A Little Southern Charm(closed)

[Jewelskye]

Catryn DeWinter is a young woman from a small suburban northwestern town in Minnisota. The town is a quiet place. You know the kind... where the graduating class is only 200 people, everyone knows everyone, you marry your highschool sweetheart, and your popularity is not measured by the kind of car you drive or the house you live in, but by old family standings. The kind of town that people dont just up and leave. They dont just move away suddenly, they stay close to home and if they leave for college, they return almost immediately afterward.

At the age of 17, the DeWinter family was rocked by the loss of Johnathon DeWinter, Catryn's father. He died in an accident at the local refining company. After his death, Catryn's mother was in a hurry to leave the place where so many memories of her husband lingered. She moved her and her daughter(now 18 years old) south, to a small southern town. In many ways, the place was a lot like the town Catryn had grown up in. But in many ways it wasn't.

Catryn's town had been quiet, conservative, with matching houses and students that all seemed to be born of the same cloth, with the exception of a few rarities.

But in this town, she doesn't exactly fit in. Her straightlegged jeans and GAP clothing brand outfits just dont seem to match. Country music is almost completely new to her, no one here really likes pop bands, she's never line danced or done a two step, and her idea of a fun date is dinner and a movie, not big trucks and ATVs in sections of land bogged down with mud.

So at the beginning of Catryn's senior year of highschool(she is a year behind, thanks to the death of her father and several family issues that caused her to miss too much school), she's caught in an unfamiliar setting, surrounded by people who seem her exact opposites. How can she ever make friends here or even last through the school year?

OOC: Thank you to all the interest I got in who might get to play in this game. I finally chose Scribe as the best candidate. If any of you would still like to form up an rp and play, please let me know and I'll be more than willing to work on ideas with you.

 

[scribe_m]

(deleted for repost!)

 

[Jewelskye]

"Cat? Cat, honey?" Juliana DeWinter's voice filtered in through the jumble of thoughts buzzing around in her daughter's mind.

"Huh? Sorry, what?" Catryn's big cerulean blue eyes turned to look over at her mother, who was sitting in the driver's seat of the brand new 2005 Equinox she drove.

"We're here hunny. Did you want me to go inside with you?" Juliana's own brown eyes held a worried expression as Catryn looked over at her.

A quick glance out the window of the passenger side door brought affirmation to what her mother had said. They were here, at the one place she dreaded the most: Southern Springs High School. Heart pounding in her chest, she shook her head as she looked back to her mother and tried to seem calm and collected. "No, I can handle it," she said and offered her a brave smile.

Her mother nodded, and at that Catryn loosed her seatbelt and climbed out of the Equinox.

As she listened to the sounds of he mother pulling away from the curb and driving away, her eyes darted around at the other students filing into the front doors of the building. It was only slightly bigger than the one she had gone to back home. As she stood there, tucking her lower lip between her teeth, she took a deep breath. Be brave, Catryn. Gotta make Dad proud. Cant let Mom worry you, she's got enough stress, she told herself before marching up the front steps of the school.

It was easy to ignore the stares of the students as she made her way into the school, looking for the front office. But once she'd found it and was standing infront of the secretary, who despite how hard she tried not to, was staring at her appearance, ignoring things became next to impossible. She could feel her cheeks, neck, and ears turning red as blood rushed to them and she knew people could see her blush. She was so much paler than everyone else here... they all had nice, even tans, and some had sunburns. Catryn's skin was an even, creamy color and blemish free. Even as she stood there, glancing around her and trying to ignore the secretary's eyes on her, she caught sight of people standing outside the glass windows of the office and looking in at her. They weren't even trying to hide it.

She hadn't realised that they all dressed so differently. She felt terribly out of place in her designer label outfit, but it was all she had. When she'd tried to find a place to go clothes shopping, she found out that the closest place this place had to a GAP or Old Navy or anything like that was the local Wal Mart.

Even as she stood there, shifting from one white-sneakered foot to the other, she saw how odd she looked compared to everyone else. This was how she always dressed back home, even on a normal day. And these people looked like something out of that John Travolta movie "Urban Cowboy".

Finally, she had her class schedule in her hand and was free to leave the office. Keeping her eyes down except to look up at the signs above the doors to find the right class, Catryn made her way down the halls. She had english first period, with a Mr. Brown.

She managed to find the room before the bell rang, and walked in. Pausing inside the door, she lifted big blue eyes to look around at the people who were openly staring at her. Shifting from one foot to the other again, she adjusted the strap of her bookbag on her shoulder before hurrying to a seat that wasn't already taken. Of course, it had to be in the middle of the room. Lovely... all the better for them to stare at me... Catryn thought as she sat down.

There was a boy not far away, and he wasn't bothering to hide the fact that he was undressing her with his eyes. She gave a shiver and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Then there were two girls not too far away who were whispering about her clothes. They seemed to be better dressed than some, but still looked like something out of a country movie. Then there was one girl... she looked rough and tumble, dressed like a boy, and she was flat out staring at Catryn. It was obvious the tough girl was sizing Catryn up, and finally figured she was someone who'd be easy to bully up on and walk all over.

Saying a silent prayer, she lifted a hand to fiddle nervously with the small silver cross hanging around her neck. Lifting her eyes again, she glanced around in an attempt to get a good look at some of the other people. All the boys seemed to look alike, as far as clothes and everything went. The girls all seemed to be either very pretty and clean cut but still southern, or rough and tumble like the girl not far from her.

But there was one boy who stuck out. He was taller, and much more handsome than the others. She caught him glancing at her, and tried to offer up a shy smile, but the smile died when the girl he was talking to looked her way. She dropped her eyes immediately, a blush on her cheeks. The girl was much prettier than Catryn by far, Catryn thought. And besides... what would a guy like that want to be looking at a girl like her for? He probably thought her just as wierd and out of place as the rest of them did.

 

[scribe_m]

Kyle looked at the new girl in class. She looked out of place in her casual clothes. The nearest GAP here was... closed. But Kyle himself was a transplant. He grew up in New York he was 12. As the "new boy", he knew what it was liked to be teased and bullied. But his ability to ride horses as well as any other kid helped give him an edge against the boys, and an excuse with the ladies. His broad shoulders, slim hips, long legs, and strong arms didn't hurt either. He secretly desired to live back north, but his father owned a livestock business here. It wasn't a bad setup. The girls liked looking at the horses, and on his time off, he'd chat with them, give them rides, and give them handsome winsome smiles.

But looking at Catryn, in her beige dressy pants and red shirt, Kyle didn't think she had such an edge. Catryn wore a pair of nice pressed khakis, that were form fitting to her waist. They belled out at the knees. She wore a stylish, though unecessary brown leather belt. Her red shirt with with 3/4 sleeves, a v-cut neckline, and ivy embroidered around the edges with small little white flowers was more acceptable. She wore a curvy, lithe figure, and her tiny feet were clad in a pair of clean white sketchers. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, long red locks still reaching the tops of her shoulders.

He had an idea that she made an effort to look good on her first day. But that made her stand out like a target on the day she should have blended into the community. She didn't match the rough and tumble tomboys, in their jeans, boots, and t-shirts. She didn't look anything like the more feminine ones, in their short jean skirts, boots, and short-sleeved button-up blouses.

Mr. Brown the school teacher started. "Well, class, it's obvious we have a new student here. Her name is Catryn DeWinter. Did I pronounce it right? Tell the class about yourself, Cat-r-yn."


Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

"Well, class, it's obvious we have a new student here. Her name is Catryn DeWinter. Did I pronounce it right? Tell the class about yourself, Cat-r-yn." The teacher's voice reached Catryn's ears and she almost groaned... almost. She didn't want to be put on the spot like this. She'd never liked it when teachers called on her. And this one had to go and make it personal stuff he was asking about.

She lifted her eyes to look up at the teacher after glancing around as every head in the room turned her way. "Actually sir..." she started softly, noticing the moment she spoke that while these people all had soft southern accents, her voice was free of any such thing. "It's pronounced Cat-ryn."

"Ahh, terribly sorry, Catryn," Mr. Brown said, smiling at her in a friendly manner. When she didn't make any inclination that she was going to say anything else about herself, the teacher spoke up again. "Come on, dont be so shy. How old are you? What church do you go to? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Catryn slid lower in her seat, not wanting to answer. Despite this, however, it soon became obvious that she would have to do so. "I'm 18, I dont know what church I'm going to be attending because I haven't seen one around here. I'm Christian. And no, I'm an only child."

At the mention of her being christian, sudden whispers sprang up all over the room and she found herself glancing around quickly, wondering why her being christian would be such a big deal?

Brown seemed to realise that things were getting disruptive, so he immidiately spoke up. "Well Catryn, welcome to my class. Let me just get you a book and we can start on today's lesson." And with that, he brought her a copy of their 12th grade english book and a few novels the class was to be reading that year.

 

[scribe_m]

Catryn left the class as quickly as possible. She held her head down, holding her books. She wondered why she chose the clothes she wore today. She wondered why she was even here.

"Catryn?" she heard, a soft male voice behind her. It was Kyle. His voice set her heart to racing and a blush came to her cheeks. Her wide eyes saw him, skin tight faded wranglers, nice tight white t-shirt, boots. He conformed, yet he didn't. He didn't stand out from the crowd. He attracted it. "I wish I talked to you earlier. When people ask you who you are, you tell them what they want to hear. If someone asks you a bunch of questions, you can just answer the ones you want. I had to learn that when I was here."

Stacy watched from down the hallway. "Are you looking at him?" asked Laura.

"I'm looking at HER," replied Stacy. "Why is she talking with him?"

"Because he likes her," said Jennifer, a taunting smile on her face.

Stacy brushed away a lock of golden hair. Her eyes drilled at the newcomer infringing on her territory, oblivious to her rule. She waited, as the others grew bored, then saw Kyle leave. Wide-eyed, Catryn stood as she saw the young man walk away, only to hear the shrill voice of the other woman.



Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

"Just who do you think you are?" came the shrill voice of a tall, slender blonde that was walking toward Catryn.

Turning, Cat's eyes widened some. "I'm... sorry? What do you mean?" she stammered, growing more confused by the second.

"What do you think I mean?" Stacy sneered, hands on her slender hips. At Catryn's befuddled and somewhat overwhelmed look, Stacy's look became much more venemous, her voice quiet and threatening. "You stay away from Kyle, you hear me? He's mine, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some prissy city girl get in my way," She hissed, and was pushing Cat out of the way before the redhead had a chance to respond.

"But, I didn't.." Cat had begun, only to feel her body shoved out of the way as the blonde and her two lackeys went stomping past. Eyes wide, she watched the trio walk away, wondering what had just happened.

It would appear that this little scene hadn't gone unnoticed, however, as Cat finally righted herself and turned her eyes to the hallway, heart pounding in her chest.

It felt like half the school was standing there, watching in silence as this new girl was persecuted for doing nothing more than being talked to by a guy who knew how she felt, being so new to everything. Her eyes darted around for a few moments, and she finally pushed past the crowds and through them, finding a girl's bathroom and dissapearing through the door without another word.

The door of the stall slammed shut behind her and she locked it closed before leaning against the wall beside the door. Eyes closing, she let herself sink to the floor before her head rested in her hands, elbows resting on her knees. Sobs wracked her body as tears slid down her cheeks.

Why did her mother have to choose this place, of all places? Why did her father have to die? Why was it so wrong for her to talk to that boy? Why was her clothing so wierd to them? Why, why why?!

 

[scribe_m]

"She's not coming out," one of the boys said. "What's she doing in there?"

Kyle saw the crowd gather. From how Sarah was fuming, he knew something was going on. Pressing through the crowd, he saw them looking at the girls' door. Forbidden territory. Kyle swallowed.

"Timmy, what happened here?"

"The new kid. She ran in there and won't come out."

"What are you doing watching new girls running into bathrooms?"

"I dunno."

"Has anyone gone in to help her?"

"I dunno."

Kyle knitted his brow and rubbed his forehead. "I'm going in. Go get a teacher here to help out."

"Okay! I'll go get Mr. Brown!"

"Don't get Mr. Brown! He's a man! Go get a woman teacher... damn." Kyle watched as Timmy disappeared into the crowd. Placing his hand on the girls bathoom door, he opened it, covering his eyes with his other hand.

"Hello? Hello? Are you in there, Cat? Is there anyone in here? It's me, Kyle. I'm covering my eyes." Kyle could hear the soft sobbing of a girl. "Is that you Cat? Are you in here?"

Still covering his eyes, Kyle tried to feel his way around with one hand. He'd move, flail his arm, hit something, swear a bit, then try again.



Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

She heard the door open, heard Kyle's soft southern drawl call out into the bathroom. His voice echoed off the walls and she found herself closing her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks faster now. "Oh go away, go away, go away..." she muttered, sitting there in the stall like a lost kitten.

In honesty, he was the only one who'd been nice to her in any way. But, at the same time, him being nice turned into a source of her pain. She had the feeling that girl Stacy wasn't ever going to leave her alone unless Kyle stopped talking to her.

She pulled her knees up, crossing her arms over them. Cradling her head against them, her eyes closed and she sniffled, tears falling down her cheeks as she sat there like that. She just wanted to go home. And not to the house her mother had bought... She wanted to go HOME. Back to Minnisota, back where she belonged.

 

[scribe_m]

Kyle knocked at the door to the stall. "Catryn? Catryn, is that you? I'm coming in now. You shouldn't be in here like this. I'm going to open the door."

Kyle kept his hands over his eyes. As he opened the door, the sobbing slowly stopped. He crouched down on the tile floor. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?" He took out his bandana. "Here. You're crying." He gently touched the cloth to Catryn's cheeks and dried away the tears.

"Mr. Williams," said the raven-haired woman's voice. "Boys are not allowed in the girl's bathroom."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Black." Kyle stood up, dropping the bandana.

"The principal is expecting you in his office. You will see him now. And you," Ms. Black said to the girl, "You will stand up, go home, and think about the proper behavior you must have to be in this school." Ms. Black left the bathroom to leave Catryn with her thoughts.


Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

Cat's eyes lifted and she stared from Black to Kyle, then back to Black. The bandana had fallen, but for the moment she didn't seem to notice it laying in her lap as she watched Kyle stand and leave the room. Her heart ached as she realised he would likely get into trouble for coming in here to see her. And he wouldn't have had to come in here if it weren't for her.

He wad going to be punished because of her... How unfair.

"You will stand up, go home, and think about the proper behavior you must have to be in this school."

She didn't understand... what had she done wrong? The other girl had threatened her, then everyone had stood around staring at her... She'd come in here to get away from the ridicule and to have time to her self.

Watching Black leave, Catryn decided that her best course of action would have to be to go home and just never mention this episode to her mother. The poor woman didn't need the stress of knowing her daughter was messing up in school on her first day.

Standing, she bent to pick up her bag when she noticed the bandana on the floor. Her heart sank some as she picked it up, lifting it to hold in her hand. She was just walking out of the bathroom when she realised that those girls might be out there... and if they saw her with Kyle's bandana, she'd never hear the end of it.

Tucking it quickly into her pocket, she pushed the door open and walked out into the hall, brushing past everyone as they stood there, staring.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could distinctly make out the self-satisfied smirk of Stacy as she walked by. What had the girl told Black to make the teacher thing she'd done something wrong?

 

[scribe_m]

"Mr. Williams, aren't you going to take a seat?"

"Well... Mr. Brown, I'd rather stand for now?"

"Oh. Why? What happened?"

Kyle tried his best to not be noticed, but there was little else to do in this town than pry into the private affairs of others. It was best learned at an early age. One of the taller boys in the class, Kyle found it difficult to stand and hide behind the girls in the back.

"He went into the girls bathroom!" Timmy perked. It seemed that Mr. Brown was the only person who didn't know this already.

"Now, now, Timmy. It's unpleasant to talk about others that way. Let Mr. Williams tell us himself."

"Well, sir, after I left the Principal's Office, I went home and my Dad was waiting. He sorta gave me a beating." Murmurs erupted from the children in the class. Sarah gave Catryn a dirty look.

"Oh, dear. Well, now you know not to do that, right?"

"Yessir."

"Very good. Class, let's begin."


Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

Catryn sat through class, eyes down, trying to avoid the glares she knew Stacy was sending her way and the curious gazes of the others. She wanted to look back at Kyle, but couldn't. She didn't want to look at him and know that he'd been beaten because of her.

She'd opted to wear an emerald green shirt, this one short sleeved, and a pair of flares that were tight around her hips and thighs down her knees before flaring out around her calves and tiny feet, which were clad in a pair of green and white sketchers that matched her shirt. Yes, she was still dressed like her preppy GAP commercial self. She hadn't had time last night to go shopping.

When class was over, she rose quickly, shoving her things into her bag and making her way back to Kyle, brushing past Stacy before the blonde had a chance to stop her. "Uh... hey... Kyle?" she asked softly, fidgiting and wondering where, exactly, she was going to go with this. She looked up at him, chewing her on her lower lip as she tried to formulate what she would say. "I'm... really sorrry... about getting you in trouble yesterday..." she said, then dipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out his bandana, freshly washed and folded.

She held it out to him, to give back.

 

[scribe_m]

"Oh, Catryn! No need to be sorry. It's okay, really." Kyle held her hand as she gave him the bandana. He felt a small shiver of warmth as he touched her fingers. A light blush came across his cheeks. He looked down at the floor, then raised his head to meet her eyes.

Timmy head popped in between them, replacing the gaze with cavities and unkept hair. "No it's not! No it's not! He got an ass whuppin' and I think his Dad hurt him! He's still got to do his chores today too...mnph umgh mnrff!" Timmy bounced up and down as Kyle covered his mouth.

"You just..." Kyle was cut off.

"You just let him speak, Kyle Williams." Stacy glared at the two of them. Even Timmy shut up. Addressing Catryn, Stacy said, "Mr. Williams own horses and caring for them is a lot of hard work. I understand Kyle was hurt when Mr. Williams punished him." Timmy was nodding loudly, his head almost coming off. "I doubt such a refined girl such as yourself would be able to even lift a finger to help this poor man at the farm this afternoon."

Kyle hoped that he would invite Catryn to the ranch someday, but this wasn't the way to do it.


Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

Catryn had watched Timmy in a mixture of horror and shame. It took a while for her to finally want to speak, and her mouth opened just as Kyle's did, only to be cut short by the shrill voice of the queen of the school. She looked toward Stacy as she spoke and a frown crossed over her pristaline face. A face that, unlike Stacy, she didn't have to coat with makeup.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she made note of this and despite herself, a small smirk curved her full lips. Looking back to Kyle, she flashed him a dazzling smile that belied the fact that she wasn't sure what she was going to have to do or how to do it.

"I'd love to help you, Kyle," she said, that same smile still on her lips as she glanced at Stacy. "And I suppose I should be thanking you for making all of this possible. Afterall... had it not been for you throwing a fit yesterday, I never would have gotten upset and Kyle never would have had to come in to check on me. And then I'd have missed on this lovely opportunity to get to know Kyle better and to be exposed to the lifestyle you lead down here."

Without further ado, she turned back to Kyle again and grinned. "I'll meet you out front after school is over. That is... if you dont mind making a stop at my house so I can change?"

 

[scribe_m]

Kyle looked flushed. He looked out of the corner of his eye at Sarah, turning different shades of color he had never seen before. Daring not to see her, but not wishing to leave Catryn alone, he quickly and silently walked her to her next class. His head was spinning. The thoughts of walking home with Catryn displaced the stiffness in his legs from his tanning. He thought to himself, "I'm going to a girls house! How'd that happen?" Upon arriving at her class, he found the fastest way out. "Umm... see you later!" He took one last glance at Catryn as he left her at the door.

At the end of the day, Kyle sat on the steps of the school. School was done, the kids were leaving, and he had no idea what would happen next. He repeated to himself, "I'm going to a girls house! How'd that happen? Will she introduce me to her Mom or something? I guess that's better. I can talk to Moms. Hope her Dad's not there, though." When Catryn arrived, he immediately stood up -- then bent down, massaging his leg. "Hello, Catryn," he said, trying to look his manliest. "Let's walk to your house?"


Scribe.

 

[Jewelskye]

She'd seen the interesting colors that Stacy had turned, but instead of continuing to goad her as only a northern girl can, she backed out gracefully and saved the rest of her amunition for later. Her back was straight and her head held high as they left their first class room and Kyle was gracious enough to walk to the next one.

The day seemed to drag by, but it was obvious to Catryn and her teachers that she would be more challenged in higher level classes. The problem was that this school didn't offer things like honor classes. Not enough students, money, or teachers to pull something off like that.

She was just walking out the front doors, holding a letter in her hand that had been written to both her mother and herself from one of the teachers offering Catryn the chance to pursue higher level course work after schools, the times could be negotiable.

That's when she saw Kyle, massaging his leg but trying to make it look like he didn't feel any pain whatsoever. She frowned at first, but soon let a soft smile light up his face. "Hi there. And yeah, we're walking." She adjusted her bag's strap on her shoulder, glad for the light load of homework she'd have that day. Atleast she didn't have to worry about a bunch of homework after she got finished helping Kyle with all these chores.

Jogging down the steps toward the sidewalk, she smiled and watched for Kyle to follow her.

 

[scribe_m]

Kyle walked with Catryn to her house. Clouds were billowing in the sky. While his own house and ranch wasn't bad, he looked with a little awe at hers. Sarah may have worn frilly dresses and gaudy skirts, but he saw Catryn as her own woman. He did his best to walk right next to her. The wind pickedup and the sky grew a little darker. As they walked closer to her house, he began to feel nervous again. What would he say to this woman's father? Mother? As they entered his house, he heard no one else. What a relief! No, wait! He was alone with her! His heart jumped a bit, as he looked again at her, her short-sleeved green shirt, her flares tight around her hips. He only wore a grey shirt and jeans. She looked so beautiful next to him.

And then it began to rain. Little droplets fell from the sky, sprinkling the sidewalk with tiny drops. Kyle was glad he didn't have to work today, but, more importantly, didn't have to make Catryn work all day. He also noticed she was pretty smart in school, and could have used some help. "Gee, Catryn. Looks like rain. Well, we have an English essay due soon. Think I could work with you and have some help?"

OOC: Or... did you want to check out the ranch?


Scribe.