Chapter Text
“Class, we have a new student joining the congregation,” The elderly nun that ran their English Lit. class spoke up all of a sudden when they were supposed to be going over last week’s reports- Ocean was ecstatic to tell everyone her literary opinion that Moby Dick was an embarrassingly phallic name for a motivating tale of avoid testosterone based pride and revenge- a title that was sure to have her class applauding her genius, she was sure.
“Congregation is a more religious form of the word commune,” A delicate, but- loud voice cut Ocean off before she even had the chance to whine to Constance about the unscheduled interruption, finally drawing her eyes up to the board.
“-A new student joining… the student body,” Ms. Michaels nodded awkwardly, a strained smile on her already wrinkled face- Ocean was always saying how she was too polite to be an English teacher. People with the right morals and beliefs should lead, not someone who’d cow-tow to a strange girl with strange eyes and strange hair.
“Everyone, this is Penelope Lamb- “
“Penny Lamb.” She once again blurted out, Ocean smirked at her odd behavior- she was lucky Ms. Michaels had the patient of a saint- if it wasn’t senior year and the nuns weren’t so mournful to lose this year’s students to Canada’s wilds- the nuns might’ve already sent her to the office for being disruptive. That would’ve been a new record, but despite the giggling and awkward stares from students trying to gauge the new girl’s eccentricity- Ms. Michaels just smiled a little bigger and continued.
Ocean was more concerned with leaning over to Constance to gossip about the new girl than bother to pay any attention to her introduction, she was probably just another awkward country kid from New Brunswick or something anyways. Little fish can’t make much of a splash in a slightly less little pond.
“Why does she talk like that?” Ocean might’ve been the student body president, but she wasn’t immune to the allure of a good chatter- it helped her understand the class better if she knew their rumors and quirks, despite the fact none of them wanted to spend any time with her.
“I don’t know, Ocean,” Constance shrugged, nervously flicking from the homework sheet she was rushing through and Ocean’s eyes, her voice light and airy as always, “Maybe she’s just deaf so she thinks she has to talk louder to everyone else the way people talk to her!”
That little guess had the ginger gasp in shock, but by the time she had looked for the new student, she’d already been guided to a seat at the back of the classroom.
“Oh dang…” She breathed through her teeth, “I didn’t know she was deaf…”
She wasn’t.
“Well, maybe it’ll make Ricky feel better having another member of the choir who can’t hum, we are an inclusive band after all- “She was definitely pleased with herself as she gabbed Constance’s ears off, her tunnel vision preventing her from seeing how her friend winced at every turning point in her sentences.
At least she was… trying, there was a time Ocean didn’t want anyone without a shred of talent to join the choir. Mischa’d been forced to join as a sort of act of community service two years ago, and the car he recently keyed had put him down for another year. Noel was the most enthusiastic about music, especially musical theatre- he only joined because the school director had said he was too loud as wandering Jesuit #3. Constance may have been the only one- actively encouraged to join, Ocean had said such nice things about her range and key range, before it turned into a badgering contest after the ginger realized she would be the only girl.
Ricky’d looked so lonely, and his sign language really paid off in the big Christmas Recital last year, so Ocean had considered in a win win.
And swiveling herself in her chair to catch sight of the new student; this girl could definitely use some choir time before she found her way socially around the school.
That Penny girl was…
“Well, she dresses, modestly,” Constance encouraged after turning around to join in the staring, much less covert than her best friend. “I think my Great Grandmother has a photo with a blouse like that.”
“She looks like Mrs. Kouzowski’s scarecrow,” Ocean murmured.
She was thin and tall. But not in the way the industry pushed women to be through teen magazines and reality TV Ocean binged, she was not lithe with feminine beauty and allure. Her shoulder’s looked sharp even through the poofy shoulder fabric, the layers of lace not tightly sewn showing pale skin. And that collar that went all the way up her neck was loose, you could’ve fit a whole hand in there. Her sleeves were loose and nearly rolled past her knuckles as she laid out the borrowed piece of paper and pencil she must’ve gotten from the front desk, she didn’t even have a backpack with her.
Her hands were stiff, and her fingers curled loosely around the table- the only part of her that wasn’t gaunt was really her face, but that wasn’t saying much. Rosy cheeks, a strong nose, her chin stuck out- she didn’t look like a baby moose from the neck up at least.
But when dark green eyes blinked and peered back at Ocean, she realized she was caught playing voyeur, scrambling around to face the board again.
“I’ll ask…. mmmrph mmm, if she’d like to come to choir practice after class until you recover,” Constance whispered, hunched over her paper.
It would take at least twenty minutes and thirty-four seconds until Ocean had her nerve back and could ignore the feeling of dark eyes tunneling through her shoulders.
“Hey!” Penny stopped her tentative march down the halls after a high-pitched voice hit her ears and a soft hand grasped her sleeve, slowing down to 180 and see who it was. She didn’t know anyone at this school well enough to be in trouble yet- Ms. Michaels didn’t seem too displeased when Penny turned in her worksheet in cursive.
She tilted her head down, scrunching the ruffled fabric of her collar as she came face to face with a short, heavy girl with her hair up in two buns and a forced, almost frightful smile on her face. But Penny did not return the gesture, she couldn’t- there was nothing scary about this girl to smile past.
“Hi- I’m Con-“
“I like your purple hair.” Constance was taken aback by how quickly she was cut off; Penny didn’t know when or how turns in a conversation worked. Everything was so different off the commune, now that her parents were in prison, and most of the adults she talked to weren’t high- everyone spoke so fast. She tried to keep up, ever since the social worker told her to speak a little louder during her foster interview, she made sure she speaks loud and clear for everyone. Must’ve been difficult to hear in the city, with all those cars and fast-food restaurants blasting rock and roll.
Constance fiddled with her forefinger, twisting a purple band with her other hand around, a mood ring.
“Oh, um- thank you!”
“You have a nice jewelry band. Mood rings don’t actually accurately depict emotions or signals sent by your frontal lobe, they only react to the heat of your internal body temperature and external weather.” Her voice was light, almost enthusiastic- though her face didn’t catch up.
“Oh, u-uh,” Constance blinked, taking a moment of silence to see what Penny would have to say next.
But when she got a bushy eyed blink in return, Miss Blackwood realized she finally had the floor.
“I’m Constance, it’s very nice to meet you- me and my best friend were wondering if maybe…” Constance’s peppy tone and quick sounds slowed when Penny cocked her head, realizing just how creepy this girl was.
Constance and Ocean were short, sure Constance was only an inch or so shorter- but this girl was tall. And the way she leaned forward to better hear her, deep, almost black eyes waiting expectantly, it was like talking to a big China doll in a borrowed dress. The only part of her ensemble that wasn’t baggy or a little too long was her shoes- Constance was surprised St. Cassian even had a girl’s uniform for someone so towering.
“Would you…like to join the choir? We have rehearsals every day after school and during Wednesday free periods- but we’re having Friday practice during lunch- just until August is over!”
Penny blinked.
“For the Fall Fair.”
“A fair?”
“Yeah, Father Marcus takes us every year to compete- we almost got first place last year!” Constance grinned, the way she usually did when she was hoping to get the other person to lighten up.
Penny’s lips didn’t even twitch until she started to speak. “I’ve never been to a fair…”
“Oh! Well- “Constance wrinkled her nose, “Y-You still get to go if you join choir, even if you don’t get a spot in the competition! Our friend Ricky comes every year, and the Judges never knock us points for only having 2/3rds of us sing!”
“I like to sing.”
“That’s good! It won’t be too much torture for you then!” Constance giggled.
“So, you’ll come?” She asked when Penny hadn’t done much to respond back. It got a little less and less menacing talking to her every moment or so, a dead tree wasn’t so scary when you sat with it.
“I would like to.” Penny nodded cutely.
“Great!” Constance exclaimed, a big giddy grin plastered on her face, moving to pat the girl’s shoulder- but she moved perfectly in sync away from Constance’s hand, refusing to take a step back as she leaned her torso.
Constance bit her lip, keeping the smile up while Penny stared back.
“Uh…yeah,” She clasped her hands together, starting to walk backwards.
“See you at practice!”