Classroom Confrontation (Navi)

It was not uncommon for Nevaeh to be lost. Changing schools regularly had a tendency to make her a little more lax about finding rooms the first time (as everyone seemed to expect a little confusion right off the bat), and she wasn't really worried about making it to her classes on time or anything like that. Most teachers seemed to figure that she was just adjusting or something - she wasn't quite sure, but everyone looked like they were just being nice.

That's how it went at new schools. Well, most of the time. In her experience.

Today, Navi had been wandering around the hallways after class in order to remind herself where her English teacher's classroom was. It hadn't been going very smoothly, but eventually the technophile found it. Glancing to the sheet in her hands, then to the room number again, the young girl's face broke into a triumphant grin and she opened the door expecting to find an empty classroom (with maybe the teacher in it).

Instead there was... a girl? A girl her age, no less, and caught at a near dead-run back to a chair. Looking back and forth between the girl and the board (which caught her attention because it was actually kind of hilarious looking), Navi shrugged a little. "Well, I was," she answered, honest in the face of hostility. "What about you, stuck in detention or something?"

Well, no one ever said that she had to quail in the face of brattiness either. Still, with the fact that this girl that she'd never even met was being openly aggressive and that there was some weird drawing of a fat guy on the board (definitely not Mr. White - that man was kinda scary and looked like he could pick a person up by the scruff of their neck and shake them), it seemed pretty obvious that there was some discipline going on here.

"Where's Mr. White? Isn't he always here after class?"

Once again, Navi shrugged. Bitter girl, this kid was. "I don't ask for any help," she pointed out. "Maybe they led you around by the nose 'cause you're a troublemaker." Okay, that may have been a little harsh. But the techie had learned young that bullies needed to be given some of their own medicine from time to time. Texas had taught her that better than anywhere.

"Can't harp on me for being lost if you're stuck somewhere you don't wanna be. At least I get to leave." Looking back to the board, the younger girl pulled a bit of a face. It was a pretty good drawing for being on a whiteboard, but who was it supposed to look like? John Goodman? "Sure, looks just like him," she added dryly. "Reminds me of a movie I saw once."

Navi cracked a grin at Harmony's response to her question. Even if she was a rude little brat, at least she had some humor. Well, maybe without intending it. But so what? Time for a little geekiness to show through, then, since they were making jokes. "If you were his mom, I'd have to tell my dad that we were in Star Trek or something. Normally kids are younger than adults."

Then, there was the answer to the question. The younger girl sighed a little and shook her head. School for the freaks, huh? "No kidding," she muttered. "So if we're all freaks here, what makes you one, huh?"

Well ouch. Still, there was more than one answer to a taunt. "Who said not getting in trouble meant being scared?" Navi fired back. "Plenty of people learn how to think for themselves without being stupid and getting caught doing something wrong."

Shrugging, the small girl chose not to disagree. Still, she was pretty sure someone would notice that a girl from detention was missing and just give her another one. Still the assumption on Star Trek gave the computer whiz a giggle. "Seriously?" she asked. "Have you even seen it? Star Trek was the reason we invented cell phones and tablets. Even those new Google Glasses are based off stuff from that." Yeah - she was a techie Trekkie. but come on - Star Trek was COOL.

"Fine then - what are you 'talented' at?" Sometimes, getting into a fight wasn't really worth it. A person could stand up for themselves without picking on other people. If it was a tender subject, it was better left alone until it caused trouble (as her mother used to say).

The younger girl didn't answer, but she gave a skeptical snort of laughter regardless. Sure, she wanted to get caught. And a snake's favorite place was an icebox. Whatever - if she wanted to go that way, that was her. Navi didn't care one way or the other if Harmony wanted to get caught or if she was just being a brat.

Frowning at the other girl, Navi crossed her arms over her chest like her mother used to do and huffed. It wasn't nearly so intimidating from a thirteen year old skinny black girl, but it was just something she picked up like all kids did from their parents. "Actually, yeah - I like school," she bantered back. "And I like my computer, and I'll probably see more of the outside world than you because I'm not stuck in detention for being a brat!"

Granted, that series of comments probably meant that she deserved the shove she got as Harmony demonstrated her powers. Taking a few steps back with a startled cry, Navi shifted her shoulders and glared back. Despite herself, she thought it was a pretty cool power - being able to teleport anywhere definitely had advantages, she had to admit. But, as much as she was scared of it, her own power was way cooler.

"That's a neat trick," she complimented, though the tone was a little grudging as the smaller girl shifted her feet and glanced at the clock. Where was the teacher, anyway?