Yellowjackets: The Broken Victors

Chapter 29: Bystander (Part 1)

note: your thoughts on these two chapters of pre-crash yj/agami's backstory are highly welcome 

[1992]

Climbing to the uppermost level of high school society would be easy if you possessed at least one of the three things: the talent, the look, or the brain.

At an early age, Agami Dickinson learned how to do art. She walks around the house or sometimes the whole neighborhood, armed with a pencil tucked behind her ear and some scratch paper in her pocket, so she can sketch anything she finds interesting at any time. It was the thing that kept her busy during her lonely childhood.

Agami was ten when she learned how to play the flute. Relatives from Providence visited them months after her mother died to check how she and her father were doing. Luke, her cousin, had a flute with him and was told by his mother to keep Agami company.

She never liked Luke. But she was amazed by his skills and the sound the flute produces, so when he left to buy Skittles, she hid his flute in one of her drawers and stormed out of their house to avoid questions.

When she came back, her aunt was scolding the crying Luke for losing his flute. Agami wanted to apologize and return it, but she was too scared of her aunt to even get near her.

Despite the ruckus happening, her father is passed out on their couch with a beer in his hand. They left and didn't come back again.

Her father never knew about what she did. How could he? He was too busy grieving to notice her daughter's little crime. Regrets were there, but the desire to learn how to play the flute was stronger, so Agami taught herself how. Two years later, she mastered the instrument.

At thirteen, most of the girls her age are starting to change. Putting make-up on their faces and styling their clothes.

Then there was Agami, wearing his father's old flannels and sweaters, paired with thrifted pants, to school. She wouldn't say she's completely ugly. It's just that she never actually tried to do more than be presentable and decent.

Agami knew what she was lacking—confidence.

Upon entering high school, Agami dared to put her name on the list of those people who are interested in being a member of the school's art club. She stood in front of the bulletin board for an hour thinking about it, and when she made a decision, it was as if she forgot how to write her own name. She took that as a sign to drop that attempt.

Agami then thought of joining Wiskayok's band, knowing that she plays the flute, but she didn't. She might mess up and make a fool of herself in front of many people. Besides, who watches the band in every game match they go to support and cheer for the school team? Surely she never did.

Then there's the plan of befriending the newly hatched Wiskayok's queen bee from their batch, if there's even any, and inviting herself to parties whoever senior would throw. But out of every shenanigan she thought of, that's the one that didn't sit right with her the most.

Who was she kidding? People are annoying and she's never been a social butterfly.

So here she was, walking in the loud corridor wearing clothes that might be older than her and pretending that she was listening to something on her dead walkman just so people wouldn't find her pathetic as she walked alone.

Two weeks after entering Wiskayok High School, she's still sitting at the back of their class and not talking to anybody.

Not until today.

On the first day of their third week, she found a girl occupying the seat on her left side that had been empty since the school year started.

She was pale with jet black hair, probably a few inches smaller than her, and slouched on her seat as she watched the teacher in front with so much boredom while chewing gum.