Nina Brockert
July 24, 2011 7:33 PM
Between a rock and a hard place. by Nina Brockert
Nina stared down at her prefect badge. She couldn't believe that she was the one who had gotten it. Her, the different one, the one who was left out. The one whose great-grandfather had given up on her. Nina didn't belong with her other roommates and she didn't belong in the pureblood world. Well, Nina belonged in the magic world, she couldn't imagine living without it, but she did not belong in society. That was what Great-Grandfather seemed to insinuate.The fifth year hated not belonging. People needed a place where they fit. Even Adam had had Talitha, Nina didn't really have anyone. Starbuck was gone and the prefect had been closer to her than to Mel or Delilah. Jude too. She had gone to the ball with him the last time.
Crud.
Crud.
Crud!
The ball . The stupid stupid ball. Prefects led the dancing. That meant Nina had to have a date this time. And there was only one boy left in their class who was both interested in someone else-who also needed a date-and a total jerk.
She could have gone with Tobar. Nina would have wanted to go with him but he had left too. What in the world was she going to do? Normally, Nina wouldn't care about getting a date, the way Autumn probably did but she remembered what had happened to Kaylie. The way her older sister had been humiliated by not having anyone to dance with. Nina couldn't have that happen to her.
Nina felt a little angry now. What kind of custom was this? It was unfair. Especially at a school where girls outnumbered boys. It was unreasonable and set people up to be embarassed when they couldn't find a date. Which some people would find embarassing in the first place.
And Nina didn't want to make a statement against it either. Well, she sort of did but not by refusing to have a date. She would have preferred to make a statement by complaining about the custom and getting it changed. Except that was too much like stuff that Chelsea and her friends had done and Nina did not want to be like Chelsea in any way. It was bad enough they shared genetics.
Besides, there were times it was okay to be different and there were times it wasn't. Being in the same situation Kaylie had been in was not one. Nina felt different enough as it was and she didn't want to draw attention to herself in a negative way. It might make her unpopular with other students. Not fitting in was bad enough but to be actively hated was another. That was what had made her brother the bitter human being he was today.
Plus, her great-grandpa would have a cow. Nina was not in his good graces as it was, though she was certain her being a prefect had improved things just slightly. She was not what he wanted her to be, what he wanted his descendents to be. Great Grandfather wanted a model of pureblood conventionality and propriety, a perfect little lady. Someone more like her sisters. Kaylie and Hope might not have espoused anti-muggle rhetoric but they were sweet-and in Great Grandfather's eyes, moldable-girls. Nina was not. She was seen by him as wild, untamable, in part because of her sorting.
If he knew her at all though, he would see that she had lost some of the spirit she had once had. But he didn't. He didn't understand Nina one little bit. It felt like nobody did. Nobody-except probably Adam-would ever understand how isolated she felt.
Nina sighed as she plopped down on a bench. She had no idea what to do about anything right now. Maybe she ought to go and get the custom changed after all.
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Nina Brockert
Between a rock and a hard place.
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Nina Brockert
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