This choice: At her home, normal again? • Go Back...Chapter #5At her home, normal again? by: Unknown Varie awoke with a start, instantly feeling her face and body with her five-fingered hands.
"Omigod. Thank God," she grunted, feeling no pig nose or ears, and no additional flab or extra breasts. It was one of those dreams that, no matter how ridiculous, FELT so real that waking up and realizing none of it was real was actually pleasurable.
"How completely bizarre," Varie thought, as she washed her face, staring at the toned young goddess in the mirror with a new gratitude. She didn't notice her flaws (one eye SLIGHTLY larger, a birthmark on her cheek, occasional acne) this morning like she usually did. It was a great way to start her 12th grade year. Her blonde hair streamed from her temples, wavy and bleached a slightly brighter color than was natural; her lips were full, her nose, delicate, her eyes adequately-lidded without being droopy. And her body, while still lean and muscular, had become slightly more womanly over the summer. She may not have been perfect, but thank God--thank God she was not a pig-woman. She laughed as she thought of it, and pushing her nose up, said "oink-oink" to the mirror. The rest of the dream quickly faded from consciousness.
Boys, old friends, old coaches, new books, new binders, new lockers, the smell of disinfected halls...it all had a way of playing with most students' nerves. But for Varie, as well as for the other seniors, nothing seemed too intimidating. It figured, she thought...just as you started to get used to a place..really make it your own, you realize it's the last go-round. She was excited--she, the consummate jock-and-cheerleader rolled into one, was excited--about some of her classes. Earth Science seemed easy (and surprisingly interesting), and the new English teacher, Mr. Bailer, was young and hip and dreamy (to use slang current fifty years ago), Not only that, but now--NOW--she was about to head to the most exciting class of all: Study Hall.
She had had one study hall before, and she remembered how much fun it had been. This year, she had TWO. Not only that, but she and Penelope, her best friend, had coordinated their schedules so that they had this study hall together. After hugging, and before "class" began, the two girls started to catch up.
"...and I worked on my uncle's farm for a while, too!"
"Get out. I didn't even realize ordinary people OWNED farms anymore. I thought it was all businesses these days...y'know...cooping chickens up on top of each other and stuff. I read about it in this book called "Why King Corn and Big Business is Evil."
"No, he is definitely a real farmer--I've got the tan lines to prove it he specializes in certain crops like soy and barley. No cows or pigs or anything like--Varie?"
"Omigosh, Pen--I had the WEIRDEST dream last night."
"Yeah?" said her friend, a bit annoyed at being derailed like this.
"Well, it was the first day of school, and I was wearing RUNNING clothes, and there was this really creepy teacher, who was all...oh...shit..."
"What's wrong, Varie?" asked Penelope, noticing her friend's face had gone white. She was staring toward the front of the room where the teacher was beginning to introduce herself.
"Omigod!" whispered Varie. "That's HER...the creepy woman from my dream! That's Miss..."
"...my name is Miss Biltennen," continued the young woman up front, addressing the class. She smiled pleasantly. Everything about her, in fact, SEEMED pleasant, other than the fact that her makeup was a tad too dark for her pale skin. She eyed the two whispering girls in the back corner for a moment, then rolled her eyes as if to say, 'Teen-age girls--is there any situation they can't manufacture drama from?' "I am, as I'm sure you've figured out, a teacher, and I NEED this period to plan classes. I'm not planning on treating any of you like babies, so by all means, communicate, as long as you don't distract me or other students from their work. I think we'll get along quite well." There was general eye-rolling from most of the girls, who tended to take an instant dislike to most young, pretty teachers (pleasingly plump or not) who seemed to be hard-asses. The guys, of course, generally approved.
Varie did not approve. Even after she'd settled down, and began to text Penelope next to her, she felt really weird about Miss Biltennen. True, her name was different, and she was a study hall teacher rather than a Home Ec teacher, but...weird. Was she merely, she wondered, projecting Biltennen's face backwards onto Cashlin's? What in the world was wrong with her?
The rest of the day passed, more or less, without incident (though not, perhaps, from the perspective of a popular teenage girl--gossip, boys, sports, mini-reunions of all kinds). Varie forgot her dream and Miss Cashlin/Biltennen. She lay down on her bed, exhausted, head brimming with new plans and burgeoning pre-college obsessions. This was going to be a great year. She drifted slowly, slowly...and...
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