He looked over to me, and displayed his crystallic grey eyes once again.
“Yes.” Was his response, I put the camera up to my eye and viewed through the lens. He looked down as usual, still biting his sleeve but he smiled. I snapped the picture and my Polaroid came winding out, I started to wave it so the picture can develop.
“What kind of camera is that?” He said with his unidentified accent.
“Polaroid,” I told him. “Where are you from?” It was my turn to ask a question.
“Russia.” He said swiftly.
“Oh, what’s it like?” I asked.
“Cold.” He said with a smile. He held the camera up, I turned my hand into a heart and faced the lens. A subtle flash and the moment was captured.
He told me that he had to develop it at home, but that he’ll bring it in tomorrow for grading and for me to see. I was anxious to see the picture, and him.
The moment of truth was approaching, my 4th class was theatre and the rumor of Laurie sharing the same class would be proven. The location that Kaelynn sent me was gym that meant no desks. I stood near the door to watch everyone come in, no Laurie. I was smiling, for the first five minutes.


Then she walked in.
“I’m sorry Mr.Tammer, I was practicing for the upcoming basketball game.” She flaunted with a smile.
She wasn’t a basketball player, she was a cheerleader, a fat one. I didn’t even know those existed.
I had been unexpectedly been sitting next to one of her close friends. I knew her name; Ingrid. I knew who she was, just not her.
“Did you see that new kid?”Ingrid asked.
“Yeah, he’s pretty cute.” Laurie implied. She didn’t need a description a new kid was big news in a high school like this.
Oh god. I wasn’t even Christian, that’s how bad I thought that idea was.
“I think I might ask him out.” She playfully.
“I think I might kill myself.” I said quietly.
“Omg! You two would make a great couple!” Ingrid supported her.
Liar.
“Hmff! I know.” Laurie flattered herself constantly, I always that her friends would become tired of her but I guess not.
Apparently she hadn’t noticed me yet; she turned and gave me an ugly face. I’m surprised she had to try. The flipped her damaged brown hair with her chubby hand.
Mr.Tammer passed out tiny cut squares of paper, he asked us to write costume, make up or actor. Whichever one we desired to become in the class. I jotted down make up, I didn’t care enough to peek at whatever anyone else wrote though.
He then told to us the structure of the performance and performers for the rest of the hour. He stated that he had two other jobs, yet took all of them seriously. He had a Brooklyn accent and chestnut colored hair.
I was really hungry when lunch started, thankfully the line was short. We were having chicken sandwich, I never ate them unless they were packed with ketchup, mayo, mustard, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles. Which were all conveniently placed at the condiment counter.
I saw Yuri sitting alone outside so I walked up and asked him if I may join.
“Of course-”I sat, and then he began to speak again.
“Ehh, what is your name? Pardon my mistake.”
“Marina, you seem very polite.” I complimented, or at least I meant for it to be.
“Well, yes. You have to be nice to Americans.” His thick accent was rough.
“Why?” I asked, but he didn’t answer.
I had been sitting across from him, so I supposed that Laurie hadn’t seen me because she walked up to Yuri without saying anything but ‘eww’ when she saw me and walked away. I couldn’t help but laugh.
I looked down at his plate it had only one bite out of his food.
“You don’t like American food?” I asked as a tease.
“Not really, it tastes awkward.” I think he meant to say weird but I did not disturb his attempts of Americanism.
The rest of the day after lunch was same as usual. Science was science and math was math.
When I pulled my bike up to my home, all of Giselle’s Chihuahuas came scurrying up to me. Yapping and dashing around, dirt rose and was carried with the wind.
“Oh what are you doing out?” I asked all four of them in the high puppy-talk voice that all girls possessed. I always talked to them, they were the only ones I did talk to in that trailer.
I searched the cabinets for any sort of liquor, found sherry. Took the bottle to my room, I measured how much, it was up to the square label. When I was finished I filled it back up to the label with tap water. I went out to the porch to smoke, I heard my aunt coming but I could care less.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” She said on her harsh Latina voice.
“You don’t know a lot about me.” I told her, and it was true.
“Pass me a cig.” I never offered, but I gave one to her anyways. She pulled out a neon green lighter as I eradicated the ash off on the white aluminum wall.
I started to clean out my bag, I placed all my study papers in a file. I threw out an empty cigarette package, and as I sorted farther through I found the Polaroid from earlier. I slid it into the corner edge of my mirror with the rest, I didn’t need it for tomorrow Mrs.Keelings had a photocopy on her academic computer.
When I woke up it was still dark. I got dressed, I wore my lightly bleached jean vest. I brushed my hair, it was down to my waist now. It never got it cut unless I did it myself.
When I saw Yuri in class we flirted, he was assertive and I liked that. If I still dated boys, I would date him, but I don’t. Mostly because it ruins the point of Marina staying in Santa Rosa and [whatever my new name will be] getting a brand new start in Hollywood. It interfered, but I liked him anyway.

He turned in the picture for his grade. I never got to see it.
Lunch came around and I introduced him to Aileen, Kaelynn and Fernanda.
“We missed you at lunch yesterday.”Fernanda said in a happily implying act.
“Umm, yeah I sat with him.” I said with a water bottle in my hand, pointing to Yuri.
One of the days in math someone called Yuri a communist. It was a stereotype, and to Americans a bad one. Otis had introduced the subject of the ‘terrorist’ up and victor had implied the socialism.
Honestly to say I believe communism is exaggerated completely, but who is to say that America is better?
America really is the first generation of the rest of the world and as it looks now, maybe the last.
Another day Yuri invited me to his house, it was big and scarcely furnished because they could not bring many of their belongings on a plane. That was not the very first thing I noticed though. On my way there as I was riding my bike I noticed sprayed black lettering on the stucco walls. I could not make the word out until I was close enough to read ‘commies’.
I met his father Vladimir, who muttered Russian to himself occasionally. He had a coarse black beard and dark blue eyes. His mother had the same color of eyes but hers were lighter and delicate, it looked like melting ice on an arctic ocean. She had lustrous blonde hair but hers had deep yellow tones. Her name was Danya, Yuri later explained that it meant god’s gift. They also had a daughter named Josefina, she had black hair like her father. She said she was seven.
All we did at his house was speaking, I knew more about him. He was funny and confident but shy around those who he did not know, which was no longer me. He did mention Laurie though, it raged me inside but I did not express it. I didn’t bring up the graffiti either, he would take it as an insult.
The weeks went on, things got better and worse. The tension between me and Laurie rose, but me and Yuri became not closer but more attracted to each other. Sometimes he would act if he was not interested in me, but that made him even more desirable. As the word got around that Yuri was Russian the number of his tormentors increased. He never took it though, he would fight back.
One day Brian Langston took it too far.
“I cannot deal with this anymore! Why don’t you go to f***ing Russia and tell them if you don’t like it so much?! But if you ever went there you would be spit on for saying a word.”
Brian backed down, rolled his eyes and didn’t look back. He and his girlfriend Kait left the blacktop. Kait, that name sounded familiar.
In theatre we preformed our first act, Goblins and Goblins. Laurie apparently signed up for actress, she played the role of a pleasing fairy. I got to do all the non-goblin make up, while Hailey Fosh plastered on gelly latex and blue cream all over to make a truly hideous effect. When time came for Laurie’s turn, I asked her if she really wanted me to do her make up.
“Hell No! I mean look at you, you really want me to look like THAT?” Was her exaggerated response.
“Alright, come with me. I’ll have Hailey do your make up.” She followed me.
“Hey, Hailey? Laurie’s ready to do her make up.”
She nodded and had Laurie sit while she sprawled her brown hair back and started spreading skin adhesive around her eyes.
The time it took for Hailey to do the makeup was about 3 times longer than my original time so Laurie didn’t get the chance to see herself.
I watched from the side of the velvet emerald curtain, while she pranced around on stage with graceful fairy wings, a fluttering dress and glittery flabby skin. Oh, and a sickening cobalt face.
The faces of the audience went blank and baffled. Confused why a goblin was dressed and singing as a fairy. Laurie walked sluggishly as if she was tired, to the back room after bowing. She sat down and looked in horror at the mirror.
“Eeghhh?” Her dialogue started out as a soft murmur then into shrieks. “Why do I? Hailey you w****!”
I held my hand over my mouth to withhold my laughter. A pale blonde curl slid from my face as I stayed in cover behind a dusty tower prop. I had then realized that Laurie and I were like opposites, black and white.