearly of Middle Eastern descent, Jackson gathered, nice hair too. Good looking overall, really. He didn't dwell on it and returned a "You're good." before preparing to walk away. Stopping himself, he remembered that his assigned roommate's name was "Yusuf" and that this potentially could be him. Stereotypical? Maybe. But stereotypes exist for a reason.

"Oh, uh, you wouldn't by any chance happen to be Yusuf Erkan, would you?" the dark-skinned teenager asked with a rather faint, almost nonexistent southern accent, giving it at a shot. At worst it was awkward and he'd probably never see the guy again, at best he had run into his roommate by chance.

[Chewion]

Sarah Weber
School Parking Lot

Sarah had just arrived at school, several minutes after her brother, and was preparing to head inside. Hoping out form her Jeep she grabbed her stuff and made for the door. She had brought her trumpet to school during the summer and left it so she decided to just head straight for the cafeteria hoping to find Madison and the others. Passing by a few boys she knew liked her she gave them a smile and almost laughed as she watched them get nervous. She loved messing with people especially boys. It wasn't out of being mean just wanting to have fun. Although the boys got her thinking. I do need to find a date for the Beach Party. I wonder if I'll get asked or if I will have to do the asking.

Finally reaching the cafeteria she looked around for a second before spotting Madison and Julia. Making her way over to them she gave them a smile and said "Hey girls, how are y'all doing?" That's when she noticed the anger so apparent on Madison's face. Setting her bag down she looked worried and said "You ok Madison?". Already Sarah had a feeling this might be Eric related. Madison hadn't taken the break up easy.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Sophia and Sydney Taylor

The Taylor sisters, audience to the prank conducted by Palermo, were caught just as off-guard to it as Eric Stevens was, the victim of Rick's mischief. The two of them, like many of the other bystanders, were quite shocked at the sudden sight of someone's underwear, and quickly looked up to see Eric's embarrassed, and also quite furious, facial expression. Sydney attempted to hide her initial amusement by shifting to stand behind Sophia, who just watched on as Rick would comically collide with Graves, who'd then haul off the perpetrator to visit the disciplinarian.

Sophia's brown eyes scans the crowd around them, seeing most of them chuckle after witnessing the entire spectacle till it's end, then looks back toward Eric as he apologized for the entire ordeal, and ends with glancing toward Sydney, who was silently standing next to her. "Hey, Syd. Would you mind giving us a moment?" Sophia inquired, with her typically soft and re-assuring tone of voice. Last thing Sophia wanted to do was to make Sydney feel as though she was guilty of something. "Yeah. Sure, of course." The younger Taylor sister promptly replied back, nodding her head with a grin, and then stepped away to leave Eric and Sophia alone for their brief moment together. Sophia sighed, immediately after, and left a bit of an awkward silence between the two of them as they stood alone in the hallway, Sophia watching the crowd dissipate, but then she cracked a slight grin. "You know what would've been really awkward? If you were wearing pink underwear." Sophia quipped, reaching out to pat Eric on the shoulders. "Sorry." She remarked, following her attempt to make light of the awkward situation. "Anyway. C'mon. Let's, uh, let's just get out of here." Sophia said, pointing toward a door that lead outside -- to allow for a more personal and intimate conversation between the two, away from the likes of pranksters like Palermo or envious girls like Madison.

Sophia walked toward the door, stopping to hold the door open for Eric, and then took a breath of fresh air as she made her way out from the suddenly-crowded lobby and hallway. Sophia looked over toward Eric, yet her face showed little-to-no emotion as she thought about ways to help keep his mind off what had just happened mere seconds ago. "So, how's my brother doing, in practice?" Sophia asked, crossing her arms. She was making it a point to treat Eric no differently than before the humiliating incident, neither pitifully or mercilessly, acting as though nothing had happened -- knowing Eric likely just wants to forget about the entire thing and leave it behind him. The question itself appears to be a silly one at the surface, and she let it sit for a second before clarifying the true intended meaning of her inquiry. "I mean, like, has he been getting along well with the other guys on the team?"

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf absentmindedly walked straight down the entrance corridor, weaving in and out of the clumps of students that were hanging around the length of the open space and on more than one occasion taking extra large steps where bags were tossed carelessly on the floor. The joys of being back in school. By the time he came to the end of the locker corridor he couldn't help but sigh in relief noticing that the number of groups of students this far down was smaller and that meant more space to walk without being knocked into. Crowds weren't exactly his area of expertise, even back in Washington his friendship group consisted of only three people. He hadn't even been in CDA for very long but it already felt different to Seattle, but maybe that was just because he knew nobody yet. This would also be his first time living in a school, an experience he was strangely anticipating, providing he ended up with a decent roommate of course and not some questionable sociopath, or worse, a heavy metal fan.

Somehow without noticing, Yusuf had wound up in a completely deserted part of the school, no students, teachers or even cleaners were in sight, not that this bothered him, there was something peaceful about deserted corridors even if they wouldn't look out of place in a Netflix horror series. Glancing at the different classrooms around him he had yet see any sort of music room, which he was looking forward to finding, knowing a lot of time would likely be spent there. Losing concentration on his surroundings again, he ran his hand through his hair, happy at how soft it was this morning. He was glad to have chosen the olive green shirt too, as opposed to black. Even if he didn't like everything about Florida, the warm weather and sunshine was definitely a plus. Quickly, his attention was brought back to the corridor as he turned the corner and narrowly avoided walking right into somebody. "Woah...sorry man!" Yusuf exclaimed to the stranger, embarrassed from having almost caused a collision. That would have made for an instantly awkward first day. Coming over himself he glanced at who it was he had stumbled upon. A handsome young guy who looked to be around his age, albeit more muscular. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

As Jackson walked through the halls of the large sprawling complex, he couldn't help but admire the work that was put into it. The layout was ideal, he thought, though perhaps a few more bathrooms wouldn't hurt, especially in the more obscure parts of the building. Traversing through the empty space, he stopped at the door of his favorite instructor, Mr. Richards. An advanced math teacher, Mr. Richards was always there to discuss the subject and its many intricacies with the detail oriented student, often helping him sketch things out and the like for his architecture class and pouring over seemingly unsolvable problems. Seeing that the short fat man was not yet present, Jackson moved on, starting to turn a corner when he almost stumbled into someone. With the other person apologizing before he did, Jackson unclenched his fist somewhat, which had been a bit too tight around his poster, and sized the guy up.

The shorter boy was clearly of Middle Eastern descent, Jackson gathered, nice hair too. Good looking overall, really. He didn't dwell on it and returned a "You're good." before preparing to walk away. Stopping himself, he remembered that his assigned roommate's name was "Yusuf" and that this potentially could be him. Stereotypical? Maybe. But stereotypes exist for a reason.

"Oh, uh, you wouldn't by any chance happen to be Yusuf Erkan, would you?" the dark-skinned teenager asked with a rather faint, almost nonexistent southern accent, giving it at a shot. At worst it was awkward and he'd probably never see the guy again, at best he had run into his roommate by chance.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf sighed in relief, the guy was pleasant and didn't hold any grudge. Apologies out of the way the pair began walking in separate directions, until the other teenager spoke again with words he was not expecting to here. "Yes, I'm Yusuf", he responded with a puzzled expression. How did this stranger he had never seen before in his life know his name? He wasn't even a teacher, the boy was clearly a student which made it even more peculiar. There was however, the abstract possibility that he may have accidentally ran into his roommate which would explain why he knew his name and there weren't many (if any) students he had seen who looked Middle Eastern and with a name like Yusuf it only made sense to make that assumption.

Yusuf had checked his roommate's name the night but he could only remember their first name: Jackson. Realising how much a coincidence it would be if that were the case Yusuf made the decision to go for it. "I might be pulling a complete wildcard with this one, but are you Jackson...?" he asked, trailing off at the end unable to recall anything more than the letter b for the rest of the name. Yusuf too had a fairly neutral accent although it was decidedly more American than a Turkish, unsurprising considering he had been born and grew up in America and had never actually lived in Turkey for more than three months at a time.

[Vaquas]

As Jackson walked through the halls of the large sprawling complex, he couldn't help but admire the work that was put into it. The layout was ideal, he thought, though perhaps a few more bathrooms wouldn't hurt, especially in the more obscure parts of the building. Traversing through the empty space, he stopped at the door of his favorite instructor, Mr. Richards. An advanced math teacher, Mr. Richards was always there to discuss the subject and its many intricacies with the detail oriented student, often helping him sketch things out and the like for his architecture class and pouring over seemingly unsolvable problems. Seeing that the short fat man was not yet present, Jackson moved on, starting to turn a corner when he almost stumbled into someone. With the other person apologizing before he did, Jackson unclenched his fist somewhat, which had been a bit too tight around his poster, and sized the guy up.

The shorter boy was clearly of Middle Eastern descent, Jackson gathered, nice hair too. Good looking overall, really. He didn't dwell on it and returned a "You're good." before preparing to walk away. Stopping himself, he remembered that his assigned roommate's name was "Yusuf" and that this potentially could be him. Stereotypical? Maybe. But stereotypes exist for a reason.

"Oh, uh, you wouldn't by any chance happen to be Yusuf Erkan, would you?" the dark-skinned teenager asked with a rather faint, almost nonexistent southern accent, giving it at a shot. At worst it was awkward and he'd probably never see the guy again, at best he had run into his roommate by chance.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf sighed in relief, the guy was pleasant and didn't hold any grudge. Apologies out of the way the pair began walking in separate directions, until the other teenager spoke again with words he was not expecting to here. "Yes, I'm Yusuf", he responded with a puzzled expression. How did this stranger he had never seen before in his life know his name? He wasn't even a teacher, the boy was clearly a student which made it even more peculiar. There was however, the abstract possibility that he may have accidentally ran into his roommate which would explain why he knew his name and there weren't many (if any) students he had seen who looked Middle Eastern and with a name like Yusuf it only made sense to make that assumption.

Yusuf had checked his roommate's name the night but he could only remember their first name: Jackson. Realising how much a coincidence it would be if that were the case Yusuf made the decision to go for it. "I might be pulling a complete wildcard with this one, but are you Jackson...?" he asked, trailing off at the end unable to recall anything more than the letter b for the rest of the name. Yusuf too had a fairly neutral accent although it was decidedly more American than a Turkish, unsurprising considering he had been born and grew up in America and had never actually lived in Turkey for more than three months at a time.

Jackson Brady

Knowing now that he had indeed bumped into his roomate, Jackson gave a small grin and nodded slightly. He outstretched his empty hand and gave a firm grasp when it was returned. "I sure am, Jackson Brady. I suppose that means we're roommates." he said, still in mild disbelief regarding the coincidence that had happened upon him. Given that he was going to be living with this person, he decided it would be best to open conversation as quickly as possible to detect any potential red flags, and to get some basic information of course. "This your first year here? I haven't seen you around before, though its possible I just missed you in the sea of 3,000 people." he asked, pretty sure that this was a new guy but not sure enough to make a definitive statement off the bat.

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf sighed in relief, the guy was pleasant and didn't hold any grudge. Apologies out of the way the pair began walking in separate directions, until the other teenager spoke again with words he was not expecting to here. "Yes, I'm Yusuf", he responded with a puzzled expression. How did this stranger he had never seen before in his life know his name? He wasn't even a teacher, the boy was clearly a student which made it even more peculiar. There was however, the abstract possibility that he may have accidentally ran into his roommate which would explain why he knew his name and there weren't many (if any) students he had seen who looked Middle Eastern and with a name like Yusuf it only made sense to make that assumption.

Yusuf had checked his roommate's name the night but he could only remember their first name: Jackson. Realising how much a coincidence it would be if that were the case Yusuf made the decision to go for it. "I might be pulling a complete wildcard with this one, but are you Jackson...?" he asked, trailing off at the end unable to recall anything more than the letter b for the rest of the name. Yusuf too had a fairly neutral accent although it was decidedly more American than a Turkish, unsurprising considering he had been born and grew up in America and had never actually lived in Turkey for more than three months at a time.

Jackson Brady

Knowing now that he had indeed bumped into his roomate, Jackson gave a small grin and nodded slightly. He outstretched his empty hand and gave a firm grasp when it was returned. "I sure am, Jackson Brady. I suppose that means we're roommates." he said, still in mild disbelief regarding the coincidence that had happened upon him. Given that he was going to be living with this person, he decided it would be best to open conversation as quickly as possible to detect any potential red flags, and to get some basic information of course. "This your first year here? I haven't seen you around before, though its possible I just missed you in the sea of 3,000 people." he asked, pretty sure that this was a new guy but not sure enough to make a definitive statement off the bat.

Yusuf Erkan

"Brady! That's it," Yusuf thought when Jackson gave his full name. Still surprised by the strange coincidence that was randomly stumbling upon his roommate, Yusuf returned the other boy's handshake before noting his question about whether or not he was new to CDA or not. "You're right I'm new here, just arrived a few days ago", he responded before continuing. "I'm from Seattle in Washington, but as I'm sure you've guessed from the name, I'm actually Turkish. The reason I'm here is because my parents thought it would be...a good decision. Or more accurately they didn't want to deal with me," he explained saying the final sentence in a much quieter tone. "I'm guessing from the way you mentioned that you haven't seen me around here before that this is not your first year in Daytona?", Yusuf added. He had only just met Jackson and was yet to form a proper impression about him, but he didn't seem to be the type who would pose any problems during their stay,that was definitely a plus. Getting to know somebody familiar with the city could also be quite beneficial.

[Vaquas]

Jackson Brady

Knowing now that he had indeed bumped into his roomate, Jackson gave a small grin and nodded slightly. He outstretched his empty hand and gave a firm grasp when it was returned. "I sure am, Jackson Brady. I suppose that means we're roommates." he said, still in mild disbelief regarding the coincidence that had happened upon him. Given that he was going to be living with this person, he decided it would be best to open conversation as quickly as possible to detect any potential red flags, and to get some basic information of course. "This your first year here? I haven't seen you around before, though its possible I just missed you in the sea of 3,000 people." he asked, pretty sure that this was a new guy but not sure enough to make a definitive statement off the bat.

Yusuf Erkan

"Brady! That's it," Yusuf thought when Jackson gave his full name. Still surprised by the strange coincidence that was randomly stumbling upon his roommate, Yusuf returned the other boy's handshake before noting his question about whether or not he was new to CDA or not. "You're right I'm new here, just arrived a few days ago", he responded before continuing. "I'm from Seattle in Washington, but as I'm sure you've guessed from the name, I'm actually Turkish. The reason I'm here is because my parents thought it would be...a good decision. Or more accurately they didn't want to deal with me," he explained saying the final sentence in a much quieter tone. "I'm guessing from the way you said you haven't seen me around here before that this is not your first year in Daytona?", Yusuf added. He had only just met Jackson and was yet to form a proper impression about him, but he didn't seem to be the type who would pose any problems during their stay,that was definitely a plus.

Jackson Brady

Hearing the circumstances regarding Yusuf's enrollment struck a chord with Jackson, who was essentially there for the same reason. He wondered what specifically had caused the boy's family to send him across the country, but he did not want to rush into what could potentially be a very touchy subject. "Yeah, I can relate to that, my parents are in Mississippi right now. As for this being my first year, nope, last year was my first. Its a good school, I've been a bit anxious to get started again to be frank with you." Jackson explained.

[Kwadai]

Yusuf Erkan

"Brady! That's it," Yusuf thought when Jackson gave his full name. Still surprised by the strange coincidence that was randomly stumbling upon his roommate, Yusuf returned the other boy's handshake before noting his question about whether or not he was new to CDA or not. "You're right I'm new here, just arrived a few days ago", he responded before continuing. "I'm from Seattle in Washington, but as I'm sure you've guessed from the name, I'm actually Turkish. The reason I'm here is because my parents thought it would be...a good decision. Or more accurately they didn't want to deal with me," he explained saying the final sentence in a much quieter tone. "I'm guessing from the way you said you haven't seen me around here before that this is not your first year in Daytona?", Yusuf added. He had only just met Jackson and was yet to form a proper impression about him, but he didn't seem to be the type who would pose any problems during their stay,that was definitely a plus.

Jackson Brady

Hearing the circumstances regarding Yusuf's enrollment struck a chord with Jackson, who was essentially there for the same reason. He wondered what specifically had caused the boy's family to send him across the country, but he did not want to rush into what could potentially be a very touchy subject. "Yeah, I can relate to that, my parents are in Mississippi right now. As for this being my first year, nope, last year was my first. Its a good school, I've been a bit anxious to get started again to be frank with you." Jackson explained.

Yusuf Erkan

Yusuf found himself nodding in agreement to what Jackson was saying as regards being eager to start back at school. He too had a similar mindset, high school at least had been a mostly positive experience so far. He appreciated how Jackson chose not to inquire more about why he was here and not in Seattle. If he were going to get to know him better he would of course explain, but telling someone (who was still technically unknown to him) his life story within five minutes of meeting was not part of Yusuf's agenda. With that pause the other boy took the opportunity to state how his parents were in Mississippi. "Mississippi you say?", Yusuf replied, contemplating. "That's certainly different. Anyway, I agree, the school seems good if appearance is anything to go by. What about Daytona? Is it nice living here? Vacation is one thing, but living must be quite another."

[Terintania]

The Main Lobby

"Pleeease papa pleaaaase" it took a lot of begging pleading and sucking up to her dear father but now here she was in the USA at last. While she had hopped for somewhere fancy like NYC or LA but Daytona Beach seemed like a nice place to be. It wasn't terribly different from her home in the Philippines. She knew, she researched it, right down to the hurricanes. She wasn't really anticipating one but she'd been through a share back home, it was good to be ready. But her mind was more focused on school, a new school meeting new people. Americans were usually friendly she'd been told, she'd also been told they were violent and gun happy and a small girl like her would be eaten alive over here. She was a little nervous but more excited to be here in America at a foreign school. Still ti was going to be strange. Her phone rang

"Hello? Oooh papa!"

"Wanted to check up on you, did you make in yet?"

"Yeha I just arrived in Daytona Beach now. It was really easy to get down here, just took train from Orlando."

"good good. So you're settled in?"

"I haven't found where I'd be staying yet I thought I'd explore the school a little." Actually she didn't even know who her roommate would be if she had any. "Okay I love you too, papa bye bye"

She took to her phone again "Might as well let everyone else know" Many of her friends back home were eager to follow her trip she she set up a Twitter to post

(Image)
Twitter Account Name
@Elly Venecia

---

I'm finally here, finally made it to America! Checking out new school now!

Asher sat against his bike and took his rollerblades out of his bag. Kicking off his boots, he pulled on the rollerblades and began tightening them. He knew that this would probably be against some rule, somewhere, and it was just a little harmless fun. It was entirely possible that the school staff wouldn't see it that way, but he didn't really care. If they wanted to be stuffy and strict, they could be stuffy and strict. Meanwhile, he'd be doing what he did, and enjoying life. Once his rollerblades were on, he pulled the legs of his pants over the top, then straightened up, putting his boots in the bag where the rollerblades had been. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he rolled on toward the school.

On his way in to the building, he saw a girl who was on her phone. He decided she would make a good first contact, and he drifted to a stop in front of her, giving her a big grin. "Hey. Excited for school?" He asked cheerfully. It briefly crossed his mind that she may be in the middle of something and he was interrupting, but he figured he'd just apologize and move on his way if she didn't want to talk. "I'm Asher, by the way," He said to Elly as an afterthought, offering the Philippine girl a hand for a handshake.

[AHSCA]

Asher sat against his bike and took his rollerblades out of his bag. Kicking off his boots, he pulled on the rollerblades and began tightening them. He knew that this would probably be against some rule, somewhere, and it was just a little harmless fun. It was entirely possible that the school staff wouldn't see it that way, but he didn't really care. If they wanted to be stuffy and strict, they could be stuffy and strict. Meanwhile, he'd be doing what he did, and enjoying life. Once his rollerblades were on, he pulled the legs of his pants over the top, then straightened up, putting his boots in the bag where the rollerblades had been. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he rolled on toward the school.

On his way in to the building, he saw a girl who was on her phone. He decided she would make a good first contact, and he drifted to a stop in front of her, giving her a big grin. "Hey. Excited for school?" He asked cheerfully. It briefly crossed his mind that she may be in the middle of something and he was interrupting, but he figured he'd just apologize and move on his way if she didn't want to talk. "I'm Asher, by the way," He said to Elly as an afterthought, offering the Philippine girl a hand for a handshake.

Elly after tweeting her arrival also checked the news back home, more on Duterte, other local events and of course the seasonal typhoon watches. Looked like there was a couple close to home but with luck they were going to swing away. She was already nervous enough being in a new country she didn't need to worry more about her father and friends back home. When a boy Asher spoke she turned her attention

"Ah hello! Yeah I'm really excited. It's my first time in America." she put her phone back on lock and into her purse. "Eleanore. But please just call me Elly most do anyway." she shook his hand

[Terintania]

Asher sat against his bike and took his rollerblades out of his bag. Kicking off his boots, he pulled on the rollerblades and began tightening them. He knew that this would probably be against some rule, somewhere, and it was just a little harmless fun. It was entirely possible that the school staff wouldn't see it that way, but he didn't really care. If they wanted to be stuffy and strict, they could be stuffy and strict. Meanwhile, he'd be doing what he did, and enjoying life. Once his rollerblades were on, he pulled the legs of his pants over the top, then straightened up, putting his boots in the bag where the rollerblades had been. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he rolled on toward the school.

On his way in to the building, he saw a girl who was on her phone. He decided she would make a good first contact, and he drifted to a stop in front of her, giving her a big grin. "Hey. Excited for school?" He asked cheerfully. It briefly crossed his mind that she may be in the middle of something and he was interrupting, but he figured he'd just apologize and move on his way if she didn't want to talk. "I'm Asher, by the way," He said to Elly as an afterthought, offering the Philippine girl a hand for a handshake.

Elly after tweeting her arrival also checked the news back home, more on Duterte, other local events and of course the seasonal typhoon watches. Looked like there was a couple close to home but with luck they were going to swing away. She was already nervous enough being in a new country she didn't need to worry more about her father and friends back home. When a boy Asher spoke she turned her attention

"Ah hello! Yeah I'm really excited. It's my first time in America." she put her phone back on lock and into her purse. "Eleanore. But please just call me Elly most do anyway." she shook his hand

"Niccce! How our you liking the 'land of the free' so far?" Asher asked with a small, playful scoff, using air quotes when he said 'land of the free'. He gave her a playful grin, giving her a firm handshake,"Nice to meet your, Elly. If you don't mind my asking, where are you from originally? I like your accent." Ashe he talked, he shifted his weight to stand on one leg, with the break on the back of the rollerblade resting lightly on the ground, his other foot absentmindedly rolling back and forth as he spoke with the other student.