Grievances And Other Things

"It's Kivjørs, Madame Duibourg."

I wake up. Yawn. It's early. But it's my second American school day. I get ready, grab some toast and head for the bus. I'm ready to leave, I'm ready to live, I'm ready to go! I get on the bus and see Skyler sitting somewhere. I walk over to him and sit down next to him. He says hi and starts writing down frantically on a piece of paper. "What's that?" He doesn't look up, still writing. "Spanish homework, if I don't have it done, Ms. Mandéz will give me hispanic detention!" I chuckle. "She seems worse than Ms. Caseto." He turns a page. "She is. Consider yourself lucky you don't have her." He finishes up, emits a sigh of relief and packs his book into his bag just as we arrive at school. I stroll with him through the main entrance of Beacon High where I meet Penelope walking with Chloe. Skyler disappears into his classroom and I join the girls. "Why are you blushing, Penelope?" Chloe answers. "She just saw Brendan, her boyfriend. He's basically a jock with a brain." Aha. "Yeah thanks, Chloe, I can speak too." Chloe smirks. "A pleasure, Miss P." We walk into a room. "What Class do we have now?" Penelope pulls out some books. "French. With Madame Duibourg. She's fine. Not awful. Not kind." I get out a book and the baguette disguised as a french teacher walks into the classroom. Class begins and my will to care ends. I'm here to make friends, not to ace tests. "Monsieur Keviors? Kivyurs?" I look at the teacher. "It's Kivjørs, Madame Duibourg." She nods. "Ah yes, you there, Åle. If you don't pay attention, you won't pass the year when you get back to Greenland. That includes acing your tests in whatever subject. I'm sure you know this, but I thought you needed to be reminded." I swallow. Shit. "I'm sorry, Madame." She smiles. "Now no more dreaming, Åle!" Fuck. I've got to apply myself. There go my plans of enjoying myself and having a very relaxed term. I'm doomed. Oh well. I'll make the best of it. Maybe I'll learn something important. Maybe not. I don't know. I'm just the exchange student. Class passes by uneventfully and I pick up a few French words. French really is a nice-sounding language. I walk to the break room with Penelope and Chloe. "God, I was hoping to spend my term here as relaxed as possible. Now I have to put effort into it. I hate Madame Duibourg!" Lyle laughs. "Just because you come from a country named after a colour doesn't mean you're exempt from working, Åle!" Skyler joins in. "Yeah, IKEA, why do you think you can sit back and relax?" I roll my eyes. "Wrong country and because it's been my dream to go to America and attend High School here. And also to escape Nuuk, the capital of nothing." Chloe snorts. "Then you've come to the right place. Portview has stuff and things. Not to mention a lot of this, that and the other." I chuckle. "Okay, I know who not to ask for a city tour." Penelope wanders off to a... Smoothie Bar? In the cafeteria? Okay, this school got a huge bit cooler. She comes back wielding a mango smoothie. "Oh, by the way, Åle, we have a short day today. If you want, I can show you around town. There's so much to see..." She jumps backwards, knocking over a cheerleader, and opens her arms wide. "...so coooooooome oooooouuuutsiiiiiiiiiideeee!" Okay, that part didn't really happen. But the way she said it made it sound like a musical. "Sure, Penelope. I need to nag my aunt for a bus pass though. I only have one for the ones in Nuuk." I take out the yellow card that I show to bus drivers back home. "Nuup Bussii..." Chloe studies the card intensely. "Do they just make up words in Greenland!" I laugh. "It sounds like that sometimes, Chloe." Rumour has it that Greenlandic is the biggest prank ever pulled on people. I only say that because I find Greenlandic a little hard. I prefer Danish. Thank fuck most people at home speak Danish and not Greenlandic. Break time ends and we trudge to class. It's Art. I'm pretty useless at everything that's not drawing manga. I know I'll ace this!

~~~~

School's out, and Penelope, Chloe and I walk out of the school building. There are flyers for a battle of the bands hanging around everywhere. "Chloe, are you guys going to participate in the Battle of the Bands?" The girls nod in unison. "Yeah. Amelia's no longer here, so it should be a cakewalk. Her band would usually win because she cheated. She really isn't a nice person." We stand around at the bus stop and after a while, a bus arrives. In the bus, we discuss who's worse, Ms. Duibourg or Ms. Caseto. After we get off the bus, we walk through the streets, passing Maldevoie Lane and Carterlon Turnpike, and we see... a Starbucks. I need to go there. No questions asked. "Stop, Åle! There's a much nicer Starbucks near the George Street Underpass, it's just a short walk!" I trudge back comically. "It better be. So how long do we still have to walk?" Penelope smirks. "A minute or so. We're nearly there." She wasn't lying. There's a huge two-story Starbucks at a crossing, where George Street intersects with Melbourne Avenue. And lots of signs and steps for the George Street Underpass. According to Chloe there are a lot of shops there. To my right I see a Hot Topic. Starbucks, Hot Topic, loads of shops... I'm in heaven. Penelope gets a call. "Hi Brendan... You're in town? Great, we're at the Starbucks, you know the one... Well there's me, Chloe and Åle... Okay, see you, love you!" Apparently Brendan's going to join us, making this tricycle of people into a fully-fledged quad-bike. Yay. Or something. That analogy was weird. We head into the Starbucks and I feel like I'm about to melt. Deluxe Hot Chocolate, Herbal Infusions, Cappuccinos... I only ever heard of those things in myths, fairytales and on the internet! I can't wait to try everything! Pumpkin Spice Latte, Brownies, how can I choose? A tap on my shoulder brings me back to reality. "Åle, you drifted off. Greenland must be a terrible place of you've never seen a Starbucks!" It's Chloe. No doubt about that. We order, find a table and I take out my phone. This has to be captured in all of my phone camera's glorious 2 Megapixels. My first Starbucks. This will be sweet. I take a sip of my Pumpkin Spice Latte, burn my tongue and almost shout "Thith ith jutht what I ecthpected! Yeth!" but manage to keep my voice low enough in order for me not to look like a crazy person. Chloe and Penelope laugh. "Åle you crazy cat, wait until it's colder!" I stick my tongue out like a five year old and smile. Just then, Brendan arrives. "Åle, meet my hot canadian boyfriend, Brendan!" I say hi and shake his hand. "You must be the guy from Greenland. I hear polar bears are a real problem there." I smirk. Let the lies begin. "Oh yes, they're like rats, awful vermin. Nothing a Nuuk man can't handle tho. A swift slap across the face and bam, he goes to the ground!" Brendan goes slightly white with fear. "I'm pulling your leg, Brendan. Don't worry, they only live in the wild." Brendan exhales loudly. "Phew, for a minute there I was scared." I tilt my head. "Why?" He smirks. "Scared you had the strength to clobber me."

~~~~

"Åle! Get your butt downstairs!" I save my Pokémon game, switch off my GameBoy and do as told, like a good boy. "Yes, Aunt Lissa?" Aunt Lissa waves a card in the air. "How would you feel like a bus pass for Portview City Transit?" I smile. "I'd love it, Aunt Lissa!" She smirks. "Well then you'll have to go to the office in Cemetery Drive with me, because this here is my card." Damn it. "Okay Aunt Lissa, no need to toy with my emotions like that!" I pretend to cry. Okay I did a shit job pretending. "Oh just get in the car Åle, I can see you're fine!" We drive to the office in the My Chemical Romance song I mean Cemetery Drive and get me a card for the term. "Your card will arrive in the mail, eh. So use this temporary paper card until you get it. That's us just aboot done, just need to wait now, eh!" We say goodbye and leave the canadian employee. He's got more of an accent than Brendan does. I can't wait for what tomorrow brings.