Video tip: If you need to make a cut in an interview,
use B-roll footage to cover it. Avoid jump cuts.
Day two is so much harder than day one. On day one it's okay and acceptable to be a little frazzled and out of it. But day two you're expected to know what's going on. You don't have the excuse anymore. You can't just say, "Oh, it's my first day," because it's not. And it's lame to go around saying, "Oh, it's my second day." By the second day, no one cares. You still feel new, and you still are new, but no one wants to help you find your way.
Right now I'm in homeroom. I'm in the same exact seat I sat in yesterday. All the rest of the kids are in different seats. Some of them aren't even sitting down, or they're sitting on the tops of the desks chatting with one another. And I'm just sitting quietly staring at my planner because I don't really know anyone well enough to chat with. And I don't want to do that whole introducing myself thing because, again, it's the second day, not the first.
Besides, I tried to be chatty in homeroom yesterday. It didn't get me anywhere.
Mrs. Welsh comes in. She takes our attendance and then goes on for ten minutes about the fiftieth anniversary and how we need to take our projects seriously.
I am taking it seriously. Even though I only learned about it yesterday.
"What are you doing for the project?" I ask the girl sitting next to me. It's the only thing I can think to say. She's wearing all black and trying to hide the fact that she's playing Tetris on her cell phone.
"I said I'd help with cleanup."
"You're allowed to do that?"
"No. But I'm already the poorest kid in the school so I might as well be treated like everyone else's housekeeper."
I gasp. Now I really can't think of anything to say.
She smiles. "I'm kidding. I just wanted to see how you'd react."
"Oh." I force a smile.
"I'm on Brainbusters."
"What's that?"
"The trivia team." She sits back in her chair and puts one foot up on the side of the desk. "I'm Lee, by the way."
"Dina." I feel like we should shake hands or something. Who is Lee friends with? Definitely not Chelsea Stern and those girls. And I don't think she and I have much in common, either.
"I know. I saw you yesterday." The bell rings finally and Lee grabs her backpack with patches halfheartedly sewn on. "Good luck working with Chelsea Stern, by the way. I feel for you." She looks down at my bag. "Oh, um, sorry about that."
It happened again. I was chipped. If it keeps happening, I'm just going to start eating the crumbs. They're too delicious to waste.
Lee walks on ahead of me. I try to figure out exactly what she means about Chelsea. I'm not sure if I really even want to know.
Soon it's social studies again, which means video time.
I get to Mr. Valakis's classroom and take a seat in the middle and wait for class to start. So far there's no sight of Chelsea.
"If you're here early, you can get started," Mr. Valakis says. He has a much more laid-back tone today, and he's sitting on the desk. He's wearing those ultrathick wool socks people wear for hiking in the middle of the winter, even though it's really not that cold.
So everyone gets started working, and I just sit here writing down different ideas for the video: a photo montage with voice-over, a skit about Rockwood Hills Middle School, maybe something totally different altogether like a video about the ways kids around here are giving back to their community? There are so many possibilities.
"Dina?" Mr. Valakis asks.
I look up.
"Are you getting started? Not to put pressure on you, but you and Chelsea are already behind, you know. The event is in a little less than two months."
"Yeah, I'm writing down all the ideas I have." I smile, but for some reason he doesn't respond. "I have my camera and everything."
"Okeydokey."
Finally, Chelsea and her friends stroll in. They're carrying Dunkin' Donuts cups. And I thought I was the only eighth grader who drank coffee. I got the habit from my bubbie and her friends. They always sit around sipping coffee and eating babka and telling jokes, and I join them whenever I can. It's a grandmas-telling-jokes club, and even though I'm nowhere near grandma age, I really enjoy it. I've been doing it since I was really little, like six or seven, which is how I developed a love for coffee. I don't believe that whole it'll-stunt-your-growth thing.
"You're late," Mr. Valakis says to them.
"We were in Mr. Oliver's office," one of Chelsea's friends says, talking with her back to Mr. Valakis as she walks to her seat.
"With coffee?"
"Uh-huh," another friend says. "We were discussing the anniversary gala. Our moms were there, too, and they brought coffee for everyone."
Mr. Valakis squints a little like he doesn't quite believe them. "I see."
Chelsea and her friends keep sipping their coffee as they start to work on their project. I expect Chelsea to come over to me to get to work on ours. But she doesn't. She stays with them.
I just sit here. I want to go over to them. I want to tell Chelsea my ideas, but I feel like I can't.
The clock on the wall with the oversized numbers ticks loudly, and I stare at it, noticing minute after minute go by. We literally haven't done a single thing on this project. It's only my second day here and I'm already a delinquent. Everyone around me is working.
This isn't me. I'm not that girl, the one who didn't do what she was supposed to do.
I stare at my notebook and keep writing stuff. That way if anyone asks, I can just say I'm jotting down ideas for the project. Which I am. Trying to, at least.
"Chelsea," Mr. Valakis calls out to her. "Please get to work. I don't want to have to say it again."
She huffs like someone offended her and stands up. Her friends say things like "Good luck, Chels" and "Bye, Chelsers, have fun" in these totally sarcastic, mocking tones.
After Chelsea sits down next to me, she starts talking. "So we just had this meeting with Mr. Oliver. He's our principal-you know that, right? Anyway, my friends convinced me to see if I could get switched onto the science projects group with them, but apparently he feels really strongly about this video thing and he thinks I can do a good job with it." She rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, well, obviously I need your help learning about the school." I hear her friends in the back of the room talking and laughing. I try to ignore them. "But I can handle the video stuff."
She stands up, puts her hands on her hips, and yells to her friends to be quiet. Then she sits back down.
"Well, we'll just get it done as quickly as we can." She takes the last sip of coffee. "But we're gonna have to meet after school in the library to do the shooting. We can't disrupt any classes during the school day."
"Oh." I try to stop myself from jumping up and down in my seat. Chelsea and me, hanging out after school! This is great. And I didn't have to say it first! This is my chance to have friends the way I thought I would. My chance to be someone here. My chance to be happy here.
"Yeah, I know." She rolls her eyes again. She thinks I'm upset. Wow-I didn't realize I was that hard to read. "Anyway, meet me in the library after ninth period. We'll see what we can do."
I nod. The bell rings, and everyone leaves the classroom.
I walk out alone, but I don't dwell on it. I feel hopeful. I feel like things are looking up.
