in matching blue raincoats } open

[hadrian peyton]

He unconsciously shifted his weight from side to side in a nervous habit, some of the tension he felt leaking out through his dirty vans with the rip in the toe and into the spotlessly clean floor, to be absorbed by the expensive shoes of the students of Dayton Academy, where hopefully it would prick some of their careless self-confidence and make them feel a little more like him. He knew he must look completely idiotic to be standing at the front of the cafeteria, torn black backpack thrust over one shoulder and his thin, pale fingers clutching unto the fabric as if it was a lifeline that would transport him out of this place. But he was confused, and when Hadrian was confused he tended to just stay in one place and try to solve the problem through his quickly-thinking brain that usually slowed down immense amounts when it came to being social. So there he stood, a normal-heighted seventeen-year-old boy who's old faded blue jeans and plain secondhand long-sleeved red shirt looked extremely out of place in this sea of designer clothes.

A pretty, tall, tan and impossibly blond girl passed him with a coffee held in her manicured hand, her brown green-flecked eyes rolling over his stance and outfit with the prissy disgust that he would expect from someone dressed in a pink mini-skirt and high heels. His dark eyes roamed to her mouth to more accurately gauge her reaction to him, and saw that her lips had turned to a smile which parted, revealing an array of straight sparkling white teeth. It formed a nasty grin, and as he glanced down he saw her thin stomach pull in and out rapidly, and knew by her body language that she was laughing, and laughing at him, although he could not hear her. This all occurred within a few seconds; an action that Hadrian had honed and used to often that it had become second-nature to him now. The skin on his face burned, a blush creeping upon his handsome features and tainting it red. He was used to being giggled at, of course, but never by a girl so beautiful.

The gorgeous, yet obviously cold-hearted girl got his brain moving, and the slowness that had taken over fled to the lonely part of his brain. He walked quickly towards his destination; a solitary, round table in the back of the lunchroom, where the prying eyes of the students would be less likely to scope out his unsatisfactory clothes. He couldn't help but feel intimidated in a place where everyone was so pretty; he hadn't seen one ugly, nor normal, girl or boy since he had arrived here a day or two ago. Everyone was always all made-up for school in a way that suggested money and power, and perhaps it was just that his eyes were drawn to the beautiful people but he felt like the only scholarship kid, the only boy who didn't belong in this sea of children who's mothers and fathers ruled the government or owned big businesses. He was almost on the verge of dropping this opportunity and leaving, but in his heart he knew he could never pass up this chance to be great, to do something so extrodinary with his life that the people that had teased him would say, "I can't believe a deaf person did so well." Dayton Academy was his ticket to get on that ride.

A sigh blew through his pink lips as he settled into his chair, as he was happy to finally be out of the sight of all those made-up bright eyes. He glanced around and saw mouths opening and closing in fast succession, and he knew that if he wasn't deaf he'd be able to hear all of their voices meshing together, shouting and laughing and careless about the way they threw their sounds around so easily. It was at times like these when he wished he could enjoy that swelling noise which must wrap around the students like a hot blanket, sweet music pouring out of their throats and filling the air with their words. What did it feel like, to be surrounded by sweet and sour words? He wanted desperately to know.

He sighed again, air falling out of his mouth and creating a soft whoosh that he could not hear. Life seemed so unfair to him.

[rosalie parker]

Rosalie wasn't enjoying her stay in the cafeteria. Marilyn, her best friend, was no where to be found, and all her other friends were gone somewhere. No one else in the cafeteria was worth looking at. There weren't any cute boys or girls she could harrass. Well, that's not entirely true, thought Rosalie, her long lashed dark eyes looking towards a table full of freshman girls in the corner. Rose almost gagged; They were disgusting. With their frizzy hair and acne prone faces, she almost felt bad for them.

Almost.

But, truth be told, Rosalie hardly ever felt pity for people. You are who you are, and it wasn't her fault she was popular and was in the Sharkettes. That was just who she was. Rosalie stood in the middle of the cafeteria, standing on her toes to see over everyone's head. How could a day be so damn boring? She sighed, leaning against a wall. Rosalie's ears picked up on a muffled noise coming from her Coach purse. Fishing her iPhone out, she read the new text message. Gossip Girl. Hm... Rosalie's eye scanned the screen. Her eyes widened.

Marilyn, Rosalie, Jack, Levi... The names swirled in Rosalie's mind, and she groaned. How did Ggossip Girl find out about her conversation with Marilyn? She hadn't told anyone, she swore she wouldn't, and yet Gossip Girl still had the whole story posted for everyone to see. Her phone still in hand, Rose walked absent-mindedly over to a table far off in the cafeteria. She didn't notice anyone or anything, and sat down at a table only vaguely recgonizing that there was a boy sitting across from her. She sighed once more. Marilyn was going to be furious.

OOC; Sorry that sucked so bad! xD

[hadrian peyton]

His pale fingers scratched against his eyelids, as if he could rub sleep into his dark eyes and therefore erase the purplish bags that sagged his face prematurely and gave him a strange, withered and tired look. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, and although everything outside him was always muffled and silent, his head had been screaming last night, images banging around inside his skull in a furious way. He supposed that it was partly due to nervousness for the upcoming day, as it would be the first time he tested his ability to blend in with the setting of Dayton Academy, but the other reason went deeper, and he could only guess that his subconscious was sending up unusual brain waves, trying to send him some secret message of warning or despair. But he couldn't quite figure it out yet.

He pulled his ripped black backpack unto the table and swirled his hand within it jam-packed depths, his fingers scraping against books and binders and writing utensils. Finally he came into contact with the smooth cover of his binder, the only expensive thing he ever treated himself to. Though positively dirt cheap by some peoples standards, the cost of twenty dollars was alot for him to waste on a bunch of pieces of paper stapled together. But the binder was encased in a black leather-like material that made him feel like a real writer instead of just a budding one. He opened it carefully, almost as if he was expecting a bomb of inspiration to hit him at the sight of the mostly blank pages (he had purchased a new notebook so as to be prepared for school) and yet his mind was curiously blank. On the first page he had written one line last night, the only way he found to describe the intense feeling that had been rolling inside his body.

I'm an engine driver*

A sudden sight out of the corner of his eye made him glance up in surprise, and he immediately closed the notebook, shielding it protectively from view. He studied the girl that had sat down curiously, wondering why a girl of such high popularity status would choose to be near him. She had a clear face with heartbreakingly pretty eyes, which were outlined in the finest makeup. Her clothes didn't just suggest designer origin, but they seemed to be yelling in his face, mocking him because he could not even dream to afford to spend so much on just a shirt. She had an annoyed expression on her face, as if some current event had displeased her, and he pondered what could upset someone who Had It All. Had another Sharkette stolen her boyfriend? Had she lost her favorite pair of high heels? Despite himself, he felt his lips twitch as he fought back a small smile that threatened to brighten his features. Besides, it wasn't nice to be happy at other people's discomforts, no matter how silly they were.

"Hello," he said to her quietly, and the word was rendered strange and a bit incoherent by the fact that he couldn't hear his own voice. Even though Hadrian wasn't interested in a girl such as this, especially a Sharkette, he felt that it was bad to offend an extremely popular person on his first day. So he raised his arms and twirled his hands in a movement that was a greeting in sign-language. He hoped that she would catch his drift.

OOC; No it was good! My posts always have too much waffle :]

*Lyrics; The Engine Driver - The Decemberists

[rosalie parker]

Rosalie was absorbed in herself as always. The Gossip Girl message left her shocked. How dare they? How dare they send that private conversation to Gossip Girl? Rose would get them if it was the last thing she did. Sure, she realized she would appear in Gossip Girl for stupid small rumors, but not for something as big as this that concerned her best friend, too. Rosalie was completely outraged, and she was going to swear to herself that she would some how get everyone back.

But someone's voice distracted her, and made her snap out of her own world. It was a strange voice; It didn't sound like anyone she knew, and her head shot up, her loosely curled, dark hair bobbing a little with the movement of her head. At first her eyes were narrowed, but in a fraction of a second, they softened up ten fold. Rosalie recognized the sound of the boy's voice. Her aunt Lindsey's voice sounded very similar. Was the boy sitting across from her deaf?

Rosalie wasn't sure. What if he wasn't? What if he just talked like that? But, no, he had to be deaf. He just did sign language, didn't he? Rosalie could've sworn she'd seen Aunt Lindsey do that before. She frowned for a minute. "Hey," she said, sounding friendly. Rose was taken aback; She wasn't exactly known for being the nicest girl out in Dayton. In fact, she was known as the short, vicious one. Rosalie couldn't disagree. She could be rather unpleasent.

"I'm Rosalie," she said, not wanting to speak in her normal voice. She was also known for talking quite fast, and with her high voice, it was hard for people to understand what she was saying, deaf or not. Rose didn't know why she was being so nice; She usually greeted people by telling them to go away. Bbut she felt bad for this boy, and felt like being rude to him would be totally cruel.

[hadrian peyton]

On a long run, on a long run

The line came to him suddenly, pushing through the images in his mind to mingle in his brain, which repeated it over and over, branding it into his memory forevermore so that he would not forget it. He wanted desperately to write it down, lest by some evil power he should forget the perfect second set of words for his poem, but he would feel like a complete loser if he pulled out a faithful pen in front of this girl. He didn't want her to think he was a complete dumbass; everyone wanted to be well-liked, everyone wanted to be accepted, and he was no different. Although he was so used to the constant sting of rejection it barely even hurt anymore, he couldn't help but be excited by the idea that this was his time to start over, to show everyone that just because he was deaf didn't mean his brain capacity was any lower then theirs. He started to think how his was probably actually larger then most of the students, but stopped that thought in its tracks; for one, it was rude, and secondly, the people here were all taking college classes. Ridiculous, Hadrian, he scolded himself silently. Get a hold of yourself.

His dark eyes glanced down, filling with the sight of his arms which were still clenched tightly around the faux-leather bound notebook, and he was afraid it must look like he was frightened that the girl would try to pull it away from him. With some effort, he managed to relax his grip, and he took one slender fingered hand and pulled the dirty, ripped black backpack closer to him, unzipping it and peeking into the jam-packed contents. He forcibly shoved the notebook inside, where it squished up against the textbooks he had so foolishly brought to class. For many of his teachers didn't require the students to bring the books to the actual classes themselves - rather, they just assigned homework within their thick pages.

Pushing the bag away from him again, he smiled at the girl, and his eyes followed the movements her lips made as she responded to him. It was quite easy for him to understand, for she wasn't speaking in the fast way that he often encountered with girls dressed like her (stop generalizing, Hadrian!) for which he was grateful. Although he couldn't hear the tone of her words, of course, he liked the way her own eyes seemed to have softened, and he was happy she hadn't just disregarded him as a freak at the first "hello."

"Rose...alie," he murmured, trying to get used to the strange name; he had never met a Rosalie before. "I'm Hadrian."

[rosalie parker]

Rosalie could tell he'd never met anyone with her name before. "It means rose in french," she said, smiling a little bit. Her smile was adorable, everyone said so, but it usually meant bad things. It usually meant she was out to get you, and that you should sleep with one eye open. However, this smile was very genuine and true. Hadrian? Well, she'd never heard that name before. So they were even. Rosalie remembered to speak slower. "Nice to meet you. Are you new here?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Of course he was new at Dayton; Rose knew every one at school. Even if she didn't know their name, she knew their face, and could recognize them easily.

This boy, however, was a complete stranger. She'd never even glanced at him before, so it had to be his first day. Rosalie looked around the circular table and then her eyes switched to the other identical tables. Gossip Girl would get a kick out of this scene: Rosalie sitting at a table with a complete nobody. But, her friends would stick up for her, eventually scolding her for it later on. But, Rosalie already knew what to say: She was meeting a new person. That's what Sharkettes did. Met new people so they could honestly say that they knew everyone. It was like being Royalty; She had to meet each and every person she could.

If she didn't, Rosalie wasn't living up to her full potential as a Sharkette. And being a Sharkette was very, very important to Rosalie. She had always been popular at her old school, she was always the Queen Bee, and being a Sharkette was the equivalent. She could never let that go.

[Jack Valmont]

He walked into the cafeteria with confidence draping off of him like a robe. He had it all going for him at Dayton. He was on the football and baseball team. He had a super hot girlfriend name Marilyn Dayton, the decendent of the family that owned the school. Not only was she pratically the head sharkette, every girl in the school wanted to be her and every guy wanted to be with her. He was also lucky enough to come from a rich family of his own so he got everything he wished for.
He looked around the brightly light cafeteria thinking how lucky life has been. The room was full and Jack only saw one person in the room that he knew. It was Rosalie Parker. He did not know her very well. He only knew her because her clique and his ran in close circles. So he went up, grabbed his food, and turned around to pull out his cell and checked the text that had just came in. It was his mother texting him for the first time in like a thousand years. It had asked how he was doing and he just sent back the generic answer, "Just fine". He again looked up and scanned the room. He could not believe that none of his friends were here. He looked around the room for a seat. He knew that he could have any seat in the cafeteria if he wanted it but he did not want just any seat. He wanted one near someone that he actually knew. So he walked up to the table where Rosalie was seating and slid into the seat and started to unload his tray.

"What's Up?"

He looked across the table where there sat a dude that he did not know. He looked thought about introducing himself. After a moment of discussing it with himsef in his mind, he decided that he should introduce himself. So he stretched his arm out in order to shake hands with the guy.

"Hello, My name is Jack, Jack Valmont,"

[rosalie parker]

A sudden movement to her right caused Rosalie to turn around. She was surprised; Jack was sitting beside her. They didn't really know eachother too well. Quickly putting away her phone that was still on the Gossip Girl text message, she smiled lightly. "Hey, Jack," she said, still tucking her iPhone away into the depths of her purse. "Where's Marilyn?" she asked cautiously. Rosalie wasn't sure if Jack, or Marilyn, knew about the Gossip Girl blog, and she honestly didn't want to find out. Rose would talk about it when Marilyn did, and if Marilyn didn't want to talk about it, Rosalie was not going to bring it up.

She watched as Jack out-stretched his hand to shake Hadrian's hand, and honestly hoped that he would take it. For some reason, Rosalie felt really very bad for the deaf boy sitting across from her. He seemed intelligent and nice, yet she could already tell people weren't taking to him very well. Why? Probably because he was deaf. But, that's not fair, Rosalie thought, still feeling sorry for him. However, it was the sad truth; People at Dayton were used to people just like them: rich, beautiful, and bitchy. Most of the population at Dayton were carbon copies, and Rosalie was surprised when she realized that she was no different.

Shaking her head a little, as if to get rid of all those thoughts, Rosalie returned her attention back to Jack and Hadrian, mostly Jack. If he didn't know, he would eventually find out. The whole school probably knew. Maybe Marilyn was in hiding? Maybe Marilyn was sick, or simply didn't know. Rosalie just hoped that the drama level would be low. But, Rosalie seriously doubted that. Huge drama always ensued after a "shocking" event or Gossip Girl blog. She was used to it, but she wasn't fond of it by any means. It strained relationships, friendships, it even strained the relationships between some siblings and cousins at Dayton.

But Sharks and Sharkettes? Things were always ten times worse with them; People from all over the school added fuel to the fire. Even all the Bookworms and plain nerds. I guess that means nerds really do know what's going on, mused Rosalie, amused by this thought. The idea of a bookworm carrying a secret form one person to the other just seemed absurd. Completely absurd, indeed. It wasn't that hard to imagine a Sharkette, or even a Sheila, passing on a juicy secret or detail, but a Bookworm? Or a Jester? Total lower cliques helping create drama and being little gossip volunteers for Gossip Girl? It seemed totally impossible, but it was probably true. There weren't enough Sharks, Sharkettes, Sheilas, and even Blokes to make so much drama in such a little span of time.

Although, maybe they could, Rosalie mused once again. There weren't a lot of upper class cliques, as Rose called them, but there were quite a few people from each clique that had a bigmouth just waiting to spill the beans on some crazy event or rumor they heard.