That chill was back. Along with other unpleasant feelings. Karyn hadn't noticed it in the lunch room, but after that dizzy spell nothing felt quite the same. Everything was...slower, more detached, and yet paradoxically, time seemed to move faster. It was like she'd just taken a ton of anti-hista...hista...allergy pills. Her perfectly glossed lips screwed up in a grimace. She was so absent minded the last couple of days. It had to be nerves. Plus, that sleep over with Paige hadn't involved sleeping so much as giggling and gossiping about the other girls between dress up sessions.
"Ow," Karyn was forced to exclaim as she impacted something firm and heavy.
"Geez, watch where you're going you..." The deep voice trailed off. She looked up to find Steve Farber, who oddly had a distant, subtle smirk on his face rather than the complete apathy she was accustomed to. Or the look of annoyance you might expect from the abrasive jock after you'd ran right into him.
A long moment passed before Karyn realized they weren't talking. "Oh...uh, sorry." She blushed. Steve still smiled. "No problem, babe. But you better hurry up, the bell's about to ring. Unless you'd rather stay here with me?"
"Stay here? What would we do in the hallway?" He seemed to find that amusing, but he simply walked off, chuckling. Karyn simply couldn't understand why there'd been no put down, harassment, or even a single invective in the exchange. Until it dawned on her that she'd ran into Steve with her breasts. God, did he think she was flirting with him? As if. Only a brainless bimbo wouldn't see what Steve "The Stud" Farber really was. She'd have to do something about these things. Her bras just weren't fitting like they used to. They must have shrunk or something, and been making her chest stick out more. Figures. And she had been in such a hurry, to.
Wait, where had she been going? She almost smacked herself. Calculus. It had been hard work to get the course. The school's honor system was fairly small, and there weren't a lot of slots open. She couldn't let herself be late, no matter how many cute guys she ran into.
Karyn really smacked herself this time. She was still standing in the hallway. Allowing herself a curse under her breath, she rushed off to class to the staccato rhythm of her black pumps' heels.
She arrived just in time to sit down at her usual place, only to find that her teacher was passing out papers. Shit. She had a test today, and she'd totally forgot to study! She took some deep breaths to calm herself. She knew this stuff. Karyn had always had a talent for math. Sure, she'd been late on a couple of homework assignments, but she'd been busy lately. It was harder being popular than she thought, and it was taking time for her to adjust to things. It's not like this was the end of the world.
The sheet hit her desk. Three pages. But only three problems...that she could already tell would have dozens of steps. She compulsively jammed another two pieces of gum in her mouth, just to give her jaw something to clench on. Somehow, the comforting sweetness and elastic resistance took the edge off. She relished a few contented smacks before noticing the goth girl that sat two seats from her giving her the snootiest look. Karyn stuck out her tongue at her, and chewed all the louder. Why were the goths so mean lately? Maybe they'd always been that way, and she'd never noticed. Maybe if they just relaxed, spent some time on the beach, and learned to wear something other than black...
"Ms. Black. The gum, please." Karyn gave a start at the sound of Ms. Ford's clipped request.
"Oh. Did you, like, want some?" Karyn reached for another piece out of her purse. The goth sniggered.
"Throw. It. Out."
Karyn did so, and returned to find her desk a colder, lonelier place than when she'd left.
That strange, detached feel to the flow of time continued. But it was ok, Karyn knew the feeling now. She was in the zone. She could do this, it wasn't even that hard. She didn't need to stud-
"Pencils down."
Karyn looked up. Class was over. She looked back down at her paper.
She was only halfway through the first problem.
