white boys (river phoenix)

12

Robin sucked her teeth,

"I bet. Damn, it's already September eighth and we're still worried about school. Are people really any different in Boston than in Georgia?'

"Well, when your father and I were going to meetings and all that, we didn't get jeered at or mocked or anything. Just smiles and paperwork," Robin's mom said.

"So you think it'll be like that at school?"

"Sure it will!" Robin's dad exclaimed, patting her back with some force.

"As long as you stay away from those white boys," her mother added on.

After Robin reluctantly ate breakfast, her parents gave her a ride to the school. When they were finally parked, Robin sat still as if she didn't know how to unbuckle her seatbelt. She gulped, looking at the range of kids hanging out in the parking lot. From glaring Goths to bickering cheerleaders and their masculine football boyfriends, nobody looked quite nice. At this point she was desperate- she'd have to have classes with River and Corey and Feldman.

Her mother and father must have noticed the uneasy look on Robin's face because they both shared that same worried expression on their faces again,

"Robin, you'll make friends."

"Right," Robin swallowed, suddenly unbuckling her seatbelt and abruptly getting out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

"Bye Robin!" She heard her mom bellow as she stuck her head out of the window while her dad drove off.

Robin heard snickers from a few kids around her and she hung her head in embarrassment.

I have to find River, I have to find River, I have to find -

"River!" Robin called.

He didn't even look her way- he was so immersed in conversation with some girl that looked too young for him anyway. He was towering over her with his hand above her on the wall while she smiled up at him.

Oh, gross, Robin thought. The last thing she wanted to see was River flirting with another girl. She didn't care that he was talking to another girl, but it was sort of hard to watch, only because it was completely awkward and disgusting. Plus, Robin was used to him being flirty with her, as self-absorbed as it sounded. She hung her head again and began to walk into the school, which was a smart idea because the bell had happened to ring a few moments after she walked in, causing a flood of students to wash over her as she stood there helplessly, unaware of what to do.

She was pushed and shoved by a couple of students who kept prompting her to move, so she couldn't help but bump forward a little- into Corey Feldman. He swirled around, his arms following behind him like the cape of a mean vampire in the night. He was ready to completely burn the ditz who'd bumped into him, but his mean squinty-eyes widened when he realized it was Robin he was facing. He smiled and pulled her into an unwanted hug. She pulled away quickly but managed to throw on a fake smile before he could notice the grimace on her face.

"Robin!" He exclaimed with a smile.

"Hey, Feldman. Sorry about the whole club thing, I don't know what got into me," Robin chuckled, but she was still wildly embarrassed about that.

"Hmm? Oh, that? Ha! It's no biggie, over, forgotten about. Let's go get us signed in and get you your student ID, shall we?" Feldman raised a brow in suggestion and Robin gave him a sort of awkward smile that she hoped looked friendly enough.

Feldman linked arms with Robin which she found strange, but went with anyway so she wouldn't get lost in the hectic sea of students. Everyone was trying to get someplace on the first day of school. He reached the office after turning a few easy hallways. The first thing Robin saw was the big desk that read: "STUDENT-TEACHER HELP" in big letters. Robin sighed and walked up to it by herself since Feldman was in a world of his own as he talked to a geeky-looking guy holding an ice pack up to his head. Jesus, were people already getting into fights here?