Mittens has Class Ch. 08

He looked out at the class with an easy smile, seeming pretty comfortable in his position. "Your grade is eighty percent based on the weekly essays you will be writing and the remaining twenty percent will be the final. So, even if you skip the final, which is just another essay, you can walk out with a 'B-' if you manage to do all the weekly essays with full scores."

He began rooting through the leather satchel, removing various things, as he continued. "Each Monday, I will give you a topic for that week's essay. The essay you write will always be written as an argument for something regarding that topic, but it's up to you what that argument is. For instance, this week's topic is..."

He paused a moment, his eyes moving to Mittens, then the two boys, before continuing. "Bullying. You can write an argument from the perspective of why you think people act like bullies. You can write an argument about how you think it should be handled. You can write about why you think it isn't or is already being well handled. You can even write an argument in defense of bullying people, if you want. I don't care what your actual argument is, so long as it pertains to the topic and the essay is properly written."

Leaning casually over the podium, she surveyed the class for a second. "After giving the topic, I'll give a lecture about writing. Not just essay writing, but all kinds of writing. I'll go over common grammar issues, best practices for how to compose different kinds of professional written items, and ways to better craft arguments or written opinions."

He took up a stack of papers and began walking through the class, handing each of them a copy. "This is the basic syllabus for the term. There's not much on it, save for my contact information and office hours, as well as when the final will be. You are actually welcome to show up on Monday, get the week's topic, and then leave, if you like. I don't take attendance and it's up to you whether you consider my lectures worth your time. Wednesdays are even more optional, we'll just be going to the computer lab on those days, which you can do on your own time. Fridays, you are also welcome to just drop off that week's essay, pick up the previous week's, graded, essay, and leave, if you want."

He handed the last two sheets to the two muscle-heads, who had taken seats at the back of the room. "Fridays are pretty much meant just for you to have a chance to discuss why you got whatever grades you got on the previous essays, so if you got a perfect score on your paper for the previous week and aren't interested in hearing the advice I have for other students, there's not much point to stick around."

He returned to the front of the room. "So, now that you have the syllabus and the topic, anyone who wants to head out may do so. I'm going to be going over the key elements of what makes an essay an 'essay' for today's lecture, but if you think you already know that, I'll give you a minute to run along." He then began busying himself with organizing some notes.

Mittens looked around the class to see if anyone was taking him on the offer to leave. Without much surprise, the two lunkheads were quick to grab their stuff and start leaving, though they spared her an ugly look as they went. She saw that Krystal noticed it too.

"I has a feeling those two's gonna be trouble this semester." She said to her new, interesting, friend. "I take it they went to your high school?"

"Yeah." Krystal said, looking none too pleased by that. "They were a couple years behind me. I remember the faces, but I'm not sure what their names are." She gave a shrug. "I got teased by most of the school, so after a while all the faces of the people throwing out jabs begin to just blend together."

"That's horrible." Mittens said, frowning at the thought of this poor girl getting tormented by her whole school. "Was it just because of how you choose to dress? All the make-up and stuff?"

"Mostly, yeah." Krystal confirmed, giving a half-hearted shrug at her own answer. "But for other stuff too though. I'm not really good with people, as I'm sure you can guess. I'm not into cutting or anything, by the way. Or any of the other dumb stuff people always assume."

"Actually, I just assumed you were a Peppermint Creeps fan." Mittens chuckled. Curiously, Krystal didn't seem to understand the reference.

She had to admit, it wasn't hard to imagine that Krystal wouldn't be particularly good with social skills. Not so much because of how she was dressed and made up, but simply based on her body language. Everything about her demeanor practically screamed shy and insecure, despite how so very at odds with her choice of appearance it was. Her only guess to the disparity was that it was meant as a kind of armor. A mask and costume hiding the actual person beneath.

However, before she could really inquire more about any of it, Mister Carson resumed class. Only a couple other students had left behind the two meat-headed guys, but Mittens was happy that Krystal had been one of the ones to stay. She wanted a chance to better get to know this girl. She was a weirdo and Mittens loved weirdos, being one herself.

She spent the next hour listening to the teacher explain the basics of what he expected from them. While it was possible that those who left already knew what they needed to know, Mittens wondered if they would end up suffering for their decision not to stay. It surprised her more that they had left than it had that Mister Carson had invited them to do so. She supposed he simply wasn't interested in teaching someone who didn't want to be taught.

The amount of information he imparted about essays and what made for good ones seemed almost essential for anyone who actually wanted to pass the class. She couldn't imagine having walked out, just because she could. She couldn't help but wonder if it was some kind of test of its own.

Admittedly, he didn't really go over all that much she didn't already know. There was the occasional bit of advice or point that she might not have considered, but considering that she had actually tested out of this class, it wasn't surprising that there wasn't much new to her here. She was only taking it because she wanted to, not because she needed to.

However, she assumed she was the only one there purely by her own choosing, which meant that the other students needed to know this stuff. There was a certain devious glee to the thought that the two meat heads would likely have to repeat the class because of their own irresponsibility. Not that people like them ever seemed to really suffer for their poor attitudes.

When the lecture was finally over and Mister Carson dismissed the class, she turned to Krystal. "Hey, you hungry?"

The question seemed to take her off guard. "Um...I guess..." She mumbled.

"Do you have time to grab some breakfast with me?" Mittens asked, smiling brightly and hopefully. "My treat." She added. "I wanna checks out the cafeteria, see if it's worth getting the meal card or not."

Krystal blinked at her, seeming unsure. However, after a moment, her beautiful blue eyes flicked to the big fluffy ears, then to the big paws, before back to Mittens' own made-up face. "Okay." She said, an actual smile forming for the first time on her dark lips. "Sounds cool."

The pair of them began trekking across the campus, trying to find the cafeteria, the two of them drawing quite a few stares as they went. Mittens noticed that Krystal seemed all too aware of each set of eyes that gawked at her, seeming to shrink a little more at every look. Mittens simply waved at them and smiled, sometimes meowed a hello.

"Does it ever bother you?" Krystal asked at one point as they went along.

"Does what bother me?" Mittens asked back, a little confused for a moment. "People staring you mean? I's walkin' around dressed as a cat, I kinda expect people ta stare." She paused to wave at another person who had just caught sight of her. They hesitated a moment, then waved back with a laugh.

Krystal sighed. "Actually, I meant people laughing at you. Making fun of you."

Mittens shrugged. "If'n they wants ta makes fun of me for who I am, let 'em. I's still a cat, so the jokes on them!" She flashed Krystal a toothy grin.

Krystal just balked at her, as if such thinking was utterly foreign to her. "Seriously? It doesn't bug you at all?"

Mittens laughed. "Well, I kind of had to grow a pretty thick skin as a kid. Dumb jokes about how I'm dressed ain't nothing compared to the stuff my mother threw at me. I's smart enough ta realize they's just threatened by ma individua-mality. People like those goons in class are the real insecure ones. They belittle people like us because we have the courage to be who we want to be, not who 'normal people' tells us to be."

Krystal looked at her curiously. "You see me as courageous?"

Mittens laugh out loud. "Duh! I mean, you're even tougher than I am."

That seemed to confuse the girl more than anything else. "I'm not the one who can apparently just shrug away people making fun of them." She said, peering at Mittens with a dubious expression.

Mittens nodded. "Exactly ma point." When she saw that Krystal was glaring at her with a dumfounded look, she chuckled. "Who is more brave, the person who runs into a burning building wearing a fireproof suit and respirator or someone wearing only their pajamas?"

"Well, I'd say the one in the pajamas is being stupid, not brave." Krystal countered.

Mittens grinned. "Maybe, but the point is, the one who is all suited up and can't be burned doesn't have to be afraid of the fire. And yet, the one in the PJ's goes in to save their cat anyway, stupid or not. They have every reason to be afraid of being burned, but they brave it anyway to save Mister Fluffbutt."

"'Mister Fluffbutt'?" Krystal asked incredulously, giggling a little.

"The point is, even though it DOES bother you to be made fun of, this is still how you chose to come to school dressed." Mittens said. "You are braving the flames, even though you know you can easily be burned. That makes you braver than me, someone who it doesn't bother, thus has no reason not to dress any way she wants."

Krystal turned her gaze forward, looking at nothing for a long moment, digesting the comments. After a bit, she gave a soft laugh. "You know, most people just suggest I try looking and acting more 'normal', not praise me for not doing so. You have to be one of the only ones who thinks of it as some kind of badge of courage."

Mittens grinned. "Why would I want you to dress more normal? Your awesome look is why I wanted to talk to you. I hope you never cave to Neanderthals like those guys. Hell, the next time they call you 'Emo Clown', you should just start making balloon animals."

That broke through the last of the girl's walls, causing her to laugh so hard that she needed to stop a moment to collect herself. Mittens was pretty sure the joke wasn't that funny, but Krystal obviously wasn't really just laughing at the comment. The proof came when she finally stood back up after the laughing fit and the hunch in her shoulders had disappeared, along with much of her anxiousness.

All of a sudden, she seemed much less anxious and open, the weight so many unspoken things gone. She was not cured, to be certain, but maybe, for a little while, she would be a little more resistant to the flames. That thought made Mittens feel good.

"Feeling better?" She asked once they were moving along again.

"Yeah." Krystal replied with a smile. "I am. Thanks for deciding to talk to me. I kind of needed a friend today."

Mittens peered at the girl. "You mentioned that most of your high school picked on you. Did you have anyone who was in your corner?"

Krystal nodded. "I did. Danielle and Sasha. You kinda remind me of them in some ways, actually. They didn't really care what people thought of them either. Nor did they really care how I looked or acted. I guess Sasha probably would have told not to change as well. And Danielle would have just made me laugh to cheer me up. In a way, you kind of remind me of her."

"Sounds like good friends." Mittens said.

"The best." Krystal replied, her expression growing wistful. "Unfortunately, I lost touch with them after we graduated. They moved off to go to other colleges. I just took a few years...well, to cry, I guess."

Mittens could see her self-consciousness and shyness starting to pour back in. "Well, now you have a new kitty friend." She said quickly, hoping to head off any oncoming gloominess. "And, if you want to join us for lunch later, I can introduce you to another friend I made today that will definitely think you look awesome too."

A smile began digging its way back out on Krystal's face. "I'd like that."

"Good." Mittens said, spying the cafeteria ahead. "Now to see if they happen to have any Canadian doughnuts."

"Huh?" Krystal said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Mittens grinned. "Long story, really. Before I tell it, what do you know about the fetish scene of Montreal?"