#bergen_county

Sylvi sucks at her teeth. "I want to kick his butt."

"Don't train him" May says "Muzzle him"

"It was a dumb idea."

Sylvi looks at Sam again and...yup...definitely hurt, now. "It's not dumb, but...okay...I'll...see you guys later...." She turns and heads off somewhere else, not really caring which direction.

"Sylvi..."

She growls and PUNCHES a locker.

Tanya looks at the departing Sylvi "Something.. wait, what's going now?"

Gone around a corner.

Out of sight, she's looking for a bathroom to duck into.

Tanya sighs "I"ll talk to her.." And moves after Sylvi

May says "Well, that...wow. First day "

Bzzt I'm here

bzzt Office?

Grunt. "C'mon, Tove is here. Office."

Bzzt Ok

"It's just dumb for me to try to be a girl. Sylvi doesn't get it."

"Uhm.. " May says "We ARE Girls. Just because Zane's a jackass doesn't mean you can't do what you want"

"Not... " A frown. "You don't get it, either."

To the office1

"I.." May follows "I'm trying. I don't... I guess I don't but I want to."

Hapless, and feeling ugly and weird and stupid for not knowing how to help May curls like a hunchback

Tove greets them "Hey."

And pulls out some clothes options "I brought a button up and a thin sweater and..." SHe looks them over, how miserable they are "Girls? what happened?"

"Can we go home?"

Tove says "It's the first day of school."

"I think..." Tove says gently, "If you can stay, you should."

May blushes. "We.. things just ..."

"Right..." Frown.

May slips on the button up "It's just a ..a fiasco. I'm so stupid I didn't even realize I was getting... you know.. more... so I've been ...looking like an idiot all day."

"You haven't. You look fine."

"And your make up?" Tove notices "Did someone make fun? Make you feel cheap?" HEr mom is... getting better at guessing

May starts to nod at that before she realizes she shouldn't confirm.

Her jaw sets. "Don't wanna talk about it again. It was a dumb idea."

Tove says "Well, it is your face and your body and no one should tell you what to do with it so if you don't want to wear make up right now or so on... then it will not be so until you DO want." A firm nod "but I am here if you do want to talk about it later. Okay? Now...I brought make up in case you needed to touch up and didn't have the right stuff, but I am guessing that is the last thing you want to do right now?"

She purples. "Stop."

Tove tilts her head "Sam. I wasn't trying to start I just.." A sigh "I want to help. THat's all."

She folds her arms. "Sorry." Sullen, withdrawn, round-shouldered...

"It's okay. I pressed to hard. I iddn't mean to but I did." Tove says "I want you to go one more school period. If you still want to go home after that? Text me and I will be you. No questions asked"

She nods.

"May, keep that button up as long as you like" Tove says

"Thank you, Mrs King"

And the young mother takes a deep breath, gives her daughter a brief, very brief hug, and lets her go

A sulk. "Got shop class. May, you ok?"

"Yeah. I ..I wil lbe"

"Okay. See you at lunch?"

"yeah" A bit of a smile at that.

"Okay." And she retreats. Shop. Tools and making stuff and no pressure and Symon!

And so it goes.

--------

Shop class! Symon is looking a little offput as he surveys the room filled with the scent of saw dust, piles of two-by-fours, giant (or so it seems to him) and dangerous machinery... Glancing around furtively for the sight of just ONE computer monitor...