FIXATION

SEVENTEEN

SEVENTEEN: SIMMERING
november 7th, 1984

"You've got to be shitting me."

Coach Blake blows his whistle at the sound of Rosalie's choice of curse words. How else did he expect her to react when he informed her she would get a zero for the day for lack of participation?

"Language, Robinson. If you keep this up I'll have to write you up for detention."

She keeps her feet planted in front of her sexist gym teacher. The sleeves of her sweater tightened as her arms remained crossed across her chest. From the opposite end of the room she could hear the students begin to file in for gym class. At the beginning of the period, instead of going into the locker rooms to change, Rosalie had came to the gym and explained that she wouldn't be able to change into her gym clothes because of "lady problems". It wasn't her period that kept her from changing it was her lustful mistake painted on her neck that she didn't want the world to know about. But Coach Blake didn't seem to care. In fact he cared so little that he was punishing her for something she couldn't control.

"All I'm asking is to sit out, just like you make me and all the other girls do every day," she hoped that if her voice stayed even and calm, the coach would be more understanding.

Instead he raises an eyebrow, "and you're not going to change into your gym uniform?"

She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming. She had been over this a million times already. Instead of exploding she offers a cool breath and a smile on top, "correct."

He blows the whistle in her face, "looks like you're taking a zero for the day." And with that, he strides across the room to retrieve the basketballs for the boys. Rosalie is left in front of the bleachers, her arms crossed and eyes steamy from anger. Now she was going to get a zero for the day and while she could care less about one zero, it really pissed her off that the coach could speak to her like that.

"Hey," Steve's voice come from behind her. She turns around to catch him jogging towards her, a concerned look on his face, "I know I told you I liked the sweater but you know you do have to take it off for gym class."

Rosalie sucks her teeth at him and walks in the opposite direction, biting back her angry words. She was already pissed off from the coach and didn't want to say anything that she'd regret later on. But as Steve laughs, he chases her down and tried to apologize, "it was just a joke." He pulls her back by the elbow, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were actually upset. What's the problem?"

Finally she lets an exhausted sigh out, "Coach Blake is giving me a zero for not changing into my gym clothes."

Steve looks confused. "Why aren't you changing into your gym clothes?"

"Because then everyone will see your art work," she grunts at him, shoving him from off her when he began to laugh again. How couldn't he see the severity of the situation? And why was he laughing at her time of crisis? Her eyes tint red when she spits, "you can be a real asshole, you know that?"

Now he stops laughing and raises his hands in defense, "what're you snapping at me for? I'm not the one giving you a zero."

"That's right," her eyes shoot daggers into his when she points a fierce finger into his chest, "you're just the one who had to go crazy and mark me up as if I'm another one of your flings."

Now Steve's shooting daggers back at her, "okay seriously Rose, what is your deal? One minute you're all over me, begging me to take off your pants and the next it's like you're punishing me for it." She hated how right he was. But she couldn't admit defeat. He presses on, the anger in his eyes begins to dim, "what's really going on?"