Slena walked into the office and her palms were sweaty. Senior year and a new school? Oh well it could be worse, at least no one knows about me being a reject She thought as she sat in the waiting room. Her brother was there with her it was his first year of highschool and he was just as nervous. Slena inhaled and exhaled and waited for the principle or who ever was going to show them around. The secretary took Damian and told Slena that one of her fellow seniors would be there to show her around. "Great..." She muttered to herself, she was kind of shy when it came to meeting new people. She shrugged the feeling of being nervous off her shoulder and opened her leather bound journal, she opened to the page where she last left off and continued to write her poetry. She was waiting for like five minutes when all of a sudden someone was standing over her. She looked up and smiled then quickly looked down at her book. Oh Man I made eye contact

As he dragged his feet down the strange hallways of this school called Oakland High, light brown glanced here and there, wondering as to whom he would meet and greet within these halls. The ones that had attended his old school were from a completely different world than those that attended this school. At Martin Luther King Jr. High, he was surrounded by street violence, crooked cops, loyal troops, and survivors of everyday living. He was one of those survivors; however, he missed his fellow survivors, knowing now that he would be encircled by snotty brats that got their way with a stomp of their foot, stars living the high life, and ones considered about the next fashion fad instead of the next meal. Life would be different and he knew that it would be an adjustment, but since his parents were breathing down his back, he knew that he would have to suffer.

Wearing a long dark red T-shirt, baggy, black jeans, red and black basketball shoes, and his diamond stud in his left ear, Galeno glanced at himself quickly in the floor’s reflection off the beaming lights, stopping his march to the principal’s office. He smiled to himself, knowing that he was lookin’ good at that very second and if the girls had some sense around here and weren’t all ditzy, they would be flocking from across the school to him. His smile grew into a smirk and then started off again. Upon arriving to the door, he peered inside spotting a woman who looked to be the secretary, complete with a dirty blonde bun and thick reading glasses with the chain dangling from them. Galeno chuckled softly and stepped into the door, turning his head slightly to stop a girl…a Native American girl, something that most do not see very often. Intrigued as to what she was writing, Galeno leaned cautiously over her, attempting to read whatever her busy little hand was writing. Before he could get a good look at her work, she glanced up and looked at him, smiling and revealing a pretty and slender face with dark slanted eyes and a pair of very high cheekbones. He smiled back and was about to say hello when she quickly returned to her book. He shrugged and then walked over to the secretary, telling her that he was new and needed a tour of the school and his schedule. She directed to take a seat and told him that someone would be with him soon. Sighing heavily, he returned back to the girl and took the seat right next to her.

Leaning over into her personal space once more, Galeno attempted to see what she was writing. It looked sort of like poetry; his eyes lit up in excitement! A poet, like him, but he wouldn’t reveal it so openly; he wanted to know her first, so what better way to know someone than by introductions?

“Hey there, I’m Galeno, Galeno del Rio. If you do not mind, I was wondering about what you are writing, Miss…?” His proper use of English would probably throw her off by his dress code; he didn’t mind or care, for all his life, he had been one to throw people off.

Lena was writing in her book and thought, Hmm, a really good looking new kid just stood over me...that is odd. She looked over at the desk where he stood talking to the sterotypical secretary and she inhaled sharply. He was gorgeous, he was aparently african american, but something else as well. When the Secretary motioned for him to sit next to her she felt a cold nervous sweat go down her back. He yet again leaned over and introduced himself. She turned over and looked at him with a smile on her face. He had really beautiful eyes and a very handsome face. When he spoke it was with compassion and he was being a gentleman which confused her a bit.
"Uh, my name is Slena Jara, but you can call me Lena..." She said with a smile and a tad bit nervousness in her voice. "I am just doing some random poem, When eagels fly. I just thought of it." She said, and then asked "Do you wish to read it? Its not that long" offering out her Journal.



((Here is the poem))
Poem: When Eagels Fly
The sky grew dark with a growing sensation
Not rain clouds nor night
But a shadow overcast in the shape of a bird
A young girls soul will fly free in the evening
The soul of an Eagel
She was an ordinary girl
But to most she was a demon
Banished from her nation
She knows all
She flies like an Eagel in the sky
The only thing I can say is
When Eagels fly

Taking a seat next to the girl, Galeno could instantly feel the tension in her body; it almost made him nervous…almost. After introducing himself, he waited for hers and as he waited, he again tried to get a good glance at the poem, but failed once more. He was slightly frustrated, but the feeling soon left him when the girl, Lena, asked if he would want to read, stating that it was not very long. Taking the book from her gently, he nodded and said, “I would love to read it, Miss Lena; it would be an honor to read a work belonging to such a beautiful author.”

With that said Galeno went into the book and read the poem, “When Eagles Fly”, enjoying the increase of strength throughout the poem and the rhyming at the end. Finishing the poem, he smiled and glanced over at Lena, his white teeth revealing themselves proudly.

“You certainly have a talent,” he stated, nodding his head, his eyes shining bright with excitement still. He wished to comment more about her writing, but refrained, for did not know what type of girl this Lena character was. She could keep his secret all the way to her deathbed or spill the beans, even if accidentally, to the wrong person and his style would suffer, changing him to a politically correct gangster to a weak pretender. He handed the book back to her and leaned back into his chair, getting as comfortable as one could get in those hard plastic chairs every school office possessed. He sighed heavily and frowned, expressing the discomfort that the chair gave him.

“I hate these kinds of chairs,” he muttered to himself and then smirked at Lena, knowing that he had to be feeling the same way. Continuing that conversation, “So, assuming, hopefully correctly, that you are not one to get into trouble, you are in here because you’re new, like me?”

When he said 'Ms. Lena' she felt her ears turn bright red. He sure is a gentleman, even if he looks like a troublemaker. She watched as he read her poem, her hands were sweaty and she was nervous. No one had ever been interested in her literature, they said that it was just a sad dream and that she would get nowhere with it. Well the Navajo nation said that anyway. When she lived in Bakersfield her friends loved reading her poetry, they always said that there was a hint of sadness, or anger, or love, or other random things. Her ex A.J said that her poetry was good but not the best. Then she broke up with him, lost in her thoughts Galeno brought her back by complimenting and then asking if she was new or not.
"Nah I got in a fight and then I was sent here." Looking at his expression she laughed and said, "I was just kidding, yeah I'm new here...I've lived here for about two months already...I just started late because my dad needed help with my grandma's will and such." She said smiling and nodding. "Thanks for the compliment, I rarely let people read my poetry. Mainly cause no one really cares for the written word." She had a touch of sadness in her eyes when she said that. "You know what I mean?" She asked with a hint of a smile on her face. She then thought, he must be smart when it comes to literature. "So what types of poetry do you enjoy?"

The red on the tips of her ears made a wide grin of glee emerge onto his face; he could certainly tell that she was a shy one. Despite majority of his girlfriends and crushes being very loud and flamboyant, he preferred those that were quiet and kept to themselves, so he wouldn’t have to yell over her just to get his point across. A quiet girl would listen to him for a change and he would listen to her. An exchange of sincere emotions and thoughts would occur. He believed that be a reason for his leaving so many girls behind; he simply grew tired of trying to win the shouting matches, and 95 percent of the time, the matches contained no disagreements.

When she claimed that she was just caught in a fight, he stared at her in surprise, shocked that he had met someone like him, a hardcore banger with a soft side and heart. Once she revealed her inside joke, he laughed quietly, ashamed for his gullible hope, and listened carefully to her situation, realizing that she had it a bit rough too. Nodding, he said, “I can understand moving away to help family.” As he spoke, a hint of sadly and anger briefly was held inside his voice. It was due to his parents and his anger at them for sending him away from his friends and family, the Pirus Bloods. However, from the one email they had sent him, things were better for them and they seemed happier, knowing that their son would have a change at a better education, away from all the gangs. At least he was away from them and their controlling natures and free to be whatever, if he wanted to change; but being happy with himself, change was futile.

“What you say about the written word is true; few do care for its art. Be glad to know that you bumped into one that does still care, “Galeno said with all seriousness, but lightened his tone at the end, as if bragging about his ability to identity potential talent. Growing comfortable with this Lena girl, he noticed pieces of the real him beginning to reveal themselves. “As for what types of poetry,” he continued, placing a strong hand on his chin, “I would have to say haikus; the Japanese are beautiful with words. I’ve written a few, and they are quite brilliant, if I say so myself. Actually…” He began digging in the back pants pocket of his black jeans, pulling out a piece of scrap paper folded up into fours. Opening the paper, he handed it to Lena with another wide grin; he figured that it wouldn’t hurt to show her that he wrote a little. Gangsters write rap, which, in essence, is poetry to beats.

“This haiku is called ‘Confusion’ and I just wrote about three days ago. Tell me your thoughts on it.”

Mind boggled with thought
Things perplexed, no sense allowed
Eyes see no knowledge

Lena looked at him with a smile, he was truly a nice guy underneath that Dramatis Persona. She nodded her head when he talked about moving away to help family. Finally a guy who understands me, it helps to know that there is someone out there who is kinda like me, but isn't...he's nice, good looking, he seems to be that kinda guy who is there for his girl, he has a nice smile too... Galeno brought her back to earth when he mentioned he liked Haiku's, they were one of her favorite forms of poetry as well. He handed her his poem and she read it, it was beautiful, she sighed and said, "Its so much better than mine, Its truly a beautiful poem. Isn't it funny how a poem can be so small but filled with beauty and so much description, using only 3 verses?"

Nervously, he waited for Lena’s response to his writing. Galeno, nervous? Yes, he was nervous, for he knew that she took writing seriously and was not one of his friends just reading his latest work simply to appease him. Even though, she would probably sugar-coat it, she would still give her honest opinion. Sure, he had gained appraisal in Kansas City, but California was a completely different scope of living and most likely writing. His face, despite the internal anxiety crawled all around his heart and skull, had remained calm and peaceful, looking at Lena with curious, light brown eyes.

She sighed…suddenly his heart froze and panic read quickly into his eyes. She does not like it. What did I do wrong to not make her like it? Was it too confusing, like the poem title itself? But once she finally spoke, Galeno erased that panic from off his eyes and face and placed on a composed and grateful look. She claimed that his poem was much better than hers and he knew that she was right; however, bragging to her about her work is a low blow according to Galeno. He grinned again, (he couldn’t help himself from smiling so much around her) and nodded.

“It is pretty amusing. But you when teachers give the students directions, the ones that are short and straight to the point usually get done. When a teacher is long and drawn out, students lose interest. The same is true with poetry, unless you capture their attention right away, you’ve lost them.” Suddenly, though, he realized what he had said could have slighted her. Quickly, he said, “But I don’t mean that your poem was boring or anything of that sort! I apologize if I offended you.”

Lena looked at Galeno and smiled "No offense taken." She paused and thought Hmm he seems sincere so I won't take it harshly. He is truly an awesome poet. She really didn't know how to break the ice, but she hoped their common interest in poetry, took care of that. She then opened her journal once again and asked, "What do you think about this poem?" handing him the journal once again.

Thinking Of Us And What We Used To Be

I miss your warm embrace, the sweet smell of love drifts in the air, but does not linger. I go grasping it but I can't reach, it dangles by a string. When I finally grab it, the string slips away. The sweet embrace I never feel unless I am with you is gone now. Do not forget me and know I will not wait for you forever love. I close my eyes and dream of a time before the fight, we were happy, nothing was there except the love we had for eachother. I made the mistake and I have to live with it. The scent of love is gone now…darkness ensues my heart. I stand on a cliff and over look the sea, do I dare jump? I look down and see the brief phase of time and I see what we had.

If I jump I let you go…If I stay on the edge I stay in a miserable small enclosed space when fresh air is a distant memory. I take a deep breath and I jump…the world is quite, life as we know it freezes in space and time. When I fall, I fall like Alice does when she is falling down the rabbit hole. Slowly I land in the water and feel the cool, crisp sensation cover me, and I all can do is cry. I let you go as I sink in our memories, I arise reborn not from ashes like the rising phoenix, but from the celestial beings like a princess from the stars. I gasp for air as I open my eyes and see the new world form around me. The water is gone, the cliff is gone, and the view of a new world is clear. I will always love you but I need to heal.

Time speeds up and life is going back to normal, but things are still tainted by the emotions left from our love. These emotions are sad and depressing, The beings of the universe become quiet and time marches on. I know if we were meant to be we will meet eachother again somewhere in the future. I kiss your picture for the last time and put it away, I lay down in linen sheets and close my eyes, I don't cry for I have no tears left. I need to sleep and I need to be at peace. I think of the good times and banish the bad, Good bye love I will see you soon…I Hope.

As he read the poem, he pictured the cliff and the crushing sea below. He could envision her looking over the edge and pondering the question of jumping and the benefits of jumping versus not jumping. He sensed the extreme sadness in the poem and began to wonder if she had felt that sort of pain in her life before, or if she had imagined the whole character and scenario. Much of his writing was based on true events, but occasionally he wished to escape reality and create a parallel universe with one that was completely different from himself and others that were completely different from those surrounding him.

“Wow, that one is really good, Lena! I can see everything: the cliff, the sea underneath. I loved the imagery of it. You could probably turn this into a short story, if you wanted.”

Galeno nodded and handed back her journal. He didn’t really have any other poems he could show her, and he felt a little bad that he couldn’t show her any more of his writing; all his belongings were in his dorm, which was the only room he had been in since the number was given to him in the mail before he came here to Oakland. He sighed and looked at the sectary as she was blabbering on the phone, appearing to be spilling gossip around. They had been waiting there about ten minutes and Galeno was growing slightly impatient. He knew that he could discover the school on his own; he had been doing that with the city for the past week or so now. Discovering the school could easy be fun, especially since he had a nice looking, and creative girl by his side.

“Say, why don’t get out of here and go somewhere else? I don’t think that those tour guides are coming anytime soon.”

Lena smiled when he read her poem, it looked like he was really enjoying it. She always lied to her friends about who she wrote this poem for, she always said 'I wrote it for one of my friends who delt with heart break' but the truth of the matter was that she did have a boy she was promised to and they were in love. Until he passed away from Lukemia a couple months before her mother kicked her dad and her family out of the reservation. She vowed that she would always love him no matter where she was and who she was with, a part of her heart would be his forever.

"Why thank you! I am really good with imagery, I have written a couple of stories for things like Chicken Soup and such but other than that I'm not that experienced in that field."

She smiled and took the book back. Thank the gods he enjoyed my poem, he seems to know what is good and what is not. She looked at the Secretary and tapped her fingers on the arm rest of the seats impatiently. She hated waiting around and listening to annoying person chatting in the background of her conversations. Thats when Galeno asked if she wanted to go somewhere else and she nodded.

"I'd love too, even though we might get introuble by miss nasaly over there." she said gestering to the secretary who was laughing like a cold victim. She stood up and put her journal in her bag and smiled.

"Sooo...where too tiger?"

Laughing just slightly at her chicken soup comment, Galeno could certainly relate to the random poems about topics that one would not expect him to write about, for example, he had a poem about Superman and he could not stand superman. After she took the book back, he saw her smiling and wondered what she was smiling about. Maybe she was having a good time with him. But most girls did have a good time with Galeno the Charmer. He smiled back and then went on to suggest leaving the office and exploring the school themselves. Surprisingly, she agreed, despite the gossiping one might have a little hissy fit about the two of them leaving. However, the lady seemed so engulfed into her conversation; Galeno doubted that she would really mind.

Standing up and stretching a little, he smiled and said, “We should probably drop off your bag at your dorm. If you got that letter you got in the mail that told you your dorm number, I can easily find it. I got real acquainted with the dorms earlier today.

“And speaking of your bag, If you doubt mind, “ he started, reaching for her bag, “I would like to carry your bag.” He hoped that she wasn’t one of those overly possessive girls, because he had already learned his lesson from his third to latest girlfriend. He was protective over everything that belonged to her, including Galeno. He could not go anywhere without following him and everywhere that they went together, she yelled at the top of her lungs that he was hers and that all other females should stay away. She ruined a lot of his friendships with other girls and after two weeks, he had to end it with her. She was heartbroken, but did not go into a deep depression like some other girls do, but simply continued with life until she found another boy to control.

Lena looked over at the Secretary gabbing and nodded, "I don't have a dorm, I live like 3 minutes from here though." She smiled and yawned, "Sitting here for like an hour will make anyone tired." When he guestured to her bag she said, "I would love if you carried my bag, you are a real gentleman..." She put her arm around his arm, "Do you care to escort me to my home really fast?" She hoped that she hadn't gone over board with the arm around his arm thing. Her house was within walking distance of the school and was right next to the dorms. "But I did apply for a dorm so I want to see."

Three minutes away was not that bad; he had ran longer than that before. He smiled warmly and yawned right along with her. Yawning was contagious in Galeno’s book. When allowed him to take her bag, he silently released a sigh of relief. Lena wasn’t one of those possessive girls.

“No, I don’t mind taking you to your house,” Galeno replied cheerfully and acted surprised when she laced her arms inside his. He was actually to girls trying to get close to him in some sort of fashion. As he started out the door, he briefly glance back at the sectary and seeing how she still had not seen anything, he figured that it was best to leave; they wouldn’t be missed.

“Off to your house, my lovely lady.”

((You can say this thread is finished and start another one at your "house"))

((Alrighty))
Lena smiled and they walked out of the office to the gates