Jenny stepped out into the yard for recess. Kindergarten was so much weirder than daycare had been. Especially taking the bus instead of her mom dropping her off. Not that it was bad, since-
Two hands clapped onto her shoulders from behind, and Jenny turned to see Karyn smiling at her. The girl had blonde hair about as long as Jenny's hair was, a little past their shoulders, and was wearing a t-shirt with a unicorn on it and a matching skirt. "Jenny!" she said.
"Karyn!"
"Let's go get some swings before anyone else gets there."
"You better not be leaving me out!" Sarah said, walking up from behind Karyn. She had shorter hair, about halfway down her neck, and was wearing a white dress.
"Nope, but that's why we gotta hurry. There's only four swings!" Karyn moved one hand behind her to grab Sarah's, then took Jenny's with her free hand and started tugging both of them after her. They all made it to the swingset before anyone else and took their seats.
"School is so weird!" Karyn said. Jenny nodded, smiling.
"At least we're all in the same class," Sarah said.
"That is great," Karyn said. They had all gone to different daycares, so only got to see each other on weekends usually. "We'll get to play so much more now."
"We could probably even take the bus to each others houses to play after school," Sarah said.
"Is that allowed?" Jenny asked. Could they really just take any bus? Like... there were no rules?
"Probably!" Sarah said. The kept swinging and talking, and it was nice. As weird as school was, this was cool. They had been friends forever and getting to see each other more often was nice.
Delia's hands played with the hem of her skirt as she walked around the playground. She hated being brought out to one of these places alone, just her left on her own to play while her parents talked to the other parents, and her parents said they were meeting someone here, but that didn't help her. None of the other kids ever played with her and it was just...
A boy crashed into her from behind, knocking her to the ground. He kept running, chased by another boy who also ran right past her. Delia's hands hurt from the landing and from the wood chip things that littered the ground digging in. Her knees hurt too, and she could feel herself almost start to cry. More footsteps were getting closer, and she could imagine a third boy ready to crash into her, hurting her more. Or maybe making fun of her, or...
"Hey, jerks!" Delia turned and looked up, seeing a girl wearing overalls with a white shirt under them. Her long black hair was tied back into pigtails, and she looked really angry. "You knocked her over." She couldn't hear the response from the boys, but the other girl grumbled and called them jerks again. She leaned down offered a hand. "You okay?"
Delia wasn't sure what to say. Her hands and knees still hurt, and she still felt like she might cry. But she nodded, taking the girls hand and letting her help her up.
"You're Delia, right?" the other girl asked. "My dad is over talking to your parents. I guess they're friends. I'm Trinity."
"H-hi," Delia said.
"You wanna go throw dirt at those jerks who knocked you over?" Trinity asked, looking back in their direction. When Delia shook her head, she shrugged and looked around. "We can... go on the slide?"
That... that was better. Delia nodded and they both headed in that direction, keeping a bit of distance from the boys who were still running around, chasing each other. They played throughout the afternoon, having fun. By the end of the day, Delia forgot all about the run in with the boys.
Jade huffed as she ran. She didn't get why the gym teacher was making them run laps. The games, like kickball or something, those were fine. She could fake it for a while when playing those. Running laps, though? That was just pure exercise and it wasn't something she was good at or interested in. Most of the other students were doing a lot better than she was. Even her friends, the other girls she knew because her parents were friends with their parents, were much better. Only a few students were doing as bad as she was, which...
It stunk, because she was good at everything else in school. Only gym stood out, something she needed to work harder at.
Kyla was trying to keep pace with Jade, and was huffing as much as she was. Gladys, one of the other girls who was struggling and a friend of Kyla's had given up on running entirely and was walking the field. "This stinks," Kyla said between huffed breaths.
Jade nodded and looked backwards. Some of the more athletic students were already nearly lapping them. Her eyes scanned them and she could see one familiar figure approaching quickly. She let out a sigh as the red haired girl approached, easily keeping pace with Jade and Kyla. "You're really not good at this are you?" Randi asked. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail, a little left free to frame her face.
"Not at all," Jade said.
"You should join some of the teams. Like soccer, it's so fun!" Randi said. Jade shook her head, and could see Kyla doing the same, and Randi frowned. "Or we could go for runs when we hang out. You can come too, Kyla. You'll be so fast in no time."
Jade wanted to argue, to say she didn't want to do that. Because she really didn't want to do that. But... she could think back to her last few report cards. All A's with the exception of gym, which had been a B the first semester, a C+ the next. If Randi could help... and Jade knew she could, because the girl's whole family were athletes.
"I... guess that would be helpful..." Jade said. "Some tips and help."
"Great!" Randi said. "It'll be fun, promise."
Randi winced as her mother applied alcohol to the scrape on her knee. She could already feel the pain that came along with a nasty bruise, and was already anticipating how gross it would look.
"You shouldn't let your brothers goad you into doing things like this, Miranda," her mother said.
"They said I wouldn't be able to score a goal against them because I'm a girl."
"And I'll have words with them about that belief, but you know how they are. All of you kids are incredibly competitive, for better and for worse. And that extends to each other. Add into that the age and size difference between you and them..."
"I scored a goal though."
"And you got hurt doing it. We're lucky that it's minor, but it will look nasty for a few days, I'd imagine." Randi grimaced at that. She didn't want to have a gross bruise on her leg because one of her jerk older brothers had decided to trip her by kicking at her knee. Her mother finished applying the alcohol and antibacterial cream, then added a bandage and kissed the top of her head. "How about you go rest up while I talk to your brothers, and in a little while we can go out and do something, hmm? Maybe go to the salon and get our nails done?"
Randi bit her lip, considering. The last time that they had done that her brothers had made jokes and comments for days, until she had removed the nail polish. It had been annoying, and sad because she had really liked how it looked. Plus, the kids at school who were used to seeing her without that stuff...
Girls like Sarah and Nadine didn't get those comments from the other kids. And they didn't have dumb older brothers to make fun of them or kick them in the knees and other stuff like that, but they probably wouldn't have cared even if they did. And Jade...
Jade was kind of like Randi. Didn't do too many girly things, really, and when she did it drew people's attention. They had talked about how much it sucked, how annoying it was. And Randi had talked a big game, said that she wouldn't let people give her crap about it any more, but now...
She looked up at her mom, smiled, and nodded. Her mom kissed the top of her head again and stood up, leaving the bathroom to go and talk to her brothers. Randi made her way to her room, laying on the bed and waiting. The talking to the boys were gonna get would probably make them act crappier for a while, but there wasn't much she could do about that. Even if she had asked her mom not to, she would have yelled at them. She sat and listened, hearing some of what was being said. Her mom telling them that they couldn't be as rough with her as they were with each other. That she was a girl, and younger than them. And they shot back that she acted like a boy.
Which... she didn't? Not really. She liked playing soccer, liked to run and stuff, but that didn't mean she was acting like a boy, right? She just liked doing stuff, being active. That made her angry, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with that anger. She was still thinking it over by the time her mom came to get her for their afternoon out.
Karyn reached up, nearly running her fingers through her hair. It was a habit, one that she had almost given in to. It was only the smell of the product that had been put into it that reminded her that work had been put into it. It had been styled, curled, and touching it could mess that up. She stopped herself from licking her lips, too, because there was gloss on them. Just a little bit of make-up, application helped by her mother. She looked down at herself, the dress she was wearing. It was pink, which was a color that she didn't wear that often these days, and she could see her breasts beneath it. They had grown in a bit before most of the girls in her class, and were definitely more prominent than what most had too. She had overheard a few comments about herself and the other girls who were equally early on that front. Not just from the other girls. She had heard comments from the boys too, and even some adults. It made her feel gross, and kind of wish that she could just wish them away. All of the changes and how people looked at her because of them.
And the clothes that were sold for girls her age were starting to be designed in a way to show off a bit. That didn't help.
"You okay?" Jenny asked. She was wearing a blue dress, had her hair done in a similar style to Karyn's, and was one of the few that was equally far along the puberty track as she was.
"Not really used to all of this," Karyn admitted. She could see Sarah a little distance away, talking to her mom. She was wearing a pink dress too, but looked so much more comfortable in her clothes, the make-up, her skin... Karyn hadn't talked about her feelings toward the changes to her body with her friends, mostly because she was worried that they wouldn't feel the same. What if they thought she was a freak because of it? She could so easily see Sarah wanting to hurry through puberty, start getting to act more adult.
"Me either, but it's normal right? Part of getting older?" Jenny asked. "Make-up and all of that. And, hey! First dance." Karyn looked toward the school, could see the doors to the gym were open. Some of the other kids from school were standing outside, talking. She could hear the music from here.
What if no boys ask me to dance? Karyn thought. What if too many do? Because of my chest...
"You two ready?" Sarah asked, finally joining the two of them. She looked so at home dressed like this, and she was even wearing shoes with a little bit of a heel.
"I guess so," Jenny said. Karyn just nodded. Sarah locked arms with the two of them and dragged them toward the gym. They all said hellos to some of the other kids from their class and grade then made their way into the gym. The music was much louder, lights flashing. Karyn felt a little relieved to see that there really wasn't much dancing happening. Maybe everyone felt as awkward about this as she did. Her dad had made a comment about sicth graders and dances and how they were pretty much just friends hanging out.
"Looks like things haven't really started yet," Sarah said, looking around in the way she did when she was evaluating things. She smiled and turned to Karyn and Jenny. "How about we get things going?"
"What?" Karyn asked, barely getting the word out before Sarah pulled both of them to the center of the gym and started dancing to the music. Karyn was taken back by that, how sure of herself Sarah seemed. Jenny at least seemed to be on her wavelength, equally as confused.
Sarah kept going though, and neither Karyn or Jenny could let one of their best friends be the only one really getting into this. They followed her lead, dancing to the song that was pounding out of the speakers. Others that they knew saw and started to join in. It wasn't long until the floor was packed, all of the kids having fun. Not dancing with anyone in particular, just dancing.
And that helped. Less pressure, just fun. She smiled whenever she saw her friends in the crowd. Not just Jenny and Sarah. The others, too. The rest of the night proceeded like that. The entire class just dancing as a group, for the most part. When a slow song played toward the end of the night, they all even gave that a shot. Each of the girls pairing up with one of the boys. That was a little weirder, but... still nice. And easier after the ice had been broken.
Nadine sipped her hot chocolate, listening to the other kids chat. This was a normal after church ritual. The adults would move to one room of the basement and chat for a while while the kids were left to entertain themselves in the other or go outside. Usually, that depended on the weather. It was a little bit cold out, so most of the kids were sticking to the basement. Unfortunately, the emphasis there was on kids. Nadine was 14, and most of the kids that were present were under 12. She realized that she was playing with her crucifix, lifted it and scraped it a bit with her manicured nails. Her mother and her had gotten them done the day before as a little treat.
With a sigh, Nadine slipped out of the room. Church hadn't been this boring a few years ago, when she fell into that younger age group. Now she felt the absence of her friends. None of them attended, which was commented on by some other members of the congregation. The ones who, according to her father, didn't know how to mind their own business. Her mother tended to agree, she knew.
Making her way outside, she saw the older kids. Only 5 of them, and all 16 and up. Enough of a gap that they tended to not include her in what they were doing. Because they could drive, and date. Which... Nadine was very interested in dating. Some of the boys had approached the other girls, but it was only the boldest of them. Now that they were in high school, though, things would probably change. Dating was expected, and...
And she didn't know how to deal with that. Her parents weren't exactly forthcoming with info related to dating, and her friends had as little experience as she did. Even Sarah, as outgoing as she was, had little experience when it came to boys.
Nadine drew a few looks as she approached the group of older kids. One of the two girls who were standing there, Denise, nodded a bit as she got closer. "Sick of kiddie playtime?"
"So sick."
"She is a kid," one of the guys, Dave, said.
"She's 13-" Denise started.
"14," Nadine corrected.
"14, sorry. She's not quite a kid. Besides, we chat at some events. She's cool. Right Nadine?"
"I like to think so," Nadine said, smiling easily before taking a sip of her hot chocolate. Denise's dad worked at McMillan Corp like her dad did, but lower on the chain. They had spent some time talking at work gatherings when their dads had dragged them along, and when Nadine's friends weren't there or were busy.
Dave didn't seem that convinced, but let it go.
"I hope my parents decide to leave soon. I want to salvage what I can of my Sunday," Denise said. "I'm supposed to meet Roy later."
"Your parents are okay with you dating him?" Shelly, the other girl in the group, asked. "Even though he doesn't attend?"
"They had more of an issue before they met him. He puts on a good act. And as long as they don't know what we're getting up to..." Nadine's eyebrows went up. Was she... doing things? Like, actually doing them? What was she doing? How? Wasn't it wrong? Against God?
"Talking about that in front of the kid?" Dave asked.
"She's at dating age. You got boys interested in you? You interested in boys?"
Nadine nodded, then considered. "I haven't dated anyone, but... definitely," she said. "But my parents are useless to talk to about that stuff, not that I'd want to..." There were some laughs at that, and Nadine smiled. "So it's something to figure out."
"I can give you some tips," Denise said. Nadine could practically see the girls gears turning. She knew her dad wanted a promotion, and she was probably thinking Nadine could be a path to helping with that. Which... that was fine, she guessed. If she got something useful out of it she could make a comment here and there to her daddy. "Be a sounding board."
"That'd be great," Nadine said. They exchanged numbers, a promise to talk later. And with that, Nadine had a way to learn more, to figure out boys. She could even share the info she got with her friends, not that they would necessarily have the hangups she did when they didn't go to church. Either way, it was something good that came out of a boring afternoon.
"What do you think?" Trinity asked, doing a little spin and lifting her hair up to show to Delia. It was freshly died, now dark purple instead of her natural black.
"Oh my God, it looks so good!" Delia said. "You have to send pics to the others, they're gonna flip out."
"I will, I will," Trinity said.
"Where'd you get it done?"
"Did it myself. Looked up how online."
"No way!" Delia said. Trinity grinned at how excited the other girl was. There wasn't much that really got her going like this. "You did it yourself? Was it hard?"
"It took a while. I was gonna say, I know you said you were thinking of doing something like this. If you wanted to sleep over tonight, we could probably do yours. I think I've got a pretty good handle on it."
Delia hesitated, looking over Trinity's hair and biting her lip. "I... I don't know if my mom would be happy if I just did that..."
"Easier to ask forgiveness than permission," Trinity said. "Just ask if you can stay over and show her the results tomorrow. It'll look good, I promise. I already watched a video on how to do the style you want." That seemed to be enough to convince Delia, who messaged her mom, asking for permission to stay over. Trinity was glad. Her dad was going to be working late, and she didn't like staying home alone. Having Delia there would help. They got the okay, and as soon as they did they started on Delia's hair. It took a good chunk of the night, and it came out looking okay. Not professionally done, but good for an 8th grader doing it herself.
