School was... Well it was school. The fact that it was so unremarkable was in fact the most remarkable thing about it. Sure, she was going to a completely different set of classes, but thanks to her new normalized life... It didn't feel particularly odd. If anything it was even more boring, for having to redo classes she still recalled from when she was Jon. Zoe would slump into her desk at each class, take half hearted notes, and then distract herself with her phone as often as she thought she could get away with. She found herself gravitating towards apps and sites she wasn't used to. Fashion blogs, and a few pagan forums, but she really just made the obsessive rounds between about 3 different social sites. It turned out she had a few acquaintances throughout her classes that required her new memories to remember. Sure she'd seen them around school before, but this was definitely the first time 'Jon' had spoken with them. They regarded her with a certain guarded curiosity, which Zoe found she enjoyed... Even if it meant she didn't really engage in conversations the way she used to when she was Jon.
It was a little hard to tell if not much was different between now and her life as Jon, or if she just couldn't tell the difference anymore, but one thing did stand out. People looked at her more than when she was Jon. She would look up from her notes, wearing a bored expression, only to find guys seeming to turn away from her, and towards their own notes only a fraction of a second later. It felt a bit paranoia inducing at first, but she started to notice common culprits by the end of each class. She wasn't sure if she liked the attention or not, especially considering her 'Jon' experiences gave her a better insight on what those mischievous glances meant, but decided not to put too much thought into it. It was good to be attractive... right? It was the glances from the other girs... Err... From the girls that made her most nervous. their eyes would flit her way, with none of the mischief, or interest, then turn away just as cold. When one such watcher would turn to whisper to another girl, it always sent a rumble of anxiety through her belly, and drew a dour expression across her face. Those unheard words echoed the silent voices of her own self consciousness...
"That plastic bitches" she found herself muttering as a flawlessly fashionable stick of a girl chattered absently about how tacky dark and heavy makeup was. The girls eyes never even passed over Zoe, but she could practically feel the bitches passive aggressiveness assailing her psyche. "She's just jealous the guys like what they see..." She found the justification empowering, and yet... disempowering at the same time.
"And I've really just cut out all sugar from my diet, you know? There's just no reason for it. It just makes you lethargic, and heavy." The girl continued, a little louder.
Zoe gripped her pencil in a fist as she seethed. "That bitch..."
"Like, I want to fit in my dress for prom, you know?" the fashionable brunette continued.
"As if they only make prom dresses for sticks." Zoe fumed silently.
"At least, I want to fit without cheating." The girl snickered, and this time she did glance at Zoe.
Zoe's cheeks flushed, and she finally faced the girl and spit. "How about you..."
"Oh Shut UP Olivia." Another girl interrupted. "Your vapid mouth noises are making everybody in here stupider." The girl who spoke up had exasperated hazel eyes and a messy top of short wavy hair. The shaggy halo was dirty blonde, and suited her subtle rocker style. A red and black denim shirt was tied around her waist, and she wore a dark tan band tour T with skinny jeans.
"How about you mind your own business, Miss nobody. I wasn't talking to you." Olivia spat snidely. She glared at the girl for a few moments, before turning back to her friends and talking a little more quietly.
The other girl just rolled her eyes, and shot a sympathetic have smile to Zoe. Zoe smiled, and started to speak, but the girl was already focused on her classwork again.
Zoe left the class, trying to sift the cocktail of emotions that rolled through her. Friendship, hope, expectations, but then... Frustration and disappointment. Humiliation. She tugged at her corset, and found herself glancing at her reflection in windows as she walked... The self assessment really just made her even more frustrated. She did like her corset, and hated it, both for the same reasons. The roiling emotions were capped with the hard nosed anger she'd become familiar with since becoming goth Zoe, At least her next period of was PE. She scowled, certainly not looking forward for the useless hassle of a class, but glad that she'd be able to see Athena again.
Zoe sighed as she pushed open the door to the gym.
