Status: expect regular updates.
There She Goes
2
One day during spring break, grade 8, Natasha got a letter.
“What is it?” John asked as he crunched on Doritos, and Natasha frowned. “I don’t know. If you’re going to eat that, get off my bed.” She instructed, as she pulled out a pair of scissors to open the letter. John obeyed her, and Natasha withdrew a thick pile of papers from the envelope.
“If those are bills, that’s a lot of money you’re going to owe someone.” John joked, and Natasha rolled her eyes. “Whatever, John Ohh.” She sighed, and John mocked her by replying, “Whatever, Natty Cee.”
Natasha started flipping through the letters far too quickly for John to read, then suddenly turned pale and looked up. “I got asked to be on a quiz show.”
John looked surprised. “Whaaaat? No way. That’s a total scam. Lemme see.” John demanded, and Natasha handed him the papers hesitantly, and John flipped through them. A lot of words popped into view – honored… a prodigy like you… ten thousand dollars…
“Wait, why are they calling you a prodigy?” John asked, and Natasha shrugged. “I passed a few tests as a kid. Big deal.” She replied nonchalantly, taking a chip out of John’s bag and popping it in her mouth, savoring the salty taste.
“What kind of tests?” John asked, and Natasha rolled her eyes. “… The SAT’s.”
John’s eyes widened, but he nodded. “Oh… Kay. When?”
“… When I was eight. It’s not that big of a deal.” Natasha replied, and she shrugged. “It’s not like people care about that kind of shit.” She avoided looking at John, because she knew the reaction that was going to come.
“The SAT’s… When you were eight?! How is that not a big deal, Natty?!” John said, astounded and a little angry. Why didn’t she tell him? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it shouldn’t matter!” She yelled back at him, turning around and glaring at him. “It’s just some stupid test, and I was a kid. I got bullied about it every day. I hate being singled out as the ‘uber-kid’ or whatever, god.” She snapped, grabbing the papers out of John’s hands. “Whatever, I’m not even interested in it.”
John snatched the letters back. “No way in hell, Natty. You are going to enter this. There’s ten thousand dollars involved in this. You’re too smart not to enter.”
“SEE?!” Natasha screamed, exploding now. “You’re doing what everybody’s doing!”
“Doing what?!” John yelled back, and Natasha sighed, burying her face in her hands. “You’re singling me out as the special kid, the too-smart-kid. I hate it when people do that. Why do you think I never told you?!”
The two were silent for a while, before John got up. “I have to go.” He said tersely, and Natasha knew he was lying because John was going to stay over for dinner. Natasha sighed. “You don’t have t-“ Natasha tried, but John cut her off by saying, “Bye, Tasha.”
He only ever called her Tasha when he was annoyed at her.
--
Natasha spent the night over at John’s house, and John wanted to throw a party without his parents, so his parents gave him the house keys and went to their grandparents, reminding him to be safe and to keep the doors locked.
John threw a party with about a dozen of actual friends, and two dozen girls trying to slobber all over him.
Natasha was, to be honest, annoyed by all the people in the house, and ended up sitting next to Jared, who was sipping on a brown bottle of beer and trying to roll a blunt. He lit up, exhaling foul-smelling smoke, and at this point, Natasha gave up and walked up to John’s parent’s liquor cabinet, pulling out the key from between two DVD’s – Empire Records and some foreign movie – and opening it up, pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniels’. Popping off the cap, Natasha took a swig, and immediately wanted to retch. The liquor was horrible, tasted bitter and sour and just plain gross. Natasha hated alcohol, and drunks.
After a few more barf-worthy gulps, Natasha set down the bottle, already regretting her choice. The room spun around in her vision, and Natasha desperately wanted to get out of the room, and tried to walk out, only to run into John’s chest. He had a girl next to him, whose shirt was see-through and so tight-fitting, you could have seen her nipples.
“Hey, Natty, watch out!” John slurred, and Natasha glared at him as he inhaled smoke off of a blunt. “You gotta be more careful, Tasha, people are trying to have a goooood time…” He trailed off, as his hand went up to the back of the girl standing next to him, and suddenly, the girl squealed. “My bra!” She wailed, and held her cleavage, running into the bathroom. John chuckled.
“She was a sucky kisser anyways, Natty. Not like you.” John winked, and Natasha, intoxicated as she was, felt herself getting closer to John, with his arm suddenly around her waist. “Wanna try that again…?” He slurred into her ear, and Natasha knew, even through her hazy vision, that this was not right at all. He was like her brother. This wasn’t right, ever.
Natasha pushed herself away from John’s chest, running back to where Jared was on the porch, smoking a cigarette. “You want one?” He offered, and she nodded, as Jared stuck a cigarette to her lips, lighting it up for her. Natasha inhaled the smoke too quickly, nearly puking on Jared’s feet, and Jared made her sit down.
“He’s not worth this shit, y’know.” He hummed, and Natasha felt herself agree.
--
Natasha flew to Los Angeles for the week of August to film QuizKidz 2010. It was supposed to be a televised event with all sorts of child prodigies flying in from all over the world – India, Korea, the UK, Germany, New Zealand and much more. The competition was based on a large number of subjects, with classical literature, mathematics, sciences, and more. Natasha could barely remember half of the events as it was a blur of buttons and answers and lots of feuding between contestants, but the final event came down to herself and a mental calculator from India reciting Beowulf after being given only 30 seconds to read it. Natasha remembered – and recited – two more verses than the Indian girl, who Natasha suspected was not very good at English in the first place.
When Natasha came back from Los Angeles, John was showing off new friends in the neighborhood – girls hung off his every word now, and he and his friends were already in bands. There were rumors about all of them, obviously – John liked to kiss girls and drink and smoke, and because of his supposedly ravishingly good looks, he got into keg parties with invites from college girls. Natasha knew the last one was a lie, obviously, but Natasha couldn’t help but feel a little jealous and betrayed by the fact that John didn’t want to speak to her over some little argument over a detail that didn’t matter.
The QuizKidz special was aired on television the night before school started. Natasha now had ten thousand dollars in her college savings account – it had already contained twelve thousand, and now it was enough for a full ride to the college of her choice.
“What is it?” John asked as he crunched on Doritos, and Natasha frowned. “I don’t know. If you’re going to eat that, get off my bed.” She instructed, as she pulled out a pair of scissors to open the letter. John obeyed her, and Natasha withdrew a thick pile of papers from the envelope.
“If those are bills, that’s a lot of money you’re going to owe someone.” John joked, and Natasha rolled her eyes. “Whatever, John Ohh.” She sighed, and John mocked her by replying, “Whatever, Natty Cee.”
Natasha started flipping through the letters far too quickly for John to read, then suddenly turned pale and looked up. “I got asked to be on a quiz show.”
John looked surprised. “Whaaaat? No way. That’s a total scam. Lemme see.” John demanded, and Natasha handed him the papers hesitantly, and John flipped through them. A lot of words popped into view – honored… a prodigy like you… ten thousand dollars…
“Wait, why are they calling you a prodigy?” John asked, and Natasha shrugged. “I passed a few tests as a kid. Big deal.” She replied nonchalantly, taking a chip out of John’s bag and popping it in her mouth, savoring the salty taste.
“What kind of tests?” John asked, and Natasha rolled her eyes. “… The SAT’s.”
John’s eyes widened, but he nodded. “Oh… Kay. When?”
“… When I was eight. It’s not that big of a deal.” Natasha replied, and she shrugged. “It’s not like people care about that kind of shit.” She avoided looking at John, because she knew the reaction that was going to come.
“The SAT’s… When you were eight?! How is that not a big deal, Natty?!” John said, astounded and a little angry. Why didn’t she tell him? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it shouldn’t matter!” She yelled back at him, turning around and glaring at him. “It’s just some stupid test, and I was a kid. I got bullied about it every day. I hate being singled out as the ‘uber-kid’ or whatever, god.” She snapped, grabbing the papers out of John’s hands. “Whatever, I’m not even interested in it.”
John snatched the letters back. “No way in hell, Natty. You are going to enter this. There’s ten thousand dollars involved in this. You’re too smart not to enter.”
“SEE?!” Natasha screamed, exploding now. “You’re doing what everybody’s doing!”
“Doing what?!” John yelled back, and Natasha sighed, burying her face in her hands. “You’re singling me out as the special kid, the too-smart-kid. I hate it when people do that. Why do you think I never told you?!”
The two were silent for a while, before John got up. “I have to go.” He said tersely, and Natasha knew he was lying because John was going to stay over for dinner. Natasha sighed. “You don’t have t-“ Natasha tried, but John cut her off by saying, “Bye, Tasha.”
He only ever called her Tasha when he was annoyed at her.
--
Natasha spent the night over at John’s house, and John wanted to throw a party without his parents, so his parents gave him the house keys and went to their grandparents, reminding him to be safe and to keep the doors locked.
John threw a party with about a dozen of actual friends, and two dozen girls trying to slobber all over him.
Natasha was, to be honest, annoyed by all the people in the house, and ended up sitting next to Jared, who was sipping on a brown bottle of beer and trying to roll a blunt. He lit up, exhaling foul-smelling smoke, and at this point, Natasha gave up and walked up to John’s parent’s liquor cabinet, pulling out the key from between two DVD’s – Empire Records and some foreign movie – and opening it up, pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniels’. Popping off the cap, Natasha took a swig, and immediately wanted to retch. The liquor was horrible, tasted bitter and sour and just plain gross. Natasha hated alcohol, and drunks.
After a few more barf-worthy gulps, Natasha set down the bottle, already regretting her choice. The room spun around in her vision, and Natasha desperately wanted to get out of the room, and tried to walk out, only to run into John’s chest. He had a girl next to him, whose shirt was see-through and so tight-fitting, you could have seen her nipples.
“Hey, Natty, watch out!” John slurred, and Natasha glared at him as he inhaled smoke off of a blunt. “You gotta be more careful, Tasha, people are trying to have a goooood time…” He trailed off, as his hand went up to the back of the girl standing next to him, and suddenly, the girl squealed. “My bra!” She wailed, and held her cleavage, running into the bathroom. John chuckled.
“She was a sucky kisser anyways, Natty. Not like you.” John winked, and Natasha, intoxicated as she was, felt herself getting closer to John, with his arm suddenly around her waist. “Wanna try that again…?” He slurred into her ear, and Natasha knew, even through her hazy vision, that this was not right at all. He was like her brother. This wasn’t right, ever.
Natasha pushed herself away from John’s chest, running back to where Jared was on the porch, smoking a cigarette. “You want one?” He offered, and she nodded, as Jared stuck a cigarette to her lips, lighting it up for her. Natasha inhaled the smoke too quickly, nearly puking on Jared’s feet, and Jared made her sit down.
“He’s not worth this shit, y’know.” He hummed, and Natasha felt herself agree.
--
Natasha flew to Los Angeles for the week of August to film QuizKidz 2010. It was supposed to be a televised event with all sorts of child prodigies flying in from all over the world – India, Korea, the UK, Germany, New Zealand and much more. The competition was based on a large number of subjects, with classical literature, mathematics, sciences, and more. Natasha could barely remember half of the events as it was a blur of buttons and answers and lots of feuding between contestants, but the final event came down to herself and a mental calculator from India reciting Beowulf after being given only 30 seconds to read it. Natasha remembered – and recited – two more verses than the Indian girl, who Natasha suspected was not very good at English in the first place.
When Natasha came back from Los Angeles, John was showing off new friends in the neighborhood – girls hung off his every word now, and he and his friends were already in bands. There were rumors about all of them, obviously – John liked to kiss girls and drink and smoke, and because of his supposedly ravishingly good looks, he got into keg parties with invites from college girls. Natasha knew the last one was a lie, obviously, but Natasha couldn’t help but feel a little jealous and betrayed by the fact that John didn’t want to speak to her over some little argument over a detail that didn’t matter.
The QuizKidz special was aired on television the night before school started. Natasha now had ten thousand dollars in her college savings account – it had already contained twelve thousand, and now it was enough for a full ride to the college of her choice.
♠ ♠ ♠
Kind of a crappy chapter.While I didn't have internet last night (because there is no wi-fi in this house, god dammit,) I got this chapter and chapter 3 done, and I am currently working on chapter 4.
I'll probably be able to post the next chapter on Thursday, and then over the weekend my parents will be picking up a wireless router, which means I'll have more time to research stuff for the fic, write, etcetera.
But I kind of have a ton of homework, so expect updates to be a little on the slow side when I don't have free time.
COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED, OKAY? I see I have 7 followers and only 3 comments. That's kinda sucky.