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[sup]Starring [color=#DE563C]Zakya Washington[/color] and [color=#008080]Ms. Trina Andrews[/color][/sup][/center][indent][indent][indent][hr][hr][color=#008080]"Why am I not surprised that I've found you in here, of all places?"[/color]

Trina Andrews had been a lover of the arts since she was a little girl, despite being persuaded by her parents to pursue more "practical" job options as she grew older. Whether it was playing an instrument, belting out a ballad, or performing a dance routine on the big stage, Ms. Andrews had an affinity for it all. It was because of all of this that posing as a San Agustin music teacher wasn't as hard as she initially thought it would be. It came naturally to her, because in her mind, she wasn't really acting. At least, not completely.

It didn't come as much of a surprise to Ms. Andrews when she spotted one of her more talented pupils in the very same music room she used to teach her lessons. Zakya Washington was seated at the piano, her back facing the older woman and her eyes glued to her sheet music. She'd been there for a little over an hour, singing to what she thought was a sea of vacant seats. Trina had been watching from the back row for around ten minutes before finally deciding to engage. Zakya only slightly turned her head for a brief moment to flash her teacher a quick smile before returning her focus to the music.

[color=#DE563C]"Well, you [i]do[/i] know me better than anyone, Ms. T,"[/color] Zakya said, the corner of her mouth turning upwards as she scooted to the edge of the bench. [color=#DE563C]"I'm working on our assignment for class. Just tryna to take my mind off things, I guess. You know how it is."[/color]

[color=#008080]"Ah,"[/color] Trina said, nodding her head knowingly as she took a seat next to Zakya. [color=#008080]"I take it that you're still a little bummed about coming in third place?"[/color]

[color=#DE563C]"[i]Bummed?[/i]"[/color] Zakya exclaimed, shooting her teacher a funny look as she momentarily placed her hands in her lap. [color=#DE563C]"I'm not [i]bummed[/i], I'm pissed. I really thought we had that in the bag! I mean, we could've gone about things a little better... and quicker, but... all that work and all I get are some fucking [i]stickers[/i]? Yeah, whatever."[/color] As Zakya spoke, she couldn't help but think back on when she, Sam, and Hana finally finished their final challenge, only to be informed that they hadn't been fast enough to win the prize, whatever the Hell that turned out to be. And as she stared down at the stickers that lay at the top of her tote bag, she couldn't help but wish that the prize wasn't as [i]grand[/i] as the staff had made it out to be.

[color=#008080]"I understand,"[/color] Ms. Andrews said, offering Zakya a reassuring smile before continuing on. [color=#008080]"So you feel like you would've won if you had different teammates?"[/color]

Letting out a deep breath, Zakya shrugged her shoulders and said, [color=#DE563C]"I dunno... probably not. I mean, it's not like they were [i]bad[/i] teammates. Sam was a good leader, even though he didn't really contribute to a lot of the mental challenges... Hana handled those, which was fine since she was the [i]worst[/i] at that whole basketball thing. I guess I just kinda blame myself."[/color] Of course, Zakya was saying what she believed to be the truth. While Sam easily knocked out the physical portions of the scavenger hunt, Hana took care of anything that required them to actually think. [color=#DE563C]"I'm an athlete, sure... but not the same kind of athlete that Sam is. And in case you didn't notice, I'm not really the smartest person at this school... Everyone knows that. Pretty sure my only decent grade is in your class."[/color]
 
[color=#008080]"I'm sure you tried your best."[/color]

[color=#DE563C]"Well, obviously my best wasn't good enough."[/color]

The two sat in silence for a few brief moments, Zakya staring down at the piano keys and Ms. Andrews waiting for the right moment to speak again. Ms. Andrews was the first to break this silence.

[color=#008080]"Well, maybe we should stop talking about the scavenger hunt, huh? Why don't you tell me about something more... positive?"[/color] Trina spoke with a more upbeat tone this time, trying her best to shift the mood of the conversation. [color=#008080]"Like how are you liking the school so far? I'm sure you've made a bunch of friends! And I don't know... maybe you have your eye on someone?"[/color] As Ms. Andrews spoke those last few words, she gave Zakya a playful nudge in the arm. The young woman responded by bursting into a fit of giggles, her cheeks turning slightly red.

[color=#DE563C]"Okay, I am [i]not[/i] talking to you about my love life!"[/color] Zakya said between laughs. And once she'd finally pulled herself back together she said, [color=#DE563C]"The school isn't all that bad. The food is good, the people are okay... I know a lot of people, yeah... but I don't know if I'd consider anyone other than Erica a real friend. I think I might come off a little too... strong for some people. Not that I care, I mean... It's who I am."[/color]

[color=#008080]"I see... so everything's going pretty well for you then, huh? For the most part, at least."[/color]

[color=#DE563C]"Ehhhh,"[/color] Zakya said, letting a long, dramatic pause follow soon after. [color=#DE563C]"They could be better, you know... if the staff would finally green light a Grease production."[/color] And then they were laughing again.

[color=#008080]"I'll see what I can do, Zakya,"[/color] Ms. Andrews said with a light chuckle as she stood from the stool and readjusted her blazer. [color=#008080]"But until then... try to keep your head up, okay? You're capable of a lot more than you may think."[/color] It was after Ms. Andrews had started towards the exit doors that she pulled a notepad and pen from her back pocket and began to jot a few things down. And before walking out completely, the woman turned to her student one last time and gave her another piece of advice.

[color=#008080]"Try going down an octave. Your lower register is actually quite impressive."[/color]

And then she was gone.

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