After having checked that the sound system worked perfectly with the proper settings and having changed back to her casual clothes, Vinyl went to the parking lot, only to find a dozens of teacher blocking the way out.
“What’s going on?” Vinyl asked Cheryl, whom she had spotted at the back of the group, with curiosity.
“Some of the roof’s bricks fell on Ms Sedgwick’s car,” Cheryl replied with empathy.
“Ouch,” Vinyl winced. “I hope no one was hurt.”
Cheryl shook her head softly. “Thankfully, no one was near the parking lot when the shake happened.”
“The shake?” Vinyl asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“Ms Heliopolis was on the rooftop with a bricklayer, who had come to re-cement the whole thing, when they heard a deep noise that shook the roof a bit, causing the bricks to dislodge from the roof,” Cheryl explained. “Apparently, it was coming from the third floor.”
“Oh!” Vinyl let out quietly in realization.
“Which isn’t really plausible, because the entire third floor has been soundproofed during the summer,” Cheryl continued matter-of-factly, not noticing Vinyl’s reaction.
“Yeah, you’re probably right...” Vinyl quickly agreed to buy her way out. “Well, not that I wouldn’t gladly show sympathy for Sedgwick,” Vinyl said in a well concealed sarcasm. “I have someone to pick up. Seeya on Monday, Cheryl.” Vinyl gave her short wave before walking to her bike.
“All right.” Cheryl waved back. “Have a nice week-end.”
Vinyl settled her laptop and clothes in the trunk of the bike after having pulled her helmet out of it. She straddled her bike, started the ignition and was about to put her helmet on when she heard someone she recognized as Sedgwick calling her angrily.
“Scratch, hold on a minute!”
“Mhm?” Vinyl faced the angry vice-principal with the most casual tone she could muster. “What do you want?”
“You were giving class on the third floor, am I right?” Theresa asked, staring intensely at the newly hired teacher.
“Yes, I was,” Vinyl answered with a nod.
“What did you do during the time you were giving class?” Theresa asked with suspicion.
“During class time? I chatted with my students,” Vinyl explained casually. “You know? To get to know them.” No e tanto una bugia.... O provato l'impianto dopo il tempo di lezione. [It’s not really a lie....I tested the sound system after class time.] Vinyl added mentally.
“And after class?”
Accidenti a lei! [Damn her!] Vinyl thought angrily before resigning in telling the truth. “I’ve tested the sound system, then I left.”
“AHA!” Theresa pointed an accusatory finger at Vinyl. “So it was your fault!”
“How’s testing the sound system related to your car’s state?” Vinyl cocked her eyebrow. She knew it had everything to do with the purple car’s state, but watching Sedgwick groan and lose her calm was extremely satisfactory.
“It’s a loud sound that caused the roof to shake which caused the bricks to fell on my car!” Theresa snapped. “You were in the only occupied classroom of the third floor and you admitted using the sound system. You’re responsible for what happened to my car!”
“Technically, gravity’s responsible for what happened to your car,” Vinyl replied casually, earning a snort of laughter from another teacher with greyish white hair and a goatee in a brown suit.
“Are you taking me for a fool?” Theresa asked angrily after
“I’m trying but you’re not really making it easy,” Vinyl answered with the most genuine honesty.
Said honesty took Theresa completely by surprise. While the Vice-Principal stood in next to the white and blue bike agape, the teacher with the brown suit was now openly laughing at the remark. At his side was standing a small woman in a midnight blue suit who was biting her lips to contain her laughter. The headmistress looked at the two of them before slowly shaking her head with a slightly disapproving frown.
“If you don’t need me anymore....” Vinyl put her helmet on. “Oh, thanks by the way!”
Theresa blinked in confusion. “Thanks for what?”
“If you hadn’t insisted on me moving from your spot, it would have been my bike in place of your car,” Vinyl explained, her satisfied smirk hidden by her helmet. “Alla prossima!” [See you next time!] she added before making her motorcycle hummed loudly, causing Theresa break from her stunned state with a startle and to take a few steps back.
“I’m sending you the bill for my car’s repairs!” Theresa yelled over the noise of the motor after having regained her composure both from her startle and Vinyl’s remark.
“You can send me all the bills you want....” Theresa’s face lit up with triumph. “...I just won’t pay any of them,” Vinyl chuckled before speeding out of the parking lot.
“…..” Theresa’s face became scarlet with anger. “CURSE YOU VINCENZA SCRATCH! CURSE YOU!” she yelled furiously at the sky.
Back at the entrance of the building, the crowd of teacher scattered while Ms Heliopolis looked at the two teachers, the small woman in a deep blue tailor suit and the man with the grey goatee, were supporting each other to not fall on the ground because of their fit of laughter.
“Dimitri, Selene, there’s nothing funny in all that,” Ms Heliopolis chastised softly.
“Celeste, I beg to differ,” Selene said, wiping her tears away. “Those comebacks were hilarious!”
“Did you see Theresa’s face when the new girl answered her question about taking her for a fool?” Dimitri chuckled happily. “Priceless!”
“I expected that from Selene but I’m a bit disappointed in you Dimitri,” Celeste said with a stern, yet playful expression. “I expected better from a mathematician of your standards.”
“Chaotician, Celeste,” Dimitri corrected with a shrug. “I’m a chaotician before I’m a maths teacher,” he explained. “And, the chaotician that I am is convinced that this Vincenza Scratch’s going to make this year very interesting!”
“I totally agree!” Selene nodded firmly.
Celestia sighed with a short chuckle. “And the worst thing in all that is that you’re probably right.”
“Wowow! Slow down a minute,” Laura said frantically. “You mean that our new teacher, who’s probably one of the most awesome DJs in the country, is actually living in your house?” she asked Octavia with excitement and disbelief.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, Laura,” Octavia answered, a bit annoyed by Laura’s excitement.
She had met up with her friends at the cafeteria after having left their classroom twenty minutes ago. Octavia had explained to Laura, Diana and Fiona what her situation with the teacher was exactly. Having already explained that to more than half of her classmates, added to her previous conversation with said teacher, she didn’t see the utility to hide that from them. The only one who still didn’t know was Nathan who had to leave immediately for his shift at Donut Joe's.
“An’ yer ok with a teacher in yer house?” Fiona asked with concern. “Don’t that make ya... Ah don’t know... uncomfortable?”
“Doesn’t, Fiona,” Viola corrected softly.
Everyone ignored her, finding the actual conversation too much interesting to bother Fiona with grammar.
“Actually, I’m more uncomfortable with the fact no one told me about it beforehand,” Octavia explained. “Other than that, there’s not much that I can do. I can’t really ask my father to kick her out.”
“What’s she like at your house?” Diana asked with curiosity.
Octavia pondered in silence for a couple of seconds. “So far, it’s been like having a very distant relative at home,” Octavia explained slowly. “It’s not much of a bother to have her at home, but it’s not really a pleasure either.” Octavia looked at her watch. “I’d better get going, it’s nearly five.”
“I think it’ll be wise.” Frederic nodded as the musical group stood up from their chairs to go to the school entrance. “Anyone of you three needs a ride?” he asked to Laura, Diana and Fiona.
“Thanks but Laura and I are good,” Diana replied cheerfully. “My mom comes to pick us up, we’ll drop Laura on the way.”
“Ah have my bicycle but thanks for proposin’,” Fiona gave a curt nod with a smile.
“What about you, Octavia?” Beatrice asked as they were in school’s courtyard. “You fetched a cab to go home?”
“No, Vincenza’s picking me up,” Octavia answered matter-of-factly.
“I thought you were mad at her...” Viola said in confusion.
“Not mad enough to turn out her offer to driving me home,” Octavia explained casually. “Plus, the bike’s sort of fun,” she admitted quietly, as if embarrassed to say it out loud.
“Speakin’ of it,” Fiona said as she pointed at the front gate. “Yer ride home’s waitin’ for ya.”
All the group snapped their heads toward the front gate and noticed their teacher in her white and blue biker outfit and with large purple shades on her nose, her helmet put in between her and the handlebar, bobbing her head and tapping her forefingers on the handles to a rhythm she was the only one to hear.
The blue haired woman seemed to gather some attention from the passerby students who looked at her with curiosity. People with dyed hairs were not a common occurrence around Celestia’s Royal Academy apparently. Ignoring all the curious stares, Vinyl turned her head and spotted Octavia and her other students.
“Finalmente!” [Finally!] Vinyl shouted, startling her audience a bit. “I’ve been waiting here for a dozen of minutes!” she complained loudly.
Octavia, her cheeks red from embarrassment, quickly closed the distance between her and the DJ/teacher.
“You don’t have to shout like that!” Octavia chastised in a whisper.
“Yes, I know,” Vinyl whispered back with a devilish grin. “But it’s fun to make you blush like that.” Vinyl turned her face to the staring students. “What? Never saw a chick on a bike with dyed hair before?” she barked furiously. “SHOO!” the startled students quickly ran away from the furious DJ.
“Stop it!” Octavia pleaded. “It’s not how a teacher’s supposed to act.”
“Which teacher are you talking about, Ottavia?” Vinyl asked with a knowing grin.
Octavia cocked an eyebrow at that question before noticing Vinyl wink at her behind the purple lense of her shades. As she realized what Vinyl had just done, she couldn’t help to smile.
“Thank you,” Octavia whispered. “I’ll be right back,” she added before walking back to her friends.
“Why did she shout at them like that?” Viola asked, slightly frowning at their teacher.
“She was doing me a favor,” Octavia explained happily.
“Really?” Frederic asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“I’ll explain on Monday,” Octavia said in a hurry. “Bye everyone!”
After having said goodbye to her friends, Octavia went back to Vinyl’s bike, quickly put the helmet extended to her before sitting on the passenger ‘seat’. The young teacher and her student both gave a short wave at Octavia’s friends before Vinyl sped away, accompanied by a loud hum from the engine and a short ‘Wohoo’ shout from Octavia.
“I’d never thought I’d hear Octavia shouting something like that on a bike,” Harpo remarked with a surprised tone. “She used to be scared in a descent on a bicycle.”
“I don’t think anyone of us has ever thought that, ‘Parish’,” Henry replied in a similar tone, earning nods of approval from everyone.
“Stop calling me ‘Parish’,” Harpo demanded sternly.
“Never!”
The rest of the afternoon went swimmingly between Octavia and Vinyl. Despite what Octavia had claimed back in the classroom, her father was the only one who received a yelling from her. Though, that might have been because Vinyl clearly avoided the room in which Octavia and her father were ‘talking’ things out, having found a decent excuse into checking the fridge in order to decide what to prepare for dinner.
After her discussion with her father, of which she was proud to have left him embarrassed, Octavia locked herself in her room to calm down. As she was busy reading a book, her mobile phone rang its message tone. She grabbed it and saw the message was from Laura.
Hey, guys! Get online on FriendFace as soon as possible! I’ve had an idea :D! the message said.
Knowing that Laura’s ideas were generally interesting despite being a bit on the eccentric side of life, Octavia’s curiosity was rather piqued. She got up from her bed, not without marking her page, and sat at her desk to turn the computer on. As soon as she could, she entered her login and password for the social network.
“Let’s see...” Octavia whispered as she read her most recent notification. “...You’ve been invited by Laura Hart to the group: “Senior Year under DJ Pon-3”.” Octavia clicked on the group’s front page and saw the first post. “Heya! I created this group so that we could help each other during this year and share all sort fun stuff and everything. Isn’t that a great idea?” Octavia read out loud.
Before she could type her comment, she received an invitation to a chat room.
Hey, Octavia! How was the ride home? What do you think of the group?
As she had a bit of time before dinner, Octavia decided to join Laura’s chat room.
It was nice and I think it’s a rather good idea. How did you come up with that?
Little Muffin joined the chat room.
I’ve talked to her about a friend of mine who did that for her class. So technically, it’s my idea. ;-)
Diana, is that you? :^)
Do you know anyone else who could have such screen name? :-p
Fair enough! :-)
Fiddlesticks and Beatrice Bluenote joined the chat room.
Howdy gals! How are y’all have been hangin’ since Ah’ve last seen y’all three hours ago?
You don’t have to type with your accent, Fiona! :-D Viola’s not connected.
Ha! I haven’t noticed. :-$
*sigh* You and Viola should really try to be a bit more nice with each other.
Yes, oh great teacher’s ambassador. :-p
HAHA! Good one!
Lol!
Hahaha!
(-_-) Not funny.
Come on, I’m just teasing. ;-)
Hey, check out what I found! http://www.viewtube.com/watch?v=5OBRbs7682c[not a real url, don't browse it]
Is that one of those videos which are all quiet until the scream thing? because I hate those :’-(
Why do you think it’s one of those?
Because that’s what you usually send |-( ?
That’s so not true.
Yes, it is!
*nod* It’s either that or one video from the pony ranch you’re working at...
Bla bla bla... It’s not that! It’s one video of the teach!
There are videos of her on the web? O_o
Well, Laura said she was kinda famous.
Octavia clicked on the link Laura sent. As the video started, she frowned.
Laura, that’s a live show of Sapphire Shores... (-_-)
Who’s at the console in the background?
Oh my gosh! It’s Ms Scratch! :-o
Boy, she’s not just talk after all *whistle*
Oh dear, did you see what she was wearing? :-$
Sexy, isn’t it? ;-)
The video was showing Vinyl in a short white tank top, which looked more like a bra than anything else, and in some beige Daisy Duke. Octavia felt a hot blush coming up her cheeks as her new teacher’s outfit put in display her excellent figure.
Well, it’s a bit vulgar.... But she sure has the looks to wear that sort of clothes.
You find that vulgar? :-) Wait until she starts dancing!
On Octavia’s screen, Vinyl had left from behind the console and had joined the dancers at Sapphire’s demand. They were supposed to be professional dancers, but Octavia couldn’t help to think that they could barely hold the candle to the young DJ. At each sway of hips, the young cellist’s cheeks became redder and Octavia was convinced that all the girls logged to the chat room were in the same state as her.
She sure knows how to dance......
I must admit that’s true....
Way better than the actual dancers.
Indeed.... Laura, do not show this video to the boys!
Why shouldn’t I?
Because they definitely won’t stop drooling at the teacher everytime they see her afterward... ;-)
So true... (I might have to stop watching it myself in that case :-P)
That’s certain for Henry and Harpo, but Frederic is too class for that!
Ok, every boys, except your future boyfriend ;-), won’t stop drooling at our young and sexy teacher. (Ps: Laura, you perv! ;-p )
HE’S NOT MY FUTURE BOYFRIEND!!!
Oh! Does that mean I can make a move on him then? :-D
NO, YOU CAN’T!!! Beside, aren’t you dating Nathan already?
Nathan and I aren’t dating!! (>_<) Seriously where does that even come from?
Well, you two are always together... It’s kinda natural that people start to think that.
Well, people are wrong!
That’s just great, ‘cause our little muffin here is having a HUGE crush on our big blond guitarist :-D
LAURA!!!! You promised not to tell anyone!
I promised to never tell Nathan, that’s all. :-p
Hey, you want a few pointers? ;-) I’ll gladly help out.
Maybe you could chaperon her during their first date.
Little Muffin left the chat room.
And now she’s gone, you happy, Laura? (-_-)
What did I do?
You mocked her with something she trusted you about!
Geez, it was to help her! She won’t get his attention without Fiona’s help.
You might be right about that, but you didn’t have to say it like that.
I guess we could have been a bit more diplomatic. :-s
You think? |-(
Whatever! I’m sure Octavia agrees with me. Right, Octavia?
I think she left already...
No, she’s still logged in.
Octavia was indeed still logged to the chat room, but her attention was on something entirely different. During the last dozens of minutes, she had been busy on watching other videos about her new teacher’s past gigs or songs, by pure curiosity. Sure the DJ’s music was extremely loud, but it was bearable at a more reasonable volume.
While her first contact with the sort of music the DJ liked was rather dreadful, listening to it as she was at the moment was very nice. Octavia now unconsciously tapped the rhythm of the songs with her forefinger on her computer mouse.
Octavia understood why Laura had called Vinyl the Queen of Manehatten’s club life in the classroom. Vinyl seemed to always have had the crowd within the palm of her hand on every videos Octavia had seen, even the ones about her first sets as a DJ. The DJ looked so charismatic behind her turntables with the crowd dancing at her music, chanting her stage name like people acclaiming their monarch. And despite most of her facial expressions being hidden by her purple shades, Vinyl’s smile on each shots of her face couldn’t possibly be more genuine than it already was.
It was like seeing Vinyl under a brand new light. Octavia didn’t see the rude DJ she had first thought Vinyl was anymore, nor the young and admittedly rather peculiar music teacher assigned to her class. To her, Vinyl was clearly an artist who simply loved what she did. The sort of artist that deserved to be considered as such. The sort of artist an aspiring musician like Octavia would be glad to learn from.
Her daydreaming were suddenly interrupted by a series of high pitched buzzes that overcame the music of the video she was watching. She looked back at her chat window.
Laura sent a buzz.
Laura sent a buzz.
Laura sent a buzz.
For crying out loud! LAURA, STOP THAT!
What did I do now? You’re the ones who wanted to know if Octavia was still here!
Yes, but I don’t think we wanted to know if a dozen of buzzes could make our ears bleed.
Exactly!!
What’s going on?
See? It worked! :-D
What worked?
Nothing important, Laura was just annoying.
Little Muffin joined the chat.
Hey guys, I’m back.
You feeling better?
Much better than Laura’s bicycle.
I don’t follow... What exactly did I miss?
What did you do to my bicycle?!
Remember what happened to my mom’s bicycle? ]:-)
Laura Hart left the chat room.
What exactly happened to your mom’s bicycle?
Got run over by a street-washer.
You didn’t do that right?
Of course not! I’ve just hidden it in her garden. But now, she’s gonna be busy looking for it for a while...
Huh, what exactly happened when I wasn’t paying attention?
Pon-3 joined the chat room.
Laura’s been nasty about Little Muffin’s crush. So, I see you’ve been checking out vids of good old me. Liked what you saw?
Ms Scratch?
The one and only! ;-)
WHAT?!
WHAT?!
WHAT?!
You girls really should learn how to clear your chat rooms’ history. Right now, it’s connected to the group’s page and every member has access to it. Especially if you don’t want the boys to drool at the thought of my awesome body, [thanks for the compliments about it and my dancing btw :-)]
How come you even have access to this chat room?!
Duh, Laura invited me into the group. Though I’m not gonna stay in it for too long. A students group is for students afterall. ;-) Anyway, Octavia, Dinner’s ready, would you mind coming down? Thanks!
Pon-3 left the chat room.
Octavia remained still for a couple of seconds, processing what had just happened, before tapping fervently on her keyboard. As she pressed ‘enter’ to send her message, three others appeared at the same time as hers.
HOW THE HELL DO YOU CLEAR THAT DAMNED CHAT HISTORY?!
HOW THE HELL DO YOU CLEAR THAT DAMNED CHAT HISTORY?!
HOW THE HELL DO YOU CLEAR THAT DAMNED CHAT HISTORY?!
HOW THE HELL DO YOU CLEAR THAT DAMNED CHAT HISTORY?!