<div class="floatleft">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Jenny_zpsf99ac029.jpg)</div><strong>Jenny Cushing</strong><br/><br/>Jenny's alarm clock was the blissful, dulcet tones of her grandmother furiously pounding the ceiling (her bedroom floor) with her cane and screaming, "JENNY GET UP, YOU'RE LATE FOR SCHOOL. GRANDPA WILL BE BACK AT FOUR. WE'RE HAVING MEATLOAF." at a volume loud enough to wake the dead. There was no school, of course. It was detention. Regardless, Gram made the same shouting proclimations every morning. There also was no meatloaf and no grandpa. Grandpa had died years back in an accident. The same accident had robbed Gram of her memories. Sometimes she thought it was the day of the accident, that Jenny was such a sweet girl for getting the groceries the day before, that it was perpetually Tuesday. Gram had to be reminded on those worst of days that Jenny was living with her. Gram waited all day for her husband to get home and when he never arrived, Jenny had to remind her that he was never coming home. Then Gram spent the evening crying until she fell asleep and the cycle was repeated the next day. Evenings are hard, but at least during the day on those 'bad memory days' she can be the good granddaughter. As far as Gram remembers, anyway.<br/><br/>"I'm up! I'm up!" called back Jenny, rolling out of bed and hitting the floor with an audible thud. That was Gram's way of knowing 'Jenny is up' - body hitting floor. The blue-haired girl groaned and grabbed at random articles of clothing on her floor. She dressed in a hurry in a pair of ragged jeans, sneakers, and a black tee with the Cyberdyne Systems logo pasted on the front. Over this she wore a blue hoodie to shield herself from the chilly weather outside. She scrambled downstairs, gave Gram a kiss on the cheek and started the long walk to school.<br/><br/>Jenny arrived after the preppy cheerleader she recognized from some pep rally somewhere. Or maybe not. It was hard to tell, since Jenny slept through most of those 'team building rah-rah events', as she called them. Coach Bull would apparently be their Fuhrer for the evening and Jenny paused by him to give her name.<br/><br/>"Valentine Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue-"<br/><br/>"I know who you are, Miss Cushing," he interrupted.<br/><br/>Jenny Slumped and frowned.<br/><br/>"You're the one who moved my office into the cafeteria last year, and replaced the picture of my wife with a picture of a refrigerator," he said, glowering at her.<br/><br/>This brightened her up considerably. Jenny grinned and straightened, "Oh, right. That was gooooooooooooood," she cackled. The coach just rolled his eyes and pointed at the center of the room. Go sit down, the gesture said. Sit down she did. Jenny, grumbling something under her breath about how lame detention is, took herself a seat at the center table.<br/>