first impressions {Rylee}

[Dennis Pautler]

It was only the second week into the school year. Dennis only knew Rylee as one of the girls in his class. He’d noticed she was pretty, of course, but there were a lot of pretty girls around here, and Dennis’ attention span was spotty at best; each time he walked in and saw her it was like looking at her for the first time, and wondering, vaguely, what her name was (despite the roll call). If he thought hard, he might remember that he’d said good morning and hello to her, once or twice. At least, he thought he had. He might have continued the trend, if their instructor hadn’t asked them to get into groups.

Dennis looked over and found her next to him. He offered a smile first, putting his hands in his lap. She was so small compared to him: he was tall and gangly, especially for his age, and marked up and down with tattoos that made him look far more intimidating than he was. Rylee just looked sweet. And tiny.

“What do you think?” he asked her, meaning that he wanted to join up with her. And why not? They were right next to each other, after all. And maybe now her name would stick in his head. Dennis held out his hand.

[Rylee Vasquez]

Dennis was attractive and Rylee wondered if the guy knew it. Somehow they ended up sitting next to one another often. It just sort of happened. Probably because Rylee liked to sit near the back. He must have had a similar preference. She tended to get along with people in the back row.

But he didn't know her at all, and if she would have known that he thought she was sweet and innocent based on her appearance, she would have laughed and proved him wrong, but she'd probably prove him wrong at some point anyway. Just because she was small, many people matched it to a certain personality, one that was often wrong.

Then the teacher asked them to get into groups and Rylee rolled her eyes. The dreaded group activities that teachers thought somehow engaged you more when it happened to have the opposite effect on Rylee, mostly because sometimes she just didn't want to talk to anybody around her. But Dennis had turned to her and she supposed that at least she wasn't the awkward person looking around wondering who they were going to partner up with. There was always one of those people. High school was a jungle and it was like they were alone in the jungle after dark and everyone else was lions while they were a koala. Or something like that...

"Yeah, alright, dude," she agreed.

[Dennis Pautler]

Dennis held up his hand as though he’d never offered it in the first place. He tucked it underneath his jaw instead, and, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, scratched a real or imagined itch there. So maybe she wasn’t into introductions. Still, he readily smiled. “Cool,” he responded.

He didn’t know quite what they were supposed to be doing. Dennis wasn’t a failing student, but he wasn’t an A student, either, hovering between the B and C range, where he was comfortable. He didn’t pay attention every day. This class wasn’t one of this favorites, either, as the teacher gave in to long projected lectures…he zoned out, or fell straight asleep, more often than not. Dennis was banking on the fact that this girl knew what she was doing.

If not, they’d just piddle around the whole time, which he (personally) didn’t have a problem with.

“Sorry, who are you?” he asked. “I mean, I know I’ve heard it before, but I don’t remember your name.”

[Rylee Vasquez]

Rylee wasn't really one for handshakes. They were too formal and he could deal with it. It was just partnering up for a class thing. It wasn't like they were officiating a business deal or something. She was going to hate to break it to him, but she wasn't really so sure what they were suppposed to be doing. It could be partly because she was sitting in the back row. That encouraged her not to listen.

"Rylee," she replied, finally turning in her seat to look at him. "So, what are we supposed to be doing?"

[Dennis Pautler]

Rylee? Not the name he would have picked. She looked like a Sarah…or a Katy.

Dennis scratched his head. “I don’t know.” He’d been thinking about lunch; he had the misfortune of having the third shift, and he had to wait a lot longer to eat than the rest of the people he knew. That was bad news for someone who burned through calories like an industrial incinerator. Pretty soon he’d start rumbling. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

He leaned back in his chair, resting his knees against the edge of his desk. He would’ve stretched them out over the surface, but he’d already been called out on that. He couldn’t help it – he had long legs. “We could cut our losses,” he said. “Call it a day.”

[Rylee Vasquez]

"Well, fanfreakin'-tastic," Rylee commented as soon as he'd admitted he didn't know what they were supposed to be doing either. And she definitely didn't want to ask the teacher, because then it exposed that she wasn't listening. And she didn't exactly feel like talking to anybody else in the room.

She watched him slouch back in his chair, looking like the most apathetic person in the room. "So you're suggesting we just get up and leave." It wasn't even a question and she was higly considering it as well, but she also knew that her parents would be on her back about her grades. She always made it through, made it by. Never failed, but she had trouble keeping herself focused on things that she didn't want to learn about.

[Dennis Pautler]

“I didn’t say that,” he said.

Dennis had never just up and left a classroom before. He’d skipped a few, of course, but that wasn’t the same. Spreading his arms in a gesture of disbelief, Dennis raised his eyebrows and said, “You can.” His tone indicated that he wouldn’t follow.

Adjusting himself, Dennis righted his chair and sat up straight. “I was just thinking we’d have nothing to turn in. You know, just sit around. We could chat,” he said. “Or you could go and leave me to fend for myself.”

[Rylee Vasquez]

"Well, you freakin' implied it," Rylee shot back. "And honestly, I was beginning to think it was a good idea. Leave in a ridiculous coughing fit like you're sick." She leaned back further in her chair, slouching now. After all, the teachers didn't know her well enough yet to know her tricks. That was for sure and if they both didn't know what the assignment was, well...

"Yeah, but then we'd have to bank on her being the kind of teacher that doesn't come around to check up on your progress. Then we'd be screwed," she pointed out.